The west side hall in front of the Prince's Mansion.
The female relatives who will be keeping vigil tonight are all here.
There are no female relatives from the clan, they are all cousins.
In addition to Shu Shu's five sisters-in-law, there are also three female relatives of the same generation.
One is Sanfujin of Prince Yu's Mansion. She is not very old, about 17 or 18 years old. She is a young woman with a round face and a smiling face.
Of the five elder brothers in Prince Yu's palace, only the third elder brother and the fifth elder brother live together. Their biological mother is Xiang Fujin, and their birth status is equivalent to direct descendants.
Therefore, the third elder brother is actually the eldest son of the prince's palace, but he is not yet twenty years old and has not officially been named the prince's son.
In the early years, the rule was that clan members could apply for a title at the age of fifteen. In recent years, the rule has been changed and it has been extended to the age of twenty.
The third prince of the prince's family was not of high birth, and his family was the banner assistant leader of Prince Yu's palace. She was the daughter of the Eight Banners in the same year as the fifth and seventh princes. Prince Yu Fujin requested the prince to give the prince's third elder brother the title of legitimate prince.
Now in the house, this prince's three blessings are ranked after all the blessings.
However, no one will look down upon him. Prince Yu is a close family member and the emperor's elder brother. He will probably be favored and will not be demoted in this generation. In that case, he will be the future prince Fujin.
The emperor has so many sons, how can they all be princes and princes?
From now on, this lady-in-law's position may not be higher than everyone else's.
The third prince, Fujin, also knew his identity and future, and treated the other princes Fujin with respect and calmness.
The remaining two female relatives, the same sisters-in-law, are not as calm as the three Fujins in the palace.
They are the daughter-in-law and sisters-in-law of Prince Gong's residence.
Of the six elder brothers in Prince Gong's residence, except for the eldest elder who died young, the other five are all living, and two of them are now married.
However, unlike the three elder brothers in Prince Yu's Mansion, the two elder brothers in Prince Gong's Mansion were both descendants of Shufu Jin.
Although the Eight Banners have been in the customs for many years, whether it is within the clan or the Eight Banners, they are still clearly divided.
Only those born from direct descendants and side Fujin will be regarded as the main branches, and those born from concubines will be ignored.
Nowadays, everyone is aware of the spread of rumors about Prince Yu's Mansion.
It's the third elder brother, there is no one else.
Unless he makes a mistake, the title will fall on his half-brother.
At Prince Gong's Mansion, there were people watching the excitement, and they couldn't tell what would happen in the future.
The five elder brothers are all concubines.
If a concubine attacks a noble, he must be surrendered.
But there is a difference between a concubine and a concubine. The biological mother of the youngest son, the sixth elder brother, is the concubine of the eldest princess Kechun.
Princess Kechun is still alive. Although she has been living in seclusion in the palace for many years, who knows whether the emperor will show mercy when the time comes.
As for this concubine being a sinner of the Wu family, not many people cared about it.
The Qing Dynasty was founded less than a hundred years ago, and sinners were forgiven one after another.
There is no definite number.
Now the second elder brother and third elder brother of Prince Gong's Mansion have already reached the age of twenty. After passing the imperial examination, they have already obtained the title of nobility. One is the general of the auxiliary country and the other is the general of Feng'en.
These two female relatives are the wives of the two clan generals.
Among the female relatives of the clan, this status is almost the lowest.
Therefore, the two ladies are the eldest and are the cousins-in-law of the princes Fujin. However, they are not qualified to discuss their elders and younger ones, only their superiority and inferiority. They occupy the last position and look cautious.
The east and west seats are still separated.
To the east are Sanfujin, Wufujin, Bafujin, Wangfusanfujin and General Fengen's wife.
To the west are the wives of Sifujin, Qifuxin, Shushu and Fuguo generals.
Shu Shu sat between Qi Fujin and the general's wife, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Because the wife of the auxiliary general sitting below her was none other than her great-grandfather's cousin.
In terms of age, the general's wife is more than ten years older than Shu Shu.
The general's wife is not from a lowly background, and her character in the deputy capital's mansion is similar to that of Qi Fujin.
Her Ama is the cousin of Peng Chun, the uncle, and the cousin of Qi Xi and uncle.
They are both cousins, but different.
Because of the adoption, the uncle and Qi Xi are blood cousins. According to the etiquette, they are already second cousins across the house, and they are not side branches of the public family.
This general's wife was a branch of the Duke's government. Ama was the deputy commander of the Zhenghong Banner during his lifetime, and Peng Chun's right-hand man, but died in the Battle of Ulan Butong.
The general's wife's family lost its mainstay, and without the inheritance of titles and worldly duties, it fell into silence and was not as good as before.
The reason why he was able to marry into the clan was because Prince Gong missed his old love.
It seems that since the 29th year of Kangxi, when the Battle of Ulan Butong began, there have been changes within the Dong E family.
Peng Chun of the Duke's palace lost the title of Zhenghong Banner, and his cousin died in the battle.
On the contrary, here in the uncle's house, which had no sense of existence before, the uncle is still useless, but his brother Qi Xi has risen.
In a few years, he went from Zuoling to the deputy capital of Mongolia, and from the deputy capital of Mongolia to the capital of Manchuria, becoming the head of the Zhenghong Banner.
The emperor was determined to promote him, and in the thirty-fourth year, he added a hereditary assistant to Qi Xi.
You must know that Qi Xi had previously taken the position of Bo Fu Zuo.
But it was only in escrow because the uncle and his son were in poor health and they had to return it in the future.
It would be different if he had the additional position of assistant leader, which could be passed on to Qi Xi's own descendants.
Equivalent to the head of the house in the uncle's mansion, there will be two worldly positions in the future, one more than the one in the Duke's mansion.
There are titles and worldly positions, but there are real vacancies. Currently, they are not as good as the Duke's, but they are not bad at all.
There are a total of seven Dong'e families in Zhenghong Banner, six in Manchuria, and one in Baoyi. In this way, the power is evenly divided, and they are attached to the Duke's and Bo's mansions.
Shu Shu thought about the relationship between the two families and was very polite to this cousin.
She remembered clearly that when she was a child, she went to the palace and met this cousin. She was a very high-spirited person. Although she was a little arrogant, she did not look down on her cousin just because she was Princess of the Vice-Capital Palace.
It makes people sigh to look at him so cringing now.
The general's wife of Fu Guo looked flattered by Shu Shu's warmth. She bowed and said "you".
Although they were within the rules, there was no sign of intimacy between sisters.
San Fujin sat across from him and looked at it, feeling unhappy.
Shu Shu, what does this mean?
Hypocritical!
Is this a show of "corporal etiquette" performed in front of my cousin?
Trampling on her own sisters to show the humility of her prince Fujin?
And this cousin is also not up to expectations, and she doesn't even know how to sit upright.
Why is the current level not high?
The position of the prince of the palace has not yet been determined.
She is the cousin-in-law of Prince Fujin, and she is not a slave Yangzi.
How could Shu Shu know that San Fujin was complaining?
The general's wife felt uncomfortable, so she shut up, just looking forward to having more cloaks.
Otherwise, who is missing?
Talking about elders and younger ones, the whole house is filled with sisters-in-law and cousins-in-law, and I am the youngest.
Talking about dignity and inferiority...
It's not a formal occasion, they are all close relatives, and they only talk about superiority and inferiority, which seems arrogant and cold.
It wasn't cold in the room, and charcoal pots were lit in all four corners.
But I'm hungry.
Qi Fujin could no longer bear it any longer, so he stood up, took his purse, and made way for his sisters-in-law.
"Sisters-in-law, try it. You won't be hungry, and you can fool your mouth..."
Only San Fujin took two, and the others declined.
When they arrived at Shu Shu's place, Qi Fujin didn't let anyone know. He just took two pills and stuffed them into her mouth: "You're still young, you're growing, you can't go hungry..."
Shu Shu knew Qi Fujin’s good intentions.
This is because the sisters-in-law did not eat sweets and ate them themselves, fearing that someone would find fault with them for being greedy or being ignorant.
She stood up, helped Qi Fujin and said, "You'd better sit still. I'll go to the door to remind you. Why hasn't the porridge come yet..."
The rule of this mourning is "reducing food for three days", not three days of fasting. Besides, there are two pregnant women here.
After Shu Shu finished speaking, he stood up and walked to the door.
By chance, the kitchen steward brought porridge.
Shu Shu didn't care much and returned to her seat to wait.
Everyone shared the food, each person had a small table with a tray on it.
There was a bowl of porridge and two plates of side dishes on top.
The steward of the palace also made arrangements with all his heart, and had no intention of starving the nobles. The porridge was old yellow rice porridge, extremely sticky.
The side dishes are vegetarian, but they are also thoughtful, including a plate of sesame spinach and a plate of sweet and sour kelp shreds.
If it were anyone else, this portion of food would be enough.
Shu Shu is having a hard time here.
When I didn't eat before, even though I was a little hungry, it wasn't so hard.
Now after a few spoonfuls of porridge, my stomach feels like it's at the bottom. Instead, I feel hungry all of a sudden, with a heart-scratching and lung-scratching discomfort.
Everyone worked hard all day, no matter whether they liked food or not, they used their chopsticks a lot.
Only Wu Fujin and Qi Fujin took spoons but did not start drinking porridge.
Both of them had eaten with Shu Shu and knew how much she ate, so they were worried that she wouldn't have enough to eat.
After Shu Shu had eaten less than half of the bowl, Wu Fujin stood up and brought over a bowl of porridge.
"I have no appetite and can't eat. My brothers and sisters will help me share some..."
Wufujin said, about to fold the porridge over.
Shu Shu thought Wu Fujin really had no appetite, so she moved the porridge bowl away and said disapprovingly: "We still have to stay up at night. Even if Wu Fujin has no appetite, she has to eat more..."
Wu Fujin insisted: "I really can't eat it, let's talk about it then..."
Shu Shu couldn't bear to argue with her anymore, so she took the porridge bowl with both hands.
San Fujin had already eaten more than half of the bowl. When he heard the noise, he looked over and realized something was wrong.
Si Fujin, who was opposite, took a mouthful of porridge and made a gesture, not even making any chewing movements.
Qi Fujin took the spoon and pretended to stir it twice in the porridge bowl, then put it down again and picked up a handful of spinach.
Shushu...this is really delicious...
The wife of General Fu Guo, who was at the bottom, took the chopsticks and moved it for a long time. She picked up half of the kelp silk and couldn't put it into her mouth for a long time.
San Fujin looked to his side again.
Needless to say, Wu Fujin has already asked others to share the burden.
Here in Bafujin, he just stirs the spoon and has no intention of opening his mouth.
Prince Yu's Sanfu Jin next to him was eating with a bowl of porridge before. He was probably affected by everyone's "not thinking about food", so he put down the bowl of porridge, his face turned red, and he felt uncomfortable.
General Fengen's wife at the back was holding chopsticks and was paying attention to everyone. She was also hesitant and cautious, not daring to move her chopsticks.
San Fujin cursed in his heart, but couldn't eat more.
Otherwise it would appear that she is heartless.
I was going to a funeral, and I was crying. It's not worth it if someone talks about you just for a few bites of food.
Not only did she put down her bowls and chopsticks, she also gave Shu Shu a fierce wink.
Shu Shu's mind was focused on the porridge bowl, and she couldn't take her eyes off it.
The old yellow rice looks thick and yellow, and the smell is also fascinating.
"Gululu..."
what sound?
Shu Shu's hearing was better than the average person, and she could hear even the inconspicuous sounds.
She looked at Wu Fujin's belly, looking a little confused.
Wu Fujin had already poured half a bowl of porridge over, and smiled gently: "Thank you, my ninth brother and sister..."
After saying that, she took the porridge bowl and returned to her seat.
Shu Shu realized that this was reserved for herself.
In this cold winter season, half a bowl of porridge with a hungry stomach...
Shu Shu didn't eat, because she felt that it would be difficult to eat such good and fragrant porridge in the future.
Qi Fujin, who was next to him, saw her looking at the porridge bowl in a daze, and urged with a smile: "What are you thinking about? Eat quickly and share half the bowl with me. Yellow rice is not easy to digest, so I don't dare to eat more..."
Shu Shu will not be fooled a second time.
She hurriedly said: "I've had enough, I've had enough. I really can't eat anymore. Sister-in-law Qi can eat it by herself..."
Qi Fujin didn't expect her reaction and couldn't help but be stunned.
Shu Shu raised her chin, signaling Qi Fujin to eat quickly.
No matter how hungry I am, I will not compete with pregnant women for food.
Qi Fujin was still hesitating, but San Fujin on the opposite side gave up.
what happened? !
They usually pretend to be like sisters-in-law, but now they are holding Shushu as a raft.
Although San Fujin had a lot of opinions about Shu Shu in his heart, he would not watch them trample on the Dong E family's reputation.
What happened when this spread spread?
They are all good sisters-in-law. They feel so uncomfortable that they can't eat, so they become cold-hearted. Are they gluttons?
There are not two Dong E clans in one sentence.
When others find fault with Dong E's family upbringing, she will be implicated as well.
"lay down!"
San Fujin said to Shu Shu with a straight face.
Everyone was startled. First they looked at San Fujin, and then followed her line of sight and looked at Shu Shu.
Shu Shu was stared at and looked at Sanfujin, not understanding why she was convulsed.
San Fujin frowned and said: "How old you are, you still don't know the importance! If you can't eat it, don't force it. Old yellow rice is not easy to digest, and you have to torment people if you have a stomachache..."
Her tone was a bit rude, but it also conveyed intimacy and protection.
Shu Shu held the porridge bowl, a little unsure of how to deal with it.
For God's sake, let alone one bowl, even three bowls, she can do it!
This sister's love comes at the wrong time!
She has an iron stomach!
But big eaters are not popular nowadays. If a noble girl eats too much, she will be shabby.
Shu Shu's mind was a little empty and she didn't know how to change her words and continue eating.
At this moment, Sifujin stood up.
She walked over with a guilty look on her face, and didn't allow Shu Shu to speak, and directly took the porridge bowl.
"If you can't eat it, don't eat it..."
At this point, Si Fujin turned around and explained to everyone: "At noon, I took my nine younger siblings to accompany my nieces in the backyard. Later, when my sister-in-law was buried, we helped her..."
A burial lasts for an hour.
I was also scented with sesame oil for an hour.
Sifujin's stomach was also empty, but he had no appetite at all.
Comparing her feelings, she felt that Shu Shu was the same, but he was too young to use chopsticks.
Shu Shu had been thinking about eating before, and she didn't even think about what happened in the first afternoon.
After listening to Si Fujin's words, not only did the picture appear in his mind, but there also seemed to be a complex smell under his nose.
The strong smell of blood and pungent spices are mixed together...
Her face turned pale and her stomach was churning...
(End of chapter)
