noveldrama
Chapter 558: Chapter 558 Beast Gold Charcoal
Chapter 558: Chapter 558 Beast Gold Charcoal
Chapter 558: Chapter 558 Beast Gold Charcoal
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Beijing.
It snowed heavily last night. When I woke up this morning, the yard was covered with snow. The flowerbed and the ground paved with bluestone were covered with thin snow.
My aunt was awakened by a silver bell-like laughter in the morning.
She subconsciously pushed her husband beside her and found that he had already gotten up to take up his duty.
My aunt frowned delicately, sat up in the warm quilt, stretched her waist, and the charcoal fire in the house was blazing. The maid sleeping in the bedroom would add some animal gold charcoal every hour.
This kind of charcoal has no smoke when it burns, but has the fresh smell of pine branches.
This winter is particularly cold. The eldest princess sympathized with Xu Xinnian, a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, and sent 30 kilograms of animal gold charcoal for the palace. Princess Lin'an also sympathized with Xu Xinnian, a scholar, for his hard work and great
contributions, and sent 30 kilograms of animal gold charcoal.
So my aunt used this good thing that only the royal family could enjoy.
My aunt was very happy. During the meal, she praised Xu Erlang. After ten years of hard work, he was not only appreciated by the Prime Minister, but also valued by the two princesses..
Uncle Xu laughed at my aunt for being too young. The princess had to give the royal things in a legitimate way. The Xu family only had Erlang who could be on the stage.
Erlang was just a tool for the two princesses to take care of the Xu family.
Of course, Uncle Xu would not tell my aunt these words.
"Noisy..."
The beautiful woman was wearing a thin inner garment, her hair was messy, and she looked a bit like a girl with a confused expression.
Bang... Aunt pushed open the door, and the cold wind blew in her face. She shivered, and the only pajamas she had left were gone.
However, the scene in front of her made her forget even the cold.
In the yard, two girls, one big and one small, were rolling on the ground, leaving traces on the
snow.
Lina said, "This is snow. This is the first time I've seen snow in my life."
Xu Lingyin said, "This is the first time I've seen snow in my life."
The two were covered in blood foam, like two snowmen.
"Xu Lingyin!"
Aunt screamed.
In such cold weather, anyone who dares to play like this is either a fool or a fool.
The little girl was startled, raised her little head, looked at her aunt, and said loudly:
"Oh no, mother has found us, let's go quickly."
Lina said quickly, "Okay."
Then the two rolled away.
Xu Lingyue slept until she woke up naturally, and she had heard her stupid sister and her stupid master making a fuss outside, but she just ignored them.
Today, she is going to visit the palace and deal with the women in the palace, so she has to dress up well.
"Miss, what kind of clothes should I wear when I go to Wang's house today?" The maid tilted her head and looked like she was thinking.
"Wear something simple and elegant. The Wang family is used to being rich. If we dress up in a flashy way, they might laugh at us, saying that we are from a small family but love to show off."
Xu Lingyue was dressing in front of the mirror. In the bronze mirror, the girl had an oval face, big eyes, and three-dimensional facial features, which were delicate and beautiful.
She wore a light blue jacket, a fluffy silk skirt, a brocade and fur cape, and a pair of sheepskin boots embroidered with gold thread and cloud patterns on her jade feet.
She didn't look flashy, but she looked like a lady from a noble family.
"Bring the things with me."
"Okay." The maid replied crisply.
She immediately left the room with the maid and had breakfast in the inner hall. At this time, Xu Lingyin had changed into clean clothes and took a hot bath.
The little bean still had the same childish bun as always, like two meat buns, but wearing a beautiful little skirt, she looked quite ladylike.
But standing next to her elegant sister, she could barely be called cute.
Aunt looked at the water leak in the hall and urged:
"It's time to go, Erlang, remember to take care of your sisters. Lingyue, don't always look like anyone can bully you, you are not representing yourself now, but the Xu family.
"Lingyin, don't be greedy and don't make trouble when you get to Wang's house, do you understand?"
Today is a day off, Xu Erlang is going to Wang's house to discuss things with Wang Shoufu, and he will go with his sisters.
The three brothers and sisters put down their bowls and chopsticks, rinsed their mouths with salt water, left Xu's house, and got on the carriage.
The driver drove slowly and carefully on the wet street covered with ice.
It takes two quarters of an hour to get from Xu's house to Wang's house, and because the road
is slippery and difficult to walk, it took half an hour to get there.
Xu Erlang jumped off the carriage, turned around and helped Xu Lingyue get off the carriage, while Xu Lingyin had already jumped off from the other end.
The three brothers and sisters, led by the steward, went straight into the depths of the Wang Mansion.
In the bedroom, Wang Shoufu stood by the screen, and Mrs. Wang led the maid to help him change clothes.
"I remember Simu said that the young lady of the Xu family is not easy to mess with. The eldest daughter-in-law is snobbish, and the second daughter-in-law is narrow-minded. When you meet people later, you should watch them from the side and don't make them unhappy."
Said Wang Shoufu.
"They are not so shallow-eyed, they know how to handle things properly." Mrs. Wang smiled.
She was a little surprised that the master was so concerned about these trivial matters.
"Master, Mr. Xu has arrived." A servant stood outside the door and reported loudly.
"Please ask him to go to the study."
Wang Shoufu glanced at himself in front of the bronze mirror, stroked the folds of his clothes on his chest, looked at Mrs. Wang, and said, "Have you prepared the gifts?"
Mrs. Wang smiled and nodded.
In the inner hall, Wang Simu held a teacup, sipped the fragrant tea, and listened to the chattering of the two sisters-in-law.
The eldest sister-in-law is Li Xianghan, whose father is a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue. He is not a high-ranking official, but he is linked to money, so he is a bit snobbish.
The second sister-in-law is Zhao Yurong, whose father is even lower in official position, just the chief clerk of the Dali Temple.
In theory, such a family background cannot afford to marry into the Wang family, even if the second brother is a businessman with a low status.
Speaking of this, there are also Two origins. Wang Zhenwen had ups and downs in his career. Before he became successful, he had several low points. One of them was framed by political enemies and imprisoned.
Zhao Yurong's father was working in the Dali Temple at the time. He had a good relationship with Wang Zhenwen. He spent money to make arrangements and smooth the relationship,
and finally survived.
The father of the eldest sister-in-law Li Xianghan also had similar favors for Wang Zhenwen.
Therefore, after Wang Zhenwen became successful, the two sisters-in-law married into the
Wang family.
The eldest sister-in-law Li Xianghan said:
"Simu, last time you went to the Xu Mansion, did the mistress of the Xu family set rules for
you?"
Wang Simu shook her head.
The second sister-in-law Zhao Yurong looked at her and smiled:
"I think there was. Didn't you say that the mistress of the Xu family was very skilled? Simu,
don't be embarrassed to say that the mother-in-law always has to set rules for the new
daughter-in-law.
"My sister-in-law and I were also beaten by the mother-in-law when we entered the family. But you are different from us. You are the daughter of the Wang family. If you marry Xu Erlang
in the future, you will be marrying down."
"Xu Erlang has to rely on our Wang family to rise to prominence. When you go to the Xu family in the future, you can simply act tyrannically. This time, we have to set some rules for Miss Xu to let her know the gap between the Xu family and the Wang family."
It's not certain who sets the rules for whom. You guys also want to compete with Xu Lingyue...... Wang Simu muttered in his heart and shook his head:
"No need to do that. Sister Lingyue is smart. There's no need to provoke her." Sister-in-law Li Xianghan showed a superior smile with the attitude of an experienced
person:
"Simu is inexperienced. Before the marriage, the two women's family members interacted
with each other. Keeping in touch is only one of them. The more important thing is to test each other. Do you think the mother-in-law doesn't have such thoughts in her mind? "The Xu family girl will tell the Xu family mistress what she has seen and heard here today. Let's give her a little warning so that she will not bully you in the future."
Since ancient times, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law can be summarized as "open and secret struggles".
What they are fighting for is the power of the housekeeper.
The more powerful the family, the more intense the competition for financial and household
power.
"This is not good..."
Wang Simu resisted the urge to raise the corners of his mouth and frowned.
The eldest sister-in-law smiled and said, "Don't worry, the sisters-in-law know the limit."
Wang Simu said helplessly, "Well, since it is a customary rule, let's follow the wishes of the
two sisters-in-law."
As she said, she picked up the teacup and made a tea drinking gesture to cover the slightly
raised corners of her mouth.
In the marriage of two families, no matter how the man and woman feel about each other, the
"game" between the families exists.
The mother-in-law sets rules for the daughter-in-law who has not yet married, and the daughter-in-law's family shows enough profound background to "warn" the husband's family to treat their daughter well.
It's all human nature.
Wang Simu was relieved when he saw that the two sisters-in-law were so enthusiastic.
Last time when he went to Xu's house as a guest, Xu Lingyue, the dead girl, made trouble a lot. She was on the first day of the month, and Wang Simu was on the fifteenth.
As he was talking, a pair of sisters came out of the hall. The younger sister was not as tall as the older sister's waist. She was held by the hand and was a little silly.
As for the older sister, she made the two sisters-in-law's eyes light up. She was wearing a
brocade and fur cloak, sheepskin boots, and her neatly trimmed bangs made her face look beautiful.
She gave people the feeling of being a weak and gentle little girl. The moment they saw Xu Lingyue, the two sisters-in-law of the Wang family knew that they
had taken advantage of her. This kind of girl who had been raised in the boudoir and had never seen the world would be terrified and at a loss if they showed a little displeasure.
If they asked some tricky questions, she would be sullen and her hands would be nowhere to
put.
It was really boring to bully such a little girl.
As for the silly child, of course, she was ignored by the two sisters-in-law.
"Sister Lingyue is here."
Wang Simu stood up to greet them and introduced them: "This is my eldest sister-in-law,
and this is my second sister-in-law. Sister Lingyue, please call me as I say."
Xu Lingyue said softly: "Lingyue meets the two sisters-in-law." Sister-in-law Li Xianghan smiled: "What a pretty girl. I wonder which young master will
marry our sister Lingyue in the future."
Xu Lingyue smiled reservedly, lowered her head, and said: "Lingyin, call sister-in-law
quickly."
Xu Lingyin raised her head and frowned her two shallow eyebrows: "Why are they also sisters-in-law? Are they going to marry my second brother too?"
The faces of the four women suddenly froze.
Second sister-in-law Zhao Yurong immediately looked at Xu Lingyue and saw that her face
was red. She forgot to scold her sister and could only laugh dryly:
"Children's words are not taboos, children's words are not taboos." Wang Simu glanced at Xu Lingyue and smiled calmly: "Mother should be up. Let's go and pay our respects to her."
This means that the Xu sisters will be taken to see the old lady.
So, led by Wang Simu, the group walked deeper into the palace, through the corridor and
courtyard, and came to a large house.
There were two soft couches in the house, covered with soft and warm wool blankets, and on
the couches
were small square tables, on which were dried fruits, dried meat, candied fruits,
cakes and other food.
On the left couch sat Wang Zhenwen's original wife, Mrs. Wang.
Mrs. Wang was over fifty years old, but she was well maintained. She was neither fat nor thin,
her blood was rosy, and the fine crow's feet at the corners of her eyes added to her charm
accumulated over the years.
"Mother!"
"Mother-in-law!"
"Old lady!"
All the women saluted, only Xu Lingyin was a little reserved, she was not used to this
atmosphere.
Little Douding has lived in an unrestrained environment since childhood, without so many rules and constraints.
Mrs. Wang nodded kindly, her eyes fell on the faces of the Xu sisters.
"Is this the young lady from the Xu family?"
Mrs. Wang thought of Xu Erlang's handsome appearance, and then looked at Xu Lingyue's
elegant and charming appearance. She pondered for a moment and smiled, "The two sisters have their own merits."
After that, she invited them to sit down.
Eldest sister-in-law Li Xianghan drank a sip of hot tea, sighed, and started a topic:
"This damn weather, at this time last year, the charcoal fire burned all night and I felt stuffy.
Now, if it doesn't burn all night, I will be frozen to death." Second sister-in-law Zhao Yurong said: "Who said it wasn't."
At this time, she found that the little kid was staring at the half-man-high charcoal stove in a
daze, and the smokeless beast gold charcoal was burning inside.
This child probably has never seen this kind of non-smoking charcoal........The second sister-
in-law was moved and smiled:
"So, His Majesty gave our palace ten pounds of beast gold charcoal. This charcoal has no
smoke and has a fragrance when burned."
The second sister-in-law looked at Xu Lingyue with a sense of superiority, but found that she
was smiling and had no reaction.
Could it be that she didn't know what beast gold charcoal was.......The second sister-in-law
added: "It's something for the emperor."
Xu Lingyin held the candied fruit in her hand and said loudly: "We have it at home too."
In the study. The Prime Minister Wang sat behind the desk, holding a teacup in his hand, and the tea lid gently tapped the edge of the cup, listening to the report of his future son-in-law.
"Sir, the people will have a hard time this winter, especially in areas that have suffered from
droughts and floods. How can the local people survive this winter?"
Xu Xinnian spoke impassionedly: "I wrote to Your Majesty, requesting to verify the granaries
in various places and make preparations for disaster relief funds in advance. Why did you withhold my memorial?"
Wang Xinnian listened patiently, took a sip of tea, and said: "Farewell to the old, officials who want to accomplish great things must first raise their
vision and see the overall situation so that they can plan ahead. You only see that the people are having a hard time this winter, but you can't see the difficulties of the court." He put down the teacup and pushed a pile of memorials in front of Xu Xinnian, "Take a look,
the memorials from the Ministry of Revenue."
Xu Xinnian unfolded the memorial, read ten lines at a glance, and his face changed drastically
after reading it quickly.
Wang Shoufu sighed, "The court has run out of money."
Xu Xinnian murmured, "How could it be?"
"The previous emperor has been struggling for twenty years, and the treasury is already
empty. Under the glitz and glamour, the foundation of Dafeng has long been shaky. A few
months ago, 120,000 troops supported the monsters, and Wei Yuan led 100,000 troops to capture Jingshan City.
"Although it is a great victory, which one of the food, horses, and equipment is not consuming money? The country is weak, and supporting a war of that scale, the consumption
is huge, you can't imagine. "
Wang Shoufu stretched out his hands, approached the charcoal stove, and while warming his cold hands, he said:
"Originally, we could still hold on and survive this year. Wait until the autumn harvest next year, and we can stabilize the overall situation. Who knows that man's plans are not as good as God's plans. I have lived for decades and have never experienced such a cold winter. " The court is plagued by internal problems, natural disasters continue, the treasury is empty, and the mess is... Xu Xinnian's heart is heavy, and he asked, "Is there any way to save it?"
Wang Shoufu stared at the stove and didn't speak for a long time. "Time." He said.
After a long silence, Wang Shoufu said, "If you are too tired to cook fish, it will break. If you
are too tired to govern the people, they will disperse. If you know how to cook fish, you know
how to govern the people. If there is no external threat, time can heal everything."
Xu Xinnian whispered, "If there is an external threat?"
God will destroy Dafeng... Wang Shoufu turned and said, "Is there any news about him?"
Xu Xinnian knew who Wang Shoufu was referring to, and shook his head, "So far, my brother has not sent any letter back to the mansion."