Zheng Sen greeted him, and Li Xiangjun followed closely behind. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

"Good work." Zheng Sen said to Dong You.

Dong You's little face was pale, but he cheered up and said: "It's really hard for my husband to run around every day. What is a concubine? ”

Li Xiangjun also hurriedly stepped forward and bowed: "The slave has seen Madame." ”

Dong You turned his head and glanced at Li Xiangjun, smiled slightly, but turned to Zheng Sen and said, "This is the sister of the Li family, right?" It's really extraordinary, no wonder my husband likes it. Then he turned his head and smiled at Li Xiangjun: "Sister, hurry up, you and I are sisters, how can I afford such a big gift." ”

Li Xiangjun bowed again and said, "Thank you, madam." But he stood up.

Many people mistakenly believe that polygamy was practiced in ancient China, and a rich man could have several wives. In fact, this view is not correct. In ancient China, monogamy has always been practiced. A concubine is not a wife. The wife is the head of the family, and she is also the master of the family. As for concubines, they are essentially just slaves. Anyone who has watched "Dream of Red Mansions" knows that Jia Zheng has a concubine named "Aunt Zhao", although it is also Jia Zheng's generation, but he is often taught a bloody lesson by Wang Xifeng, who seems to be a junior. The reason is also simple, although Wang Xifeng is a junior, she is the master, and although Aunt Zhao is an elder, she is a concubine and can only be regarded as a slave. What rank can a slave have? So in "Dream of Red Mansions", there is even the absurd thing that Jia Yu rewarded his concubine Qiu Tong to his son Jia Lian as a concubine. This is actually not surprising, because in the eyes of people at that time, concubines were just slaves, or even just an item, although Lao Tzu's concubine to his son is really a bit unusual, but among scholars, giving concubines to each other, exchanging concubines or something, but it is a common thing, giving a concubine to others, and giving someone a folding fan or something is actually similar.

Since the status of a concubine is actually nothing more than a slave or even an object, the wife, as the mistress, naturally has the right to dispose of her. So don't look at the general family, the wife sometimes calls her "aunt" or calls her "sister", but when she gets angry, she turns her face and takes out the family law to beat her violently, as long as she is not killed, it is all reasonable and legal. It is not uncommon for people to simply go outside and call someone to come and sell this ignorant slave. For example, Liu Ru, one of the eight Yans of Qin Huai, was sold by the main mother when he was still called Yang Ai, otherwise he would not have fallen into the dust. And another Kou Baimen, once made a concubine for Zhu Guobi, the Duke of Baoguo. Later, after Zhu Guobi surrendered to the Manchu Dynasty, he was short of money, so he almost packed Kou Baimen and some other women together and wholesaled them for money.

It is precisely because of such a huge disparity in the status of wives and concubines that in ancient scholar families, the so-called wives and concubines competed for favor, and the chance of coming up with any "palace scheming" or something was actually very small. And as a husband, even if he loves the concubine very much, generally speaking, when the wife and the concubine have a conflict, out of general pressure from society, he will also stand on the wife's side.

Li Xiangjun is a smart person, and naturally knows that if he wants to live well in the Zheng family, the first important thing is to deal with the relationship with Zheng Sen's wife, that is, Miss Dong, who was born in an official family. And the etiquette attitude when meeting her for the first time is extremely important, because it will directly determine her first impression of herself.

"Okay, let's all get in the car, you guys are riding this kind of boat for the first time, and you have to go back early to rest. If you want me to say, Ah You, you are still too anxious, wait for two more days, and come by big boat, but it will be much more comfortable. Zheng Sen said again.

The group got into the car, Zheng Sen and Dong You took the lotus flower to the first car, and Li Xiangjun and Huan'er got into the back car. As the coachman flicked his long whip, the vehicle drove towards Zheng Sen's small courtyard.

"Why do you think you're going to Japan?" Zheng Sen asked.

"Isn't that how it should be?" Dong You asked rhetorically, "You go to pick up your mother-in-law, shouldn't the daughter-in-law follow to serve your mother-in-law?" If I don't go, who will take care of my mother-in-law along the way? You can't let those rough maids do this, can you? ”

"There is some truth to that." Zheng Sen nodded and said, "It's also your piece of filial piety." It's just that from Taiwan to Japan is much farther than from Anping to Taiwan, and the wind and waves on the sea route are also greater, even if you change to a big boat, sometimes it is very shaky, you are not used to taking a sea boat, and I am afraid that you will be dizzy when the time comes. That's not so dizzy, many people can spit out all the bitter bile water. I'm afraid that you'll need someone to take care of you. ”

"My father-in-law also talked about this with his concubine." Dong You said, "The concubine also knows that she has never been far away, and she doesn't know what will happen at sea." But when the concubine was still in her mother's house, she heard a sentence from my father teaching my younger brother, and the concubine felt very reasonable. ”

"I wonder what my father-in-law said?" Zheng Sen asked with a smile.

"My father taught my younger brother at that time: 'There are some things, although they are difficult, but as long as they are what you should do, or what you should do, no matter how difficult they are, you must do them.'" Dong You replied.

When Zheng Sen heard this, he also said with a straight face: "What my father-in-law said is indeed right. ”

Dong You suddenly smiled and said, "She's probably going to go, right?" If the concubine doesn't go, how can she look like a wife? Wouldn't she be compared to her? ”

Zheng Sen said: "She is different from you. You have been taught and supported by your parents and brothers since you were a child, but she is a poor person. Her family was originally a small military attaché, although it is not as scholarly as your family, but it is also a well-off family. When she was eight years old, Wei Gelding persecuted Donglin and somehow swept her family in. This matter originally had nothing to do with her family, but once she was involved, she didn't have half a penny to talk about. His father died in prison, and his home was shattered, and then he was reduced to dust, but he can also sigh. She has traveled north and south since she was a child, and she is better at things on the road than you. If nothing else, she is at least used to boats. Well, take her with you, and if you get dizzy at sea, she can also help take care of you. I don't think the lotus flower can sit on the boat, and when it comes to the East Sea, I'm afraid it's not as good as you. ”

Dong Youyan smiled and said: "Where do I have this blessing, but my husband also needs a woman to take care of him along the way." ”

"Don't laugh." Zheng Sen said, "Just like if you have to endure hardships at sea, you have to serve your mother-in-law, this is because this thing should have been done by your daughter-in-law." What you should do, or what you should do, is difficult but still has to be done. And isn't serving your sister what she should do? ”

Dong You smiled: "But I don't know if she thinks so." ”

While he was talking, the car had already arrived at the gate of the small courtyard. The carriage came to a stop, and someone outside opened the door. Zheng Sen got out of the car first, and Dong You also stood up, but saw that Li Xiangjun was already standing outside the carriage door. When she saw Dong You, she hurriedly smiled and said, "The maid is here to help Mrs. get out of the car." ”

"How dare you work sister." Dong You said this with a smile, but he still stretched out his hand and put it on Li Xiangjun's arm.

……

Dong You stayed in Taiwan for more than 10 days. In the past ten days, Zheng Sen has been very busy as usual, but he doesn't have much time to accompany her. But Li Xiangjun was with her more. Although Li Xiangjun is only one year older than Dong You, he doesn't know how much more experience he has than Dong You. When it comes to how to deal with people, her level is even more incomparable to Dong You. Now she deliberately wants to marry Dong You, and Dong You is actually not suitable in many places after marrying into the Zheng family. For example, the Dong family is a family of scholars, and the people in the family, even if they are maids, although they can't be said to be as good at interpreting poetry as Zheng Kangcheng, they have also read some books, and they are naturally different when they talk about each other. But except for Zheng Sen, who is not at home all day, the Zheng family are all martial artists, maids and maids who have not read much, and most of them are illiterate. After Dong You arrived at the Zheng family, although everyone was very friendly and cared about her. But she also couldn't find anyone to talk to except her maid Lotus Flower. But Li Xiangjun is different, Li Xiangjun can be said to be familiar with piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, can write poems, fill in words, and even discuss the meaning of scriptures. This last point was a big surprise to Dong You.

Dong You knew that Li Xiangjun had fallen into the dust and had been a Qingqi person for a long time. Therefore, she can write poems and lyrics, and is good at piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, which is not unexpected by Dong You. It's just that although the Qing people on the Qinhuai River have frequent contacts with those scholars, what scholar would be so bored that he would go to the painting boat on the Qinhuai River to talk about the scriptures? So for the women on the Qinhuai River, this scripture is something that is not needed. But I don't want Li Xiangjun to know a lot, although many places are plausible, obviously it is the result of not having a famous teacher to teach and learning blindly, but in Dong You's opinion, it is also a manifestation that Li Xiangjun does not read to please men, but really loves to read.

"By the way, this place, but it should be said like this, sister, what you said earlier is a little chiseled. In fact, if my sister doesn't understand anything, she can also ask her husband for advice, but his knowledge is not comparable to my sister. After Dong You corrected one of Li Xiangjun's mistakes, he said with a smile.

"What my sister said is that it's just that my husband doesn't come home much, and he finally comes back, and he is often busy all day, tired, and he seems to be able to fall asleep while talking, but it's not easy to ask him." Li Xiangjun replied with a smile. She has become familiar with Dong You these days, and her relationship has become much closer, and now at Dong You's insistence, she has become commensurate with Dong You's sisters.

"You're going to feel sorry for people." Dong You also smiled.