What play is this about
Zhou Shaojin took a step back calmly, avoiding Mrs. Wu.
Madam Wu was slightly startled, a trace of embarrassment flashed across her face, she turned back and smiled at Old Madam Guan, "Shao Jin is back, it's getting late, I'll go back first and come visit you in two days!"
Old Mrs. Guan smiled and replied "OK", without asking the guest to stay. She was supported by Zhou Shaojin and personally escorted out of Jiashu Hall.
Zhou Shaojin asked his grandmother in a low voice: "What is Madam Wu doing here?"
Old Madam Guan glanced at Zhou Shaojin with a hint of meaning, and said with a smile, "It is said that Lord Wu intended to marry the eldest daughter of the Wu family to the third master of the Liu family as a concubine. The eldest daughter of the Wu family disagreed and made a scene. She also instigated the eldest master of the Wu family to beat up the third master of the Liu family. How could the Liu family be afraid of trouble? Not only did the eldest master of the Wu family not get any advantage, but he was beaten to the bed by the Liu family. The Liu family still refused and said they would go to Kyoto to sue Lord Wu. Naturally, the marriage was cancelled. Lord Wu and the eldest daughter and the eldest master of the Wu family put the blame on her - Lord Wu blamed her for not disciplining the eldest daughter of the Wu family, but the eldest daughter and the eldest master of the Wu family said that she had arranged this marriage for the eldest daughter of the Wu family behind Lord Wu's back. Now she is neither here nor there, and she has no place to speak. After thinking about it, she can only run to me, her aunt, to cry."
Zhou Shaojin was stunned and asked, "The third master of the Liu family, is he the Liu family in Guanjie that is known as the 'Mei Mansion'?"
"That's right." said Mrs. Guan.
Zhou Shaojin pondered, "Does Madam Wu want you to ask the people from the first or second house to help them negotiate with the Liu family?"
Old Lady Guan smiled and said, "She didn't mention it, she just said she was feeling uncomfortable and came to my place to take a break. But I think she must have come for this matter, otherwise how could she have the time to come to my place again and again when Master Wu is busy with the spring ploughing."
In his previous life, Wu Baozhang quickly integrated into the circle of ladies in Jinling City and won praise, so naturally he did not marry someone as a concubine.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "So what are your plans?"
Old Madam Guan smiled and said, "It's better for the county magistrate to take charge now. We can't make things too awkward with the Wu family. I'll wait and see what she says before making any plans."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded.
Two days later, Mrs. Wu really came.
In addition to the gifts, she also brought the Wu Baohua sisters.
"Shaojin," Mrs. Wu saw that she was as cordial as before, and pulled Wu Baohua and Wu Baozhi in front of her, "I have heard that you are good at needlework. My two daughters have stayed with me in the countryside for a long time. They are smart but have little vision. I brought them here today, hoping that you can teach them a thing or two about needlework." Then, without waiting for her to refuse, she added, "I know you have to copy scriptures in Hanbi Mountain House every afternoon, and I dare not waste your time. If they have embroidery works in the future, you can help them see where they need to be improved. I would like to thank you here!" As she said this, she was about to salute Zhou Shaojin.
If this got out, Zhou Shaojin would definitely be branded as "frivolous".
Zhou Shaojin was furious, thinking that all the Wu family members were like this, doing whatever they wanted without caring about other people's feelings. Wu Baozhang was not familiar with Mrs. Wu, and now it seemed that she had learned these bad habits from Mrs. Wu.
But she is no longer the Zhou Shaojin of her previous life. She has learned to control her emotions and will not foolishly hand the handle to others.
"Thank you, Madam Wu, for your kindness." She smiled politely. "When it comes to needlework, none of us in the family can compare to the masters in the sewing room. I am young and don't dare to be their teacher. If Madam Wu doesn't mind, the two Miss Wus can come to me if they don't understand something. I will take them to the sewing room to show them to the masters. They are all famous masters in Jiangnan. Not to mention getting their guidance, even taking out the things they make and taking a closer look at them is a feast for the eyes!"
Mrs. Wu's smile suddenly froze.
Zhou Shaojin pretended not to see it and asked Wu Baohua with a smile: "When did you come here? We haven't seen each other for a while. What have you been doing these days? Classes at Jing'anzhai here will start on the second day of the second month, and I will be even busier in the future. Who are you sisters studying with? I don't know when this book will end."
She sighed, like a little girl who was forcing herself to express her sorrow in order to write new poems.
Wu Baohua was a typical girl with ordinary appearance but great inner beauty. As soon as Zhou Shaojin opened his mouth, she understood Zhou Shaojin's intention. Also, because Mrs. Wu had always wanted to train her to be a noble and upright official lady, Mrs. Wu always showed her good side in front of her. As a result, Wu Baohua and her sister were less influenced by Mrs. Wu.
Seeing their mother act like this, the two sisters blushed with shame.
Wu Baohua said hurriedly, "We have hired a female teacher at home. My sister and I study with her every day, and sometimes we want to take a break. We are not like the second young lady who can take a break from her busy schedule and have holidays." She made a decision on the spot, "After I arrived in Jinling City, I also heard people talk about the needlework room in Jiuru Lane. It is one of the best in the whole Jiangnan region. We sisters are very honored to have the help of the second young lady to take a look. But I heard that the clothes of the ancestor of the second branch of the Cheng family were all made in the needlework room. We are so presumptuous to barge in like this. I don’t know if it will disturb the masters in the needlework room?” After speaking, she glanced at Mrs. Wu.
Mrs. Wu immediately fell silent.
Does Mrs. Wu have to listen to her daughter all the time
Zhou Shaojin guessed, but he didn't show it on his face. He smiled and said, "Miss Wu is a guest, so the host should follow the guest's wishes. If you want to talk about taking advantage, it's because of Miss Wu that I can go to the sewing room to see the craftsmanship of the masters."
What I meant was that I can't go whenever I want to. If you are knowledgeable and sensible, you should stop talking about giving me advice on needlework.
Wu Baohua smiled and said, "Fortunately, we sisters have maids at home to teach us needlework, so there is no rush. We can ask for advice when we encounter difficulties."
This is just a polite remark.
Zhou Shaojin suddenly had a good impression of Wu Baohua.
At least it's better than the impression left on Mrs. Wu and Wu Baozhang.
Wu Baohua laughed and said, "Second Miss, do you go to Hanbi Mountain House to copy scriptures every day? Don't you ever miss a day?"
"Copying scriptures is a sincere thing, how can we interrupt it?" Zhou Shaojin smiled. At first she thought it was just an ordinary household remark, but when she found that Mrs. Wu was listening attentively, and thought about Mrs. Wu's performance just now, she immediately realized that there was another meaning in this sentence.
Is Mrs. Wu’s ultimate goal the eldest son’s wife
I wonder what she asked the eldest son to do
Zhou Shaojin guessed secretly and tried to test it out: "But I don't have anything to do this afternoon. I can go to Hanbi Mountain House to copy scriptures and talk to Madam Guo..."
She found that before she had finished speaking, Mrs. Wu's eyes lit up.
Zhou Shaojin looked towards Old Lady Guan.
Old Mrs. Guan smiled and nodded slightly at her.
She knew that Old Lady Guan had also noticed something, so she quickly ended the topic, made the excuse of going back to her room to change clothes, and left Jiashu Hall.
At night, Mrs. Guan said to her, "Mrs. Wu was stammering and only said that she had something to ask the eldest housekeeper. She wanted me to speak for her, but she didn't say a word about what she wanted to ask the eldest housekeeper!"
Zhou Shaojin is annoyed by people who treat others as fools and use them as tools.
She whispered, "If she wants to ask for an official position for Lord Wu, will you also accompany her to see Old Madam Guo? How can our Fourth House repay such a big favor in the future? I think you might as well use this effort on Uncle Yuan Er!"
Old Madam Guan laughed and liked her calling herself "our fourth room". So after Zhou Shaojin left, she quietly asked Nanny Wang: "What do you think of Shaojin and Yi'er?"
"I think she's good." Nanny Wang smiled. "She's not only beautiful and filial, but also has a good temper. She gets along well with everyone in the family. It's just like the saying 'A harmonious family brings prosperity'."
Old Madam Guan smiled and took a sip of tea, saying, "I think so too."
A few days later, Mrs. Wu came again.
This time she was alone and talked to Old Mrs. Guan for a long time in the room. When she came out, her eyes were still red, but her expression was no longer as gloomy as the previous two times, and she looked very happy. On the contrary, Old Mrs. Guan had a frown on her face, as tight as if she could pinch a mosquito.
Si'er couldn't help feeling a little worried. When Zhou Shaojin came back from Hanbi Mountain House to pay his respects to Old Madam Guan, she quietly waved to Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin went to the tea room with her.
Si'er leaned over to her ear and told her what had happened. Finally, she said, "Do you think that Mrs. Wu was threatening Mr. An?"
"No." Zhou Shaojin was also a little unsure, and said, "I'll go in later to test grandma's mood. I hope it's not the case."
Si'er nodded continuously and sighed deeply.
But what surprised Zhou Shaojin was that after she had paid her respects to Old Lady Guan, before she had time to ask anything, Old Lady Guan had already called her to sit next to her and talked about the purpose of Madam Wu's visit: "… It is said that a classmate of Lord Wu in the Ministry of Personnel has told Madam Wu that someone has set his eyes on the position of Jinling prefect and wants Lord Wu to move. Lord Wu sent his legal advisor to work in Beijing for a long time, and others hinted that it was someone from the eldest house in Jiuru Lane who sent the message, saying that they wanted to find someone familiar to be the prefect of Jinling, so that someone would take care of the family affairs. Lord Wu and Madam Wu were anxious, and they didn't see anyone from the eldest house after visiting several times. There was really no other way, so they came to us. They wanted us to pass a message to the eldest house, and if they did anything wrong, let the eldest house just say it, and they will change it immediately. Why do we have to change someone to be the prefect of Jinling? Speaking of which, their master's teacher, Lord Song Jingran, is a classmate of the second old master of the eldest house, so he can be considered one of their own..."
This is really a windfall!
Zhou Shaojin was stunned and asked, "Is there such a thing?"
Old Madam Guan smiled bitterly and said, "Whether there is such a thing or not, Madam Wu said that when your uncle Mian handed over a name card about Xinlan and Lanting, their master did everything without saying a word. Even the prison matter, he pretended not to know. If a prefect comes, he may be familiar with the eldest house, but not necessarily the fourth house. They can agree to the same thing as the other party. Why bother to go through so much trouble? It's inconvenient for everyone."
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Sisters, today's pink ticket update is extra!
PS: Keep asking for pink votes!
※(To be continued)