Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

Jiang Zhao loosened his official robes and slowly entered the mansion.

When dozens of people gather, they inevitably drink some fermented rice wine.

Fortunately, given Jiang Zhao's status, no one dared to urge him to drink.

"call."

Jiang Zhao took a deep breath and shook his head.

People from the same hometown may be from the same hometown, but when it comes to political infighting, they fight harder than anyone else.

Only when he enters the cabinet can he be of any use.

"Officer."

Sheng Hualan moved lightly, wearing a dark green long dress with fan-shaped sleeves, and stepped forward to support her husband.

Upon entering the courtyard, hangover soup, hot compresses, and hot water buckets are all readily available.

Enjoying his wife's service, Jiang Zhao let out a long sigh of relief.

With her eyes gently closed, a low, almost inaudible sobbing sound drifted over.

Jiang Zhao was taken aback.

Why is there a crying sound?

The low sobbing was none other than Sheng Shulan.

Sheng Hualan leaned closer and whispered, "Previously, the eldest wife caught a cold, and the husband sent Physician Zhao to Youyang to treat her."

"Doctor Zhao went to Youyang, took the patient's pulse, diagnosed the condition, prescribed some medicine, and brewed the decoction."

"However, no matter what treatment she received, her condition did not improve. Therefore, Physician Zhao specially wrote a letter to the capital, saying that the cold had entered her body and that medicine was no longer effective. Only acupuncture could relieve the pain of the eldest daughter-in-law."

"The eldest wife is already terminally ill."

Sheng Hualan explained, "The eldest mother-in-law is seriously ill, and Sister Shulan is worried, so she started to cry."

Seriously ill?

Jiang Zhao nodded knowingly, not surprised at all.

Bianjing is quite far from Youyang; the straight-line distance is seven or eight hundred li.

If one travels by both water and land, one has to take a detour and it takes a considerable amount of time.

At the end of the twelfth lunar month, a few people were still on Xihe Road.

A message was sent from Xihe Road to the capital, eventually reaching Physician Zhao. Physician Zhao was instructed to request leave from the Imperial Hospital under the pretext of "returning home" and to travel to Youyang for treatment. This process would take at least a month.

It's perfectly normal for minor illnesses to develop into major ones.

For a woman in her sixties, once she becomes seriously ill, it's almost a death sentence.

The so-called imperial physicians' treatment was merely "leaving it to fate and doing their best."

"Prepare some valuable medicinal herbs and have them sent over."

"Shulan, let her set up an incense table in the courtyard and chant sutras to pray for blessings," Jiang Zhao instructed.

Sheng Hualan nodded quickly.

To be taken as a concubine is already a very kind and loving solution.

Even if the grandmother of the legal wife or the first wife is seriously ill, this is likely how it will be handled.

Unfortunately, Bianjing is quite far from Youyang.

Whether by water or land, considering the bumpy ride, it would take at least ten or twenty days to arrive.

It will take twenty days to descend from Youyang, and another twenty days to reach the capital, plus a period of mourning.

In other words, she must not serve her husband for at least forty days.

is it possible?

Let alone the saying "a woman should obey her husband after marriage," a woman has no obligation to mourn her grandmother's death, even if the husband truly agrees to let his wife go to Youyang.

You dare?

Forty days!

If a husband and wife are separated for forty days, you'd be terrified!

Since we are far apart, the only way to express my filial piety is to send some herbs, set up a private altar, burn incense and bathe, and sincerely pray for blessings.

I don't seek real effectiveness, I seek peace of mind.

Chapter 143 Rulan and Cai Jing?

Jiying Lane.

The two carriages were less than a meter apart, lined up side by side.

"In that case, I would like to ask Sister Minglan to convey my greetings to my uncles, brothers, and sisters." Sheng Shulan said earnestly, holding a brocade handkerchief and looking worried.

Recently, Sheng Minglan and the young master Qi Heng have inexplicably had a major controversy, causing quite a stir.

To avoid the limelight, Grandma Sheng specially invited her granddaughter to visit relatives in Youyang.

Therefore, Sheng Shulan made a special visit, hoping that Sheng Minglan would bring her herbs, silk, and a letter as a way of "inquiring about her illness".

"Don't worry, Sister Shulan." Sheng Minglan, dressed in a light green dress, gave a deep bow.

With her grandmother's illness properly arranged, Sheng Shulan felt much more at ease and lowered the curtain.

"Let's go."

Although she was said to be a concubine, the mistress was the elder sister of the second wife, and the lord was kind-hearted and favored her greatly.

In terms of life, she was much more comfortable than most married women.

The sound of horses' hooves rose and then faded away.

Sheng Minglan sighed softly.

This time, the young master really did her a disastrous job.

It turned out that the young master was insisting that his elderly mother go to the Sheng family to propose marriage.

How could Princess Pingning, with her arrogance, possibly look down on a concubine's daughter?

This inevitably leads to disappointment, followed by both overt and covert ridicule.

One was a young nobleman, and the other was a young lady from a secluded family.

The scandal between the two caused quite a stir, but for the young master, it was probably just a bit of a romantic affair.

For women, this involves their reputation; one wrong move and their entire life is in danger.

The uproar surrounding the incident has been extremely damaging to the woman.

As far as she knew, there were all sorts of officials' wives who said this.

Some say that she, a mere concubine's daughter, was overestimating herself and harboring deep scheming, attempting to marry into the Duke's family.

The daughter of a fifth-rank official, who even has a brother-in-law who is a minor Grand Secretary, is quite remarkable.

When it comes to marriage, there is an opportunity to marry some young scholars who have passed the imperial examinations, or the eldest sons of officials of the fourth or fifth rank.

But what if we were to say he was a match for the young master?

not enough!

Even if the Duke of Qi's mansion is in decline, it is still a hereditary dukedom, and the young Duke Qi is the only son of the duke, so he is sure to inherit the title.

In comparison, Sheng Minglan is somewhat unworthy.

If it were Ru Lan instead, she would be qualified.

But Rulan is the younger sister of the Lady of Nanyang County, and many scholars are eyeing her!

It's not the young master's turn!

In short, she was not good enough for the young master.

Some say that the young master was willing to marry the illegitimate daughter of the Sheng family in order to get closer to his brother-in-law Jiang Zhao, but Princess Pingning was proud and disdained to do so.

Qi Heng's intention to pursue a career in the civil service and study for the imperial examinations was no secret.

However, if the sons of noble families want to pursue a career in civil service, they definitely need someone's support.

The young Grand Secretary is undoubtedly the best candidate.

Of course, by the same token, Sheng Rulan is not for the young master.

Whoever marries Sheng Rulan will become the true brother-in-law of the Grand Secretary.

Anyone with genuine talent and learning, with the support of the young Grand Secretary, and through hard work and ambition, could easily attain a fourth or fifth-rank official position, or even a third-rank purple robe—it was not impossible.

Who does the young master think he is to marry Sheng Rulan?

Since he couldn't marry Rulan, the young master naturally set his sights on Minglan.

Unfortunately, Princess Pingning was too proud and refused.

Sheng Minglan sighed and shook her head.

In any case, her reputation has been significantly damaged.

"Sixth sister."

A gentle voice rang out, and Sheng Minglan was startled.

Young Master!

"What are you here for?"

Sheng Minglan lowered her eyes.

The young master greatly disappointed her!

"May I call you Yuan Ruo?"

"I don't like to talk about my mother, but I'm only going to marry you!"

Jiang Mansion.

Jiang Zhao held several letters in his hand and paced back and forth from time to time.

These are all letters from Su Zizhan.

At the end of the twelfth lunar month, with the triennial performance evaluation approaching, Jiang Zhao sought the opinions of his subordinates.

Among them, Su Shi stayed in Xihe to serve as an official.

Today, he is none other than the Prefect of Hezhou and concurrently the Headmaster of Xihe Academy.

Since Xihe came to power, many policies have been geared towards stabilizing the border regions, and even the imperial examination policies have been deliberately biased, which has attracted many scholars.

As the headmaster, Su Shi was not only skilled in scholarship, but also in composing poetry and lyrics, editing prose, calligraphy and painting, medicine and health preservation, and cooking.

As a result, we could chat about anything and everything, and through this, I made many friends.

Just like Foyin, Liaoyuan, Daoqian, Qin Guan, Huang Tingjian, Cai Jing, Mi Fu, and others.

Even more were Tibetans, Western Xia people, and Liao people.

According to Su Shi, some of his poems spread throughout the Liao Kingdom, causing quite a stir and becoming very popular.

Jiang Zhao looked at the letter and shook his head.

monk, poet, lyricist, politician, calligrapher

This WeChat Moments feed is such a mess!

[It is said that Zichuan has a younger sister-in-law, still unmarried, of noble character and virtuous conduct. I, Su, know a man named Cai Jing, of upright character and exceptional literary talent, only nineteen years old. I wonder if it would be possible to write a letter to Cai Jing and invite him to the capital to meet Zichuan, perhaps thus arranging a perfect match.]

She possesses a kind and gentle heart, and is virtuous and prudent in demeanor!

Is this referring to Sheng Rulan?

However, it is quite clear why Su Shi specifically wrote a letter to the capital.

To act as a matchmaker!