Charitable things are mostly done by wealthy women in the capital in their free time. A busy man like Qin Keqing has only sent people to send money and has never attended in person. On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Shi Xiangyun is planning to hold a charity auction to use the proceeds for repairs.
Yangshengtang didn’t even think of sending a message to Qin Keqing.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Qin Keqing came to the door and asked, "Which ladies and grandmothers will be attending the auction tomorrow? Is there a list?"
Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "When did Director Qin gain a free heart?" Then he found the list and gave it to her.
Qin Keqing flipped through two pages at a glance and said with a smile, "Add me."
Shi Xiangyun picked up the pen and asked: "What is the name of Mrs. Liu?"
"The owner of Qin's Cocoa Tea."
Shi Xiangyun looked up at her, added her name, and said, "You are not doing business."
"No. My business has always been a seller's market." Qin Keqing took a sip of tea and said, "Someone asked me to do something."
Shi Xiangyun waited for a long time and heard no words, so he put down his pen and said: "That's all, I don't care what you do. You are a rich man, just bring the banknotes with you."
Qin Keqing smiled and said, "Thank you, President Shi." Then the two of them talked about the auction.
The auction venue was located in a garden owned by Jia Baoyu. On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, ladies and grandmothers from all over the city gathered together, and everything was as dazzling as a hundred flowers in bloom. The situation in Beijing has been ups and downs for a year, but the female relatives seemed not to notice at all, and they were warm and intimate with each other, and everything went as usual.
Before the auction, at least half an hour was spent talking to the ladies, comparing clothes and jewelry, and the most important thing was to discuss marriage matters for the children of his own family or other families. Shi Xiangyun was like a cloud going back and forth to say hello, filling the garden.
She is a human being, but she actually takes good care of her.
There is a small plum forest at the back of the garden. Now is the season when the red jade cold fragrance is in full bloom. From a distance, you can see a rouge-like patch. There is a Qingxiao Pavilion in the plum forest. In front of the pavilion, there is a couplet hanging, which reads: "Enter the world coldly."
The red snow has gone, the fragrance from the dust has cut away the purple clouds." These two sentences are not suitable for couplets. It was Jia Cong who shamelessly forced Baoyu and his wife to hang them up that day. He even chose the name of the pavilion. He said:
"Since your family has a plum grove and a pavilion in the plum grove, this couplet should be used. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a loss of the allusion?" Asked him what the allusion was, he refused to tell, just looked at Jia Baoyu and said, "Brother Baoyu himself
Tell me, do you like this couplet?" Baoyu smiled and said: "It's not your usual poetry style, but it seems like it was written by me." Jia Cong laughed: "I didn't write it, I can't write such a sentence.
." I thought, wasn't it you who wrote it?
Qingxiao Pavilion is elegantly decorated and is the best place for winter scenery in the garden. Three grandmothers from Xu Hanlin's house came. The eldest grandma heard that Princess Jian'an was admiring flowers in Qingxiao Pavilion and suggested that she go and sit inside.
Naturally, the two sisters-in-law had objections. When the three of them arrived at the pavilion, they saw that many ladies and grandmothers had gathered around Princess Jian'an. Unfortunately, Shi Xiangyun Suxi was so happy that the pavilion was quite large and not crowded. Unfortunately, the three of them had no choice but to sit in the pavilion.
After a while, the eldest grandma and second grandma were taken away, leaving only the third grandma, Yao Shi, alone. Although no one came up to talk to her, there were a few people nearby who whispered about her grandfather. Occasionally, only a few words floated.
Hearing this, Mr. Yao smiled sadly.
Suddenly, a woman walked in from the year before last. This woman was wearing a brand new bird's gold woolen cloak. Although she was already a woman, her appearance and bearing were astonishing. Everyone couldn't help but look at her. Shi Xiangyun was not there.
No one in the whole pavilion seemed to recognize her. She took off her cloak and handed it to the maid. She glanced into the pavilion and walked straight to Mrs. Yao, the third aunt of the Xu family. The woman smiled and asked, "This is the second aunt of the Yao family, grandma."
no?"
Mrs. Yao stood up unconsciously: "May I ask who your wife is?"
The crowd around Princess Jian'an suddenly dispersed to both sides. As if she hadn't noticed, the woman pulled Yao to sit down, and sat next to her. She said softly: "My surname is Qin. Second aunt, grandma, don't worry. Although your grandfather has been letting go for a while,
If you don’t come out, it won’t be a big deal.”
Yao was startled: "Mrs. Qin!" Someone around heard it and couldn't help but exclaimed and immediately covered their mouths. Yao grabbed Qin's sleeve and said, "How did Mrs. Qin know about it!"
Before she finished speaking, she heard someone call out "Sister-in-law Liu Er". Yao looked up and saw that Princess Jian'an was already in front of her. She was so frightened that she stood up again. Qin also stood up with a smile and said, "Princess.
I feel more energetic than the past few days.”
Princess Jian'an smiled and said, "My little monkey was making trouble for me at that time, so I was a little tired. Today I'll let Jia Huan take him with him, and I'll have some peace and quiet for a day." She casually sat down next to Mrs. Qin.
In this way, the Yao family was on the left, Princess Jian'an was on the right, and the Qin family was in the middle. The ladies and grandmothers around did not dare to speak. You glanced at me, and I glanced at you. Yao family was so shocked that she did not dare to speak out.
, just sitting upright.
Mrs. Qin nodded as if nothing happened and said: "That's right. Men should also work hard, lest everyone think that raising children is easy. We people have a lot of maids and women at home, and most of the poor families are women.
It’s even harder to carry it alone.”
Princess Jian'an said: "A few days ago, I heard Sister Lin say that she wanted to find someone to set up a nursery school to help ordinary people take care of their children."
Qin's face looked slightly happy: "So soon?"
"They have already gone to Taiwan to train teachers to teach kindergarten teachers." Princess Jian'an said, "Sister Lin said that changes will be rapid in the next few years, and the current labor force is insufficient. In addition to attracting immigrants from other countries, letting women go out to work is also
Very important."
A wife exclaimed: "A woman goes out to do things?! How can a woman go out to do things?"
Mrs. Qin said: "There is no need for the wife and grandmother in this pavilion who don't want to go out. There are many women among the people who are doing things. They will not be forced. The factory is short of workers. Both men and women are recruited. The salary given is high enough, so naturally there will be women.
Go apply for a job. Who doesn’t look forward to getting an extra salary to support the family?” Everyone couldn’t help but start talking.
But just now, Princess Lin'an came. Princess Jian'an had to go over to talk to her, so she left Qin's side. The people around her came with Princess Jian'an, so since she left, they naturally followed her. There were also many people looking at her.
After a few glances at Mrs. Qin, she secretly guessed her identity. Mrs. Qin smiled and said to Mrs. Yao, "The auction will take a while. How about you go for a walk with me?" Mrs. Yao was about to ask her about her grandfather, so she hurriedly said.
I agreed. The eldest lady of the Xu family was about to come over to talk to the third brother-in-law, but before she could catch up, they had already left Qingxiao Pavilion.
Mrs. Qin led Mrs. Yao to walk slowly behind the plum grove and walked along the path, stepping on the flowers. The sound of people gradually disappeared, leaving only the rustle of falling snow. Mrs. Qin said: "Your grandfather's crime was not a small one. In the old year,
He had already found out about the total solar eclipse. Not only did he not report it to the court, but he also prohibited his colleagues from telling it. If someone else hadn't found out about it... As you know, there was a lot of trouble in Beijing in the old years. Most people didn't know what a total solar eclipse was.
Because of this, if the protection is not complete, they will be frightened. What's worse, they will be used by bad people to spread rumors and cause trouble."
Mrs. Yao lowered her head silently. She thought to herself that since Mrs. Qin was familiar with Princess Jian'an, she was obviously from the Regent's side. From this point of view, Jin Yiwei was already in the hands of the Regent. She had just become pregnant with the child, and
It was her first child, and she shouldn't have been out and about. But her parents-in-law were worried about her grandfather. Her cousin didn't get Shi Xiangyun's message and couldn't come. Her mother made a special trip to the Xu family to persuade her on her father's behalf.
If you come here, you may have some time to hunt for treasures and talk to Second Grandma. Since Second Grandma Bao is very busy now, Mrs. Qin is also an insider. She just doesn’t know why her grandfather didn’t report the total solar eclipse. Mrs. Yao weighed it for a while.
Ignoring this question, he whispered: "Dare I ask...what will the regent do to my grandfather?"
"Not so much." Qin said, "Your grandfather was an astronomer and had been friends with Jia Baoyu for many years. Although he deliberately made friends with Baoyu, his nature is not bad. Some things are beyond his power. Now it's just a matter of concern.
He, Jian'an Institute of Technology and Tsinghua Women's University have people studying astronomy, and they will send someone to ask him for advice in a few days."
Yao didn't quite understand, so he asked after a while: "But will you let him go?"
"Not at the moment. He will be placed under house arrest." Qin said, "After all, he is a professional. As time goes by and things have changed a lot outside, maybe he will be released."
Yao was overjoyed: "Will you let him out?!"
Mrs. Qin glanced at her indifferently: "Don't be too happy too early. Didn't you listen to me? We have to wait until the changes outside are big enough. After he comes out, the world will change into a mulberry field and will never change again. There are many things to think about inside.
Everything has come to naught, and I’m afraid the old man will be depressed for a while.”
Yao couldn't care less about this, she shed tears and said: "Thank you, the regent, for your kindness."
Mrs. Qin shook her head gently: "If you want to thank the regent, you should thank him himself. The regent did not kill him because Yan State needs natural science talents the most at the moment. Anyone else would have died long ago." Yao Ming said again.
Shocked, she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Qin sighed, "Are you so cowardly? Don't ask why he was imprisoned."
Mr. Yao lowered his head and said, "That... is not something we women should ask."
Mrs. Qin suddenly stopped walking and looked at her intently: "Second Grandma Bao said that you were lively when you were carrying people on your back earlier, but now you have been dulled?" Mrs. Yao was stunned and didn't understand. Mrs. Qin sighed again.
He said, "Didn't you listen to what Princess Jian'an and I just said?"
Mrs. Yao was thinking about her grandfather. Although she sat next to her and listened to those words, she did not take them to heart. After hearing these words, she recalled what they said. Princess Jian'an mentioned it in front of so many ladies and grandmothers,
The female Prime Minister Lin Daiyu intended to lure women from the countryside to go out to do work, so she would not take it seriously. After hearing this, these ladies and grandmothers had to go back and tell their husbands and sons. Following Lin Daiyu's style of behavior, they never listened to advice. The thousand-year-old corvee was exempted.
, the land tax of the princes and scholars' families was collected as soon as they were told. Now that her husband has returned to Beijing, she has become more and more powerful. I am afraid that there is no way to stop a woman from going out. And Lin Daiyu, with her height as a woman, is already in the position.
It is obvious that he disapproves of the saying "If you don't leave the front door, you won't take another step forward". Furthermore, there have been rumors in Beijing... Yao asked unknowingly: "Is my aunt in the Rongguo Mansion really working as a minor official in the Taiwanese Mansion?"
Qin said: "No." She paused, "All of them are high-ranking officials in the border areas, and there is not even a small official."
Yao thought for a while: "That's right. Since Prime Minister Lin can be the prime minister, he would not have been a female worker earlier."
Mrs. Qin smiled and said: "She is really not very good at women's work. She learned it when she was a child, and she no longer has time to do that."
Yao also laughed and said casually: "General Jia doesn't mind it."
Ms. Qin laughed and said, "How many years has Jarvis admired her? Marrying her is as good as a dream."
Yao said enviously: "Prime Minister Lin is really lucky."
Mrs. Qin glanced at her: "Although some lives are given by God, some are earned by oneself." She suddenly shut up. Mrs. Yao looked at the look on her face and said nothing. For a long time, Mrs. Qin said, "I
More than half of your life is earned by yourself." Nai smiled slightly and said, "My current husband is the second one. The first one... You are young, so you may not have heard of it."
Mrs. Yao smiled and said, "Not necessarily. Why don't Mrs. Liu come and let me hear it?"
Mrs. Qin said: "The first one is Jiarong, the eldest grandson of the Xianning Kingdom." Yao took a breath. She happened to have heard about the incident where the eldest son of the Xianning Kingdom forced his daughter-in-law to become a monk. Mrs. Qin continued, "Actually, I
My horoscope did not conflict with my father-in-law. It was a ploy to allow me to leave the Ningguo Mansion in an honest manner. At that time, I was the most capable daughter-in-law among the great-grandchildren of the Jia family. Everyone in the two houses spoke well of me, especially the old man.
Loved by our ancestors - if you go back and ask the elders at home, you will know that the old lady of Rongguo Mansion in those years had the final say in the whole clan. Therefore, without a reasonable excuse, I, with white eyebrows and red eyes, would not be able to leave under any circumstances.
You have to go to that house."
Yao couldn't help but ask: "Since you are praised by everyone in the family, loved by the old lady, and your husband is the eldest son of the Duke, why..."
Mrs. Qin smiled and said, "Because I'm not happy. A big family has enough food and clothing, but they have all kinds of discomforts. Some people like it. They would rather endure those discomforts and just want to be content in the back house. My husband likes to play pink-headed actors and doesn't care.
It doesn’t matter if my mother-in-law is biased and mean, my sister-in-law is inconvenient, and my concubine’s children play tricks. Some people don’t like it. For example, if Prime Minister Lin Daiyu and Jarvis dare to mess around outside, she will have to divorce.”
Yao sighed: "Outside? Doesn't General Jia's family not even have a common room?" After a while, he said again, "It's just that he has a lower background. After all, Mr. Lin is the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and a scholar.
The regent only married a merchant's daughter, and he didn't even have any concubines. Does he like men after all?"
Mrs. Qin laughed and said: "Nonsense! If he liked a man with his wanton temper, he would have married openly and openly, wouldn't there be Xue Pan to show it? Jia Cong also spent a lot of effort chasing his wife. He liked his wife and spent a lot of money.
He pursues with all his strength, so he cherishes it. Usually, those men are matchmakers and parents to help find wives who return home. Since he himself has not contributed, there will be less to cherish. In the end, the couple must be happy. Jia Cong said,
After you like someone, you don't just like this person, but you can't like anyone else who is not her. Although this is a bit awkward to say, it makes people agree. The world is huge, and it is not easy to meet someone you really like.
How can I remember concubines? Those who accept concubines are all because the husband and wife do not love each other." She glanced at Yao and asked, "Are I right?"
Yao was startled, a little panicked: "I don't know."