The Princess's Notebook

Although he couldn't stand Wang Kang's conceited words and timid actions, the children still called him "mother". Qiao Xin tossed and turned, and decided to bring a few ladies to pay respects to the old lady on the fifteenth day.

The Xuandefang Palace has four houses, with courtyards on the left and right, and a front hall and back hall, which is spacious. The old Fengjun's yard is in Rongxi Hall beside the middle road. Turning through the hanging flower gate, you can see three small courtyards, front and back porches, stone steps, wide and comfortable, and the four houses separated by the same wall are not like a family at all. The old Fengjun is over 60 years old, skinny, but energetic. He is sitting in the hall, accompanied by old maids on the left and right, the left lower, the first lady and the fourth lady, the right lower, the second lady and the third lady, plus a few girls from the fourth house, a few grandchildren, and a lot of people.

Because of Wang Kang, Qiao Xin had little say in front of the old Lord, so he just said a few words after greeting him. The sisters-in-law felt sorry for Qiao Xin and there was no need for him to compete with them, so they were very harmonious.

So, they were all laughing and playing and following the morning greetings. The eldest lady turned around and asked Qiao Xin with a smile, "Fourth brother's wife, do you have any plans for the ladies in your family?"

Seeing that his sister-in-law asked him without waiting for him to speak, Qiao Xin felt a little embarrassed and said shamelessly: "Sister-in-law, you also know the situation of our fourth room. If it is possible, please help me. After all, we are girls, and I have no power to control how we live in the future. Now I have a say in what kind of husband we find, so I will keep an eye on it. It is worth calling me mother."

The eldest lady's eyes turned red when she heard this. "You have suffered so much. There are so many young ladies in our house, and there are more than ten in the fourth room. You are so tired of worrying about marrying them off one by one... Oh, let's not talk about this, let's not talk about this. I know what you mean, but you also know that the Qianqiu Banquet is nominally for the queen's birthday celebration, but it is actually for selecting a concubine for the prince. Our family..." As she spoke, she looked at the four young ladies behind the fourth lady.

She is of average age, has a good temper and good looks, but with such a family background and such a father, she is really in trouble.

Knowing what the Madam had not said, Qiao Xin hurriedly said, "I know, I know everything. I'm not doing this for the sake of this. I just want to ask the girls to go to the Madam's Thousand Years Banquet and learn something new."

The two of them were talking back and forth, and the usually forthright Second Madam interrupted, "I see you guys, you've said so much but you haven't gotten to the point. Fourth brother's wife is not someone who doesn't know the importance of things, there's no need to start from here. I see you guys, you should just settle on someone. Although there are only a few girls in our family, eldest sister-in-law can't take so many young ladies with just a name card."

The first lady scolded the second lady, "You are the only one who talks too much! Your second house doesn't have a young lady, but you have several little granddaughters waiting for you. You will have to worry about them in the future."

The Second Madam laughed, "With their own mother around, I am nothing."

The Third Lady watched the show and said, "If we are to say this, it was the eldest sister-in-law who started it. The eldest granddaughter of our head house is already about ten years old."

At once, everyone in the room burst into laughter.

What is said afterwards is not suitable for the young lady to hear, so the old lady told the sisters to go out and play by themselves and not to stay here.

The sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth sisters came out and stood casually under a flower stand. They could not hear or see the discussion of their future in the inner room, so they could not help but speak in a confused and absent-minded manner.

Several girls used to quarrel and fight for the position, but later, they gradually stopped thinking about it. It's nothing, just look at the situation of the fourth room. Even if you win and get the fourth master's nice words, so what? You still have to live a miserable life. Even now, at this fate-deciding moment, it only caused a ripple.

Sixteen: "Who do you think the aunt will let go?"

Shiba Niang said unsurely, "Who knows? Our fourth room is the least popular. It is very difficult for us to talk to our aunt on weekdays. Who can guess?"

Nineteen: "It has nothing to do with me. I'm only twelve, I can still wait a little longer, but you guys can't wait any longer. Sixteenth sister is fifteen, if she doesn't find someone, I don't know how long she will have to wait. Do you think that by then, will someone report my father and say that he mistreats his children?"

Sixteen laughed loudly, "Nineteen, are you stupid? Just my father? He has fallen for the senior officials. Even if His Majesty orders people to sweep up the garbage everywhere, it may not be able to sweep up my father. What are you dreaming about!"

Nineteen: "What should I do then?"

Sixteen looked at her sisters vaguely and said insincerely, "Being born in such a family, there is nothing we can do. We can only wait." His eyes were fixed behind Seventeen Niang. She was standing under the flower stand with a nonchalant look on her face. There was a slanting green shade with lush branches and leaves above her head.

"Hey, Seventeen, why don't you say anything? Do you have a lover without telling us sisters and don't care about the Queen's Thousand Autumn Banquet?"

Shiqi Niang slowly turned her head, her bright eyes losing their luster, "That's not the case. Shiqi Niang, don't you know what I do every day? I'm just hiding away in Qiu Shuangju. Where did this sweetheart come from?"

"Even so," Sixteen stepped forward, stood shoulder to shoulder with Seventeen, and stared at her profile, "Aren't you worried?"

Seventeen smiled generously, "Worry? What's there to worry about? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is choosing a concubine. Even if he is blind, there are still the Queen and His Majesty watching. Anyway, it won't fall on my head."

Sixteen was speechless. "You are so open-minded that it makes us look like we are talking too much."

Nineteen was still young and didn't know the intricacies of the situation. "Seventeenth sister, even if this is the case, don't you worry that your future husband will treat you badly?"

"Nineteen, you are young," Seventeenth Lady looked at Little Nineteen tenderly, "In my situation, who would be willing to come if they understand?"

After hearing this, the sisters all became dejected. Among all the girls in the family, who is better than the other?

Eighteen comforted him, "It's okay. You can't marry someone so high up. You can find a sweetheart. It's not like they are looking for a new bride in the royal family."

Nineteen also agreed with a smile.

Instead, Sixteen said bluntly: "Although I was born into a lowly fate, I cannot bear to hear these. Who said that people should marry the kind of husband they are born into? What bullshit! If the eldest aunt is willing to take me with her, sisters, I will not be polite. There were so many ladies from the inner and outer courts and so many young ladies at the Qianqiu Banquet. If they can't marry His Royal Highness, others will do. I, Wang Shiliu, don't want to live such a miserable life." She didn't care what her sisters thought and went back to the corridor alone to wait.

Little Nineteen tugged at his sister Eighteenth Mother's sleeve, feeling a little scared.

Seeing this, Shiqi Niang comforted her: "It's okay. There's nothing wrong with Shiqi fighting for herself. We just have different ideas."

Eighteenth held Nineteenth's hand, silently comforting her, then turned to ask Seventeenth, "You and Sixteenth are one year apart, or only half a year apart if you're serious about it. Have you ever thought about yourself?"

"Thinking, what are you thinking about?" Shiqi Niang walked down the steps slowly and looked up at the sky. The white clouds were like a bunch of randomly twisted silk threads, which could not be circumvented or escaped. "Madam is smart and capable. She is also loved by her grandmother and treated kindly by her sisters-in-law. But is this what she wants? Is it a comfortable life to be so angry that her mouth is crooked and her eyes are squinting?

I don’t ask for great wealth or a loving marriage, I just want to live a peaceful and smooth life.

It’s best if you have no talent, no family background, no looks, and are just ordinary.”

Eighteen almost cried out in surprise, but she held it back halfway. Thinking about it carefully, Seventeen's idea was not unreasonable.

It is also said that the fourth wife Qiao Xin in the early years was the youngest sister in the family, but she was born smart. In addition, her parents only had her and a few brothers. The two concubines in her father's room had never given birth and had long lost their beauty and love. Therefore, she lived a very comfortable life in the boudoir. Until that year, she fell in love with Wang Kang, who was still the fourth son of the Wang family at that time.

Wang Kang had no achievements, but he was handsome. When he was young, he held a folding fan in his hand, chanted poems and composed couplets, and was considered a famous and talented scholar.

The prosperity is dazzling, but the inside is like a straw bag.

In the end, Qiao Xin only had ten young men in his house, who were not young, but still unmarried. It was better not to talk about the relationship between husband and wife, which was very annoying.

If she had an ordinary husband, would she be able to get rid of all this? No one knew, but it was the best solution that Shiqi Niang could think of.

It seemed like a long time later, the sound of rustling footsteps came from the old lady's room, and the eldest lady's sisters-in-law came one by one. When they saw the young ladies waiting in the corridor, they praised them, chatted for a while, and then left.

Qiao Xin took the children from the four rooms and returned to his own main house.

"While you are all here, I have something to say. I have to call you mother and madam, so I will take your affairs to heart. But you all know everything about this Qianqiu Banquet, and I cannot make the decision. Your father is not capable of finding an invitation for you. Fortunately, the eldest lady is willing to help us, an orphan and a widow..."

Speaking of "orphans and widows", Nineteen couldn't help but laugh.

Qiao Xin didn't care. Everyone in the world knew about the Fourth House. He didn't beat around the bush and said to Nineteen, "Don't laugh secretly. It's not you this time. It's definitely your Sixteenth and Seventeenth Sisters. Do you blame me?"

Nineteen hurriedly apologized, "Madam, mother, I, it's all Little Nineteen's fault. Mother loves us, that's why we are where we are today. I must have burned incense in my previous life to meet mother, I respect..."

"Okay, get up. Eighteen and Nineteen are both under Aunt Chen's wing. I was sorry to Aunt Chen about the Qianqiu Banquet. When you two get married, I will give you more money. I won't let you lose out."

I don't care about Eighteen and Nineteen, and I tell Sixteen and Seventeen, "This is all I can do. What opportunities you will have in the future depends entirely on your luck. Remember, I still say that I don't care what you do outside, but there is one thing you must not do -

For the children of our Wang family living abroad, reputation is particularly important.

Once you leave this door, I can't take away the gossip people say about you, but I have many ways to deal with you. But do you remember it clearly? "

Wang Shiliu Niang knelt down in surprise and made repeated assurances.

Seventeen said, "Madam, can I not go?"

"Why?!"

"I just want to find an ordinary family, even if it's a minor official, Madam..."

"Seventeen, the character and morals of a person in this world have nothing to do with his family background, talent, or appearance. If he is good, even if he is an emperor, he can still live with his empress. If he is not good, he can break off half of the copper coins in his pocket and use them for other purposes.

Seventeen, look at people and focus on their center of gravity."

(End of this chapter)