Xiao Ying, Pei Shuying, and Liu Rumei had no reaction at all about Yang Ji taking a concubine. In their view, this is a matter of course, something that should be done, and they even feel relieved. In the past, when Yang Ji had no children, the generals of the Wei royal family were anxious and scratched their heads, and the senior people almost accused her of being a demon concubine and a jealous wife of Fu Mansion.
In the view of Yang Ji's officials and staff, giving birth to princes early and having many princes is the right path for the long-term inheritance of the King Wei lineage. Although Yang Ji is young, having no sons will lead to unstable factions and unsettled people. Yang Ji has been reluctant to accept the concubine. Is it because the princess is arrogant and obstructive, and the Xiao family has failed to educate her well?
Now they have two sons, and Liu Rumei is about to give birth, but the infant mortality rate is too high, and these three children may not live to adulthood. Therefore, everyone still feels that it is not enough and unsafe, and they think they have to work hard to have children.
They had nothing to do about this; even if they could have more children, it would only be three in two years. Apart from daughters and perhaps those who died in infancy, the remaining sons would still not be enough. The only way is to let Yang Ji have more concubines. However, although Yang Ji is known as the king of dandies and described as a heinous villain, he is extremely restrained in terms of sexual desire. So far, he has only Three wives.
In this era, even the low-profile local tycoons and big businessmen had three wives and four concubines, and many concubines; the high-ranking officials had many wives and concubines, and they were surrounded by clouds of beauties. But Yang Ji, a powerful king, only had three wives; this also made the situation in the palace seem "abnormal". Not only did they lose face in the circle of ladies and suffer criticism, but they also shouldered huge responsibilities. Public pressure.
As the head wife, Xiao Ying is undoubtedly the one with the greatest pressure. Oh my god, her husband has finally enlightened and is willing to take a concubine. Moreover, the concubine is Zhang Chuchen who knows the truth and is not a little goblin outside, so she happily prepares for it. .
Taking a concubine is different from marrying a wife. In theory, it only requires the head wife's nod, and there is no need for any ceremony. However, Zhang Chuchen, the leader of the Suzaku Guard, had accomplished many meritorious deeds during her four or five years following Yang Ji. At the same time, she was also the stepdaughter of Yang Ji's husband, Gongsun Huan, so naturally she could not do so without ceremony.
However, the ceremony arranged by Xiao Ying and others was more formal and solemn, which also caused the news of Yang Ji to take concubines to spread like wildfire and began to spread among the powerful circles in the capital. Due to Yang Jijin's current status, no one could ignore him, so although the palace did not treat him, some officials and generals treated him as a top priority.
The relatives of the royal family, the royal family, and the important ministers of the court all gave away many rare treasures. Other officials may not have wanted to give them away at first, but when they saw that so many people had given them away, they had no choice but to go with the flow; this also attracted many people, In the end, even the Yuan family, who wished Yang Ji would die early, gave him a heavy gift.
Everyone gave gifts, and of course the palace had to express their gratitude. Although there was no grand banquet, and no posts were sent out beforehand; but afterwards, they still had to go door to door and send posts to the people who gave the gifts, according to the names on the gift book, please. They come to eat. Whether they come or not is their own business.
The reason why it is so troublesome is that the word "ritual" in human society is causing trouble.
All good behaviors such as being as gentle as jade, being upright and peaceful, respecting the elderly and caring for the young, etc., are within the scope of "rituals". Therefore, "rituals" are the foundation of society and the maintenance of order, and include the most beautiful virtues in the world. Those who do not understand "etiquette" are untouchables; those who pass down the family with "etiquette" are nobles and aristocratic families.
"Above Heaven"
The reason why a society and a family are orderly and the distinction between high and low is also inseparable from "rituals". As a member of society, everyone will consciously abide by the "etiquette" engraved on the soul of the nation, and Yang Ji does the same, and he does not feel that these beautiful qualities are bad. But as a result, the palace was noisy for a few more days.
However, the joy of taking a concubine has not yet subsided, and a child was born in Liu Rumei's belly. It is gratifying that mother and son are safe, but what makes Yang Ji regretful is that she is also a fat boy and is not the daughter he expected. As expected, the third child's name is Yang Chang, while his other name is the rustic Sambo.
The birth of the third child made the palace lively again.
Some of the gift-givers had to give another gift even before they had eaten the Yang family meal. After all, when you took a concubine, you gave it away without inviting me. Now that I have invited you in an upright manner, you not only have to give it, but also give it to me. heavier.
At the end of the day, Yang Ji refused the invitations of Su Wei, Pei Ju, Xiao Cong and others to go to the council hall for tea and returned home.
He understood the intentions of Su Wei, Pei Ju, Xiao Cong and others. Now, the two major political "projects" of the Great Sui Dynasty Martyrs' Shrine and the Xiaoguo Army have been "established". Whether it is the selection of candidates for the Great Sui Dynasty Martyrs' Shrine or the selection of generals of the Xiaoguo Army, the strength of the Guanlong noble group in the military , prestige will be curbed and suppressed. As for the profit-making side, in addition to the Ministry of War, which has the power to also take charge of the Xiaoguo Army, it is the Su Wei, Pei Ju, Xiao Cong and other noble families.
It’s just that Yang Ji didn’t want to get too close to them officially: First, the number of candidates to be admitted to the Sui Heroes’ Shrine is limited, and no matter who he chooses, he will cause dissatisfaction among others; People with low status are dissatisfied, so this is a thankless task; and these prime ministers are all good people. If he intervenes rashly, they will definitely throw the blame on him through body language, hints, etc. .
Second, he has a very good relationship with the prime ministers. Yang Xiong and Yang Da are of the same clan, and Su Wei, Pei Ju, and Xiao Cong are relatives. Changsun Chi is the elder brother of Changsun Cheng and is now his in-laws. The only exception is Gao Jiong, who is not a relative. He also has a very good relationship with him. After all, he, like Li Yuan, has become a common interest that several major forces can use to compromise. If he gets too close to these people officially, Yang Guang will inevitably think that he has done something dirty with the prime ministers in private. Once the seeds of doubt are sown, he will then think that the prime ministers regard him as their "lord" .
Therefore, it is better to be careful and avoid taboos.
I went back to the backyard to wash up, put on a set of loose and comfortable home clothes, and ran to the side hall of the main house to see my son.
Xiao Ying, Pei Shuying, and Zhang Chuchen were sitting in front of the eucalyptus by the window, counting something. The autumn water, the autumn moon, the new moon, the eyebrow moon, the morning breeze, and the morning dew were also helping. Liu Rumei, who was in confinement, probably felt bored and ran away. She came out and half-lyed on a couch, with the third child beside her. The eldest and second child were placed side by side on a big couch next to her, as if she was responsible for taking care of them.
When they saw Yang Ji entering, the girls just smiled and said hello without speaking, as if they were worried that the sleeping children would wake up.
Yang Ji nodded silently and walked towards the children. At this time, the eldest and second children had grown, and their fragile faces, sparse hair, and light fur on their faces were all full of the vitality of babies.
Perhaps sensing the strangeness around him, Yang Hao, the obviously stronger boss, yawned, opened his eyes in confusion, looked at Yang Ji straight for a long time, and then grinned, "gue He spat "gue" and "gue", as if he felt that he had accomplished something great. His short limbs kept waving, hitting the bedclothes on his body from time to time. At the same time, his mouth was still spitting "gue, gue". Extremely excited.
Seeing his son's cute appearance and feeling his joy at his arrival, Yang Ji's heart almost melted. He quickly leaned over and hugged the eldest son, lest he wake up the second son, Yang Ming, who was sleeping soundly.
But Yang Ming had no intention of waking up at all. When the boss took away the quilt, he subconsciously waved his little hands in his sleep, clicked his tongue, and continued to sleep soundly.
Xiao Ying, Pei Shuying, and Zhang Chuchen stood up and saw Yang Ji holding the child and walking to sit on the stool next to Liu Rumei. Xiao Ying picked up a teacup and poured tea for him and said softly: "Mr. Lang, take a sip of tea first. I'll give it to you." The maid arranges the meals.”
"Okay!" Yang Ji responded. Seeing the red-skinned Lao San sleeping soundly, his eyes focused on Liu Rumei's pale and haggard face. He also saw a ledger placed next to her and scolded: "Your body has just been broken." Slow down, you can't stand the wind, don't move too much, let alone worry too much, everything is your body."
Liu Rumei explained: "Master, I am not that weak and I recover quickly."
What Liu Rumei said was true. She is a warrior and has a better physical condition than many men; half an hour before giving birth, she was still entertaining with Xiao Ying and Pei Shuying in the front hall. She felt as if she was about to give birth, so she ran to the delivery room; and the time it took to give birth to the baby , equally unimaginable, gave the impression that she gave birth to the child before the delivery room was fully prepared.
When Dugu Min saw Liu Rumei's big buttocks, he thought she could give birth, so she asked her to be Yang Ji's bridal chamber teacher. Judging from her childbirth process, the argument that Liu Rumei had a big buttocks and could give birth seemed not unreasonable. Moreover, Liu Rumei has another big advantage over Xiao Ying and Pei Shuying, that is, after she gives birth to a child, she can be eaten by thieves.
This is also the difference between poor children and delicate children. Xiao Ying and Pei Shuying are not envious, and there is nothing to envy. If Liu Rumei has such a good mother-in-law, can she be a poor singer and killer?
"But you must also pay attention and be careful, lest you regret it is too late." Yang Ji ordered.
Liu Rumei said "hmm" obediently, feeling extremely happy and sweet in her heart.
Yang Ji nodded and stopped admonishing her. Instead, he used his mustache to tease the boss. The boss was probably itchy. He hit his father with open hands and spat out "gue, gue". .
Seeing Yang Ji having fun with his son, Xiao Ying felt happy and helpless at the same time. It was good for her husband to play with his son, but every time his son played with him for a while, he always cried loudly. As long as one Cry, and the other two will howl. She was afraid that the eldest child would be made to cry and wake up the second and third children who had finally fallen asleep, so she stepped forward and snatched her son away, and gave her son to a nurse to take away her son.
Yang Ji was used to being robbed, so he wasn't upset at all. He turned around to harass the sleeping second child, but Xiao Ying unexpectedly picked up the second child again and handed it to another nanny.
"A Ying, you've gone too far!" Yang Ji picked up the teacup angrily and took a sip.
Xiao Ying ignored him, and after adding some tea soup to him, she took an account book with statistics from the table, and said excitedly with bright eyes: "When you enter the world, do you know how many gifts you have received?"
Yang Ji said in astonishment: "How much?"
Their family has plenty of money, but their money income and expenditure are very clearly divided. First, it is divided into two major parts: "public funds and private funds"; public funds are mainly used for daily expenses, personnel expenses, caring for domestic slaves and soldiers, orphans and widows, and celebrating new years and festivals. Rewarding servants and other aspects. The private funds are mainly used for family members and gifts during the New Year. This area is mainly controlled and controlled by the princess Xiao Ying.
However, the private funds will be divided into several sections according to Yang Ji's women. In terms of income, there is a fixed "salary"; as for betrothal gifts, the things that cannot be transferred from the emperor and the empress, and the rare things given by guests must be handed over to Yang Ji's private treasury managed by Xiao Ying; the rest will be compiled into a book , kept by Xiao Ying, Pei Shuying and others respectively. For example, if Zhang Chuchen is adopted as a concubine this time, all the betrothal gifts received will be given to Zhang Chuchen for safekeeping and disposal.
The gifts received by the sons were also kept by Xiao Ying, but she could not spend the children's money, and their biological mother also had an account book; every time the son received a sum of money, it was recorded in the aunt's mother's account and the biological mother's account respectively. on the ledger.
In terms of returning gifts, since the relatives belong to everyone, the money and items used to return the gifts are paid out from the "private treasury" managed by Xiao Ying.
The royal family's method may be inappropriate and flawed, but it is more reasonable than 99% of aristocratic families. For other clans, daily money and food are distributed by direct descendants. Full payment is benevolent and withholding is normal. If you meet someone who is even more difficult to talk to, it will be difficult for the concubine to even eat, and you can't even think about giving gifts. As for giving gifts to your mother's family, you can only get them from your own dowry.
Xiao Ying seemed not to notice Yang Ji's surprise. She raised the account book with great interest and said: "The detailed number cannot be calculated yet, but almost 99% of the civil and military personnel from the DPRK and China have come, and most of the governors from all over the world have come." I’m sending you a congratulatory gift. Sir, this wedding banquet alone is equivalent to the total annual output of all farms, so you’ll make a lot of money out of this world!”
"Sambo is even more amazing. What he recovered this time is at least three times that of Chuchen."
"As for you?" Yang Ji was speechless when he heard the words, and said with a lack of interest: "Our family's money is like dirt now. How obsessed with money do you have to be to be so excited about some money?"
Putting aside Dugu Min's property, Yang Ji himself is also a money-maker. Every time he fights a war, he makes a lot of money, and his long-term projects are the Silk Road Alliance and arms trade.
In addition, he also has the right to mine and mint money; as long as he wants, he can create countless coins.
Xiao Ying chuckled and said, "Who would think it's too much money?"
"That's true!" Yang Ji suddenly thought of something, that is, Yang Guang issued coins indiscriminately in order to plunder people's property in history, and the collapse of the coin system further aggravated the demise of the Sui Dynasty. Although the Sui Dynasty is a little different now, the time when Yang Guang became angry was ten years after the great cause. No one can tell what will happen in the future, so it is better to take precautions before they happen.
Yang Ji was full of feelings for the Sui Dynasty, and of course he did not want the Sui Dynasty to follow the "old path" of chaos, but he was extremely independent and had no intention of dying for anyone.
In troubled times, in fact, hard currency is neither copper coins nor gold and silver, but the real food that people rely on for survival. However, the world has not yet reached the stage that Yang Ji knows; troubled times are unlikely to happen, so there is no direct hoarding. food.
To a certain extent, the large-scale transfer of personnel in Liangzhou caused Yang Ji to have an unspeakable distance from Yang Guang, and the former brotherhood turned into a pure relationship between monarch and subject. And because of this, he became very wary of Yang Guang. He told Xiao Ying: "A Ying, it's hard to store copper coins. Try to exchange them for gold and silver." "Here!" Xiao Ying responded.
"Alang, Pei Shaojun (Pei Xuanji) sent someone a message saying that tomorrow is the old lady's birthday. Please come and talk to your concubine." At this moment, Xian Yufang came in to report.
Yang Ji pondered for a long time and said, "Reply to the Pei family! Just say that my concubine and I will definitely arrive tomorrow."
"Here!" Xian Yufang responded and left in a hurry.
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[Note: The proliferation of coins was not directly issued by Yang Guang, but occurred after the world lost order. He killed thousands of "illegal traders" who minted private money in one go, which is the best proof. However, all aspects of the Sui Dynasty collapsed. Just killing "illegal traders" could not save the Sui Dynasty. 】
