I originally thought I could watch the Lantern Festival during the Lantern Festival, but after Han Yan passed away, Ruiniang felt sad and had no intention of watching the lanterns. Mrs. Han heard that she went to the palace. Ruiniang thought that it was probably because Han Yan died suddenly and she had to have an explanation from the palace. It was pitiful to say that someone in her family had died and she failed to live up to the divine grace.
"I want to wait for my grandmother to come back from the palace before I bring up the matter of going home. Now that so many things are happening in the uncle's house, it's hard for me to stay any longer." Ruiniang said to Grandma Yuan.
Aunt Yuan nodded: "Yes, I went to the kitchen to get breakfast today. I heard them talking about the eldest girl in Cao Guogong's mansion, Miss Yunzhen, who has a broken leg. Everyone said that they should enter the palace draft well, why are you so bad? Ji Li, the eldest daughter of the Han family is gone, and the Cao family’s leg is broken, and we don’t know when it will recover. I think it’s better for us to go back earlier.”
Ruiniang said: "Very true, but it will take some time even if the Meng family sends someone to pick me up. Let's hold it in for now. There are a lot of things going on in the uncle's house now. We don't want to cause trouble and cause trouble to the master's family."
She couldn't go out and walk around at will, so she asked someone to open the window a crack, picked up a book and started reading. No matter when and where, it is always good to have poems and books as companions.
"Cousin, my uncle and the princess invite you to go to the main room to talk." Cai Huan came in and said.
Ruiniang looked up and saw that it was her. She knew that this was a confidant of Princess Yongning. She was afraid that her uncle and aunt were looking for her because of the matter of returning to her hometown. This was just the right time for her to speak.
Little did she know that her uncle actually asked her to enter the palace in place of her cousin.
Ruiniang immediately refused: "I appreciate the kindness of my uncle and aunt. At first, I only came here for my grandmother's birthday. Now that her birthday is over, I have to go back and forth from where I came."
She is a very self-aware person. She can seek wealth and wealth even in danger, but she also has to have that destiny.
These princes are not the emperor. They can choose the woman they like. No matter how they like it, the initiative is still in the hands of the emperor. When the emperor chooses his daughter-in-law, he does not look for appearance, or appearance is not the most important thing. He looks for family background.
But in Shangjing, where there are many noble ladies, one's own family background is nothing.
Uncle Han looked at Ruiniang's face. She looked exactly like his sister back then. She was indeed so aloof. If others knew about this, they would definitely be very happy. How could they be like her?
Therefore, he advised: "I heard that your mother is going to Fuzhou to accompany your father. Now that you are back to Xiangyang, who will take care of you? I heard from your aunt that you have always liked reading, so what's wrong with going to the palace to study with the princess? ?You have to know that your mother asked you to come here. Being filial to your grandmother is one of them. The most important thing is your own future."
When Ruiniang heard what he said, she raised her head and glanced at him, feeling blessed again: "Uncle, you think of me in every good thing. I'm very grateful. When I was at home, my mother often said that she had a relationship with you when she was a child. It's best to say that you taught her how to write her name. But I am not very knowledgeable and don't understand the rules. The rules in the palace are strict. If I accidentally make a mistake, I will not only let down your good intentions, but also bring trouble to the uncle's house."
Faced with wealth beyond her own, she was not moved. Instead, she was polite before fighting. At this moment, Princess Yongning admitted that she had underestimated this niece in the past.
You can write her name in, but it must be a favor, so that people will repay you. If you did not ask for her consent and forcibly sent her to the palace, with Ruiniang's appearance and intelligence, it would be okay if she didn't stand out, but if she really stood out, it would be like a dragon in the sky, and people would take revenge. This is Enemies were made.
Obviously, no matter what Uncle Han said, Ruiniang seemed completely unmoved.
Therefore, he gave Princess Yongning a look, and the princess nodded her eyes with a handkerchief: "Your cousin was the best with you when she was alive. Before she died, she told me that if she is no longer here, she will take the position of companion reading." I want to leave it to you. Your cousin feels sorry for you, and your uncle and I will also follow her last wishes."
Hearing this, Ruiniang also took out her handkerchief, sobbed a few times, and said, "I really didn't expect my cousin to put herself in my shoes like this."
Hearing what she said, Uncle Han breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Princess Yongning with admiration, meaning that you are indeed the master, and Rui Niang might not be able to refuse now.
Little did he know that Ruiniang continued: "Ruiniang can only accept my cousin's kindness. In my niece's opinion, the reason why my cousin can be selected into the palace is because she has both talent and virtue. If you can, please keep this position forever. Only in this way can you keep it." This is the greatest respect for my cousin. Otherwise, I would not bear it if I took my cousin's place."
Princess Yongning had no choice now. She originally planned to tell Ruiniang some rules, but she was even particularly unhappy in her heart. Little did she know that Ruiniang was not willing at all.
This is too disrespectful.
Therefore, the couple had no choice but to ask Ruiniang to step aside first, and they thought the same thing.
After Ruiniang returned to Xiangxueyuan, she always felt that this incident was too sudden, like a dream. Her uncle and aunt didn't have a good attitude toward her, but they suddenly did so today. As the saying goes, people must ask for something if they are polite. All things given to you for no reason have already been marked with a price secretly.
Aunt Yuan and others knew that Ruiniang looked gentle and shy, but in fact things rarely changed after she had made up her mind.
Therefore, they did not dare to persuade him.
It wasn't until the old lady came to invite Ruiniang that Mother Yuan was slightly moved. They couldn't persuade her, but Mrs. Han should be able to persuade her.
In the Hemerocallis Hall, Mrs. Han was sipping tea. When she saw Ruiniang Pingting walking in gracefully, she got straight to the point: "Your uncle and aunt have told me that you don't agree to enter the palace."
Ruiniang looked at Mrs. Han in surprise, but Mrs. Han smiled and said: "This matter can be said to be planned by me. My child, I already knew that something happened to your cousin. At that time, I discussed it with your uncle. , and took advantage of the Chinese New Year to visit the palace to pay birthdays, and discussed it with the Queen Mother. As you know, the Queen Mother has a good impression of you, and she agreed immediately. "
"Grandma, but I..." Ruiniang still wanted to refuse.
Mrs. Han intercepted her words: "Ruiniang, in fact, my grandmother told your mother that even if the marriage with your cousin fails, I will promise you a good marriage. So I took you to Cao Guogong's Mansion and even let you Your aunt will take you to the Jian'an Marquis Mansion. Both families have men of suitable age, but neither of them has taken a fancy to you. No, I should say that neither of them has taken a fancy to your family background. After all, neither young man from the two families has seen you."
Ruiniang thought that this was the truth, but that was because they were blind. Therefore, Ruiniang would not be hit by these words. Instead, she said, "Grandma, it is precisely because of this that my uncle asked me to enter the palace and become a princess." I don’t want to read with you.”
"Listen to me first. I actually feel sorry for you and want to make up for you. When Princess Jin was interested in you, I secretly wanted to help you and your cousin, so I declined. Ruiniang, you said that the most beautiful person in the world Where are the unruly places?" Mrs. Han looked at her and asked.
Ruiniang thought for a while: "Of course they are farmers. They don't have enough food and clothing. They dig in the soil for food. How can there be any rules? As the saying goes, etiquette is known in the warehouse."
Mrs. Han waved her hand: "No, what you said makes sense, but those farmers are working as laborers and the tenants have to pay rent. They are still bound by the rules. Common people can't take concubines, and they can't even travel far away. The sons of common people are not allowed to take concubines. If a daughter-in-law sends an extra egg back to her parents' house, it all depends on her mother-in-law's face. In this world, the most unruly people are the royal family. If the emperor likes someone, even though you are just a carpenter's daughter, you can still be the emperor's concubine. The child born is a prince and will never be the same again.”
"Grandma, everyone wants to have such wealth and wealth. Including me when I was in Xuan Mansion, most of the people I got married to were from families like Zong Bing. When I arrived in the capital, I could suddenly say that I was in the noble mansion, and I also developed the mentality of looking forward to Shu. This is also human nature. But people must learn to see themselves clearly. The royal family does not follow rules, but how can I ensure that I am a special one? I am afraid that I will be shattered to pieces before I climb up." Ruiniang stared at it. Mrs. Han said meaningfully.
Mrs. Han was deeply aware that this girl was so rich that even she almost fell into her trap and made a promise to retreat in order to advance. Having said this, she had no choice but to agree.
Therefore, Mrs. Han said: "Good child, if you call me grandma, I will definitely protect you."
Ruiniang waved her hand: "Grandma, the only request I have is that I cannot be the concubine. You must promise me this, and don't say that after I enter the palace, there will be no way out. I have been taught by the court since I was a child, although our Meng family counts Not a big family, but I will never embarrass my parents."
Madam Han agreed: "Don't worry, it won't happen."
But even so, Ruiniang still had doubts. She did not agree directly, but said: "Grandma, I have to go back and think about what you said, and I will tell you the result in a few days."
One has to strike while the iron is hot. Mrs. Han understands this better than her son and daughter-in-law. She took Ruiniang's hand again and said: "To tell you the truth, as long as you enter the palace and get the moon first, if you are really chosen as the princess, the emperor will usually increase the treatment of the bride's father in order to look good at the wedding. , I have noticed a long time ago that your child is not the kind of person who works hard, and it is probably because of your father. Your father is young and energetic, and he has climbed high and fallen hard. He has obviously already relied on military merit. I became the deputy general soldier, but I couldn't manage my subordinates well and was demoted to guerrilla status. Fortunately, your mother persuaded me, but this is not enough."
Mrs. Han was right. She really did it for her parents, so she wanted to climb higher and protect them better. My father is a good general. Only when such people are reused can the country rise and fall, and the people can be spared the suffering of war.
During her several years in Xuanfu, she saw many scenes of wives and children being separated, and she felt deeply painful for these people.
But Ruiniang still said: "Grandma, you did speak to my heart, but my cousin's matter, no one will mention it if I am not at the forefront of the storm. If I am at the top of the storm, I am afraid it will be brought out. That's it. I wonder if Princess Ningguo will target me because of the matter with my cousin?"
Mrs. Han was stunned when she heard this, and said quickly: "This is not a big deal. At the end of last year, the emperor had already decreed a marriage for Princess Ning Guo. She is the one who is remarried, and it won't be too long before she gets married. Civil marriage. A sister-in-law who goes out may not be able to take care of the affairs of her husband's family, let alone the sister of the eldest prince. The eldest prince has not established a prince for a long time, and I don't know what will happen in the future?"
Ruiniang thought that the people in Tai'an Palace were too courageous to discuss the prince's affairs now, but they still showed hesitation on their faces.
At the end, Mrs. Han gave a strong dose of medicine, "I heard that girl Guo Miaoyi deliberately said good things about you in front of Pang Yun. Fortunately, I didn't take you back to Pang's house after that. You are so good-looking, if How can I survive if I can't find a good family to take care of me? Pang Yun's father is my biological brother. He was stabbed three times to save His Majesty. Both the Queen Mother and Your Majesty spared him. No one can harm the tiger. Tigers are harmful to people's hearts. Your aunt only cares about people's family status. Regardless of this person's virtue, she will definitely suffer big losses in the future."
If you are not afraid of anything else, Pang Yun...
Only then did Ruiniang become truly relieved: "Grandma, is this true?"
Mrs. Han nodded: "You are okay now because you are in my house. He is no more favored than before. After all, I and the Queen Mother are biological sisters. We are both members of the Pang family. He does not dare to act rashly."
I didn't expect Guo Miaoyi to be such a mean person. Even though she was walking on thin ice, someone would frame her.
When Mrs. Han saw the ruthlessness in Ruiniang's eyes, she was slightly satisfied and said: "Do you know Mrs. Marquis Jian'an, when your mother was in the boudoir, although she didn't come out of my belly, she was still uncle. The daughter of the family, that Madam Hou is just a concubine from a petty official family. She usually thinks about Fang'er's friendship with powerful people at banquets. She often pretends to be very self-respecting, but in fact she is very sneaky behind the scenes. What does she say to your mother all the time? Indifferent to fame and wealth, it is best to marry into a simple family. In a blink of an eye, your mother married into a simple family and became Mrs. Hou. These people who always say they don’t want anything are greedier than anyone else. You are like this Your appearance is rare in the world, and you are lucky enough to have such a good background. If the pearls cast a shadow on you, and all these villains step under their feet, are you willing to do so?"
Ruiniang's heart moved.
…
Not long after, Princess Yongning saw Zhao's mother coming to send a message, saying that Ruiniang had agreed.
Princess Yongning and her husband, Uncle Han, looked at each other and thought that the old lady still had a way, but then she thought about it and it didn't mean anything. She originally thought that her husband was of the same mind as her, but now it seems that his usual conservativeness and caution are just an act.
…
On a snowy day covered in silver, the sun rarely came out and was actually very dazzling. Although Ruiniang blocked it with her hands, the sunlight still leaked through the gaps between her fingers, leaving a little warmth.
Aunt Yuan put on the snow hat for Ruiniang: "Girl, be careful, don't get cold."
"I just look slender, but my body is in good shape." Ruiniang said with a smile.
Aunt Yuan and Liuying Huaping were all overjoyed, but they had to suppress their joy. After all, it was still the mourning period for the eldest girl.
Two days later, the eunuchs of the Superintendent of Ceremonies and the people from the Ministry of Rites came over with the painter. Ruiniang came out to see them. The eunuchs first looked at her facial features, shoulders, neck, and back, listened to her voice, and used Measure her hands and feet with a ruler to record. Then several nuns from the palace invited Ruiniang into the inner room for a more private inspection.
The old ladies saw that Ruiniang's skin was as smooth as a pearl, crystal clear, her jade neck was long and slender, her plain waist was not even full, her long and well-proportioned legs were exposed, and her beautiful lotus feet were like the best in the world. The several nuns exchanged glances calmly, behaved more gently, and treated Ruiniang a little more politely.
These officials collected a lot of money from the Han family and saw Ruiniang coming out and the painter painting. Uncle Han personally watched their paintings to ensure that Mao Yanshou's painting of the ugly Wang Zhaojun would not happen.
During this period, Han Xian looked at his outstandingly beautiful cousin and sighed in his heart. He only hoped that his cousin would be successful in the future, and he was satisfied.
Ruiniang heard a eunuch chatting with her uncle: "Your family is still happy. The eldest girl in Cao Guogong's house is really bad. Even if she is healed, she may not be able to return to normal. I'm afraid it will only take a year and a half." It’s not getting better, we spent more than half an hour just to examine the injuries.”
"Isn't it a pity for the Cao family?" Uncle Han was still secretly happy. After all, Cao Yunzhen was also a formidable opponent.
"No way, the Cao family is just like your family. They let another girl from the Cao family named Cao Ci enter the palace instead. That girl is not ordinary either. Her father is the governor and I heard that he is going to be promoted to governor. Her mother is the eldest daughter. We are still related to the virtuous concubine in the palace. But the girl is still crying, looks like a child, and says she doesn't want to enter the palace." The eunuch laughed.
Ruiniang realized something.
There is no intention of struggling for spring, and once everyone is jealous.
Even before entering the palace, the struggle has already begun.
