Prequel to the Red Chamber: I Am the Second Wife

The old lady's eyes lit up, and she said randomly, "It's still in the period of filial piety, and it will take a year to bring it up." "Hey, even though that's the case, the sudden death of the prince is really unexpected, who would have thought of it?" If there is no such matter, I am afraid that the decree has already been made. How is the old man outside? I heard the old man say that the emperor is very happy to know the news that the old general won the battle. I am afraid that waiting for the old general to come back will be promoted three times in a row It's gone." Madam Chang's tone was sincere and not flattering.

The old lady changed the topic with a smile: "Since that's the case, I would like to thank you." The two talked for a while, and Mrs. Chang left.The second wife waited for Mrs. Chang to leave before coming in from the back. She congratulated the old lady first: "Congratulations old lady, it seems that the matter of our second girl is settled."

"What do you like? According to my opinion, it's better to marry Zili to an ordinary family. Forget it, I can't mention it right now, but Ziqian's matter should be investigated as soon as possible. Call Ziqian's nanny to come in immediately." I want to ask clearly. It’s really big-hearted and has an idea.” The old lady spent the past few days carefully thinking about Ziqian’s illness and tantrum countless times, and the more she thought about it, the more strange it became.

The second wife was busy sending a message, and the old lady said: "Anyone who avoids people and doesn't make noise will know." The second wife hurriedly agreed and went to send a message.As for how the old lady traced the root of Ziqian's illness, let's put it aside. Since Mrs. Chang came, many relatives and friends in the capital have come to Wang's house to congratulate her.The old lady only said that she was not healthy and that it was difficult to see each other when she was old, so she only asked her daughter-in-law and grandson to come out to socialize.The contact between the Jia family and the Zhen family also resumed their previous enthusiasm.

In Liaodong, Wang Ziji's family was not immersed in the excitement of winning the battle. Wang Ziteng followed his father and grandfather all day, either leading soldiers to inspect the defensive situation every day, or leading soldiers and horses to practice in the barracks.Mrs. Tang and Zili's life is not leisurely. Seeing that winter is coming, there are many things to prepare.For example, the winter clothes of the soldiers, the food and utensils stored for the winter, as well as the repair of houses, countless things are intricate, and Mrs. Tang needs to help take care of them.It was Zili's first experience of what it means to be cold. She was used to the warming climate in modern society and the ubiquitous heating at home, office, and shopping malls.When she came here, she also lived in the city of Hangzhou with a pleasant climate. She didn't feel cold at all in winter, and the warm charcoal fire even overcame the humidity in the south of the Yangtze River.But in Liaodong, after a light snowfall, Zili understood for the first time that a person who freezes to death is not an adjective but a factual description.

The charcoal stove has long been lit in the house, and the fire wall and kang are all warmed up, so it is quite comfortable to be in the house, but one cannot stay in the house all the time.Zili always wanted to come out, she was still shivering from several layers of cotton wrapped in leather, but she still wanted to go out no matter how cold it was outside.Because not everyone in the city has a strong and warm house, enough cotton and leather clothes to keep out the cold, and enough food to survive the long winter.It is cold outside the pass, and the time for farming is only half a year, but during this half year the enemy often comes to harass, although the land is fertile, it is a pity that the environment is not good.Everyone has been busy building the city wall all summer to resist the enemy's sneak attack.As a result, the crops in the field became like malnourished children, growing sparsely.There is not much food to be produced at all.The imperial court has a farming system. The army and family members farm and graze for the people on weekdays. Once there is a war, they turn the people into soldiers.Therefore, the food allocated by the imperial court was limited, and the limited food was naturally used up for the soldiers first, so the old, weak, women and children became pitiful.

In order to satisfy everyone's stomachs with the small amount of food, Mrs. Tang could only try her best to make adjustments.Zimeng was still young, and Wang Ziteng's wife, Mrs. Zhang, was pregnant and couldn't be tired, so Zili stepped forward to help Mrs. Tang plan the arrangement of food and supplies.Fortunately, the army's salary and food are separate from the food of the local residents, but the food and salary are always not enough, and we can't watch that the soldiers guarding the food and clothing are not warm, and part of the small amount of food has to be allocated .

Zili entered Mrs. Tang's room and saw her mother sighing at the ledger, Zili knew that her mother must be worrying.In the past, she had read quite a few novels in which the hero and heroine had different talents, and they became popular in ancient society.All famines and robbers are ignored, as long as the protagonist's aura is fully activated, all wishes can come true. The male protagonist has countless girls who will go on and on, and the female protagonist will be pursued by men ranging from emperors and generals to heroes.

It's a pity that the cruel Zili finds that there are very few things she can do. She can only help her mother settle the accounts and start saving money herself. "Mother's complexion is not good, did you not rest well last night?" Zili brought over a cup of tea, and stretched out his hand to squeeze Mrs. Tang's shoulder.The makeup on Mrs. Tang's face could not conceal her haggard look. The black circle in front of her eyes seemed to be worrying for a whole night and she hadn't had a good rest. She sighed a long time and Mrs. Tang said: "It's troubled you, my little girl. At home, you are pampered by gold and silver servants, but you want to come to such a place with your family, is it cold at night, let's add more charcoal fire."

"I'm very warm, and you don't have as much charcoal fire as you want. Although there are countless forests in the wild, who knows where the Jurchen and Koreans are hiding and waiting to attack us. The battle ahead is tense, how can we free up manpower to protect us?" People who go to log? I thought it was not a good idea for us to sit in the city of sorrow. I carefully looked at the ledger. There are still a lot of silver fox and mink fur in the warehouse. It would be great if any of them can be exchanged for food or something." He always waits until he loses it to know how to cherish it. In the past, in a peaceful environment, Zili did not feel that peace was particularly precious.But when we come to this place full of wars, soldiers will be sent to protect the place ten miles away from the defensive town. Those Jurchens hunting in the mountains and forests do not know where they are hiding, and they will suddenly come out to attack those working in the fields. People, even hiding in the mountains and shooting cold arrows at loggers.A safe environment is needed to produce with peace of mind. The dangerous environment makes the city lack of supplies, and the lack of supplies prevents the soldiers from having enough strength to drive away the enemy. There is no safe environment for everyone to produce with peace of mind.A vicious circle begins to form that will only get worse.

"I'd have forgotten if you didn't mention it. Fur is very expensive in the customs. The number of furs that can be transported into the customs after years of war is getting less and less. If you can take it out, you can indeed get a lot of money and things. It's just that you think Thinking that the caravan is moving slowly, it is the most likely to be attacked. Your father has been black-faced for the past few days, and it seems that the battle ahead will not spare anyone to protect the caravan." Madam Tang sighed helplessly, pointing to a few accounts. : "I still have to check the grain storage. You watch at home."

Zili really couldn't think of a better way, she nodded and said helplessly: "It's better to gather the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled together, eat and live together, so as to save the house from being crushed by the heavy snow You know. Grain can always be better utilized if it hits together."

"It's also a good idea to have a competent and fair person in charge of the affairs. There is only so much food, and the family's share will be even less. If we put it together, everyone will have porridge and rice to eat, but we will starve Just starve together. But there are tens of thousands of people in the city, how do we arrange food for all of them. Or it is difficult for some people not to join the group.” Mrs. Tang thought about the feasibility of hitting food and accommodation, and she was really confused. There are countless trifles waiting.

What's so difficult about this?A notice can be issued, and everyone is divided into several teams according to the relationship between clan, relatives and friends, and each team is elected to manage affairs, and everyone supervises and cooks together.It not only avoids the awkward and angry bickering of each person with different personalities, but also avoids the disadvantages of unfair distribution and corruption.Does mother look good?If everyone still has concerns, our family should set an example first, take out the food stored at home, and bring the family members to join the partnership.What Zili said was logical, but Mrs. Tang hesitated after thinking for a while: "I don't want to make you suffer. Your brother is a man, so that's fine. But how can your sister-in-law and your sisters suffer?"

Just as he was talking, his family members came to report: "Mr. Xue has brought the caravan. He is already outside the city!" Mrs. Tang heard these words like rain after a long drought, and shouted: "Please! Call someone to tell the master immediately!"

Zili knew that it was the Xue family's caravan that had arrived, and it seemed that the shortage of resources in the city could be alleviated.She was still very curious about Aunt Xue's family, Baochai and Xue Pan, two compatriots with one mother, were so different, and she didn't know what Baochai's grandfather and father were like?But she couldn't see the Xue family, Zili said to Madam Tang: "Since it's a guest, I'll go first."

Xue Gong's caravan is like rain from the sky, and there are more food, medicinal materials, gunpowder and many good things in the city.After the rain, I brought a lot of things and my face turned red with excitement: "Look, girl, they are all the best rouge powder and body oil in the south. Now don't worry about your face being chapped by the wind. Xue's family brought There are a lot of things, and there is no shortage of medicine. Our master rode back happily when he heard the news of the Xue family's arrival. The Xue family's caravan brought a lot of things, and they even took away the mountain goods and furs , exchanged a lot of silver. Now the famine in the city is over. Why don’t you take a look at these things, they are all of the best quality. Although they didn’t take it seriously before, it’s already rare in this place.” Ming Qian was also very curious about those makeup powders, so she picked up one and handed it to Zili: "Young lady is exhausted from helping my wife these days, and it's time to take a break. I heard that Xue's family I came to ask for a kiss."

If so, Zili sighed inwardly when he heard Mingqian's words, such was his fate, he only hoped that Zimeng could properly educate his children not to raise such a prodigal son like Xue Pan. "What, is the young lady of their family going to marry the second brother?" Zili pretended to be confused.

"No, it's the Xue family who begged the third miss. The master seems to have agreed, and the mother of the third girl is also willing. It's just that the wife thinks that the Xue family has no serious official position and is not a person who studies martial arts. She is a bit reluctant. But the third girl is not the wife. Yes, Aunt Qin is also willing, so the wife didn't say anything." Mingqian expressed his views on the third girl's marriage.

"But after a careful calculation, the Xue family is still on the top. Although our two families are from the same hometown, we came out of the last life together with the emperor who raised troops to fight the world. It's just that the old man of the Xue family is just Ziwei's family, and he is an imperial merchant. Although in their family, Many people have never heard of a person who can study and become an official. Compared with our family, it is much worse. Although the third girl was not born to his wife, there is the second girl and the eldest girl in front of him. The Xue family is not Gao Pan Is it? The girl will enter the palace in the future—” Yuhou’s words are very clear, Zili is going to marry His Highness the Grandson, so why don’t the Xue family become brothers-in-law with the future emperor?

Ming Qian said with a smile: "He is really a businessman, so he can calculate. I am afraid that their family has been planning how to take off the businessman's hat so that they can clean up and become a decent official. They naturally know that the girl will enter the palace in the future." , Waiting for the girl to really canonize the grandson Liangdi, how can the grandson and the emperor see an imperial businessman as the grandson's brother-in-law, and reward Jinshi's background to an official position. Now the Xue family is risking to help the master and the old master Isn’t that what raising military salaries is for.”

"Mingqian girl is getting smarter. You are right. Unfortunately, if you are a girl, if you are a man, you can also be a staff member and make a career out of it. Following me will really bury you." Zili looked at it with a cup in his hand. Laughing at the girl.

"Young lady just took us to be happy. I don't know what I can do. It's just following the young lady to get close to Zhu Zhechi. The wife told us that we will follow the young lady in the future. I don't know how many things the young lady has to worry about in the future. It would be good if someone you can trust can help. My wife told us to learn from the nuns around her, so that the girl will not be wronged in the future." Ming Qian had a look of reason.

"Look at your mouth. If I say one sentence, you will have ten sentences waiting for me." Zili and the girl laughed and chatted with each other. Facing Zimeng's marriage, Zili secretly hoped that his father would not agree to it, but the Xue family gave charcoal in the middle of nowhere. The action seemed to give the Wang family no reason not to agree.

The cold wind howled at night, probably because the caravan of the Xue family brought food. The so-called food in hand is not panic, but the same cold night was actually warmed by the candlelight of every household.Wang Ziteng was finally able to go home to see his pregnant wife. Zhang was naturally happy to see her husband come back.She was busy asking people to prepare hot water and meals, "Don't worry about it, I eat better in the barracks than at home. I just want to rest peacefully and see how you are. It's been cold recently. , you are still used to it, I beat a fox and brought it back for you to make a mat.” Wang Ziteng leaned on the kang and let the girl take off his boots.

Mrs. Zhang was sitting under the light and smiling, she subconsciously touched her stomach with a happy smile on her face: "Mother quietly subsidizes my private food, and Zili asked someone to bring me some sprouts, but it's very rare. Come and eat it for you."

"My mother loves her grandson very much. I didn't expect my second sister to still miss you. This place is very cold, and vegetables are the rarest. How many fresh vegetables can she have there? Isn't she holding vegetable seeds and beans in her own house? Small sprouts? She can squeeze it out of her mouth for you, and she really likes you." Wang Ziteng couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "The second sister will get married in a few years, and even the younger sister will also be married. There's a family now. Thinking about how naughty my brother and sister were when we were young is like yesterday."

"Second sister is going to enjoy the blessings. Why is the third girl's marriage also settled? Is she really the young master of the Xue family?" Mrs. Zhang frowned slightly. She didn't go out very much because she was pregnant, but the Xue family and the Wang family were married. The news still reached Zhang's ears.Although the Zhang family is poor, it is a scholarly family after all, and I am a little concerned about the Xue family's status as an imperial merchant: "Actually, the Xue family is rich, and my younger sister naturally enjoyed the blessings in the past. I heard people say that the young master of the Xue family is following this time. It is said that he is good-looking, and his speech and manners are elegant and not treacherous. But if Zili enters the palace, it may not be appropriate for our family to marry the Xue family. After all, it is the grandson Liangdi's natal family, so it is not right to tell people Looks good. You think our family's aunt will pay her respects to grandson Liangdi in the future, the eldest girl must be ordered, but the younger sister is the ugliest." In fact, the Zhang family is a little bit contemptuous of the Xue family's status.

Normally, father and grandfather would definitely have to think carefully before giving an answer, and besides, grandfather is not the kind of powerful person who would not agree.It's just that it's a wartime, and people are risking their lives to help you, how can we not repay our kindness?In fact, although the Xue family is a businessman, they have been knowledgeable people for several lifetimes. It is not an insult to the younger sister to marry her.Although Zili married the best, but if you think about it, the younger sister is from a concubine, so if she insists on climbing into that family, she must be the concubine or the youngest son.In such a big family, it is common for sisters-in-law to disagree with each other. The younger sister is soft-tempered and has no opinions, so it is better to go to Xue's house.With our family as the backer, who would dare to underestimate her in the Xue family?Don't worry about it, just take care of your body.Wang Ziteng told Zhang that he was tired and was going to rest.

Mrs. Zhang thought about her husband's words, and followed her husband to stand up and walk in: "You are right, as a brother, you still care about your sister. How can other people's elder brothers care about a concubine's sister like this? You can't wait to get rid of it immediately." Get out and it's over."

"As a sister-in-law, you should also take a long-term view. You may not know what you will be like in the future. Although the younger sister is not the same mother as us, she is gentle and gentle at a young age. It is lovely. Brothers and sisters help each other What's wrong?" Zhang listened to her husband, thought for a while and nodded in agreement.

Hearing that Zimeng's marriage was settled, Zili sighed silently. Although she was a little worried, she didn't say anything when she saw the happy and satisfied expression of Zimeng's biological mother behind Mrs. Tang.Zimeng is the daughter of a concubine. If she married into a family that was also an official, she would definitely not be able to be the head of the young mistress, and it would be easy for her sister-in-law to suffer in secret rivalries.Marrying Xue's family is a high position in their family, and as soon as they enter the door, they will be the housekeeper's young mistress, which is the best result for her and Aunt Qin.As for the future, it depends on Zimeng's own good fortune.

The caravan of the Xue family was filled with fur and medicinal materials from outside the pass. Why did he leave Jinzhou and return to the capital? Wang Changchun especially took time out of his busy military affairs to bid farewell to his old friends. Although Xue Gong was getting old, he was still in good spirits and his eyes were clear. Four shots, standing beside him was a young man in his teens, with a handsome face, although he was still childish, his demeanor was already confident and calm.He is Xue Yun, the future heir of the Xue family. He has seen a lot outside the customs this time, and he is very satisfied with the settled marriage. When Wang Changchun came in, his face was still red for a moment.

Xue Gong and Mr. Wang exchanged greetings for a while, the two sat down and said some farewell words, and then Xue Gong changed the subject and said to Wang Changchun: "Just now the prince said that I am sending charcoal in a timely manner, and I have a sense of friendship. I dare not take it. The prince may not know. Now the price of furs is rising day by day, but why don’t many caravans come to collect furs? Does the prince know the reason?”

"Probably because of the flames of war. Although fur can make money, life is more important. Not all caravans can afford to hire someone to protect themselves. Who else is there except for a big business like you." Holding the wine glass, Mr. Wang Take it for granted.

"I was not able to come here because of the protection of the bodyguards. I first went through the route of the Minister of the Ministry of War, Chang Gong. Do you know that the people of King Wei are in charge of issuing documents in and out of the customs to the caravans. The troops are all blocking the pass and not letting the food and medicinal materials leave the pass easily. Prince, you have to be careful. Last time you contacted the ministers Shangshu to protect the orthodox position of the grandson, but you were hated. Now that the king of Wei is powerful, you can do it Be careful." Xue Gong lowered his voice to reveal an important news to Wang Changchun.