In the peach blossom forest in the back garden of the Prince of Wei's mansion, Jinzhan watched them bloom, and then watched them wither and fall. Outside the gauze window with the curtains drawn, the white and red petals fluttered in the wind, and when the wind blew it was as if a shower of flowers had fallen, and the ground was dotted with spots.
In the woods, there was a woman wearing a futou robe walking slowly, observing the surrounding scene. The inner courtyard of the house was very quiet.
Fu Jinzhan turned around and smiled as she watched for a while, then she buried her head in sewing the dark purple silk with needle and thread in her hand. Her posture was upright and dignified, but she looked a little strange holding the needle and thread in her hand.
Jinzhan looked up at Fu Liu who was sitting opposite her and saw that Fu Liu was very focused, his fingers were nimble and quick, and the peony pattern under his fingertips was even more delicate and vivid. At first glance, it seemed as if the flower was in full bloom and one could smell its fragrance.
However, Fu Liu's dress is also very eye-catching. She is in her early twenties and has already reached adulthood, but her hair is still combed like a young girl. It looks strange no matter how you look at it. Whether the girl is married or not can be seen at a glance from her hair. No matter how old Fu Liu is, she is still a girl and cannot tie up all her hair.
Wow, it's embroidered really well. Jinzhan smiled and said, "Sixth sister is clever and skillful, I will definitely find a good husband for you in the future."
Fu Liu's face turned red, he looked up at Jinzhan and said softly: It's not a difficult thing, and it's not useless. Practice makes perfect. Don't make fun of me, sister.
They are all sisters, but Fu Liu used to get along well with Fu Er and was still a little reserved in front of her eldest sister. Before she got married, Fu Liu was still young and Jinzhan didn't like to play with them.
Jinzhan's eyes were as bright as the moon, and she smiled and said casually: A woman who comes from a wealthy family and is good at sewing can at least sit still and has patience. It would be good if she can live a stable life in the future.
Fu Liu whispered: Just let my father and brother make the decision, I don’t have to worry about it.
Jinzhan smiled and said: You haven't read much classics and history, but you have made your father and brothers less worried.
Although she said so, she knew in her heart that Fu Liu might not be able to live a stable and peaceful life. Fu Liu was still unmarried at such an age because the Fu family had not yet chosen a truly valuable family for marriage; or in other words, the general situation in the past few years was still unclear and they needed to wait a little longer. It didn't matter if Fu Liu waited until she was in her twenties, because the daughters of the Fu family would never have trouble finding a husband. Who among the wealthy families inside and outside the court didn't want to marry Fu Yanqing
Fu Liu was busy threading the needle. Jinzhan was also carefully sewing the clothes in her hands, but her movements were very slow, and she watched every stitch carefully before she started.
At this moment, Fu Liu said softly: My sister-in-law is outspoken, but she treats us well.
The most powerful person in the Prince of Wei's mansion is Fu Yanqing, followed by the eldest son Fu Zhaoxu. However, the men are only responsible for making decisions on major matters, and will not take care of some trivial matters at home. The woman with the most weight is Zhaoxu's wife, Madam Zhang. Even Madam Xiang has to give in to her. Madam Xiang's foundation and temperament are too weak, otherwise she would not have married the elderly Fu Yanqing, even though he is the Prince of Wei.
After hearing this, Jinzhan thought to herself: Because Zhang knew that Fu Liu was destined to marry into a powerful and wealthy family.
She smiled and said: As long as she treats you well, I won’t bother with her about trivial matters.
Not only Zhang, but Fu Yanqing and Fu Zhaoxu probably thought that Jinzhan's second half of life would be like this. Zhang couldn't stand Jinzhan's temperament, and she was also afraid that Jinzhan would compete with her for power. If Jinzhan came back, she would have to rely on her parents' family to live, which meant she would stay here for a long time, which was different from the situation of Fu Liu and other young ladies.
The ladies in the Prince of Wei's mansion each had their own things to do. Fu Zhang was changing her jewelry one after another in front of the bronze mirror, but she was not satisfied with her outfit. Even she herself felt that she was far inferior to a certain widow.
Just then, a woman came in and put a red paper envelope on the dressing table: Gifts from General Lu, please take a look at the gift list, madam.
Zhang said: It was given to me
The woman said, "Yes. Madam's birthday is coming soon, and it's thanks to General Lu that he remembered it."
The Fu family's cheap son-in-law treats the people in the mansion with great care. Zhang smiled and took up the gift list and unfolded it to read.
The reason why he was called a cheap son-in-law was because the head of the Lu family married Fu Yanqing’s adopted daughter, Wang.
Wang was originally the daughter of Wang Zhang, the governor of Xiangzhou. When the three Lis rebelled, Li Jixun wanted to bring Wang Zhang into the group through marriage. The court also wanted the Chai family to marry Wang Zhang, and Guo Zongxun was still in power at the time to win over Wang Zhang's army. Unexpectedly, at this time, Wang Zhang suddenly fell ill and died, so the Wang family lost its value to be won over by all parties.
Wang Zhang had no children, so Fu Yanqing immediately adopted his daughter Wang as his adopted daughter, and helped to take care of Wang's funeral under the pretext of legitimate reasons. He also took the opportunity to annex most of the Xiangzhou army.
Then, as a foster father, Fu Yanqing married Wang to the Lu family, a noble family in Daming Prefecture. The two families became more and more harmonious as relatives. The Lu family was a large family in Daming Prefecture, with a large population and land. Its head, Lu Fangcai, was also a general in Daming Prefecture. Fu Yanqing won over this person, which was of great benefit to the stability of the Fu family's rule in Daming Prefecture.
Zhang unfolded the gift list and was stunned. There were a lot of gold, silver, jade, pearl and gemstone jewelry on it.
The Lu family is wealthy and has a business group, but they are too generous. Zhang was surprised and said, "My birthday is not on the tenth day, and there is no banquet. He sent so many gifts. What is he asking for?"
The woman nodded and said: Madam saw through the mystery at a glance
Zhang stood up and paced back and forth for a few steps, saying: "These things cannot be accepted casually. You should go to Lu's house first and ask Lu Fangcai what you want, so that I can consider whether I can afford to accept them."
Yes, the woman agreed.
This woman was brought by Zhang from her natal family, and was relatively reliable, so Zhang was relieved to let her go. Zhang not only brought some servants from her natal family, but the old lady was also from the Zhang family, and the attendants left behind also joined Madam Zhang, so she still had some influence in the mansion.
The woman left the palace calmly, took a carriage and asked the servant to take her to Lu's house in the same city. Unexpectedly, as a servant, she soon met Lu Chuncai, who seemed to be well prepared.
Lu Chuncai found a secluded place, dismissed his attendants, and said with a smile: Madam, do you think the gift is too cheap? Are you sending someone to question me
The woman from the Fu family also saw General Lu in person for the first time. She took a few glances at him. He was a big man in his early forties, with a strong body and a big belly. If you don't look at his face, he looks like a warrior who has been fat by eating and drinking well. But his face is very pale, and his skin is very thick, with few wrinkles.
The woman hurriedly said: "Madam, how dare you be so greedy? My wife thinks the gift is too generous. I'm afraid the general sent more than just a gift of congratulations."
Lu Chuncai slammed the table and said: Madam is really a wise person. I am a military man, so I won't beat around the bush. The thing is, Wang, whom I married formally a few years ago, is my third wife, but she is more annoying than the previous wife.
The woman asked tentatively: What is wrong with your madam
Lu Chuncai said: My previous wife gave me a daughter after all, but she hasn't had any children in all these years, let alone a son. This is the biggest fault for a wife. In the future, I can't pass on my family business to the illegitimate son of that concubine. I bought that concubine from a brothel. It would be too shameful to let her son inherit such a big family business.
The woman said cautiously, I am just a servant
Lu Chuncai said: But the King of Wei treats me well. If I divorce her like this, it will create a grudge against the King of Wei, and it will not be good for our two families to become estranged.
That's right, that's right. The woman dared not say more.
Lu Chuncai frowned and pondered: "But Wang is not the daughter of the King of Wei, and her surname is not Fu. If the King of Wei allows the Fu and Lu families to truly marry, it would be even better."
The woman glared and said: I am not afraid of General Lu's anger. I have something to say. The Lu family is one of the richest families in Daming Prefecture, but if the general wants to marry the sixth lady, I am afraid it is still a little short. Our second lady is the Queen Xu, and the lady of the Fu family is even worthy of the emperor.
I'm not angry, not angry. Lu Chuncai smiled, but he was a thick-skinned man, so he naturally didn't dare to think about marrying the Sixth Lady. But didn't I hear that the eldest lady returned to Daming Mansion
The woman was even more surprised and stared at Lu Chuncai with her mouth open.
However, Lu Chuncai's face was filled with excitement and his eyes were red.
The woman was stunned for a while: You really dare to think so, but I'm afraid the general can't afford it. The lady has been a queen, who dares
The former queen. Lu Chuncai said coldly.
The woman's face turned pale: Aren't you afraid
Lu Chuncai said: If I can marry someone like the eldest lady, the woman of the previous emperor, everything will be worth it.
The woman said: The eldest lady has lost all her power and status, but after all, she was the queen and she will not remarry.
Lu Chuncai said in a deep voice: She didn't become a nun, nor did she die with the emperor of the previous dynasty, which means her earthly ties have not yet ended. Now she has returned to the Fu family, and the Fu family's wife only needs the consent of King Wei and General Fu to ask Madam to help put in a few good words. The two families are getting married, and I am willing to divorce Wang first, and marry the eldest lady in a formal way. The eldest lady will also have a good home, what's wrong with that
This, this
Lu Chuncai said: If I don't take the first step, sooner or later someone else will be thinking about marrying the King of Wei.
The woman said: If you want to arrange a marriage, you should propose to Sixth Lady.
Lu Chuncai smiled and said: Didn't you just say that there are only a few people in the world who are qualified to marry a lady twice? The threshold should be lower.
The woman pondered for a long time.
Lu Chuncai whispered again: "Go back and tell your wife to persuade the King of Wei. The current emperor and the King of Wei have both received favors from the previous dynasty, but the current emperor has overthrown the previous dynasty. If the King of Wei remarries his wife, the new emperor and his trusted ministers will look at the King of Wei with new eyes. The King of Wei will understand."
At this moment, there was a sudden sound of a thud outside the window. Lu Chuncai's face changed and he shouted: "Who is so bold as to sneak outside?"