Ordinary clear day

Chapter 234 Longevity
Tong Ying looked at the drawings she had made over the years with a troubled look on her face.Every year on Longevity Day, he would accompany the people of Prince Jane's mansion to give presents. Apart from a few rare curios bought by the manor on his behalf, the contents were mainly paintings drawn by himself.But this year he opened a mansion and got married, so he can no longer send it with the palace, and he has no time to paint at all because of the imperial errand, so what should he do?

In fact, since he participated in the preparations for the expedition to Galdan, he has not consulted the two masters Xiang Jiao and Wang on time, and even his painting skills are a bit useless. What kind of climate, and he has always been respectful, so there is no plan to drive him out of the gate.Later, he brought Shuning to visit, and Shuning expressed that he could lend a few ancient paintings as a dowry for a month or two for the masters to appreciate Linmu, and only then helped Tongying win their favor again.

Tongying resumed her daily practice before her marriage, but after receiving the errand of the Luanyi envoy, she could only spare one or two hours every two or three days to paint.Now his painting skills have somewhat regressed, if he rushes out a pair or two in a hurry, let alone the emperor doesn't like it, even he himself would be ashamed to send it up.

Seeing his troubled face, Shu Ning smiled lightly and said, "You don't have to worry about this, I've prepared for it." Then she ordered someone to fetch a set of four newly made glass inkstone screens, and said, "Look at this What's on it?" Tong Ying took a closer look, why are the characters on it so familiar?It seems to be his handwriting.

It turned out that Shuning had already started preparing for the Longevity Day in February.She heard that Tong Ying gave her paintings in previous years, but it would take at least a month to paint a good and complicated painting. This year is obviously too late, and she also knows Tong Ying's situation well.So she found a stack of thirty or forty sheets of "Happiness Outside the Great Wall" from Tong Ying's old drawings in advance.This was painted by Tongying when he accompanied Shengjia to the outside of the Great Wall over the years. The paintings depict scenes where the emperor entertains Mongolian princes, or the children of Manchu and Mongolian nobles ride horses, shoot arrows, warm up, drink, sing and dance, and wrestle.Choose four of the best paintings and give them to Mr. Yin to find a good glass workshop, burn the scenes on the paintings into glass inkstone screens, and then use huanghuali wood as a base. It shows Tongying's painting skills, and is it simple and decent?

This was originally thought of from the porcelain painting Kangping that Zhenzhen gave Duanning back then. Shuning admitted that it was inspired by seeing the Kangping in Meiyuan when she went back to her natal home.

Looking at the figures painted with light colors on the four inkstone screens, she nodded in satisfaction.The glass workshop Manager Yin found was really good in craftsmanship, but the fees were a bit expensive, but a few hundred taels of silver was already very cost-effective compared to the expenditure during the New Year's ceremony.It seems to be able to patronize for a long time in the future.

Tong Ying looked surprised: "Why didn't I expect it? It doesn't have to be paper paintings. It's good to burn into a screen, but you can also burn some water Cheng, brush washers, pen holders, and paperweights. The flowers, birds, and insects I drew in practice Fish, landscape and figures can be used, right? By the way, besides glass, there are wood carvings, stone carvings and bamboo carvings..."

"Stop, stop!" Shuning hurriedly stopped him from continuing, "It's a good idea to make a few of this kind of thing, and if you do it like this, people will get annoyed." Tong Ying rubbed her head, laughed dryly, and said: "That's right, but at home You can do this if you use it. And this set of inkstone screens alone is a bit thin, let’s burn a few more, this year is not the whole life, but also every fifth day.”

That's right.Shuning pulled him to think together, what else should be added.

A few days ago, when she was a guest at Prince Yong's Mansion, she saw Sifu Jin Yumin ordering someone to hold a birthday gift. There was a list full of people, and Yumin even gave her a few private pointers.It was only then that she realized that Jinshang's birthday gift can't just be one or two.

In the end, the couple discussed and decided to burn a few more stationery utensils, all using Tong Ying's paintings as the basis, and adding some other objects.Shu Ning wanted to take out a pair of woven gold colored porcelain vases from the dowry, but was stopped by Tong Ying: "I know you will say that this is not a valuable thing, but at least it is your dowry, let people know, I thought we were in such a difficult situation. At most, I would ask someone to buy it, anyway, you have a way, don't you?" Shu Ning knew that he was thinking of herself, so she agreed.

After setting the rules, Shu Ning heaved a sigh of relief, it was different after some people discussed it.What gift did she give for public relations before, but she has been worrying about it for several nights, how could it be so quick?

Seeing this, Tongying rubbed her forehead carefully, and said softly: "Are you tired? Recently, you have been working hard for the affairs of the house." Shuning said angrily: "What are you talking about?! This is my home too , Hard work is due, what you said is wrong!" Tong Ying hurriedly laughed and said: "Yes, I made a mistake, please punish me, madam." Shuning shot him a glance: "Come on, you are glib."

Tong Ying smiled for a while, and then asked: "I was not at home earlier, did the people below cause trouble for you? If someone is disobedient, just teach him a lesson. Whether it is from the Wangfu or the Ministry of Internal Affairs, don't follow him." They are polite." Shuning smiled lightly: "Don't worry, I was used to doing this when I was in my mother's house, and after a few rectifications, they are all obedient now."

Although she said it lightly, it actually took a lot of effort.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs is okay, they just want to take advantage of it and want to be decent.Every family has this kind of people, even if they are as powerful as the old mother Tong, they can't completely suppress the desire of the servants under the name of Sanfang to be greedy for petty gain and show off.It's okay for those people to want power and money, but not too much, and they must obey her wishes, otherwise, if they are sent back to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, what will they do to her?

She placed several accompanying servants in different positions for nearly half a year, which gradually gave them a certain degree of prestige.Then she took care of a few whimsical guys and sent them back to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and promoted a few people who were not reused before, and the people at the bottom were restrained a lot.She also let the two nuns of the Ministry of Internal Affairs understand the benefits of obeying the wishes of the mistress, and if they were settled, the others would not be a problem.

The problem is that some old people who came to Prince Jane's residence, relying on the old to sell the old, and want to get more benefits through Qiu Yi and the others who are related to them.These people said that they watched Beizi grow up, and so on.But Shu Ning had asked Tong Ying a long time ago, except for a few old slaves who came from Fengtian, most of the others were taken by Prince Jian's Mansion in Beijing a few years ago, and they never served Tong Ying much at all.

For the four maids serving in the inner courtyard, Shuning only let them do needlework and clean the rooms outside the main house.At least, let their ambition be destroyed.

As for the others, she will hand them over to Director Yin, who is also sent by the palace anyway, so she just asks him for the result.Both this person and Mr. Luo are capable and reliable.And the only son of the Yin family, a smart young man working in a study abroad, is now pursuing Suxin.She asked Su Xin what she meant, but the girl only said to see the sincerity of the other party first, and she would not let go.It's too late for Director Yin to curry favor with Shuning.

As for Eunuch Luo, she discovered that under his dead face, there is actually a very interesting temperament, and she is currently trying to discover it.

Seeing the smile on her lips, Tongying asked, "What are you thinking? Tell me to smile too?" Shuning pursed her lips and said, "Eunuch Luo has a straight face all day long, seemingly cold, but actually he has a very good heart, and I like children very much. The boy in Zhou Chang’s family, and the grandson of Chen Guanshi in the East First Courtyard, are only four or five years old, and it’s time to be naughty. The weather was good a few days ago, and they actually climbed a tree to play, so anxious Eunuch Luo was jumping under the tree. I passed by and saw it, it was really interesting."

Seeing the smile in the corner of her eyes, Tongying felt moved, and said, "Do you like children too? Actually, don't worry, we are still young."

Shu Ning was stunned, and then realized that he had misunderstood: "There is no such thing, and this kind of thing can't be rushed. Sooner or later, it will happen." To be honest, she is really not in a hurry, after all, this body is only 17 years old, born The child is a little earlier.She also thought about the world of two people for a year or two.However, people in this era who are not pregnant after a year of marriage will indeed cause gossip.Thinking of this, she felt a little depressed again.

Preparations for the birthday ceremony are in full swing, but Tong Ying is gradually getting busy.For the sake of the Longevity Festival, he left early and returned late, and sometimes he didn't return home until the second watch.Shuning saw that he was getting thinner and thinner, and the flesh that had been raised with great difficulty began to shrink back, and she was very distressed.In addition to making delicious and nutritious food for him in different ways, she also persuaded Tongying: "If you are really late with errands, you don't have to rush back to the mansion. The Wang's mansion is closer to the yamen, and you can also Go there and spend the night."

Beizi Mansion is located in the north of the capital, too far away from Luan Yiwei and the Six Departments. Relatively speaking, Prince Jian's Mansion is much closer, and it is also a place Tong Ying is familiar with.Although she hopes to see Tong Ying every day, she doesn't want him to sacrifice his rest time in order to rush home for the night.

Tong Ying also understood this truth, and agreed after thinking for a while, but he said: "If I don't come back, I will send someone to tell you. You can ask someone to send some change of clothes to the palace. If there is something at home, please come to me." .” Shuning nodded with a smile.She wasn't worried about what bad things he might do in the palace, she was so tired, besides, Shige had recently become friends with their husband and wife, and would often tell her about the affairs of the palace. Woolen cloth.

Next, until the day of the Longevity Day, Tong Ying was able to go home for dinner and rest most of the time. Only two or three nights when she was really tired, she spent the night at Prince Jane's Mansion, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Before the Longevity Festival, Shuning had already prepared all the birthday gifts, besides the set of inkstone screens, there were also a pair of newly baked landscape paperweights, a flower and bird pen holder, a lotus and frog brush washer, and a pair of arm rests for the three stars of fortune, prosperity and longevity. It is glass.In addition, there is a tea set made of woven gold and colored porcelain, a hibiscus stone longevity peach ornament, a pair of Xuande jars, a longevity copper stove, and twelve silk jackets and robes bought by the family when they went to the south of the Yangtze River, and a backrest embroidered by Shuning herself. A pair of mattresses.

Shuning looked at the more than 2000 taels of silver that had been spent on the ledger, and sighed.If it wasn't for the absence of Huo Comprador, the shopkeeper of his Zhenbaoxuan refused to discount, maybe it would be less.However, she found that many shops had raised their prices possibly because of the large number of people who gave gifts to Emperor Wanshou.

This time, she learned another lesson. There are many opportunities to give gifts throughout the year. Maybe she should "buy goods" at low prices during the "off-season" to reduce costs.In addition, if it's the queen mother's or concubine's birthday, she can use her own fine needlework on top, such as embroidery screens and bedding, which are very good and can express her heart.It was decided that she would start embroidering screens and Buddha statues as soon as the Longevity Day was over!
On the day of Wanshou Festival, people have to wear a large dress to attend the pilgrimage during the day, and then they have to go home and change into auspicious clothes to attend the Wanshou banquet in the evening.Fortunately, she was reminded by Yumin and Sanfujin, and gave Concubine Tong a few small things to please her. She was given the grace to enter and exit the palace from the Shenwu Gate, took a shortcut, and rushed back to Beizi Mansion to change into a red auspicious dress. , Comb your hair again, and rush back to the palace.

Although this year's Longevity Festival is not a full tenth birthday, it is still a small celebration, and the Longevity Banquet is quite grand.In the main hall, there were countless banquets, and Shu Ning sat on the female family's table, the position could only be regarded as the front of the middle.A foot away from the front are the seats for Prince Fujin and Prince Fujin, San Fujin, Yu Min, Yuanning and Wei Wan are all on it.The next ones are the elder sons of the Guerjia family, the eldest sons of Fujin.And there are five or six seats for their royal family members such as Bei Zi, Duke of Baylor.Below them, there are many people with lower titles, as well as the families of hundreds of officials.From a distance, she saw a figure suspected to be the eldest aunt Nala, but it was a pity that Zhenzhen and the other sister-in-laws were not able to participate.

In a very corner on the side, there were several tables wearing pink or water red clothes. She only recognized one as Jingyu from the third elder brother's house, one was Mrs. Li from the fourth elder brother's house, and on the other table, there was There is Ergen Jueluo from Prince Jane's mansion, so he knows that this is probably the position of the side Fujin or the concubine, but there is no Wanning in it.

The eunuchs reported the list of birthday presents from various prefectures all the way, and Shuning was a little relieved after listening all the way.Although the gifts given by their husband and wife can't compare with those given by the princes, in the clan, the gift weight is considered medium, and it matches Tong Ying's status.

The performances before the banquet included songs and dances, as well as a hundred operas, except that the third elder brother wrote a fu, and the two little grandsons of the crown prince recited a few poems to the emperor to win the prize. Members of the royal family came out to perform, let alone the female relatives.The performers are all professionals. I don't know if they are the legendary Jiaofang Secretary, court ladies who specialize in dancing, or folk troupes found outside?
I don't know how long it took before the banquet officially started.At this time, most of the dishes on the table, except for the stew, were cold, and only the top few tables were warmed by the stove.Shuning ate those half-cold dishes, not knowing what it was like.But the cuttlefish soup and Shaban chicken tasted good, and they were still hot, so she tasted a few more mouthfuls.

On the contrary, there are many kinds of pastries, and the patterns are also fresh. She likes to eat the golden cake rolls, bergamot cakes and pea yellow most. I don't know how the imperial chefs make them.She decided to try the latter when she got home.

After eating, there was still drinking. Although the men drank fiercely, the female relatives also toasted each other, but they should be gentler.Shu Ning doesn't have a lot of friends, but she was forced to drink more than a dozen cups by others, and she only felt a sharp pain in her temples.

When going home at night, because she wanted to follow the crowd, she still went out through the front main palace gate.Almost as soon as he got on the carriage, he was paralyzed there.She knew that Tongying was still busy tonight, so she must not be able to accompany her back home, so she reluctantly told the coachman to set off.After walking a short distance, the car stopped, she was wondering, when the curtain of the car was lifted, Tong Ying got in, her body was still cold.

"Don't you still have to watch people pack up?" she asked.

But Tong Ying came over with a purse and said: "Secret recipe handed down from family, good medicine for hangover, remember to take it with hot water before going to bed, one is enough. I will spend the night in the palace tonight, don't wait for me. Wait for me After finishing this, we can be free for a few days." After saying that, he hurriedly kissed Shu Ning, smiled and went down, Shu Ning was in a daze, and it took a while to realize.

Looking at the purse containing the medicine in her hand, she felt a sweetness in her heart, and even her headache became much lighter.

(Thanks to Master Mo Cuntang’s reminder, I added this chapter. Looking at the arrangement in the outline, why are there still so many things to do...)
(End of this chapter)