Chapter 88 Military Merit The noble old lady nodded

However, it is too inefficient to travel thousands of miles just to do something.

Yang Wenyuan thought to himself: The date for the marriage has almost been set, which is after the college entrance examination in August.

If it has passed, take advantage of this festive occasion to marry the bride in person.

If it doesn't, it will be postponed for a few days, but also in the autumn.

It was a clear and crisp autumn day, and the weather was just right.

This trip to Bailu Academy happened to be a good opportunity to visit my hometown as well. I personally notified him and it seemed formal and solemn.

By the way, I also need to explore the terrain around my hometown.

Find a place that can accommodate the "black powder workshop".

But this shouldn't be difficult.

Most of the land around the Yang family's land has been annexed by the Yang clan members. As long as the terrain is not too bad, Yang Wenyuan can find a reason to create a good place for experiments.

But there is no rush for this.

There is still a long way to go, and we have to wait for Yang Wenyan to follow Gu Yankai and return to the court with Old Marquis Gu.

After further inspection, we can decide whether to activate it.

When a noble officer leads the army, under normal circumstances, unless they have very bad relationships with others or are too unfaithful, the noble officers with military merits from the same faction will send their own children to join the army.

And most of those sent are the backbone of the family, and ordinary playboys will not have the opportunity to participate.

One is to serve under a general who is also a nobleman.

We are all from the same faction, so it is easy to gain military merit.

The second is to help each other.

You help me and I help you, and we take care of each other.

Even if they only rely on the personal guards brought into the army by the sons of each family, they can form a powerful army.

This is the basis for the nobles’ superior status.

Yang Wenyan is like this.

Now he is working for Gu Yankai for a living.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will have to continue to work under powerful generals from other noble families to gain experience.

If Yang Wenyan is a promising talent, then when Yang Wenyan gets older, it will be his turn to look after the younger generations.

That's another cycle.

Over time, the relationship between the military nobles of the Great Zhou Dynasty has always been very close.

Therefore, even though the situation changes and new factions emerge from time to time in the court, the status of the military nobles remains as solid as a rock.

As for why the Duke of Qi's Mansion declined...

After all, your Qi family inherited the title through military merit, and was a natural leader among the nobles. But who could have thought that a fellow like you with thick eyebrows and big eyes would actually betray your own class and lean towards the civil service group every day!
Who would like you?

Therefore, the military nobles watched the Qi family's plight with indifference, and no one of them thought of lending a helping hand.

I can't help at all.

The civil servants were also watching the joke.

They were very happy to see the decline of a great noble family.

There are more wolves and less meat.

With the decline of the Qi family, a piece of grassland became vacant on the grassland of the Great Zhou.

This is how the Duke of Qi’s Mansion ended up like this.

It only has the reputation of a Duke's Mansion, but it has no substance at all, and no powerful family looks down on it.

In fact, Yang Wenyuan was a little confused.

Since the Rong family later took a fancy to Qi Heng and wanted to form an alliance with the Qi family, why didn't Princess Pingning agree?
It is clearly a marriage, a win-win situation, good for both families.

Since the Rong family hopes to continue their wealth and prosperity, they will spare no effort.

In this way, the Qi family had a foundation for prosperity.

As long as Qi Heng works a little harder and passes the imperial examination while the emperor is still in power, it would not be impossible for the Qi family to be revived.

But Princess Pingning refused.

"Bah! Her ancestors were all slaves of bricklayers for eight generations. They relied on their daughter's glory and her beauty to please the emperor, and only then did they have the wealth they have today. That family is a bunch of despicable people, and they dare to covet our family! Let her dream on! Now that the emperor is getting old, and she hasn't given birth to a child, the Rong family's good days can be counted on one's fingers!"

That's true.

But Princess Pingning may not have thought that the status of her Qi family can be counted on one's fingers...

There is still a chance for revival if we unite with the Rong family.

In the end, Princess Pingning had no choice but to marry Prince Yong and get involved in the fight for the throne...

Any hereditary noble family, unless it is almost at the end of its life, will not choose to place the bet personally even if there is a 90% chance of success in the bid for the throne.

At most, they will only support a spokesperson with no background to come on stage, and they dare not go too far, so as to leave room for themselves.

But it’s nothing like the Qi family.

If he marries the daughter of Prince Yong, he will be tied to Prince Yong's carriage and die. If he fails, he will die.

Although it was a last resort in the end, it was still thoughtful.

……

Finally, the day for Sheng Hong to take a day off has arrived.

Early in the morning, Wang Ruofu took Sheng Hong and Hua Lan to go to Wang's house.

Rulan also wanted to come, but was easily suppressed by Wang Ruofu's words: "You don't want to take Grandma Kong's class? Do you want your grandmother to teach you personally?" She continued to learn the rules with a bitter face.

Changbai didn't have a day off at the school as he had to study hard to prepare for the college entrance examination, so he didn't come along either.

Arrived at Wang’s door.

As soon as he got off the carriage, Wang Ruofu directed people to start moving things inside.

Wang Yan, who was waiting for the Sheng family, came out immediately with a smile on his face, full of intimacy: "Sister is here? You said you only need to come, why did you bring so many things?"

Wang Yan had a fake polite expression on his face. He then exchanged a few words with Sheng Hong, then passed him and said to Hua Lan enthusiastically, "Hua'er is here? Come, come in quickly. Your grandmother hasn't seen you for a long time and she misses you so much."

Hua Lan understood the reason for her uncle Wang Yan's sudden enthusiasm, but she still felt a little uncomfortable.

The group continued walking inside.

Wang Ruoyu had already arrived in the main hall and was sitting below Old Lady Wang. Just before they entered the room, she was still chattering about something with Old Lady Wang.

When he saw Hualan and others come in, he stopped chattering.

I don't know what he was complaining about just now.

Old Mrs. Wang kept narrowing her eyes as she listened to Wang Ruoyu's complaints about her sister's family arriving later than her. She vaguely mentioned that the Sheng family, now that they had climbed up the ladder of the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion, had been neglecting the Wang family and were far less frequent than she was in coming back to the Wang family.

Old Lady Wang just listened and didn't answer. How could she not understand her daughter's thoughts? It was nothing more than seeing her younger sister, who was far inferior to her, suddenly rise to power, and she felt a huge gap in her heart, and she felt a little unbalanced in her anger.

Old Mrs. Wang believed that as time went on, her eldest daughter would calm down and understand that family members must unite and help each other.

It was not until Hua Lan entered the room that Mrs. Wang's eyes lit up. She lowered her voice and said to Wang Ruoyu beside her, "Hua'er is here. Please give up your seat so that I can have a private conversation with Hua'er. You can also get a good reputation."

"what?"

Hearing this, Wang Ruoyu was stunned.

This position has been hers since she was a child. Even her brother Wang Yan couldn't snatch it away. Now it's going to be snatched away by a junior?

Personal conversation?
I'm a young woman in my thirties, don't I need it?

Seeing Wang Ruoyu was hesitant to move, Old Lady Wang said in a more serious tone, "Get up and go greet him! Why are you still being so pretentious at this time? You should leave a good impression on your niece!"

Wang Ruoyu didn't expect that her mother, who had always loved her, would speak like this. She felt a little aggrieved, but she knew that her position in the Wang family was obtained thanks to her mother, and she dared not go against her mother's wishes. She immediately stood up, put on a smile and walked towards her sister's family who came in.

"My sister and brother-in-law are here."

Wang Ruoyu quickly adjusted his attitude, not showing any displeasure from before. He turned to Hua Lan and smiled brightly, saying enthusiastically, "Hua'er is here too?!"

Wang Ruoyu stepped forward and held Hua Lan's hand affectionately, congratulating her, "I've long known that Hua'er, with your elegant and virtuous demeanor, you will definitely find a good family. This is exactly what you said, and it immediately gave me, your aunt, a big surprise. You will soon be the eldest lady in the Marquis's mansion!"

Wang Ruoyu enthusiastically took Hualan's hand and led her to Old Lady Wang. "Well, ever since you left on the second day of the Chinese New Year, your grandmother has been missing you for a long time. Now that you are here, you can sit next to the old lady and chat with her."

Old Madam Wang was sitting at the head of the table. She also showed a friendly smile at this moment. She nodded gently and waved to Hua Lan, saying, "Come, Hua'er, come and sit with grandma and talk for a while."

Wang Ruoyu: Nowadays, who among the wealthy ladies doesn’t have some acting skills?
Everyone sat down, and Old Lady Wang also noticed the maid who came in with Wang Ruofu, holding a bunch of things in her hands.

"Fuer, what did you bring back?"

Wang Ruofu waited and waited until someone finally asked her. She then cleared her throat and pretended to be calm and said, "Mother, these are Suhexiang wines. Wenyuan sent them to our house. We couldn't refuse them, so we had to accept them reluctantly."

As she spoke, Wang Ruofu waved the handkerchief in her hand towards the empty space in front of her: "I just didn't expect there would be so much wine. I just happened to be going back to my mother's place, so I brought some over."

"Suhexiang wine? A reward from the palace?"

It must be said that Wang Yan might not be a good official, but he was very good at observing people's expressions and reading comprehension. He could tell at a glance that Wang Ruofu was showing off her son-in-law, the Marquis, and immediately said, "This wine is very precious and very suitable for recuperating."

Wang Ruofu nodded gently, smiling and said, "Brother is right. I thought the same thing, so I sent it to mother."

Old Lady Wang nodded gently: "Fuer is thoughtful."

Old Mrs. Wang knew what Suhexiang wine was.

Naturally, she also understood that the rewards given by the palace should not be given away easily, but since her youngest daughter had such a good intention, she accepted it with a smile.

Come to think of it, she hadn't seen the Suhexiang wine given as a reward from the palace for a long time.

Old Lady Wang has an imperial decree.

In fact, every year during the Chinese New Year, you can also go to the palace to pay New Year's greetings and receive some rewards.

But Old Lady Wang has never been to the palace in recent years.

Old Mrs. Wang is well aware of the principle behind impression points.

The more she went to the palace and the more often she appeared before the emperor, the less affection her husband had for her.

Hiding the sheath on your body will be effective at the critical moment.

Wang Ruoyu looked at Wang Ruofu's smug face and couldn't help but complain in his heart: What are you showing off!

At this time, Wang Ruofu smiled at Wang Ruoyu beside him and said:
"Sister, I prepared one for you, too."

Wang Ruoyu's bitterness disappeared, and he nodded and smiled:

"Thank you, sister!"

This sister is okay, she is easy to get along with and knows when to think of good things for her sister.

Wang Ruoyu looked at Wang Ruofu and thought secretly: Now that this silly sister has married into the Pingyang Marquis's family, she will probably benefit a lot from the Marquis's family. It seems that she can't just go back to her mother's house in the future. She has to go to the Sheng family every now and then.

After a while, you can always get some benefits.

Normally, Wang Ruoyu would feel anxious when he thought of so many illegitimate sons and daughters in the family.

It’s okay to be a bastard, and it’s okay to be a little stingy with the betrothal gift.

But it’s different for a concubine’s daughter.

At that time, it was important for women to have a generous dowry when they got married.

If a concubine's daughter in the family gets married in the future, I, as the eldest lady, will have to help add some dowry.

Wang Ruoyu already wished these concubines dead, and now he had to pay money to add to their dowries, which made him feel even more pained.

And now, Wang Ruofu, who is stupid and rich, suddenly appears before him, with the power of the Marquis' Mansion behind him...

Wang Ruoyu secretly glanced at Wang Ruofu, wondering what she was secretly thinking in her heart.

As they chatted, they naturally talked about the main news in Bianjing City at the moment: when did the Yang and Sheng families of Pingyang Marquis' Mansion set the date for their wedding.

As the person involved, Hua Lan naturally couldn't say this.

Wang Ruofu smiled and said, "The date is almost set. Now my brothers Changbai and Wenyuan have just passed the provincial examination. They will also take the college examination together in the second half of the year. Our two families are considering it. It's a good time to hold a wedding after they pass the college examination. Two happy events will be celebrated at the same time."

Wang Ruoyu's mouth sank when he heard this: So your family has taken all the good things, you want to curry favor with the Marquis's mansion, and you want to pass the examination, right?

Old Mrs. Wang nodded as she listened: "Okay, when the time comes for double happiness, our Wang family will also take part in the joy."

"Uh……"

The atmosphere was so tense that Wang Ruofu hesitated for a moment, then said directly, "Mother, when Hua'er gets married, I want to invite my uncle's family as well. Is that okay?"

"How can this be good?"

Before Mrs. Wang could say anything, Wang Ruoyu jumped out and hurriedly advised, "Sister, although your uncle's family in the countryside raised you, in terms of relationship, his family is a little far from our Wang family, let alone the Sheng family."

"Besides, his family is from a merchant family, which is even more unpresentable. By then, the Yang family will be dealing with high-ranking officials and nobles, while your Sheng family..."

Wang Ruoyu’s meaning was very clear. Not only was their relationship too distant, but their statuses were also too different. It would be a loss of face if he invited him.

After hearing what Wang Ruoyu said, Sheng Hong frowned immediately.

His Sheng family came from a merchant family.

Today, the eldest branch of Youyang is also a merchant family.

If Wang Ruoyu said this, wouldn’t it include the eldest branch of the Sheng family as well?

Although Wang Ruoyu's words made some sense, and Wang Ruofu usually listened to her sister's words, she firmly refuted at this moment: "What's wrong with being of low birth? I only know that my uncle's family treats me like their own daughter. I must invite them to Hua'er's wedding!"

"I will go to my uncle's house in person in a few days!"

Old Lady Wang remained calm and allowed Wang Ruoyu to continue persuading Wang Ruofu.

She observed Sheng Hong and Hua Lan's expressions at the right time and found that they both looked calm about this, and it seemed that they had already discussed it in advance.

Since this was the case, Old Lady Wang was happy to do a favor and immediately said with a smile, "Yu'er, needless to say, your sister remembers the kindness of your uncle's family and wants to invite them to repay their kindness in taking care of her when she was a child. That is nothing too much."

Old Madam Wang calmly changed the grace of raising her to the grace of taking care of her, and continued, "Then call your uncle's family and let them go with us to Hua'er's wedding banquet."

(End of this chapter)