The mothers-in-law standing next to them all stood solemnly with their hands down, squeezing their faces to laugh together, and they didn't dare to insert half a sentence. More than a dozen mothers-in-law stood solemnly on the broad platform, Ligu leaned on the couch chair alone, drinking tea slowly, and the high-status Qing Mama only stood behind her, which showed that her status was by no means ordinary.

Some of the women below were so frightened that they could barely stand on their feet, and were held by the people next to them. When they looked at each other, they felt very pitiful. Suddenly, the maids were infinitely sad in their hearts, and their eyes were full of tears, but they didn't dare to cry out loud, so they could only bow their heads and sob.

Suddenly, Aunt Li's eyes raised, and she slowly spoke: "They are all ignorant, mourning with a face, like a dead father." Being a concubine for Lord Su is a good errand of the highest class. If you really choose, it will also be a blessing that you have cultivated for several lifetimes. ”

The voices of the women sobbing were much lowered, and they all wanted to hear Ligu's reasoning, it was not a good thing to choose a woman, she said that it was a blessing that she had cultivated in several lifetimes, but why.

Ligu lifted the hot air wafting out with the lid of the teacup, and said lightly: "Do you know that Sufu is the first scholar family in the Great Jin Kingdom, and the family business for a hundred years is unparalleled and unmatched. How many slaves are eager to become a mosquito, and they also want to fly into Su Mansion to be on an errand. If you become the wife of Lord Su, as soon as you enter the Su Mansion, you will have no worries about food and clothing for life, and enjoy all the glory and wealth. No one else is envious, but you are crying. It's all some unsatisfied bastard things, even Lord Su's wife doesn't want to do it, and she still wants to climb to the sky!"

After saying this, the maids standing below were silent, and everyone thought carefully in their hearts, not knowing whether what she said was true or not.

In the middle of the night, a maid stood up with a moving step, gave a salute, and asked timidly: "The slave maid also asked my aunt to explain in detail, what do you want to do when you choose a maid to go to Sufu?" Everyone has the same doubts, and they all want to inquire clearly. Seeing that she opened her mouth to ask, they all stood on tiptoe and pricked up their ears to listen carefully to how Aunt Li replied.

Aunt Li turned her head and raised her eyes, Mama Qing understood, nodded, flicked her sleeves and stood up the steps, and said loudly: "Master Su came to Beijing to take up his post this time, and several big families have sent their daughters as congratulatory gifts. In the end, it was hand-picked by the queen mother, and it was decided that our palace, the palace and the Tang Mansion were three families, and ten people were selected to send them each. If you can choose, it will be a great creation. ”

Qing Mama's wrinkled eyes swept over the faces of the women, paused for a moment, and said: "The maidens are the most leisurely, if they are chosen, they will have to serve the adults closely, and they don't have to do laundry and cooking. ”

According to the ancestral rules of the Great Jin Kingdom, the son of a wealthy scholar family is sixteen years old, and before he gets married, he must choose dozens of maids to serve him. After that, whenever there are happy events such as promotion, marriage, military exploits, etc., relatives and friends will choose a concubine to send it as a celebratory gift.

These selected concubines, if they are favored by the master, they will be favored, and then they can be promoted to escorts. After that, he continued to be favored to serve the master, and could be promoted to a good concubine, and finally promoted to a concubine, called "a certain lady". When she reaches the status of a concubine, she can be regarded as having an official identity, and she can be regarded as half a master.

But the concubine has always been from a low and poor background, there are many people, and her appearance and talent are not outstanding, and the sons and adults of the wealthy families of the noble family do not care very much. The Dashi clan can have as many as 1,000 wives in their lifetime, even exceeding the number of concubines in the emperor's palace.

It is rare for a woman to be favored by her master, even if she is favored in her life, at most she will only reach the status of a good concubine. It is difficult to climb to the status of concubines, and the status of concubines and wives is even more unthinkable.

In order to ensure the purity of the bloodline, the scholars are not allowed to have children, and if there is a lucky favored woman who gives birth to a boy and a girl, she must also be raised by a noble lady and a concubine, and she must not recognize her own children in her life. After her death, the maid's name cannot be written into the family tree, and she is a lonely ghost.

When all the maids heard that they were serving closely, they blushed and lowered their heads, and their hearts couldn't help but move. These rough maids outside the second door rarely survive into the inner mansion to serve their masters in their lives. If the maid serves Master Su closely, it is better than the favored big girl in the inner mansion, but it is a proud errand.

Zi Ning was very smart, knowing that there was no such good thing in the world, and thought: "Whatever you say about wearing silk and satin all day long, it is similar to the treatment of a noble lady, it must be a fool." What is the reputation of the concubine, these grandmothers know in their hearts that being favored is lucky, if they are not pampered, they will be lonely for a lifetime, or they will be given away as a gift by the owner, and they are not even a fine plaything ornament. ”

Suddenly, I heard Ligu say: "There is also a mansion of the Su family in the capital, but it has been uninhabited for a long time, and it will take a year and a half to clean it up." Our prince invited Master Su to come to the mansion to live in the East Garden temporarily, and if you choose a concubine, you must learn some rules, be careful and diligent, and not lose the face of the palace. ”

After saying this, Ligu's eyes suddenly froze, as if she had returned to a long time ago, when she was a maid by the side of King Huajun, and she was a favored concubine. Although she is lucky, what can she do after all these years?

The lonely lamp guards the white hair, and the forced smile makes the green shadow, all of which are sad endings. This is the fate of a wealthy woman! The old man goes every year, the new man goes every year, and the generation is like this, and no one can change it.

What's more, Su Fu had already selected hundreds of concubines earlier, and this time the palace sent concubines as congratulatory gifts, which was just icing on the cake. Among them, there may be people who are attracted to Su, but such an opportunity is like snow in midsummer, which is indeed slim and rare.

Listening to Aunt Li's words, some of the slightly colored maids were eager to try, and they were eager to wear gold and silver in the homes of the wealthy families of the Jinshi clan, and win a glance in front of the old man. Since then, the sparrow has flown up the high branches, satisfying the food and clothing of a lifetime, and earning face in front of people, and showing off with the rising tide of the mother's family, it can be regarded as jumping out of the poor place, and not dishonoring the lintel of the ancestors.

An anxious maid couldn't bear it, took a step forward, and said with a smile: "If you go back to your aunt, the slave is willing to choose a maid and ask your aunt to fulfill it." ”

She recommended herself like this, and the other maids were suddenly anxious, and suddenly a few more people came out, with a smile on their faces, and said, "I am also willing to choose a ...... girl."

A trace of disdain floated on Ligu's face, she pressed the teacup on the table, turned her head sideways and said to the mother-in-law behind her: "This is the person selected from outside the second gate?

The mothers-in-law looked embarrassed, and they couldn't say anything, they only secretly hated these little hooves who didn't have long eyes, and they were used to indulging outside the second gate, and they were so bold that they dared to make a mistake in front of Ligu.

Qing Mama had a cold face and said sharply: "These few are dragged out, each beaten with thirty sticks, sent home and never reused, don't come out and be embarrassed." ”

The maids panicked and hurriedly shouted for mercy, but they were dragged out by the rough mother-in-law. Zi Ning's throat was dry, and she couldn't help but swallow empty, her brain spinning rapidly. If she also rushes out, she will receive a maximum of thirty sticks, and she will not have to choose a maid, and she can go home and continue to be a little maid.

For A-Niang, for the benefactor, even if you take a stick, it's worth it!

But there is also a trace of uneasiness in my heart, can these thirty sticks withstand it? If she changes to another maid, she may be able to save a life, but she is Zining, Ligu's eye is a thorn in the flesh, if she is not beaten to death with these thirty sticks, then Ligu is the reincarnation of the Bodhisattva.

This approach was too risky, Zi Ning hesitated for a moment, forcibly restrained his steps, and resisted the urge to go out.

Green Ring turned his head to look at her, and saw that she didn't move at the end, and he didn't dare to go out easily. The two agreed to advance and retreat together, Zi Ning is still here at the moment, and she can't go home by herself.

The maids gloated, and secretly glad that they were not as anxious as them, and they were really stable and dignified to please the aunt in charge. At this time, the hearts of the women slowly fell, and their faces showed a happy smile, as if they had seen the gorgeous mansion of Su Mansion.

At this time, two well-dressed grandmothers came from outside the courtyard and went to the steps to discuss things with Ligu and Qingma. The maids saw them muttering together, but they could not hear what was said. The women had their own thoughts, and they also whispered at the bottom, and most of them were willing to go to Su Mansion to be concubines.

"Since the Su Mansion is the first scholar clan of the Great Jin Dynasty, it must be more magnificent and wealthy than our palace, it is a rare and good place!"

"I can't believe it, I have such good luck, a rough maid like us, who has lived a lifetime in a wealthy family of the Shi clan, but I never expected it. ”

"No, the happy event that fell from the sky, I don't know if I can choose it. ”

The maids were gossiping and whispering to each other, Zi Ning turned her head and asked Lu Huan quietly: "Serve the adults closely, isn't that the big girl who accompanies the room?"

Luhuan was at a loss for what reason, and said in a daze: "I don't know, what kind of companion ...... I don't know how......" her face turned red as she spoke, she had never thought about these men and women, and she was so ashamed that she couldn't get into the cracks in the ground.

Zi Ning suddenly thought of something, her eyes suddenly froze, and she said to herself: "Lord Su's title sounds like an old man. Who wants to be a roommate for an old man, we people serve an old man closely, it is really tyrannical. ”

An older maid next to him heard Zi Ning's words, pursed her lips and said: "What if it's an old man, don't you want to choose a young and handsome Lang Jun? If there is really such a scholar son, it will not be our turn to be a rough maid outside the second gate, and those big maids in the inner mansion who are pinching their heads have already broken their heads." ”

When all the maids heard the reason, they suddenly stopped making a sound, and the heat just now also dropped by half. Zi Ning saw that this maid was smart, and said: "The election of a maid is by no means as good as Aunt Li said, let's keep an eye on it, and we must not be deceived by her rhetoric." ”

Lu Huan nodded again and again, and said: "Ning'er is right, if you are so proud as a maid, there are hundreds of maids in this palace, and there are a lot of beautiful maids, why don't they go!"