Bondage

It was another spring, and Shen Shiyan had grown from babbling to toddler age. Although his speech was not fluent now, his father, queen, and empress had shouted very fluently.

Shang Rong was hugging him, teasing him with a tinkling gold-plated hand bell, while Song Wan sat aside to deal with the government affairs of the harem.

Qi Qingling looked at the bright flowers, willows, and Li Baitaohong outside the window, and suddenly said: "There hasn't been a banquet in the palace for a long time, I wonder if we can have a spring banquet this year?"

"Very good."

Shang Rong hugged Shen Shiyan with a loving face: "Our little thirteen will be crowned in a few years, and it's time to see his wife. Why don't we take advantage of this opportunity to let those unmarried girls in Shangjing Let's get together, boys, so we can pull some red lines and make some beautiful marriages."

Hearing this, Song Wan suddenly thought of Song Bi and Song Zhao who had two and three bedrooms, as well as Song Yao who had never made a public funeral.

After thinking for a while, Song Wan said: "That's fine, the palace hasn't seen any excitement in the past few years, so I can take this opportunity to meet the younger generation at home."

Zhao Nanzhang likes prosperity the most, and he immediately agreed with it when he heard about it.

The few hit it off and immediately decided to hold a spring feast on the fifteenth day of next month.

In the evening, when Shen Qianyu went to court, he saw Song Wan writing pictures in front of the desk.He took Shen Shiyan into his arms from Heng Zhi's hand, and approached her lightly.

"What is Wan'er up to?"

"Today, Qingling proposed to hold a spring feast in the palace. I thought it was a great idea, and I was going to tell you about it."

Shen Shiyan was so obedient in Shen Qianyu's arms, Song Wan looked at him and felt amused.

This little guy is very clingy to his father, and the father and son have to ask several times when they don't see each other for a moment. Just now, before Shen Qianyu went to the court, Shen Shiyan was still crying in the palace. Now seeing his father, he is as obedient as a cat Same.

"It's good for Wan'er to decide the affairs of the harem, you don't need to ask me."

Song Wan also knew that Shen Qianyu couldn't bear to take care of these trivial matters, so she simply said a few words and then left it to Hengzhi to handle.

When the Song Mansion received the Queen's order to let the female family members enter the palace for a banquet, Ming Xiang was sorting out the accounts of the mansion with Nanny Song.

Hearing the news, Ming Xiang said, "It's time to deal with the second lady's matter."

Although the mansion had never mentioned the matter of Song Yao before, since the winter of last year, the Song manor had revealed to Mrs. Qi that Song Yao was ill. Although it was not a serious illness, it was still not well.

Mrs. Qi wanted to see her several times, but Ming Xiang refused.

Now that it has been a long time since the marriage was bestowed by the Holy Majesty, it is possible to slowly announce the death of Miss Song's Second Lady.

Nanny Song also knew what she meant, she nodded and went to Qi Mansion to report the funeral.

Because the funeral period in the Song Mansion is about to end, Mrs. Qi is waiting for the bride to come to her house. Not only did she buy a lot of extra items at home, she even chose the best house in Qi Sulun's yard.

"Although my son is not long, who made him marry a good wife?"

"This girl's natal family has to use it. When she reaches her husband's family, her worth will naturally rise accordingly. Even my son is very honorable."

Mrs. Qi supported the old jewelry that had just been melted on her head, and the newly made gold hairpin, smiling from ear to ear.

Standing beside her is the third daughter-in-law of Zhongjing County Prince's Mansion, who is now the daughter-in-law of Qi's family, Xu Shi.

Mrs. Xu has always known that her mother-in-law is a mess, and never bothered with her, but in her heart she became more and more disdainful of the family's behavior.

"Madam's words are really interesting. This old slave has only heard that mothers are more expensive than children, but so far I have never heard that husbands are more expensive than wives."

The one who spoke was Xu's wet nurse, who had been displeased with Mrs. Qi for a long time.

It is an indisputable fact that the Qi family is in the end, and marrying the girl from their Zhongjing County Prince's Mansion is considered a high priority.But Mrs. Qi wanted to take advantage of the power of the county prince's mansion, but at the same time looked down on their young lady for being a concubine, which was really embarrassing.

"Don't talk to your mother like that."

Mrs. Xu reprimanded the old nanny lightly, with a calm expression, as if she still thought that the nanny's words were not good enough.

"Hey, the upbringing of this concubine is no match for that of a concubine."

Mrs. Qi glanced at Xu Shi, and looked at her with a smile on her face.

"Among the sisters-in-law, the status is not judged by seniority, but by the strength of the mother's clan, and how much practical benefits it can bring to the husband's family."

After dusting off the hem of her shirt, Mrs. Qi said: "Although you are the eldest daughter-in-law of my Qi family, you still have to see your position clearly in the future. Don't rely on your seniority to take the big prize, otherwise if you offend the Song family and offend the empress." If you don't like it, it won't look good."

Xu squeezed her handkerchief, lowered her eyelids and said nothing.

The nun next to her said: "The Qi family has a clean and upright family, and all the boys are men who stand up to the sky. The old slave has never heard the words of the fifth master who wants to protect his wife and family."

"Madam said that, she really underestimated the masters in the family, and..."

The nanny muttered: "Madam has never brought any real benefits to the Qi family, and I have never seen that it is useless for the master to demote his wife."

"Presumptuous, how dare you talk to your mother like this?"

Mrs. Xu turned her head and scolded the woman loudly, the woman quickly raised her hand and slapped her on the mouth.

"Look at this old slave's mouth, I just can't control it."

"Ma'am, don't be as knowledgeable as the old slave. Your lord has a lot of people, don't care about it with the old slave, and lose your body by being angry for nothing."

"Hmph, right now the two of you are singing together and teasing me with sharp tongues, just to see how lazy I am and to care about you, but when your five younger siblings get started, I want to see if you can still lift your waist stand up."

Relying on her origin in the county prince's mansion, this Mrs. Xu took advantage of her every day. When she first married into Qi's mansion, she wanted to ride on her head.

If it hadn't been for the fact that he hadn't done anything in the past few years, his temper had become more restrained, otherwise the roof of the entire Qi mansion would have been knocked off.

Mrs. Qi helped the bun on her head and looked at Mrs. Xu with disdain.

"Madam, someone from the Song Mansion is here to visit and wants to see Madam."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, when someone from the Qi family came to report, Mrs. Qi laughed and walked out swaggeringly.

Seeing this, the woman beside Xu stretched her head and spat.

"You old and unscrupulous thing. I haven't seen a mistress pointing at her daughter-in-law to make a fortune so blatantly. The bald hair of her mother's family is about to be shaken off. How dare she run on you, Miss?"

Xu's eyes slightly lowered when he heard the words, but he didn't say anything.

After all, this inner house is a woman's world. In the past, she could rely on her mother's family background to be taller and straighten her back to be a person in the Qi family, but now she has married into the mansion for many years and has not had children. Even her husband has complained. Not to mention Mrs. Qi.

Now if the Song family's daughter-in-law were to join the ranks, she would have even less status in the mansion.

Clutching her handkerchief, Xu intends to take in two more concubines for Qi Zhenglun.

While pondering in his mind, he saw Mrs. Qi going out happily, but in the blink of an eye she was carried back to the inner house by four or five women.

Mrs. Xu was taken aback for a moment, and she was wondering, but a gleam of joy flashed in the eyes of the mother-in-law beside her: "Hey, what's wrong with Madam? Grandma, don't worry, this old slave will go and have a look..."