Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 176 The Situation in the Capital

The news that Prince Heng would soon be enfeoffed spread quickly and became known to everyone in the court and among the common people. Even the common people in the capital could not help but gossip about it among their companions, let alone the powerful and wealthy families.

As a result, within just a few days, the status of the Prince of Jin's mansion rose to its zenith.

Unbeknownst to many, the situation in the capital had already entered a new phase.

The most prominent among them was the Tang family. With Marquis Huai'an, Tang De, returning to the court, the Tang family residence on Fuqian Street became extremely sought after.

Song Chengrui, the eldest son-in-law of the Tang family, had acquired a three-courtyard house in Anyifang. On the very day that the decree promoting the eldest son-in-law was issued, the old lady and Madam Yun sent someone to summon the eldest daughter back to the Tang family, where they gave her a good scolding and advice.

Concubine Liu was overjoyed in Fuliu Courtyard, pulling at the eldest young lady and saying things like, "My son has made something of himself. It seems that marrying down isn't all bad." The allowance for concubines in the Tang family was quite substantial. Concubine Liu took out all the silver she had accumulated over the years and instructed her maid to add some expensive fabrics and a couple of antiques to her trunk.

"Houses in the capital are expensive, and the Song family is not wealthy. Don't just keep the dowry that the old lady and madam gave you. You need to give it to them from time to time so that your husband's family will always remember your kindness."

"Your son-in-law has only been in the capital for a short time and has been promoted in succession. He must have a lot of social engagements. You must remember that whether at home or outside, you must not be petty or offend your son-in-law."

"Your branch of the family only has one child, Quan-ge'er, which is a bit too few offspring. You should do more to increase the number of male offspring for the Song family. At most, you can choose one of your maids to have a concubine. With her indenture in your hands, it's not a big deal to elevate her to the status of a concubine. Even a family like the Deputy Commander-in-Chief would be criticized if they didn't have concubines or mistresses. People would inevitably say you're jealous..."

Aunt Liu kept rambling on and on, and the young lady couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat. She stepped forward and hugged her aunt.

“I’m frugal, and you should also keep some money for yourself. My dowry is generous, so we don’t lack money. Our daily expenses are covered by the income from the estates and shops that came with my dowry. My husband’s house was also purchased with the rewards he received for his military achievements. As for whether or not to promote you, I’ll discuss that with my husband…”

Song Chengrui was an upright man with no ulterior motives. Only one of the maids who had served him since childhood was promoted to concubine. The eldest daughter gave birth to a son the year after she married into the Song family. Her parents-in-law were satisfied, and her husband doted on her. How could she be willing to let another woman take away her husband's love?

Although Aunt Liu felt it was inappropriate after hearing this, she did not try to persuade her further. Over the years, she had long since developed the habit of obeying her mistress in everything. Since her mistress had not mentioned it at Fu'an Residence, she followed her daughter's words and gave up the idea.

......

Fuqian Street, Zhuang Mansion.

Before going to court, Minister Zhuang said to his wife, "The Tang family is currently enjoying great popularity. Madam, there's no need to stay long when you go to deliver the thank-you gift. It would make it seem like we're deliberately trying to curry favor. Once things have calmed down, we can instruct the ladies in the house to make a conscious effort to befriend the Tang family's daughters."

On the day of the mutiny, the eldest son of the Tang family led his servants to help, and the Zhuang family should have prepared a ceremony to express their gratitude.

Madam Zhuang nodded and said, "When the second young lady of the Tang family came of age, I followed my husband's wishes and sent a gift that was only slightly more generous. The next day, Madam Yun sent me an invitation to the mansion to watch a play. It can be seen that Madam Yun is very insightful."

"How could the granddaughter of the late Minister Yun be an ordinary person?" Vice Minister Zhuang couldn't help but sigh.

When the Tang family first moved to Fuqian Street, some people privately laughed at Tang Xian, joking that the Tang family had no manners.

The wife of the household does not take her husband's surname?

Inside and outside the mansion, even the shopkeeper's wife, when she came to pay her respects, addressed her as Madam Yun, which inevitably drew some comments from outsiders.

Little did people know that Madam Yun's family was once very prominent. More than twenty years ago, who did not know that Minister Yun, as the Minister of Revenue, had devoted himself to the Great Zhou?

This is the confidence behind marrying down.

Minister Zhuang snapped out of his reverie, took the cup of tea his wife offered to rinse his mouth, and said with amusement:

"I heard that there was some discussion before the New Year, with many saying that the second young lady of the Tang family was not worthy of the position of a concubine in the Prince's mansion. At this point, if people in the capital still treat the Tang family as just a merchant family, they are truly foolish."

The Tang family's heritage already surpassed that of ordinary official families when the entire household moved to the capital.

Not to mention that Tang Xian comes from the Huai'an Marquis's family, although he is from a collateral branch, he is a man of great ambition and should not be underestimated. His son, Tang Lin, is a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations and has married the most beloved granddaughter of Grand Secretary Su. His future is already predictable.

Merchants? If the Tang family didn't hold a semi-imperial merchant status, they would have switched allegiances long ago.

Madam Zhuang hesitated for a moment, then suddenly said:

"Not only this marriage with the Su family, but now that you mention it, I suddenly thought of something else."

I attended several banquets before the New Year and heard that the eldest daughter of the Tang family married the son of a mere county magistrate. I thought it was because the Tang family didn't value their illegitimate daughter.

In just a few years, the eldest son-in-law of the Tang family has become the Deputy Commander of the Palace Guard. It seems this marriage is actually quite good…”

As the saying goes, "A daughter from a high-ranking family marries into a high-ranking family, while a daughter from a low-ranking family marries into a lower-ranking family." The Tang family, however, did the opposite: their eldest son married into a high-ranking family, while their illegitimate daughter married into a lower-ranking family, but strangely, it all turned out just right.

Vice Minister Zhuang, having allowed his wife to adjust his court robes, said in a deep voice upon hearing this:

"So it can be said that Tang Xian is a man of long-term vision and strategy. Perhaps he had the idea of ​​marrying his legitimate daughter into the royal family from the beginning. His illegitimate daughter was also married off to a branch of the Song family, which was also in decline. The ancestors of Deputy Commander Song were the Yingnan Song family, which had produced a first-rank general."

Madam Zhuang hadn't thought that far ahead for a moment. Then, remembering the matter she'd been pondering last night, she changed the subject:

"I've visited the Tang residence a few times. While the fifth young lady of the Tang family isn't exceptionally beautiful, she has an excellent temperament, is free-spirited and generous, and quite capable. I intend to let An'er..."

Before Madam Zhuang could finish speaking, Vice Minister Zhuang interrupted her:

"That's not right. Putting aside the fact that the fifth young lady of the Tang family is still young, even though An'er is registered under your name, he is still born out of wedlock. Are you out of your mind? How dare you have such a stupid idea?"

Vice Minister Zhuang had two sons and three daughters. His eldest son was already married, and his daughter was still unmarried. His other son and two daughters were all born out of wedlock.

Unlike ordinary mistresses, Lady Zhuang was unable to have any more children after giving birth to two, so she moved her two dowry maids to a higher position.

She always treated her illegitimate sons and daughters as her own, and the two concubines in the mansion were also well-behaved, still addressing the mistress as master and servant. After giving birth to children, they rarely left the courtyard, which shows how Madam Zhuang managed things in the inner quarters.

"Although our An'er wasn't born into my womb, he has always been filial and is studying at Lushan Academy. After a few years of passing the imperial examinations, he might very well be able to marry into the Tang family..."

"Don't mention this again. If Prince Jin ascends the throne one day, with the connection of Consort Zhen, even if we were a concubine's daughter from the Tang family, we might not be able to get close to her."

"As your husband holds an important position, it's not appropriate for me to be close to Prince Jin in court. That's why I've instructed you and Shu'er to cultivate good relations with the Tang family, not to let you and your daughter ruin our neighborly relations."

Minister Zhuang had no choice but to speak frankly, giving his wife a few earnest instructions before hurriedly leaving the mansion to attend court.

Many people shared the same attitude as Vice Minister Zhuang, and the gossip among the powerful and wealthy about Consort Zhen's lack of virtue and rank disappeared in an instant.

......

It was seven days later when the Prince of Jin returned to his residence.

Ruizhu hurried back to Yunyi Palace. "Second... Consort, Xiao Nianzi has sent word that the Prince has returned to his residence. He stayed in Chengyun Palace with Chief Secretary Song and Commander Xiao for about half an incense stick's time, and has now returned to Cunxin Palace."