Dressed as a middle-aged mistress, I want to lie down every day

The two of them were familiar with each other, and Mrs. Zhao was a straightforward person. She asked, "Are you taking your Jingyi with you?"

Mo Chenxi shook his head and said, "No, Jingyi isn't engaged yet, so it wouldn't be appropriate for me to take her with me."

Mrs. Zhao's admiring look.

The mother-in-law said that she would see if Mrs. Mo would bring her daughter with her. If she did, then that would be the case for her.

Mo Chenxi went back to her parents' home that day and told them about this matter, hoping to learn more about Mrs. Peng and the Peng family from her father.

Mrs. Peng had a cousin, Concubine Ji in the palace. Because the emperor was young, the empress dowager was only 32 years old, and the concubines were all under 30 years old.

The concubines who were able to stay in the palace were all those who had given birth to princes and princesses. Concubine Jiang was 28 years old, and Madam Peng's cousin, Concubine Ji, was 26 years old. Her son was Prince Duan, who was four years old this year and was a posthumous child.

When the late emperor died, he had only one son, the crown prince born to the Queen Mother, who was only eight years old at the time. Now the emperor is not even twelve years old. He was eight years old when he ascended the throne, and the Queen Mother was ruling the country from behind the scenes.

Mrs. Peng’s husband was a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue, a genuine imperial scholar, just like He Wenyan, unlike Concubine Jiang’s brother who was a successor to the imperial family.

The late emperor died of illness and had no offspring. He had only two princes, one of whom was posthumous, and two princesses. One was Princess Qing'an, born to Concubine Jiang, who is ten years old this year, and the other was Princess Wuyang, born to Concubine Shen, who is eight years old this year.

Normally, only legitimate princesses could have titles. The late emperor had too few children, so the two illegitimate princesses were given titles after they were born at the age of three.

Mrs. Peng's mother-in-law likes to be lively and often entertains guests with flowers. Mrs. Zhao's husband was promoted to doctor last year, so she was surprised that the Peng family sent her an invitation, as they had no contact with each other before.

Mo Yuanji retired a year after the death of the previous emperor, and he was well aware of the situation in the palace, so Mo Chenxi came to ask his father that the person in power now was the Queen Mother, so he should not offend her.

Mo Yuanji said, "Among the concubines with children in the palace, Queen Mother Wang and Concubine Ji get along well. When the late emperor was alive, he favored Concubine Jiang. Concubine Shen's family was a Hanlin, and she loved reading since she was a child. Queen Mother Wang used to be very wary of her."

Mo Chenxi understood that the Queen Mother at that time was afraid that Concubine Shen would give birth to a prince, which would be detrimental to the Crown Prince, so she disliked Concubine Jiang. She would dislike any wife her husband liked.

Queen Dowager Wang came from a noble family in Guanzhong. Her father was a military officer and her mother was the cousin of the Grand Empress Dowager. When Queen Dowager Wang was twelve years old, she accompanied her mother to Beijing and was chosen by the Grand Empress Dowager and betrothed to the late emperor.

When Mo Chenxi knew this, he thought that the Empress Dowager chose Queen Dowager Wang because she knew that her son was weak.

Fortunately, there is no blood relationship, otherwise the child would be weaker.

It is said that the emperor has been practicing martial arts since he was a child. At the age of eleven, he could pull a sixty-jin bow. The Queen Mother taught him personally.

Mo Chenxi had never seen the Queen Mother, and thought she was big and strong. No wonder the late emperor favored Concubine Jiang and disliked the Queen Mother.

Mo Yuanji thought that the Peng family invited Mrs. Zhao because Doctor Zhao was promoted, and the Peng family's invitation was also a way to win over some officials through interactions with their female relatives.

Because of her son-in-law's family background and rank, and because he is a rigid person, no one takes him seriously, so her daughter is not qualified to participate in such social activities.

Mo Yuanji asked his wife to get a piece of jewelry, which was a hairpin inlaid with gold and jade.

"This happened one time when I went to the palace and visited the Imperial Kitchen. I brought some dried purslane. Coincidentally, the Empress Dowager had no appetite that day, so the Imperial Kitchen served me some cold purslane. The Empress Dowager summoned me, asked about my family's situation, and gave me this as a reward, saying I could give it to my daughter and granddaughter to play with."

Mo Yuanji didn't tell the whole story. At the beginning, he didn't have a granddaughter yet, and he wanted to give the gold hairpin to his daughter as a dowry. After his daughter got engaged, his son-in-law had an unmarried sister from the same mother. After thinking about it, he didn't give it to her because he was afraid that his daughter would be coaxed by her in-laws into giving her to her sister-in-law.

Mo Chenxi took the gold hairpin. It was indeed a product of the palace. It was as exquisite as the one she saw in the jewelry store that day.

Not to mention how much gold and gems are worth, even the craftsmanship is more valuable than the gold and gems themselves.

Mo Chenxi thanked him, "Thank you, father. I will return it after I use it."

Mo Yuanji didn't say that he didn't have to return it. He planned to keep the hairpin as a family heirloom and would not give it to his daughter or granddaughter.

Mo Chenxi was worried about what to wear to the banquet. She finally understood why women in ancient times had to make clothes when the seasons changed.

The clothes are all handmade, the dyes are all natural, and the fabrics are all cotton, silk and satin, without any high technology.

Even if you spend a lot of money to make a decent and high-end set of clothes, you can't wear them all the time in return for the reward. First, it will make people laugh at you, and second, the old and new ones will be obviously different at a glance, and they will be a little faded and old.

In Dream of the Red Chamber, when Lin Daiyu entered the Jia Mansion and went to Lady Wang's residence for the first time, there was a description of a half-worn floral chair cover. Later generations said that Lady Wang lived alone, and Jia Zheng often stayed in Aunt Zhao's room.

The He family could not afford to buy fabrics of superb quality due to their status, and they did not have a sewing room at home, so the master and her maids made daily necessities for everyone.

Otherwise, needlework was a necessary skill for women in ancient times. Even if middle-class and ordinary families had servants, many of them did the work themselves.

I bought the fabric yesterday, but it was too late to make it now, so Mo Chenxi went to a mid- to high-end silk shop and bought a ready-made set. Then I came back and asked Mother Wang and Qiuyan to alter it according to my body shape.

She didn't know about the Peng family's banquet, and it was the Queen Mother's words that allowed her to go.

When Queen Mother Wang met her that day, she asked Eunuch Liang to buy the farm next to He's farm. It was a sudden impulse.

After buying it, she thought again, wondering what kind of person Mo was. She found it interesting for a moment, but it would be boring if Mo was a scheming person.

One day, Madam Peng came to the palace and talked with Queen Dowager Wang. Madam Peng had a good relationship with the Grand Empress Dowager, and Queen Dowager Wang also respected Madam Peng very much. Because of Concubine Ji, she also took special care of the Peng family.

Mrs. Peng was chatting with her like she was at home, talking about who she had invited for dinner and how many guests had never come before. Doctor Zhao from the Ministry of Personnel was promoted last year, and her son said he was a good guy, so he sent an invitation to his wife.

She casually mentioned that Mrs. Zhao had always had a good relationship with the wife of Mr. He, the official of the Ministry of Personnel. Unlike some wives, she looked up after her husband became an official.

When Queen Mother Wang heard about the Mo family, she was moved and deliberately asked, "This surname is not common. I remember there was a Dianshi in the Jiashu Bureau who often came to help in the Imperial Kitchen. I think he was also named Mo."

Mrs. Peng said, "Yes, that's Mo Dianshu's daughter. When my great-grandfather was alive, he said Mo Dianshu was a wonderful person. Although his family was ordinary, he didn't seek personal gain and devoted himself to growing vegetables. One time, my great-grandfather brought home some dried vegetables, which were given by Mo Dianshu."

The Queen Mother smiled again when she remembered that Mrs. Mo said she would send her a chicken.

The daughter takes after her father.

Why not test it this time? If Mrs. Mo brings her daughter to the banquet, it means that she is someone who will take advantage of every opportunity to gain personal advantage. There are too many people like her, so it is better not to make friends with her.

But let the Peng family directly give the letter to the Mo family, so that others would think that they were going to reuse Mr. He.

Queen Mother Wang said, "Then give Madam Zhao two invitations, give her some pointers, and ask her to bring Madam Mo with her."

Mrs. Peng thought that Queen Mother Wang was giving Mo a chance because of Mo Dianshu's appearance, so she agreed.