The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 192

Qin Niangzi didn't notice anything wrong with Xu Fengjia.

This is because she is afraid that Qin Niangzi's backing is not strong enough, to give her confidence - Mrs. Xu is really a sweetheart, she reminds her that human affection can be big or small, so she is willing to take care of herself to this extent.

For a moment, she felt a little emotional in her heart, and felt a little more gratitude towards Concubine Xu: after all, not everyone is indifferent in this world.

"My aunt loves me." Seventh Lady said with a smile, "Mother Wang has worked hard too!"

She looked at Li Xia, and Li Xia understood immediately. She affectionately pulled Wang Yide's family aside, and said a few words of condolences. After twisting it, I hurriedly knelt down to thank you, "My servant thanked you, Mrs. Young Madam, for your kindness."

After a few more flattering words, and a warm but reserved declaration of loyalty, he left the room.

Only then did Seventh Lady turn her head in deep thought, leaning against the edge of the kang and lost her mind.

After a while, feeling that Xu Fengjia's gaze was hovering on her face, she raised her eyes and looked at her husband.

"Why?" Seventh Lady smiled and asked, "Is there a flower on my face?"

Xu Fengjia gave her a rare white look, with a gloomy look on her face. Seeing that the maids had changed to new tea and left the room again, she leaned on the pillow, staring at Qinianzi with piercing eyes, and there was a ray of inquiry in her eyes. .

"Why did aunt suddenly think of rewarding you?"

Such a good thing did not seem to make Shizi happy, but there was a trace of temptation in his words.

"My aunt looks at me well, is it still my fault?" Seventh Lady couldn't help feeling a little displeased, she raised her voice. "You can ask whatever you want, and you have to make countless detours when talking outside, and you still have to play charades in my own room?"

Mr. Xu has always been soft rather than hard, and when Qiniangzi's attitude became hard, he became even more angry, snorted, straightened up again, and lowered his voice.

"My aunt has been indifferent to Zhou Guiren's affairs for so many years, but it happened that in July she told us about wanting to chase after Zhou Guiren. My mother and grandmother advised her to do more things than to do less things, but my aunt still insisted on not listening. …When things are done, I can’t wait to reward you with such a good thing, what do you want me to think? I don’t think so, don’t others have such thoughts in their hearts?”

Seventh Lady was stunned.

Suddenly, a little cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

At that time, she decided to sell this favor to Concubine Xu and not tell Xu Fengjia, because the stimulation of begging for cleverness gave her the idea of ​​"relying on herself is better than relying on anyone else".

Later, when her relationship with Xu Fengjia made some progress, she felt that after telling Xu Fengjia, she had to go through the senior management of the Xu family. If it didn't go through, she would go to explain to Concubine Xu herself, and she would really be suspected of sowing discord...

It was really a mistake, I never thought that the concubine would be so enthusiastic, she had already made a request that was not easy to handle, she promised not to say it, but she was extra kind to help her gain a firm foothold in the Xu family.And with Xu Fengjia's intelligence, he could naturally tell something was wrong from her abnormal support.

Of course, there is no real evidence for this matter. Mrs. Xu's body is useless, and Mrs. Tai is old. The communication channel between the Xu family and the concubine is destined to be based on herself. No one can face the concubine.

only……

She looked at Xu Fengjia again.

He was pondering his expression under the lamp, the bright glass lampshade enveloped Qin Niangzi, naturally he did not let Xu Fengjia go.

There was a faint displeasure on the face of this heroic young man, and there was no trace of displeasure to cover up his displeasure, and he actually did what Seventh Lady said just now, 'in your own room, don't play charades'.

She sighed, lowering her eyes and apologizing softly. "It's my fault. This matter is serious. I should tell you anyway."

Xu Fengjia immediately fell silent.

Qin Niangzi waited for a moment, but did not wait for his reply, so she had to raise her eyes to look at him again.

Xu Fengjia's gaze was like a candle in the wind, although it was still hot, it was somewhat dimmed.His eyes just touched Qiniangzi lightly, then turned away and looked elsewhere.

Qin Niangzi bit her lip, thought for a while, and said softly, "But I didn't tell you, because..."

She sighed, swallowing the words again.

Xu Fengjia turned back to look at Qin Niangzi, silently urging her to continue.

Seventh Lady unexpectedly became a little irritable, she looked at Xu Fengjia seriously, and said every word. "I didn't think of this matter. If I could think of it, I would definitely tell you."

"Just telling?" Xu Fengjia raised her voice slightly. "Such a big event, no matter how you say it is up to the two of us to decide together, how can it be your turn to be a woman—"

With a bang, a string in Qiniangzi's mind was about to break. She hurriedly took a few deep breaths, and comforted herself in her heart: Xu Fengjia is a product of such a society, and it is only natural to have the idea that men are superior to women.

"How can you, a woman, make up your own mind!" Xu Fengjia sniffed lightly. "As soon as this matter is said, it is to offend the Niu family. Even I can't make the decision. I can only do it according to my father's will... How dare you dare to persuade the concubine to make up her mind. Just like this The Xu family got involved in the muddy water? If my father finds out about this, what will he think of you?"

Indeed, Xu Fengjia's worry cannot be said to be unfounded.If Ping Guogong knew that his daughter-in-law actually offered this strategy in order to please the concubine, which would put the Xu family and the Niu family in danger of turning against each other, his impression of Qin Niangzi would naturally drop.

But his words were vague and vague, and he couldn't say what he didn't understand, which made Qiniangzi feel very uncomfortable.

In front of Xu Fengjia, Qin Niangzi was never rational, so she raised her voice all of a sudden.

"My lord, I can understand the truth of what you said." Seventh Lady tried her best to balance her tone. "You have thought of everything, but have you thought about the concubine?"

Xu Fengjia was stunned for a moment.

"The concubine has no children, and the emperor has such a temperament. He is impartial to the two adoptive mothers. To put it bluntly, it is all about saving face." Seventh Lady lowered her voice. "Zhou Gui knew how to put even the eunuch next to the emperor... It is inevitable that the mother and child have a weak relationship."

"Since she was young in the palace, over the years, the concubine has only done one thing for the Xu family: maintaining the relationship between the Xu family and the emperor, and raising the emperor. This matter has little meaning to the Xu family. Did you think about your own aunt when you were calculating the stakes? If this matter comes to fruition, with the emperor's temperament, he will definitely repay the concubine." The more she said, the more angry she became. "But when all of you mentioned this matter—even my aunt herself felt that one more thing was less. The stability of the family is maintained for whom? The concubine deserves not to mention this matter and spend the rest of her life alone?"

Xu Fengjia turned his head away again, and did not look at Qin Niangzi. His attitude was still indifferent, but he also appeared a little flustered.

"If you say that, you have presumed that father will not approve of this idea." He said lightly, "Why do you always think of people so badly?"

Seventh Lady carefully recalled Duke Pingguo Xu Heng's daily actions in her mind. She was not familiar with this busy middle-aged man. To be honest, she didn't know how Duke Pingguo would choose in this position.

But the old man's voice and smile reappeared in Qiniangzi's mind, and a trace of hotness seemed to appear on her cheeks again.

"I don't need to be familiar, and I know you men in the deep house and compound too well." She said sincerely. "Even if it's a concubine, what's more important for a female class compared to the whole family, you will never hesitate."

"I—you don't even ask me, how do you know what I will do?" Xu Fengjia gasped in surprise, he turned his head and stared at Qinianzi, and seemed to be intimidated by her demeanor, panicked turned back. "Besides, you have made it very clear. Compared with the whole family, we must learn to choose between a female class!"

Accompanied by an ear-piercing hum, the string in Qiniangzi's mind finally snapped.

"Not bad," she agreed quietly. "Isn't that how I was married into the Xu family?"

If Xu Fengjia was just stunned just now, then it seems that he was frozen in the ice for an instant, and even his breathing became indistinct.

This topic is actually similar to the dispute between two people in the bridal chamber.

Isn't Wu Niangzi a female stream buried under the whole family?
"I don't need to say, you seem to have figured it out already." Seventh Lady let out a shallow breath. "The concubine thinks of me so well, maybe it's because in these years, I'm the first girl who shares the same illness with her. If she doesn't help me, who will?"

Seemingly still not satisfied, she looked at Xu Fengjia and took another step forward. "Your Majesty has been in the relationship with the concubine since he was a child, so he can enter and leave the palace and get to know the emperor. Over the years, this relationship has brought you countless benefits. You have enjoyed the glory of the concubine, but have you ever thought about the concubine's glory?" lonely?"

Xu Fengjia stood up abruptly.

A flash of panic flashed across his face, but soon, it was covered up by endless anger.

"It's nonsense!" He slapped the kang table hard, and the tea set on the kang jumped wildly, making a jingling sound. "Do you think that if you have a good relationship with the emperor, you can send it to me? When I was 13 years old, I went to the battlefield to kill the enemy and suffered. Where is it that you—"

He swallowed the words again, showing a rare embarrassment.

Xu Fengjia had been to the former residence of Jiu Yiniang in Yangjia Village in the northwest.

Qin Niangzi also stood up, she was not intimidated by Xu Fengjia's anger at all.

She was about to speak, but Xu Fengjia rushed to cut off her words, as if he was very afraid of hearing Qin Niangzi's defense. "What's more, the concubine is so powerful, how can you pity her? It's a crime of disrespect to spread this word!"

"If you are disrespectful, you will be disrespectful, so what?" Seventh Lady shook her head disdainfully. "Why do you have to argue with me, my son? You know very well in your heart that no matter how glamorous the concubine is on the surface, she is just a poor person living in a secluded palace in private... What can't be said about it? You suffered, she didn't I have tasted it, but have you ever tasted the loneliness she suffered?"

Xu Fengjia was dumbfounded.

Various emotions on his face changed, rage and helplessness made this young and handsome face red and white intertwined. It took a long while before he found his own tone under the quiet gaze of Seventh Lady.

"Yang Qi, you are not cute at all!" Xu Fengjia spit out these words angrily.

It's just that there is not much sharpness in these words, like a weak arrow that flew halfway and fell to the ground.

"I'm not cute in the first place." Seventh Lady raised an eyebrow. "It's not that Shizi doesn't know, I'm the least cute."

Xu Fengjia was once again so angry that his face was ferocious, and he clenched his fists and loosened them. In Qin Niangzi's calm water-cut eyes, he snorted loudly, turned around and slammed the door away.

Seventh Lady ignored it, turned around and sat on the edge of the kang, turned on the glass lamp, and dug out the personnel files she had made.

She just read it for a long time, but didn't turn a page: These neat lowercase letters are like ants today, they actually know how to crawl around, making her eyesight bewildered.

Qin Niangzi supported her head and persisted for a while, then sighed in frustration, closed the booklet abruptly, stood up and shouted. "Li Xia fetches water to wash up, and Shang Yuan comes in to make the bed!"

He lowered his voice and murmured, "Chauvinist pig!"

Unexpectedly, he stomped his feet rarely, suppressed the boredom on his face, and went to wash and rest on his own.

#
When she got up the next day, Xu Fengjia had already left the inner courtyard and went to Menghuaxuan to talk.Qin Niangzi didn't wait for him either, she ate breakfast by herself, teased Shiro and Wulang a few words, and then went to Leshan Residence to greet Madam Tai.

Everyone's attitude towards Qin Niangzi is obviously much more polite: whether it's the little maid who brings tea and water, or the mother in charge who has face in front of Mrs. Tai, or the eldest and fourth young wives, looking at Qin Niangzi's There was a trace of special respect in the eyes, it seemed that she was loved by the concubine, which made Seventh Lady suddenly worth double in this family.

In this era of imperial power, the special respect that the natives of Daqin have for those who are related to the royal family is something that Seventh Lady will never understand.

Even the Fifth Young Madam seemed particularly submissive, and she took the initiative to bring up the matter of handing over the housework before she finished drinking the tea.

"It is said that the accounts are settled before the autumn harvest. It seems that it will be August. Hebei Zhuangli has used swords around the beginning of August over the years. There is still half a month to settle the accounts. Wait until the autumn harvest. Open a new account. How do the six siblings look?"

Seventh Lady pursed her lips and smiled, cast her gaze on Mrs. Tai, and replied humbly, "It's up to grandma and mother to decide, we juniors just do what we say..."

Everyone looked at Mrs. Tai, waiting for Mrs. Tai's reply.

Madam Tai sniffled and smiled kindly. "Xiaoqi has been in the house for almost a year—it's time to accept the bill. I'll talk to Duke Ping in a while, and the master key will be handed over to you."

This was also expected by everyone, the young lady and the young master exchanged glances, both of them smiled and nodded at Qin Niangzi.The fourth young lady glanced at the fifth young lady, snorted softly, and offered to congratulate the seventh lady. "The sixth sibling will be busy in the future!"

Yu Ning and Yu Tai looked like they had nothing to do with themselves, but the faces of the concubine girls were full of sorrows and joys. Yu Qiao cast a gloomy face and glared at Mrs. Wu, then turned her head away and stopped talking. The look on Yu An's face Joy, but it is fleeting, so fast that people can't see it.

Fifth Young Madam smiled slightly, she waved to the little maid next to Madam Tai, and whispered a few words, after a while, Xiao Fuchun entered the flower hall with a small mahogany box in her hand.Fifth Young Madam took off the small brass key beside her, put it on top of the box, stood up and handed it to Seventh Lady.

"This is more than a dozen key pairs used at home and abroad..." Fifth Young Madam explained softly.

Qin Niangzi smiled deeply into her eyes, took the heavy little box generously, and put it at hand.

"I will have to ask sister-in-law fifth for advice on how to settle this account." She said with a smile.

The Fifth Young Madam nodded naturally, "After going to Qingpingyuan, I will discuss it carefully with the Sixth Brother and Sister."

The eyes of the two men met, and after a moment of stalemate, they separated again: these two pairs of bright autumn eyes were as quiet as the middle of a lake in a midsummer afternoon, no matter how dark the waves below were, there were no waves on the surface.

(End of this chapter)