The nanny from the Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion
Yang Haiyan and the others looked at each other, and then she said, "That should be the Shen family's nanny, right?"
Sister Du said: "Of course, there is only one Cheng'en Marquis Mansion now. After the new emperor ascended the throne, Empress Shen's family became the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion. The original Cheng'en Marquis Mansion was the emperor's in-laws, and after he ascended the throne, it was named Cheng'en Duke Mansion." The emperor is the legitimate son of the late emperor and the late queen.
If, in addition to the four families in the capital, the four princes' maternal families, there is another most powerful family, it is the Wang family of Cheng'en Mansion, but the Wang family has no children or harem.
Yang Haiyan said: "Yes, but I just don't know where that maid came from."
Qu said, "Maybe it's about the birthday of Madam Xu of the Marquis's Mansion. In half a month, Madam Shen's birthday will be here, and many families have already received invitations."
Second Sister Du said, "But my sister has just returned to the capital. If the Shen family sends an invitation, wouldn't it be too..." Isn't it too obvious to win over the family? Those of them who are daughters and daughters-in-law have long been reminded by Mrs. Du that the Du family will not be involved in the affairs of the prince, so when their children come to propose marriage in the future, they should be more cautious. It's not just their children, but also their relatives. If they have any connection with the prince's faction, then they should be more cautious in their actions.
Yang Haiyan said: "Speaking of which, because of the imperial grain plan, Prince Shen and Master Shen came to Yunxiang County and stayed in the general's mansion for a while. Maybe it was because of the friendship we had at that time."
Sister Du said: "That's possible."
After a while, the maid came in and they stopped talking.
The nanny didn't expect there to be so many people in the hall. After she came in, she bowed respectfully to Yang Haiyan and the others and said, "I greet the madam and all the ladies."
Sister Du said, "If I remember correctly, the nanny is the nanny beside the prince's wife, right?"
The nanny said, "Mrs. Wei has a good memory. I am indeed with the Crown Prince's wife. Madam Bingyun is well. I came here this time on the orders of the Crown Prince's wife. First, I want to thank General Qin for taking care of the Crown Prince when he was in Yunxiang County. Madam heard from the Crown Prince that he and General Qin agreed to come to the capital for a drink, and the Crown Prince is the host. Second, it is Madam's birthday in half a month, and this is an invitation from the Marquis' Mansion. It just so happens that the Crown Prince's wife also wants to take this opportunity to get to know Madam Bingyun."
Yang Haiyan smiled and said, "I see. Then I will respectfully obey your orders. If there is any accident, I will definitely come to congratulate your wife on her birthday that day."
Nanny Lian stepped forward and took the invitation from the nanny.
Nanny: "Then I'll take my leave."
Nanny Lian said, "I'll see you off."
After the nanny left, Miss Du said, "The operation of the Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion has been very successful in the past two years."
Second Sister Du did hear about some things. Her husband was from the Hanlin Academy, the most important government office. Her husband's family was a poor family of common people, and they had no contact with people in the officialdom. Therefore, she lived a very proud life. Even though her parents were concubines, concubines of the Du family were comparable to legitimate daughters of other families. No matter how well she went out to her husband's family, no one dared to look down on her. Therefore, she lived a very proud life in her husband's family. However, she and Second Sister Du often visited her parents' family, so she did hear about some things.
Qu said, "I have heard my mother-in-law talk about it a little bit."
Yang Haiyan naturally knew about this, and asked curiously: "How has the Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion been for the past two years?"
Sister Du said, "Although Empress Shen is the empress, there are no concubines in the Shen family's harem. The struggles among the harem and the struggles among the princes are naturally related to them, so the Shen family was very low-key at first. But after the second prince came out, some of the Shen family's banquets became more frequent, and the women of the Shen family also frequently interacted with the women outside."
Yang Haiyan thought for a while and said, "I understand." The second prince is the grandson of the Cheng'en Marquis's mansion, so the second prince and his family must also come out and move around, otherwise when the second prince ascends the throne, there will be no good place for the second prince, after all, the Shen family is a royal family. And according to the original novel, the first prince is a cruel and ruthless person. After all, the second prince is the person supported by the male protagonist Han Zhen, and the person supported by the male protagonist naturally has a bad outlook on life. On the contrary, if the second prince's goodness is not reflected, the first prince must be a villain.
It can be said that for some things, it is impossible to say who is good or who is good. After all, good and bad are created by the author, and some people are not born good.
However, as Qi State was peaceful and she herself was safe, Yang Haiyan naturally hoped that the second prince would succeed to the throne.
Miss Du sighed: "It is indeed understandable. Fortunately, it has nothing to do with us. The children of our Du family all want to marry into a wealthy family."
Second Sister Du: "It's too early to have a child, and it's too early to talk about marriage."
Qu: "But whether it's a son-in-law or a daughter-in-law, you have to look at her in advance and see if she has good character."
Yang Haiyan couldn't help laughing when she heard them talking about their son-in-law and daughter-in-law. She hoped that if Lin Yang arranged marriage in the future, it would be too early. At least, she would let her son marry a girl under 18 years old, so as to prevent the girl from getting pregnant too early, which would be bad for her health.
However, I thought it was a little early.
Sister Du and the others sat in Qin's house for a while and were about to leave. When they went to look for the children, they saw some of them driving cars, some riding bicycles, and some playing with balls. Sister Du couldn't help but say, "Sister, you have so many toys at home."
Second Sister Du followed up and said, "I think this car is somewhat similar to the baby walker and stroller I bought before. They are both made of wood."
Yang Haiyan did not hide it: "I made the walker and baby carriage before, but the workmanship of the four-wheeled carriage was relatively complicated, so it was not put into production."
When Sister Du and the others heard this, they were stunned.
Qu said: "Sister, you are really amazing."
Yang Haiyan said modestly, "I was just thinking about it when I was free." She provided the design for the stroller and baby carriage. The opening of the store and factory had nothing to do with her. The emperor hired someone to handle it, and she only took 10% of the dividends. But 10% of the dividends was not much, after all, it was sold nationwide at that time. But this business was only short-lived, only good for the first two years. But when I planned this with the emperor, I was also doing a long-term business.
"It's not just random thinking. I think you have a good brain." Sister Du admitted that she was just random thinking. Random thinking can help her come up with some ways to make money. She also wanted to think randomly.
The two just chatted for a while and then took their children home. Yang Haiyan wanted to keep them for dinner, but they didn't.
It seems that people in ancient times were reluctant to go to other people's homes for meals.
Without any children to play with, Qin Linyang felt a little bored and kept asking his mother, "Mom, will my brothers and sisters come to play tomorrow?" He looked at his mother hopefully with a pair of eyes.
Yang Haiyan said: "My brothers and sisters also have their own things to do, so they can't come to play every day."
Little Qin Linyang understood: "Is there anything else for the kids to do?"
Yang Haiyan was amused and cried: "What's left for the kid to do?"
Qin Linyang nodded, what else can children do besides playing
Yang Haiyan thought about it and realized that her son had no friends of his age, and that he would have no time to chat with his family every day. Moreover, Beijing was much more crowded, chaotic, and messy than Yunxiang County, and she didn't dare to take her children there for fear of accidents. "Linyang, can I find you a friend?"
Qin Linyang: "What little friend?"
Yang Haiyan: "It's just a little friend who is a little younger than me."
Speaking of which, little Qin Linyang and I are somewhat familiar with each other, but we never played together much. Qin Linyang was born when I was jumping up and down, and when Qin Linyang could walk and talk, I went to a private school. Moreover, Aunt Hong later gave birth to her second child, and when I was free, she also looked after her younger brother.
The last time they came to the capital, Uncle Hong and his family did not come, and they would not come in the future. The Qin family had lived in Yunxiang County for three years, and their foundation was not bad. When the land in Yunxiang County was in good condition, Yang Haiyan bought a small amount of land. There were several farms there, and when they came, there were naturally people to manage them. Moreover, when they were in Yunxiang County, Uncle Hong was the steward of the general's mansion, and he was also in charge of the land. So this time, after seeking Uncle Hong's opinion, their family stayed in Yunxiang County to manage those farms.
The housekeeper of Qin Mansion in Beijing was promoted to Kunshi. The housekeeper and the captain of the guard team were all in charge of Kunshi, and the kitchen was still in charge of Kunshi's family. In addition, Aunt Yu did not come back. Aunt Yu's daughter and granddaughter stayed in the imperial grain processing factory in Yunxiang County. Although Aunt Yu was a death contract, Yang Haiyan understood her difficulties and let her stay there to watch over the imperial grain processing factory. Besides, Aunt Yu was loyal to her, so she was also left there to supervise the factory, like an eyeliner.
In addition, Kunshi's son Kun Ying and Meng Qiu were engaged. One was fourteen and the other twelve, and in Yang Haiyan's eyes, they were still middle school and elementary school students, but the two families knew each other well. They both worked for Qin Fang. Kun Ying had studied, although he did not achieve much. Later, he practiced martial arts with Niu Dan and was sent to the military camp. Meng Qiu also studied with Si Ya and others and learned needlework. The two were a good match, so the marriage was settled.
Among the five private guards at that time, only Tao Shan, 25 years old, is still unmarried. However, Tao Shan is full of "career ambition" and is not in a hurry to get married.
At a quiet noon, the three members of the Qin family began to eat lunch.
Yang Haiyan thought of the matter at Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion and said, "My husband, today the Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion sent someone to invite us to attend the Marquis's wife's birthday in half a month. So, we should invite a few people you know to have a meal in a few days."
Qin Fang said: "When I went to Du's house yesterday, Xingran mentioned that he would take me to meet some people he was familiar with. In this case, why don't we invite them first."
Yang Haiyan said: "It should be so. Who do you want to invite, sir?"
Qin Fang thought for a while: "When I was in Yunxiang County, I knew Prince Shen, Wei Ren, and General Yu. I should have invited them all. When I sent the fire medicine to the capital last year, I knew a few people when I was sparring with the Beijing Suburban Command Camp. I should have invited them all. This way, I don't have to worry about others' suspicion."
Yang Haiyan calculated the date and decided that they would go first, and the rest of the people would go two days later. If that was the case, "Why not arrange it for five days later?"
Qin Fang: "Okay."
Yang Haiyan said: "In this case, the mansion will have to hire another cook, preferably one who can cook authentic Beijing dishes, so that they won't be accustomed to the taste we used to eat."
Qin Fang: "I'll listen to you."
Little Qin Linyang ate while listening to his parents talking. Although he understood, he could sometimes reply, such as now: "Just listen to me."
Qin Fang knocked on his head without saying anything, causing the child to protest: "Bad guy."
In the afternoon, Qin Fang sent messages to the people listed at noon.
Cheng'en Marquis Mansion
The wife of the prince raised her eyebrows when she received the invitation: "An invitation from the Qin Mansion? What a coincidence, we just sent out the invitation today, and they came to send the invitation this afternoon." As she said, she opened the invitation. It said that General Qin invited her and her husband and several other familiar friends to dinner. The wife of the prince asked the servant who delivered the invitation, "I wonder which other friends General Qin invited?"
The servant did not hide it: "There are also Wei Ting and others, Du Xingran and others..." Qin Fang had instructed the servants before they came to deliver the invitation, that if the other party asked, they should tell the names.
The Crown Prince's wife didn't ask any more questions. "Go back and tell General Qin that my husband and I will definitely be there."
"Yes, I will take my leave."
After the servants of the Qin residence left, the maid who had delivered the invitation to the Qin residence earlier said, "Madam, we just went to deliver the invitation this morning, and the Qin residence came to deliver the invitation in the afternoon. If we hadn't delivered the invitation this morning, would the Qin residence have delivered the invitation in the afternoon?"
The wife of the Crown Prince said, "That's for sure. The Qin family just came to the capital the day before yesterday, so they might not be ready yet." No one knew that the Qin family had come to the capital yesterday. Besides, Qin Fang and his wife were famous, and they lived near the Du Mansion, so naturally people knew about it right away, and then those families with good relationships spread the news.
However, although Qin Fang was Du Ke's student, his official position had not yet been determined. Even if they were famous, they were not qualified to be specially invited. Like the Cheng'en Marquis's mansion, it was just a coincidence that it happened to be the wife's birthday, so they would also specially invite her.
Of course, when men go out to eat in private, they don’t take it seriously.
When Shen Lixian came back from work, he was quite happy to hear his wife talking about the invitation. "What a coincidence! I was also thinking about when to invite General Qin to a drink, but I didn't expect General Qin to send the invitation first."
The wife of the prince was a little surprised. She saw that Shen Lixian's expression when he mentioned Qin Fang seemed fake, and she thought that the Qin family was more important. Although the prince mentioned the matter of Yunxiang County when he came back before, he only mentioned it briefly. She also valued the Qin family. She asked the wife about sending the invitation to the Qin family today. They both agreed that the Qin family should invite her, whether it was for the sake of the Du family's face or because Madam Bingyun was a second-rank lady specially appointed by the emperor, and there was also a friendship with Shen Lixian. Therefore, she sent the invitation.
Now looking at her husband's attitude, she was somewhat curious: "My husband seems to think highly of General Qin."
Shen Lixian said: "The Qin family is a very down-to-earth family, unlike the people in the capital who have too many styles. Moreover, the emperor intends to cultivate General Qin."
The Shen family would value anyone the emperor wanted to cultivate, even if it was the second prince, the Shen family should work hard, there was no other way. From the moment the second prince came back, the Shen family was destined to step into the vortex of the princes' competition. Even if they wanted to compete, the emperor would not let them compete.
The wife of the prince said, "So that's how it is. Don't worry, sir. I know what's going on."
Compared to the Shen family, the Wei family was a bit unexpected.
Wei Ting held the Qin family's invitation in his hand and pondered.
Whether it was because Yang Haiyan refused to marry, or because of the Yang family's affairs, or because of Aunt Yu's son-in-law's affairs, the Wei family thought that they had some conflicts with the Qin family, or at least the two families could not get along. Even Wei Ting felt a little guilty about Qin Fang in his heart, and he didn't think about how he could be friends with Qin Fang in the future. Maybe he was just guilty, but he didn't expect Qin Fang to send him a message.
Finally, Wei Ting put the post away.
"Young Master, the Master invites you."
Wei Ting was surprised when he heard the words at the door. He had just received the invitation from the Qin family today, and his father had sent someone to pass on the message a while ago. He knew that his father knew about the invitation Qin Fang had sent him.
Wei Ting came to the study: "Father."
Wei Ren nodded and said, "Did the Qin family send you a note? What did they say?"
Wei Ting said, "Qin Fang invited me to a gathering at Qin's residence in five days. Father, do you think I should go?"
Wei people: "What are you going to do?"
Wei Ting still had a sense of shame. After the Wei family did that to Qin Fang, he was indeed embarrassed to face Qin Fang, especially during the time in Yunxiang County, when his relationship with the Qin family was considered good. And he also knew the reason why his father asked him to continue to be on good terms with Qin Fang. Speaking of which, Wei Ting was not an indecisive person, but the shock of this incident was too great. He never thought that his father had already stood on the side of the Ren family, but Wei Ting did not want to stand on the side. So in terms of philosophy and future life arrangements, he and his father were the same, which was also the reason why he was always conflicted.
Wei Ting's eyes darkened: "I will go."
Wei Ting nodded: "I called you here today for one more thing."
Wei Ting said, "Father, please speak."
Wei: "Regarding the formula of the elixir, you can tell me."
Wei Ting frowned: "The only people who know the formula of Huo medicine are me and the people from the Ministry of Works. Last year, when the people from the Ministry of Works arrived in the capital, they were arranged by the emperor. If the formula of Huo medicine is leaked, the emperor will immediately think of me. Has father thought of me?"
Wei said, "I would have thought of you. First of all, who can guarantee that the people from the Ministry of Industry didn't contact anyone on the way here and didn't tell anyone the formula? Secondly, Qin Fang is here, maybe... this formula was leaked by Qin Fang, who can guarantee that he doesn't know the formula?"
Wei Ting narrowed his eyes: "Do you still want to deal with Qin Fang?"
Wei: "No, I just gave you an example."
Wei Ting: "What's the use of a fire medicine with a formula but no materials? Can you still find sulfur and saltpeter mines now?"