Golden Branch

"Jiu Niang, you, you and Shisan Niang--" What is the relationship between them?

Wang Mian felt as if his three views were collapsing.

Wang Heng was amused by Wang Mian's shocked look.

A smile appeared in her eyes, and she said softly, "Thirteenth Lady is very good. I will take her with me."

Lou Yu had already told her: Zheng Shisan was reliable.

In other words, she passed Lou Yu's test and was someone who could be loyal to her, Wang Heng.

"Take her?"

Wang Mian became even more confused.

What does it mean to take her with you?

"Ok!"

If she gets married, she will let Zheng Shisan be her concubine.

If she was not qualified to get married, she would give Zheng Shisan a future.

Wang Heng nodded, but she didn't say the next two sentences.

Because it is still early, she and Shisan Niang are still young.

Some things have not been decided yet, so it is difficult to say them out loud, otherwise, it will easily affect Shisan Niang's reputation.

Wang Mian: ...

No!

Jiu Niang, what is this?

Do you really want to treat Zheng Shisan as your "dowry maid"?

Wang Mian just felt that his three views were collapsing.

Unfortunately, Wang Heng didn't explain everything clearly, so Wang Mian didn't dare to ask more questions.

She thought about it, and suddenly asked: "Ajiu, have you ever thought about 'a lifetime of being together'?"

"Uh, is that what the women of the Dugu family demand: 'no maids, no concubines, no unborn children'?"

Wang Heng was stunned for a moment, and seeing Wang Mian's serious expression, she knew she was not joking.

After thinking seriously for a moment, Wang Heng said slowly, "A Mian, a husband and wife are a pair."

Concubines were just slaves and not considered human beings.

Wang Heng did not say the latter part of this sentence because of Wang Mian's identity.

She treated Wang Mian as a sister and almost as an equal.

But, in fact, Wang Heng is a noble, and Wang Mian is——

Wang Heng was unwilling to discuss class with the friends she grew up with.

She still focused on what Wang Mian said, especially the example he gave:

"Amian, there's nothing wrong with having a child from another womb... Pregnancy is painful enough for women, and childbirth is like going through hell."

If you don't handle it properly, it will result in two deaths.

Wang Heng was not scaring herself, but was surrounded by "facts".

Wang Mian was stunned again.

Does Jiu Niang mean that she treats concubines as substitutes?

Come to think of it, Jiuniang is the most pampered and cannot bear any hardship at all.

In modern times, there are celebrities and wealthy ladies who choose to spend money rather than endure pain.

In ancient times when there were no human rights and classes were clearly defined, people like Jiu Niang, who were pampered and valued, had more conditions and reasons to do so.

Especially the dangers brought by childbirth, the medical conditions in ancient times were too poor.

The probability of two lives lost to one corpse is too high.

Even in the countryside of Hedong, Wang Mian would hear every year that someone's wife had died from difficult childbirth, hemorrhage, and other reasons.

As a woman, after getting married, you must continue the family line for your husband's family.

For the lower class people, who were poor, marrying a wife required the whole family's efforts, and the burden of childbearing fell solely on the bride.

Nobles like Wang Heng had more choices.

They don't need to take risks themselves for the sake of having offspring.

Wang Mian couldn't help but put herself in Wang Heng's shoes——

She was born into a noble family and when she grew up, she married a man of equal social status.

If a woman is in charge of household chores, has money and power, and has a concubine, she can not only help share the responsibilities and dangers of childbirth, but also gain the reputation of being a "virtuous wife".

Well, just like Wang Heng now, she has already started to "reserve" suitable candidates for concubines.

Wang Mian suddenly realized that perhaps the "harmony between wives and concubines" in ancient times was not just men's wishful thinking.

Rational and sober mistresses may be more "generous" than men imagine.

Just kidding, between wealth, life and so-called love, of course you should choose the former.

They would not foolishly risk their lives and keep giving birth just for a little bit of sincerity.

wrong!

this is not right!

Soon, Wang Mian realized that he had been led astray by Wang Heng and actually thought it would be nice to have a concubine to help with childbirth.

She quickly suppressed her "heartbeat" and reminded him, "Nine Lady, aren't you afraid that your future husband will favor a concubine over his wife? Or that a concubine will turn against her master?"

People's hearts are fickle.

Once there are benefits, ambition will arise.

By then, even the loyalty you once had will turn into a sharp blade that stabs you.

Wang Heng looked at Wang Mian's serious expression and curled her lips. She also reminded Wang Mian: "A Mian, you really should read the Kaitai Law carefully!"

Wang Mian was stunned for a moment.

"Kaitai Lu"?

Isn’t it the current law of the Dayu Dynasty?

She had read and studied it carefully and repeatedly.

She didn't want to exploit legal loopholes, but she wanted to know where the "bottom line" was.

You can't just come to ancient times and become "legally illiterate".

She thought carefully about the provisions of Kaitai Law regarding household and marriage laws.

"I am a lowly woman!"

"A concubine is involved in business"!

"Those who take their wives as concubines or maids as wives shall be sentenced to three years in prison. Those who take their concubines or guest girls as wives or maids as concubines shall be sentenced to one and a half years in prison. They shall all be punished."

Wang Mian silently recited the relevant legal provisions in his mind.

Then, she froze.

Yes, in ancient times, especially during the Dayu Dynasty, the law clearly stipulated that a concubine could not be married.

Once discovered, they will be sentenced to exile.

After serving the sentence, the marriage is also invalid.

A concubine is just a concubine. No matter how favored she is, she cannot be promoted to the position of principal wife.

Unlike in the "civilized" later generations, illegitimate children have inheritance rights.

The status of the wife is basically unshakable.

As long as her parents' family does not fall and as long as she can stand on her own feet, she can still sit firmly on the position of mistress even if she has no children and is not favored.

Their status will not be threatened, and concubines are really just playthings and tools.

Wang Mian: ...

Suddenly I felt that women in ancient times were not as ignorant and domesticated as people in later generations imagined.

They are the ones who are truly awake.

In a patriarchal and male-dominated environment, people still find ways to survive and live a better life.

Take the initiative to take a concubine for your husband?

Once you have a reputation for being virtuous, you don’t have to worry about not being able to have children!

A man's true heart?

what!

They are rich and powerful, surrounded by servants, and live a life of luxury.

In your spare time, you can play ball and pitch pots, drink tea and arrange flowers, go hiking, play Cuju and hunt... Isn't that great?

Why do you have to waste your time and energy to care about a scumbag who is destined to be unfaithful.

Wang Mian was moved!

Damn, is this the rhythm of being "assimilated"?

Wang Mian remembers her origins and she is determined to maintain her values ​​and stick to her bottom line.

Of course, even though Wang Mian did not want to be "assimilated", he did not continue to persuade Wang Heng.

Wang Heng didn't know Wang Mian's inner struggle, but she still remembered Wang Mian's worry—

"Amian, your worry is not entirely unreasonable."

"The Kaitai Code does indeed stipulate that a concubine cannot be married. But the law also prohibits stealing, plundering, and murder, but some people still take risks."

Men may indeed change their hearts and favor their concubines over their wives.

Concubines may indeed commit crimes against their superiors, murder their mistresses, and seize the family property.

“…So, I have to choose the candidates in advance.”

Either they are maids who grew up together, or they are "sisters" from the same clan.

Although Zheng Shisan was not a maidservant, nor a sister, they had a friendship of several years, and most importantly, she had passed Lou Yu's test... Wang Heng felt that she was reliable, so she improved her treatment.

Wang Mian had a numb face: "Haha, it's good that Jiu Niang knows this!"

I told you, our ancient female ancestors were not really that lowly.

Their targets were their husbands, and when they plotted and fought, it was with men, not slaves or concubines.

As long as they are not stupid or love-brained, the rich and carefree life of the ladies is something that people in later generations cannot even imagine.

Wang Mian: ...

After being "taught a lesson" countless times, Wang Mian's already limited sense of superiority as a time-traveling woman had been completely shattered.

This is not over yet!

Immediately afterwards, Wang Mian, who claimed to have a lot of knowledge about beauty, body care, skin care, etc., was "shocked" again.

"This is Wu Ma San, which nourishes and darkens hair. We use the finest Wu Ma (black sesame), steamed and dried three times..."

"This is a recipe for eternal youth. It harmonizes qi and blood and nourishes the skin. One pound of ginger, half a pound of dates, two ounces of white salt, three ounces of grass, half a ounce each of cloves and agarwood, and four ounces of fennel, pounded together..."

"...a recipe for removing dark spots on the face, whitening it..."

"There's also Yurongsan, which can remove spots, blackheads, and rosacea..."

When Concubine Jiang came to the Lou family's fortress, in addition to taking care of Shiyi Niang and Xiao Sanlang every day, she would also take time to teach Wang Heng.

The first lesson that Concubine Jiang taught Wang Heng was about health preservation and beauty.

There is an old woman by her side who is responsible for collecting and researching various secret recipes for skin care and beauty.

It is said that this old woman was a servant of a certain noble family. After her master's family fell into decline, she "flowed into the market" again and was taken in by Concubine Jiang.

The old woman brought three or four maids with her, who were specifically responsible for the "beauty" of Concubine Jiang.

"Every day, I have a special maid comb my hair with a jade comb three thousand times to massage my scalp and nourish my hair."

The old woman knelt in front of young girls including Wang Heng, Wang Mian and Zheng Shisan, explaining ancient recipes or demonstrating them on the spot.

Wang Mian: ...Wow, there are four or five servants just responsible for the mistress's "beauty".

There are people who are responsible for combing hair, making incense, and...

No wonder there were dozens or even hundreds of slaves in the homes of ancient nobles.

The division of labor is detailed and requires a lot of attention, and there are no tools to replace it, so we have to use more manpower.

And those recipes are the real luxuries.

Wild, aged medicinal herbs are just the basis, and there are also rare materials such as pearls, musk, etc.

The amount of time, labor, and materials required to prepare a skin care product, as well as the money spent, made even a time-traveling woman like her gasp in amazement.

In addition to ancient recipes for beauty and skin care, there are also medicinal foods for slimming and body shaping.

The old woman also taught him everything she knew.

Wang Heng specially selected Bai Shao and Bai Wei from among her maids.

Bai Shao was responsible for learning ancient beauty recipes, while Bai Wei was responsible for learning how to cook medicinal food.

Even Zheng Shisan volunteered to learn some acupuncture and massage techniques from the doctor in charge.

Wang Mian: ...completely numb!

She also completely surrendered (accepted her fate?)

I already had an idea about something in my mind, and now I am even more convinced of it.

After Wang Heng returned from the main courtyard and finished receiving private lessons from Concubine Jiang, Wang Mian came to see her.

"Jiu Niang, there are two things I want to give you!"

"They have immense potential, perhaps even world-changing potential... I, I'm too humble to attempt anything on my own. You should take control."

Wang Mian presented two small wooden boxes.

In each small wooden box, there is a small white porcelain bottle.

Wang Mian pointed to a white porcelain bottle and said, "This is an anti-inflammatory drug. It can reduce inflammation, kill viruses, and reduce high fever. However, there is a certain chance of allergies. In an emergency, it can be used to save lives."

She pointed to another small porcelain bottle and said, "This is black powder. Even a small bottle can explode. However, this substance is very dangerous. If it is not stored properly, transported properly, or used improperly, it may cause a spontaneous explosion."

In ancient times, the power of thermal weapons was too great.

Wang Mian didn't know whether he had replicated the "artifact" that changed the world or opened Pandora's box.

However, after several years and repeated experiments, the finished product was finally made, but Wang Mian still didn't want to be buried.

"Anti-inflammatory? Black powder?"

This was not the first time that Wang Heng received a "divine item" from Wang Mian, but this time, Wang Mian seemed particularly serious.

Wang Heng couldn't help but become serious. "A Mian, tell me in detail about their effects, contraindications, etc."

Wang Heng is the most cautious person and wants to know more about good things.

She needs to understand the efficacy and side effects, the various contraindications for use, and the consequences of "violating the prohibitions".

After Wang Mian’s introduction, Wang Heng will conduct experiments.

It’s not that she doesn’t believe Wang Mian, but she understands that the probability is biased.

What if Amian is unable to conduct too many or in-depth experiments due to limited conditions, resulting in discrepancies in the results?

After all, Wang Mian is not Wang Heng, and the resources she can mobilize are limited.

Wang Heng is different. She used to own a huge business, and now she has even brought the entire Lou's Fortress under her management.

I'm not afraid of being called vicious when I say this: Wang Heng was even able to get "living" subjects for experiments.

No matter if they were brave men paid a huge sum of money, or death row soldiers trained by himself, or death row prisoners obtained from the government... these were not the resources that Wang Mian could mobilize, nor the cruelty that Wang Mian could accept.

"……Um!"

Wang Mian felt a little heavy-hearted. He finally made the thing and handed it to a friend he trusted.

She should have been relaxed and relieved, but for some reason, she was inexplicably worried and confused.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful!"

Sensing Wang Mian's low mood, Wang Heng said softly, "A Mian, you've helped me so much over the years. Although I've given you a little in return, it's far from enough!"

Wang Heng looked at Wang Mian with a sincere and firm gaze: "Don't worry, I will never let you down!"

As soon as the dust settles and A'mu returns to Beijing, Wang Heng will give A Mian everything she deserves!

"...I know! I believe you!"

It was because Wang Mian knew that Jiu Niang was kind, honest and reliable that he did not choose to "betray" Jiu Niang and choose another "hero".

Lou Yu could indeed give her more "rewards" faster, but Lou Yu was cruel and cold-blooded, and was an out-and-out superior.

As a paranoid little pervert, it is basic practice to want those you love to live and to want those you hate to die.

Wang Mian would rather choose a good person who might not be strong enough than deal with a powerful pervert.

She is following Ding Jiuniang!