Professional Ethics of a Concubine

Guixinyuan.

Zhang Jingyi is busy preparing for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Since it is a family banquet, there is no need to invite guests, so it is much simpler.

However, it is not entirely true to call it a family banquet, after all, we are holding a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet together with the Pingnan Marquis Mansion in Dongyuan.

Even though they are from the same ancestor and the old lady is still alive, they are two families after all, and there are quite a few people. When they eat together, there will be more things to coordinate.

Moreover, the old lady will also attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, so we have to get some things done properly so as not to offend her.

"Madam, Jin Bao just came to tell me that the Marquis has allowed Madam Ye to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet." Nanny Zhou walked in from outside and said to Zhang Jingyi.

Zhang Jingyi heard yesterday that the Marquis went to Yanliuyuan, so she was prepared for this news and was not surprised to hear it now.

Some time ago, the concubines were all happy that Aunt Ye had fallen out of favor, but she noticed that the master cared more about Aunt Ye.

Look, here's the evidence.

"Yeah, I see." Zhang Jingyi responded calmly, and then wondered,

"I haven't heard anything from Aunt Ye about Aunt Zhang's matter. Are you going to give up?"

"It's normal to give up. Maybe after Madam Ye understood the situation, she realized how difficult it was and was afraid that the Marquis would dislike her again because of this, so she didn't dare to ask for Madam Zhang."

Nanny Zhou curled her lips and said that she felt it was normal for Aunt Ye to give up, and she didn't have to make herself suffer.

Zhang Jingyi felt a little disappointed because she had high expectations for this.

At this time, the maid came to inform Chunyu that she wanted to see him.

After Zhang Jingyi let someone in, Chunyu quickly told Ye Qingzhi what she had told her about Aunt Zhang.

"Okay, I understand. Go back and tell Aunt Ye that I will cooperate with you." Zhang Jingyi said with a smile.

Seeing that his wife was happy, Chunyu felt relieved and went back happily to report.

"Mammy, did you hear what she just said? The idea she came up with is excellent. Our concubine Ye is really smart." Zhang Jingyi exclaimed with a smile.

Nanny Zhou responded in a muffled voice. Seeing that the lady was still happy about this, she couldn't help but remind her,

"Madam, you have to be careful. Be careful that Madam Ye might set her sights on you and the two young masters one day."

Zhang Jingyi frowned and shook her head. She was about to say something when the maid outside came to report that Madam Qin, the housekeeper of the Pingnan Marquis Mansion next door, wanted to see her.

"Please come in." Zhang Jingyi calmed herself down, straightened her back and said.

"This old servant greets Madam Hou." Mother Qin entered the room and bowed respectfully to Zhang Jingyi.

"Mother Qin, please get up." Zhang Jingyi said with a pleasant face, "Mother Qin, are you here for the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet?"

"It's not all because of the Mid-Autumn Festival. My late wife's anniversary is coming soon." Mother Qin said.

“The Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet is a family banquet after all, it’s just a gathering of people from the two mansions for some fun, the rules are very simple.

My lord wanted to hold a grand ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of my late wife, but Madam Lan fell ill and passed on the responsibility, so our old lady had no choice but to take charge of it.

But the old lady still has to take care of the old marquis, so she is not very energetic. Thinking that our two houses are originally one family, she asked the old servant to come and ask the lady to help check the banquet list to make sure no one is left out and it would be impolite. "

Mother Qin said this and took out the guest list and handed it to Zhang Jingyi.

"Is your Madam Lan really sick? She was fine a few days ago." Zhang Jingyi didn't take the list and asked with a frown.

"He's really sick." Mother Qin couldn't help but bend down a little more and spoke in a low voice.

"If Madam Lan dares to pretend to be ill and not care about such a big matter as the anniversary, our Marquis will be the first one to disapprove of her, and it is possible that he will take away her housekeeper rights. Madam Lan dare not neglect it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingyi thought of all the affectionate actions that Pingnan Hou had shown since Qingwan's death, and she stopped dwelling on the matter.

After receiving the guest list from Qin's mother, Zhang Jingyi looked at it and felt as if she was back to Qingwan's funeral a year ago.

The guests are still the same guests, and there have been no unexpected changes or new in-laws this year, so there is no need to increase or decrease the number.

"Time flies. It's been almost a year since Qingwan passed away." Zhang Jingyi closed the list and sighed with a melancholy look.

"Ever since Qingwan passed away, I've been missing a companion to talk to. There have been a lot of troubles in your house, but it's not as orderly as it was when Qingwan was here."

Mother Qin sighed and said nothing. She was a servant, so how could she slander her master behind her back?

But what Mrs. Jiangyanghou said was right.

Ever since their Madam Lin passed away, the backyard of the Pingnan Marquis's mansion had become chaotic, and two of the shops outside had even closed down.

The current Madam Lan is useless and unfit to be the mistress of a noble family. She has made the Pingnan Marquis Mansion a laughing stock in the capital.

Speaking of Madam Lan, her maiden name is Zhao Xinlan. She is the Marquis's cousin and has been childhood sweethearts with the Marquis. If the Zhao family had not fallen, the Marquis would have married her.

Later, the Marquis married the eldest daughter of the Anle Marquisate, their late wife, and Zhao Xinlan married a minor official of the fifth rank and went to another place.

But who would have thought that six years ago, the Marquis actually brought her back, saying that he pitied her for having lost her husband and no children, and gave her the status of a concubine to take care of her in her old age.

Later, Zhao Xinlan's elder brother made great military achievements, and the Zhao family's status rose again. The Marquis asked for Zhao Xinlan to be his co-wife.

What's even more ridiculous is that on the day the lady passed away, the marquis's mansion was holding a wedding banquet for Madam Lan, congratulating her on her promotion from a concubine to a equal wife.

Ever since Madam Lan came into the family, everyone thought that the Marquis loved her in his heart. He had always been obsessed with this childhood sweetheart and doted on her very much.

But who could have thought that on the day his wife passed away, the Marquis, wearing a red wedding gown, actually vomited blood on the spot after learning the news of his wife's death!

The guests at that time were all shocked.

I can't understand it either.

The Marquis is so deeply in love with his wife?

If they are so deeply in love, why would there be Madam Lan?

Even the servants in the mansion couldn't understand it.

Anyway, from then on, the Marquis never rested with the women in the back house, and he slept in the lady's previous room for the whole year.

Madam Lan has become the biggest joke in the mansion. Even though the Marquis has made her the housekeeper, the servants in the mansion do not respect her much. There are more and more servants who are disloyal, sneaky, and even embezzle money.

"How does your Lordship want to hold the ceremony in such a grand manner? Are there any rules?" Zhang Jingyi asked Mother Qin again.

The specifications of anniversary celebrations are different. In addition to the guests, the supplies to be prepared are also different.

"However glorious it is," said Mother Qin, enumerating them one by one.

“The Marquis is planning to invite the great scholar Tang Nianqiu to write another eulogy for the Madam.

We asked Master Lai En from Xiangguo Temple to recite the sutras for the afterlife, and we also asked Master Hao from the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to find a tomb with excellent feng shui, and we want to move the madam’s grave there…”

Zhang Jingyi,...

What’s the use of glory and affection when the person is dead?

When Qingwan was alive, Xie Mingli treated her so coldly that the concubines in the mansion wanted to step on Qingwan.

When Qingwan had a difficult childbirth and gave birth to a stillborn baby, he did not show much comfort. Just three years later, he forced Qingwan to adopt a child from his family as his legitimate son.

Later, he took his widowed cousin as his concubine, which made Qingwan a laughing stock among the noble ladies and she lost all her dignity.

Qingwan died, and he wanted to make amends. How ironic.

She felt particularly sorry for Qingwan and spoke out for her.

Aunt Ye said it very well: belated love is cheaper than grass. A woman as outstanding as Qingwan was unlucky enough to marry Marquis Pingnan.