The Rise of a Farm Girl

Wang Jingru fell asleep. Yu Wenjiao covered her with a quilt and left the room quietly.

On the second day, Wang Jingru got up early and slept well all night, feeling refreshed. As soon as Wang Jingru finished washing up, Zhan Wang came.

The War King came with the matchmaker, carrying 120 betrothal gifts, all of which were carefully selected by the War King. There were a dazzling array of precious items piled up like mountains. It was a display of luxury.

120 betrothal gifts filled up the entire yard. The maidservant beside Wang Jingru ran in chattering, saying, "Princess, Princess, the betrothal gifts from King Zhan are here."

There were 120 sets of betrothal gifts, filling up the entire yard. Princess, princess, the master and the mistress ask you to go to the front yard!

Wang Jingru had just finished washing up and hadn't had breakfast yet! The world was big, but eating was the most important thing. She had to eat her fill before going to the front yard.

Wang Jingru hurriedly asked the maids to serve the meal. These maids were even more anxious than Wang Jingru. They were anxious to go to the front yard to see the betrothal gifts sent by King Zhan.

Even when serving Wang Jingru meals, they were absent-minded. Wang Jingru also noticed these maids. She ate some food noisily, rinsed her mouth, and then told the maid to go to the front yard.

Wang Jingru came to the front yard and saw King Zhan waiting eagerly.

Seeing Wang Jingru coming, he could no longer sit still and hurried to greet her. Jingru, I'm here to deliver the betrothal gifts. Dad and mom said that after the New Year, when my eldest and second brothers get married, we can get married.

Wang Jingru was also very happy. After all, Zhan Wang was the type she liked, and Zhan Wang also promised her that they would be together for the rest of their lives.

Otherwise she would not have agreed to marry him. Wang Jingru was also very happy. The matter was considered over only after they sat down and set the wedding date.

Because it was the New Year, Zhan Wang and Wang Laosan were both very busy. After talking for a while, Zhan Wang and Wang Laosan left.

Before the New Year, every household was very busy, and every mansion was busy giving gifts. The same was true for Wang Jingru's family. They gave some gifts to a few families they were familiar with. Then it was New Year's Eve, and the families of officials of the fourth rank and above all came to the palace to attend the New Year's Eve banquet?

It had snowed heavily twice that day and the roads were very difficult to walk on. Wang Jingru was woken up early and was shivering from the cold.

A charcoal basin had been lit in Wang Jingru's room for a long time, but she still felt very cold.

The little maid brought a red fox fur cloak and put it on Wang Jingru. The red fox fur cloak made Wang Jingru look like a blooming red lotus, blooming with scorching beauty in the cold wind.

The softness and warmth of the fox fur seemed to wrap Wang Jingru in a dream world. The fur was as smooth as silk, gently brushing the princess's cheek, bringing endless comfort and care.

At the same time, the princess's beauty and nobility were perfectly displayed. Her eyes revealed confidence and determination, as if announcing her unique charm to the world.

Wang Jingru just arrived outside the mansion, and the carriage of the King of Zhan was waiting there. Wang Jingru said in surprise, "When did you come? Why didn't you come into the mansion and wait for me?"

I guessed it too. Come on up! Zhan Wang took Wang Jingru's hand and pulled her gently, and Wang Jingru jumped onto the carriage.

As soon as they sat in the carriage, King Zhan hurriedly took out a hand warmer and let Wang Jingru warm her hands in it.

On the carriage were various cakes and a pot of tea.

The two of them were chatting and laughing in the carriage, feeling very warm. Although the road was slippery, the soldiers had cleared the snow.

They soon arrived at the imperial palace. There was a constant stream of traffic outside the palace gate, with carriages lined up in a long queue. The princes and ministers got off their carriages at the palace gate one by one and walked into the palace on foot.

Wang Jingru was protected by Zhan Wang, who held Wang Jingru's hand, fearing that she would slip while walking. Although the snow had been cleared, it was still very slippery.

They walked all the way to the palace. Wang Jingru's little face was flushed as she walked. King Zhan wanted to hide Wang Jingru in his pocket.

The two walked into the palace, which was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. The nobles were dressed in gorgeous clothes and behaved in a dignified manner. They talked and laughed, exchanging views on politics and culture, and the table was already filled with delicious food.

When Wang Jingru and Zhan Wang walked in, everyone's eyes were on them. They found their seats and sat down.

Wang Laosan and Yu Wenjiao sat not far from Wang Jingru and the others. Wang Jingru's two brothers sat below Wang Laosan and the others.

Every official has his own fixed position. The position he sits in varies according to his rank. The higher the rank, the closer he sits to the front.

All the officials and their families were present. They were chatting and talking, and the hall was very lively.

After a while, the eunuch was heard shouting loudly, "The Emperor and the Empress have arrived." Behind the Emperor and the Empress were the concubines from various palaces.

Not all concubines are qualified to attend the palace banquet. Those who come are usually very favored.

All the civil and military officials, as well as their families, knelt down and saluted. After the emperor, the empress and a few favored concubines sat down, the emperor said, "Stand up. Today's palace banquet does not require any empty formalities."

Everyone thanked him, then stood up and returned to their seats.

As soon as they sat down, the official's daughter stood up and wanted to show off. The first one to stand up was Zhou Fang, the daughter of Lord Zhou from the Shangshu Mansion.

Zhou Fangren is not particularly beautiful, but she is pretty.

I, your humble servant Zhou Fang, am willing to perform a dance for the Emperor and Empress, wishing them eternal happiness and a long life.

The emperor laughed twice and said, "Okay." The queen also said, "Miss Zhou, then you can dance!"

Miss Zhou bowed and went downstairs to change into her dance costume. At this time, she couldn't be idle, so Mengyao from the Taifu family played a piece of guzheng.

Mengyao's fingers danced on the strings, as light as an elf, and the notes poured out like flowing water. Each note was full of emotion, sometimes deep, sometimes passionate. It was like a poem or a painting.

After the song was finished, the emperor clapped his hands and said, "Good, Miss Meng's piano skills are indeed extraordinary."

The civil and military officials below saw that the emperor was clapping his hands, so they also burst into thunderous applause.

At this time the queen said that Miss Meng was indeed worthy of her reputation and was indeed a famous talented woman in the imperial city.

Miss Meng knelt down and thanked the Emperor and Empress for their compliments. As soon as Meng Yao went downstairs, Miss Zhou had already changed into her dance costume.

Miss Zhou needed accompaniment for her dance. At this time, the emperor's second son Xuanyuan Ming stood up. He heard that Miss Zhou had a light figure and could dance on her palms. Today, he was lucky enough to see Miss Zhou dance, and this prince was really feasting his eyes.

This prince is willing to accompany Miss Zhou. Miss Zhou was very happy. She felt very elated. She thought that maybe the Second Prince had taken a fancy to her. Then could she become his consort?

Miss Zhou quickly bowed to the Second Prince, and Zhou Fang thanked him. The Second Prince sat down beside him and played the zither that had been prepared long ago.

The second prince plucked the strings of the zither, and Zhou Fang's dancing was graceful and agile, her movements were like flowing water, her posture was light, and every turn and every jump was full of power and beauty. Smooth and natural.

The dance, coupled with the second prince's beautiful melody, was like the sound of nature. The performer was skilled in technique and played every note just right, delicately and gracefully, giving people a beautiful enjoyment.

After Miss Zhou finished her dance, the other noble ladies took turns to dance. After almost a round, the banquet came to an end.

Everyone acted out their performance, except Wang Jingru. Because Wang Jingru didn't want to perform at all. Whoever wants to show off can show off! She didn't want to marry those princes.

But some people just can't stand his leisurely and comfortable appearance.

So the Queen's niece Qian Qiuju stood up and said sarcastically, "Princess Jingru must be from the country and doesn't have any talent."

Every daughter of an official family performed a show, except Princess Jingru. Could it be that the rumors on the street were true? People on the street said that Princess Jingru was from the country, was very uncouth, and could not even read or write.

After she finished speaking, she started to giggle, and the other ladies also covered their mouths and chuckled.

Wang Jingru didn't want to talk. She could say whatever she wanted. It didn't matter to her. Anyway, she didn't want to perform on stage. She just played around like a monkey.

The emperor also noticed Wang Jingru's indifference, and he became more curious about her.

If an ordinary person said this, the girl would definitely not be able to bear it.

But Wang Jingru acted as if she didn't hear anything and continued to echo Qian Qiuju's words, "Miss Qian is right. I'm from the country and I don't know what you said, but I can perform magic tricks just the same."

Of course Wang Jingru can perform magic since she has space. She can put things into the space and take them out instantly, so she said she can perform magic.

Not only was the emperor interested, even the queen became curious.

Since Princess Jingru can perform magic, why not show me one to broaden my horizons?

No matter how unwilling Wang Jingru was, she had to go on stage to perform. It seemed that the Qian family really loved to make trouble.

I'll have to find a chance to teach them a lesson. They actually let her go up there to perform. The people in Old Qian's family are like mad dogs, biting whoever they catch.

Since we are going to perform, we naturally have to go down and prepare some props, Wang Jingru said, the emperor and the queen became interested. They hurriedly sat down and watched carefully, but no matter how hard they thought, they couldn't figure it out?

The vase was just there on the table, but Princess Jingru waved her hand lightly and the vase disappeared. She waved again and the vase appeared on the table again.

Wang Jingru also performed a show. The cup was obviously empty, but with just a slight wave of her hand, it was filled with water.

What was most incredible to them was that Wang Jingru actually conjured up a little chick. The chick was very lively and when she let go of her hands, the little chick ran back and forth on the ground.

The emperor and the queen were so surprised that they opened their mouths wide and couldn't recover for a long time.

After all, the emperor had seen a lot of things, so he quickly calmed down and even led the applause.

Princess. The magic she performed was unique.

The emperor immediately rewarded Wang Jingru, and someone came to reward Princess Jingru with 100 taels of gold.

Qian Qiuju was very angry. Not only Qian Qiuju was very angry, but Queen Qian Manxiang was also very angry.

The original intention of today's banquet was to let my niece shine at the banquet.

His niece's performance was mediocre, not to mention brilliant, and lacked any originality. But Wang Jingru won the first prize today and received a reward from the emperor.

The Queen disliked Wang Jingru no matter what and hated her arrogant face.

But the emperor had already agreed and awarded her 100 taels of gold. What else could she say?

He could only grit his teeth and agree. The banquet was about to end, and officials of all ranks, along with their families, left the palace one after another.

By the time Wang Jingru and the others returned home, it was already past 10 o'clock in the evening.

Every year on New Year’s Eve, the palace banquet ends around this time, because all officials have to go home to stay up until midnight, and then set off firecrackers to welcome the new year.

Wang Jingru was so sleepy when she got home, she didn't want to stay up all night to celebrate the New Year!

She returned to the small courtyard where she lived, asked the maid to bring her a basin of water, and after a simple wash, she fell asleep on the bed.

Wang Jingru didn't even get up to eat the dumplings brought by the maid. Every New Year's Eve, the maids would not rest until after 12 o'clock in the mansion.

But Wang Jingru broke the rules because she was the eldest daughter, a princess. Wang Laosan and Yuwen Jiao, as well as the old Wang couple, sat in the house, eating melon seeds and chatting.

Most of the time, Wang Laosan was talking about the details of the palace banquet today, which made the old man Wang and his wife very excited.

How they wished they could attend a palace banquet, but they were afraid of being embarrassed. They listened to Wang Laosan introduce the various foods and performances at the palace banquet.

Last year they celebrated the New Year in their hometown, but this year they celebrated it in the imperial city. Things have really changed and time has passed so quickly.

After twelve o'clock, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. The next day, everyone got up early because they had New Year's greetings and friends to visit. Not long after the door of the mansion was opened, Xuanyuan Lei came.

Xuanyuan Lei kowtowed to Wang Laosan and his wife, "Father and mother, happy new year!" Wang Laosan and his wife said "yes, yes, yes." "Get up quickly, Lei'er."

Yuwen Jiao took out a big red envelope and handed it to Xuanyuan Lei. Xuanyuan Lei was very happy. This was Xuanyuan Lei’s first red envelope in the new year. He cherished it very much and put it in his arms.

Wang Jingru and her two brothers came in, kowtowed to their parents, kowtowed to their grandparents, and bowed to Xuanyuan Lei. They said, "Happy New Year." They received a big red envelope. Wang Jingru received the most red envelopes today.

Wang Jingru was so happy that she had a great harvest during the Chinese New Year, but her two brothers were also very disappointed.

By using a combination of coaxing and deception, he managed to get all the red envelopes received by his two elder brothers.

In the end, Wang Jingru received the most red envelopes, and Zhan Wang gave all the red envelopes to Wang Jingru.

On New Year's Day, Wang Jingyi, his mother, and his second aunt also came to Sinong Mansion. Today was the first day of the new year, and no one wanted to spoil the fun, so they let them in.

These people knelt and kowtowed, and Old Man Wang and his wife were generous and gave them three red envelopes.

These people were so shameless and thick-skinned that they stayed in the mansion stubbornly. They only left after finishing their dinner.

Of course, King Zhan and Xuanyuan Lei had to finish their meal before they could leave. There was no separate table for men and women today, and they all sat together to have dinner.