Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 135 The Son-in-Law Gets Promoted

Before the Double Ninth Festival, Tang Qing Shuang, the eldest daughter of the Tang family, returned to her parents' home with her young son.

Tang Lin personally led his men to the dock to greet her early in the morning, while Hua Yan and the other three followed the second young lady to the gate of the mansion.

On the road.

Ruizhu chattered, "The other day I was chatting with Shanxing from Fuliu Courtyard, and she said that her eldest son-in-law has made a contribution in Jinnan and may be promoted."

This news is true; Green Willow and Lilac mentioned it briefly in their letters.

The eldest son-in-law, Song Chengrui, had served as a cavalry captain for many years. A month and a half ago, he was ordered to escort disaster relief grain, but unexpectedly, he wiped out a group of bandits along the way and found a lot of valuables in their den. Magistrate Qin was overjoyed and reported his achievement to the emperor. This time, he would probably be promoted two ranks.

However, what Hua Yan was unaware of was that Zheng Shan and Zhou Niangzi were also secretly involved in this bandit suppression; otherwise, Song Chengrui would not have succeeded so smoothly.

The second young lady helped Mengzhu walk forward, and said with a smile, "Eldest sister has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. When she married into the Song family, she was very unwilling, but in the past two years, she has rarely complained in her letters."

“The Song family has a clean and upright family tradition. What’s rare is that Madam Song is not biased towards her two daughters-in-law. Therefore, the sisters-in-law get along well. The marriage that the master and madam arranged for the eldest daughter is very good,” Hua Yan said.

Ruizhu spoke with a hint of envy: "Looking at Lin'an and the capital, how many mistresses would plan for their concubine's daughters like our lady does? That's what makes the eldest young lady so fortunate."

Hua Yan smiled and said, "That's well said. If Madam Wei were here, she would definitely reward you."

Ruizhu said smugly, "What I said is from the bottom of my heart. Huayan, you came late, but you still saw a lot. It's just that our second young lady doesn't care. When the eldest young lady was in the manor, she never spared the young lady's fabrics and jewelry every time she came to our courtyard."

Mengzhu was a thrifty person, managing the second young lady's private treasury. These words immediately reminded her of her days in Lin'an. She hesitated for a moment, but still felt a pang of heartache. "Ruizhu is right. The good things the eldest young lady received from our young lady are enough to last her in Jinnan..."

Hua Yan coughed lightly, and Meng Zhu immediately fell silent.

The second young lady stopped and said seriously, "Don't mention these things in the manor anymore. It's just an extra gift from the old lady. It's no big deal if she gets it. But if someone with ulterior motives hears it, wouldn't that damage the relationship between sisters?"

Mengzhu Ruizhu responded timidly, "Yes, Miss, I will be more mindful in the future."

Hua Yan stepped forward and took the Second Miss's arm, saying softly, "Miss is right to reprimand you. If I had to tell you, the Eldest Miss writes to the Second Miss more often than Aunt Liu does. It's clear that even though she's in Jinan, she still misses the Second Miss. It's just that our Mengzhu and Ruizhu are very protective of their mistresses, especially since Mengzhu is guarding the private treasury. It's understandable that she feels sorry for the Second Miss."

The second young lady truly didn't care much about material possessions; after saying a few words, she didn't mention it again.

As soon as the Fifth Miss and her companions arrived at the mansion gate, they heard the rumbling of a carriage. The Eldest Miss, supported by her maid, stepped off the carriage onto a stool, followed by a maid dressed as a wet nurse in her thirties, holding a sleeping baby in her arms.

As soon as the young lady stood still, she turned around and saw her younger sisters waiting at the gate of the mansion. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out, and tears were already welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Having not seen her for nearly four years, the second young lady was overjoyed to see her older sister dressed as a woman, but also felt a little unfamiliar with her.

Hua Yan stood behind the second young lady and saw that the eldest young lady was wearing a double-embroidered plum blossom brocade jacket with a long willow-colored brocade skirt, and a magpie on a plum blossom hairpin inlaid with rubies. Her face was still beautiful, but her eyebrows and eyes had become more dignified and elegant than when she was young.

It was inconvenient to reminisce at the mansion gate, so the steward and the stewards arranged for the accompanying Song family servants to exchange a few words with the eldest young master and the second young lady before taking Mu Yu to the front courtyard to report to Tang Xian.

The second young lady led the eldest young lady into the mansion, with several young masters following behind, the sisters chatting intimately.

The disagreements and unpleasantness that once existed in the women's quarters have dissipated with time and distance, replaced by the affection between siblings.

As they arrived at Fu'an Residence, they saw Aunt Liu, accompanied by two maids, eagerly waiting at the gate. Mother and daughter, upon seeing each other, were naturally overcome with emotion and tears welled up in their eyes once more. Aunt Liu, who had been longing for her daughter for years, held her young mistress and wept, then looked her over several times, finally relieved to see that her daughter was well. She then embraced her grandson and showered him with affection. The adorable little baby was sleeping soundly, when he smelled a fragrance of perfume in his dream. Suddenly, he sneezed loudly and burst into tears.

Aunt Liu was at a loss and quickly hugged and comforted her.

Guangbai, along with several first-class maids (replacing Guangbai and the others), came out to greet them upon receiving the news, and led the group to the flower hall.

When the eldest daughter held her son and kowtowed to the old lady and Madam Yun, the old lady was overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing this scene.

This eldest granddaughter had disappointed her before, so she had only sent people to deliver things a few times over the years. But seeing how polite the young lady was and how much she cared for her family, her heart softened.

He personally held and played with his great-grandson for a while, and then instructed Suwen to bring out the prepared red gold and ruby ​​lucky charm necklace.

Aunt Liu looked at the necklace and was very grateful. "Shuang'er, why don't you thank the old lady? This necklace was made by Yongbaolou at the old lady's request. It was specially made for our Quan'er."

The eldest daughter's son belongs to the "Qi" generation in the Song family and is named Song Qiquan.

The old lady couldn't bear to look at Aunt Liu's petty behavior. Madam Yun smiled and hugged Quan Ge'er, and asked Wei Mama to reward her with a pair of gold locks and a box of toys to amuse the child.

After everyone was seated and exchanged a few words, the conversation turned to the son-in-law, Song Chengrui.

The young lady said shyly, "My husband has made great contributions in suppressing bandits and has been commended by his superiors. They say that he may be transferred to the Palace Guard Commandery in a few days, but we don't know what official position he will be given yet."

The Palace Guard Commandery was one of the three major commands under the Imperial Guard. Song Chengrui's rise from a minor cavalry captain to a position in the Imperial Guard in the capital was a meteoric rise.

Although Madam Yun already knew, she still advised, "It's a good thing that the son-in-law is promoted, but it will inevitably make some people jealous. Before the official appointment is announced, eldest sister should not say too much outside, so as not to cause trouble."

The young lady hurriedly bowed and agreed, as her husband and in-laws had given her instructions before she came.

During the midday banquet, Tang Xian spoke a few more words to his daughter, but mostly with admonitions.

The reason was that in the first two years after the eldest daughter married into the family, relying on her generous dowry and her family's influence, she caused quite a few troubles in the inner quarters, making life a complete mess.

It was only after Madam Yun sent Wei Mama to discipline her once, and with Master Zheng keeping an eye on things in Jinnan, that she was able to be transferred in time. Fortunately, her son-in-law was both rough and meticulous, and he managed to mediate between his wife and mother, preventing his mother-in-law and sisters-in-law from becoming disillusioned.

But what truly changed the young lady's personality was the experience of the young lady from the former residence of Prefect Fan in Lin'an.