lcionline Chapter 186 The Queen Summons
Chapter 186 The Queen Summons
"You can also decline the invitation from the third lady of the Duke of England. The third son of the Duke of England is idle and has a bad reputation. She only wants to borrow your fame to show off."
"..."
After hearing what Nanny Zhang said, Li Yujiao realized how treacherous the waters of the capital city were.
"Mammy, thank goodness for your advice, otherwise I wouldn't know how to deal with these complicated relationships."
Nanny Zhang smiled and said, "Madam, you are welcome. You have just returned to the capital. Once you are familiar with the relationship here, you will naturally know how to handle it."
"I can only rely on Mammy."
"This is the duty of a servant."
……
In addition to Nanny Zhang, there are two masters responsible for defending the Jing Mansion, one is called Yun Qing and the other is called Mu Chuan, but Li Yujiao has not seen them for several days.
Jing Qishan said that these masters are elusive and will protect her in secret and will only appear when in danger.
Li Yujiao asked: "Then I have no privacy?"
"Don't worry, they won't come into our bedroom."
"..."
There was also an assistant manager named Fan Youjin. As soon as he arrived, he managed the shops and fields outside very clearly. Li Yujiao only needed to check the account books.
With these people, Li Yujiao breathed a sigh of relief.
She continued to focus on parenting books, and two months later, she wrote a book called "Key Points for Raising a Newborn in His Half Years."
After writing it, she asked someone to copy it in traditional Chinese characters and then took it to a bookseller for publication.
My original intention was that I felt that there were no books about parenting on the current market. Many women raise their children through their own exploration or the teachings of the older generation.
If she published a book, many women could learn and prepare in advance during pregnancy and would not be so anxious after giving birth.
Moreover, she was writing books at home, so the noble ladies in the capital knew that she was very busy and really had no time to deal with them.
Booksellers of that era were also very clever. They promoted the book under the banner of "A Lady of the Third Rank of the Imperial Court." The book unexpectedly became a bestseller in the capital, and Li Yujiao was portrayed as a talented woman by the booksellers.
Li Yujiao soon received a large sum of copyright fees.
Although the wives of officials were not allowed to engage in business in that era, commercial activities within the cultural field were allowed, such as publishing books and writing articles.
Her ranking was raised to a higher level, and she was highly admired by women among the common people. Many people praised her very much, saying that she was a model of rising from the common people, and that she had given hope to countless women from the lower classes.
……
Li Yujiao finally went out.
This time the Queen held a banquet before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and all the wives who had imperial edicts or were royal relatives would attend.
Aunt Zhang said, "You can turn down other ladies' invitations, but you can't turn down a banquet hosted by the Empress."
Li Yujiao naturally knew.
She handed Huaning over to her wet nurse, and then took Nanny Zhang, Huahong and Liulu into the palace.
There was a rule in the Daqi Dynasty that the wives of ministers could only enter the palace through the main gate. When the carriage arrived at the main gate, Nanny Zhang handed over the invitation and the guards let them in.
After that, the carriage went around to the harem.
There was an open space there for parking carriages. When Li Yujiao arrived, several carriages were already parked in front.
Nanny Zhang helped her out of the carriage.
In fact, Li Yujiao was in very good health and could have jumped down by herself, but the clothes she was wearing were too heavy, and her headdress was also heavy, so someone had to help her down.
Huahong and Liulu also had to help her adjust her skirt.
As soon as Li Yujiao got off the bus, she saw a woman in front of her looking at her curiously.
Every carriage entering the palace had a label. For example, there was a "Jing" character on Li Yujiao's carriage, and there was a "Ying Gong" character on the carriage of the woman in front.
Aunt Zhang said to Li Yujiao, "That is the third wife of Duke Yingguo."
Although she was a British duke and had a noble status, Li Yujiao also had an imperial decree, so they were of the same rank and there was no question of who bowed to whom.
The third lady looked at Li Yujiao for a few seconds, then snorted and left. She was probably resentful that Li Yujiao did not visit her house.
……
After walking for a while in the harem, they soon arrived at Kunning Palace where the queen lived.
It was autumn now. The aroma of tea wafted through the Kunning Palace, which was filled with noble ladies sitting in a row. The seat at the top was for the queen, but she had not arrived yet.
When Li Yujiao went in, a eunuch outside announced: "Mrs. Jing has arrived from the Minister of War's residence!"
As soon as she arrived, all the ladies inside looked at her.
Li Yujiao bowed to them gracefully, and then Nanny Zhang helped her to sit down in her seat.
All the ladies in the room suddenly started to sound weird.
"Oh, so you are Madam Jing. You are so long awaited."
"You look healthy, not weak. Why don't you come out for a get-together? We all live in the capital, so we'll see each other every day. If it weren't for the Queen's arrangement, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to see you for a long time."
"..."
Li Yujiao smiled and said, "It's not that I don't want to come out, it's just that my little girl is too young and too clingy. If I come out she'll cry. Bring her out, she's timid."
After saying this, Li Yujiao said in her heart: I'm sorry Ning'er, you have become my mother's shield again.
Mrs. Zhou from the house of the Minister of Justice said, "Didn't Mrs. Jing write a book on child rearing? I've read your book, it's very well written. A child brought up like this shouldn't be timid and fearful."
Li Yujiao smiled and said, "But my book also said that every child has his or her own characteristics. Some children are born brave, and some are born timid. We can only raise them according to their characteristics. It is impossible to force a timid child to be brave."
Mrs. Zhou stopped talking when she realized she couldn't win the argument with Li Yujiao.
But she was always dissatisfied with Li Yujiao. Now all the civil and military officials in the court wanted to curry favor with Jing Qishan. Madam Zhou got the task and started with Li Yujiao, but she never succeeded.
A prime minister's wife nearby said, "Madam Jing is still very young, and her husband is already a second-rank minister. Even if the child is a little timid, she will still have her parents to protect her. She has nothing to be afraid of. What Madam Jing needs to do now is to give birth to a son as soon as possible so that she will have someone to rely on when she is old."
When she heard about giving birth to a son, Li Yujiao couldn't help but feel resistance.
What's wrong with having a daughter?
Another noblewoman said, "The Prime Minister's wife is right. If you don't give birth to a son soon, your husband will probably have to take a concubine."
"In fact, whether or not there are sons, it is normal for a husband to take concubines. After all, Minister Jing is young, and he can't stay with one wife for his whole life. If the wife is sensible, she should take the initiative to let her husband take concubines."
"..." Li Yujiao felt more and more uncomfortable the more she listened.
She used to feel guilty for always turning down their invitations, but now she doesn't feel any guilt at all.
As he was speaking, the eunuch's voice came from inside: "The Queen has arrived!"