More than ten days passed, and one day the winter snow began to clear up, and the Wang family had been looking forward to it for a long time. Aunt Kong finally arrived. It is said that she was originally a descendant of a branch of the Confucius family in Shandong, and she was promoted from a palace maid to a female official;
The emperors have changed several times in the past few decades, but she has always been rotating in the position of the female official of the Sixth Bureau. In the past few years, after she resigned from the palace due to illness, she has been living in Rong'en Temple in Beijing.
Nowadays, many princes or noble families invite some old palace servants who have retired from the palace to come to their homes to teach their daughters good manners. Minglan's understanding is to increase the added value of girls.
This nanny has trained several rich ladies in the British Duke's Palace, the Duke's Palace, and the Xiangyang Marquis Palace. They all say that she has a gentle temper and is patient and meticulous when teaching rules. Unlike other nuns who always punish them.
She was beaten, but she was able to teach etiquette and rules well. Mrs. Wang didn't expect that Mrs. Sheng was so proud that she could hire such a high-class nanny, and she went to Ji'antang several times to thank her.
Being able to serve as a female official in the palace for decades without any style problems, Minglan estimated that this nanny was very safe. After meeting, it turned out to be the case. Aunt Kong was about a few years younger than the old lady, with a thin body and narrow eyes.
She is not big, her nose is not high, and her round face looks very kind. She wears a silver-gray plain brocade jacket with fur trimmings only on the cuffs, and her head is simply tied with a diagonal Ruyi pattern.
The white jade is flat and square, and the whole body looks very pure.
She was going to salute the old lady according to the old rules in the palace, and was helped up by the old lady. They were old acquaintances, so they sat on the kang and started chatting together. For such an ordinary-looking person, when they talked,
But it made people feel like spring breeze, every move and gesture was generous and smooth, modest and dignified. Sheng Hong and Wang sat beside them with a smile, Hua Lan's excited little face turned red, restrained her hands and feet, and did not dare to say a word.
Mo Lan sat elegantly and listened to the two old men talking with a perfect smile. Wang was afraid that Ru Lan would be ignorant and lose the Sheng family, so she didn't let her come at all.
"Sheng Shanda is an upright official and has good governance, which is well known in the capital. Now he has many children and grandchildren, and all the young masters and ladies in the house are like orchids and snow trees. The old lady is really lucky." Aunt Kong said with a smile.
"I'm lucky to be able to invite a busy person like you here. I'll leave this big girl to you. If there's anything wrong, you can just punish her and don't tie your hands." Old Mrs. Sheng pointed with a smile.
Hualan.
"What did the old lady say? Although I have some dignity today, it is just the face given by the nobles. In the final analysis, I am just a slave in the palace. According to me, rules are used to demonstrate morality and clarify ethical behavior.
"It's not for tormenting people; you have to learn the rules, but you don't have to learn them by heart, you just need to work hard. Besides, the old lady's granddaughter can't be any worse." Aunt Kong glanced at Hua Lan casually as she spoke.
Hua Lan seemed to be inspired. She sat upright, with her back straight and her eyes looking expectantly, as if she was expressing her determination with body language.
"It's really thanks to mother's blessing that grandma can come this time. When she had time to teach Hua'er, grandma also told us some things in Beijing, so that we country people who have been away from home all year round can gain a lot of experience."
Wang said.
"From Quanzhou to Dengzhou, from south to north, there are abundant treasures and people, and the sky is high and the sea is vast. My wife has seen mountains and rivers, and she also knows the customs of the whole world. Her knowledge is better than that of my wife who has never moved away in her life. She is too modest."
Grandma Kong smiled modestly, and these words made Wang's whole body feel comfortable, and she smiled even more from ear to ear.
This Aunt Kong spoke very slowly, but it didn't make people feel procrastinated. She didn't talk much, but every word was just right, so that others could hear it. She was respectful and comfortable. Minglan looked on and admired her very much.
Wang and Hualan originally thought that they would have a strict upbringing nanny and were prepared to endure hardships. They did not expect that Aunt Kong would be so kind and amiable. They were happy and even more grateful to Mrs. Sheng. Originally, Wang was already prepared.
After leaving the house where Grandma Kong lived and the servants she was calling, Grandma Kong politely expressed that she wanted to stay in Jian'antang for one night so that she could catch up with the old lady, so Wang naturally obeyed her orders.
That night, Grandma Kong slept in the warm pavilion of Mrs. Sheng.
"You are actually willing to come. I didn't dare to invite you." Mrs. Sheng said.
"I'm really tired of those rich and powerful families. Everyone has a thousand faces, and they are always scheming. I have been guessing people's thoughts all my life. I even think about those noble people in my dreams.
I thought I would be able to live a comfortable life for a few days after resigning, but I never thought that I would not give up. I simply used your excuse to escape from Beijing and live a peaceful life for a few days. Besides, I am getting old and I have to return to my roots.
"Mama Kong changed her calm attitude just now and looked tired.
"Have you found a place to stay? If you find a useful place, you must find me." Mrs. Sheng looked sad.
"No need, I've already found one. I still have a distant nephew in my hometown. He has no parents and I have no children. We just want to live together. Besides, as you know, I don't have a few days left in my body. I don't want to be restrained anymore."
It’s over.” Grandma Kong looked relieved.
Mrs. Sheng was slightly pitiful and said in a low voice: "It will not be easy for you in your life. When you were already engaged, the name tag that entered the palace was clearly your sister's name, but your stepmother forced you to pretend to be her.
Entering the palace will delay your life."
"What's not easy?" Mother Kong smiled cheerfully, "I have experienced more wonderful things in my life than ordinary people. Not to mention the things I have eaten and used, I have met three emperors, five empresses, and concubines.
The noble man is like a crucian carp crossing the river, which is an eye-opener! He can still live well into his 60s with no worries about food and clothing, so there is nothing to complain about. But my sister, on the other hand, got married, stole from others, poisoned the concubine's mother-in-law, and was divorced.
I have been notorious all my life. My stepmother lost everything for her and died of poverty in the end. I am much better than them." He chuckled as he spoke, "When I first heard the news, I secretly drank a whole bottle.
Laojiao celebrates!”
Mrs. Sheng smiled and said: "You are still the same. You look respectful, but inside you are unruly."
Aunt Kong was slightly sad and said, "How could you survive otherwise?" As she said that, she suddenly said in a weird voice to the old lady: "How come you are so good at cultivating yourself? Where did your style go?
"
Old Mrs. Sheng shook her head and said helplessly: "Hong'er is not my biological child after all, so why bother others; besides, I am also tired, so what if everything turned upside down in the past, it is not all in vain."
Aunt Kong sneered and said: "I think you are getting better and better as you live. Don't you think about it. Queen Jing'an had a much harder time than you back then. Two of her sons died, her daughter was taken away, and the royal family couldn't get along and leave.
What can she do? She is happy when Emperor Taizong favors her, and she is also happy when he neglects her. What did she say to the rest of us back then, "There are too few things that go well with a woman's life, and she has no control over her birth and marriage.
When you need to find some fun for yourself, drink and sing, how long is your life? Although she did not live long, she lived happily every day. After her death, Taizong missed her every day, and later she couldn't afford to fall ill..." Kong
Mammy's voice gradually became lower, and Mrs. Sheng's eyes became confused, thinking of that free and easy woman who was wanton and high-spirited.
Aunt Kong took a long breath and said: "Fortunately, the late emperor finally gave birth to her youngest son, and she kept her, so I listened to her and never took the disgusting things to heart.
You have to pretend to be stupid when you are stupid, be humble when you should be humble, eat when you should, enjoy when you should, and your life will not be in vain. If the person who entered the palace back then was as stubborn as you, you would have died eight hundred times!"
Old Mrs. Sheng recalled her innocent youth with a feeling of sadness. After a while, she shook her head and changed the subject: "Okay, stop talking. How is my home?"
Aunt Kong rolled her eyes and said: "It's a mess, there are no rules; the first one who has the least rules is you!" She seemed to have been bored in the capital for a long time, and finally got a chance to speak out. Mrs. Sheng had no choice but to let her continue.
.
"Your old lady was quite a man. He earned a huge fortune. Two of his three sons were successful. He divided the family among himself before he died. But the bad thing was that not long after he left, your husband
My son-in-law has also gone. If it weren't for you, Shanda Ren, a bastard, would have been chewed to pieces by that evil-hearted third uncle. How could this property be preserved? You wanted money at that time, and you were still young.
The young and brave old man and his wife are still alive, so it is not difficult to marry again. Even if Jinling and Beijing are not easy to live in, the sky is high and the sea is vast, just find a faraway place to live; once a man marries, his son will live his life, and he can live a small life by himself, isn't it?
How beautiful?! You want to keep the integrity of your heartless man, name your bastard, support the entire Sheng family, and then find him a master, take a test for merit, marry a wife, and have children, and then, you are successful.
You retreated and shrank into a corner like a living dead? You just don’t know what to say!” Grandma Kong almost didn’t point her finger at Old Mrs. Sheng’s face.
"Although you are not his biological mother, you are his aunt, and you are extremely kind to him. You can straighten your rocker and show off. What do you have to worry about? Let me tell you, all sons are white-eyed wolves, marrying
If you forget your mother after marrying your daughter-in-law, if you don’t take yourself seriously, he will be happy to leave you alone! I rule the world with filial piety, and if he has the slightest disobedience, he will never want to stay in the officialdom! You can live your life well.
Be more comfortable, even if it is not for yourself, it is for the sake of your precious little girl." Aunt Kong said, pouting towards the end of the pear flower cabinet.
Old Mrs. Sheng was sprayed with spittle all over her face and could not argue. She finally had a topic to talk about and said hurriedly: "By the way, what do you think of my little girl Ming?"
Mother Kong turned her face sideways, pondered for a while, and then said: "Very good."
Seeing the expectant look on Old Mrs. Sheng's face, she added a few words: "That child has good eyes, indifferent, clear, and open-minded. He seems to understand everything, but he is not cold. He is still cheerful and steady.
Observe etiquette, know how not to attract attention in front of others, she is better than you, and treat her as if she is your heart and soul."
Mrs. Sheng rolled her eyes at her: "What kind of heart-throb? My granddaughters are all average."
Aunt Kong waved her hand impatiently: "Don't give me the garlic. How many times did you add vegetables to her bowl just after dinner? After a while, she told her, 'Ming Ya'er, eat more', and after a while
, and another sentence, "Don't be picky about food." If she extends her chopsticks to any dish, the mother next to you will secretly remember it, you think I am blind! Just when she is sleeping, you leave me here for a while, and you must watch.
She took medicine and went to bed, so it probably came after she fell asleep."
Old Mrs. Sheng could do nothing: "The child slept a lot, but never slept well. She had to wake up several times a night, and sometimes woke up crying in the middle of the night. I knew that she was depressed and sad but couldn't express it;
She worked hard at night, but during the day she was fine, and she continued to read and read with me, sitting obediently and listening to me, an old woman, talking about ancient times. Strangely enough, she was not as good at reading, writing, and drawing as Auntie Lin, and she was not as smart as Hua Yatou.
She tries to make me happy, but I think she is the most considerate." She said sadly.
"That's because you have grown up. After being wronged for half a life, you finally know that you have to look at people by their inner qualities, and no matter how flashy they are on the outside, it is not as important as their honest character. It's also because you have been alone for too long, and now you have a child as your companion every day. No matter how much you take care of it,
I can’t help but be careful.” Grandma Kong’s eyes were sharp and her words hit the mark.
Old Mrs. Sheng pointed at her and cursed: "You old guy, you have such a sharp mouth, why didn't you die in the palace? You were allowed to come out and cause harm to others."
Aunt Kong glared: "That's natural. Have you never heard that good people don't live long, but disasters last for thousands of years?"
As he said this, the two old men laughed together.
After laughing for a long time, Mrs. Sheng wiped her tears and stretched her neck to look at the pear flower cupboard. Aunt Kong stopped her and said, "Don't look, I won't wake up your little granddaughter. Didn't she drink a whole bowl to calm her nerves?"
Do you want soup? If you wake up, there will be a sound. Come back quickly, I have something to tell you."
Old Mrs. Sheng thought about it and turned back. Aunt Kong said sternly: "I am a girl from Shandong and you are the daughter of the Marquis of Jinling. Because of Queen Jing'an, it is fate that we met each other. I have some words of advice.
you."
Old Mrs. Sheng nodded sternly, and Grandma Kong said: "I know that you have been wronged for half your life, and you have worked hard but it is just a loss of love. Because you are so cold, you are not willing to remarry, and you only live in the Sheng family.
.But let me ask you, how many days do you have left to live?"
Seeing the sad look on Old Mrs. Sheng's face, Grandma Kong continued: "Queen Jing'an said something before she died, and I will give it to you today - it is said that everything depends on man and God. It is not easy for us as women in our life. As long as we can
We have done everything, and what happens next depends on God's will. It is not easy for parents to give birth and raise children, so we cannot waste this life in vain. We can live our lives however we want. One day, we must live a good life. Since you still have
If you have a good tone, you have to live a good life. Speak up when you see injustice and scold when you see something wrong. Show off your arrogance as the eldest daughter of the Xu family in Jinling and shake up the rules in the house. Not to mention that you can live a more comfortable life yourself.
, it can also leave a good mark for the descendants of your Sheng family, don’t you think that’s the truth?”
Old Mrs. Sheng's eyes were red, she scooped up the handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of her eyes: "After all, we are old sisters. Now you are the only one who can say this to me. I will accept your thoughts, old sister;... Anyway, I
We have to hold on until Ya'er comes out of the cabinet tomorrow."
Seeing that the persuasion was successful, Grandma Kong was very pleased: "You are right to think so. Miss Six is still young and she will have to rely on you in the future. I don't want her to be rich and powerful, as long as she can find a good family smoothly."