Wealth and glory seek stability

"Good child, come have dinner with me today." Xia got off the couch and held Jian Xi's hand affectionately. If you didn't know, you would think they were mother and daughter.

Jian Xi was someone who knew the Xia family relatively well, and she was completely confused after the meal.

Xia is indeed the person who has the final say in the palace. If she is intentional and wants to be nice to others, she can really make people feel comfortable to the bone.

"Knowing that you would be coming today, I specially asked the kitchen to prepare chicken marrow bamboo shoots, as well as some newly arrived wild game from the farm below, pickled venison. You can try some. Venison is the best nourishing food in winter."

"Okay, you can eat too."

Jian Xi picked up a piece of venison. As Xia was old, the chef would deliberately cook until the meat was soft and tasty. The venison tasted fresh and chewy, and it must have been made specially for her.

Keep your thoughts to yourself and don't mention it.

After dinner, Xia was in a bad mood. Jian Xi suggested leaving, "Madam, it's getting late. I should go back." She made eye contact with Qiangwei who was standing behind Xia.

"Madam, I'll go see the girl off."

Xia was confused and replied calmly, "Yeah."

Out of the outer room.

"Zicui, Xiaoshuang, the two of you go and tell the driver to get ready."

"Yes."

Jian Xi turned around and smiled at Qiangwei, "Sister Qiangwei, long time no see. How are you doing lately?"

Qiangwei squatted down and bowed, "Miss, you are joking. You are a noble now, thank you for your concern."

Jian Xi reached out her hand to support her, and sighed softly in her heart, "After this year, my sister should be able to get married."

"Yes, the lady has already given me grace. After the Mid-Autumn Festival next year, she promised me to marry the son of the housekeeper Zhang in the mansion." Qiangwei said in a low voice.

"I remember that the last time I saw you, you were in high spirits. Now, just a few months have passed, and you've changed your spirits. Isn't it unpleasant for you?"

Qiangwei's nose felt sore and her eyes were instantly filled with tears. She didn't care about the difference between high and low and covered her face with her hands and started crying.

Jian Xi took out the handkerchief in her hand and said, "Wipe it quickly. If others see it, they will think I bullied you."

Hey!

She is not good at comforting people.

Fortunately, there were not many people around. If someone saw it, she would not be able to explain herself.

He had just entered the general's mansion when he started bullying the old people in the palace.

You will inevitably be branded as ungrateful. In this day and age, reputation is as important as life, so you have to be cautious.

Qiangwei cried for a long time before she recovered. She felt a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry to make you laugh, young lady. I don't have anyone to talk to. Everyone thinks I've married into a rich family and will have endless food and drink in the future. But the housekeeper's second son has a bad reputation. He eats, drinks, gambles and prostitutes every day. Even a man like housekeeper Zhang can't control him, let alone a weak woman like me."

Jian Xi couldn't help but wonder, "But I knew before that my sister's marriage was arranged by the Madam, and she promised it to the village manager. Why did it suddenly change?"

Qiangwei smiled bitterly and said, "It was the second son of housekeeper Zhang. I don't know where he got the information from. The maids in the Madam's room are the most beautiful ones in the mansion. He begged his mother to ask the Madam, but the Madam originally refused.

Butler Zhang came to ask for his daughter to marry the butler in my place, and said his son was a promising student and would not let me suffer in the future. Madam Tai agreed after thinking about it.

"Sister, are you saying this today because you want me to do something for you?"

Qiangwei said with a determined look, "I want to ask the girl to redeem me!"

With that he knelt on the ground with a thud.

Jian Xi was startled. Just as she reached out her hand to help, Qiangwei started to kowtow.

"Please help me, young lady."

"You get up first. Regardless of whether I have the ability or not, let's just talk about sister. Your parents both work for the Madam. Aren't they more talkative than me? If sister really wants to, it's better for her to ask your parents for help. It's better than me."

"I have made up my mind. The Madam is old, and I know my parents' thoughts best. They think that if the Madam dies one day, our family will have no one to rely on. Butler Zhang is the prince's confidant. If they can get in touch with his family, they will be able to rely on the prince in the future."

If the actions of housekeeper Zhang and his wife disgusted her, then the actions of her parents were undoubtedly the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Jian Xi had only seen scenes like this in TV dramas.

She had seen people being forced to do things against their will, but when these things happened to people around her, she just felt sad.

"Sister, get up. I promise you, but you have to think carefully. If you redeem yourself, there will be no way out. From now on, you can't rely on your family. Life in this world is already difficult for women. You must not regret it."

Qiangwei breathed a sigh of relief, and her body, which had been holding on tight, suddenly relaxed and she almost fainted.

"Sister Qiangwei!"

Qiangwei held Jian Xi's hand for a moment before she said, "Thank you, young lady. I want to return the favor. I also have something to tell you."

Jian Xi walked forward to an open space and said, "Let's talk."

"Young lady, you'd better not wear the jewelry that the lady gave you tomorrow."

"Why?"

"That is the dowry jewelry of the Madam, given by the late Queen. It has the seal of the Imperial Household Department on it. Women in the capital who have some experience will recognize it. The Hanmei Banquet is hosted by the wife of the Duke of Korea, and is specially for families in the capital who have children of marriageable age to look at each other. The girl will be of marriageable age next year. If she wears the jewelry of the Madam, I am afraid that within the next day, the news that General Shen's Mansion is going to marry Prince Wu'an's Mansion will spread throughout the capital."

"Is there any other way to say this?"

No way? Xia looked kind and benevolent, how could she cheat her?

"Miss, don't you know? In our Xuanyuan Dynasty, men and women give each other hairpins to express their friendship. Similarly, any woman who is about to reach the age of marriage, if she receives dowry jewelry from the other party's elders, it is equivalent to agreeing to the marriage between the two parties in disguise. That set of jewelry was given by the late queen and was the dowry of the lady at the bottom of the box."

In the cold winter, Jian Xi broke out in a layer of cold sweat on her back.

No wonder Xia's attitude towards her was so unusual just now, it turned out that this was what he was planning.

only--

"But even though my brother has some status, he is not able to marry into the Wu'an Palace. As the Madam is a princess, the families who want to marry her will probably have to line up outside the capital."

Qiangwei continued to explain: "You don't know the Madam yet. After the death of the previous prince, it was she who saved the situation and supported the entire Wu'an Palace. She also begged the emperor to give the title to you so that the glory of the Wu'an Palace could continue. She would never do anything that would be detrimental to the palace.

She said that the Third Master has a bad temper, and he needs to find a wife who can control him, so that the harem can be stable. General Shen is a young talent, and he is the Third Master's immediate superior, so he can help him in his career in the future. This marriage is the most suitable."