Chapter 264 Visit to Mrs. Xing
After chatting for a while, Jia Cong said to Mrs. Xing, "Madam, please take a rest. I still need to visit my aunt and my sisters."
"Let my cousin go with me so that she can get acquainted ."
Mrs. Xing naturally agreed.
Afterwards, Jia Cong took Xing Xiuyan out of the East Courtyard and headed towards Lixiang Courtyard.
Watching the two of them leave side by side, Mrs. Xing showed a smile on her face. It seemed that her niece's coming here might not be a bad thing.
After waiting for Jia Cong to rise, he did not expect that he would be adopted to the East Palace. However, if the relationship could be strengthened, wouldn't it be the best? His niece was also very pretty and kind, so she might not be unsatisfactory to Cong's liking. Although she could not be the principal wife, it would be very good to be a concubine.
I have to discuss this with my brother recently. I don’t think my brother will object.
In this era, below the principal wife is the concubine, also called a good concubine, and below that is the concubine. Concubine is a promotion for servants, and is basically the highest aspiration for servants. Unless one is released from the household registration, one can be promoted to the status of a good concubine.
The difference between a concubine and a concubine's mother-in-law is that a concubine is considered a family member who has a clear path forward, but a concubine's mother-in-law is involved in business.
It was common for high-ranking officials to give maids and concubines to each other, and they even enjoyed it. Therefore, even if a concubine was promoted, her status was not too high, and she was still considered half a slave.
If a concubine angered the wife of the principal house, it would not be uncommon for her to be dragged out and beaten to death or sold. However, a concubine was a legitimate commoner, and although she was also under the control of the wife of the principal house, she could not be dealt with so easily.
Of course, it also depends on what kind of master you meet. If you meet a master who is kind and gentle to women, it would be the best. But if you meet a playboy who doesn't know what he is doing, it will be a life of torment.
This is why Xue Pan gave Xiangling to Jia Cong. In fact, this is not uncommon in wealthy families...
"Cousin, you should slowly adapt to the life in the mansion. There is no need to constrain yourself all day long! The old lady is the most respected in the West Mansion. There is no need to talk about the first wife. The second wife doesn't care about anything recently. Most of the things are managed by the second sister-in-law."
"You are familiar with the second sister-in-law. If you have any problem, just go find her directly."
"Besides that, there is the second wife's legitimate son Baoyu in the mansion. He is the devil in our mansion and is spoiled by the second wife and the old lady. The second uncle also has a bastard son, Aunt Zhao's son named Jia Huan. He and the third sister Tanchun are brothers from the same mother. If he dares to be naughty, he will go directly to the third sister to complain."
"But most of the time, Huan'er and my eldest sister-in-law's son Lan'er are studying in the clan school, so it's not necessarily common to see them."
"Although the eldest sister-in-law is dull, she is gentle and gets along best with the girls. When they have nothing to do, the girls like to read in the eldest sister-in-law's yard."
"In our family, the second sister Yingchun is from our eldest wife's house, the fourth sister is from the East House, and in addition, my aunt Jia Min's daughter Daiyu also lives in the mansion. The eldest wife of the Xue family is now staying in the mansion, which is the Lixiang Courtyard we are going to visit later. Sister Bao is the legitimate daughter of Aunt Xue from the eldest wife's house. She is well-informed, smart and steady."
"The second branch of the Xue family also came to Beijing at the beginning of the year and lived not far from the mansion. The second branch's daughter, Sister Baoqin, served me tea and was recognized as my younger sister."
"In addition, Shi's sister Xiangyun often stays in the mansion. She has the most lively personality."
As they walked, Jia Cong told Xing Xiuyan about the general situation in the mansion. Xing Xiuyan knew that Jia Cong was doing this for her own good, so she naturally took it to heart.
"Did Madam say that she would assign a maid to my cousin?"
Xing Xiuyan shook her head and said, "I am just staying in the mansion temporarily. Besides, my aunt will help me if I need anything, so I don't need a maid. Besides, my sister has always been used to being single, so she might not be able to adapt to having a maid."
Jia Cong could tell at a glance that Xing Xiuyan's words were half true and half false. She had always lived with her parents, and her family was poor, so she naturally couldn't afford a maid, but she didn't want to trouble Mrs. Xing for such a thing.
"In that case, there is no need for the Madam to make any arrangements! You should also know that something happened in the first house before, and many of the maids and old women in the East Courtyard were sent away. Now there are not many useful people around the Madam."
Then, Jia Cong turned to Qingwen and said, "Qingwen, when you go back, tell Jia Zhong to pick a well-behaved maid from our house, and two second-rate maids, and send them here to serve my cousin. All the monthly allowances will be paid by our house."
Qingwen nodded in agreement. Jia Cong continued, "Cousin, there is no need to refuse. There are many things to do in our mansion. If you have someone who is considerate to you, the first wife and I will feel relieved! It's just a matter of a few maids. There is no need for us to be polite."
After hearing this, Xing Xiuyan nodded in agreement.
As they were talking, the group arrived at the gate of Lixiang Courtyard. Xiangling went forward and knocked on the door. After a moment, a maid opened the door.
"Oh, I'm honored to meet you, Third Master!" Seeing that it was Jia Cong, the little maid hurriedly bowed and asked someone to pass the message while she took Jia Cong inside.
"Are Aunt and Brother Xue here?"
"My dear Third Master, my wife is here. My First and Second Masters left early in the morning, saying they were busy with business."
Jia Cong nodded and went straight to the main hall, where he saw Aunt Xue leading a group of beautiful girls out to greet them.
"Hello, auntie!" He bowed to Auntie Xue first, and then said to all the sisters, "I never thought that all of you sisters are here."
"Didn't third brother say he wanted to host a dinner? I discussed it with Bao-jie and came to my aunt's place." Daiyu said with a smile.
"Okay, then let's have the aunt's house as the host today, but Sister Lin has to treat me alone tomorrow."
"Who wants to invite you alone?" Daiyu blushed and hid behind her sisters.
"Hello, brother!" Baoqin stepped forward and bowed.
Jia Cong stepped forward and gave her a false helping hand, "Sister, there is no need to be so polite. Aunt has been feeling better these days."
"Brother Lao was concerned about me. I asked the imperial physician to see me several times before, and he also gave me medicine. I have been taking it for the past few months , and I am getting better."
"That's good. If you are missing any medicinal herbs, just go to our East Mansion and get them! You are a girl from our East Mansion, so you don't have to be polite."
"What delicious food did Sister Bao make today ? I've been walking around for a long time and my stomach is already empty."
Baochai looked at Jia Cong tenderly, "Mom has prepared it a long time ago, and I will make sure you eat comfortably. Let's go in first, the weather outside is really cold."
The group entered the house. The girls had met Xing Xiuyan yesterday, so they were familiar with her and started talking to her.
