Yang Ruoqing continued: "So, when it comes to making our grandma happy, even if Fourth Aunt practices for a hundred years, she won't be able to compete with Xiaojuan."
"What's more, the scar on Xiaojuan's face is now more than half healed, she has captured my fourth uncle's heart again, and she is pregnant with twins."
"No matter which way you look at it, Xiaojuan is a popular person now. My fourth aunt, she succeeds more than she fails. Several of her cousins don't support her and can't support her. That's why the situation is like this. Who's to blame? ?You only have yourself to blame!”
Zhao Liu'er nodded repeatedly, "I think that Aunt Xiaojuan is not much older than us, but this maid from a wealthy family has been trained and thinks well."
"When I asked He'er to eat noodles before, He'er didn't even have to ask. She cooked two poached eggs for Feifei in advance,"
"It's the double-yolked egg that Fourth Uncle got for her. This really coaxed He'er and pleased Fourth Uncle. She made everyone feel so kind. She really knows how to be a good person!"
Yang Ruoqing agreed with Zhao Liuer's words and said: "Xiaojuan is two years older than me and is twenty-three years old. Compared with the middle-aged fourth aunt at this age, the fourth uncle likes Xiaojuan more in every aspect. "
"If Xiaojuan gives birth to a boy and a half girl, the fourth uncle's heart will probably go to Xiaojuan, and he will regard Xiaojuan as his real fourth house. There will be no exchange of favors or anything like that. If it’s not good, Xiaojuan will come forward.”
Zhao Liuer's eyes widened in surprise, "Then...in the words of the play, isn't this called doting on a concubine and killing his wife?"
"However, those who favor concubines and destroy their wives in the play are breaking the law and will be punished by the emperor..."
Yang Ruoqing chuckled.
"Those who are afraid of being exposed are all officials. For people like Fourth Uncle who have no fame and no official position, at most they will be poked in the spine by others, which will not affect anything fundamentally."
"However, if someone is sued to the government and the government really holds him responsible, then he has violated the criminal law and both of them will be punished."
This was the first time Zhao Liu'er heard such words, and she said in surprise: "Qing'er, you have traveled far and wide, tell me why those rich families are so taboo about doting on concubines and killing their wives?"
Yang Ruoqing originally didn't want to say more about these things.
But looking at the curious eyes of Zhao Liuer and Xiaohua who arrived later, Yang Ruoqing smiled.
"Okay, now that the conversation is open, I'll say a little more," she said.
Sun said: "I'm tired of standing and talking. Come on, sit down and talk slowly."
Yang Ruoqing curled her lips, her mother was like this, where her mother was, her focus was always a little different from others.
Yang Ruoqing sat down, and everyone else stood or sat, looking at Yang Ruoqing, looking forward to what she would say next.
For the fourth brother of the old Yang family, this kind of complicated marriage relationship was the first in the village. Even Yang Zhenbang, who had become wealthy long ago, had never had such a complicated marriage relationship.
Here, Yang Ruoqing organized her thoughts and continued.
"Not only in Daqi, but also before Daqi, the system of wives and concubines was very clear."
"A wife is called a wife, and a concubine is called a concubine."
"The wife is the mistress of the backyard. She takes care of the housework, handles interpersonal relationships, and is in charge of property. She is the head of the family."
"The wife is the master and her husband is an equal."
"And a concubine is half a master. To put it bluntly, a concubine is a man's plaything and a tool for raising children."
"A child born to a wife is a legitimate son, a mistress, and a child born to a concubine is called a bastard."
"A concubine is considered a slave and a servant in front of my wife. Only in the eyes of a slave and a servant can I be considered a master."
"The family property, fields, shops, etc. are usually inherited by the wife's legitimate son, and the bastard son can only get a small share."
"Some head wives are so clever that they suppress their concubines to the point where they cannot give birth to children at all."
"And some concubines are also very scheming. If they meet those confused main wives, they are likely to overwhelm the main wives. And if the man as the head of the family turns a blind eye, this matter will not happen. As long as there is such a fight in the inner courtyard and nothing too outrageous happens, usually no one will go to the Yamen, and even if they go to the Yamen, they will leave it alone if nothing substantial can be done."
After Yang Ruoqing finished speaking, she saw Zhao Liuer, Xiaohua and the others looking at each other in confusion.
Xiao Hua said: "I didn't expect that there are so many things to pay attention to when getting married. It's too scary."
Zhao Liuer also murmured: "In terms of blood relationship, I don't think this is appropriate."
"It doesn't matter whether it's his wife or his concubine. To this man, these are all his own children."
"However, from the perspective of the relationship between husband and wife, I despise those who act as mistresses for others. Why do you want to get involved when you know clearly that they have wives and children?"
Yang Ruoqing nodded.
There are many sources of concubines. Some are from men who are flirting with women outside, and some are given by others, because concubines in ancient times can be given away as gifts.
Moreover, some literati regarded it as a very elegant thing, and even wrote poems and rhymes to commemorate this event.
Of course, there is also a kind of stuffing for parents-in-law.
Don't refuse if the elders give it to you.
When a mother-in-law puts women into her son's room, it's usually just to open up the family, or she doesn't have a good relationship with her daughter-in-law and deliberately creates trouble for her.
As for the father-in-law giving his son a concubine...
In "Dream of Red Mansions", Jia She, the eldest man of the Jia family, gave his son Jia Lian a roommate that he had spoiled...
"Those are matters of a wealthy family, which is far away from us. I won't discuss this topic in depth." Yang Ruoqing said.
"Our old Yang family actually has a simple family relationship. We are all just farmers."
"Even if Da'an becomes the number one scholar, he will still be monogamous in the future."
Yang Ruoqing said again, because she heard those concubines were blooming and spreading leaves, there was a trace of worry on Xiaohua's face.
Although Xiaohua covered it up very well, she still couldn't escape Yang Ruoqing's eyes.
A woman with a serious natal family will be worried about the man bringing someone back and her status will not be guaranteed, not to mention that Xiaohua does not have a real natal family...
"We are all farmers. Except for my fourth uncle and his friends, who are a little more complicated, we live a simple and down-to-earth life in every room, including my family, Da'an."
"What should we do? Let's not talk about this matter. As for the fourth aunt and Aunt Xiaojuan, they are definitely going to fight openly and secretly."
"But these are the housework of the fourth room. We in the next room, or the juniors, have no right to interfere with these. Just take a look." Yang Ruoqing finally said.
Sun was the first to agree: "Yes, what Qing'er said is what I mean. We are all honest farmers, and those things have nothing to do with us."
