Except for the fact that there is no one to see Han Yan, everything is as usual in Tai'an House. Mrs. Han is also planning to take Ruiniang to Cao Guogong's house for a show and wine. She is too old and not as young as Princess Yongning. She has long sleeves and is good at dancing. She is in Beijing. Met a lot of people.
But even so, Ruiniang was very satisfied.
Mrs. Cao Guogong and Mrs. Han have a good relationship. They have commented on Ruiniang's paintings before. Now that Mrs. Han came with Ruiniang, she was full of praise and gave her two more gifts.
Zhao's mother introduced to Ruiniang: "Cao Guogong is still alive today. Among the three sons born to Cao Guogong's wife, the eldest son is the crown prince. The wife of Cao Crown Prince is also a daughter of the Pang family. In the early years, she still held the position of county head. In March this year, she My daughter is also going to the palace."
"Who is Cao Ting, the sixth prince's companion I met last time?" Ruiniang quickly figured out the relationship and asked repeatedly.
Mother Zhao explained: "That is the youngest son of Crown Prince Cao, and the biological brother of Miss Cao."
Ruiniang thought that everyone who could enter the palace had an extraordinary family background. Her cousin was the eldest daughter of the uncle's family, and Miss Cao was the eldest granddaughter of the Duke's family and the daughter of the eldest son of the Duke's family.
There is also the niece of King Jing that Queen Mother Pang mentioned last time, the daughter of General Jianwei.
The relationship circles among the upper-class people in Beijing are complicated, and it's hard to predict who will get married to whom. It's no wonder that grandma specially sent Mother Zhao to her side today. This Mother Zhao is like a know-it-all.
When she first entered Beijing, Ruiniang would look at the buildings and the scenery outside the mansion with great interest, but now she just feels tired. Now, after meeting Mrs. Cao Guogong, she was led to a small flower hall, where young girls had already gathered and were chatting and joking.
The girl sitting in the middle had a face like an oval, a dignified appearance, and a tall figure. Mother Zhao said in her ear: "That is the eldest girl of the Cao family."
Ruiniang hurriedly came forward to say hello. Although this Miss Cao had a noble status, she was not proud of her status. She only said: "It turns out that she is the cousin of Tai'an Bofu. Come sit here and let's talk together."
After sitting down, Miss Cao is not a talkative person, but she is also very considerate. She also took the initiative to introduce: "My surname is Cao, and my nickname is Yunzhen. I am fifteen years old. I don't know my sister's name?"
"My little sister's surname is Meng, and her nickname is Yaorui. My family calls me Ruiniang. If my sister doesn't mind, just call me Ruiniang." Ruiniang thought to herself. In fact, in this higher-level place, everyone is very good at saving face.
Cao Yunzhen had the demeanor of a host. He took her hand and introduced them one by one. Most of these girls were daughters of distinguished relatives of the Cao family. The only one who seemed to stand out was Cao Ci, Cao Yunzhen's sister and the daughter of the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Cao Ci is a few months younger than Ruiniang. She is also cute and cute, and she looks warm-hearted.
Someone asked Ruiniang about Han Yan, and Ruiniang was considerate of Han Yan: "My cousin has other places to go today. She also told me before that the Cao family sister has a very good temperament, and she asked me to say hello on her behalf."
Cao Yun said regretfully: "I want to talk to her for a long time, but I have never thought about her future. That's right, Sister Ci, you and Ruiniang are about the same age, so you can talk together."
Ruiniang certainly understands this arrangement. Although Cao Ci's surname is Cao, her relationship with Cao Yunzhen has been in the third server for three years. Her grandfather and Cao Guogong are cousins, and there is also a hereditary military position in the family. However, she has no children, so she adopted a boy from the clan. Inheriting the incense, this is Cao Ci's father.
As his adopted son, Cao Ci's father was fully cultivated. Not only did he pass the imperial examination, but he also had a smooth official career. Even Governor Cao's second wife was the eldest daughter.
Although Ruiniang's father was only a third-grade general, she was the granddaughter of the uncle's family, and Mrs. Han was also the biological sister of Empress Dowager Pang.
"Sister Meng, I don't like Beijing. I like Lingnan. It's warm like spring all year round. It's too cold here." Cao Ci complained softly while eating a piece of snack.
Ruiniang didn't expect Cao Ci to be so straightforward, so she just tried to persuade him: "You come from the south, so you can't stand the cold. Little did you know that it was even colder when I was in Xuanfu."
Cao Ci asked curiously: "Speaking of which, your cousin will enter the palace to be the princess's companion in a few days, and my eldest sister will also enter the palace together. My eldest sister usually forms a poetry club in Beijing, and she is very good at studying. They Sometimes I can't understand what these bookbags say. Is your cousin like this too?"
At this time, Ruiniang knew that Han Yan was going to choose a princess to accompany her as a reading companion. She still remembered the handkerchief she gave to Shen Yue, the daughter of the chief soldier of the Xuan Palace, when she was ten years old. Selected.
Now, Han Yan is seventeen, so she is a bit older as a companion.
As long as there are no objections in the Natural Palace, maybe this companion reading is just a formality.
Ruiniang praised Han Yan's talents very much: "My cousin's talents are excellent, but she is humble. But I won't be able to see her enter the palace in the future, because I will be going home in a while. Cao Cao Sister, I am actually the same as you, as soon as they drop their book bags, I become confused."
"Sister Meng, you want to go home? Where is your home?" Cao Ci tilted his head, looking innocent and ignorant.
Ruiniang said: "I am in Xiangyang Mansion, Huguang. Unlike you, my home is in the middle of the capital. I still have to go back. Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I met my sister for the first time today, and I was very happy to talk."
Cao Ci put down her snack and said with a smile, "My sister and I also hit it off immediately."
Later, Ruiniang heard her say again: "I heard that in addition to my eldest sister and your cousin, there is also Princess Qingyi's daughter who is also going to enter the palace. I have seen that Miss Chen before. She is really magnificent. , Although she came back from Jiangnan, her whole person exudes the sassiness of a lady from the capital."
Ruiniang had met the Princess Qingyi at Mrs. Han's birthday party, and heard that she came back from Jiangnan for her daughter.
Of course, there is nothing unusual about being a reading companion. They should all be there for the prince and concubine.
This is really lively, but it has nothing to do with her, because she mainly wants to see if there is anyone suitable for her in the Cao family. If you keep talking to Cao Ci about these princess attendants, it has nothing to do with you.
Therefore, Ruiniang looked confused and said: "Sister Cao, you recognize so many people. I am face blind and can't even remember them."
Cao Ci blushed: "I'm from the country. I just come to the city. I see everything as a surprise." After speaking, he stuck out his tongue again: "Sister, don't laugh at me. I've always liked to listen to people chatting. My mother said that I If you don’t change it, I’m afraid you’ll get into trouble in the future.”
Ruiniang smiled and said: "Looking at what my sister said, I saw you were so innocent that it was too late to like you. As soon as I saw you, I knew that you grew up in a honey jar. I couldn't help but be happy when you smiled. "
At this point, Ruiniang winked at Liuying, who said to Mother Zhao: "Mother Zhao, there are more and more people here, and there is no place for the newcomers to sit. Why don't you give up your seat?"
Of course, Mother Zhao hopes that Ruiniang can dance well, but Ruiniang obviously has her own ideas.
Her level cannot be reached, so her efforts to reach other people's circles are in vain. Especially the words of the sixth prince gave her a heads-up. They were just educated and didn't treat them differently, but they already had a distinction in their hearts.
"Yes, Mother Zhao, why don't we go find my grandmother. She just fell ill, and I'm worried about her." Ruiniang was worried.
Mother Zhao could only say: "In that case, I will take you there."
After the group of them said goodbye to Cao Yunzhen and Cao Ci, they left the small flower hall, but saw a middle-aged woman walking over. Her clothes were not as gorgeous as Cao Guogong's mansion. She looked very thin, but she had a thin and haggard face. But the beauty of the past can still be vaguely seen.
"Mother Zhao, who is this?" Ruiniang asked.
Mother Zhao sighed: "This is the third wife of the Cao family. Speaking of it, she can be regarded as a model of a carp jumping out of the farm gate. Her father was just a son who lived in Xishan, but he was favored by the third master of the Cao family. She insisted on marrying her back home. I heard that at that time, whatever she wanted, Mr. Cao would deliver it to her door within a day. Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. From the first night she entered the house, Mr. Cao returned to his dandy style. Go out to eat, drink, play, and go shopping ahem..."
The word "Hua Lou" was hard to say.
This was interesting. Ruiniang frowned: "How can you change someone who has worked so hard to get married? Is there any hidden secret in this?"
When Mrs. Zhao saw Mrs. Cao San walking away and hid in the corridor, she said: "That's because he doesn't want to be restrained. My cousin just heard the servant introduce the wife of the eldest son of the Cao family, that is, Miss Cao's mother is from the Pang family. Born a girl, she is a well-known figure in the family. Also, the second master of the Cao family married the sister of the current Marquis of Jinxiang, who is also a powerful character. That’s why he let a person with a very ordinary family background come in. After entering, didn’t he become You can do whatever you want. As for liking her, I definitely like her, but that kind of liking is only temporary. You can imagine how sad Mrs. Cao San's life is. Fortunately, the Cao family has not been separated. "
Look, this is a personal statement.
Ruiniang also expressed a lot of emotion, it is not easy for women, it is really not easy.
Several people were speechless along the way, not sure if they were sighing or something.
When they arrived at the small theater, Ruiniang saw Mrs. Han talking to Princess Qingyi, so she quietly stood aside and waited for them to finish speaking before going over to say hello.
Princess Qingyi raised her hand: "No need to be polite."
Ruiniang chatted with her for a long time before sitting next to Mrs. Han and quietly caring about her health. Mrs. Han's heart warmed: "I'm fine, just relax and have fun."
"We talked for a while there, but after all, I didn't feel comfortable around my grandma." Ruiniang said it sincerely.
Although Mrs. Han has a different temperament from Queen Mother Pang, she really likes a dewy girl like Ruiniang. She looks clear and gentle. She is much better than Chen Wanqing, the daughter of Princess Qingyi whom she just met.
The girl paid her respects here and asked her cousin Jinxiang Hou Shizi to take him out to visit Jiuqu Bridge. She said that she had not been back to the capital for a long time and wanted to see the scenery in the capital.
After watching the show for a long time, Mrs. Han also left with Ruiniang first, but she met Han Xian at the door.
Mrs. Han asked: "Where did you come from?"
Han Xian smiled and said, "My grandson knows that the second prince is out of the palace to play, and he happens to be by his side."
Han Xian is the second prince's companion, so naturally she has to be by his side wherever the second prince is. From the bottom of her heart, Mrs. Han loved Han Xian, her solid-minded grandson. She couldn't help but hold his hand and ask him carefully where he had gone.
"My grandson originally wanted to take the second prince to a restaurant to have a drink, watch a variety show, or go to Wazi to watch sumo wrestling. Who knew that Yang Jinrong also said that Jiuqu Bridge was very beautiful and wanted to take the second prince there, so we A group of people also went over. Guess what, there were many literati there drinking tea and writing poems. The second prince hid his identity, pretended to be a scholar and showed his skills, and won the whole house." Han Xian said with pride.
Not long after, if my sister enters the palace and marries the second prince, they will be tied to the same boat.
But Ruiniang saw the important point at a glance. When she was at Duke Cao's mansion, she heard that Princess Qingyi's eldest daughter also went to Jiuqu Bridge. She has lived in the Tai'an Palace for so long, and she has a clear idea. Something must have happened to Han Yan. As for what happened, it is not clear. Anyway, there must be a problem. Princess Yongning wanted to hide it, and she even thought she had. But others have already started looking for a new home.
