After returning from Cao Guogong's Mansion, Princess Yongning took the initiative to take Ruiniang to Jian'an Marquis Mansion. Mrs. Han knew that this was Princess Yongning trying to win over Ruiniang by showing her favor. Mrs. Han thought that Yongning County The Lord must have had something big to ask of her, but she showed none of it.
"You are her biological aunt, so you should take her out to socialize. Will Yan'er go? Do you want her cousins to go together?"
Princess Yongning smiled and said: "Yan'er doesn't want to move around. Besides, she is ill. The doctor said that if she doesn't blow the wind, she will be fine soon."
Mrs. Han shut up and only pulled Ruiniang: "Listen carefully to your aunt."
This situation is of course beneficial to Ruiniang. The more she moves around, the more choices she will have. It's like a worker who doesn't work for the master but does the job for the west.
She won't give up until the last minute. But this does not mean that she will go to the pole just for the sake of marriage. As the saying goes, it is not business that is in the pole. You should be yourself. If you have a good marriage, it will be good. If you don't have a good marriage, there is no need to force it. On the contrary, you will lose your dignity. After all, she was also from the Meng family in Xiangyang. Her grandfather, uncle, and even her father and brother were all famous people back then.
When she went there with Princess Yongning, Princess Yongning seemed a little uneasy, and Ruiniang just pretended that she didn't know anything.
Mrs. Jian'an Hou is the step-mother, and she is well-known among the nobles as a kind person. Princess Yongning cheered up as soon as she got off the carriage, as if she was no different from before.
There was even time to mention Ruiniang a little bit: "In the Marquis of Jian'an Mansion, the first wife gave birth to two sons and a daughter and then passed away. The second wife was married to the daughter of a minor official, and her mother was a merchant."
"I heard that there is a person who serves as the prince's companion in the Jian'an Marquis Mansion. Is it from the late Madam or Madam Yang?" Ruiniang asked.
Princess Yongning said: "He is the daughter of the step-wife. Together with your cousin, he is the second prince's companion."
Judging from his usual tone, although the third son of the Yang family is the stepmother, he is very smart, at least smarter than his cousin Han Xian. Ruiniang wanted to know more, but she could tell from the look on Princess Yongning's face that she was impatient to introduce these things, and would not let someone she knew around her like Mrs. Han did.
Because Princess Yongning didn't introduce her, others thought she was a girl from Tai'an Bofu. This made Ruiniang embarrassed, and she felt more and more that she was right to choose Mrs. Han. Princess Yongning only cares about herself and does not care about the life and death of others. The only people she is willing to care about are her children and husband, and she is too lazy to do anything to her niece.
He obviously wanted to use himself to ease the relationship with Mrs. Han, but as soon as the result came out, he abandoned her like a broken shoe.
Fortunately, I met an acquaintance here, Cao Yunzhen, who I had met a few days ago. Although Miss Cao looked innocent, she was neither philistine nor snobbish. Seeing Ruiniang and her look at each other, she also He smiled and called out: "Sister Meng."
Ruiniang went over to speak: "Sister Cao, I finally see an acquaintance."
It's strange that the Taoist said that a person cannot be judged by his appearance, but Cao Yun is really cold on the outside and hot on the inside. Seeing that Ruiniang really didn't seem to recognize anyone, she took the initiative to take her in to socialize.
Ruiniang looked very grateful, but Cao Yunzhen waved her hand: "It's a trivial matter, why do you need to mention this."
There were many female relatives gathered inside, and Cao Yunzhen was afraid that she would be left alone, so he introduced them one by one. Ruiniang was also blessed, and they all returned the favor one by one. But Cao Yun really didn't have a lively temperament, and she also had sisters she was in love with, so Ruiniang didn't want to rush in and cause embarrassment, so she stepped aside at the right time. Entering this kind of banquet for the first time with no arrangements and no one she knew, she knew very well that what she wanted to do was not to chat with people when she saw them, as this would be meaningless.
Soon a girl came in from outside. She was not surrounded by people, nor was she as tall as Cao Yunzhen, nor was she even as arrogant as Princess Yongning. But as soon as she came in, she was calm and unfazed by honor and disgrace. She was definitely not Generally vulgar powder.
It turns out that this is Chen Wanqing, the daughter of Princess Qingyi.
It didn't matter that she came in, but all the girls who were hanging around were gathered by her, because she smiled and said: "What's the point of sitting here? Why don't we come and play lottery, and just invite Yang Siniang to give your family's Bring out the fragrant tea."
This Yang Siniang is said to be the original wife of Marquis Jian'an, and she is very proud of her status. Cao Yunzhen introduced herself to her just now. Yang Siniang asked a few questions about her father's official position, but ignored her. She seemed to feel that she was not worthy of being the daughter of a general. Have a relationship with her.
But now after Chen Wanqing spoke, Fourth Sister Yang smiled and clapped her hands and ordered her servants: "This is great. It's your idea, the county master, that is the best."
In fact, Ruiniang heard that Princess Qingyi was originally married to the prince of Jinxiang Hou, but after her husband died of illness, she had no children. The title of Jinxiang Hou was inherited by her brother-in-law, and the two families were as close as one family. As the daughter of a princess, Chen Wanqing was said to be very favored by Emperor Zhao and was named county head. Jinxiang Houfu was very grateful to Princess Qingyi because of the title. Therefore, she not only had a close relationship with the royal family, but also had a close relationship with the royal family. With the support of nobles and status, it is no wonder that she is so popular among many noble ladies.
Drawing flower lots is also very wonderful. If it is a poem and book competition, many women in the world do not even know the words, which will make people look embarrassed. Drawing flower lots is fun, but if you lose, it is just a drink. It will not make people Awkward.
Yang Siniang asked someone to bring the table over. The girls sat down, and Ruiniang also sat down with them.
Among them were Chen Wanqing and Yang Siniang. Soon someone came with an ivory-carved sign tube, which contained various exquisite flower name signs. Yang Siniang shook it and asked Chen Wanqing to roll the dice. When she opened it, she found it was eight o'clock, and Cao Yunzhen happened to be the first one to count.
On top of the flower sign is a branch of cinnabar plum, which means that everyone will have a drink with them, and the words on the sign are, "There is no intention of struggling for spring, and all the flowers will be jealous."
Ruiniang felt bad after hearing this signature. Then she looked at Cao Yunzhen, whose face changed slightly, but Chen Wanqing laughed: "I've long heard that Wen Yunzhen is the best in Beijing, but I didn't know it. As the saying goes, It’s mediocre to say you won’t be envied by others, come on, I’ll toast you.”
This was a very good reason, and Ruiniang also took a sip, but there was another sentence below, "it will turn into mud and grind into dust, but the fragrance will remain the same."
With Cao Yunzhen's background, he was about to enter the palace to choose a prince and concubine. How could he fall into pieces?
Next, a few more girls drew flower lots. Chen Wanqing drew "osmanthus" and the words in the lottery were "Why should light green and deep red be the best among flowers?"
All the girls complimented Chen Wanqing, and Chen Wanqing glanced at Cao Yunzhen and smiled.
Ruiniang was special. She won twice. The first time she drew was apricot blossom, and the sign was "Spring things are jealous of each other, and the apricot flower should be the most delicate." This sentence was not bad, and later Ruiniang won again. The inscription is jasmine, and the inscription is "If I study the history of flowers in my future years, I will rank them as the best fragrance in the world."
Many people present did not know Ruiniang very well. Only Cao Yunzhen said: "Sister Meng, I have never seen such a good-looking person like you. No wonder you say such a thing."
Ruiniang smiled and said: "I'm just Xiaojiabiyu, I can't compare to Sister Cao and all the other sisters. Sister Cao is making fun of me. Come on, let me toast you all."
Chen Wanqing also raised her glass from a distance, but she didn't take it seriously at all, and she didn't know that there would be social interactions in the future. Now I'm just thinking about a general's daughter, so what if she has good looks? There is a slave in her family who is also very good-looking, but she is just made to be a slave all her life.
…
On the return carriage, Princess Yongning was riding in a carriage alone, as if something was urgent. Ruiniang, on the other hand, took Nanny Yuan and Liuying Huaping into a carriage.
Aunt Yuan frowned: "What happened to the princess? She seems to be in a panic."
"Never mind her." Ruiniang narrowed her eyes.
Liuying knew that Princess Yongning was dishonest and brought Ruiniang here without introducing her. She turned around and left. It was the servants of Jian'an Marquis Mansion who took her to the flower hall because they saw the embarrassment. The more you are in this kind of upper-class circle, there will be no one you can recommend, and you will not be able to stay here. Fortunately, my girl is very calm.
Huaping was very happy: "Girl, the two flowers you drew today say you are the most beautiful."
Ruiniang shook her head: "But I'm a little tired. To be honest, when I was in Xuanfu, I felt that I was quite good and my spirit was quite high. But when I arrived in Beijing, I felt that I was nothing."
"Girl, don't be discouraged. I think you are generous and second to none among the many ladies." Aunt Yuan did not speak like this just because she was Han Wan's nanny, but it was a fair judgment.
After Ruiniang heard this, she also smiled: "Actually, I'm fine after all, but it's hard for my cousin. I heard from my cousin that these servants all live together in the palace. You see today Even Sister Cao was almost unable to withstand County Master Chen later on."
In fact, Ruiniang can also understand why Han Yan is unhappy? Where there are people, the temptation is too great, and there is constant chaos every day and every hour.
Princess Yongning hurried all the way home, but what she got was a letter.
Uncle Han held his forehead and said: "I hired a man who was running for his wife as my concubine, and this girl just ran away with them. She is harming others and herself..."
Princess Yongning opened the letter with trembling hands. The letter was indeed Han Yan's handwriting. The letter said: [Father and mother, seeing the words is like meeting each other. Please forgive the child for being unfilial. After learning that she was selected as the prince's concubine, my daughter was in fear every day and could not sleep day and night. As the day of entering the palace came closer, I was anxious all day long, going from one golden cage to another bigger golden cage. My daughter has been cowardly for many years, and she just wants to be free and live for herself without restraint. An unfilial daughter asks her parents to fulfill her obligations. 】
This letter was found at the bottom of the drawer. Maybe Han Yan had made this decision for a long time.
"Let's announce the funeral and inform the palace as soon as possible. Otherwise, after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people from the Ministry of Etiquette will come to draw portraits." Princess Yongning said anxiously.
In Tai'an Palace, Princess Yongning always sticks to her word and presides over the overall situation. Her husband always obeys her orders, so she makes decisive decisions. The announcement of the daughter's death now is just a family matter of the Tai'an uncle's house. If she is on the list of the Ministry of Rites, then the Ministry of Rites will check her daughter's life and death.
Who knew her husband said: "We still sent people to look for Yan'er, but what you said is true. If we don't make a decisive decision on her matter, we will be found out in the future and our Han family's reputation will be completely ruined. But someone from the Ministry of Rites , we can still recommend people.”
Princess Yongning didn't understand: "If Yan'er is confirmed to be dead, how can she be recommended? Don't you use lies to deceive the superiors?"
"I won't lie. I still have my niece Ruiniang. She is fourteen years old this year and will be haircut next year. She has unparalleled beauty and talent. Is there any better candidate than this? How can King Jing recommend him? My niece, can't I nominate my niece?" Uncle Han said it perfectly.
