==Chapter 122==

These days, Xiao Ru has visited her one after another, and Jiu Niang has seen her once because of her previous doubts, trying to figure out what medicine she sells in her gourd.

Xiao Ru didn't show any purpose, just gossiped with Jiuniang and talked about the old days. As for the old days, it is natural to talk about the two when they were young, and of course it is indispensable to talk about Yueji, the mother of the two people.

In fact, if it weren't for Xiao Ru mentioning Yueji, Jiu Niang would have been impatient to deal with her, but when it comes to the woman buried in the deepest part of her memory, she can always touch the softest part of Jiu Niang's heart. The son wants to raise but does not wait, this is the deepest regret after Jiuniang has been in a high position in two lifetimes, and she has been able to protect herself and even protect others.

After all, Yueji died so miserably, and died in the memories of Jiu Niang's two lives. So that time, Jiuniang didn't drive Xiao Ru away, but just listened to her.

In fact, at this time, Jiu Niang almost figured out Xiao Ru's plan.

Xiao Ru's goal is very clear, that is, to go to Wang Shilang, it is not difficult for her to take down Wang Shilang, but the difficult thing is that the Wang family agrees to disagree with her entering the door.

There is no doubt that having a sister of Princess Chu can add a lot of weight to Xiao Ru, especially since the King of Chu is becoming more and more powerful, as long as he is not blind, he can see it. If Jiuniang really 'forgives' this sister, the two have a harmonious relationship, even with Xiao Ru's current identity, there will be no fewer people who want to marry her.

At that time, the Xiao family will definitely add icing on the cake, giving Xiao Ru a legitimate identity, and easily gaining the power of in-laws by the way.

In the past few days, Jiuniang went to Anrong Yuan to ask for peace, and Duchess Anguo hinted at Jiuniang in her words. Now that I'm mentioning sisterhood or something, what did I do earlier, it's stupid to point at others?!

Of course, Duchess Anguo's rhetoric is not unreasonable, a woman relies on nothing more than her husband, son, and mother's family, and if her sisters have a future, they can also rely on forces. If Jiu Niang is just an ordinary person, without these bumpy experiences and memories of her previous life, she will be more or less hesitant, maybe it is not impossible to follow the trend, after all, it is beneficial to everyone. It's a pity that she has never been an ordinary person, and the King of Chu is not an ordinary person, and the King of Chu's thoughts Jiuniang is very clear, so naturally she will not be looking for trouble.

It's good to be alone, and it's best if your father doesn't love your mother.

Now Jiuniang can also use the actions of King Chu to figure out Emperor Chengyuan's thoughts, a little cold, fortunately, King Chu is not the kind of person who cares about the thoughts of his relatives.

Jiu Niang didn't raise her eyes, she put a fan in her hand and said, "I don't see." ”

Lian Fang nodded and went down.

Outside the gate of Cuiyun Pavilion, Xiao Ru stood there with her maidservant Lan Qing, and when she heard that Lian Fang said that Jiu Niangzi didn't see her, her face suddenly darkened, and she didn't say anything more, so she turned around and left.

Lan Qing felt that her own lady was a little worthless, and whispered angrily: "Lady, this nine ladies are too ruthless and unjust, they treat you like this!" ”

Lan Qing had been serving Xiao Ru for a few days, and when she first heard others say that Ru Niangzi's sister was the ninth lady of Cuiyun Pavilion, she couldn't believe it.

Who is the Nine Niangzi, is the county lord of Yirong who is enshrined by the Holy Shang, in the Anguo Mansion, not only the old lady wants to give her some face, but even a few ladies are smiling when they see her.

In comparison, Xiao Ru is a little disgraced, at first she was attached to Chongyue Pavilion to survive, and then she finally became independent, but she is still inferior to other ladies.

In a place like Anguo Mansion, there is no ranking and no name, that is, even a concubine is not as good. At least the concubines have the maintenance of their mothers and the recognition of their fathers, and the environment of the five rooms is only one level higher than the maids.

Lan Qing, as Xiao Ru's confidant and maidservant, naturally wondered why the sisters of the same mother were the same as the other, why one was in the sky and the other was on the ground, Xiao Ru's statement was that there were some misunderstandings between her and Jiu Niang that had not been resolved. Lan Qing also knew that her own lady had done some things to be sorry for the nine ladies because of the coercion of the county lord of Chaoxia, but didn't that succeed, and how could there be any overnight feud between the sisters, this nine ladies were really ruthless!

In fact, there are not many people who have Lan Qing's thoughts, but because they are slaves, and many things in this back house are difficult to explain, so it is indispensable for someone to discuss in private, but everyone is secretive and dare not discuss it in front of others.

Lan Qing, as a 'clear-eyed person', is naturally qualified to say something, in fact, Xiao Ru also feels very aggrieved. Since the fight A-Niang is gone, Xiao Jiuniang has completely changed her appearance, treating her as a piece of, and not giving her any light.

"Forget it, although my sister said that she would forgive me, but she definitely didn't in her heart, I came a few more times, and my sister can always see my sincerity." Xiao Ru pursed her lips slightly.

It seems that the old lady still has to put in some more effort, a two-pronged approach, and she is not afraid that she Xiao Jiuniang will not give in. The last time I mentioned Ah Niang, it can be seen that Xiao Jiuniang also misses the old love a little, just miss the old love, but she still has something to use.

"Lady, you have been wronged." Lan Qing Road.

"What grievances? After all, my sister and I are the same mother, there is no knot that cannot be untied, my sister is arrogant and arrogant, and it is nothing for me, a younger sister, to lower my body and take the initiative to seek peace. ”

Xiao Ru tilted behind the flower garden beside him out of the corner of his eye, and there seemed to be a faint sight of two people squatting, it was the rough servant woman who was pruning the flowers and trees here.

She pursed her lips and smiled, and left here with Lan Qing.

*

In the Anguo Mansion, there has been a new chapter of rumors recently.

It is about the two sisters of Jiu Niangzi, who have been curious for a long time, and Jiu Niangzi and her own sister are not on good terms, which is something that everyone in the house knows. Some people can still know some of the subtleties in between, while others don't know at all, but that doesn't stop everyone's curiosity.

The idea of the world is that there is no overnight feud between sisters, and it is not that no one has smacked their lips and praised each other for the strangeness between Jiuniangzi and Runiangzi, but the two have never been contaminated with each other before, and they can't talk about anything in the end.

This time, if the lady came to the door again and again to show her goodwill, but the nine ladies turned her away, and treated her very coldly, it was inevitable that someone would talk about it in private.

It stands to reason that such rumors are usually suppressed before they spread. After all, this is not what it used to be, Jiu Niang is no longer Wuxia Ameng, there were no rumors about her in the mansion earlier, but they were all suppressed by the Duchess of Anguo or Cui's family, but this time it was strange that it was not stopped, but it seemed to be getting worse.

After Lianzhi reported the matter, Jiu Niang's eyes flashed: "Since it didn't stop, there must be someone who is happy to see it happen, don't pay attention to it." ”

Jiuniang can see it, it doesn't mean that the slaves and maids of Cuiyun Pavilion are too.

Especially Jiuniang has a good way, and it is not bad to treat people, not only is there an additional supplement to the monthly money every month, but the rewards that the slaves and maids get during the New Year's holidays are also much thicker than those in other places, so the slaves and maids in Cuiyun Pavilion are particularly loyal. Coupled with the care of Aunt Yu, Cuiyun Pavilion is now operated as an iron bucket, and it is not allowed to splash water.

These days, hearing the rumors outside, the slaves and maids of Cuiyun Pavilion are extremely angry, if it weren't for Aunt Yu's management, it is estimated that there will be a lot of incidents.

"Talk to Aunt Yu, let her take care of the people below, and don't have any disputes with people outside."

Lianzhi nodded.

Lian Fang asked suspiciously, "What do the old lady and the eldest lady think over there?" How can you just let it go like this? ”

"You can't even see that? I don't want to make our lady and Ru Niangzi sisterhood deep, and when the time comes, they will borrow each other's strength, their ideas are very good, they want the horses to run and the horses don't eat grass. Lianzhi pouted.

Lianzhi's words are rough, but the reason is not rough, Duchess Anguo doesn't want the horses to run and the horses don't eat grass. However, people are elders, and they just turn a blind eye to these rumors, and Jiu Niang, as a junior, really can't say anything.

And Jiu Niang knew that not only that, but the Duchess of An Guo had hinted more than once that she was helping the Xiao family and the King of Chu ease the relationship, and Jiu Niang agreed to come down in person, but turned her head but did nothing. has not been effective, and Duchess An Guo is a little anxious, feeling that Jiuniang is perfunctory and does not care about family affairs.

She connived at Xiao Ru today, didn't she mean to beat Jiu Niang, but if Jiu Niang would put these in her eyes, she would not be Xiao Jiuniang.

"Don't bother with that, let's just live our lives behind closed doors."

Lianzhi nodded approvingly: "Yes, anyway, our lady is about to get married, and this kind of life won't last long." ”

Suddenly hearing Lianzhi talk about this, Jiu Niang couldn't help but be a little stunned.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, October is less than four months away. The closer she got to that day, the more she felt at a loss, a sense of confusion that she couldn't explain.

It stands to reason that she shouldn't have this kind of thought, the marriage was given by Emperor Chengyuan, after so much, she has no resistance to marrying the King of Chu now, and even occasionally thinks that she is happy in her heart, but she has a very blank feeling.

This kind of dazed made her feel a faint sense of anxiety in her heart, which was usually not obvious, but once she remembered it, she couldn't help but float up.

“…… The wedding date of the eighth lady is also approaching, and the recent action on the side of Chongyue Pavilion is not small......"

"Yes, the slave maid has also heard a lot of rumors, all of them are talking about the dowry of the sixth lady......"

In a trance, Jiu Niang heard Lianzhi and Lianfang talking like this.

She came to her senses, her eyes flashed, and she asked the two of them to speak concretely. If this is the case, I am afraid that there will be waves in this house again.

*

Chongyue Pavilion's actions have been not small, since Xiao Liuniang's wedding date was set, the county lord of Chaoxia has been preparing for his daughter's marriage, because of Xiao Sanniang's presence, there is no fanfare. Since Xiao Sanniang got married, in recent months, Chongyue Pavilion's behavior has become more and more public, all kinds of seasonal fabrics, jewelry, etc., box by box to Linlangju, Chaoxia County Lord looks eager to marry all his family to Xiao Liuniang.

However, it is understandable that the county lord of Chaoxia is such a daughter, and he would do this.

Just in the eyes of those who care, it inevitably has some meaning of wanting to steal the limelight. For example, everyone in Cuiyun Pavilion is just talking about it, and the Zheng family in the second room has been looking a little unpleasant recently.

Therefore, if this person does not like his eyes, nothing is right.

Xiao Sanniang married very well, and she was the princess when she married her, when the Zheng family was preparing for her daughter's marriage, she didn't have such fanfare, Xiao Sanniang and Xiao Liuniang's marriage was only three months apart, and the lord of Chaoxia was not robbing the second room and robbing Sanniang's limelight?

For this reason, the Zheng family secretly cursed the county lord of Chaoxia, of course, it was also said to be secret.

The county lord of Chaoxia does have this kind of thought, and she still remembers how her daughter's marriage was decided. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was humiliating for her.

It stands to reason that as Xiao Liuniang, she can marry the prince's clan, but because of these mistakes, Xiao Liuniang can only be reduced to marrying a concubine who is not a member of a family.

Especially now in Chang'an City, who doesn't know why the sixth mother of the Xiao family married a concubine of the Wang family, knowing that after the Xiao and Wang families got married, there were many people secretly waiting to see the joke. Due to the silence of the mother and daughter of Chaoxia County for more than half a year, the rumors outside have faded away, but with the arrival of Xiao Liuniang's wedding date, you can imagine what the situation will be like that day.

So at the beginning of the engagement, the lord of Chaoxia said that her only condition was that the Wang family must give her daughter a grand wedding, the scene must be grand, and the face must be sufficient.

The old lady Wang of the Wang family hesitated again and again, and coupled with the instigation of the fourth room, she finally agreed.

Here, since the lord of Chaoxia wants to save face for his daughter, the dowry must not be less. Not only can it be less, but it must be more, so much that it makes people envious and jealous, and so much that it makes people forget the humiliation that Xiao Liuniang once had, and only remember her current beautiful marriage, ten miles of red makeup.

For this reason, the county lord of Chaoxia has been busy all over this time. She had already prepared enough dowry for Xiao Liuniang, but now she plans to add a few more percent, and she can't blind everyone's eyes if she doesn't believe it.

At the same time that Cuiyun Pavilion was talking about Chongyue Pavilion, the county lord of Chaoxia was also called to Anrong Courtyard by Duchess Anguo.

The thing he talked about was about Xiao Liuniang's dowry.

Cui and Zheng are both there, Cui is the wife in charge, and she is in charge of the middle feed in the house, so this matter naturally can't surpass her. As for the Zheng family, they came out of some obscure thought.

"Chaoxia, how is Liuniang's dowry prepared now?"

It only took a moment to sit down, and the Duchess of An Guo got to the point with a kind attitude.

After the lord of Chaoxia County sat down, she looked absent-minded, but most of her recent appearances have been like this, and all her energy has been spent preparing for Xiao Liuniang's marriage. Speaking of the word "getting married" is simple, it really means that everything must be taken into account.

Hearing Duchess An Guo ask herself, the county lord of Chaoxia was stunned for a moment and raised his head: "It's almost there, but there are still some small things that need to be prepared." ”

Dot?

Zheng pouted secretly, when no one could see the posture of the box being lifted towards Linlang Curie.

It's not that the Zheng family is jealous, jealousy will definitely be there, but it's more of an indignation, I feel that it has been decades, and this Chaoxia county lord still hasn't learned to be a man.

If you talk about the contradiction between the county lord of Chaoxia and the two sisters-in-law, it was concluded before the county lord of Chaoxia entered the door, and it was also related to this dowry.

The Cui family and the Zheng family entered the door many years earlier than the county lord of Chaoxia, one of them was born in the Qinghe Cui family, and the other was born in the Xingyang Zheng family, both of which are top families that have been inherited for hundreds of years. When they first married into the Xiao family, the dowry of the two was also extremely rich. It's just that it can't be compared with the county lord of Chaoxia, not to mention that the lord of Chaoxia has a title and has a food of his own, Princess Changping is a favorite daughter, when the county lord of Chaoxia married into the Xiao family, the dowry was so much that people sighed.

That ten-mile red makeup, the scenery of the wedding, until now, there are still people who remember it vividly.

And Cui's Zheng family, when it comes to background, it is not bad, but the family has a large population and pays attention to rules, and it is impossible to break the rules of the family because a daughter is married, so the dowry is set in a good amount. And it is impossible to have only one child in each family, the daughter's face has to be taken care of, and the other children cannot be less, so naturally it cannot be compared with Princess Changping, who has only two daughters in this life.

In particular, Princess Changping is the sister of Emperor Chengyuan, Emperor Chengyuan is very generous to this sister, not only does he give a lot, but the location of the food is also a very rich territory, plus the palace is rewarded today and given tomorrow, Princess Changping's family background is only a lot more than that of the ordinary family house.

In such a comparison, the gap comes out.

It stands to reason that the county lord of Chaoxia, as a younger brother and sister, must know how to be modest and honest, even if it is for the sake of getting along with each other in the future, as well as the face of Xiao Hang's two brothers, she must do a good job on the surface.

On the bright side, her dowry is not to say that it is less than that of the Cui family and the Zheng family, at least it can't be crossed too much, otherwise where will the face of the two be placed. But the county lord of Chaoxia didn't understand it at that time, Princess Changping was a character who never looked at other people's face, and in her heart, her daughter marrying Xiao Jiawulang was already a low marriage, and she couldn't wronged her daughter in terms of dowry.

So, from the day she entered the door, she had a dislike with her two sisters-in-law, and after entering the door, she was extremely unbelievable, and repeatedly stepped on the face of the Cui family and the Zheng family on the ground, so the three of them went farther and farther, although the Cui family and the Zheng family were not embarrassed by the Chaoxia county lord on the surface, but secretly they did not stumble on her.

No, it's been decades, and the character of the county lord of Chaoxia has not changed, and this time he had a quarrel with the Zheng family because of his daughter's dowry. If it weren't for the Zheng family's instigation, Duchess An Guo would never have asked for trouble to call the lord of Chaoxia County to ask about these today.

And the move of the county lord of Chaoxia is indeed a bit inappropriate, not to mention where to put Xiao Sanniang's face and the face of the second room, there are many sisters behind Xiao Liuniang to marry. Her dowry is prepared like this, how should Xiao Siniang and the others deal with themselves in the future?

Don't talk about others, Xiao Liuniang's wedding date is less than two months away from Xiao Jiuniang, Xiao Jiuniang is married to the King of Chu, what should she do when she is good?

Of course, it can also be said that the share of the public middle school is the share of the public middle school, for fear of losing face and going back to make your own mother ready to go, you don't have a rich mother, who else can you blame?

This is the reason, but outsiders can see that with the same surname Xiao, the Xiao family is inevitably a little favoritism, and it also lays a gap between Xiao Liuniang and the sisters after she gets married.

Of course, it may be that the mother and daughter of the lord of Asaka County don't care about this, but who knows what will happen in the future? The so-called 30 years in Hedong and 40 years in Hexi, it is really hard to say that this kind of thing is encountered.

"Have you calculated how many lifts there will be?" Duchess An Guo asked very vaguely.

The county lord of Chaoxia didn't think much about it, and estimated it in his heart, "Anyway, it won't be less than one hundred and twenty lifts, and the daughter-in-law estimates that it will be at least one hundred and sixty lifts, which may not be enough." ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone was silent.

Usually, when people marry their daughters, dozens of dowries are too much, and a family background like the Xiao family generally depends on what kind of situation the other party's family is marrying. If it is a low marriage, it is naturally the sixty dowry rated by the public high school, and if it is too little, you can make up for it at your own discretion. If it is a high marriage, the Xiao family will add some more depending on how much profit there is.

When Xiao Sanniang got married, the public middle school gave eighty dowries, plus Zheng's own subsidies, a total of one hundred and twenty lifts. In Chang'an City, this is already an extremely rich dowry, even if you marry the prince, it will not make people feel cold.

And now that the county lord of Chaoxia said that Xiao Liuniang's dowry will not be less than one hundred and sixty, or even more, it is no wonder that the three Duchess of Anguo are silent.

Cui and Zheng looked at Duchess An Guo at the same time.

Duchess An Guo rubbed her eyebrows and said slowly: "With so many dowries, will it be too much?" Otherwise, subtract some lifts, increase the weight of it, or convert it into silver to press the bottom of the box for Liuniang? It is rare for a daughter to marry in Chang'an City with such fanfare, and the man is not a noble family, so he may cause unnecessary trouble to Liuniang. ”

What Duchess An Guo said is very reasonable, the fourth room of the Wang family is not a fuel-efficient lamp, and the fourth room of the Wang family is not the main branch of the Wang family. Everyone knows that relying on public middle school alone can only maintain a bright face, and the private life will definitely not be too easy.

Xiao Liuniang, as a daughter-in-law, brought so much dowry to the past, and married a concubine, and she herself is not a shrewd character, so it's not a clear statement to tell others, I am a big piece of fat, you all come and bite me.

But the county lord of Chaoxia didn't think it was reasonable, now she was full of heart and lungs to wash away the humiliation on her daughter, and she had made up her mind to be in the limelight, how could she listen to the words of the Duchess of Anguo.

The county lord of Chaoxia sneered: "Ah Jia, don't you see Liuniang?" Whose business is it for a daughter-in-law to prepare a dowry for her daughter, is it worth calling me here with such fanfare, just to talk about it? Liuniang's dowry, the daughter-in-law didn't let the public middle school take out an extra point, and the rest was all subsidized by the daughter-in-law herself, so it's not okay? ”

Between words, she glanced at Cui and Zheng. It seems that she doesn't understand the world, but she has never taken Cui's Zheng and others in her eyes.

The words of the county lord of Chaoxia made the Zheng family very angry, but she couldn't answer yet, otherwise she wouldn't admit herself.

Duchess An Guo was also angry, she trembled her lips and said: "Even if you don't want to think about others, you have to think about Liuniang, she is married to a concubine, and you have also seen the fourth room of the Wang family, aren't you causing trouble for your daughter?" And you let her go around with other sisters after she got married, and you want to block all your daughter's future paths? ”

"The daughter-in-law gave Liuniang more dowry, why did she block Liuniang's road in the future? Who's in the way? If you don't move, you don't move, who does my daughter need to beg? The county lord of Chaoxia was also so angry that his face was flushed: "And Liu Niang doesn't need you to worry about it, I think who in his Wang family dares to come and covet my daughter's dowry!" ”

"Okay, okay, even if I'm fine, I'm not happy to find it myself, you can do what you want." Duchess An Guo waved her hand tiredly, "You can retreat first." ”

Lord Chaoxia snorted, turned his head and left.

The atmosphere in the room froze, and the faces of Duchess An Guo and Zheng were not good.

Seeing this, Cui Shi sighed and said, "Ah Jia, what about Jiu Niang's dowry?" Last time, I said that there were 80 lifts in the public, and you can add 20 lifts, just make up enough for 100 lifts. But now that the five brothers and sisters are acting like this, will Jiu Niang's side be a little thin? And the appearance of the five brothers and sisters, I am afraid that the fifth room will not be able to count on it. ”

How could the Duchess of Anguo not understand what the Cui family meant, the disadvantages of the concubine can be seen from here, there is a strong maternal family, and it can be added to it to some extent. Just counting on the public middle school, the public middle school has to take care of the feelings of each room, and it must not come up with too much. This time, Jiuniang is married to the prince, and there will be an extra twenty dowries in the public school, compared to the example of Sanniang. And the twenty lifts that Duchess Anguo herself made up were just to save face for the Xiao family, plus she had something to ask for the King of Chu.

This hundred dowries are a lot, but there was Xiao Sanniang in the past, and now there are more publicized Xiao Liuniang, when it is Xiao Jiuniang's turn to marry, it is inevitable that she will lose face.

Duchess An Guo can give Jiuniang a dowry of twenty years, which is already very generous.

That's it, in order to appease the love of the second room, Xiao Sanniang got married on the same day, and she also took out a lot of silver to make the bottom of the box for Sanniang. If you give Jiuniang another subsidy, don't mention whether the juniors below will have opinions, and there will be love on the side of the big house.

You must know that this family will definitely be handed over to Dafang in the future, so that the public can have more silver, isn't it just grabbing food from Dafang's mouth, and it is strange that the Cui family will be willing. And after Jiuniang gets married, there will be Xiao Siniang and others who will also get married, and there will inevitably be trouble over there in the three rooms and four rooms.

After a moment of silence, Duchess An Guo said: "Hasn't Jiuniang's food has always been sent by the government to make some more, there should be a lot of silver money received in the past few years, all of which were added to her, even if the weight of each lift is a little light, it must always be enough for one hundred and twenty lifts, so as not to fall into jokes." ”

Cui's face showed hesitation: "Ah family, Jiu Niang's food is indeed the family sent someone to take care of it, but most of the things collected every year are folded into things and sent to Cuiyun Pavilion, which is also what you ordered at the beginning." ”

Duchess Anguo only then reacted that there was indeed such a thing, in order to envelop Jiuniang and not let people say that the house was greedy for juniors' things, she did tell the Cui family.

It's just-

Duchess An Guo leaned into the gum, and Aunt Hu immediately stuffed a soft pillow behind her with her hands and feet.

She sighed and looked at the Cui family and the Zheng family: "This is just an excuse on the surface, let's treat it as a supplement for her in private." After all, she is married to the king of Chu, and you also know the current shape, if you can win the king of Chu over, the big thing of becoming a king is just around the corner, and the family still points to her to do things, so naturally you can't be stingy. Don't worry about these things with the juniors, if the big things can be done, it will also benefit our family. ”

Cui's face turned red, "Ah Jia, my daughter-in-law doesn't mean to worry about the juniors, since you say so, let's do it." Second brother and sister, what is your opinion? ”

The Cui family was relieved, and the Zheng family naturally couldn't say anything. However, it is inevitable that I feel uncomfortable, after all, the silver in the public is also everyone's.

"The daughter-in-law listens to the family and the sister-in-law."

Duchess An Guo nodded with satisfaction, and then waved her hand to let the two retreat.