In late autumn, the golden leaves twirled down from the branches. The maids got up early in the morning, gathered the withered branches and fallen leaves in the yard and under the corridor into dustpans, then sprinkled water and continued to sweep. The kitchen was already filled with curling smoke, and the water carrier outside had pulled his cart over.
The yard was filled with a peaceful and serene atmosphere. Jin Niang pushed open the door, looking energetic.
These days, she didn't have to bury herself in needlework, and her health had indeed improved a lot. Today was Jiang Xian's day off, and he planned to take Jin Niang and their children out for an outing.
The weather was neither too cold nor too hot, which was the most comfortable. Wearing a lined jacket was enough.
Under Jin Niang's instruction, Sister Jun had learned a lot from "Qian Zi Wen", "The Analects of Confucius" and famous Tang poems. Since she was still too young, the family planned to hire a tutor for her after she turned six.
Fortunately, the child had a very good memory. Jiang Xian also liked his daughter for being smart and lively, and often taught her to read.
Just by chance, they saw the female coroner. Jin Niang nodded slightly, but Nanny Fang didn't like her at all. She only said, "The hands of Madam Bao in our county yamen may not be clean. Why don't we ever see her taking action? She just knows how to cause trouble for others."
Although Jin Niang didn't like her moral - binding, she had heard that this female coroner was quite dedicated to her work. No matter when and where, she would come at once and never shirked her responsibilities. She was much more professional than the male coroners.
The coroner, Madam Bao, felt a bit ashamed. The last time the county captain's wife had said those things to her, she reflected on herself and realized that she had bullied the weak and feared the strong.
Fortunately, since that day, the county captain's wife hadn't targeted her, and she even greeted her just now.
It was said that the group first went to a pleasure - seeking place. Jiang Xian specially asked someone to find a good seat, ordered a pot of tea and several plates of snacks, and then they could watch some performances.
First, there was a singer who sang a song called "Bu Suan Zi". The lyrics were really good, and Jin Niang copied them down.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to always carry a pen and paper with you."
"It's a habit. Besides, don't you scholars always carry a poem - bag with you wherever you go?" After Jin Niang finished writing, she handed it to Jiang Xian to read.
Jiang Xian glanced at Jin Niang and wrote a poem called "Nian Nu Jiao". Jin Niang gave him a coquettish look. This guy, why did he have to write a love poem?
Looking up, she saw that the restaurant opposite was decorated with lanterns and colored streamers. She said to Jiang Xian, "It seems that Pingjiang is no worse than Bianjing. The big restaurants here are also very magnificent."
"That's owned by the Gu family in our county," Jiang Xian said.
The Gu family? Jin Niang smiled and said, "Last time when we went to Zijin Temple, we met some people from the Gu family. They even gave us a fan, the one I brought back."
For some reason, seeing Jiang Xian looking a bit strange, Jin Niang was puzzled and asked, "What's wrong? Do you have any doubts about the Gu family?"
Jiang Xian shook his head. "It's nothing. I just heard that the Gu family doesn't have many descendants. The old master of the Gu family only has two daughters. If he can't choose an heir before he dies, there may be property disputes in the county yamen in the future."
Jin Niang also sighed. However, today they came out for an outing. She said, "After we watch the sumo wrestling, let's go boating for a while."
"Okay," Jiang Xian naturally accompanied her.
It should be known that Jiang Xian was also very depressed. His superior, Magistrate Hou, interfered in every big and small matter. This man was also a cruel official, which made Jiang Xian feel annoyed. He was often unable to do things according to his own will.
But this was his first assignment in a new place, and he had to endure many things.
He felt most relaxed when he was with his wife and children, but such days were still rare. The next day, it was reported that there were bandits in a certain place. County Captain Mei was not in Wu County. Since someone reported a lawsuit about a grave - site dispute, Jiang Xian sent someone to ask County Captain Mei to come back, but he said he had something else to do.
Jiang Xian then said, "Since that's the case, I'll lead the men there."
He was from a noble family, skilled in archery and horsemanship. Moreover, he also wanted to achieve something, so he couldn't always be restricted by County Captain Mei.
Although Jin Niang was a bit worried, she herself was quite dedicated to her own affairs. Seeing Jiang Xian like this, she also supported him. Everyone lived in the back courtyard of the county yamen. As soon as Jiang Xian left, Madam Bao came over.
"Sister Wei, why are you the only one at home? I thought your husband was at home, so I didn't dare to come," Madam Bao said.
Jin Niang said worriedly, "It's because there are bandits causing trouble, and he led the men to chase them."
Madam Bao quickly said, "This won't do. County Captain Jiang looks so gentle. How can he do this? I'd better tell my husband right away. Good sister, don't worry. I'll send someone to deliver the message right now."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, sister," Jin Niang thought that County Captain Mei must be trying to gain favor with her family.
Indeed, he was just an ordinary military officer, and it was not easy for him to get promoted. While people like Jiang Xian, who were high - ranking Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examinations), would surely soar to great heights in the future as long as they were promoted by someone.
But he still wanted to do a good deed and make them owe him a favor.
Seeing Madam Bao walking away quickly, Jin Niang thought to herself that they really didn't know Jiang Xian well. Although he looked thin, except for being afraid of ghosts, he could do everything like playing with falcons, driving carriages, wielding swords and shooting arrows. He was quite capable.
After Madam Bao sent someone to deliver the message to her husband, County Captain Mei strode forward bravely, ready to rescue the people. But unexpectedly, when they reached Yangshu Village, the bandits were so cunning that they jumped into the river. It was said that Jiang Xian directly jumped into the river to catch them.
County Captain Mei was stunned. "Brothers, hurry up and look for them," he said.
If something really happened to Jiang Xian, he would surely become the target of public criticism.
As he rushed forward, he saw Jiang Xian swimming back with a man in his grasp, shouting, "The bandit leader has been caught! The bandit leader has been caught!"
County Captain Mei was left speechless in shock.
...
Jin Niang asked the kitchen to boil some ginger soup and personally handed it to him. "Come, drink a bowl of hot ginger soup," she said.
"It's not spicy," Jiang Xian took a sip and was a bit surprised.
Jin Niang smiled and said, "I was afraid you wouldn't like it if it was too spicy, so I added some brown sugar to it."
Jumping into the water to catch bandits in autumn, Jin Niang herself couldn't even imagine it. When he came back, everyone said that they had thought Jiang Xian was a civil official, but unexpectedly, his combat ability was quite strong.
Jin Niang wouldn't scold Jiang Xian, nor would she show excessive concern. She just wondered, "How did you learn to swim? I grew up in Jiangling, but I still didn't dare to go into the water casually."
"When I was a child, I heard that Wang Xizhi raised geese to practice calligraphy, so I also wanted to raise a goose in the garden. But that goose was so naughty. It always pecked at me. Once it even chased me into the pond. Fortunately, my mother pulled me out. Later, my mother remembered the incident when Aunt Eight almost drowned, so she specially asked someone to teach me to swim," Jiang Xian recalled the time when the goose pecked at his butt and still felt scared.
Previously, Jin Niang rarely asked about Jiang Xian's childhood. When she first met Jiang Xian, he was still young, but he could play polo and solve problems calmly.
Unexpectedly, there was such an interesting story. Jin Niang then said, "Your mother is really kind to you."
Jiang Xian nodded. "But now that I'm capable, I can't filially serve my mother."
Jin Niang sighed with him for a while, then looked at him and asked, "Are you still afraid of geese now?"
Jiang Xian still had a lingering fear. "You don't know how fierce geese can be if you haven't experienced it. They peck really hard."
"The geese are so bad. When I was a child with my parents in Shaanxi, my mother raised several big roosters. They were so nice and even let me ride on them," Jin Niang said. Jin Niang was an only child in the nine years after she time - traveled. Her mother doted on her very much.
Jiang Xian glanced at Jin Niang and exclaimed in surprise, "You really rode on a big rooster?"
He once heard from someone in the Zhou family that Jin Niang used to be chubby and later lost weight for some unknown reason. At that time, some people even privately said in front of him that Jin Niang might have lost weight after having a miscarriage.
Both Sixth Madam Jiang and Jiang Xian didn't believe it and thought those people were maliciously slandering. In fact, after they got married, Jiang Xian also knew that those were just nonsense.
But thinking of his chubby little wife riding on a scrawny rooster...
The picture was too beautiful for him to even imagine.
Jin Niang pouted. "The big rooster could even fly."
Jiang Xian burst into laughter, and his mood also became much more relaxed.
After Jiang Xian captured the bandits this time, in front of the magistrate, he didn't say anything bad about County Captain Mei. Instead, he said that with the cooperation of County Captain Mei, he was able to handle the case smoothly. Therefore, the case report was jointly signed by the two of them.
County Captain Mei originally thought that Jiang Xian would take revenge on him. Unexpectedly, Jiang Xian behaved like this. From then on, he was sincerely convinced.
Jiang Xian also occasionally revealed that he had connections above. If he made achievements, he could put in a good word for County Captain Mei. Since then, County Captain Mei cooperated with Jiang Xian whole - heartedly.
As County Captain Mei was just a military officer with no background, if he could get in with a Jinshi like Jiang Xian, he wouldn't have to worry about his official career for at least twenty years.
As a county captain, in addition to handling criminal cases, Jiang Xian was also responsible for river works. River works were naturally extremely difficult.
But Jiang Xian had already planned what he wanted to achieve to make a good record. How could he back down? He was also not willing to be a puppet of Magistrate Hou. Moreover, he said to Jin Niang at night, "I must make some achievements during my tenure. If Magistrate Hou and I get along peacefully and each do our own jobs, it'll be fine. But if he obstructs my future, I'll never let him go."
On the first day at the river works, he found that the timber merchants and some key positions were all filled with Magistrate Hou's people. These people were all in the same group, selling at high prices. And the money allocated for the river works was limited.
"Xian Lang, as a deputy official, you should keep a low profile first and not rush to take the lead," Jin Niang couldn't help but advise.
Jiang Xian smiled. "Well, I'm sending people to investigate this person's background. Don't worry."
After the Beginning of Winter, the weather suddenly turned cold. The cold in the south was different from that in the north. The cold in the south penetrated deep into the bones. Jin Niang herself was from the south. But the really cold period only lasted for one or two months. Usually, wearing lined clothes and jackets was enough.
Brother Ning was wearing Sister Jun's lined clothes from when she was one or two years old. After being washed again, they were still very new. These clothes had only been worn a few times and were washed and stored at that time. Now they were being taken out one by one.
"Use the soap pods with rose fragrance to wash Brother Ning's clothes," Jin Niang said.
Peilan quickly agreed and went to the big kitchen to fetch hot water to wash the clothes.
Two quarters later, Ying came and said, "Madam, Peilan said that when she went to the big kitchen and passed by the East Courtyard, Madam Bao was grabbing Captain Yang's wife and scolding her, saying that she didn't hold a banquet to return the favor."
After Jin Niang came, Madam Qi held a banquet first. After the Mid - Autumn Festival, Madam Tian, Madam Bao, and Jin Niang each held a banquet. Later, even the two wives of the clerk and Captain Yang's wife were invited. But Captain Yang's wife still hadn't held a banquet.
It might be because Jin Niang and the others lived close to the clerks' courtyard and knew something. Captain Yang's wife didn't hold a banquet not because the Yang family was short of money, but because she was out of favor. Captain Yang had a mistress outside. She and her two children only had enough to eat and wear, but not much more.
She wore the same robe over and over again. How could she afford to hold an upscale banquet?
"This is going too far," Jin Niang shook her head.
Ying smiled. "Indeed. Madam Bao is only a little better off than Captain Yang's wife."
Since Ying had been in charge of receiving guests for Jin Niang for many years, she could almost judge a family's financial situation through their interactions. For example, among the wives of the county officials, Madam Tian was probably the richest with a generous dowry. Next was Jin Niang herself, who had two shops and two manors in Bianjing, as well as thousands of strings of cash. Not to mention six boxes of gold and silver jewelry, clothes, fabrics, tea, and spices.
Next was Madam Qi. It was said that her natal family was not well - off. Her father was a poor official. Otherwise, she wouldn't have married a merchant's son.
Madam Bao had the thinnest family wealth, but she still mocked others.
"Stop gossiping. Take out your winter clothes and have them washed and mended. There won't be much sunshine in winter," Jin Niang said.
There are three things in the world that can't be hidden: poverty, cough, and love.
Poverty comes first. So, if you don't prepare warm winter clothes, you'll easily catch a cold and suffer from the cold.
Ying didn't lack clothes. She used to have a good relationship with Jing An, a nun. Jin Niang knew that she had to receive guests, so she always left some high - quality fabrics for her. Although her monthly allowance was not as much as that of the embroidery maid, she had rewards. And she loved to look nice, so she had a whole box of winter jackets.
She even gave a jacket she didn't like to Qing Rong as a favor.
After Jin Niang had been busy for a long time, she practiced for a while and then sat in front of the embroidery frame to embroider a Buddha statue and Buddhist scriptures. When she was an embroidery maid, she learned how to mend kesi embroidery, but embroidering Buddha statues had always been a hurdle for her. So, she always felt uncomfortable about it.
Now that she had some free time, she was embroidering the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sitting on a lotus pedestal by the window.
She first used the traditional flat - stitch embroidery to outline the face. Although the flat - stitch method was the mainstream now, it still had to be based on the portrait. The picture of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sitting on a lotus pedestal that Jin Niang got was from the abbot of Zijin Temple, who said it was painted by a famous artist. This place, Wuxian County, was also called Gusu. Last time, Jin Niang went out with Jiang Xian and visited some embroidery shops, and she also learned something.
It was said that during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty, an order was even issued to embroider more than four hundred copies of Buddhist scriptures to be presented to temples and neighboring countries.
After embroidering for just an hour and a half, Jin Niang heard someone outside say that Madam Qi invited her over. She quickly changed her clothes and went there.
It turned out that the wife of the prefectural assistant magistrate had come to the mansion.
The position of the assistant magistrate was higher than that of the county magistrate. Madam Qi had already invited the assistant magistrate's wife to take the seat of honor and was sitting beside her to accompany her. However, everyone knew that although Madam Qi was born into an official's family and usually had a bit of arrogance and scheming, she was not good at speaking. So she invited Madam Tian and Jin Niang to help liven up the atmosphere.
When Jin Niang entered the room, she first paid her respects. Then she heard Madam Qi introduce her, saying, "This is the wife of County Captain Jiang, who has just taken office in our county."
The assistant magistrate's wife saw that Jin Niang performed the courtesy properly and asked more about her background. Jin Niang smiled and said, "Two brothers in my husband's family passed the imperial examinations in the same year."
Two members of one family had passed the imperial examinations, and besides, Jiang Xian was so young. How could the assistant magistrate's wife look down on Jin Niang? During the conversation, she also noticed that Jin Niang was wearing an apricot - yellow corset with an ink - blue outer robe. She had her hair coiled up in a bun, with a thin gold bridge hairpin inserted in the middle of the bun, a pine - cone hairpin on the top of her head, and two pairs of gold hairpins on each side. She looked very dignified and noble.
So the assistant magistrate's wife talked to Jin Niang more.
Everyone was just chatting about daily life. When an upper - level official's wife like the assistant magistrate's wife came to have tea, Madam Qi, Madam Tian, and Jin Niang naturally all presented gifts.
Jin Niang gave a bolt of silk from Langzhou and a plum - blossom - shaped vase from the Ding Kiln.
After the assistant magistrate's wife left, Jin Niang went home and told Jiang Xian about it. Jiang Xian was well - informed. He said to Jin Niang, "The assistant magistrate will go back to the capital to report on his duties in a few days. I'm afraid he won't stay in this position here."
"Do you mean she came here to make a final profit?" Jin Niang asked.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "I'm afraid there's such an intention."
Jin Niang smiled and said, "Fortunately, the things I gave were all ordinary. However, you've been working on the river - repair project recently. If you're short of money, you can sell the tea, pepper, and spices in my box."
The salaries of officials were paid once every six months or a year. Jiang Xian wouldn't receive his salary until next year, so he was naturally short of money.
Now Jin Niang firmly refused to use the four thousand strings of cash she had and only used the things that could be used first.
Jiang Xian also agreed. That night, he asked Liu Dou'er to sell those things and got three hundred taels of silver in total. He wouldn't use this money immediately. He would surely spend it when it was necessary.
On the Winter Solstice, the female coroner was the first to come. She brought two boxes of fresh flowers. One box contained camellias and the other box had plum blossoms, both for Jin Niang to wear, and half a basket of clams.
Jin Niang smiled and said, "How can I accept your gifts?"
The female coroner scratched her head shyly and said, "Although I'm a poor coroner, I often work as a medical woman to treat patients, so I get a good income from medical fees."
"So that's the case. I didn't look down on you. We can be said to have become acquainted after a fight," Jin Niang said with a smile.
The female coroner's surname was Jiang, and she was the sixth in her family. She had a strong sense of justice and loved solving cases. She had even broken off her engagement because of this, but she didn't mind at all. Now she could stay in the yamen more openly.
Seeing that Jin Niang was so amiable and had no grudges at all, she was also very happy.
Jin Niang gave her ten pairs of birch - wood candles and said, "You coroners sometimes have to conduct autopsies at night. Lamp oil is too dim. It's better to use these."
Sister Jiang Liu left happily.
As for the fresh flowers for the head that she had brought, Jin Niang distributed some to the servants in the mansion, giving two flowers to each of them. Besides Sister Jiang Liu, the county magistrate's wife, the assistant magistrate's wife, and Madam Bao also sent people to deliver gifts, and everyone exchanged presents with each other.
She accepted some cloth and raw silk. As for the pastries, she asked Qingrong to keep them so that they could be taken out when guests came.
Naturally, for every gift received, she also had to give one in return.
This was just ordinary social interaction, mostly food and drinks. Jin Niang didn't accept the precious gifts sent by wealthy gentry families like the Gu family and the Tao family.
However, the two girls from the Gu family were very likable. They were smart, didn't talk too much, and knew their boundaries well. Jin Niang praised them, saying, "Only such a beautiful and spiritual place can raise such beautiful and spiritual people."
The Gu family sent two wedding invitations. Originally, the old master of the Gu family was not in good health, and his only wish was to see his two daughters get married. However, instead of choosing an heir, the Gu family decided that the younger daughter would marry out, and the elder daughter would marry a husband into the family.
If the husband married into the family, the elder daughter would manage the family business in the future.
Naturally, the Gu family also invited Jin Niang to be the "lucky - full person". Nanny Fang strongly advised Jin Niang to accept the invitation, saying, "Do you know how the garden in the sixth courtyard, which originally only had a three - entrance mansion, was built? It was built with the money our Sixth Madam earned by being a lucky - full person."
"Really?" Jin Niang asked.
Nanny Fang smiled and said, "You know that it's not allowed for officials to accept bribes. But just as our Sixteenth Young Master can get writing fees because he writes well, this is an open and above - board way of getting money, and no one will say anything. You, madam, are self - disciplined and dedicated, a perfect helpmate to your husband, and not greedy at all. But with your status, just like ordinary matchmakers and lucky - full ladies, it's also proper for you to accept such things."
Only then did Jin Niang agree.
A lucky - full person was different from a matchmaker. A matchmaker was responsible for delivering festival gifts and handling wedding ceremonies between the bride and groom's families. In the Song Dynasty, a lucky - full person's job was to lift the veil and open the gift box sent by the groom's family after the bride's family received the betrothal gifts. Then, the box was placed in the main hall of the house, with incense, candles, wine, and fruits prepared, and prayers were offered to the heaven, earth, and ancestors.
The Gu family lived in the south of the city. Their mansion was exquisitely decorated. The mountains and waters set off each other, and there were secluded paths and small bridges. The leaves were falling, and there were even cottages in the west. In the yard in front of the rockery, monkeys and cranes were chirping, as if one were in a landscape painting.
Jin Niang couldn't help but praise, "I've seen many gardens, but this one is the most exquisitely built."
She had seen the gardens of the Zhou family, the Liu family, and even Jiang Xian's family. They were beautiful, but there was an artificial air about them. This garden, however, was natural and free from artificiality.
The leading maid said, "Our old master is an expert in garden - building, and he has passed on all his skills to our eldest miss. Our eldest miss is very good at creating scenic views."
"Then I have to learn from her," Jin Niang said. Of course, she knew that although her house in Tianshui Alley was new and had been built with some ingenuity, it would be too crowded if there were more people. She would have to buy a new house later.
In the Song Dynasty, there was no prohibition for a husband who married into the wife's family to take the imperial examinations. Moreover, the eldest miss of the Gu family was beautiful and capable, and had a large family fortune. Naturally, many young men were eager to marry her. Dragging his sick body, the old master of the Gu family had chosen the second son of the county magistrate of Changzhou County for his eldest daughter. When Jin Niang saw the groom - to - be outside the yard, he was fair - skinned, handsome, and had an air of a scholar. It was said that he was a student at the Imperial College. She nodded slightly.
Unexpectedly, for the sake of property, the son of a county magistrate was willing to marry into the wife's family.
This made Jin Niang have a deeper understanding of the marriage custom in the Song Dynasty, "When taking a wife, people don't care about the family background but only seek wealth." Wasn't she also able to marry Jiang Xian because she had a relatively large dowry?
The groom was also an official, and he sent quite a lot of betrothal gifts. When Jin Niang lifted the cloth, she saw eight jars of golden - bottled wine inside. The jars were decorated with large silver squares with flower patterns. Red and green gold - embroidered wine covers were placed on the wine jars, and the wine clothes were made of silk with pasted flower patterns. The wine carriers were wrapped with red silk. Needless to mention the pearls, jade jewelry, goldware, gold - embroidered skirts, as well as bolts of silk and tea cakes.
Jin Niang also received rewards from the woman with good fortune. They were two hundred taels of official silver ingots, a load of tea cakes, eight bolts of fashionable silk, two boxes of spices, and two ginseng roots from Luzhou Prefecture in Hedong with ten whiskers each.
...
After Jin Niang left, Grandma Gu said to Miss Gu, "Your mother is still too stingy. These gifts are too few."
Miss Gu didn't want to say anything bad about her mother and just said, "Grandma, I don't know why you take a fancy to the wife of County Captain Jiang. She didn't accept the things we sent before, which shows that she doesn't take us seriously."
"Nonsense. This is because the wife of an official cherishes her reputation. As the saying goes, a bad wife ruins three generations, while a virtuous wife prospers three generations. Only a person with self - restraint can go further. Moreover, both County Captain Jiang and his brother are Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). I've also inquired. The wife of the county captain also comes from a merchant family. One of our shopkeepers in Bianjing once said that she was not only a female official in the Embroidery Academy but also the head of the embroidery guild in Bianjing. She is not an ordinary woman. You should know that County Captain Jiang passed the Jinshi examination at a young age and managed to be assigned to our Wuxian County. He cannot be underestimated. People often say that one year here is better than ten years in other places. Many officials don't want to leave once they come here. Besides, the wife of the county captain is good at managing the household. There is only her in his household, not even a concubine or a maid - in - waiting. She is a woman with means. If County Captain Jiang has forty more years of official career, if you get along well with his wife, she can protect you for forty years." Grandma Gu said slowly.
Only then did Miss Gu understand her grandma's painstaking efforts. She knelt down with tears in her eyes and said, "Grandma has exhausted your mind for me. I really don't know how to repay you."
Grandma Gu laughed and said, "Get up quickly. People laugh at our family as an all - female force. Well, an all - female force it is. We women are no worse than men."
Miss Gu thought that many wealthy merchants in the city had taken refuge with Magistrate Hou, who was said to be backed by the Prime Minister of Jixian Academy. There were also those who had climbed up to the military governor or the assistant prefect of Pingjiang Army. Grandma valued County Captain Jiang, and it turned out that she made the judgment through his wife.
