The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 275

The funeral of the fifth young lady was much more grand than that of Yu Qiao.

Even though Qin Niangzi was very shrewd, she would never have imagined that the pace of this matter would be so fast.It can be said that between the ups and downs of the rabbit, the result has already been achieved on the surface. She originally planned to go back to her mother's house that day to tell the eldest wife the news of the fifth young lady's death. Of course, the news of the fifth young lady's death came out After that, this idea immediately became a bubble.So he was busy all day with the funeral of the Fifth Young Madam, and sent people everywhere to report the funeral, and then reported to the Zhang family, and made a fuss all the way until late at night before settling down. Early the next morning, the eldest wife and others came to the door one after another mourning.

Since Yu Qiao died young and died of a sudden illness, most of the elders did not come to express their condolences.The fifth young lady is also a serious daughter-in-law, and she has a daughter again, so she is already considered an adult. Although the eldest wife came to the door in person, although it was grand, considering the friendship between the two families, she could not be said to be overly attentive.

Seventh Lady was so busy, she didn't have time to meet the eldest lady in person, but she heard that the eldest lady had worshiped before the spirit, so she was invited by Mrs. Xu into the Qingping Garden to talk, and sat for another half an hour, and then resign.

When she saw the eldest wife again, the fifth young lady had passed her first seven days and had already entered a large coffin and was about to go to Yangzhou for the funeral: Since the fourth young master and Xu Fengjia both had duties, Ping Guogong ordered the eldest young master and the fifth young master to accompany each other Send the fifth young lady back to the ancestral grave for burial.And because of the hot weather, the fifth young lady went there again, but after the first seven days, everyone sent her on the road. The men rode on horseback and the female relatives rode in cars, and sent the fifth young lady to the mourning boat parked by the pier. Boat.

Of course, the funeral etiquette in ancient times was much more cumbersome than modern ones. Mrs. Xu was in poor health, and it was already a bit difficult to entertain the relatives and friends who came to express their condolences.In the past seven days, the eldest young master, the eldest wife, the fourth young master, Xu Fengjia and the seventh lady were all so busy that they did not touch the ground. Together with the housekeepers, they finally sent the fifth young lady out, but they were all exhausted. Fortunately, Everything went smoothly, and there was no turmoil. Everyone thought that the fifth young lady was "accidentally contracted pimples while taking care of Yu Qiao. I didn't take it seriously. I thought it was ordinary ringworm, so I delayed treatment. When I had a high fever, it disappeared." If you retreat again, it will only take two or three days for people to go like this.”

With the medical conditions at that time, a small cold, if unlucky, could turn into pneumonia, and then spread into tuberculosis, and then become terminally ill.Don't talk about a disease like chickenpox, which kills two people at once, it's really trivial to say.Everyone also persuaded, "I still have to go to the temple to do a few religious ceremonies." In addition, everyone in the Xu family looked as usual, and the servants were all strictly controlled by Qin Niangzi, wishing to sew their mouths shut. The Zhang family came to attend the funeral. A few people, after reading the last letter of the fifth young lady, felt ashamed and remorseful. They were in a state of panic all day long, and they just went away out of fear.Therefore, although the funeral was busy, it was not chaotic. Not only did all the relatives and friends socialize well, but Seventh Lady counted the money afterward, and the money spent was all tightly stitched together. It was nothing more than a few porcelains and gold Ordinary wear and tear of silverware, etc.

Although it was the rule at the time that there was no July [-]th, and the family was still mourning, but after all, there were several elders, and Mrs. Wu was in a hurry to go to the funeral. According to the custom, everyone took off their white things after returning. Laughing and laughing everywhere, wearing red and green, but they are also living as usual, only Hexian, as the daughter of the fifth young lady, still wears white flowers on her head. She will take care of this filial piety for three years.

After the second day of the first seven days of Mrs. Fifth, the message from the eldest wife to invite Mrs. Seven to come home as a guest was sent to the Xu family.

Seventh Lady had expected this day long ago, not to mention her, even Madam Xu said, "It's time to go back to my mother's house." It's just that Xu Fengjia went out of the city with the emperor that day, and the fourth young master was already on duty. He had to be escorted by Yu Ning, and took a car back to Ge Lao Mansion.

Since the beginning of spring this year, the mansion has been very turbulent. The successive 'deaths' of Yu Qiao and the fifth young lady seem to have made both Yu Ning and Yu Tai mature a lot. The youthful look on the young man's face gradually faded away .He sent Qiniangzi to the door of Ge Lao Mansion, and apologized through the window, "Recently, homework is very tight, and I am thinking of giving it a try next spring. Speaking of it, I really can't delay my homework for a day. Tonight Let Brother Shanjiu take Sixth Sister-in-law back, okay?"

This made it clear that he wanted to avoid it, so that it would be convenient for the family to talk privately. Seventh Lady felt emotional in her heart, so she followed suit and said softly, "Seventh Brother has a heart, go back to study."

While the two were talking, Brother Nine had already picked it up in person, so Yu Ning swung his horse away in case everyone was polite.Seventh Lady entered the Yimen Gate to change the sedan chair, and then entered the Second Gate to get off the sedan chair. When she entered the inner hall side by side with Ninth Brother, the eldest wife had already supported Second Lady, and while wiping her tears, she came up to her and grabbed Seventh Lady. Hugging her into his arms with his shoulders, tears fell one after another, and it didn't take long for Qiniangzi's shoulders to be wet.

"Resentment is rewarded, retaliation is rewarded!" Even though Wu Niangzi had passed away for three years, the pain in the eldest wife's voice was still fresh. "In my heart, there hasn't been a good moment in the past three years. Three years!"

The second lady called out with red eyes, "Mother!" She couldn't hold her hands, even the ninth brother couldn't help but get red eyes, and the seventh lady said softly, "Mother is not like this, she broke her body from crying, what can I do?"

While comforting, she gently broke away from the eldest lady and retreated from her embrace.

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This time the eldest lady invited Seventh Lady back, naturally not only to hold her and cry, but after venting her emotions, she quickly wiped away her tears and asked Seventh Lady, "What happened to this matter?" You should tell me carefully."

Mrs. Xu is not the person concerned after all, no matter how carefully she speaks, she is not as clear as the daughter of Qin Niangzi, and she can cross-examine her repeatedly.Seventh Lady had no choice but to tell the ins and outs of the whole thing again, and Second Lady and Ninth Brother were also fascinated by it.After the eldest wife finished listening, she thought about it for a while, and then frowned and asked, "Is your father-in-law planning to push the boat along the way, so let's just forget about it?"

Her dissatisfaction was beyond words.

Qin Niangzi said in a low voice, "Going to Yangzhou now, even if the tide is rising, it will take at least two months to go back and forth. I don't think I will return to the capital until August, and my father-in-law will mention the matter of disposing of the fifth brother. This matter Of course, it can’t just be like that.”

The Fifth Young Master was going to be buried in Yangzhou, which was reasonable and sensible, even if it was just to deceive people, he still had to leave this trip.The eldest wife was barely satisfied, but her brows were still deeply furrowed. After pondering for a while, she asked Qi Niangzi bitterly, "Ms. Zhang, she was born in which family of Zhang's family, are her parents still alive now? What else?" Brother?"

Seventh Lady was speechless for a moment, but she wasn't surprised at all: the eldest wife's anger had already been expected by her.

She looked at the second lady, seeing that the second lady had a calm expression, she didn't seem to be displeased with the eldest wife's decision, so she whispered all the details about the fifth young lady. "Actually speaking, the Zhang family can be regarded as a famous family. Her family has a total of..."

If one were to compare the political system of later generations with that of Daqin, the difference in status between the Zhang family and the Yang family was about the distance between the current prime minister and the former ministerial-level senior officials. But just one discovery and one before, there is already a big difference.Not to mention that there is a mother-in-law and sister-in-law sitting here, backed by the popular concubines in the palace, the Yang family wants to reorganize the Zhang family, that is to say, they can suppress it, although it is not to the point where the Zhang family can be destroyed easily.But as the Grand Master, in the next 20 years, as long as the Yang family does not collapse, even if the Zhang family has children who become officials, they will never perform well.

More than 20 years of oppression, just this point, is enough to make the Zhang family very troubled, not to mention the wall is overthrown by everyone, the elder himself will not do too much, what about his disciples?As long as there is a student who is eager to please the teacher and is willing to embarrass the Zhang family in different ways in private, will the life of the Zhang family be easier in the future?
And how could the elder give up such an opportunity to have the best of both worlds, and suppress an insignificant family that has gradually moved away from the political center, in order to restore his impression in the hearts of his children?Don't look at the eldest wife's questioning of Seventh Lady, it seems that she just came up with this idea, but in fact, from the day when the Fifth Young Madam failed, the whole ending has been completely doomed.The Zhang family is gradually showing signs of decline, and the crowd is deserted. It is already a dream to live a prosperous life.

Even though they were also implicated by the Fifth Young Madam...

Qin Niangzi moved her mouth, wanting to say something, but quickly swallowed it down again.

She has never been a person who has the world in mind and takes saving the common people as her own responsibility. Many times, she does not deny that she is selfish.

In order to win the favor of Duke Ping, it is one thing to kill three little maids who have no faults and are familiar with him. It is another thing to intercede for the Zhang family who have never met, let alone have any feelings. Another matter.As early as when they chose to raise the fifth young lady into such a ruthless murderer, they were already destined to bear the price for their choice.

It's unfair, indeed, but many times, life is indeed so unfair.

She lowered her head and sighed lightly and tiredly.

Er Niangzi immediately noticed Qi Niangzi's tiredness, she patted Qin Niangzi's shoulder with concern, and said in a deep voice, "This matter has finally come to an end, and your life will be much easier in the Xu family from now on For a while, you should take a good rest!"

Seventh Lady managed to force a smile, and the First Wife and Ninth Brother immediately cared about her, "We still need to take care of it..."

The eldest wife even complained about Xu Fengjia, "He didn't follow me when I went back to my mother's house several times, is he really that busy, or—"

Before he finished speaking, Er Niangzi glared back at her mouth.

Seven Lady's heart moved slightly.

After killing the donkey, killing the donkey, and hiding the bow, I only found out the fifth young lady on my side, and the eldest lady was thinking about her relationship with Xu Fengjia.

She showed a helpless smile and said softly, "He is very busy, especially when the matter of the fifth room came out recently. I don't know how many things need to be investigated in private. I really can't come this time. It's not that I deliberately treat my mother poorly." of."

Now that Xu Fengjia doesn't care about his family, the eldest wife naturally doesn't care, and after talking to Qin Niangzi a few more words, he asked, "Why didn't Shiro and Goro come?"

"Since something happened at home, today is the first day of class. The two children are very motivated, and they don't want to miss class without reason." Qin Niangzi explained with a smile, "I think they are all in the capital now, the truth has been revealed, and more people will come out in the future. If there is no chance to play, the children are not allowed to come over."

Thinking of Shiro and Goro, the eldest lady liked Qin Niangzi's eyes a little more, she patted Qin Niangzi's hand, and said in a deep voice, "To be honest, I thought you lived too comfortably in the Xu family. , I have already forgotten about your Fifth Sister. I tried to urge you several times, but your father stopped me and said that it is not easy for you. I must have made some moves in private, but the matter is not settled, so it is not good to tell us..."

Thinking of the expression on the Eldest Master's face when he said this, Seventh Lady couldn't help feeling a bit dazed, and then she remembered to ask, "Why didn't I see my father and Ruiyun today?"

"Oh." Brother Jiu blushed slightly, and he said softly, "Ruiyun is not feeling well, I'm afraid there is news, I don't know if it's true, it just so happens that her second brother is off today, so she went back to her mother's house to find her second brother. Brother, feel your pulse. Father was going to come in to see you today, but someone came in to see him just now, so it was delayed."

Perhaps it was because the fifth lady's death came to light, the eldest wife was in a good mood, and when she mentioned Quan Ruiyun, she had a rare smile on her face. "I think it's likely to be nine out of ten. Ruiyun also knows a little bit of medical skills, but she can't be sure, so she simply asked her to go back to find a genius doctor to help her pulse. Now there is nothing wrong with it!"

Er Niangzi and Qi Niangzi hurriedly congratulated the First Wife and Ninth Brother, "If it is true, it will be a rare good thing!"

Although everyone was in the capital, they didn't have much time to get together like this. After discussing with each other about the grand lord's birthday celebration this year, the second lady got up and said goodbye first. "I still have something to do at home, Brother Nine, please send me back first."

The eldest wife also pulled Qin Niangzi to the side to talk privately, "I went to Mingdetang to look for you last time, but you were not here. I saw the girl who was given to you by mistake, called Yufang, right? Why is she still a girl?" The appearance of a virgin? The actions are full of grievances...Silly boy, don't fall into the shoes of others, this person should be promoted, and he must be promoted."

Her tone was really heart-to-heart, and there was nothing to ponder in her expression. Based on Qin Niangzi's understanding of her, it could be seen that when the eldest wife said these words, she was indeed sincere.She lowered her eyes and said in a perfunctory voice, "This girl is not very obedient. I beat her a few times and refused to obey her. Now the old lady rewarded Aunt Mao—she is much more honest..."

A trace of deep satisfaction flashed across the eyes of the eldest wife, and she held Qin Niangzi's shoulders tightly again, and taught her, "Before you are pregnant, you should stop avoiding the soup, so that the concubine will be older than the concubine in the future. Although there are Shiro, It's troublesome for Goro to take care of her..."

Seventh Lady agreed one by one, but she didn't show any joy or anger.

The eldest lady murmured for a long time, then suddenly fell silent, looking at the peaceful side face of Seventh Lady, with countless feelings welling up in her heart, she sighed long, and helped Seventh Lady to hold the silver hairpin by her temples.

Remember how delicate and beautiful the fifth lady was when she got married?At that time, Qin Niangzi was just a delicate flower in bud.

Three or four years later, there was an indescribable charm hidden in Seventh Lady's face. She was still not too amazing, but it could be seen that the flower was about to bloom, and her demeanor gradually unfolded. Her spring is coming soon.

"Looking at it now, you seem to be older than your Fifth Sister." She said softly, with a lump in her throat that was hard to swallow, "When your Fifth Sister passed away, she was even younger than you are now One year old... She was only eight years old that year. She was picking flowers in Baifang Garden. She picked the most beautiful green calyx plum for me and insisted on sticking it on my head. At that moment, I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Lose……"

There are some scars that will last a lifetime, even if Wu Niangzi's face is blurred, this pain will always be remembered by the eldest wife, and will not be forgotten for a moment.

Seventh Lady looked at the eldest wife with watery eyes.

Like cutting water, in the shimmering light, infinite thoughts are revealed, elusive.

She opened her mouth and said, "Yes, there are some things that are always on the brow, but on the heart."

Her voice was also like water, like a cold spring of ice.

(End of this chapter)