One day in March, a maid in a blue boa hurried past the inner house of the Zhuang family and went straight to Bao Geju.
As soon as she entered the room, the maid who was knitting lace in the corridor saw her and asked loudly, "Sister Guixi, why are you here?"
"Is my cousin in the room?" Guixi asked.
"The girl is in the room," the maid replied.
A maid in a green shirt came out of the room, "Guixi, why are you here? What does the old lady want?"
Guixi did not answer her question, but asked: "Xiu Lan, what is the cousin doing in the room?"
"The girl is painting in the room." Xiulan is Jiang Changning's maid. "Wait a moment, I'll go and inform her."
"Let Guixi come in." Jiang Changning said in the room.
Next month is Mrs. Zhuang’s 60th birthday, and she wants to paint a picture of Guanyin as a birthday gift.
Guixi lifted the door curtain and went in.
Xiulan frowned slightly and followed him in.
Guixi knelt down and said, "This servant greets my cousin."
"No need to be so polite." Jiang Changning put down his paintbrush.
Guixi smiled. "Cousin, change your clothes quickly and follow me to the front. The Queen Mother of Runan is coming, and the old lady wants you to go out and meet the guest."
Jiang Changning smiled faintly, "The Queen Mother of Runan King has come to the mansion. She is such a rare distinguished guest."
In order to avoid taboos, the royal palace of the imperial clan did not have much contact with the ministers in public.
If it's not a festival, why is the Queen Mother of Runan coming here
"Fangju, help me change my clothes." Jiang Changning ordered another personal maid to ask Xiulan to ask Guixi the purpose of the Princess Dowager of Runan.
"My dear cousin, the old lady has instructed you to dress up nicely and not be rude." Guixi said as he followed.
Jiang Changning's heart sank as he recalled the recent rumors in Beijing.
Envoys from the Xile Kingdom came to Beijing. In order to maintain the friendship between the two countries for generations, the ruler of the Xile Kingdom proposed to the emperor, wanting to marry a princess of this dynasty as the queen mother.
The current emperor has been on the throne for just over five years. He has one son and three daughters. The oldest of the three princesses is only three years old, and the youngest is just one month old.
Among the royal family, there are seven women of marriageable age, among whom is Princess Huizhu of Runan Palace, and she is also the one most likely to be designated.
The Queen Mother of Runan Prince suddenly came to the Zhuang family. Could it be that she wanted to find someone to marry in her place
The people of Xile have always been tough and their customs are different from those in the Central Plains.
It was a levirate marriage, but what Jiang Changning couldn't accept was the weather there.
Having grown up in the picturesque Hangzhou, she is accustomed to the humid environment, while Xile is a bitterly cold place.
When she went north and arrived in the capital, she couldn't adapt to the climate there and fell seriously ill. If it weren't for the careful care of Nanny Zhou and others, she would have almost died.
Asking her to go to Xile to marry would be like asking her to die.
"Cousin, please change your clothes quickly and don't keep the Concubine waiting for too long." Guixi urged Jiang Changning, who seemed to be thinking about something.
Jiang Changning collected his thoughts and asked tentatively, "You don't have to wait here. Go and invite the second young lady and the others. We can meet at Xifang Pavilion later."
"Mother Yu has gone to invite the three young ladies, and the old lady specially asked me to serve my cousin." Guixi was respectful, but he did not dare to look at Jiang Changning. He felt guilty all over.
There was a hint of coldness in Jiang Changning's eyes. Old Madam Zhuang was afraid that she would not go, so she asked someone to keep a close eye on her.
She lives in the banker's house, so even if she wants to escape, she can't now.
There is no need for Mrs. Zhuang to be so pushy.
Fang Ju deftly tied Jiang Changning's hair into a bun, put on some jewelry, and said softly, "Miss, it's done."
Jiang Changning looked at the delicate and fragile girl in the diamond-shaped mirror, a sneer flashed across his lips. Old Madam Zhuang should never think of sacrificing her so easily.
"Xiu Lan, go get the purse in the small box." Jiang Changning paused, "It's the purse embroidered with gardenias that we brought with us when we came from the south."
Xiulan's face changed slightly. She knew that there was a gold lock in the purse, which was given to the girl by a noble lady.
The girl once said that she would not use the gold lock unless it was absolutely necessary.
But today, the girl suddenly wants to wear this golden lock, which means that the foreign guest she is going to meet today will bring great trouble to the girl.
In the past six years, the girl has been submissive and submissive to the banker, and has not benefited much from the banker. She didn't expect that the banker would allow outsiders to bully the girl now.
Xiulan gritted her teeth in hatred, turned and went into the bedroom, opened the secret drawer of the bunk bed, took out a small box, and took out the purse inside.
"Miss." Xiulan held the purse in both hands and respectfully presented it to Jiang Changning.
Jiang Changning took the purse, tied it around his waist, stood up and said, "Sister Guixi, let's go."
Although Guixi felt something was a little strange, she didn't dare to ask any further questions, so she and Xiulan took the two little girls and followed Jiang Changning out of the courtyard and went to Old Lady Zhuang's courtyard.
A group of people were sitting in the flower hall, including Mrs. Jiang, the old lady of the Zhuang family, Mrs. Wu, the second wife, Mrs. Zou, the second grandmother, Mrs. Xiao Wu, and the Princess Dowager of the Prince of Runan, who was dressed in jewels and looked graceful and elegant.
But there were no girls from the banker's family, and they only called her over. Their intention was so obvious!
Jiang Changning felt even more hatred in his heart.
Six years ago, when Mrs. Zhuang sent someone to pick her up in Beijing as her great-aunt, she had expected that her lifelong affairs would be plotted against by the Zhuang family.
But if Mrs. Zhuang really treats her as a soft persimmon and wants to bully her whenever she wants, then she is wrong.
Jiang Changning clenched her fists. This was going to be a tough battle and she had to handle it carefully.
She walked over calmly and bowed, "Changning greets the Concubine Dowager. I pay my respects to her..."
The Queen Mother of Runan King did not wait for her to finish greeting the others, and stood up to help her, saying in a friendly manner, "We see each other often, so please stop being so polite."
"Thank you for your kindness, Concubine Dowager, but etiquette cannot be abolished." Jiang Changning took the opportunity to break free from the hand of the Concubine Dowager of Prince Runan.
She really felt sick of playing along with the people who were plotting against her.
"What a polite girl." The Queen Mother of Prince Runan praised.
Jiang Changning greeted the wives of the Zhuang family and was about to step aside.
The Queen Mother of Runan grabbed her hand and said, "Miss Jiang is such a rare beauty. Old sister, you are really good at taking care of people. You have made a girl so pretty that people are happy at first sight."
"You are too kind, Concubine. Everything else about Ning girl is fine, but her body is too frail. After so many years of care, she is still sickly. She has to see a doctor and get medicine every now and then, and she can't stand the slightest running around or being tired." Old Madam Zhuang emphasized the word "running around" with extra emphasis.
There was a hint of surprise in Jiang Changning's lowered eyes. Was Mrs. Zhuang protecting her
Mrs. Wu spoke up, "My cousin was indeed prone to illness in the past, but after so many years of recuperation, she is now well again. Look at her complexion, her skin is as white as cream and as beautiful as a peach."
Jiang Changning curled the corners of his lips, and a sarcastic sneer flashed across his face.
Mrs. Wu had always disliked her and was wary of her, fearing that the old lady would marry her to Zhuang Jike.
But who would like that mama’s boy who likes to hang around in the inner chambers, is good for nothing and has accomplished nothing
This is a new article. If you find the name of the heroine in the previous book, please tell me so that I can make some changes.
(End of this chapter)