252, Chapter 252 (1/2)
Because the dishes on the bamboo board have prices, no matter how you calculate it, their table plus the noodles eaten by the servants will not cost more than ten taels of silver. Did the restaurant not charge money because it disturbed their meal? Of course not. They came for the fragrant wine, and Qin Fang didn't want to leave this favor.
The couple walked in front with their son, and Niu Dan followed. They walked around the capital, and Niu Dan was in a good mood. The servant paid the money and caught up with them after a while. "General, I left ten taels of silver and came back, and I didn't wait for them to catch up."
"Well done, don't owe favors." Qin Fang said.
Servant: "Yes."
After leaving the restaurant, the Qin family went home. However, the four of them walked back, but... Qin Fang suddenly stopped and looked behind him.
"Why?" Yang Haiyan asked.
Qin Fang said: "Someone followed us, but such a crude tracking method must not be a professional, so don't pay attention to it." If it was a professional who followed us, we should be careful. However, where they lived was not a secret, and there was nothing to hide, so Qin Fang didn't take it to heart. Besides, there was no one who could guard against thieves.
Yang Haiyan was relieved to hear him say this, but: "I don't know who it is."
Qin Fang: "Since the other party sent someone to follow, the other party will definitely show up, and just wait."
After half an hour, the family slowly walked home. As soon as they got home, Yang Haiyan asked Qin Fang to hold his son to sleep. The little guy played outside for a whole morning and walked a lot, and fell asleep on his father's shoulder.
Jinqian Restaurant
The origin of Jinqian Restaurant is very simple. It is the property of Marquis Jinqian. As for Marquis Jinqian, you can tell what the name means as soon as you hear it. It means super rich. Marquis Jinqian also has the merit of following the dragon. He was originally just a businessman. He had accumulated a lot of money for several generations. He was smart. He spent a lot of money on the great cause of the emperor. He invested two-thirds of his family property in it. After the emperor ascended the throne, he was given a famous and powerful marquis, but he didn't care. With this title, at least no one dared to take his family property.
The name of this title was also decided by Marquis Jinqian himself. There was no way, he was rich.
Although Marquis Jinqian was rich, he was not the kind of person who was rich but unkind. Moreover, Marquis Jinqian was a well-known philanthropist in the capital. The property of Marquis Jinqian is as famous as that of Marquis Jinqian. There is also Marquis Jinqian's backyard. He has many concubines in his house. If there are many concubines, then the children are naturally good.
It turns out that Marquis Jinqian is interested in beauty in addition to making money.
Therefore, Marquis Jinqian's family is very famous in the capital. However, Marquis Jinqian loves beauty, but never forces it. In fact, with his wealth and status, it is very good for him to chase the beauty who is willing to be a concubine.
Shi Jie is the third son of Marquis Jinqian, a concubine. At this moment, he is listening to the report of the servants.
"Third Master, I followed them to Tai'an District and saw them walk into a house called Qin Mansion, but I don't know who the owner of this Qin Mansion is. There are many famous families in that area, and I have no place to ask." It turned out that the person who followed Qin Fang was sent by Shi Jie.
The entire capital is centered on the imperial palace. The place closest to the imperial palace is of course where the royal relatives live. The place next to the royal relatives is Tai'an District, so the people who can live there are not a matter of money, but a matter of status. For example, Marquis Jinqian lives there.
The reason why Marquis Jinqian's mansion can be there is because this mansion was rewarded by the emperor. When the emperor first ascended the throne, he punished a large group of ministers who failed to stand in line, so the houses that were taken back were very small, and then he gave Marquis Jinqian one. In fact, only Marquis Jinqian and the emperor knew that this house was bought by Marquis Jinqian.
Qin Mansion? Living in Tai'an District?
Shi Jie couldn't think of who it was for a moment. People like him, who had no chance to know about the court affairs, of course, didn't know who the Qin Mansion was. In fact, only people living near the Qin Mansion knew who lived there when they knew the owner of the Qin Mansion came. Otherwise, Tai'an District was so big, who would know whose family was coming?
It didn't matter if he didn't know, Shi Jie immediately sent someone to inquire. But he didn't find out that the birthday of the old lady of Cheng'en Marquis Mansion was coming.
Early in the morning of that day, Yang Haiyan arrived at the door of the Du Mansion and made an appointment with the Du family's female relatives to go to Cheng'en Marquis Mansion today.
"Bingyun is here." When she arrived at the door of the Du Mansion, she saw Mrs. Du and Qu waiting at the door.
Yang Haiyan felt a little embarrassed. She came early for the agreed time. After all, she had an appointment and couldn't be late. But she didn't expect Mrs. Du and Qu to be so early. "Godmother, second sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."
Mrs. Du smiled and said, "We just came out and are at the door of the house. There's no need to wait. Let's go. Come on my carriage and we'll chat as we go."
"Thank you, godmother. I'll be there right away." Yang Haiyan got off the carriage.
The only people who went to the Du Mansion were Mrs. Du and the Qu family. Old Mrs. Du and Mrs. Ji Da did not go. Sister Du set off from her husband's house, and there was also a woman from her husband's house. Second Sister Du was not on the invitation list. After all, Second Sister Du's husband's family was just a small landowner and could not reach the threshold of Cheng'enhou Mansion. Even though her husband was from the Hanlin Academy, he was only a seven-year-old. It's a high-quality product, the threshold is low, and the Marquis of Cheng'en probably doesn't know about it.
The people invited by the aristocratic family are all from the background of the husband's family. Unless you are a royal princess or a royal princess.
On the carriage, Mrs. Du said: "Today, you are here. We are together. I will also introduce you to a few familiar people. They are all easy to get along with."
Yang Haiyan said gratefully: "I listen to my godmother."
Mrs. Du knows that Yang Haiyan is a smart person, so she is not worried. Besides, no matter what, she is a second-class wife, a woman with a title bestowed by the emperor, and she is not a woman who was given a title by the emperor. Those female relatives who were given the imperial decree. "But don't worry. The Chengenhou Mansion is the natal family of Queen Shen, and the old lady is the mother-in-law of the emperor. No one dares to spread salt in the Chengenhou Mansion. He doesn't care about the birth. You should also look at the face of the Buddha. "Otherwise, the emperor will not be able to celebrate the old lady's birthday.
Of course, there is a premise for this kind of thing, that is, the emperor values the Yue family. If he doesn't value it, no one will care. Now, the emperor values Chengenhou Mansion. Otherwise, Queen Shen would go there before the emperor ascended the throne. The Chengenhou Mansion could be granted to the Ren family, but the emperor would prefer it. Regardless of whether the emperor valued the Shen family or deliberately overshadowed the Ren family, the emperor would definitely give the Shen family face anyway.
Chengenhou's Mansion is very lively, especially the gate of Chengenhou's Mansion. The carriages of all the distinguished people in the capital are parked here today. However, today is the old lady's birthday, so all the women are here. Among the female relatives, many young girls come here, but there are only a few families like the Du family that do not have young girls.
Of course, there are also young boys, but these have nothing to do with the woman Yang Haiyan.
Mrs. Qian, the eldest son and wife of the Marquis of Chengen, was at the door to greet the guests. Following her were the two concubine wives of the Marquis of Chengen. The guests who came today are very valuable. Even if they are relatives of the emperor, there will be many of them. Therefore, if the old lady is not the birthday girl, today’s scene will be greeted with a kiss. of.
Mrs. Du and Mrs. Qu Yang Haiyan had just arrived at the door. The servants of the Du family said: "Du Shu is here, Mrs. Bingyun is here, and Wei An is here." Du Ke is the third-rank minister, so Mrs. Du The imperial edict of the third grade is a lady. Weijin was promoted to the sixth rank in the Ministry of War, so Sister Du was appointed to the sixth rank. Although Yang Haiyan is a second-ranking lady, she is Mrs. Du's godmother, so she was in front of her when registering. "I wish the old lady good fortune like the East Sea."
The door rang and there were sounds of congratulations and joy.
When Mrs. Qian saw several people from the Du family coming, she walked down the steps and came to greet them personally: "Aunt Du family, Mrs. Bingyun, Mrs. Wei, welcome."
Mrs. Du took the lead in saluting and said, "I have met Madam Prince."
Mrs. Qian also saluted: "Thank you all for coming to congratulate my mother-in-law." If it were just Sister Du, Ms. Qian wouldn't have to salute, but Yang Haiyan is on the same level. cannot accept courtesy from Yang Haiyan. Mrs. Du is senior, and cannot accept courtesy either. Otherwise, in the eyes of others, this is arrogance. You are so arrogant, you have to look at others. You know, there are also classes among women. If a woman offends someone, the situation in the court may change if the pillow blows.
Even if the Qian family is the second prince, he cannot be ignored.
Mrs. Qian continued: "Aunt Du, Mrs. Bingyun, Mrs. Wei, we have guests today. I have to receive the guests. Please follow my mother-in-law in. My mother-in-law is waiting for you inside."
Mrs. Du: "You're welcome, Madam Prince, let's go in first."
The lobby was very lively. The old lady of the Marquis of Chengen's Mansion was actually the wife of Marquis of Chengen, but because of the great age of , everyone in the mansion called Old Madam, Todaykuai Fifty years, in ancient times, this year is really not a small year. In fact, Mrs. Du is not nearly as disciplined, but looking at her watch, it is obvious that Mrs. Du is in good spirits, and she also looks young.
The old lady of the Chengen Hou Mansion lost her daughter long time ago. Although the second prince has been found back, the pressure from the Hou Mansion is even greater. They have to support the second prince, so the pressure from all the people has made this The old lady is very old. She looked about ten years older than Mrs. Dou.
The old lady of Chengenhou Mansion was chatting with someone inside, when the servant at the door said: "We have guests arriving."
Suddenly, everyone inside looked at the door curiously. They didn't know who was coming, so everyone should pay attention.
After Mrs. Du led the people into the house, the old lady of Chengenhou Mansion said, "Old sister, come here." After saying that, she happily stepped forward to greet the people personally.
Two days ago, when the second prince was not found, the relationship between the Du family and the Hou Mansion was quite good. Because the Hou family does not take sides, they only support the emperor, just like the Du family. In addition, the old lady had lost her daughter early, so Mrs. Du felt that she was really pitiful and would often visit her. Moreover, when I was a young girl, I often walked around in a circle. After all, whether it is the Shen family or the Du family, they are all famous families. How can a girl who can marry into their family have such a bad background?
But the difference is that the old lady of the Marquis Chengen's house was born very beautiful early in life, and Marquis Chengen was also very handsome when he was young, so the two of them were talked about as talented and beautiful.
But Duco is different. Du Ke has an ordinary appearance, with a hint of shrewdness, and is on the thin side. Speaking of which, if the Du family were not a wealthy family, he, the eldest son of the Du family, would marry a girl from a well-off family. His appearance is that of a girl from a common people's family, so she probably wouldn't look down on him.
Mrs. Du When Du Ke hired Mrs. Du, everyone in the capital was waiting to see the joke. But little did he know that Mrs. Du's natal family agreed to this marriage, and Mrs. Du herself also agreed to this marriage.
After they got married, Mr. Du and Mrs. Du gave birth to their eldest son. After a few years, the concubine gave birth to a concubine, and Du Ke only had one concubine in his backyard. This life was the envy of everyone else.
The concubine waited until her eldest son could walk before getting pregnant again. This was obviously the Du family's fault. Because children tend to die young and can walk, it is different when they are about three or four years old. In this way, Mrs. Du's position is stable, and even if there is a bastard behind her, she cannot get past Mrs. Du. Otherwise, if the concubine gets pregnant early, what if Mrs. Du’s first child is a daughter? The concubine gave birth to a son, who became the eldest son of the concubine. A family with a concubine's eldest son is prone to problems.
Therefore, the Du family has good customs. Mrs. Du’s natal family What Mrs. Du likes is the family style of the Du family.
What does it matter if men look different? The most important thing is whether a woman is comfortable or not. Now, although Mrs. Du is only a third-grade lady, who in the capital wouldn’t give her face?
Besides, Du Ke is the appointed Minister of the Ministry of War, and when the old Minister takes office, Mrs. Du will be the second-grade wife. In fact, the rank is not important, the real power is the most important, and Du Ke holds the real power.
Mrs. Du followed the gesture of the old lady of Cheng'enhou Mansion holding her hand and saluted: "I've met Madam." Then she said, "See Madam is in good spirits and in good spirits. I'm relieved." . Let me introduce you to a rare guest. Although she is my master’s adopted daughter, she is also a woman who is truly a woman.”
Mrs. Du called Yang Haiyan beside her: "Madam, this is Bingyun. She just came back from Yunxiang County and is not familiar with the capital city. Bingyun, this is Mrs. Chengenhou."
Yang Haiyan had just followed Mrs. Du to salute. Now she came to the old lady of Chengenhou Mansion and saluted again: "I have met Madam. I wish her happiness as good as the East China Sea and longevity as the Southern Mountains." Show off and not polite.
The old lady knew that the Qin Mansion had taken care of Shen Lixian before, and because of her relationship with the Du family, she was very polite to Yang Haiyan: "Ah, this is Bingyun. She is indeed a lovely girl. I will lend you my good words." Good luck."
Mrs. Du nodded towards the servant, who came up with a gift. Mrs. Du took the gift and said, "Happy birthday, madam."
Seeing this, Yang Haiyan also gave a gift: "Happy birthday, madam."
There is no need to give away Mrs. Qu. The Du family is not separated, and Mrs. Du is one.
The old lady was not polite either. On her birthday, someone would give her a gift. This was a congratulatory gift and a happy thing. No matter how big or small the gift was, it made people happy. said: "Then I will..."
Just as the old lady was about to ask someone to accept it, another voice came: "Ah, I don't know what kind of gift Mrs. Du gave me. Let's take a look and feel the joy of the gift." The woman who spoke said Ji is relatively young, and he likes Ji, who is less than thirty. He doesn't know when he came in. The servant at the door did not report, so no one in the lobby noticed that someone came at the door. It is estimated that deliberately did not allow anyone to report it.
If there are people in the capital who are not afraid of the Du family, that is true, such as the woman in front of them. The woman came from the Tian family of Cheng'en Gongfu, which was the family of the former empress, and was the emperor's family. Although the emperor's family does not have any women in the harem, when the emperor seizes the heir, the family can exert a lot of effort. When the nephew seizes the legitimate son, the family must make efforts. If the emperor fails to seize the legitimate son, the emperor's family will not be happy either.
So this woman is not afraid of the Du family. Not only are they not afraid, there will be conflicts in the Chengen Palace and the Du family. This woman is the wife of Qian Hou Shizi and the emperor's cousin. When she was in the boudoir, she had a domineering personality. Because she was originally from a descendant clan, no one in the capital dared to offend her. . , the crown prince’s wife is interested in Du Ke’s eldest son, but Du Ke’s eldest son, the eldest son of the Du family, and the eldest daughter-in-law the Du family wants to hire, wants the eldest daughter-in-law of the royal family, so what? Will you value ? So when the Tian family came to reveal the news, they were rejected by Mrs. Du.
Later, the crown prince's wife was not interested and pestered Du Ke's eldest son several times. She also came to talk to Mrs. Du, but she was rejected. This incident caused quite a big fuss at the time.
Du Ke's eldest son was transferred to the side as soon as he got married, which is also related to this. First, Du Ke really wanted to train his eldest son, and at the same time, the emperor was about to seize the throne, and he did not want his eldest son to be involved in this matter. Secondly, the prince's wife had made a lot of trouble. Du Ke was worried that his son would not give up when he got married, so he simply let his son go.
At any gathering in the capital after that, whenever the Crown Prince's wife saw the Du family, she not only showed great style, but also made sarcastic remarks.
When the old lady saw it, she thought to herself, this person is really unlucky to come. However, there was a smile on his face and he said: "It turns out that the Princess of Xiangyu County is here." The Princess of Xiangyu County is the title of the Crown Prince's wife, and she is the first-degree niece of the late Queen. This title is Given by the late Queen.
The old lady is very willing to give face to the county leader, but there is nothing she can do about it. The Tian family is the emperor's family. The head of Xiangyu County is the only granddaughter of Mr. Tian, who is the emperor's direct father-in-law. To put it bluntly, no matter which prince succeeds to the throne, he will give face to the Tian family. As long as the Tian family makes no mistakes, no matter which prince succeeds to the throne, he will not touch the family of the late emperor. Therefore, the Tian family really does not need to care about them.
However, the Shen family is different. The Shen family supports the second prince and needs the Tian family.
Even if the Shen family knew that the emperor valued the second prince, the emperor did not clearly say that he wanted to give the throne to the second prince. Besides, the second prince is only young now, something could happen at any time, and the emperor is young, so what happens now cannot be determined in the future. Therefore, the Shen family really wanted to bring the Tian family over.
But the Tian family is not a fool. Just like Du Ke, he is a very stable centrist.
The head of Xiangyu County also gave the old lady face. After all, the Shen family gave birth to a second prince. The second prince may also become a prince and ascend the throne. Although the Tian family is not afraid of the Shen family, what if the second prince succeeds to the throne? ? If the Tian family offended the Shen family, the second prince would definitely have some ideas. Therefore, County Master Xiangyu is not a fool.
Seeing this, everyone else in the lobby stood aside and did not dare to step forward. You must know that this county boss was really arrogant when she was a girl, but now that she is a married woman, she has no scruples. But with the emperor's cousin here, he has a strong backing.
The emperor has no biological sister, and a concubine who is not helpful to him is not as close as a cousin. There were not many cousins who came and went. When he was seizing the heir, many of the princes and uncles who stood in line were packed up by him to guard the imperial mausoleum, or sent to far away places. So, The head of Xiangyu County is one of the emperor’s most beloved sisters.
"I have met Madam." County Lord Xiangyu first saluted the old lady of Chengenhou Mansion, and then looked at Mrs. Du.
Mrs. Du smiled slightly and also saluted: "I have met the county lord."
Mrs. Du bowed, and Mr. Qu also bowed. Among the three of them, Yang Haiyan was the only one who did not salute. Mrs. Du, the head of Xiangyu County, who has some grievances against the Du family, mentioned this, so she also knows the grade of . As proud as Mrs. Du, because her rank is not as good as that of Xiangyu County Lord, there is nothing she can do. Yang Haiyan couldn't salute because of the Du family's pride. At the same time, the second grade, , is like , bending down, in the eyes of others, it means that the Du family has surrendered, because the two families have a grudge.
If the two families have no grudges, such as the Du family of Cheng'enhou Mansion, they salute Qian, the Crown Prince's wife, who is also of the second rank. The Qian family's etiquette, in the eyes of other people, is mutual etiquette. . Therefore, the relationship between the two families is different and they view things differently.
Besides, when it comes to saluting, the Xiangyu County Lord will definitely not be able to do so.
Mrs. Du saluted, but County Master Xiangyu did not do so, just to show off Mrs. Du's face. Yang Haiyan smiled slightly and helped Mrs. Du: "Goddess, do your knees hurt again? Will the ginseng I gave you before have any effect? I heard that drinking 50-year-old ginseng in tea is effective. Very good.”
If you want to know what 100 ginseng and qian ginseng are, they only appear in fantasy novels. In this normal novel world, 100 ginsengs are already in the sky, so 50 ginsengs are treasures. Everyone hides them and uses them to save lives when necessary.
For Yang Haiyan, it is necessary to support Mrs. Du at this time, because the Du family is one. If I don’t help Mrs. Du at this time, what will happen to Mrs. Du? If I don’t tell you, others will look down on me and make my godmother keep curtsying. It's not a thing, but it's just standing there.
Mrs. Du smiled and patted her hand: "Thank you for your ginseng. I drank it for two days and it's already good. I rarely go out recently. It's the old lady's birthday today, so I I want to join in the fun." My godson helped me, and I just stood up and came over. She is not a timid woman, and she keeps curtsying even if I don't say anything. Besides, the head of Xiangyu County dares to ask him to salute again, right? If Xiangyu dared, he would not agree, and if he really did this, the two families would be in trouble. What was originally a trivial matter between women has turned into a big feud between the two families.