This trip to Ningguo Duke's Mansion, apart from Yaoniang and Xiaobao, as well as Princess Jin, Concubine Xu and Concubine Liu will not go.
Concubine Jin is the official wife of King Jin. When King Jin and his family return to Beijing, it is only natural that they will visit their grandfather. If King Jin doesn't go, naturally Princess Jin needs to go. And Yaoniang went because she was Xiaobao's biological mother, and Jin Wang had a queen, so she should bring her great-grandson to visit her great-grandfather.
Ningguo Mansion is located in Iron Lion Alley, in the northeast corner of the inner city, not far from Jinwang Mansion. After walking for a quarter of an hour by car, we arrived at the place.
The gate of Duke Ning's Mansion has the style of a Duke's mansion, but it is a bit cold. When Yaoniang and others arrived, the door was still closed, until someone knocked on the door, and the east foot door was opened from the inside.
Some people greeted them from inside, and the leader was a man who looked like a housekeeper.
But this butler is a bit weird, not only has a three-inch long scar on his face, but also walks with a limp.
"The father-in-law and the wife are waiting inside, the second master, the second wife, and the eldest lady are all there."
Princess Jin nodded with a reserved smile on her face, and led the people inside.
Along the way, I felt that the mansion was deserted, and I didn't see a few servants on the way. Although Yao Niang was born in a small family, she also knew that this kind of situation was really rare for a government.
Thinking of King Jin's strange tone yesterday, she thought to herself that there was something wrong with it.
Arriving at the "Jingxinju" in the main courtyard, the courtyard is very wide, facing a row of five upper rooms. Under the corridor stood four maids in green bijia, all of them lowered their heads and held their breath while standing with their hands down. When the crowd approached, one person went in to announce, while the other three first bowed their knees to salute, and then embraced them, saying that the father and wife had been waiting for a long time, while leading the crowd inside.
There are several people sitting in the hall.
The first ones to sit were Duke Ning and Mrs. Ning.
Ning Guogong has white beard and hair, but his face is resolute. It can be seen that he was a man of iron and blood when he was young. Even now that people are getting old, their skin and flesh are a little slack, but their eyes are still bright and strong.
Mrs. Ning Guogong is also quite old, her hair is full of silver threads, she wears a forehead with a Buddha's head inlaid with emeralds, and she also wears emerald earrings on her ears. She was dressed in a stone-blue swastika with endless flowered trousers, and a snow-blue horse-face skirt. The round face is detailed, although the face is full of wrinkles, but the skin on the face is fair and delicate, it can be seen that he is a kind old man.
Sitting below the left hand is a middle-aged couple. The man looks about in his thirties. He wears a straight gray gown. Looking at his appearance, he is 70% like Duke Ning, more like Duke Ning when he was younger.
And the woman sitting next to him was obviously his wife, with plump muscles like snow, fine eyebrows and fine eyes, wearing a ginger-yellow make-up beanie, decent but plain.
Instead, sitting across from them was a chubby woman in her forties, dressed very conspicuously. Wearing gold makeup and flower thongs all over the place, an indigo horse-face skirt, and a full set of red gold inlaid ruby heads on her head, she has an aura of wealth and nobility rushing towards her face.
In fact, this woman's dress is not obtrusive, it just fits the status of the government, but she is the only one in the room who is brightly dressed, so people can see her at a glance.
Yao Niang thought to herself, this is probably King Jin's grandfather and grandmother, second uncle, second aunt, and widowed eldest aunt.
When he got up early today, King Jin told her about the general situation of Ningguo Duke's Mansion, but he only said a few words and did not elaborate.
Sure enough, when Princess Jin led her to salute, she called her like this.
"Get up quickly, don't pray, it's such a big month, don't bend the baby in your belly." When it was Yaoniang's turn to salute, Mrs. Ning Guogong reached out to help her.
A look of embarrassment flashed across Mrs. Shen's face, and she hurried forward: "You should worship your parents, just worship your parents. As for me and your second uncle, let's save it, and treat it as our mother's heart."
As she spoke, she winked at Mrs. Ning Guogong, and then Mrs. Ning Guogong realized that the concubine Jin had worshiped before, but now a small concubine refused to let her worship, not to make it clear that she was treated differently.
It was also Mrs. Ning Guogong who had been at the border in the early years, and she didn't usually pay attention to the rules. She just blurted out the words simply because she thought that Yaoniang was not young.
While talking, Yaoniang has already bowed down. Not only paid homage to Ning Guogong and Mrs. Ning Guogong, but also took advantage of the opportunity to pay respects to Shen Erye and Shen Er's wife. Because Mrs. Shen was sitting on the side all the time, and Mrs. Shen stood up, so she was the last one to worship Mrs. Shen.
Mrs. Shen accepted the gift calmly, and when Yao Niang stood up straight, she raised her eyebrows and said: "That's right, you can't say that the elders won't let you salute, just pretend it's nothing."
After finishing speaking, he went to Mrs. Ningguo with a smile and said: "Mother, you too, Yanru has already worshiped, you don't let her worship. You can't treat one who is not pregnant and the other who is pregnant, so let's treat them differently. "
It was a little embarrassing to say this, and I don't know what Mrs. Shen was thinking, but she actually said such words.
Mrs. Ning Guogong blushed from embarrassment, wanted to say something, but stopped talking.
Mrs. Shen was busy smoothing things over: "Sister-in-law, mother just saw that Yaoniang is a month old, and she is afraid that she will move her fetus." Then she explained to Princess Jin: "Yanru, you must not misunderstand."
But this situation is already embarrassing, and it cannot be alleviated by a sentence or two.
Yaoniang was also very embarrassed, and had the illusion of being targeted by everyone.
Fortunately, Mrs. Shen didn't say anything surprising anymore, and Mrs. Shen was there to smooth things over, and Princess Jin didn't show any concern, so this is over.
Mrs. Shen Er took Xiao Bao over, and leaned over to Mrs. Ning Guogong to show her: "Mother, how much do you look like your Highness when you were young?"
Mrs. Ning Guogong is getting old, but her bones are healthy, but her eyes are not working well. She looked at it for a while before she could see it clearly, her eyes turned red immediately, and she murmured: "Like, really like!"
Rather than saying that Little Treasure is like King Jin, it is better to say that he is more like Concubine De, like Shen Luan, the only concubine who is the only jewel in the palm of Mrs. Ning Guogong.
Mrs. Ning Guogong gave birth to only two sons and one daughter in her life. The elder died in battle, and Shen Luan was even more miserable. She passed away at a young age. Now only the youngest Shen Erye is left.
Thinking of the past, Mrs. Ning Guogong began to cry. Ning Guogong, who had been silent all this time, frowned at her and said in a rough voice, "Why are you crying!"
Finally, I added a sentence, "My eyes are gone, and I'm still crying!"
Mrs. Ning Guogong is not so much old and dim-sighted as her eyes are broken from crying.
"Mother, don't scare the child." Second Mrs. Shen also advised beside her.
Mrs. Ning Guo hurriedly wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and said: "Don't cry, don't cry, don't scare me, Xiaobao." Seeing Xiaobao reaching out his little hand to touch her face, his face was kind and smiling Going to coax him: "Xiaobao also knows how to feel sorry for his great-grandmother, and knows to wipe away tears for his great-grandmother."
Mrs. Shen snorted, stood up, left without talking to anyone.
The scene was suddenly full of embarrassment again. Mrs. Ning Guo was stunned first, and then sighed weakly.
Second Mrs. Shen said: "Mother, it's time for you to take the medicine. My daughter-in-law will help you in to take the medicine."
Mrs. Ning Guogong waved her hand: "It's just a medicine, and I still need you to accompany me. You stay and talk with Yanru, let Yaoniang accompany me in, and bring Xiaobao with you, so as not to disturb your conversation."
Second Madam Shen knew that it was Mrs. Ning Guogong who had something to say to Yaoniang, so she didn't say much, but turned around and pulled Jin Wangfei to go to her yard to talk.
Princess Jin left with Mrs. Shen Er, and Yaoniang carried Mrs. Ning Guogong to the inner room. As for Ning Guogong and Shen Erye, their men have their own places to go.
Mrs. Ningguo asked the servant girl to sit on the red sandalwood open-carved lotus pond lotus arhat bed, pointed to the opposite position, and asked Yao Niang to sit down too.
A servant girl brought tea and a fruit plate, and a girl in a blue shirt carried Mrs. Ning Guogong's leg and put it on the footrest so that she could be more comfortable. As for Xiaobao, he was still sitting in Mrs. Ningguo's arms, holding a piece of pastry in his hand, and biting into small bites.
"This child is really strong, thanks to you raising him well. I also heard that the child in Tang'er treated you badly and made you mother and child live outside for a long time."
Yao Niang was a little embarrassed, she lowered her head and whispered: "It's not a bad treatment, and His Highness didn't do it on purpose."
"It's fine if you don't blame him, Tanger's child is not easy." Madam Ning Guo sighed, and said a few words that Concubine De died early, and Shen's family has been at the border, unable to take care of him, how is the young King Jin? Things that people grow up in the palace.
"That place is a place that eats people. It ate my Luan'er. But back then, Shen's family were all at the border, and they were foreign ministers, so they had enough energy to spare. Fortunately, this boy Tang'er was up to the challenge."
Yaoniang just listened silently, she didn't know that King Jin's experience was so complicated. In her mind, princes are all superior and omnipotent, and she never expected such a past to happen.
"Your eldest aunt, don't blame her. She has resentment in her heart. This resentment has always been in her heart, so her mind is easy to be unclear. In fact, she used to be a good character, and she is not like this usually. "
Yaoniang nodded again and again, she was never a person who likes to argue with others, besides Mrs. Shen is also an elder, she can't argue with her either. This Ningguo mansion is not coming every day, so she didn't take it to heart at all.
Although Mrs. Ning Guogong is old and dim-sighted, she can see that Yaoniang has a demure temperament, so she patted her hand: "Just don't blame her, she is not targeting Tang'er, but..."
Mrs. Ning Guogong didn't say the rest, Yaoniang was curious, but she didn't dare to ask more.
In fact, Xiao Bao understood what was going on, but this matter was a bit far-fetched.
Ning Guogong is a veteran of the two dynasties. He has fought in the battlefield for many years, fought south and north, and made countless contributions to the court.
All the members of the Shen family are loyal and loyal, stationed at the border all the year round, resisting the Tatar clan from the north.
If the merit is high, the master will be overthrown. This is an indispensable thing in all dynasties. In order to reduce today's jealousy, the Shen family's only favorite jewel was sent to the palace, and the Shen family was even more cautious in their words and deeds, for fear of attracting suspicion.
But the suspicion still existed, if it wasn't for the fear of the Shen family's retaliation, fear of border turmoil and wolves entering the house, Emperor Hongjing would probably have cleaned up the Shen family long ago.
This situation continued until King Jin grew up. After King Jin began to show his outstanding military talent, Emperor Hongjing made up his mind. And this idea was carried out step by step due to the deliberate fulfillment of the Shen family and the deliberate actions of Emperor Hongjing.
King Jin's fiefdom was deliberately set up in Jinzhou, and the moment King Jin divided up the feudal domain was the time when the Shen family was disarmed and returned to the land.
But at that time, the members of the Shen family were almost dead, and the Shen family had few males. Ning Guogong's elder brother and two sons died in battle, and Ning Guogong's younger brother and only son died in battle. Ning Guogong's eldest son, the eldest son Shen Heng, died in battle.
Second Master Shen was the only one left, and he was still prevented from practicing martial arts because he beat Mrs. Ning Guogong.
The Shen family exchanged a blood for the hereditary title of Ning Guogong, and all the old departments of the Shen family that had been operating at the border for many years were handed over to King Jin.
This is also the main reason why among the vassal kings, Jin Wang has the strongest military strength. It was also one of the reasons why Madam Shen was full of resentment and always wanted to find fault.
In her eyes, people surnamed Zhao are a bunch of bastards, the old one cheated her husband to death, and the young one took her husband's things.
And the reason why Xiao Bao knew this was because in his previous life he saw Mrs. Shen run amok in the palace many times, and wanted to give his niece to his father to be his queen.