In fact, Minglan is not just bragging. If she can really get rid of those top-notch relatives, then she is determined to give up the Gu family's ancestral property; money can be earned slowly, but such relatives are a trouble that cannot be shaken off. [Ye*][
*]
On this day, Minglan went to Xuanzhiyuan to pay her respects to Mrs. Tai as usual. During the conversation, she talked about the merger of the government. Mrs. Tai originally thought that Minglan still had to shirk it, but unexpectedly she was very cheerful and talked about the process in a few words.
Come.
"This Tianshi Zhang was recommended by Mrs. Geng. He handles many Feng Shui affairs in Beijing. He is said to be an honest man and has a tight-spoken manner. He is not a cheater who cheats people out of money."
Mrs. Zhu held her big belly and said to the side: "I have heard of this Mr. Zhang. That year my parents' family expanded two gardens, and I invited him to see it. He said it was very effective. Guan Baoneng's house
If you are prosperous, everything will go smoothly once you get married."
The wife was happy to hear this and asked, "Have you found the mud and tile class yet?"
Minglan replied with a smile: "This time, I relied on the eldest wife of the Zheng family to recommend one. When his family married the Queen's sister a few years ago, they had just renovated half of the house. The walls, beams and roofs were solid and solid, and the floor and dragon kang beds were ventilated.
It's hot, and now the second lady is living there and she says it's very good. Not only does the workmanship of that class be good, but the people are also down-to-earth, and they don't mess up the prices on the materials. I asked someone to go there with the Zheng family's name card, and the class leader also agreed.
, I’m going to measure the land in the next few days, and I’ll take a look at the drawings first.”
The Madam's hand that fiddled with the lid of the bowl suddenly stopped for a moment: "...The day before yesterday, we just said that we were going to break ground, and now all the plans have been cleared. You are not quick. But, such a group of strangers entered the Gu Mansion's inner house.
I’m afraid it’s not good.”
Shao glanced at her mother-in-law's face and said softly: "Does mother feel that something is wrong?"
"Recommended by the Zheng family, what's wrong with that? But..." Mrs. Tai put down the tea bowl and gently stroked the Buddhist beads on her wrist, "Minglan, you just came here. You don't know that our Gu family has always used a clay class. Since then,
Your father-in-law used an old one at that time. I originally thought about asking Mr. Mo to talk to you about this matter."
Minglan looked shocked and ashamed, and softly covered her mouth and said: "Oh, I really don't know about this. How can this be good? I have already told Mrs. Zheng. If I change people now, I'm afraid it will be...
it's not good."
Mrs. Tai stared at her for a long time and then said slowly: "They say you are young and have nothing to do, but I don't think so. Brother Ye is busy with errands and has no time to take care of such a big thing. I originally thought
You are a young daughter-in-law who is not easy to deal with. Who would have thought that you, the elder sister-in-law in the family, did not bother you at all and just took care of everything yourself. What happens next is terrible..."
Minglan pretended not to understand what she meant, and imitated Wang's behavior in front of Mrs. Sheng (she really didn't understand), with an ignorant and naive smile on her face: "It's all thanks to you."
She finally understood that Old Mrs. Sheng was becoming more and more straightforward in her lectures to the Wang family. A daughter-in-law with a white eye and difficulty in dismissing her could indeed turn a reserved and reserved young lady of the Hou family into a shrewd mother-in-law.
Shao didn't seem to adapt to this atmosphere, and turned his head slightly. Zhu lowered his head and stroked his belly. A young and powerful stepmother, a stepmother with whom she already had a quarrel, could still ask her stepdaughter-in-law to have something.
How respectful.
The madam knew that it was not a good time to fall out, so she simply pretended to be deaf and dumb, thinking of marrying off her daughter first.
Minglan would not take the initiative to find trouble. She is very busy now. In addition to taking care of household affairs, she also has to take care of the demolition of walls and groundbreaking. There is a small vacant courtyard and a forest between the Hou Mansion and Chengyuan.
The job is to tear down most of the high fences and walls that separate the two mansions, connect the walls of the two mansions, and include the empty houses and mountains in the middle.
This is relatively easy to handle, but the real waste of money is the labor involved. The remote mountains and forests need to be planned, fenced in what should be fenced, and planted with fruit trees and flowers in the areas that should be leveled, leaving room for paving roads in the open space.
There are many pavilions and pavilions for both young and old alike.
Let's take our time. Minglan is not in a hurry. He plans to perfect it bit by bit. He will do everything according to his ability. There are as many things as there is money to do.
Because it is difficult for women to show their faces, the manager Hao Dacheng had to go in and out more than ten times a day. Minglan was often said to have a dry mouth. Only Gu, the male host, only went to inspect twice.
At the construction site (which was still on the way), I looked through the drawings three times, and only left the nonsense sentence "Open the door a little smaller", then rolled up my sleeves and continued to work hard for the country and the people.
Life must go on, and the project continues unhurriedly.
The autumn wind was strong, the autumn crabs were fat, and rewards were given out in the palace. Some of the princes and nobles received reunion cakes, taro, chestnuts, hairpin chrysanthemums and other items to show the emperor's great kindness. At this time, several families who were receiving the Holy Heart,
There are also other rewards. ~
Minglan received six colors of dark ink, golden yellow, bright purple, light pink, crimson, and plain white, a large tribute chrysanthemum with giant claws, and another ten baskets of fresh tribute crabs. This kind of reward beyond the ordinary, as usual, she had to go to the palace to express her gratitude.
Whether the nobles in the palace saw her or not would have another say, but ministers must follow the etiquette, otherwise it would be disrespectful. After submitting the name card to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and being approved (what a pity), Minglan had to get up early the next day, get dressed properly, and drive off
Enter the palace.
After passing through the inner gate of the imperial city, you have to get off the car, carry your heavy luggage, and your belly is empty, and hike in the vast palace city, and you have to keep your facial expression in a twisted state of fear and gratitude at all times.
Condition - really suffering.
Minglan would rather be rewarded less frequently.
Under the guidance of the palace servant, he finally walked into a palace room, where two noble family members, both wearing first-grade imperial attire, were sitting there. One was about forty years old, with a fair face and a quiet face. Minglan did not recognize the other;
It’s my uncle’s wife, Mrs. Zhang, whom I haven’t seen for a long time.
The two behaved very close to each other and looked somewhat similar.
Minglan tried her best to smile elegantly at them, and then moved to a seat as quickly as palace etiquette could tolerate. Then she raised her head gracefully and smiled at the noble lady in front of her. Gang and Zhang
After a few words of greetings, before he could say anything else, a female official walked in outside and said loudly: "Please move to the Yining Palace."
Minglan's heart sank, Yining Palace was the residence of Queen Mother Shotoku. The three of them immediately stood up. Before walking, Mrs. Zhang smiled at Minglan and said, "This is my mother." Minglan had already guessed that.
, hurriedly paused and saluted: "I have met the British princess."
"Don't be so polite." Mrs. Zhang, the British public servant, held Minglan's hand cordially and took Minglan's hand. She looked at Minglan as she walked and laughed softly, "Sure enough, she looks good. People say that Erlang is married to a wife.
, I saw it and realized it was not a lie."
Minglan blushed and said a few words of modesty.
There was not much private conversation in the palace, so the three of them quietly followed the palace attendants, and soon arrived at the Yining Palace. After the palace palace attendants announced, the three of them filed in, knelt down and saluted, and then stood aside respectfully.
Aunt Kong once taught the girls of the Sheng family several postures in which they could bow their heads respectfully and look around without leaving any trace. Minglan chose one, tilting her cheek slightly, keeping her eyelids still, and just moving her eyes to see her surroundings clearly.
situation.
There was a room full of ladies in palace attire. Minglan took the opportunity to take a look, and saw that Queen Mother Shotoku was sitting at the head of the table, and the queen was sitting on the second seat. Next to her stood her younger sister, Xiao Shen. Both sisters looked ugly. Watch.
Empress Dowager Shotoku's demeanor and speech were quite refreshing and comfortable. I think she was a bright and lively beauty when she was young. She smiled at the three newcomers and said: "I got a new kind of tea, so I invited the queens and sisters to have tea.
, but we were so tired that the three ladies had to make an extra trip."
Minglan and the other three people hurriedly resigned and thanked him several times.
Mrs. Shen walked down with a smile on her face, came to the Zhang family, mother and daughter, bowed to her sister-in-law and aunt in-laws, the queen smiled above and said: "I am thinking of you, I still have some new dishes for the imperial kitchen.
The eight-treasure black rice steamed cake is from southern Sichuan. I’m afraid it doesn’t have this flavor in the capital. You can bring some back to try.”
Madam Zhang took the lead to express her gratitude, followed by Ming Lan and Mrs. Zhang. Madam Zhang smiled and said, "They say that the flavors of snacks in the south are so varied, just like those of me who have been waiting for me in the capital for a generation. Today, I owe it to my empress."
The queen also smiled and said a few polite words, glanced at Yu Zhaoyi who had a bulging belly next to her, frowned slightly and said: "You are inconvenienced, so you should go back and rest." Because Yu Zhaoyi was pregnant, her appearance was even more beautiful than before.
, just smiled and said: "The queen is considerate of me, but I have been greedy since I was a child, and it is rare for me to have a chance to drink some good tea. How can I be willing to leave?"
Empress Dowager Shotoku beamed: "You naughty one! That mouth is just so attractive, it's strange that the emperor and queen love you lately!"
"Looking at what you said, Queen Mother, don't you love me any more?" Yu Zhaoyi said in disbelief.
Next to Empress Dowager Shotoku sat a thin woman, her biological daughter-in-law, Princess Yu. She also lost no time in making a few jokes, and the whole palace burst into laughter. However, the empress' face became increasingly ugly, and she tried to maintain her dignity.
Minglan quickly looked away and lowered her head.
Because the emperor was afraid that his own mother would be wronged, he deliberately separated the empress dowagers of the two palaces so that empress dowager Sheng An could live more comfortably. The empress was only tired. She had to go to two places to greet her two mothers-in-law every morning, and then go back to the palace.
Return to the palace to receive greetings from the concubine. ~
The British prince is always the head of the princes of the country. He has a transcendent status in the court and is respected by everyone. Queen Dowager Shotoku awarded Mrs. Zhang a throne. Minglan, Xiao Shen and Zhang also benefited from the honor and got a throne next to her.
Sitting there, Minglan exclaimed how lucky she was.
As soon as she sat down, Empress Dowager Shotoku half-smiled at Mrs. Zhang and said, "I won't be covering myself up in front of you anymore. Come and take a look at these two..." She pointed at the two ladies in palace attire beside her.
Minglan followed her gaze and couldn't help being slightly surprised. What a pair of stunning beauties! The two women were both under the age of twenty. Although they were past their prime, they were still very beautiful and gorgeous.
"They have been by my side for many years. They are gentle, well-behaved, and sensible. I like them very much. Seeing that they are getting older, I want to find a home for them... Alas, I can't bear to part with them because of me. It turns out that
I thought of asking them to serve the emperor, but the queen was actually unhappy." Empress Dowager Shotoku sighed, but looked straight at Mrs. Zhang.
This is accusing the queen of being 'jealous'.
Minglan silently counted the beads on her dress and thought to herself a hundred times, 'I'm not the protagonist, I'm just a sidekick with no lines.'
Mrs. Zhang was not a vegetarian either. She smiled kindly and said, "Your Majesty's heirs are now prosperous, presumably because of the Queen's benevolence and virtuousness. The Queen Mother is naturally full of kindness, but the Queen also has other thoughts. These two girls are both
If they are so outstanding, wouldn't it be better for the Queen Mother to choose young talents of similar age for them?"
After hearing this, a smile appeared on the queen's face, and she looked at Mrs. Zhang with smiling eyes as a sign of commendation.
The Queen Mother touched a soft spot and smiled indifferently: "I don't want to be talented or not. Since I can't stay in the palace, I simply find someone closer to them, not as good as my uncle."
"Master, General Zheng..." Her eyes flashed across the hall like icy lines, and when she saw Minglan, "There is also Governor Gu, just accept him as a star. I can see you often."
Minglan wailed in her heart - she was shot even while she was lying down. The Queen Mother's target was obviously the Shen family, and Gu Tingye probably happened to do it by the way.
Little Shen jumped up for the first time, then suppressed her shock and tried to keep her tone calm: "How does this make it possible? The people around the Queen Mother are all precious. She wants to find a good marriage, where can she be a concubine?"
Empress Dowager Shotoku laughed and looked at the panicked little Shen happily: "How can they be so rich? They are just country girls from Caosawa. They have been in the palace since they were young and have no support from their natal family. Rather than looking for
Husband, why don't you find a kind and kind mistress who can look out for me and help them live a better life? How about some ladies, would you like to give this face to the Ai family?"
The last sentence was slightly raised in voice, already slightly threatening.
The queen's face was blue and white, and little Shen's face was so red that she was about to bleed. Only Mrs. Zhang looked normal, stood up quietly and saluted: "I, my concubine, obey the Queen Mother's instructions."
Mrs. Zhang looked at her daughter lovingly and worriedly, with a mixture of pity, distress, and a hint of reproach in her eyes.
After listening to Mrs. Zhang's words, Minglan almost blurted out, 'In that case, just take both of them, and save your sister and me a headache. With such a virtuous and good mistress, the Queen Mother can feel relieved' and so on.
Finally she remembered what the occasion was and bravely stopped her tongue.
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother had another trick up her sleeve. She sighed and said, "In order to honor the late Emperor, unfortunately, many of the girls around me have been delayed. I always want to find a good marriage for them."
Minglan couldn't help but glance at the two women again, and saw them lowering their heads, their faces flushed, charming and shy, and even more stunningly beautiful. Minglan looked a little silly.
Suddenly, she understood: These girls should have been prepared by Empress Dowager Shotoku for her son. Unfortunately, an unexpected disaster occurred. Her son's throne was robbed and she was imprisoned, and these two girls were also delayed.
Behind the screen beside the two women, there seemed to be many beauties standing in the shadows. Minglan thought about it nonsensically, could it be the reserve team?
The Queen Mother asked Little Shen again, but Little Shen remained silent and looked away from the Queen for help.
Empress Dowager Shotoku was not in a hurry, she just smiled and watched her struggle in embarrassment, then slowly turned to Minglan, and was about to ask a question, when Princess Yu on the side suddenly said: "Mrs. Gu, what are you laughing at?"
The eyes of everyone in the hall were all focused on one place. They saw Mrs. Gu Tingye standing aside respectfully and elegantly. She didn't know what she was thinking. The corner of her mouth was slightly raised with a faint smile.
"Mrs. Gu, why are you laughing? Could it be that you think the Queen Mother is ridiculous?" Princess Yu was originally a kind-hearted person and had a good reputation in the capital. However, after she saw her husband die of poisonous alcohol with her own eyes, the world changed suddenly.
, her temperament also changed drastically and became a bit sharp.
Minglan was startled by the words, and she secretly regretted her negligence and inadvertence. Sure enough, her life after marriage was so comfortable that she had forgotten how to follow the same steps as before in the Sheng family. She had to train again after returning. Her past
Experience tells her that at this moment, instead of pretending to be calm and calm, it is better to be natural and the effect will be better.
"I, my concubine, my concubine, how dare I laugh at the Queen Mother..." Minglan looked frightened and stuttered when speaking.
Sure enough, this pattern worked very well. Both the Queen Mother and Princess Yu looked at her happily, seeming very happy and comfortable.
When the topic was brought up, Mrs. Shen breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the opportunity, the queen quickly said: "Princess Yu is lying. Mrs. Gu is well-educated and reasonable, how can she be rude. Don't be so mean, she is not as tough as me, be nice."
,Don’t scare her!”
The queen scolded her half-jokingly. Apart from the two empress dowagers, there was no woman in the world that she could not scold.
Princess Yu's face froze and she said nothing. As soon as Queen Mother Shengde opened her lips, Mrs. Zhang turned around with a smile and said to Minglan: "What were you laughing at just now?"
Once there were steps, Minglan quickly came down.
"The Queen Mother is talking about a happy event, how can I laugh at it? It's just..." Minglan covered her mouth with her sleeves and smiled shyly, "I was thinking about it, Mr. Yue Lao is very diligent these days, and there are many men getting married and women getting married everywhere.
It’s a matter of fact. I, my concubine, have been going through several marriages recently.”
"How do you say this?" Queen Mother Shotoku was very interested.
Minglan respectfully replied: "To report to the Queen Mother, the Marquis of Qianzhen said that because we have to station troops in northern Xinjiang, in order to stabilize the morale of the army, it is best for the soldiers to bring their families with them, and for those who are not married, it is best to get married as soon as possible. Yes.
So, the Marquis asked my concubine to find some maids to be married at home so that he could be matched with soldiers and go to the northern border. It's a pity..."
She spoke hesitantly, weakly, and her tone was very well controlled.
Like an ant on a hot pot, little Shen's eyes suddenly lit up and he said loudly: "I've heard about this too. Because most of the troops that are about to leave this time are local recruits from Northern Xinjiang, where there have been wars for many years and the situation has long been...
With ten rooms and nine empty rooms, where can I find a wife? Just leaving my hometown and being far away from my relatives is enough, and because I know I am going to northern Xinjiang, not many people are willing to accept their daughter there."
This is true, it's not nonsense, it's just not serious.
"Yes." Minglan responded, with a worried look, "We can't force a common girl to marry, so we can only make plans for our own maids. But even if we try hard, it's just a drop in the bucket, and now we're having a headache."
The queen couldn't help but ask: "Those girls are willing to marry?" She had lived in a poor area where young and old lived, and knew that few people could afford the prosperity of the capital.
Minglan murmured, as if she was extremely embarrassed to say it: "As for the queen, I will put some silver as a dowry on the maids who are willing to marry her, so I am somewhat willing to do so." But most of them are maids who are bought to serve as rough messengers.
.
Mrs. Zhang looked at her and said with a smile: "It's hard for this kid." She turned to look at her daughter, "No wonder you asked me if I had any maids to let out last time. It turned out to be the same idea."
The queen nodded repeatedly after hearing this. Mrs. Zhang smiled but didn't answer much.
Empress Dowager Shotoku frowned slightly after listening to this messy talk. She didn't know how to change the subject. Little Shen over there stepped forward excitedly. Maybe excessive pressure will stimulate human potential, little Shen
Finally, an idea suddenly struck her, and she had a plan in her mind. She turned to the Queen and the Queen Mother and said loudly: "The Queen Mother knows this clearly, how about allocating the over-age women in the palace to these soldiers?"
"nonsense!"
"presumptuous!"
The Queen Mother, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law scolded her sharply at the same time. Little Shen was unconvinced and was about to speak. The Queen was afraid that she would cause trouble, so she quickly said: "Xiu is talking nonsense! You are the one who can interrupt the people who are needed by the Queen Mother!"
Little Shen's eyes were filled with tears. Before she could speak again, an old voice suddenly sounded from behind: "What nonsense! I think this is a great idea!"
Everyone turned back to look, and saw two elderly ladies coming in holding hands with each other. One of them was the Queen Mother of Saint An, followed by a long line of palace guards who cheered and cheered.
"My aunt and my mother are here!" The queen's voice could not conceal her joy.
Except for Empress Dowager Shotoku, all the female family members were behind the empress and saluted the eldest princess and Empress Dowager Saint An.
"You have good tea, but you only eat it with your hands covered, but you don't come to call us. Tell me, what's the point of this?!" After the eldest princess sat down, she only squinted her eyes and smiled carelessly.
When Empress Dowager Shotoku saw her, she seemed helpless and even said she didn't dare: "If I knew you were here, I wouldn't dare to leave you behind even if I beat you to death."
With this style and momentum, she must be the eldest princess of Qingning. Minglan thought to herself.
After joking for a while, the eldest princess of Qingning suddenly turned serious and said to Princess Yu: "I was listening outside just now. What did you do to reprimand the queen's sister? What did she say wrong?"
Princess Yu stood tremblingly and gritted her teeth and said: "The Queen Mother's personal maid cannot submit to a soldier. If I tell you, I will lose the Queen Mother's face."
"Oh? For this reason, you don't have to worry." Princess Qingning waved her hand, "I think there are many young officers and sergeants in the army. It's not an insult to ration them. If you are lucky, come back.
When a man earns fame and fame, he will have a good life in the future. Isn't that better than being a concubine for others?!"
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were unable to answer what they said so clearly.
Since Emperor Wu's later years, the eldest princess Qingning has been the most powerful princess in the court. It can be said that God has been very kind to her.
She was originally just a maid, but her biological mother died of illness that year. However, a few days later, the queen's legitimate daughter died in infancy. In order to relieve the grief of Empress Jing'an, Emperor Wu took the three-year-old Qingning to the empress to raise her. Of course.
, she herself is also a very smart and clever child, and she treats others politely and brightly. She is very popular in the eyes of Queen Jing'an, and she quickly wins the Queen's true love.
Because of his love for Wu Jiwu, Emperor Wu regarded her as his legitimate daughter and loved her with pity. The late emperor regarded her as his sister and respected her. Those princesses born to concubines Shu who were more noble than her ended up falling behind her.
When I became an adult, I married a handsome and laid-back man from an aristocratic family. The couple was harmonious, they had a large group of children, and everything went smoothly for decades.
The only thing that gave her a headache was probably that she was born when she was forty and was a bit old. In the year when the new emperor ascended the throne, she was arrested and sent to a labor camp for visiting the red light district during her filial piety period. However, what kind of person is the eldest princess of Qingning?
, her success for decades was not only due to her sibling relationship with the late emperor, but also because of her abilities.
After the emperor invited her to the palace to talk sincerely, she quickly adjusted her attitude, and the aunt and nephew reconciled with the speed of Pegasus Meteor Fist.
The Queen was very angry just now. When she saw someone supporting her, she quickly said: "What my aunt said is true, and my mother just now also said that these girls are also country girls from Caoze, and they have no father or mother."
"That's not good." The eldest princess of Qingning patted the table and praised, "Let's go and tell the emperor later that when the late emperor died, some people should be released from the palace. This time we have an opportunity.
, instead of leaving them without a solution, why not do this? Wouldn’t it be the best of both worlds? What do you think?”
Queen Mother Sheng'an smiled naively: "You are still so impatient, how old are you?"
They were talking to each other, and they were about to make a decision. Everyone around them was dumbfounded.
Empress Dowager Shotoku was sulky and her face darkened: "These children in the palace are as beautiful as flowers, and they are all pampered. Asking them to go to Northern Xinjiang is not sending a sheep into the tiger's mouth. It is really nonsense!"
The eldest princess of Qingning stood up with her head held high and her eyes were bright: "There is something wrong with the country, and I can't help. Who can help? There are unaccompanied overage girls in the palace who are waiting to be married, and good men in the army who are guarding the borders and serving the emperor for the country are looking forward to marrying.
.It’s really a God-given marriage, what’s wrong with that?!”
The tense atmosphere in the air crackled. Minglan stood silently next to the wall, lowered her head, and continued to recite silently, 'I am just a supporting role, I am not the protagonist'...
The author has something to say:
I watched "Vampire Hunter D" again and found it much more touching than the Twilight series.
The so-called vampire means loneliness, vicissitudes of life, and the loss of a lover!