The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 102

The time for the Xu family to set up wine is actually scheduled to be ten days later. During these ten days, the eldest wife is thinking about Mrs. Xu's illness. It's a pity that the fifth lady is pregnant and can't be too disturbing. The second lady is filial and is the mistress. Before it was over, I was too busy to touch the ground.The Elder Master was only focused on discussing court affairs with Mr. Nian, so she had to confide to Qin Niangzi all her thoughts.

Speaking of which, since she traveled through time, Qin Niangzi hadn't visited alone as a guest. This was the first time she entered the inner courtyard alone, and she was about to go to such a first-class wealthy family as the Duke of Pingguo.

"For a family like the Xu family, the thresholds are all made of gold, and the servants who serve inside have a pair of snobby eyes, let alone the master. The dignitaries in Beijing are all from a long-standing family with big eyes and big hearts. There is no one like them. It’s even better if there is a lot of gossip, especially the young wives and mistresses of the Xu family, who are all from first-class families... and they are daughters-in-law, so they are very capable... Your fifth sister wrote several times When the letters came back, they said that sisters-in-law are difficult to deal with—don't weaken our Yang family's reputation, but it will make your fifth sister difficult to be a human being."

Sisters are not allowed to be on the table, and the fifth lady will naturally be ridiculed. How can the seventh lady ignore this?
As long as she thinks about what a trembling life the fifth lady has been living without her husband by her side for a year, the eldest wife will feel distressed for a while, and she will inevitably sigh with the seventh lady, "I only want your fifth brother-in-law to be a capable young general, but I don't want to regret it." Teach your husband and son-in-law to look for a Marquis, what good is this young general? He travels all over the country for many years, and he only sees him for ten days a year. The mother-in-law and the great-grandmother keep coming in one after another, hoping to have a son tomorrow to carry on the family... "

After Wu Niangzi married into Xu's family, although she also wrote a letter back, but in the letter, she only reported good news but not bad news. She only said that Mrs. Xu treated her very well, and that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law get along well.Naturally, she didn't mention anything about the difficulties, but Er Niangzi pointed out a few words in the letter, saying that the eldest son returned to the mansion in May, and Mrs. Tai rewarded a pair of sisters with flowers as housemates. Although Xu Fengjia sent away one , but in the end it was in the way of grandma's face, so I left one in the yard.

Wu Niangzi simply asked Mrs. Xu for a common room to form a pair, but she didn't want Xu Fengjia to get up and go south after living there for a few days. The pair of common rooms are now locked in the side courtyard by Wu Niangzi, and they are not allowed to go out for a while. ...

Although the second lady tried to understate it as much as possible, but the eldest wife is also a person who has rolled in the inner courtyard of the deep house, so how can she not hear the infinite murderous intentions here?
"The 15-year-old Mrs. Shizi..." Seventh Lady had no choice but to comfort the eldest wife vaguely, "Whoever has such honor among the sisters is the second sister. After suffering for so many years, now she is on the same level as the fifth sister. "

The eldest wife suddenly became happy again, "Seventh Lady can still talk!"

Turning around, he told Lidong, "Tell Mommy Yao to open the box and bring over the new pearl head noodles I got a few years ago."

He opened his dowry with his own hands, took out a pair of Hetian jade bracelets and put them on Qin Niangzi's hands, "When you enter Xu's house as a guest, you can't hold back without this thing. The three pairs of jade bracelets in my hand, you three The pair given by your aunt gave it to Xiao Wu and asked her to take it back to the Xu family. The pair given by your father gave it to Xiao Liu and brought it into the palace to make a move. The pair passed down from your ancestors will be given to you. The ancestors handed them over and treated them with respect. , cannot be ignored.”

Qin Niangzi only felt that her wrists were heavy, and hurriedly gave way, "Such precious things—besides, it's not like Xiao Qi doesn't have..."

"Hey, the bracelet Madam Quan gave is good, but the marriage has not yet been settled, so how can I get it easily?" The eldest wife didn't think so, she held Qin Niangzi's wrist, looked left and right, and was infinitely satisfied. "You are white in the first place. Wearing such a mutton fat jade bracelet is just like the moon shining on the wrists of the people around you. When an old lady like your mother wears it, it will only look brown and brown, which is not good-looking."

He also asked Qin Niangzi a few words in detail, it was nothing more than the personalities of the young wives of the Xu family and their family backgrounds, because the youngest of Xu Fengjia's three older brothers was also seven years older than him Well, the last time the eldest lady came to Beijing to pay her respects, the fifth young master happened to get married, and she had seen all these young wives before.Why is it that the first young lady is the most cowardly, the fourth young lady is the most domineering, and the fifth young lady is demure, but arrogant and introverted... I told Seventh Lady exactly, and personally picked out clothes for Seventh Lady to match the Xu family. Satisfied, she let Qiniangzi go back to the house to rest, and before leaving, she stopped and told her, "Don't be afraid if anyone wants to bully you. With our current status, we are basically equal to the Xu family. No matter which one the Xu family If the little bitch wants to make you angry, you have to weigh it carefully. Otherwise, the degree to which Mrs. Tai favors the fourth wife will not send the fourth wife to the temple to clean up... Don't be afraid, do you know? There are fathers and mothers , Your fifth sister is supporting you!"

The eldest lady looked at Qin Niangzi with some sincere concern after all.

Qin Niangzi had mixed feelings, smiled and perfunctory the eldest lady, promised that she would not be bullied at will, which would make the Yang family lose face, and then she was able to get away and go back to her boudoir to rest.

How many different faces can a person have?Looking at the eldest wife today, who would have thought of her...

She shook her head and entered the room.

Lixia and Qiqiao immediately greeted her from left to right, one helped Seventh Lady change her clothes, the other held a bell of water mixed with rose ointment, and served Seventh Lady to drink a few sips—"The weather in Beiping is very dry, how much should the girl drink?" Sip rose water to get rid of the fire."

Although it is a small courtyard with three entrances, the main room in the courtyard is large. It is a row of five pocket rooms, which is convenient for keeping warm in winter. Qin Niangzi set up the bedroom in the east room, the study in the east room, and the two suites in the west. Put your own cabinets, and use the east three as a restaurant for receiving guests.Although the place is not as spacious as Jiangnan, it is also neat and elegant.The maids mainly lived in Lixia and Shangyuan, and lived in the East Wing, while a few mothers lived in the West Wing, but the south room was full of Qin Niangzi's cages over the years—unknowingly, she Even the family belongings can be filled to the brim with a yard.

As soon as Shangyuan came to Beijing, she was dissatisfied with the environment, and she hadn't been on duty these days, so she begged to be a substitute. She cherished this opportunity and flattered and served Qinianzi in every possible way—and indeed she had a way of serving Qinianzi so that she felt comfortable. Qi Qiao was promoted to be a first-class maid by her side.

After using the rose water and eating some fresh fruit, Seventh Lady raised her eyelids at Qiqiao, and Qiqiao immediately exited the Dongci room knowingly, leaving the space for Li Xia and Seventh Lady.

"Are Zhou Shu and Aunt Zhou all right? They are all from the south, and they suddenly went to Beijing..." Seventh Lady and Li Xia started to talk about their daily life.

Li Xia expressed gratitude. "Everything is fine. My father sent a letter before saying that his wife has arranged for him to be a moderate steward. Now he is looking for a house with Zhang Steward. Although it is hard work, he can go out every now and then to gain experience. .This is all thanks to the girl..."

"What's the relationship between you and me, there's no need to say these words." Seventh Lady couldn't help smiling.

When packing up to go to the capital in September, Qin Niangzi turned to the eldest wife to speak, and brought the Zhou family to the capital as her dowry.The eldest wife is also very considerate of her thoughts: Li Xia is the maid who has been with her the longest, and it is human nature to want to bring Zhou's family to her husband's house.

The Zhou family has few children, and Li Xia has only one younger brother. She is naturally grateful that the family can always be reunited. She can only do what Qin Niangzi ordered with her heart.Before Qi Niangzi mentioned this matter, she had already asked for instructions three or four times, "Maybe it's convenient to go out and go to Jiaochang Hutong to say hello?"

For more than a year, Feng Jin has never been an official. It seems that the test of Tanhua is really just to lure the prince into taking the bait. Even the fact that Tanhua is going to enter the Imperial Academy as usual seems to have been selectively forgotten by the officials. .It's just that the residence of this Lord Tanhua is more expensive than many Hanlin masters: it's in Jiaochang Hutong next to the Xi'an Gate, and it is said that it is also a house with three entrances and three exits, but it occupies a larger area than the Yang family's. The house given is bigger.This address was left to Brother Jiu by Feng Jin before he left Suzhou last year, and he lived in such a house at that time, so it is needless to say that he is the favorite of the East Palace.

Seventh Lady shook her head, "From what my father said, Cousin Zixiu is not in Beijing now, and his family members are not at home. It's too inconvenient for us to come and say hello. We'd better wait until later."

"With Mr. Huang here, I'm not afraid that the words won't reach Mrs. Feng's ears..." Li Xia was eager to make contributions, and whispered in Qin Niangzi's ear. "Please say hello, it's even more obvious that we take the relatives of the Feng family in our hearts."

Huang Xiuniang resigned from the Li family a few years ago, and has been in Beijing for more than a year, but she was invited by the Feng family as soon as she arrived in Beijing, and became Miss Feng's teacher.

"You don't understand." Seventh Lady sighed and pointed Li Xia, "It's better to have less contact with the Feng family. If you don't have anything to ask for, don't come to the door."

Li Xia couldn't help but feel a little confused, and he also accepted this rare excitement.

"The beneficiary is now prominent, but he is not a prominent one who can show off to others. It is embarrassing to meet each other. Don't say send someone to greet you in private... It is their business to be polite to us. We must not take kindness Self-respect, I thought that the relationship between the two parties was from the past. If they have nothing to do, they can send a butler to pay a visit. This not only disrespects the Feng family, but also disrespects the Yang family. Father has not been in Beijing for long, and he has not yet established his foothold. The housekeeper of the family went to get close to Yan Yunwei's people... how bad it is to spread it?" Seventh Lady had no choice but to explain.In many cases, it is unclear what is inside and outside the house.In the past, in Suzhou, the mountains were high and the emperor was far away, so naturally it didn't matter, but now in Beiping, when the Elder Master is not stable, Qin Niangzi will naturally not make any troubles and bring him trouble.

Li Xia's complexion immediately changed, and he lowered his head to accept the instruction, "It's the servant girl who is being reckless."

Although this girl's skill level is still quite high in Zhai Dou, when it comes to court affairs, she has no idea at all.

That's right, growing up in the courtyard since childhood, it is already rare to have the knowledge I have today.Seventh Lady let out a sigh of relief, and sent Lixia away, "It's not that there is nothing to trouble Uncle Zhou. Uncle Zhou has always been diligent when he goes out. Presumably, the few Xianxiu workshops under Second Sister's hands can also be passed by from time to time. When passing by, please ask Uncle Zhou to go in and say hello, and ask about the situation of these semicolons, but don't be too revealing..."

At that time, Er Niangzi took over the thirteen Xianxiu workshops in Jiangbei, and there were two branch offices in the capital.Of the remaining 20 or so Xianxiu workshops in the south of the Yangtze River, thirteen of them were still given to Wu Niangzi by the eldest wife as a dowry, but for the remaining ten, the eldest wife did not disclose the past information: with her temperament, she might just want to stay. retirement.

You can't wait until the eldest wife is a hundred years later, and then talk to Feng Jin about returning Xianxiufang, can you?

Feng Jin has a lot of money, all he wants is a thought, it is definitely impossible to annex Xianxiu Fang completely - even for him, it is still too unfair to want to be so old.It would not be too difficult to change one or two semicolons from Er Niangzi: Although there was no contact over the years, Er Niangzi's temperament left a deep impression on Qi Niangzi.This fair and strict second sister is actually the most talkative among the three shareholders of Xianxiufang.

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Although the Elder Master has entered the cabinet, his foothold is still not stable. There are not many affairs on weekdays. A little bit reserved, Qin Niangzi thought that the scene of the bustling city in Zhongzhong did not appear after all. Although the eldest wife had no time to spare, she was far less busy than when she was in the south of the Yangtze River.

When the first emperor was in power, the court meetings in Daqin were very irregular. Emperor Zhaoming stayed away from court for years and months, and left everything to the cabinet. He sent notes to his courtiers whenever he thought of something. Remonstrance still refused to change.Now that the new emperor has changed, he is determined to forge ahead in other things, but he is not enthusiastic at the court meeting. Doing errands in a row of small houses nearby—that is, I was too busy in the first two days when I first joined the job. I don't work all day.

Of course, this does not mean that the Grand Master will not be working. The palace newspaper memorials are supposed to be copied to the cabinet minister's office. How many copies of these materials are there every day? It's not considered the new emperor's whim. Summoned into the palace... Although the working hours are flexible, the elder is much busier than when he was in Jiangnan.In the early morning of November [-]th, the young man who had been summoned again was invited into the Forbidden City.

The emperor has a call, so naturally it doesn't matter if you have a dinner or not today, the eldest wife had no choice but to send a few more servants to send Qiniangzi to Pingguo's mansion, watching Qiniangzi get on the warm sedan chair and holding her hand He ordered, "Whoever bullies you, just come back and tell mother, don't be mad at your fifth sister..."

The Pingguo Mansion is located at the end of the Coal Hutong in Chengqingfang, just across the imperial city from the Yang family. Seventh Lady brought with her two nuns, Mama Liang and Mama Tai, as well as Lixia and Shangyuan as personal attendants. After that, I got out of the warm sedan and changed to a silk car. I turned from Chongwumenli Street and Zhengyangmen Street to Chongwenmenli Street. I could see from the corner of the curtain all the way. The pedestrians were all clean and ruddy, and Zhengyangmen Street was even more The crowd was dense and bustling, and from time to time, you could see little eunuchs dressed as courtiers wandering through the crowd with food boxes and boxes, and even gorgeously dressed ladies walked out of the shop wearing veiled hats, and helped the servants get into the carriage. The guards patrolled back and forth with their waist sabers in their hands, but their attitude was very lazy... Don't talk about Qin Niangzi, even Mama Tai and Mama Liang looked at her with a smile on their lips.

Unknowingly, it turned from Chongwenmenli Street into Coal Alley.

Compared with the hustle and bustle of the main street, this Gongfu Hutong is different.According to the rules of the Great Qin Dynasty, once a vassal king is granted a feudal title, he must be a vassal, and a prince cannot open a mansion without a seal. Walking in Chongwenmenli Street—the Coal Hutong is naturally deserted. The east side is bounded by the Hutong, and there are several families who come out, and the doorkeepers seem to be low-level civil servants.

At the end of Coal Alley, there are seven rows of nails criss-crossing on the eight doors, and the stone lions on both sides are showing their teeth and claws. There were vague chatter and greetings, followed by several squeaks. As soon as the west door opened, the carriage slowly entered the Pingguo Palace.

"Mr. Pingguo has strict rules, male guests enter the east gate, and female guests enter the west gate. Girls should pay attention in the mansion." Tai's mother lost no time and whispered something in Seventh Lady's ear.

It seems that the rules of the Pingguo government are indeed not small.

Qiniangzi nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and calmed down her heartbeat slightly: it was the first time she went out alone, and she was about to break into a dragon's pond and tiger's den like Xu's, even though she was as calm as her, she couldn't help but tremble a little.

The carriage vibrated slightly, and after a while, it moved again, but the speed was obviously slowed down. Through the curtain, the change of light could be clearly felt. It seemed that the carriage was passing through several corridors. After a while, someone respectfully called out to Seventh Lady Change the sedan chair.Seventh Lady didn't dare to look too much, so she changed the green bamboo sedan chair carried by the two of them without squinting. Mama Tai and Mama Liang served on the left and right, and Lixia Shangyuan followed the sedan chair.

"Hey, this is the younger sister of the Yang family? It's not in vain that I've waited outside for so long, my hands are numb from the cold. Come on, quickly ask the younger sister of the Yang family to get off the sedan chair—I want to make amends for her myself!"

Seventh Lady raised her eyebrows, but before she could speak, she heard Liang's mother laugh, "So it's the fourth young lady..."

(End of this chapter)