The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 107

"Behind the screen is Seventh Girl, right?"

No matter how gloomy he was, the cheerfulness that belonged to Quan Zhongbai never went away. As if he didn't know that the two families had the intention of marrying each other, he raised his brows and asked a thoughtful question.

Naturally, Seventh Lady could not speak out, so Liang's mother replied, "Yes."

Seeing that the eldest lady's face was not very good-looking, she added, "Back then, the genius doctor helped our seventh girl's pulse and prescribed prescriptions."

Quan Zhongbai then smiled slightly, "Yes," he closed his eyes, and increased the pressure on his fingers, "Isn't this recognized when you press your finger? To the doctor, this pulse is just like his appearance. Well, once you see it, you will never forget it..."

He pursed his lips again, "Miss Seven, please relax."

The eldest wife and several maids immediately looked at Seventh Lady behind the screen.

Seventh Lady couldn't help gnashing her teeth: Although she also had the reservedness of her daughter's family, she was definitely not nervous because of shyness at this time.

This Quan Zhongbai has always been like this. At best, he is uninhibited and wild. At worst, he never speaks from the scene.

Fortunately, not long after, he withdrew his hand, slowly lowered his eyes and murmured, his fingers flicked endlessly, looking from behind the screen, his expression seemed a little dignified.

Could it be that this residual poison has not been completely removed... Seventh Lady pursed her lips, feeling a little nervous again.

It's just that it's hard to say anything in front of the eldest wife...

"Miss Seven was weak when she was young. I'm afraid she has some innate deficiencies. Twins are often like this. The fourth young master of your mansion also has the same problem." Fortunately, Quan Zhongbai quickly organized his words. "At that time, I prescribed a few prescription prescriptions. Although the medicinal materials were expensive and seemed extravagant, they were indeed good things. As expected, Seventh Miss took them on time, and now her vitality is not as weak as before. The previous prescriptions, You can stop eating."

The eldest wife also listened very engrossed.

Quan Zhongbai hesitated for a moment, frowned, and said again, "It's just that the vitality has been lacking for many years, and Miss Seven's body is still weaker than ordinary people, which cannot be compensated by medicine. It's still the same sentence In other words, you need to think less and take care more at ordinary times, otherwise you will be less fortunate in terms of your children—”

The eldest lady gasped, "What does Ziyin mean?"

Before she knew it, she had already intimately called Quan Zhongbai's name.

"It's not that there's no other way." Quan Zhongbai glanced at the screen, with a calm expression on his face, "It's just that the blessings are less... It's harder to conceive, even if you have children, the natural vitality will be stronger Ordinary people are weaker."

The news was not good anyway, the eldest wife couldn't help but frowned tightly, and she was no longer interested in talking.

Quan Zhongbai didn't mind either, he prescribed two more prescriptions for Qi Niangzi to take care of her body, then said goodbye and left politely, but he didn't say anything surprising again.

The eldest wife's mood fell again, and she didn't sleep well that night.

"Ziyin is a doctor himself. How can he not mind when he feels such a pulse? The rich and powerful family value the son-in-law the most, especially in the capital. Without a son-in-law, it seems that the sky is about to collapse..." He and the elder Complained, "Looking at it this way, there is a nine out of ten chance that the Quan family will not be able to succeed. Even if they succeed, Seventh Lady will be wronged if she marries!"

Grandpa doesn't see it that way.

"Ziyin knew that Xiaoqi's vitality was weak many years ago, and he was able to see this problem a little better. Why didn't he know that Xiaoqi would have a harder time giving birth? He even married the third lady of the Dajia family, yes Xiao Qi is even less picky." He twitched his beard, "Anyway, Ziyin has an elder brother, but he is only the second son, and the eldest son and grandson were born earlier... I think the Quan family will not be picky about Xiao Qi. This."

The eldest wife saw a lot of things wrong from the Quan family's marriage right away. "That's what I said, but after all, it's a continuation, and it's hard to gain a foothold in the first place. The Da family is still desperately pursuing the Quan family, relying on that point of in-law relationship to not destroy the family and ransack the house, but if Ziyin continues the xian, the in-laws will be even weaker. .Don’t you know how powerful the group of people from Da’s family is? When the time comes, it’s Xiao Qi who will be embarrassed..."

The Elder Master became a little impatient, "Let's wait for Hanchun to come and see. Even if Xiaoqi is a thousand and one hundred clever, the first childbirth is difficult, and the second birth is a bit lower. No matter the Quan family or the Gui family, It's not considered humiliating. There is no perfect thing in the world, but Xiao Wu, isn't he a bag of bitterness in private?"

The eldest wife's attention was shifted immediately, and she wiped away her tears, "I really can't sleep well when I think of Xiaowu! At home, I am so kind and doting, even a princess can only do this. When I arrive at my in-law's house, I will be angry everywhere." ..."

The old man looked at the old lady coldly, and swallowed the words again.After a long time, he sighed, got up and walked out of the room.

Then he took Seventh Lady to the small study to talk.

Since he came to Beijing, the Elder Master has complicated affairs, and it has been a long time since he has asked Seventh Lady to serve him.Now that Quan Zhongbai came, it was as if a depth bomb had been dropped in the peaceful backyard of the Yang family. The eldest wife was the first to turn her back on her back, and the second was the elder.

"It's not a big deal." He weighed his words carefully and comforted the seventh lady, "Both families are the second sons of the first line, and they have already had the eldest grandson. If you don't worry, after one year of marriage, you can lift up the two housemates and bring the children to your side. I have been brought up since I was a child, and I will recognize you as my mother in terms of affection and etiquette."

Qin Niangzi is the least serious of the three: she has a fear of childbirth. Although most of the daughters of the Yang family are born naturally, but in this era for a long time, there are not many relatives and friends in any year. The female relatives died of dystocia... The sanitation conditions in ancient times were so poor, giving birth to a child was tantamount to passing through the gates of hell. In Qinianzi's view, it was not a big deal.

It's just that compared to the shock and sympathy of the eldest wife, the calmness of the elder is more pleasing in the end, and he came up with a solution in a few words to comfort Seventh Lady.Although this approach conflicts with Qiniangzi's education, it was indeed the most natural way of thinking in ancient times.

At that time, there were no wealthy families who did not take concubines. Although they would not praise the housemates before marriage, but after marriage, when the wife is pregnant, they would definitely praise the housemaid to serve the male master. If it was in a middle-class family, it would not be There are also some examples of not taking concubines, but after all, they are a minority among the minority, even among the minority, most of the wives have a strong natal family.It's just that in the social class that Seventh Lady is in, the son-in-law also has a few big girls around her. No matter how strong the mother's family is, is it stronger than the royal family?Even concubines are unavoidable, men who really don't take concubines are really rare.

The life in the Peach Blossom Land that I longed for, after all, was gone the moment I was considered a legitimate daughter. With the step-by-step promotion of the elder, it seems to be empty talk to expect a couple for a lifetime at this time.Besides, Qin Niangzi never thought that she could be a couple with an ancient man for the rest of her life... The education received is different, the experience is different, and the vision is different. It is not easy to achieve harmony. What is love for a lifetime? It's love at first sight, but after 20 years, it's inevitable that love at first sight will become fading and falling in love.

That being the case, anyway, the Gui family and the Quan family are not all the same, they can live their lives well, live leisurely outside of housework, have a strong natal family, and don't need to look at people's faces... that's enough!
Qin Niangzi looked at her toes and responded softly, "Father is right - after all, this is a matter of the future, no one can say for sure, it is really not worthwhile to worry about it right now."

The elder looked at Qinianzi with a little surprise, and after a while, he smiled, "It's hard for you to think so openly."

After another half-day of silence, the middle-aged scribe unconsciously counted the paperwork on the small filing, and at the same time slowly confide in his heart to Qin Niangzi.

"Originally, when I came to Beijing to be the elder of the pavilion, my father wanted to promise you to the Quan family. Right under my nose, the two families are missing an ally. Although the Xu family is reliable, they always have too many friends."

There was deep fatigue in his words.

"But... the situation in Beijing is changing, or Dad is really old and can't stand the hard work. He is trembling every day, and he really seems powerless..."

Seventh Lady couldn't help being a little surprised.

The Elder Master is in his prime of life, when he is full of ambitions, and he is also one of the youngest cabinet elders in the history of Daqin. Ordinarily, he should be full of ambitions and is planning to show his talents.How could you feel disheartened after only coming to Beijing for less than a month?

She didn't speak, just looked at the old man quietly, waiting for the old man to say something.

The elder wiped his face again, and then lowered his voice, "The emperor intends to reform the tax system, integrate the land into one, and promote it to the whole country."

The integration of land and land is simple enough to say. It is nothing more than reforming the tax system and abolishing the poll tax and apportioning it to the mu tax.

Seventh Lady stood up in shock.

Only then did she understand why the old man had such an expression.

Today, among the three elders in the cabinet, Jiao Ge is the oldest, and he is the undisputed Chief Assistant. Half of the civil servants in the Manchu Dynasty can be regarded as his disciples. The assistant serves as the chief examiner, and the Jinshi must call the chief examiner a teacher.

But it was Mr. Jiao Ge who, in the early years of Zhaoming, had a lot of quarrels with Emperor Qin over the matter of Ding Heyi, and pushed Emperor Qin out of the cabinet and suppressed him. If the emperor hadn't protected Emperor Qin overtly , and promoted Emperor Qin to Prince Shaobao, I am afraid that it will be difficult for the Qin family to stand up in that battle.

At that time, the Grand Master was very soft-spoken, and of course he was not qualified to join the war, but judging from the numerous promotions of the Grand Master after the late emperor, even the late emperor had the intention to reform the tax system, but his arms could not twist the cabinet's thigh, and the late emperor's heart There are too many things to do, so I didn't take care of it for a while.

It seems that the purpose of the prince's promotion of the grand master to Beijing to be the elder of the pavilion is really to reform the tax system and unite land and land.

This is no small matter!

Mr. Jiao Ge has been the chief assistant for more than 20 years. Although he has always been cautious and tactful, and is a famous kowtow first assistant, his power cannot be underestimated. When the prince left the cabinet, the emperor hesitated. It was Jiao Ge who was the key It was only by adding fire at all times that the prince successfully left the cabinet to study.Speaking of which, the new emperor still owed him a favor.

To agree with Di Ding Heyi is to oppose such a full-fledged and highly experienced senior, not to mention the elder, even when Emperor Qin was alive, I am afraid that he will have to think twice!
"Great Qin is really lucky." The elder changed the subject again, leaning on the back of the chair and muttering to himself, "The emperors have gradually become a little shameless after the founding of the country for more than 100 years. Although the first emperor was smart, he didn't care about governing the country. I thought that the country's power is gradually declining, which is something that can be seen, but I didn't expect that the East Palace is a dragon and a phoenix among people. It is really a genius who comes out once in a hundred years. Every step in the south of the Yangtze River is a slap and a few rings... It actually subdued your father You are obedient, and you don't have the strength to fight back at all."

Why didn't Seventh Lady understand what the old man meant?
This emperor who has never met before is really too deep!Grass Snake's gray line has thousands of miles of veins, and I am afraid that it will start wiring for today when it is not enthroned.

Although the Yang family took refuge in the crown prince, they had suffered repeated cold reception over the past few years, so they were naturally trembling. At this time, Jiangnan was in turmoil again, and even the elder could not help but be shocked by the crown prince's scheming methods.

It was precisely because he was afraid of the prince's tricks and thought that he would not be able to fight against the East Palace that the elder became homesick and gave up the position of governor of Jiangnan. Beijing joins the cabinet.The Yang family's roots in the capital are not deep, and Lord Pingguo is a general, and he has been out of work for many years since the Zhaoming victory. Mr. Jiao Ge and Emperor Qin have not been teachers for a long time. The Elder wants to secure the position of Mr. Ge, the only one The way is to flatter Shangyi to protect himself... In layman's terms, the new emperor has already frightened the old man, scared him, and made him have no capital, nor the courage to play tricks and fight against himself.

This is a very powerful monarch, and his mind is so deep that even the elder can't understand it, let alone Qin Niangzi...

"What does that father mean..." Seventh Lady asked in a low voice, she felt the cold from the net down her back, her whole body seemed to be soaked in ice water.

The old man showed a wry smile.

"The unity of land and land is of course a great thing that will benefit the future, but once it is promulgated, both the new emperor and our Yang family will be criticized by thousands of people, and everyone will talk about it. Your father will be named a traitor after a hundred years. The head can't get away."

"But now we are rushing ducks to the shelves, and even if we want to retreat, there is no way out. Xiaoqi, dad won't be able to hold on for long. After the yuan change next year, I'm afraid he will start to play and speak for Di Ding He Yi." He rubbed wearily. Wiped his face, picked up the tea on the table, and drank it all in one gulp, "But our Yang family must have a way out. ——Father, I'm sorry for Xiao Qi, although Zi Yin is a young and dignified man who is suave and romantic, he is really a good match, but... ..."

Seventh Lady already understood what the old man meant.

If you want to stay behind, you have to sell yourself to the Gui family.

The new emperor is not simple, so why is the Grand Master a clear stream?Calling myself here today to complain about the hardships is nothing more than letting myself accept the fate of marrying into the Gui family, and not to involve Feng Jin in it and cause trouble.

Thinking of staying in the capital and being involved in such a dizzying vortex all the time, Qin Niangzi felt dizzy for a while.

Forget it, the northwest is the northwest!Although it was a sad place that she never wanted to go back to, but... it also has its advantages!
"As a daughter of the Yang family, I will naturally obey my father's orders. If my father tells Xiao Qi to marry whomever, Xiao Qi will just wait to get on the sedan chair." She agreed without embellishment. "Both families are good matches. Whoever favors Xiao Qi is Xiao Qi's luck."

An imperceptible sense of relaxation flashed in the elder's eyes.

"Don't worry." He turned to comfort Seventh Lady, "The Gui family has always wanted to find a road leading to the sky, but it's a pity that General Gui is an upright person and never likes the rich and powerful. Otherwise, Mrs. Gui wouldn't be so kind to this marriage. Enthusiastic. The population is simple and the family style is strict, and your life will not be too sad in the future!"

Seventh Lady let out a silent sigh.

The Eldest Master is really caring about himself, he actually found four or five shipping channels for him...

That's all, just treat it as golden hairpin grass, wherever it floats, it will take root and sprout there!As long as there is the backing of her natal family, regardless of whether the Quan family or the Gui family, it is not difficult to gain a foothold.

She squeezed out a smile, "Follow father at home, father just decides, what does Xiao Qi know? As long as he can share his father's worries, it is Xiao Qi's fortune."

The old man smiled slightly, obviously he didn't take Qiniangzi's politeness seriously. "The Quan family has a ready-made excuse - just wait until the child Hanchun enters the capital and show your mother a good look. If there is nothing wrong, I will write back to finalize the marriage."

With just a few words, Qin Niangzi's future was settled, and the Eldest Master became obsessed again.

"Changing the yuan next year means that the year name of Taiping has been set." He seemed to be muttering to himself, and seemed to be chatting with Qin Niangzi, "Hey, Taiping? I'm afraid there will be no peace in the year of Taiping!"

Just looking at the new emperor's deployment of the soul-stirring reform of Di Ding He Yi before changing the Yuan, one knows that the Taiping period is destined not to be as peaceful as the Zhaoming period.

Seventh Lady couldn't help but sighed heavily.

It is impossible for the prime minister of the empire to be independent from the political whirlpool.In the next few years, the Yang family is destined to be a mainstay in the turbulent waves.

I just don't know whether the tide washed away the mainstay, or the mainstay supported Daqin...

(End of this chapter)