Volume 1 Chapter 48 Entering the Capital

  It's finally here.

  She lifted the curtain of the carriage and caught a glimpse of the majestic and solemn Shangjing City standing in the vast white snow. Zhen Shi Niang let out a long sigh, she had gotten up before dawn to hurry on their journey, or else she would have been tortured to death.

  She didn't expect that this purchasing officer was actually the youngest Shangshu of the Grand Secretariat, Minister of War, and the purchasing manager of Xiao Yu's mansion, named Gu Pengcheng.

  According to Xi Que, although Xiao Yu and Shen Zhong Ge were close friends and frequent visitors to the Mansion of the First Rank, due to her previous bad relationship with Shen Zhong Ge, he never let her meet his good friend, so Xiao Yu did not know her.

  So she decided to give it a try.

  If she could get acquainted with a big shot like the Minister of War and have him as her backer, she would be able to secure a brilliant future for Jian Wu and Jian Wen.

  In her previous life, Zhen Shiniang had often seen parents rack their brains to force their children to take the college entrance exams and find jobs for them to advance their careers, and she had always been disdainful of such things.

  In her previous life, she deliberately opposed her mother and refused to go to the city's largest three-A hospital for internship, which her mother had painstakingly arranged. She remembered her mother advising her with a bitter tone, "If you do well in that hospital and get along with the people there, I can use my connections to keep you at that hospital after graduation..." Although she knew that this three-A hospital was her best choice and the ultimate goal of every medical student, she hated it when her parents used their connections to pave the way for her, making others gossip behind her back, saying she was a "relation" and a "flower vase".

  She finally found a secondary hospital known for treating difficult and complicated diseases to intern, only to find out later that although she had excellent grades, at the time she was able to get in solely because her mother had secretly pulled strings behind her back. After graduating, she was able to stay on smoothly and eventually became a renowned attending physician.

  Acquiring a set of strong skills is a prerequisite, but if you want to stand out from the crowd, you also need opportunities and someone to recommend and promote you.

  "Who would have thought that I, too, would end up currying favor with the powerful for Wen Ge and Wu Ge?" Zhen Shi Niang sighed softly as she recalled her past life, "Indeed, one doesn't know the kindness of parents until they become a parent themselves."

  She hopes that Jian Wu and Jian Wen can both be strong and unyielding, but those who are too rigid are easily broken, while those who are gentle are not defeated. She is even more afraid that Jian Wu and Jian Wen will be too straightforward, just like she used to be, not knowing how to yield, and in the end either dying prematurely or living a life of poverty and despair.

  She clenched her fists tightly, since she had come, she must seize this opportunity to lay a foundation for Jian Wu and Jian Wen!

  Lost in thought, the carriage entered the city smoothly and arrived at the Zhongtang Mansion after more than a quarter of an hour. Gu Mai bought her to the guest room and handed her over to a housekeeper.

  After dinner, Zhen Shiniang went to bed early.

  She was used to getting up early, and the next day before dawn, Zhen Shiyin woke up. She closed her eyes for a while, listened to Hong'er, the maid who had been waiting on her yesterday, pouring water in, and then sat up.

  After washing up, Hong'er saw that Zhen Shiniang was still wearing the thick cotton-padded jacket full of patches from yesterday, and hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, "There are three or four braziers lit in the old lady's room, it's a bit thick for Jian Dafu to wear this, why not change into something thinner?" In this mansion, even the lowest-ranking maids wore high-quality brocade, and she would be laughed to death if she dressed like this.

  Although they had only known each other for less than a day, Hong'er really liked this country girl with a natural beauty and fragrance, who spoke slowly and softly. Although her clothes were rough, she was not coarse or vulgar, but rather gentle and subtle, with a faint smile on her face when talking to herself, making people feel especially at ease. Especially those eyes, Hong'er felt that she could occasionally glance over and see right through what he was thinking, and the words she spoke made people feel comfortable from the bottom of their hearts.

  “…She saw that my cotton-padded jacket had patches on it, doesn't it look bad?” Zhen Shi Niang looked down at herself, this cotton-padded jacket was indeed full of patches but exceptionally thick, knowing that the big households in the city were particular about such things, she originally still had a patchless one, only it was too thin, and Ji Wu wouldn't let her wear it, now hearing Hong Er's words, Zhen Shi Niang didn't say much either, and changed into it with ease.

  Looking up and down at Zhen Shiniang's new light blue coarse cloth floral short jacket, although there was no patch but it had been washed white, Hong'er's lips moved, hesitating whether to give her own clothes to wear.

  "What time does the old lady usually get up?" Seeing her intention, Zhen Shiniang skillfully changed the subject.

  "The old lady has always been an early riser, and it's likely she woke up early. Mentioning the old lady reminded Hong'er of her task, 'I'll go deliver your meal now, Second Madam will be sending someone over soon.' With that said, Hong'er pushed open the door and walked out."

  Before long, Hong'er came in with two little maids carrying four delicate dishes and a plate of osmanthus cake. "I don't know what Doctor Jian likes to eat, so I took the liberty of ordering these for you. If you don't like them, I'll go change them for you." She waved her hand to dismiss the little maids, then personally served congee to Zhen Shiniang and helped arrange the dishes beside her.

  Look at the four dishes and one soup on the table, more luxurious than her own festival food, Zhen Shiniang shook her head, "No need, this is fine."

  Hong'er let out a soft sigh, "......it's actually quite gentle." You should know that for all the guests who come to the mansion, breakfast is always eight dishes. The kitchen saw Zhen Niang's tattered clothes and looked down on her. She was just a small maid and couldn't argue back, so she had no choice but to bring it over with a stiff upper lip. If it were Miss Biao who came, she would probably throw the dishes on the ground and go cry to Old Madame.

  After dinner, Zhen Shiniang thought of Er Nainai whom she had mentioned earlier.

  "……Who is the second grandmother?" After staying for a night, she had seen a stern and intimidating housekeeper who made Hong'er tremble with fear. It was clear that the hierarchy in this mansion was extremely strict, so she must quickly get to know the relationships between people here, lest she make a fool of herself like Liu Laolao when she first arrived at the Grand View Garden.

  "Second Madam is Second Master's legitimate wife, in charge of the Zhong Tang Fu household...". Hong'er poured a cup of tea for Zhen Shi Niang and looked up at the leaky pot, "It's about time someone was sent."

  Zhen Shining was stunned, before she came, Xi Que told her that Xiao Ye and Shen Zhongge were both the eldest among their brothers, how could they let their sister-in-law host the Zhongyuan Festival?

  He asked, "I heard that Xiao Zhong Tang is the oldest in the mansion..." Because Xiao You was a deputy university student of the Imperial Academy, he was respectfully referred to as Zhong Tang outside.

  "Uh-huh." Hong'er nodded, "There are three masters in the mansion. Zhong Tang is the eldest, Er Ye stopped taking exams after failing two years ago and has been helping with household chores. San Ye is 15 this year, has passed the institute exam, and is preparing for next year's county exam..." Hong'er carefully introduced the situation of the Zhong Tang Mansion to her, "The first wife died in childbirth when giving birth to Feng Ge last year. The middle courtyard was originally managed by Old Madame, but after she fell ill, she temporarily handed it over to Er Niang...". She glanced at the entrance and lowered her voice, "This Er Niang..."

  Just then, a chaotic footsteps came from the courtyard, Hong'er's expression tightened, "Tian, the second madam has come in person!" She quickly went out to greet her.