The maid's road to success

Nan Yu rushed all the way back to Gongzhou. An Zizhong was relieved when he heard him say that the ancestor had used the Red Heart Jade Lotus. Most of the women in the family were still alive, which was the best thing. He asked An Wenniang to come over. An Wenniang cried bitterly in An Zizhong's arms. It took a long time for her to calm down and read the letter sent by the ancestor together. It was a very thick letter. Most of it was a list of available personnel written by the ancestor to An Zizhong, and things he should pay attention to, as well as Bai's instructions and letters to reassure him of safety, and Yulan's letter to An Wenniang.

"Mrs. Wen, I'm relieved to know that you are safe. My dear sister, you have suffered a lot. I will serve the old ancestor well. I hope you take care of yourself and take good care of you and the fourth young master. I am looking forward to meeting you one day. Lan"

Wen Niang's tears wet the letter. When she was still young, she worked as a third-class maid in Fu Shou Tang. Sister Yulan liked to touch her hair and called her a little greedy cat. Later, she was promoted to a second-class maid. Sister Yulan always felt that she was too dull and easily suffered. Sister Yumei had always been thinking of ways to support her, but she didn't expect that they would be separated today.

"Niang Wen, the ancestor also left a letter for you."

After reading the letter, An Zizhong pulled out a page from the bottom and handed it to An Wenniang.

"My dear child, you have suffered a lot. We all remember your kindness to the Marquis' Mansion. We don't know if we can repay you. You have to take good care of yourself. The old ancestor will live well and wait to meet you. My dear child, the best thing the old ancestor has done in his life is to keep you. Thank you, my dear child. The old ancestor will keep you."

Wen Niang held the letter to her chest, her vision blurred by tears. The luckiest thing in her life was to be sold to the Huaiyuan Marquis Mansion and become the old ancestor's maid.

Nan Yu only had a vague idea. Although she guessed that these two masters must have a close relationship with the women in the northwest, she didn't understand why they reacted so strongly. The young master was fine, his eyes were red but he was still normal. The girl almost fainted after reading the letter.

But after all, he is a guard and cannot ask too many questions. Now that the two masters give him money, pay for the medical treatment of his wife and children at home, punish the evil people who have been bullying them, and use him, he will be a good guard and help his masters solve their problems.

Nan Yu was given three days off by An Zizhong. He took the pens, ink, paper and inkstone he had bought and went back to see his wife and children. Thanks to An Zizhong's arrangement, his son had entered school. He and his brothers were all picked up and raised by Uncle Nan. Now they have their own families and jobs to earn money. His son has entered school, his wife has someone to take care of her, and his daughter can take good care of her health. Isn't this the kind of life he has always been pursuing?

After An Zizhong comforted An Wenniang, he asked someone to send her back first. He memorized all the letters one by one and burned them. Since the ancestors had thought it through, he couldn't be too slow.

After returning from the Chinese New Year, Qi You inexplicably became obsessed with Li Changan. When she heard that her mother was going to visit several cousins ​​from her mother's family before the New Year, she was clearly tempted. But after returning, Li Changan was very determined to accompany her.

Mrs. Qi's attitude towards Li Changan also improved immediately. Qi Yangchuan was calm. Li Changan heard that after Qi You went back, she regretted it when she saw that his cousins ​​were not as handsome as their mother said. What's more, she heard his cousins ​​say that they wanted to marry Qi You first and let the Qi family help them pass the imperial examinations and it would be best if they could go to Kyoto with him. If Qi You couldn't give birth, she would keep a mistress outside. She would not really give up children for the sake of the Qi family.

Although Li Changan also felt that offspring were important, he never expressed it. He felt that since he really wanted to marry his cousin, he would at least take care of her while she was alive. But after her death, he could not really not want children, nor would he marry another woman and have her child adopted as his cousin's offspring.

The Qi family would coax Li Changan when they needed him, and decisively abandon him when they didn't need him, without any mercy. Now they turn around and regret it, and just say a few nice words to coax him like before?

Sorry, Li Changan is no longer a toy that they can manipulate as they please. His success in the exam must have been due to his uncle, but a bigger part of the reason was his own intelligence, and he had stayed up late to study hard, and never slacked off in the cold winter or hot summer. Even without his uncle's help, he could still have a good ranking. At least his life, his official career, his marriage, his offspring, everything he had could be controlled by himself.

Li Changan knew that it was not appropriate for him to fall out with the Qi family now. He knew his uncle's family too well. If he dared to reveal that he wanted to get rid of the Qi family and disobey their arrangements, letting the Qi family lose control of him just to let Qi You live a safe and happy life, then he was sure that he would become a notorious, the most unbearable, embarrassed and humble person tomorrow. The Qi family would make him lose everything, fall into the abyss, and severely punish the Li family.

Li Changan is a smart man. Ever since he knew that he was Qi Yangchuan's pawn, he no longer felt guilty. He tried to make Qi You happy. Now he liked to do this the most to seek benefits for himself.

Didn't he want him to have a good reputation so as to train an excellent son-in-law for the Qi family? He could think it was good, but he wanted to protect Qi You and prevent him from exerting his power in order to ensure that he would always be suppressed by the Qi family. Sorry, that's impossible.

Li Changan brought Qi You out to visit the temple fair. There would be several temple fairs after the New Year. Li Changan had been confined at home to comfort the sad Qi You since the Qi family came back, but he still had his own things to do, so he thought of bringing Qi You out to relax and took the opportunity to let the servant do what he arranged.

There is an activity at the temple fair today. Students from Gongzhou can hang up their own poems and couplets on the way up the mountain from Hui'en Temple for people to appreciate. Li Changan only posted the first line of a couplet and half of a poem, allowing passers-by to fill in the content below.

He and An Zizhong spent many days polishing the work, why not post it all? That way, others will just say something about the good writing and give a few words of praise.

Only by leaving enough room for curiosity can more people pay attention to it and truly make him famous and become a role model for all Gongzhou students. All this will definitely make Qi Yangchuan wary, so it is best to bring Qi You to do this. He only needs to take the opportunity to show the article he has written in advance and his hesitation to post it, and Qi You, who is good at face, will take the initiative to post it for him.

By then, the people arranged by An Zizhong will praise Qi You for her good vision in having such a talented husband. Qi You is too proud and enjoys the feeling of being praised by everyone. Otherwise, she would not be happy for a long time just by relying on the three sets of Wen'en Pavilion jewelry. She would not have successfully sent the profits of Wen'en Pavilion to the next prefect from her uncle, and promised to help him open a Wen'en Pavilion in Kyoto.

"The girl is destined to be rich and beautiful, and her husband is talented."

"My husband, look at how much he dotes on my wife. He prepared such a good couplet for her to hang. Why can't you write two good poems for me to hang up so that I can have face."

"I don't know if I will be lucky enough to have an excellent husband who loves me."

Qi You felt elated after hearing this. Everyone was looking at her and her cousin with envy. She knew that her cousin was the top scholar in the provincial examination and the most outstanding student in Gongzhou, and he seldom went out on weekdays. This was the first time she felt that her cousin was really that outstanding. Moreover, it was rare for such a person to dote on her so much and bring his wife to the temple fair, not to mention that she had not yet married her cousin.

No wonder everyone is so envious and jealous. Just look at their husbands, fathers and brothers, how can they compare to my cousin? Besides, my cousin only has eyes for me now. I don't know why my father has always been suppressing my cousin and asking him to keep a low profile and not stand out.

Qi You had found such a good man. Amidst everyone's praise, Qi You successfully snatched all the papers from Li Changan and hung them in a conspicuous place, including the two incomplete couplets and poems.

Li Changan dragged the excited Qi You up the mountain to burn incense and pray. Seeing Qi You was bored and went outside to shake the fortune sticks, he knelt on the mat and made a pious wish. Qi You naturally couldn't hear him. Li Changan was just reciting the Heart Sutra. When he saw Qi You walking in impatiently, he spoke quickly.

"May the Bodhisattva bless You'er to live a hundred years without any disaster or illness."

"May the Bodhisattva bless You'er to live a hundred years without any disaster or illness."

"May the Bodhisattva bless You'er to live a hundred years without any disaster or illness."

After each sentence, he would kowtow heavily on the ground. After doing this five times, his head was bleeding. Only then did Qi You come over with tears in her eyes and pull him.

"How could my cousin be so stupid? He even smashed his head."

Qi You took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood that had seeped out of him. Li Changan pulled his hand down and looked at her intently.

"You are not stupid. You are my future wife. I hope you can be healthy. As long as I can make you well, I am willing to make the most pious wish in every temple."

Qi You was indeed even more moved and pulled Li Changan's hand and wanted to say something, but was stopped by him.

"Since you are here, make a wish with me. Let's chant sutras and pray for blessings every day. The Bodhisattva will always hear us."

Qi You nodded, and was pulled by Li Changan to kneel on the cushion. The young monk who came over to change incense saw Li Changan and pointed at him.

"Donor, you are here again. You are so determined to make a wish every day. The Bodhisattva will surely bless you with his mercy."

Qi You thought that Li Changan came here every day to pray for him, and he was even more moved and asked Li Changan.

"Cousin comes every day?"

Li Changan nodded.

"I used to copy scriptures and send them to the Bodhisattva, thinking they would be useful. I came to visit you often when you returned to your uncle's house, worried that you would feel uncomfortable on the bumpy road."

Words that are not explained clearly are most likely to leave room for people's imagination. Qi You believed that her cousin had always offered scriptures to her for her sake, and after she went away, he was worried that she would get sick, so he kept coming to burn incense.

"Since you have been safe all the way, it is time for me to fulfill my wish."

Li Changan took off the purse from his waist and handed it to the little monk beside him. Seeing that his goal had been achieved, he pulled Qi You down the mountain, took her to watch acrobatics, guess lantern riddles, and introduced her to his friends in the academy. He did not return until it was almost dark.

Mrs. Qi started to scold him as soon as she came in, blaming him for taking Qi You out for so long and in such cold weather.

But how could Qi You bear to let anyone say bad things about Li Changan anymore? She pointed at her cloak and said that her cousin thought she was cold, so he took off his cloak and put it on her. She was wrapped up like a bear, so how could she be cold?

Mrs. Qi said that the people outside were messy and would bump into her. Qi You also said that her cousin had always taken good care of her and not even a piece of mud got on her.

When Qi Yangchuan learned that Li Changan's couplet and half-verse had attracted the attention of many literati, he thought that he was deliberately showing off his talent and demonstrating his excellence. He was interrupted by his daughter after he had just said two words.

"Dad, you are talking nonsense. My cousin was praying for blessings. I hung up his poems because I saw that others had died."

Qi Yangchuan frowned as he looked at his daughter, thinking that she had been deceived by Li Changan's sweet words.

"You were the one who hung yourself? Didn't Chang An take you somewhere on purpose?"

Seeing them slandering her cousin like that, Qi You became so anxious that her face turned red. She finally had someone who treated her like a treasure, yet she was still verbally insulted by her parents.

"You just hope that there will be no one who treats me well around me. My cousin took me there because he often copied scriptures to offer to the Nian'en Temple. When I went to my uncle's house, my cousin felt sorry for me because of the bumpy road, so he went to pray for me every day and hoped that I would be safe. The little monk in the temple knew it. If the monk in the temple hadn't reminded him, who would know that my cousin had done so much? Even my parents didn't do these things, but my cousin could do it for me. If you don't believe it, you can send someone to ask. The monks in the temple are very familiar with my cousin. My cousin didn't want me to hang the poem because he was afraid of affecting my father. I insisted on hanging it. My cousin from my uncle's family belittled me and despised me. I didn't see what you said. My cousin was so good to me, but you treated him like this. I am so disappointed in you."

After saying that, Qi You ran out crying. Li Changan looked anxious and looked left and right.

"Don't be angry, Aunt. It's my problem that You'er feels sorry for me. Don't blame her."

After Li Changan finished speaking, he hurriedly chased after her. Mrs. Qi looked at her daughter and felt a little disappointed. She asked her husband if she had gone too far.

Qi Yangchuan was not a woman from the inner house. He first sent people to Nian'en Temple to inquire, and it was indeed what Qi You said. It was Qi You who snatched the poems and articles and hung them up. Many people saw it. The young man next to her couldn't stop her and had to be careful to protect her from falling.

It is true that he worshipped the Book of Songs and prayed for blessings every day. Qi Yangchuan sat in a chair in deep thought, and his wife could no longer hold back and went to coax Qi You.

Qi Yangchuan always thought that Li Changan was somewhat unwilling to stay with Qi You for the rest of his life. He didn't expect that he really misunderstood Li Changan. The abbot of the temple said that Li Changan has been offering handwritten scriptures in the temple in recent years, and the frequency has become more frequent in the past two years. He comes to the temple from time to time to listen to lectures. It is really as You'er said.

Qi Yangchuan also watched Li Changan grow up, and thought he knew him very well. He was no longer so strict with him and no longer asked people to suppress the enthusiasm for the incomplete couplet and half-verse poem on the mountain of Nian'en Temple.

Li Changan sat in the room, drank a cup of wine, and smiled bitterly. He had done so much to prevent Qi Yangchuan from stopping him from making a name for himself with his half-couplets and half-verses.

Who could have known that Qi Yangchuan was determined to take him away to raise him, but his mother would never be willing to do so. No matter how many children she had, he was still her flesh and blood, and she would worry day and night. Ever since his mother knew that Qi You could not have children and would not live long, she became even more worried. He could not eat or sleep well, and his health was not as good as before. Li Changan went to visit him secretly, but was stopped by his father. When his uncle knew about it, he scolded his mother for being too soft-hearted and delaying the child's studies.

Li Changan didn't dare to go. He often gave scriptures to his mother to pray for blessings, but today he used them to deceive Qi You and the Qi family. He did it for Qi You. What a failure he is as a son.

Fortunately, after this incident, Li Changan's life became much better. The quarrel with Qi You that night won him a lot of benefits, and Qi You himself began to pay attention to Li Changan's life.

She directly said that if her parents bullied her cousin in front of her, they must be even more excessive when she was not around. She often went to Li Changan's residence to take his food and clothes. The servants and old women checked one by one, but she still found out something.

Li Changan doesn't eat peanuts, not because he's allergic to them, but because he choked on them when he was a kid, and he doesn't want to eat them anymore. But peanuts are often in Li Changan's meals, and he never shys away from them.

Li Changan's clothes are much inferior to her brother's in terms of patterns and fabrics. It can be said that the butler in front of his father and the housekeeper beside his mother are better than him in terms of fabrics. The fabric looks smooth and the embroidery is fine, but when she touches me, the ring can hook the silk thread on it, and it will break with a slight pull.

No wonder my cousin always wears those plain clothes without any embroidery. It turns out that these clothes are shiny on the surface but not durable to wear. If he wears them out to meet up with his classmates, he might accidentally get threads on his clothes and mess up the pattern. It would be so embarrassing.

Also, my cousin's bed is made of good wood, but the carving is average. The blackout curtains are thick, but the color is not suitable for a man. And the vase in the room is not what my mother and I like.

Qi You understood why his cousin preferred to stay in the academy and didn't like to come back. It was not because his cousin was wild and wanted to climb up the social ladder as his mother said, nor was it because his cousin wanted to leave the Qi family as his mother said and was an ungrateful person who could never be tamed.

But my mother looked down on my cousin from the very beginning. She did not treat him as her own child as she always said. Every time she went out to appreciate the flowers and drink tea, she would mention how much care she took towards her nephew. She picked the best fabrics for my cousin and the best wood for him. The decorations for the four seasons, as well as the tea and snacks were all of the same standard as those of his siblings.

They are all liars. They secretly disgusted and bullied my cousin. My cousin is the most outstanding man in Gongzhou. He was the top scorer in the provincial examination at the age of 17. If many families had such a promising child, they would hold him in the palm of their hands.

As for my cousin, he seems glamorous and successful on the surface, but in fact he is an outsider who is not treated sincerely by the Qi family. Even so, my cousin still treats me wholeheartedly and never lets me suffer any grievances.