The second son of the Lian family became the top scorer in high school, and the concierge became the busiest department in the house. People who had never had contact with the Lian family before sent congratulatory gifts, and received countless messages of visit.
At noon, the concierge came in with another pile of greeting cards, and Mrs. Qin patiently read through them one by one.
"Ma'am, do you want to reply to all these posts?"
Replying to a post is a basic etiquette. You must reply, but how should you reply? Should you politely refuse other people's visits, or should you accept them?
With so many greetings, if they wait for them to come one by one, there will be nothing to do in the next two or three months. Instead of receiving guests at home every day, it is better to hold a banquet and invite everyone who has posted. It’s also very scenic!
"If you want to go back, ask Suisui and Xiaoxiao to come over and help them go back together."
It just so happened that I could take this opportunity to teach the two of them another lesson.
"Yes, I will send someone to inform the two young ladies right now."
The servant prepared the pen and ink, and Lian Suisui and Lian Xiaoxiao sat down at the table.
"Mom, how should we go back?"
Mrs. Qin smiled gently and said, "I decline them all."
Lian Suisui was stunned.
"Wouldn't this offend anyone?"
She looked through the greeting cards, and there were famous teachers and scholars, relatives of the emperor, court officials, and famous officials...
"We are not worried about the scarcity but the unevenness. With so many invitations, if one family comes to visit us, we will not have time to receive them. Others will accuse us of being aloof and neglecting our guests. If we go by the prestige and reputation of the owner of the invitations, the world will accuse us of following the crowd. We held a grand banquet, and the emperor felt that we were flamboyant and arrogant..."
"People's words are terrible. There are always some things that are not thoughtful. Instead of simply rejecting them all, you will have a good reputation for not following the crowd."
Lian Suisui nodded.
understood.
Rejecting them all makes it appear that their family has integrity and is neither arrogant nor impetuous. It also makes it difficult for those who want to impeach their family for their faults.
Lian Xiaoxiao was thoughtful.
"But if this is the case, how can our family get more benefits from it?"
She raised a question for the first time and got it to the point. Mrs. Qin praised it: "If you want to advance, suppress it first. Some people seek wealth, some seek power, and some seek stability. Which one do you think is more important?"
"I think stability is the most important thing."
Lian Xiao lowered his head, wondering if what he said was right.
Mrs. Qin looked at Lian Suisui.
"I think people's desires are divided into different classes. Poor people want food, clothing, and warmth. They want stability. Our family naturally wants power in stability. As long as you have power, you can be freer, but you also need to be able to hold on to your power. Otherwise, if virtue is not matched, disaster will befall you sooner or later.”
Lian Fangyu stopped at the door.
"When the wealth from the sky is pouring on you, the first thing you should not be complacent is to be vigilant. You have to hold it up first before throwing it to death!"
Qin's words hit Lian Fangyu's heart.
He felt a little guilty.
The maid opened the curtains on both sides, and he stepped in.
Seeing the mother and daughter looking at him, he coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment.
"I'll say a few words to Madam, you go out first."
Lian Suisui and Lian Xiaoxiao looked at Mrs. Qin in unison.
"You guys go out first."
Mrs. Qin naturally asked her maid to make new tea. Lian Suisui guessed what Lian Fangyu had come to see Mr. Qin for, so he and Lian Xiaoxiao left together.
Lian Fangyu lowered his head and saw the reply written by Lian Suisui on the table, and said in a relaxed manner: "Fortunately, my wife reminded me that recently many colleagues have asked me for advice on how to raise their sons. I told outsiders that it was all the fault of my wife, which caused my wife... …”
That's why Qin received so many greetings.
Mrs. Qin said with a smile: "It doesn't matter. Jiaying has her own way, and she should also give gifts to the teachers in the academy. I have drawn up the gift list, husband, check to see if there are any omissions."
Aunt Fang handed over the gift list, and Lian Fangyu opened it and took a look.
Mrs. Qin is generous and considerate, and has prepared everything for her husband.
"Just make up your mind."
The two were silent for a long time.
Lian Fangyu originally came to Qin to discuss the matter of holding a grand banquet, and hearing Qin's words was like an enlightenment.
"Since we can't do anything big, in my opinion, let's forget about the flowing water table. We can also save a lot of money to hire a famous teacher for Jialiang..."
"The running water mat is placed outside the door, so it doesn't matter."
Seeing that Qin had his own plans, Lian Fangyu shut up. He was not good at the affairs of the back house. Fortunately, he had a capable wife.
"Then I'll listen to you!"
Mrs. Qin looked at him and hesitated to speak. Lian Fangyu observed her expression, guessing that she might have encountered some problem that required him to make a decision, and asked excitedly: "Is there any difficulty?"
Mrs. Qin nodded.
"Sui Sui's wedding is approaching, and people who are interested will definitely come to add makeup. However, the favors are all counted in Sui Sui's head."
They had refused to make any fuss in the past. People who were interested would know that the Lian family didn't want to be too public, so they would look for opportunities to make friends. It just so happened that the Lian family wanted to marry off their daughter.
Lian Fangyu came back to his senses.
"Are you afraid that the other rooms in the back house will be jealous?"
He didn't make it too clear, and Qin didn't name him either. Who would be jealous? Except for Zhang and Lian Jialiang, the other concubines and children were all held in Qin's hands, and no one dared to trip them up.
"Don't worry, I asked Jialiang to stay in the courtyard to study. He is not allowed to go out unless he has nothing to do. Zhang has changed his temper recently, so I am staying with him."
He didn't take it seriously, and Qin didn't say anything more.
"I haven't finished replying to the post yet. Husband, please go sit somewhere else."
She issued another eviction order, and Lian Fangyu said helplessly: "Okay, I'll go to the study first."
He looked a little unhappy when he came out of the room. Even Suisui tried to read something on Qin's face, but couldn't.
"lady."
The concierge sent another stack of greeting cards, and the more work he did, the more work he did. Lian Suisui took back his thoughts, dipped his pen in ink, and took the time to write the reply.
Mrs. Qin set up a large iron pot at the door. There were not many types of vegetables this season. Cabbage, spinach, winter melon and other shelf-stable ones were cut into pieces of pork and chicken, plus various side dishes, and stewed in a large pot.
Although it is not as good as the delicacies of the real rich and powerful, for ordinary people, it is good to feel happy with a bite of the food from the No. 1 scholar's family!
Many failed scholars also came here.
The scholars did not bother to compete with the beggars for food, and the people queuing up in front of a large pot were all scholars and cleanly dressed common people.
The food in the two pots is the same. There is no missing piece of meat because it is for beggars, and there is no extra food because it is for scholars.
Steamer after steamer of steamed buns were distributed, and the beggars finished eating and found a corner to lean on, waiting for the next meal.
In the morning of the next day, Emperor Chen praised the Lian family a few times after knowing how they did things. For several days, Lian Fangyu stole the show. After hearing Qin's words yesterday, he quickly restrained his sharpness and humbly responded. After a few congratulations from his colleagues, he returned to the Yamen and continued to deal with unfinished official duties.
"I've met the prince!"
Lian Fangyu, who was lost in thought, looked up when he heard the voice. King Yun came in from the outside and picked up the official documents on the table and looked through them.
"I have met King Yun!"
King Yun stopped in front of his seat, looked at the official documents on his desk, and said with a smile: "I have been ordered by my father to supervise the progress of the Spring Festival. Just call the officials in charge of the Spring Festival and give me a reply." I don’t dare to delay Mr. Lian’s work.”
The dignified prince spoke to him so politely that even Fang Yu didn't dare to offend him.
"Without delay, I will go and call someone in person!"
He had originally intended to curry favor with King Yun, but now that King Yun was looking at him favorably, he would definitely seize the opportunity. He was only serving as the minister for the time being, and he would be at ease if he could change into an official uniform and a black gauze hat.
Now aren't you afraid that others will say that he has no integrity and that he is flattering?
King Yun threw the official document in his hand on the table and found a comfortable seat to sit down.
