After coming out of the Green Willow Room, Xie Nanjia did not rush back to the Fourth Young Lady, but turned to the Qingfeng Courtyard.
Like Aunt Xue, the Fourth Aunt was a girl in a brothel before entering the Marquis's Mansion. She planned to find the Fourth Aunt to find out some information.
When the Fourth Aunt heard that she was coming, she went to the door to greet her in person. Her attitude was respectful and warm, and she was completely different from before.
Xie Nanjia followed her into the house and sat down in the living room. She found that Yunxia was not among the maids serving her, so she asked casually, "Where is Yunxia?"
"She thought my place was too small and found a better job." The fourth concubine pointed at the maid in green clothes who was making tea and said with a smile, "I just didn't want to use her, so I asked the Marquis to help me find Qinghong, the maid from before."
The girl in blue smiled at Xie Nanjia, neither humble nor arrogant, and didn't say much.
So she is Qinghong. Xie Nanjia thought, no wonder the fourth aunt is still obsessed with her at the farm, she looks much more reliable than Sumei and Yunxia.
She did not pay too much attention to Qinghong, but heard the Fourth Aunt's pride from her understated words, and said with a smile: "Aunt is now more favored by the Marquis, I am really happy for you."
The fourth concubine covered her mouth and laughed: "No, it's still the same as before."
The words sound humble, but the meaning is that no matter how favored she was in the past, she is still the same now.
Qinghong brewed some tea and brought it over, placing it next to Fourth Aunt and Xie Nanjia in turn, smiling and saying, "I often hear Aunt raise her sleeves, and today I finally see it. When I was away, thanks to you for intervening for Aunt, I have nothing to thank you for, so I'll use tea instead. Come and try it, is it to your liking?"
Xie Nanjia nodded slightly, but did not serve the tea. She just smiled and said, "Sister Qinghong, you are too polite. Wait until I finish talking to my aunt, and then I will taste your tea."
What this means is that you can go and guard outside the door.
Qinghong was slightly startled, then looked at Fourth Aunt.
The fourth aunt nodded and said, "You go out first. I'll talk to Xiu'er."
"Yes." Qinghong no longer hesitated, and retreated to the door with another little girl and closed the door gently.
The little girl was new, and she asked her outside the door: "Sister Qinghong, who is that Xiu'er? How can she sit on the same level as Auntie?"
Qinghong was also very puzzled. After she came back, she heard her aunt talk about Xiu'er and knew how much help Xiu'er had been to her aunt. However, she did not expect that her aunt would think so highly of Xiu'er, with such a respectful attitude, as if Xiu'er was the master.
She understood her aunt's character better than anyone else. This was the first time she had seen a woman who could make her aunt sincerely convinced. It seemed that this Xiu'er was indeed not simple.
"Don't ask questions about the master's affairs that you shouldn't ask." She stood at the door with her hands hanging down and said to the little girl with a serious face.
A quarter of an hour later, the door opened and Xie Nanjia walked out.
The fourth aunt followed her and sent her off, earnestly admonishing her: "Come visit me often when you have time and talk to me. If you need my help, just ask. Don't treat me as an outsider."
Xie Nanjia smiled and said, "I have never treated you as an outsider. Don't worry, I will trouble you in many ways in the future!"
This was too blunt a statement, and the Fourth Aunt seemed extremely happy to hear it, as if she wished Xiu'er could assign her more work. Not to mention Qinghong, even the little maid watching from the side began to wonder who was the master and who was the servant between the two of them.
"Qinghong, please help me hold my sleeves." The fourth concubine ordered.
Qinghong responded and accompanied Xie Nanjia to the gate of the courtyard.
Xie Nanjia was thinking about her own things and remained silent all the way. Qinghong walked beside her, quietly sizing her up. The more she looked, the more amazed she was. Xiu'er's appearance and demeanor were rare among maids, and even among the noble ladies in the capital, she could be considered outstanding.
Moreover, her beauty is not the fragile beauty that is typical of a rich lady, but a bright beauty that is full of vitality and agility. There is also an intelligence and indifference that cannot be ignored, which makes her look calm and unperturbed.
No wonder she was able to single-handedly help the Fourth Aunt return to the Marquis' Mansion, no wonder the Fourth Aunt looked at her differently, and no wonder the servants privately rumored that the Crown Prince and the Second Young Master were both bewitched by her and wanted to make her theirs.
Qinghong believed that such a unique girl would be able to rise to prominence in the future.
Thinking of this, she took the initiative to establish a friendship with Xie Nanjia: "Xiu'er, although this is the first time we meet, I feel very close to you as soon as I see you. You should come to our place often when you have nothing to do, so that we can improve our relationship as sisters."
Xie Nanjia's train of thought was interrupted. Without hearing what she said clearly, he glanced at her and said with a smile, "You make good tea. I like it very much."
Qinghong: “…”
Obviously, Xiu'er had no intention of getting close to her, nor did she take her seriously.
After leaving Qingfeng Courtyard, Xie Nanjia went to the big kitchen again. She clearly saw Aunt Cai, Jiu'er, Qin'er, Suju and others, and talked to them for a while.
Su Ju is very talented in cooking and is a hard-working person. Although she is not as clever as Xie Nanjia, she is more loyal than Xie Nanjia. She treats Aunt Cai as her own mother, and therefore pleases Aunt Cai, who does her best to train her.
Xie Nanjia had believed from the beginning that her personality was not suitable for serving a master alone. Now that he saw that she was doing well in the kitchen, he was happy for her.
Su Ju knew that she was able to come to the big kitchen because of Xie Nanjia's recommendation. She was extremely grateful to Xie Nanjia and said that she would do her best whenever Xie Nanjia needed her.
After leaving the kitchen, Xie Nanjia went to the young master's courtyard and met Feng Lun, Xiaofu and Xiaoxi. Then she talked with Hualou in the inner room for a long time. It was not until it was getting dark that she returned to the fourth young lady's courtyard.
The fourth young lady had not returned from school yet, and Zhen'er and the nanny were busy tidying up the clothes that were drying in the yard.
The second young lady, Zhao Lanshu, was punished to go to the ancestral hall. Xie Nanjia no longer worried that someone in the school would cause trouble for the fourth young lady, so he asked Su He to follow her for the next few days so that he could have more time to plan things.
When it was getting dark, the fourth young lady came back from school, changed her clothes, and hurried to the old lady's courtyard to serve her dinner.
This was what Xie Nanjia taught her. She had no one to rely on in the mansion and was at the mercy of others. She had finally taken advantage of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet to get close to the old lady. She had to seize this opportunity and do everything possible to please the old lady and make her more and more dependent on her. Only in this way could she ensure that her future would not be arbitrarily disposed of by the lady.
Su He had been with the Fourth Young Miss for a whole day and was very tired, so Xie Nanjia asked her to rest at home and she accompanied the Fourth Young Miss to the old lady.
The old lady no longer treated her as an outsider, and did not avoid mentioning her when talking to the nanny beside her about the candidate for a daughter-in-law for Zhao Jingping.
Although Zhao Jingping was married for the second time and was a playboy, the family background of the Marquisate was still there, and families willing to marry into the family were still flocking to him.
After making some inquiries, the matchmaker counted the families that were interested in marrying into the Marquis's family and reported it to the old lady. The old lady accepted the list and rewarded her with a generous gift of thanks, and she no longer had to interfere in subsequent matters.
The old lady carefully screened the names on the list and secretly sent her confidants to inquire outside. Finally, she picked out girls from five families, asked someone to write them down, and sent them to Qin to see. She asked Qin to choose the one she liked from them. The next day, she would prepare generous gifts and ask the wife of Wang Mingyang, the Minister of Rites, to act as a matchmaker and propose marriage.
Mrs. Wang is eloquent and kind-hearted. She loves to act as a matchmaker. Half of the marriages among the wealthy and powerful families in Beijing were arranged by her.
Xie Nanjia listened quietly at the side and could not help but admire the old lady's unique vision and thorough consideration. Xie Nanjia knew all the girls she had chosen. Not only were they from equal family backgrounds and had good reputations, they were also capable of managing household affairs, making them the perfect match for Zhao Jingping.
Especially the second daughter of the Pingnan Earl, Chen Rong, who was outstanding in appearance and extremely intelligent. Because her mother was frail and sickly and her elder sister got married, she began to manage the affairs of the inner house at the age of twelve. She was strong-willed and clear in rewards and punishments, and no one in the mansion disobeyed her.
Xie Nanjia listened to what the old lady said and realized that she was the one who was most favored. If it weren't for her biological mother Qin, she would have made the decision immediately.
Xie Nanjia didn't know whether Qin would like such a strong daughter-in-law, but she knew that Chen Rong appeared to be a smart and virtuous lady who managed the household well, but in fact she was cruel and ruthless and would do anything to protect the interests of the first wife, even harming the lives of Pingnan Bo's concubines and illegitimate sons.
At a spring banquet one year, Luliu heard with her own ears Chen Rong instructing his men to tamper with the carriage of Pingnan Bo's Third Aunt. However, Luliu did not know that Pingnan Bo's Third Aunt was pregnant at that time, and thought that Chen Rong was just trying to play a trick on the Third Aunt, so she did not tell Xie Nanjia about it.
When they returned to the general's mansion, they heard that the third concubine's horse was frightened and fell into the moat on the way home, killing two people. Lvliu was terrified and told Xie Nanjia what she had heard, but it was too late.
From that day on, Xie Nanjia avoided Chen Rong like the plague. He would not contact her if he could. If there were some occasions that he could not avoid, he would try not to talk to her as much as possible.
Chen Rong wanted to make friends with Xie Nanjia and often invited her to visit her, but she always found excuses to refuse.
If such a cruel person really married into the Marquis's Mansion, Xie Nanjia had no doubt that the first ones to suffer would be Zhao Jingping's concubines, including Lvliu. Once Chen Rong became pregnant, her son would be the next to suffer.
Therefore, she would never allow Chen Rong to marry in.
To facilitate a marriage, many parties need to be involved. In comparison, it is much easier to ruin a marriage. Xie Nanjia spent an entire night coming up with a brilliant plan to kill two birds with one stone, and began to prepare the next day.
…
Qin also did not sleep all night. The list given to her by the old lady was like a death warrant, making her restless and uneasy.
The old lady apparently respected her as a mother and let her make the decision to choose her own daughter-in-law, but in fact the greatest authority she gave her was to choose one out of five.
To be honest, these five girls are all good girls, but in her opinion, they have one common shortcoming, which is that they are too strong and capable.
Of course, the wife of the main house had to be stronger in order to control the people under her. For example, the marquis had concubines, not too many but not too few either. If she was not so strong, she would not be able to suppress them at all. But then again, no matter how strong she was, she was not stronger than the marquis. Therefore, she could not control the marquis and had to be controlled by him in every way.
But Zhao Jingping was different. In her eyes, her son was too gentle, too kind-hearted, and easily influenced. If he married a strong wife, he would definitely suffer endless bullying in the future.
And her poor niece Wanru was also eagerly waiting for her to find a solution!
She didn't want her son to be angry, nor did she want to disappoint Wanru. Her own marriage was ruined, and she hoped that her son and niece's marriage would be happy, which would be the greatest comfort to her.
But the old lady only gave her one night to make a choice, and asked her to ask Mrs. Wang for help in proposing a marriage tomorrow. No matter how dissatisfied she was, she had to choose one.
She didn't want to choose any of them, so she pushed the list to Matron Cao and asked her to help her choose.
Madam Cao did not have as many concerns as Qin. Like the old lady, she was eager to find a strong wife for the prince to control him. Therefore, after careful consideration, she suggested that the lady choose Chen Rong, the second daughter of the Pingnan Earl.
Qin didn't care. Her plan was to randomly choose one to report to the old lady and make the other four families give up the idea of marrying their daughters into the Marquis's Mansion. Then she would be able to deal with the remaining one.
The next morning, Qin went to see the old lady and said that she thought the second daughter of the Earl of Pingnan was quite good and asked the old lady what she thought.
It was a rare occasion that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had the same views. The old lady was very happy, and urged her to go to the Minister's Mansion and ask Mrs. Wang to help propose marriage.
Although Qin was reluctant, she still prepared gifts and took a carriage to the Minister's Mansion.
Xie Nanjia had always asked Xiao Xizi to keep an eye on what was going on over there. When she heard that Qin was going to meet the Minister's wife, she deliberately ran into her on the road she had to pass. After paying her respects, she pretended to ask Qin casually if she was going to the Shangshu Mansion.
When Qin heard her mention the Shangshu Mansion, her eyes lit up and she remembered the arranging a marriage for her grandson.
She thought that since she was going out, she might as well visit the Shangshu's wife. If there was really hope of marrying into the Shangshu's family, perhaps the old lady would be so happy that she would not care about Ping'er's marriage for the time being.
So she excitedly called Xie Nanjia to go with her, so as to remind the Shangshu's wife not to forget the life-saving grace of the Marquis' Mansion to her family.
Xie Nanjia said in embarrassment: "Madam, I still have to go back to serve the fourth young lady..."
"The fourth young lady went to school. Do you think I don't know?" Qin said unhappily, "Don't make excuses. Come with me."
Xie Nanjia had no choice but to obey.
Qin originally wanted to take Yunyan and Yunying with her, but with the addition of Xie Nanjia, she left Yunying at home. Yunying was angry that Xie Nanjia had snatched away her chance to leave the house and was very dissatisfied.
When the carriage was halfway along, Xie Nanjia pretended to be bored and lifted the curtain to look outside, then said to Qin: "Madam, the driver must have taken the wrong road. This is not the way to the Shangshu Mansion!"
Qin still wanted to rely on her relationship with the Shangshu's wife, so she patiently told her: "We have to go to the Minister of Rites' residence first."
"Why is that?" Xie Nanjia asked.
Yun Yan scolded her from the side: "Just follow along, why ask so many questions."
Xie Nanjia shut up and stopped asking questions.
When they arrived at the Minister's residence, Yunyan handed in a visiting card. After receiving the letter, Mrs. Wang personally brought her maids and servants out to greet them.
She was cheerful, loud-voiced, and loved to laugh. As she came over, she greeted Qin with a smile: "Oh, my dear sister, what sweet wind has brought you here? You sent us a lot of fresh lotus roots, fish and shrimps for the Mid-Autumn Festival, which made us very happy. I was thinking of visiting you in the next few days to express my gratitude, but you came first. I am so sorry for that!"
While talking, he walked as fast as the wind and arrived in front of Qin. He grabbed Qin's hand and exchanged pleasantries again. His mouth was as sweet as honey, and he didn't give anyone room to respond. He performed a monologue and led the master and servant to the reception room.
Yun Yan was so shocked that she didn't care about her disgust towards Xie Nanjia. She approached her and whispered to her, "Madam Wang is really born to be a matchmaker."
Xie Nanjia also whispered, "It's true. She is as enthusiastic and eloquent as the matchmaker in our village."
As they were talking, they entered the hall. Mrs. Wang invited Qin to take a seat and repeatedly ordered the maids and servants to serve tea and snacks.
Qin politely sat down, Yun Yan and Xie Nanjia stood behind her.
Mrs. Wang had not noticed the two of them just now, but when she accidentally glanced at them, she was immediately attracted by Xie Nanjia and blurted out, "What a pretty girl! I have never seen her before. Where did you find her, sister?"
Qin Shi didn't want to mention Xie Nanjia's background, because mentioning her background would inevitably bring up the Fourth Concubine. A deposed concubine returned to the mansion and gained favor again. If she told people about it, it would just make people laugh at her as the main wife's incompetence. So she smiled stiffly and said vaguely, "She just came into the mansion a while ago. I thought she was pretty smart, so I brought her out to see the world."
Madam Wang looked at Xie Nanjia carefully again, frowned slightly and said, "This look and demeanor look very familiar to me, as if I have seen her somewhere before."
(End of this chapter)