RPAGF Chapter 212 Perhaps human greed makes things feel incomplete.
Chapter 212 Perhaps human greed makes things feel incomplete.
Before long, the quarrel between the two sisters-in-law in the guest house reached Qin Yizhen's ears. Upon hearing it, Qin Yizhen frowned slightly.
In fact, what Zhu said was not wrong. Since the Zhao family has already benefited, when the second son of the Zhao family is compared with others in the future, he may lose the initiative.
Zhao Rufang is right. Rather than waiting for that uncertain future, it's better to seize the present. Once she becomes the young mistress of the He family, she can manage things well and, if she does well, she can also help the Zhao family.
She reached out and picked up a piece of lotus flower cake, then went to the study. She saw Cheng Yan sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) reading, so she took a storybook, leaned against him, turned to the folded page, and continued reading.
"Will the Zhao family sisters-in-law start fighting?" Cheng Yan asked, having overheard some of it from inside the house.
"Not at all." Qin Yizhen shook her head. "I think that Madam Zhu is a straightforward person, and she speaks frankly. She just doesn't like that Zhao Rufang is taking advantage of her future child, so she's not happy about it, but she doesn't have any major grudges."
"Perhaps after a few more days, her anger will subside, and she will think that the marriage between the Zhao family and the He family will be beneficial, so she will continue to associate with this sister-in-law."
"As long as Zhao Rufang doesn't provoke her again, that's fine." At this point, Qin Yizhen sighed, "It's hard to say who's right or wrong in this matter; everyone has their own reasons, and family matters are difficult to explain."
"When emotions and interests are intertwined, it is indeed difficult to explain."
Just like them and Emperor Jing'an, when Qin Yizhen was learning from Empress Dowager Cheng, she also had the impulse to become a person like Empress Dowager Cheng and to become the eldest princess who held power in Eastern Qin.
But when she thought of Emperor Jing'an, she hesitated and backed down. Cheng Yan held a high position and great power, controlling nearly a third of the military power in Dong Qin. If she were to become a powerful princess, the couple would be extremely powerful. How could Emperor Jing'an tolerate this when he grew up?
He may be happily calling her "elder sister" and "younger brother" now, but when the time comes, for the sake of imperial power and the country, he may not be able to change.
Qin Yizhen didn't want to create that kind of future.
As for Cheng Yan, he had already thought about it. He would gradually return military power to Emperor Jing'an when he grew older and began to rule in his own right.
They made concessions here, hoping that even amidst power and influence, the family could still retain some affection and companionship, and care for each other.
They also hoped that Emperor Jing'an would not become cold-hearted.
Qin Yizhen said, "Now that the Zhao family has arrived, the dowry needs to be prepared. By the way, do you think we should have the bride married at the Marquis of Pingxi's residence or find a house outside?"
Cheng Yan thought for a moment and said, "It's best not to set a precedent for marriage within the manor. There are quite a few people like the Zhao family. If other people also come to us wanting to marry into the Pingxi Marquis's manor, there will be endless trouble if we agree. It wouldn't be good to give such favor to the Zhao family alone if we don't agree."
“You choose a nice house, leave it vacant, and let them live there. In the future, if any family wants to marry off their daughter in Qindu and has nowhere to stay, they can stay here.”
"Well, families like the Zhao family, or those with fallen soldiers, will receive fifty taels of silver as dowry; others will receive twenty taels."
"Fifty taels or twenty taels? Isn't that too little?" Qin Yizhen subconsciously felt it was too little.
“That’s quite a lot.” Cheng Yan simply pulled her into his arms. “A family of five can live on one tael of silver for a month, and even have meat a few times. If they are frugal, they can live on it for two months.”
"Moreover, with more people, the money in the Pingxi Marquis's mansion doesn't come from thin air; these people also receive salaries on a regular basis."
Qin Yizhen thought about it and agreed. Perhaps it was because she had been spending money extravagantly lately that she felt it was too little. However, she had another worry: "But I said before that I would give three hundred taels, one hundred taels for dowry and two hundred taels as a dowry."
“It’s alright, just consider the three hundred taels as your payment. Give her another fifty taels from the Pingxi Marquis’s account, and that will be the official payment.”
"That's acceptable." Consider these three hundred taels as a reward from Zhao Rufang to please the princess, and no one else can say anything about it.
In some situations, those in power need to treat everyone equally; in others, both harsh treatment and gentle persuasion are acts of imperial favor.
After discussing the matter, the two went to read their respective books. Cheng Yan flipped through military books, while Qin Yizhen happily read the newly published storybooks. Although they were still the same stories of poor scholars and rich young ladies, in which the scholar eventually rose to prominence, surrounded by beautiful wives and concubines, and lived a perfect life.
But there's really nothing interesting to see lately, so this is all we can do.
Speaking of storybooks, Qin Yizhen couldn't help but think of Songnian and Hongying. It's been so many days; she wondered what had happened to that couple...
.
The Zhao family of three stayed at the guest courtyard of the Marquis of Pingxi's residence. That night, Zhao Rushan also had a small gathering with some of his former comrades and drank some wine.
I slept soundly through the night, and dawn broke in no time.
Just as dawn broke, some commotion arose in the mansion, waking Zhu Shi, who couldn't help but mutter, "Do wealthy families get up this early every day?"
"No, that's not it." At this moment, Zhao Rushan also woke up. "Today is the grand court assembly. The Marquis should be going to the assembly now. You should sleep a little longer."
Zhu muttered to herself, "Being an official must be quite arduous."
"Going to court is not that hard; fighting is the hardest. But in this life, nothing goes smoothly; there is always one hardship or another."
People always strive for perfection, but nothing in this world is ever perfect.
Ordinary people hope for fairness and justice, to avoid being bullied, and to stand out from the crowd. Some wealthy and powerful people want more wealth and power, or even beautiful women, while others still yearn for pure love.
Perhaps people are greedy, always feeling that things are not perfect, and always wanting more.
Zhao Rushan sighed softly: "My wife, we are already living a good life. We have enough to eat and drink. As for other things, we will work together. If we succeed, great fortune will follow; if not, we will still get by."
"Don't blame Rufang. She suffered too much in the past and was single-mindedly hoping to climb the social ladder. Back then, I left her at my uncle's house, and she really suffered a lot."
Zhu sighed, "I just feel a little resentful."
Zhao Rushan laughed and said, "There's no need to feel indignant. You know, our future children are actually quite good at studying. The He family is pursuing an official career, and with this marriage alliance, it will be easier for them to ask for help and guidance in the future."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhu was immediately delighted: "What you said makes sense."
Entering officialdom through education might be safer than joining the army, as evidenced by the case of Zhao Rushan and his comrades. On the battlefield, however, life and death are unpredictable.
Zhao Rushan continued, "When the child grows up, we'll first find someone to give him his first education. If he has talent, he can go to school; if he doesn't, then we can talk about him joining the army..."