lady, please calm down

On the Yi Hai day of April, Liu Chen is on duty and everything goes well.

It was midnight, and the cat was already sitting in front of the dressing table.

Bailu combed Maoer's hair and applied a thin layer of powder on her to cover up the dark circles under her eyes from not sleeping all night.

Before she had finished washing up, she saw Hanlu coming in, and the cat asked hurriedly, "Is the prince awake?"

Hanlu shook her head in embarrassment and said, "I called him twice, but the prince refused to get up."

"Why are you acting like a child?"

Mao'er was quite helpless. She raised her hand to stop Bai Lu from helping her put on makeup, then got up and walked towards the bedroom.

Just as he reached the door, he saw Cai Hua, who was already dressed neatly, rushing over. The two of them looked at each other, suddenly smiled at each other, and said almost in unison: "You haven't slept either?"

"Puchi~" Perhaps because of this tacit understanding, Cai Hua covered her mouth and laughed, but because of the large amplitude of the movement, the dragon and phoenix pearl and jade crown on her head was about to fall off. Cai Hua quickly reached out to support it and said, "Wearing this thing, it's like a monkey being played!"

At this time, she not only wore a pearl and jade crown on her head, but also wore a long gown with a cloud and phoenix pattern, and a dark blue shawl on her shoulders.

When she receives the imperial decree later, this attire will represent Cai Huan's position as a royal concubine second only to Mao'er in the harem.

Compared to her, the Nine Dragons and Four Phoenixes Coronet and the Gold-Woven Dragon Patterned Bridal Cape that Mao'er had not yet worn were heavier and more noble.

"What are you doing? It's so ugly. If Sister Cai thinks it's not good-looking, you can go and change with Ayu and the others. I'm sure someone will be willing to change."

There was no one around at the moment, so the cat said a few words.

"Hehe, I won't~"

After a few words of habitual quarrel, the two entered the bedroom together, only to see Chen Chu still sleeping with his head covered. Mao'er hurried over and sat beside the bed, gently nudged Chen Chu and said, "Sir, you are better now."

After calling him several times, the hungover Chen Chu finally opened his eyes with difficulty, "What time is it?"

"It's the ugly hour."

"Ugly hour? One o'clock in the morning. Go to sleep a little longer."

"Sir, today is a big day! Don't delay it."

Mao'er tried to persuade him softly for a long time, but Chen Chu only responded with a few words, but his eyes had already closed again, as if he could fall asleep again at any time.

Seeing this, Cai Hua, who was standing by, wet a towel in the washbasin and without saying a word, walked up to Chen Chu and rubbed his face.

The cold wet towel immediately drove away Chen Chu's sleepiness. Chen Chu had no choice but to open his eyes. Due to lack of sleep after the hangover, he complained: "I don't know who made this rule. How can you ascend the throne in the middle of the night? It's so inhumane!"

"This is only the first day. Every morning court session will be held like this. Your Highness said last night that he wanted to do a good job as the emperor, so let's start by being diligent in government."

As she spoke, Cai Huan turned around and said to Ru'er, "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Come and help the prince get dressed."

Chen Chu, who was silently lamenting that he would have to start work at 3 a.m. every day, quickly pressed down the quilt after hearing this. He had the habit of sleeping naked, and subconsciously said, "It's not like I don't have hands, I don't need Ru'er to help me."

Cai Hua laughed and winked at Mao Er, saying, "Our prince is still shy."

At this time of day in the past, most residents in Tokyo had already fallen asleep, except for places like Zhouqiao Night Market and Fengle Building that were open all night long.

But today, many people in the city are sleepless.

The backyards of the Cai and Chen families who lived in Yulin Lane were brightly lit.

However, the atmosphere of the two houses is slightly different.

In the not-so-big house of the Chen family, many noble ladies in their ceremonial robes gathered in the backyard waiting to attend the grand ceremony. The Chen family contributed the most talents in the Huaibei system, so naturally there were also many women who were given titles.

Except for the Chen brothers' mother, Liang, the brothers' wives, and even Chen Yingjun's wife, were awarded the rank of seventh-rank Ruren.

At this point in the situation, everyone is well aware of the ranks of honor given to the important officials in Huaibei. Among the civil officials, excluding Fan Gongzhi, who was stationed in the northwest and had already been granted the title of Duke of Zheng, Cai Yuan and Chen Jingyan were granted the titles of Duke of Han and Duke of Ying respectively.

Ximen Gong and Xu Bang were respectively granted the titles of Duke of Biyang and Duke of Ruyang.

The four original shareholders are honored.

A family as large as the Chen family has many collateral branches, so before the new king ascends the throne, people from far and near will come.

The aristocratic family that had been in decline for a hundred years suddenly became wealthy and powerful. Many members of the family believed that the Yingchuan Chen family's chance to prosper had come again.

However, during the half month that the relatives stayed at the Chen family, they mentioned to Chen Jingyan, either explicitly or implicitly, that they wanted to serve the new dynasty. However, Chen Jingyan pretended to be deaf and dumb and never gave a positive response.

This would certainly make some people feel dissatisfied, and they would secretly curse Chen Jingyan for having made his family prosperous but not knowing how to support his side branches.

".My family has been around for thousands of years and has experienced several ups and downs. Now my sister-in-law's family has two unicorns, which will surely restore the former glory of our family."

According to seniority, Chen Jingyan's wife, Tan, should call the woman who was speaking "Aunt".

However, my aunt's branch moved to Wanqiu, Chenzhou a hundred years ago, and they rarely visited each other for many years until Chenchu ​​became famous a few years ago, when they resumed contact.

This time, he came to Tokyo City as early as the beginning of March. For more than a month, except for the few days when Chen Chu was assassinated and he briefly moved out of the Chen Mansion, he had been living in the Chen family.

When Tan saw her aunt holding her mother-in-law's hand with an affectionate expression, but her words were suggestive, she didn't say anything but could not help but look at her mother-in-law, Liang.

Among the three brothers of Chen family, the third brother has always stayed in his hometown to serve his mother. The so-called 'two unicorns in one family' by this aunt is just a hint that the third brother is useless.

Sure enough, the wife of Chen Jia Sanlang, who was sitting there, showed a little displeasure.

Liang couldn't help but comfort her third daughter-in-law with her eyes, then smiled and said, "The three brothers have had different ambitions since childhood. Dalang is devoted to the country and entered the government early. Erlang is obsessed with learning. If it weren't for Dalang and his grandson-in-law who kept inviting him to join the government, maybe he would still be teaching in his hometown. I only have these three sons, two of them have been handed over to the court, so I have to keep one by my side to fulfill my filial duty, haha."

As long as Liang was not blinded by emotions, she would have been able to control the scale of her words quite well. She praised the third son for his filial piety, making people feel that the third son of the Chen family did not take up an official position just to serve his mother.

There was a good-natured laugh from below.

"Yes, look at this room full of noble ladies. Anyone who sees them will praise my sister-in-law for her good teaching!" The aunt looked around with envy. Liang's smile was still on her face when she heard the former say, "My sister-in-law is already the wife of the third-rank Marquis Yijia, and my daughter-in-law is either the wife of the first-rank Duke or the wife of the second-rank County Duke. If they go out together, it will be such a grand occasion!"

The smile on Liang's face suddenly froze, and the laughter of the women below quickly disappeared.

Tan looked at her aunt with great dissatisfaction.
In the backyard of the Chen family, this matter of the new emperor's ascension to the throne cannot be mentioned, because the father of the Chen brothers was posthumously conferred the title of Marquis Yijia, which means Yiyanjiaxing, meaning that Chen's father taught well and raised a group of good children and grandchildren.

Liang naturally became the marquis's wife.

If it were just this, Liang would be happy, but she didn't know what her grandson-in-law would think. Her two daughters-in-law, Tan and Cheng, were to be conferred the titles of Duke and Lady of the County.

She was not jealous of her son's future, but as a result, the two daughters-in-law in the back house had higher ranks than her, the mother-in-law!

This was simply unacceptable in the eyes of Liang, who attached great importance to the monarch, his subjects, and his sons.

The atmosphere was awkward for a moment. Seeing that the aunt was always making trouble, Tan originally hoped that her mother-in-law would take the initiative to say a few words to her, but she saw that her mother-in-law's face gradually darkened, so she had to speak up: "Eleventh Aunt, mother's imperial title was earned by my father because of his good teaching, not because of the favor of the official and uncle! Although this example is not common, it is by no means unheard of. Meng Tian in the Qin Dynasty, Li Gan in the Han Dynasty, Wen Yuan in the Three Kingdoms, and Hulugu in the Northern Qi Dynasty were all like this. This example does not mean that mother is inferior to us. On the contrary, it proves that the three generations of my family have been granted titles because of their own achievements. No one has been granted a title or a duke because of the favor of their father and son!"

Although the Eleventh Aunt was also the wife of the Chen family's side branch and had read some poetry and books, she was only slightly familiar with literature and history. She had no idea that there were such precedents in the families of Meng Tian and Li Gan. As for Wen Yuan and Hulugu, she had never even heard of them.

Liang's expression eased a little. Even Chen Jing'an's wife Cheng looked at her sister-in-law with a little surprise, astonished at how the latter could suddenly be so familiar with historical allusions, to the point where she could recite them at will.

However, Chen Yingjun's wife, Mrs. Lin, understood the situation clearly. A few days ago, Ayu went back home to visit her relatives and discussed the matter of receiving the imperial edict with her mother in advance. What Mrs. Tan said just now was almost a copy of what Ayu said.

At that time, Ayu not only taught her mother how to explain the matter in case her grandmother was unhappy, but also said some very private and even treasonous words, such as
'When my grandmother celebrated her birthday, her relatives from other families caused a big disaster. Given the love the prince has for Hu Tou, if it weren't for my father, my second uncle, and me, my family would have been in big trouble! My mother is gentle, but she has to rely on the power of a lady of the first rank to slowly take charge of all the affairs of the family. Otherwise, with my grandmother's temper of doting on her family, she will cause bigger trouble sooner or later! Mother, don't be afraid of offending people'

These words clearly encouraged the mother to seize power in the rear house from the grandmother.

According to Tan's personality, she would not have done such a thing, but as a mother, she is strong. She was afraid that the side branch family would ruin her daughter's happiness and her son's future, so she made up her mind.

Lin even suspected that the suggestion to deliberately lower her grandmother's rank to that of her mother-in-law was even the advice of her sister-in-law, who seemed well-educated, gentle and weak, to the King of Chu.

After Tan's words, the atmosphere in the room eased a lot. The Eleventh Aunt rolled her eyes and sighed, "The ancestral home is still very prosperous. Sister-in-law's branch has produced so many talented people for three generations. However, I heard that the title of the Xin Dynasty, except for more salary, has no other benefits, and it cannot be inherited."

Before Aunt Eleven finished her words, Cheng, who had been silent the whole time, saw that her eldest sister-in-law was getting more and more unhappy, and hurriedly said, "Aunt Eleven, children and grandchildren have their own blessings, just like Yinglang, who is not a good-for-nothing in my family, can make a living now even without his father's influence. Since my family stays in the ancestral home, if any of the relatives want to come to the clan to study in the future, or want to go to the public school in Huaibei, my family will recommend them. Although the way the King of Chu recruits officials has changed, studying is an indispensable foundation."

Chen Jing'an has always loved talents. When he sees a talented person, he will recommend him to study at Huaibei School for a few years. Once he understands the Huaibei operating system, his future path to becoming an official will naturally be much smoother.

Cheng's words were like pointing out a clear path for the clan members, but unexpectedly, the Eleventh Aunt wanted to save even this little trouble. She just laughed and said, "Look, even the wife of Erlang's family is always thinking about the new dynasty. Our clan has lasted for thousands of years, relying on the same blood. Who can predict the fate of the world? Today I am in the ancestral home, and tomorrow I may be in Wanqiu."

The issue concerns the future of each branch, but seeing that the wealthy old family of Yingchuan is unmoved, Aunt Eleven becomes more and more annoyed. Compared with the style of the men in the house who are vague and reserved in their words, the words of the women are undoubtedly more aggressive and more difficult to deal with.

What she meant was, you Yingchuan people should ignore other families today. If my Wanqiu branch rises in power in the future, your descendants will not be able to benefit from us.

In the house, there were not only the Wanqiu clan members, but also women from the collateral branches scattered throughout Huaibei. At this moment, they were all silently looking at Tan and Cheng.

Tan couldn't help but look at her mother-in-law again, but saw that she had lowered her brows, as if she felt that it was her responsibility to support the clan members. Tan couldn't help but think of the conversation with her daughter again, and the anger in her heart finally erupted with the confidence of the wife of a first-rank duke.

She suddenly stood up and said, "Aunt Eleven, this is absurd! Our clan has survived for thousands of years by emphasizing education and the self-improvement of our children! In recent years, our clan has declined. I thought it was because of the turbulent times and it was difficult for scholars to make a name for themselves. But today I understand that our clan's decline may be due to the poor choice of wives! Back then, my father-in-law died early, and my mother worked hard to raise the three brothers. When did she ever have the nerve to ask for a future at someone else's house? And you are so unreasonable and don't know how to advance or retreat! My family doesn't owe you anything!"

Choosing an unvirtuous wife is putting all the blame for the Chen family's decline on women. Of course, Tan didn't kill everyone with one blow. As for who is a virtuous wife, isn't that obvious?
Whoever has a promising husband and children and whoever has the imperial decree at this time is a good wife!

"."

Nearly half of the collateral relatives present were stunned for a moment.

Although Aunt Eleven was a little sarcastic just now, it was just to seek benefits for everyone. Besides, we come from a scholarly family, and we value witty words. How can you, you, you, speak so harshly!
At the head, Liang was flattered by her daughter-in-law, but in front of so many clansmen, she still acted like a mother-in-law and said sternly: "How can a daughter-in-law be so rude to so many elders! We are from the same family, we all prosper together and suffer together."

For decades, Tan, who had never dared to speak loudly in front of her mother-in-law, did not wait for Liang to finish her words and said directly: "Haha, mother, I believe that we all prosper together, but we all suffer together? Mother, have you forgotten that when my son-in-law was assassinated and rumors were flying everywhere, all the relatives and friends present here moved out of my house overnight, fearing that they would be implicated!"

"presumptuous!"

Seeing her daughter-in-law verbally contradicting her in front of so many people, Liang couldn't help feeling ashamed and angry.

But this time, Tan was not frightened. She bowed to Liang in front of everyone's surprised eyes and said, "Mother, please sit down. It is already three quarters past midnight. I will go to the front to see if the master and his family have finished packing."

After saying that, he bowed, turned around and walked out.

Seeing this, Cheng quickly stood up and bowed to her mother-in-law, "Mother, I will also go to the front to see the master."

Lin was next, "Granddaughter-in-law, you have to go to the front to see the master."

Several people filed out of the flower hall. Not long after they walked away, they heard a clear sound of a tea bowl falling to the ground in the hall behind them.

Lin looked back carefully, then quickly caught up with her mother-in-law and whispered, "Mother, you are amazing!"

Tan then stood still, exhaled slowly, looked at her hands that were still shaking with excitement, and whispered: "Yu Lei, who has been holding it in for thirty years, finally gets to let it out today!"

"Hey, mother looked a bit like A-Yu just now!"

"You are stupid, how can you say that a mother looks like her daughter?"

Cheng responded, and the three of them couldn't help but laugh. However, Lin secretly thought of her grandmother's dominance. Over the years, her mother-in-law and second aunt had avoided returning to the old house if possible. They must have suffered a lot of bullying in the past.

Now everything is fine. Her husband has been conferred the title of Duke, her daughter has entered the palace as a concubine, and her son has a bright future.

There are few people in this world who can compare with Tan. If we have to compare her, it would probably be Wang, the wife of Cai Yuan who lives in the same alley.

Lin couldn't help but think that this Duke's wife really boosted her mother-in-law's morale!

Ayu is lucky because not only does she give her cowardly mother-in-law courage, but she herself is not under the control of her mother-in-law!

In the front house, the Chen brothers, Chen Yingjun, and Chen Yinglang who had just arrived the day before and other men accompanied the clansmen to drink tea and chat, waiting to rush to the imperial city together at the end of the hour of Chou.

Compared to the backyard, the atmosphere here is much more harmonious.

Chen Jing'an and Chen Yingjun were invited out by servants one after another, and Cheng took Chen Jing'an away on the pretext of helping the official try on the crown.

When Chen Yingjun saw his wife standing under the pomegranate tree in the courtyard, he couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

"It's okay. I don't want to stay behind anymore, so I came to see you."

The two have been childhood sweethearts and have had a good relationship since they got married.

Hearing his wife say this, Chen Yingjun couldn't help but smile and said, "That's right, I don't want to stay in there anymore."

Perhaps inspired by her mother-in-law's words, Lin said, "If you don't want to stay, don't make it hard on yourself. You didn't see how powerful mother was just now! She scolded Aunt Eleven severely and even contradicted Grandmother."

"what?"

"What? Now that mother has father, you, and A-Yu, she is very confident! Oh, by the way, go inside and tell father that mother is waiting for him in the room."

At about 1 p.m., Chen Jingyan received news about his son and returned to the courtyard where he and his wife lived.

In the bedroom, Tan, who had been full of energy just now, became nervous again. She looked at the duke's crown that her husband would wear soon, feeling uneasy.

After a while, Chen Jingyan pushed the door open and came in. Tan, who was sitting on the bed, quickly stood up and lowered her head slightly. Her face was still flushed due to the excitement just now.

After Old Chen entered the room, he stood there and watched for a long time.

Tan had dared to confront her mother-in-law just now, but now standing in front of the master, she timidly admitted her fault, "My husband, I was impatient just now and made my mother angry."

"I've just heard from Wei Ting that you did a good job on this matter. I'll take care of mother."

As he spoke, Chen Jingyan rubbed Tan's face with the back of his hand, and suddenly heaved a long sigh: "My wife's appearance at this moment makes me feel as if I have returned to the time when we were newly married. Thank you for all the hard work you have put in over the years to raise such a good pair of children."

Tan's emotions, which had been stagnant in her heart after her excitement subsided, were brought to a halt by Chen Jingyan's words, and she burst into tears.

"My husband, don't you blame me for talking back to our mother?" Tan was taken into Chen Jingyan's arms and reflected on herself.

Chen Jingyan patted his wife's back and whispered, "From now on, our family will be the real in-laws. If we don't restrain ourselves early or cut off our relationship with some of the clansmen, we will get into trouble sooner or later. Mother is old and easily influenced. As the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, you need to take care of the affairs of the harem."

Tan, who had always been weak and cowardly in the family, said: "I don't care about relatives. Anyone who blocks Yingxian's future and ruins Ayu's happiness is my enemy!" (End of this chapter)