Chu Jinyao sat in the room with the window half open, listening to the gossip of the maids and old ladies under the corridor.
"Is what you said true?"
"Naturally, it's true, now that the news has spread all over the street, the children of Huangkou at the street know that the prince's extraordinary army has fallen and chased the Tartars three thousand miles away. If it wasn't for the sudden heavy snowfall, which blocked the marching route, the prince would definitely be able to defeat the Tartars. Exterminate the clan!"
"Wow!" The female relatives covered their mouths and exclaimed, Chu Jinyao sewed a stitch, and secretly shook her head and laughed.
Obviously in yesterday's version, the prince took advantage of the snowy night and led his troops to chase them out for a thousand miles.
The Tatars are Dayan’s heart disease. The Tatars are a nation on horseback. In the tribe, boys can ride horses when they can walk, and drink alcohol when they can drink water. Over the years, they have often relied on fast horses and machetes to invade the border suddenly. When the troops pursued, they withdrew, and under the back-and-forth harassment, the border guards were unable to guard against it, and the people were also unbearable.
The generals guarding the frontier, for various reasons, always refused to risk attacking the Tatars. After all, it is easier to defend than to attack. As long as there is no trouble in closing the city, they are the servants of merit. If the attack on the Tartar fails, it will be a big deal.
Therefore, over the years, the great power of the Yan Dynasty has never won a battle against the Tartars, and has always been passively defensive. But this time, the Tatars, relying on the thick horses in the autumn, even brazenly attacked the border, trying to reproduce the victory thirteen years ago. However, this time, their eyes were not only on the property in Shanxi, but the eyes of the Tartars were on the capital.
If they can break through the Datong frontier defense, it will only take a few days to enter the capital. Maybe, they will be able to reproduce the glory of the previous dynasty ruling the world of the Han family!
The Tatar Khan even heard from somewhere that the prince was also at the border, which can be said to be a godsend opportunity. In the eyes of the Tartars, this prince must be a man who fears death. Once the beacon is closed, he must be the fastest one. The Tatar Khans were full of confidence that maybe they could capture two emperors alive during their trip.
It is a pity that the Tatar Khan was wrong in the end. After the war broke out, the prince did not evacuate first, as everyone imagined, but robbed 3,000 elite soldiers and went out with his own people. The head of the general soldier in Datong was going to be bald. He looked at the snow-like summons from the cabinet, and he was completely heartbroken. In cooperation with the prince, he also went out of the city to meet the Tartars. Because of the Prince's presence, the morale of the frontier generals was boosted, and they heroically killed the enemy.
In this way, the army of the imperial court fought and advanced, and attacked frantically wherever it fell. It was difficult to hold on to the Tatar offensive. Finally, relying on supplies and geographical advantages, it slowly counterattacked and invaded the land of the Tartars. The last battle report from the mainland was that it was snowing heavily outside the gate, and the horse had no half body and could not move forward. Therefore, the prince withdrew his troops and returned to the city to recuperate.
Chu Jinyao was in Taiyuan and didn't know what was going on in the capital, but she knew that the entire Taiyuan city was already boiling with the battle report of the prince. It's been too long since I've had such an inspiring victory.
Today, even the servant girls in the deep house are excitedly discussing this victory.
Chu Jinyao sewed another stitch and finally finished sewing the sleeve. She put the sleeves and forehead together, and planned to wait for the shopkeeper Wei to come and let him pass these to Sister Su Hui.
Chu Jinyao sent the news in August, followed by rumors of the Tatar prisoners, the current situation was turbulent, the people were panic, no one dared to move rashly, and Su Hui didn't dare to throw herself into the trap and go north to Taiyuan. Later, the news of the prince's participation in the war spread all over the country, and the battle situation gradually became stalemate. The court's back-up army, silver and food were transported to the border without money, and the people gradually became more confident. Abandoned the city to flee. It was during this time that Su Hui's husband, Butcher Zhang, knocked on the side door of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion, led by the shopkeeper Wei Xiao, and connected with Chu Jinyao.
Now, taking advantage of the good business at the end of the year, butcher Zhang has brought Su Hui to Taiyuan to work in Yunzhi Embroidery Village. Chu Jinyao said that Su Hui was skillful and capable, which really didn't add a bit of water. Although Su Hui was hot and flamboyant, she had always been a person with a sharp mouth and a tofu heart, and she was also very quick in her work. Not long after she went to the embroidery village, she got used to the rhythm there, and she was not ambiguous at all. These things that Chu Jinyao sewed were given to Su Hui to keep out the cold.
In fact, Su Hui doesn't need Chu Jinyao's help now. Her brother-in-law, Butcher Zhang, continues to work in his old business. The butcher is a business that makes money. The family is not a problem at all, maybe they can save some oil and water, not to mention that there is now Su Hui to help, working in the embroidery village. Chu Jinyao didn't want to help out clearly, so she gave Su Hui one or two and a half wages. After the New Year, she and her sister discussed making spring clothes, so she could give Su Hui some wages to make her sister's life easier. Feeling better now.
Su Hui and his wife earn about 5 taels of silver a month, which is already a very good income, but in the eyes of Chu Jinyao, 5 taels of silver is still nothing. If Chu Jinyao didn't have the dividends from Yunzhi Embroidery Village, she would only have two taels of silver a month and four sets of clothes per season. I'm afraid she wouldn't be as good as Su Hui and his wife.
Fortunately, Chu Jinyao now has a family background, and she will not be short of fabrics after ten years of use, not to mention that shopkeeper Wei will send 1,000 to 2,000 cents of silver every month, and she will also send her some fashionable fabrics along the way. , Shopkeeper Qi also walked around frequently. As a result, Chu Jinyao received more fabrics each month than he used, and the boxes were gradually unable to fit, so he had to pile up additional wooden boxes.
She has more and more private houses, and she no longer feels wronged with the things she usually uses. Yunjin, which she once cherished in every possible way, is now just an ordinary piece of fabric in her eyes. Affordable.
However, Chu Jinyao didn't dare to be so public. Usually, apart from the clothes distributed by the house, he didn't make many new clothes. On the contrary, the old lady couldn't see it, and often cut her clothes.
Chu Jinyao put the sleeves and ear protectors together, and turned her somewhat stiff wrist. Kikyo just saw this scene when she entered the door, she hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Is the girl tired? I'll give the girl a knock."
"No need." Chu Jinyao said, "I just do my own activities."
Kikyo should be, holding the needle and thread basket in her arms, and was about to go out, when she suddenly found that the window behind Chu Jinyao was open. She frowned, pointed to the window and asked, "Who made this? The girl is sitting here doing needlework, and the window is open, what if the girl catches a cold?"
"I opened it. I thought it was too stuffy to burn charcoal in the house, so I opened the window myself. At least it's ventilated."
Kikyo stepped forward and closed the window. When she closed the window, she found that the old woman in the corridor was still chatting on the railing. She couldn't help scolding: "The girl is here, you can talk endlessly, and you are not afraid to quarrel with the girl!"
When the servants heard this, the girl was sitting behind this window and immediately stood up and apologized. Chu Jinyao said to Kikyo: "I've been frightened for a winter, let them relax for a while, and it's okay to talk."
"They are used to being lazy, and they will have no good words when they are free. I don't think about it. It is the prince who won the battle. What does it have to do with them. Now they are talking about the prince.
Chu Jinyao laughed, and when Gongmao came in and heard this sentence, she repeatedly praised: "That's the truth! Who is the prince, we can't let us gossip, even if we say one more sentence, it's disrespectful to the royal family."
Chu Jinyao was stunned: "Is it so serious?"
Mama Gong said with a solemn face, "It's natural."
Chu Jinyao had no choice but to suppress this topic. In the past, Qi Ze always spoke ill of the prince in front of her. Over time, even Chu Jinyao was very familiar with the prince, as if he was someone within reach, not an unattainable prince. However, she did not expect that in the eyes of others, the grand prince, even if it came out of his mouth, would be an offense.
In fact, this also shows that the popularity of the prince among the people is growing, far from being comparable to before.
To put it in an unpleasant way, it is the saint today, and I am afraid it is not comparable.
After all, although the sage has a great reputation, it is not a good reputation.
Chu Jinyao was sincerely happy for the prince, although she didn't know why she was so happy. Maybe, because she saw the right person? At the beginning of the war, she blindly trusted the crown prince, and it turned out that she did not trust the wrong person.
Prince, worthy of the title of Crown Prince, and also worthy of the expectations of the people for him.
Grandma Gong said: "Girl, the New Year is getting closer, and it's time to take care of your big clothes this year. What do you think, girl?"
"Whatever the family arranges, I will do it."
Mama Gong was stunned for a moment and replied, "Okay."
In fact, with Chu Jinyao's current private house, she could just pull a piece of fabric out of the box in the west wing, and she was able to overwhelm the sisters and come out on top, but she didn't. Grandma Gong looked at her with emotion. She was able to restrain herself like this at an age when she liked competition and beauty, which shows how cautious and steady Chu Jinyao was. However, there are still some regrets in addition to the emotion. Standing there, Chu Jin Yaoguang is like a hundred flowers in full bloom, and the flowers are profound. These gorgeous woven gold brocades, makeup and satin, wearing them on her may not be how good they look. But Chu Jinyao did not wear it once because of her status.
Mama Gong couldn't say why it was a pity, she just felt that the beauty was dusty, and the five girls should not have any restrictions and should stand a little higher.
Mistress Gong unsurprisingly thought of the Huailing Palace, and she persuaded implicitly, "Miss, if you think that the burning of charcoal in the house is boring, you might as well go to the old lady's place to sit. There is a warm pavilion in the old lady's house. Warmer than charcoal and no smoke."
How could Chu Jinyao not know that this was a drunkard's intention, not drinking. Last time they were guests at the palace of Huailing County, and then there was news of the Tartar attack. . Now that the battle situation has been decided, things that have been shelved in the fall can continue to be discussed.
For example, the companion reading of the county head.
From the bottom of her heart, Chu Jinyao didn't want to be a student, but her objection could not change anything other than making her own situation worse. Over time, Chu Jinyao didn't mention it anymore, but she was not enthusiastic about her actions. that is.
Mama Gong didn't understand why the fifth girl was always lukewarm about choosing a partner to read. If no one mentioned it, she would not go, as if she was passively resisting... Mama Gong shook her head, and put aside these unreasonable thoughts, He persuaded bitterly: "Girl, you are fourteen years old, you should plan for yourself."
How could she not know, she returned to the Marquis of Changxing Mansion at the end of the first month, and in the blink of an eye, another year-end had arrived. After the new year, she will be fourteen years old.
Chu Jinyao finally stood up and said, "Okay, I'll go see my grandmother."
Grandma Gong was overjoyed, and hurriedly responded with a smile: "Okay, this old slave will get the girl a cape."
Chu Jinyao put on a white fur cape with fine fluff on the neckline and cuffs. She was wearing a short pink jacket with a pair of fronts and a blue horse-faced skirt underneath, embroidered with a large group of precious flowers at the skirt. Chu Jinyao's gloves were in the rabbit fur sleeves, and only a pink pipa sleeve could be seen. When the people in Madam Chu's courtyard saw Chu Jinyao, they quickly opened the curtain: "Madam, the fifth girl is here!"
Chu Jinyao was served by Linglong and took off the cape and sleeves. After dissipating the frosty energy from her body, Chu Jinyao walked slowly to the inner room: "Grandma."
Mrs. Chu had already heard the report. She was wearing a gray fur coat and was sitting in the warm pavilion listening to the amusing of the maids. She turned around when she heard the sound, and saw a tall girl standing under the Bogu frame.
Chu Jinyao was taller than an ordinary lady, and she liked to wear short jackets and long skirts. The upper jacket probably reached her waist, and the bottom was a blue horse-faced skirt. The lining of the whole person is extraordinarily slender and even taller. The beauty has dark hair like clouds and white skin, standing here quietly, as if spring is returning to the earth.
Chu Jin Yaoguang stood there and didn't need to do anything, it made people feel as if spring had come, and it was really full of flowers, and Xu Yang was deep.
After the old lady looked over, she raised her hand slightly, Chu Jinyao understood, and immediately stepped forward, took the hand of the old lady, and sat beside the old lady.
The closer I sit like this, the more and more I feel that Chu Jinyao's eyebrows and eyes are beautiful and thrilling. They are like meticulous outlines, and the lines are smooth. I can't tell which part of her eyes is bad or which is good, but the beauty is natural and she never tires of seeing it. . Madam Chu looked at it quietly, and then quietly withdrew her gaze. This granddaughter of hers is good in everything, but the only thing that is not satisfactory is that she is not very close to her family, especially her grandmother.
But this is not a big problem, no matter whether Chu Jinyao is like this or has other grievances, it cannot change the fact that her surname is Chu. As long as she is a girl from the Chu family, she will marry from the Marquis of Changxing in the future, that's enough.
Mrs. Chu said: "Five girls, in a few days, the princess will hold a banquet in the palace and invite the young ladies of the city to enjoy the snow and plums."
Chu Jinyao was surprised for a moment: "It's almost the twelfth lunar month, and it will be New Year's Eve in half a month. Are you holding a banquet at this juncture?"
"The Prince's Palace is very rich, and spending money is like running water. These expenses are very easy. As long as the public has money, it will be a banquet on the 30th day, and the same consumption will start."
"I mean, it's almost New Year's Day, doesn't Princess Princess have to buy New Year's goods and handle things like ancestor worship?"
Mrs. Chu laughed loudly when she heard the words, and after laughing, she pointedly said to Chu Jinyao: "She is a princess, as long as you say a word casually, some maids and old women work for the princess. It is said that it is the mistress, but in fact, Marrying into the palace is a blessing in the past, and such a thing that has been established in previous years can still make a serious princess worry about it?"
Chu Jinyao was silent for a while, and finally said, "Grandmother, what do you think?"
"I have a piece of gold woven satin here. Although we are a little overstepped by what we wear, it is not too easy to go to the palace as a guest." Old Madam Chu said, "You are so skillful that even the embroidery lady in the palace can do it. Can't compare to you, take this satin back to your own plan. When you go to the banquet, you must not be underestimated."
Madam Chu's words were almost made clear.
The news that Mrs. Chu gave Chu Jinyao a quilt of gold makeup and damask quickly spread in the mansion.
Zhuanghua satin is a high-end material in brocade, and it is the most expensive, not to mention adding gold thread when weaving, the cost of this piece of Zhuanghua satin is unimaginable. Chu Jinmiao sat in the room and listened to the news of the maid's return.
Chu Jinmiao couldn't help but wonder, what was the situation in the mansion at this time last year? Yes, there was no Chu Jinyao at that time, she was the only second young lady in the house, and she was the first to pick the gifts from the elders and the donations from the shops outside. Chu Jinmiao didn't say anything, and no one dared to take the lead.
But after a year, her nightmare began. Madam Chu's makeup and satin should have been hers, as long as there was no Chu Jinyao.
Chu Jinmiao finally waved her hand and told the maid to shut up. This spring, she also mocked that Chu Jinyao was a frog in a well from a poor family. But now, Chu Jinyao already has several sets of Yunjin clothes, and now, damask satin can also be worn.
As for Chu Jinmiao, although there is a secret subsidy from the Zhao family, how can the Zhao family have more capital than the old lady, and the brocades and golden hairpins worth thousands of gold are rewarding people. But Chu Jinmiao couldn't change her extravagant style, and she never wanted to lower her pomp and make others look down on her. In this way, she could only get out and not get in. Gradually, Chu Jinmiao was already struggling.
It was only then that Chu Jinmiao discovered that it turned out that the resources in the mansion were tilted and the old lady was rewarded, what did these mean. In the past, these all entered Chu Jinxian's private treasury. Although Chu Jinmiao was jealous, she didn't dare to say anything, even though she was the eldest sister in the family. But now, why is this person replaced by Chu Jinyao
Chu Jinmiao watched Chu Jinyao become more and more gorgeous day by day, and her gestures were filled with the wealth and calmness of the nobles. The family's rejection of Chu Jinyao gradually disappeared, and finally, she became the praise of the five girls. .
Chu Jinmiao could not accept these changes. From her point of view, Chu Jinyao should be stretched and restless. She wants to integrate into the family, but she has no way of getting involved. She used to say that she doesn't care about Chu Jinyao, but that's because Chu Jinyao is still a poor girl, and everyone in the family It was Chu Jinmiao's preference. Once the balance swayed, Chu Jinmiao was the first to panic.
This feeling, as if seeing his own things, returned to Chu Jinyao.
Like a slow knife cutting meat, Chu Jinmiao was about to be driven crazy. She remembered the banquet at the palace a few days later, and the desperate madness gradually emerged in her eyes.
No matter how rich and noble the mansion of the Marquis of Changxing was, and how generous the old lady was to Chu Jinyao, how could it be compared to the mansion, or even the East Palace
In another slightly dark room, the maid picked the charcoal fire and covered it with a charcoal net. In order not to lose face, we had to change our winter clothes from last year. But the fifth girl didn't wear any heavy clothes this month! In this way, the old lady still gave Wu girls the makeup and satin, which is makeup and satin. Who doesn't want a dress with makeup and flowers. The old lady is so biased, and the slaves will not accept it."
The sixth girl listened and smiled: "What's the use of you if you don't accept it? The old lady is not my grandmother, how can I expect her to take care of me?"
"But, did the girl recognize her like this?" The little girl was still dissatisfied, and muttered, "Madam is true, all the money in the room is transferred to the young master, and he only cares about the young master's studies, and does not care about the girl's life and death. Girl, you are going to talk about marriage soon. Now, there are not many big clothes that can hold the scene, how can it be done?"
"Are you accepting your fate?" Six girls smiled, "No, never."
Chu Jinyao took Linglong back to the house, she went into the house to bake a charcoal fire, and asked Linglong to call in the other maids. It's getting dark early in winter, so you have to cut your clothes while it's bright.
Lilac brought a needle and thread basket, Kikyo helped Chu Jinyao to cut the fabric, and the maids chirped, "Girl, this is damask satin? A royal tribute that is hard to buy on the market?"
Grandma Sun glanced at the person from a distance, and sighed: "Such a good satin is only used for clothes. This kind of large guest clothes can't be worn again after wearing it once, it's too wasteful, and it's too wasteful to wear on the body. Don't be afraid of losing luck."
When Kikyo heard this, she turned her head and glared, and pushed the grandmother Sun out with one shoulder: "You can stop for a while, on a good day, take care of your mouth!"
Grandma Sun was contradicted by a maid, and she was so angry that she glared at Kikyo with wide eyes, and Kikyo looked back not to be outdone.
At this time, Linglong said: "Mother Gong, you have time to spare, I have some work to ask you."
After hearing the name of Mama Gong, Madam Sun calmed down a bit. She looked at Kikyo's triumphant smiling face, spit secretly, turned around and threw the curtain and went out.
In the house, the maids surrounded Chu Jinyao, still chatting and questioning.
Chu Jinyao didn't have time to answer, and Lilac shook her head as she watched Chu Jinyao busy.
She felt that the cloth was a bit old, far inferior to the girl's own.
Because Lilac is honest and does not talk much, this year, he gradually gained the trust of Chu Jinyao. Even when he went to the West Wing to play with a few boxes sent by Eunuch Tang, Chu Jinyao was willing to bring Lilac. Lilac has seen Chu Jinyao's real private house, her eyes widened, and then looking at the material given by Mrs. Chu, she always feels old-fashioned and the pattern is not fresh enough.
In fact, Chu Jinyao felt the same way. This may be found by Mrs. Chu from the dowry or inventory. Because it is precious, I don’t know how many years I have kept it. But the damask satin is a piece of fabric after all. . This is because the old lady misestimated Chu Jinyao's net worth. She may not dare to think about it. In Chu Jinyao's private room, there are several large boxes of fabrics, which are full of cloud brocade, makeup and satin, and woven fabrics. Gold satin stuff.
With your own things to compare, it is inevitable that there will be a difference. But this was rewarded by the old lady, and many people saw it along the way. In any case, Chu Jinyao had to wear it and walk around to give everyone an explanation. In the same way, because of the old lady's gift of cloth, Chu Jinyao deeply felt that she was wise and wise, and her wealth was not in vain. Therefore, her boxes of makeup and satin can only be kept locked.
The old lady's collection is inevitably cheesy in color, bright red, and the pattern is also tangled. Chu Jinyao cut the material into six pieces to make six horse-faced skirts. Because the color was too bright, Chu Jinyao couldn't go out wearing a red suit, so she had to pull out the white and purple one at the beginning. Patterned cloud brocade, cut out a short jacket with a pair of fronts.
When Chu Jinyao saw this white purple cloud brocade, Qin Yi was still by her side. She remembered that it was because she hooked Yun Jin and shed tears when she came back, which caused Qin Yi to scare her out of nowhere. She still remembered that she liked this material very much at that time, and she spent a lot of time making a horse-faced skirt, and also used satin to pinch the tassels on the pleats. However, now things are different, Qin Yi is missing, and Chu Jinyao is no longer in the mood to make clothes happily.
At the banquet at the Huailing Palace, she didn't want to be too showy, and it was only reasonable to be able to come back safely.
On the 20th day, Chu Jinyao wore a short jacket with a purple moiré stand-up collar on a white background, a red tangled flower horse-face skirt, and a silver-grey frayed cloak, and slowly boarded the carriage. Going out today, as usual, only Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Yan, according to the sequence, Chu Jinyao and the sixth girl are in the same car.
Six girls held the stove and looked at Chu Jinyao blankly.
Chu Jinyao's skirt was extra wide, and the folds of the folded skirt fell to the ground, like a blooming camellia. Chu Jinyao sat on the steps with his knees folded, his hands folded on his knees, and the steps on his head followed. The carriage swayed slightly, but other than that, there was no other movement. The coat skirt was originally wide, and it became more dignified when worn on Chu Jinyao.
It was the middle of the winter and the twelfth lunar month. Even if there was a charcoal fire in the carriage, it would not be an easy job to travel for a long time, so Chu Jinyao and the sixth girl did not take off their cloaks and fur collars. Chu Jinyao's lower jaw was slightly lowered, she lowered her eyes and looked at the ground, not knowing what she was thinking. The snow-white and delicate jaw just touched in front of the fluffy fluff. Against the background, her jaw was as delicate as a handicraft, almost like an ice sculpture and snow.
A slight popping sound suddenly came from the charcoal basin in the corner, and Miss Liu woke up from her thoughts, only to realize that she was staring at Chu Jinyao for a long time.
This is really a pleasing beauty. As a woman, Miss Liu felt very comfortable looking at Chu Jinyao, not to mention a man who only grew his lower body.
The charcoal fire made a slight snoring sound, and the green smoke curled up in the carriage. The sixth girl was slightly possessed, and her clear voice sounded with the smoke: "Fifth sister, for the sake of our alliance, I'll give you one last piece of advice, be careful with the fourth sister."
Chu Jinyao blinked and quickly returned to her senses, her clear eyes moving towards Miss Liu in confusion. Seeing this, Miss Six smiled slightly and said, "You should also know what kind of occasion is today. Almost half of Taiyuan's officials will attend this snow feast, and there are many prominent people on the banquet. On such occasions, A little mistake, and it's all over."