Huang E had already received the news of Wang Yuan's return to Beijing, and he was restless early in the morning, and he had to wait patiently with his mother's shelf.

"Madam, the master is back!" Xia Chan rushed to report.

Huang E immediately tidied up his clothes and led Xia Chan out to greet him. Including Zhou Chong, some domestic servants with positions also had to follow to welcome their masters home.

Everyone stood at the gate, and soon saw Yuan Da riding a horse, followed by a carriage.

Yuan Da quickly rushed to the scene and dismounted to report: "Madam, the second brother was summoned by His Majesty and ordered us to go back to the house first. ”

"Oh."

Huang E was a little disappointed, pointed to the carriage and asked, "What's in there?" ”

Yuan Da whispered: "Madam, that is the concubine that the second brother took in the Western Regions. At that time, he wanted to entrap a wealthy merchant in the Western Regions and ask him to spread rumors and organize craftsmen for the army, so the second brother accepted the daughter of the rich merchant as a concubine. ”

Huang E was stunned, and then squeezed out a smile: "Hurry up, please come into the house." Xia Chan, you can arrange a place for Mrs. Ru. ”

"Yes!" Xia Chan was reluctant to go to Zhang Luo.

Huang E was actually a little uncomfortable in her heart, she could accept Song Ling'er, but it was difficult to accept a strange woman.

Ming Dynasty officials, especially Beijing officials, were not as full of wives and concubines as in film and television dramas.

Many Beijing officials even have only wives for life, such as Huang E's father, who didn't even ask for his wife's dowry.

Let's talk about the cabinet minister Jin Gui, Jin Gui's father is over fifty years old and has no children, and his mother took the initiative to take a concubine for his father, and quietly sent it into the room. Jin Gui's father decisively refused, saying that I am already old, why bother to harm the little girl again? Send this concubine back to her parents' house directly. then continued to live with his old wife, and gave birth to Jin Gui in his fifties.

Most of the officials take concubines as concubines, or they take concubines for the sake of heirs.

In addition, they are generally released as officials, and their wives are not around, and they live lonely all the year round, so they find women to serve them locally. Even, many magistrates did not dare to take concubines directly, and often used the excuse of recruiting maids, so as not to give people the truth.

At least, this is the case in the Zhengde Dynasty, the officialdom has not been completely corrupted, and it is easy to be criticized for taking too many concubines in Beijing.

is the merry and talented Yang Shen, who is almost fifty years old, and he has two concubines for the old disrespect. He had political pursuits when he was young, and he didn't accept a concubine, so he could go to the Qinglou if he was itchy anyway.

Historically, Huang E and Yang Shen have been separated for many years, and when they heard the news of Yang Shen's concubine, they still expressed their dissatisfaction in the song: "Send him the Qiao man with three negative hearts, don't miss my sick bed all night!" ”

And Yang Shen's father, Yang Tinghe, also has only one concubine.

Those who really unscrupulously take concubines are nobles, military generals, wealthy merchants, Haoqiang and the second generation of officials, as well as those local officials who have no pursuit! The clan didn't dare to mess around, because there was a clan house watching, but they could keep kabuki and maids.

Even if he was unhappy in his heart, Huang E couldn't express it, but smiled and commanded the servants to greet Mrs. Ru.

But well......

Huang E returned to the house from the main gate by himself, and asked the servants to lead the carriage and bring Xiangxiang to the side gate.

This is in line with the etiquette system, the concubine is just a room, how can you go straight to the main entrance?

Yuan Da stood at the side door, pouted with a smile, and said to Xiangxiang, "Mrs. Xiang, I've arrived home." ”

Xiangxiang lifted the curtain, got out of the car with Qiyun, and then followed Yuan Da into the house.

After walking for a while, Xiangxiang completely lost her sense of direction and said in surprise: "The house is so big, bigger than the castle of Sutan!" ”

If Man Su'er knew anything underground, he would definitely be offended.

Huang E returned to the main house and waited for a long time, and Yuan Da finally brought Xiangxiang's master and servant to meet him.

Yuan Da whispered, "Mrs. Xiang, this is the general's wife." When you meet for the first time, you should kneel down and kowtow to say goodbye. ”

Xiangxiang secretly glanced at Huang E, and hurriedly kowtowed to the ground: "Knock...... Knock on Madame! ”

After walking on the road for a few months, Xiangxiang's accent is still weird, but the level of Chinese has improved a lot, and there is no problem with daily communication.

Qiyun next to him also hurriedly knelt down.

Huang E was originally holding back her resentment, but when she saw Xiangxiang's cowardly appearance and her posture when she knelt down, most of her anger suddenly disappeared: a barbarian woman who doesn't understand etiquette!

There is a standing posture, there is a sitting posture, and of course there is a kneeling posture.

Nine Bows.

The first level is the head of the head, with his forehead on the ground and not being able to raise his head immediately.

The second level is called the skull, and when the forehead touches the ground, it can be lifted immediately.

At this moment, Xiangxiang's posture of kowtowing to Huang E is similar to Ji Shou, which is the ultimate gift. Only on important occasions, the ministers worship the king, the apprentices worship the teacher, the son worships the father, and the ancestors of heaven and earth, the above situations will be used, and the concubine does not have to be like this when she sees the wife.

Even, when monarchs and ministers meet every day, they don't have to make this big gift!

When the ministers of the Ming Dynasty saw the emperor, they only needed to perform the third-level empty head salute, and the head could not hit the ground, but the back of their hands, which belonged to the guests in the pre-Qin era - in the Qing Dynasty, they must be bowed, their foreheads are on the ground, their buttocks are pouted, and Sven is swept away.

"Sister, get up, I can't afford such a big gift." Huang E is angry and funny,

Xiangxiang got up and asked stupidly, "Should I call you sister or madam?" ”

The weird accent, the more Huang E listened, the funnier it became: "Just call me sister." ”

The wife calls the concubine's sister, which is a sign of affection. If the concubine directly calls the sister of the wife, it is neither big nor small, and the relationship must be good to a certain extent.

Huang E pulled Xiangxiang to sit down and asked, "What do you call my sister?" ”

Xiangxiang replied, "My name is Ablah, and the general gave me a Chinese name called Xiangxiang." This is my maid Kuoli Kuci, whose name is Qiyun. ”

Huang E has no temper anymore, the name "Xiangxiang" sounds like a maid at first glance, how can he be jealous of this? She asked again, "How old is my sister?" ”

"Huh?" Xiangxiang didn't understand.

Yuan Da said next to him, "Madame asked you how old you are." ”

Xiangxiang hurriedly said, "In three months, I will be fifteen years old." ”

Huang E asked Qiyun again: "What about you?" ”

"I just turned nine years old. ”

Huang E sighed: "It's also difficult for you, at a young age, you went away to a foreign land." If you have any difficulties in the future, come to me, we are all family. ”

Xiangxiang relaxed a little and said, "Thank you, sister." ”

Huang E said to a maid, "Take them to the residence, and when they settle down, take them around the house." ”

The two alien women quickly left, and Xia Chan pouted, "Madam, these are two fox spirits." One is more bewitching than the other, and I think women think they are good-looking. Look at the facial features and eyebrows, just like the painting, the skin is as white as snow, beware that the lord will be fascinated by them! ”

Huang E smiled: "Second brother is not so cheesy, he won't just look at the skin. ”

"That's not for sure." Xia Chan said worriedly.

Huang E comforted and said: "Okay, don't deliberately make things difficult in the future, otherwise if it spreads, everyone will think that I am a jealous woman." ”

Xia Chan sneered: "They don't know how to be polite, but they don't know how to bow down." But we must teach them well, so as not to be known by outsiders and say that there are no rules in our house. ”