Time flies, and in a blink of an eye it’s been more than a year.

It was the twelfth lunar month in the middle of winter, and there was heavy snowfall.

In the yard, a figure stood in the wind and snow, with a large gun in his hand turning into countless gun shadows.

When practicing martial arts has become a habit engraved in your bones, you will feel uncomfortable if you don't practice for a day. This is the case for Wang Qier now.

Daily martial arts training has become a part of her daily life.

Wearing an elegant outfit and tying up her hair with a green scarf, she looks very heroic, and the big gun in her hand looks as graceful as a swimming dragon!

In the main room next to the yard, there is a charcoal fire burning in the brazier, and white steam is rising from the kettle on the stove. There are wooden railings around it, and on the spacious kang bed wrapped in cotton cloth, there are two little guys with tiger heads and a tiger head.

He was pulling on the guardrail with great interest, holding a rattle in one hand, and staggering towards the kang table in the middle.

Danju and Cuiwei, who had already pulled up their long hair and had a somewhat feminine charm between their brows, carefully looked after the two little ones beside the kang.

In the middle of the room to the north, Ming Lan, who was dressed in a moon-white fur coat, was looking through the account books, and from time to time she would pick up the abacus and compare it carefully.

Cui Wei and Dan Ju got married one after another two years ago under Minglan's arrangement. However, there were almost no people around Minglan who were as considerate as the two sisters. After they got married and had children, the two sisters started raising families one after another.

He walked back to Minglan.

One of their men became the steward of the outer courtyard, and the other helped Minglan run errands outside and was also a close confidant.

All the property of the Wang family, Mrs. Sheng, had long been handed over to Minglan, including the restaurants, farms, and academies in Yangzhou, the spinning mills and weaving factories in Jinling, and several villages, restaurants, and shops in Bianjing.

A small summary each month, a larger section each quarter, year-end accounting, rewards, etc., all added up to the livelihood of nearly ten thousand people.

Wang Li is only proficient in writing and arithmetic, so she can't be of much help. Danju and Cuiwei are also very limited in their abilities. Wang Qier has a carefree temperament. She has studied with Minglan for several years, and she can barely manage a princess's mansion.

.

Shulan, on the other hand, was quite a bit like her parents, and she was quite talented as a housekeeper. She helped Minglan share the pressure of Quanzhou and Jinling, as well as the restaurant management in Bianjing, which saved Minglan a lot of trouble.

"Madam, Miss Shu has been away for almost three months, will you be back soon?" Xiao Tao sat on the edge of the rocking bed not far from the big kang, holding a rattle in her hand and lying down in the rocking bed to sleep.

A sweet little doll carved from pink and jade.

The little baby was fully clothed and wore a tiger-head hat on its head. It was about seven or eight months old. Only its little face was exposed, making it difficult to tell whether it was male or female.

"First we go to Yangzhou, then Jinling, and we have to go to Quanzhou. How can we come back so soon?" Minglan said calmly.

"Ah?" A slightly bitter expression suddenly appeared on Xiao Tao's face, and she looked down at the cute little baby in the crib with a delicate face, a look of helplessness on her face.

The little baby in the crib is Shulan's daughter, whose nickname is Xiu Jieer. Unlike Brother Ping and Brother An, this little girl loves to cry since she was a child. The key is that every time this girl cries, Brother Ping and An

My brother also started to cry loudly.

When Shulan was here, it was okay for Shulan to take her with her, but now Shulan has gone to the south to inspect the family property on behalf of Minglan. Sister Xiu is too young, so naturally it is not easy to deal with, so she left it to Minglan.

Help take care of it.

But since Sister Xiu moved into Minglan Courtyard, she took the lead in making trouble at night.

This is also thanks to the fact that Minglan is now the head mother of the family and there is no shortage of people to serve her. Otherwise, she would have been kept awake all night by these three little guys.

"Sister Cuiwei, why is your girl so well-behaved?" Xiao Tao asked curiously.

Cuiwei's first child is a girl. She is almost two years old. She has been obedient since she was a child. Now it is Cuiwei's mother-in-law who is carrying her. Cuiwei is still pregnant with one child. Her lower abdomen is already slightly bulging. However, she wears thick clothes in winter, so she is still pregnant.

Not very visible.

Cui smiled and said: "Thousands of people have different personalities, and everyone's temperament is different. Brother Ping and Brother An are very well-behaved."

Dan Ju said: "My boy is very noisy. He wakes up several times every night and howls whenever he has something to do. He is much more noisy than Sister Xiu."

A few women were sitting together, talking about things that were trivial between their parents.

Among Minglan's three confidants, only Xiaotao, the youngest, is not yet married. Now, in addition to taking care of everything inside and outside the home, Minglan is busy helping Xiaotao choose a suitable marriage.

At night, lying on the kang and in Wang Zhong's arms, Minglan couldn't help but talk about this matter to Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong joked: "Xiao Tao has been with you since she was a child. She is the most trusted person around you. Even Dan Ju and Cui Wei are slightly inferior. Are you willing to marry her off like this?"

Minglan said: "I can't bear to leave, but I can't bear to leave, but Xiaotao is not young now, so we can't put off this life-long event any longer."

Wang Zhongdao: "Xiao Tao has a straightforward temperament. She doesn't have much power, but she also doesn't have any opinions. It's not easy to find a suitable one."

Marrying a man and starting a family depends not only on whether the man is promising and what his family conditions are like, but more importantly, it also depends on whether he is a good match. In today's society, most men take charge of the outside and women take charge of the house, with a clear division of labor.

And once you get married, it's not that easy to divorce.

Xiaotao has always been a person who has no independent opinions. She always bases her actions on Minglan's words. If she really wants to choose a husband, she has to choose someone who doesn't have to be the master of the family. Moreover, her parents-in-law, sister-in-law, and sister-in-law are all easy to get along with.

.

For a while, Wang Zhong didn't have any good candidates.

"In recent days, there may be some changes in the court. If nothing happens, Madam, why don't you call Sister Qian and the old lady, and go to the village to stay for a while to avoid the limelight."

"There will be changes in the court?" Minglan looked stern, her eyes flickered, and she subconsciously asked: "Is there some movement in the official family?"

"I hope I'm overthinking it!" Wang Zhong sighed.

Minglan nodded and did not ask any more questions, but said: "The situation in the DPRK is changing rapidly and is turbulent. Officials must be careful and take care of themselves first!"

"Don't worry, madam!" Wang Zhong held Minglan's hand tightly and said with a smile: "Now your official is a third-rank official of the court. He is in charge of the Salt and Iron Department and holds the court's money bag. Even if the official

If there is any dispute between my family and the Queen Mother, they will only try to win over me instead of targeting me."

Minglan said: "As the saying goes, if a tree is as beautiful as in the forest, the wind will destroy it. I'm just worried that the official is too young, the official rank is too high, and the power in his hands is too strong. I'm afraid that he will arouse the jealousy of those who are interested and secretly target the official."

people."

As he spoke, Minglan, who was lying on Wang Zhong's chest, suddenly stood up, leaned over and looked into Wang Zhong's eyes and said: "Actually, I have been thinking a lot, if the official is just a seventh or eighth grade official,

We are not in the turbulent city of Tokyo, will our life be more peaceful and comfortable?"

Wang Zhong met Minglan's gaze and said softly: "How can everything in this world go as planned? There is a cause and a result. There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Since we have enjoyed the glory and wealth we have today,

Naturally, we should bear corresponding risks and fulfill our due obligations and responsibilities."

"It is true that our family is full of flowers now, but no one can say that one day I will not be abandoned by the official family and be demoted to Guilin, Lingnan, or the bitter and cold places in the northwest."

"Wherever the officials are, the children and I will follow the officials!" Minglan's beautiful eyes were full of determination.

"My lady's belly must be more than three months old, right?" Wang Zhong suddenly changed his words, making Minglan stunned for a moment, and then her pretty face turned red.

"I'm telling you something serious!"

Looking at Minglan's charming appearance, Wang Zhong couldn't help but feel hot in his heart. Today's Minglan is only twenty years old. She is at her most brilliant as a woman. She has the charm of a girl and a mature woman. In addition, she looks like a mature woman.

Her skin is as white and smooth as gelatin, comparable to that of Xi Shi, and Concubine Yang's exquisite appearance is difficult for a layman like Wang Zhong to control.

"I am serious about this!" Wang Zhong said seriously: "The love between a man and a woman, the harmony of yin and yang, the harmony of water and milk, the reproduction of children, and the inheritance of incense are the principles of heaven and earth!"

"Here's nonsense!"

Minglan's fair face was stained with a blush. She lowered her head and lay in Wang Zhong's arms, avoiding Wang Zhong's eyes. Her heartbeat could not help but beat a little faster, and her cheeks also became hot.

"Tomorrow, a good night is short, every inch of time is worth an inch of gold, let's hurry up!"

After a night of tenderness, when Minglan woke up, Wang Zhong was no longer around.

I called Xiao Tao, washed and changed clothes and had a meal. By the time I was ready to go out, it was already time.

Wang Qier and her younger brothers and sisters rushed to Zhuangzi outside the city first, while Minglan only took Xiao Tao and a few female envoys to escort her to the Sheng family.

Ever since the incident with the Kangwang family, Wang Ruofu has no good feelings toward Minglan and his wife. It was okay when Wang Zhong was around. After all, Wang Zhong is now in a high and powerful position. Even if Wang Ruofu doesn't like it, he doesn't dare to show it.

But when Minglan is alone, she can't help but show off a bit.

Moreover, after Lin Sushuang was defeated and sent to Zhuangzi to be fed with two bowls of lard rice every day, although Wang Ruofu let out a strong breath of anger in his heart, she was old and beautiful, and had a bad temper.

She was as considerate and gentle as Minglan's biological mother, Wei Shuyi.

Although Wei Shuyi has lost his youth, his beauty is far better than that of Wang Ruofu, he is also considerate, gentle, considerate, and the most important thing is that he is well-educated. In addition to raising a family in these years, Wei Shuyi has not been idle in his free time.

To study embroidery needlework is to read books.

Although he is not as proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting as Lin Sushuang, he can do anything he says or do overly exciting things by relying on Sheng Hong.

But I couldn't bear to have Wang Ruofu for comparison. Apart from the colleague who sent the beautiful girl, Sheng Hong went to Wei Shuyi's place the most. In the past, there was Lin Sushuang, a common enemy. Wang Ruofu and Wei Shu Wei Shuyi and Wang Ruofu naturally stood on opposite sides.

Now when Minglan heard that Wang Ruofu was coming to visit, Wang Ruofu didn't bother to see him. He said that he was unwell and had caught wind and cold, so it was inconvenient to see the guests. When Minglan heard that Wang Ruofu was sick, she said that she was a daughter, and now her mother was sick. How could you not visit me? I just refused to leave.

Wang Ruofu had no choice but to see Minglan with a dark face. He watched Minglan being humble in front of him, which gave him enough face. He was not at all arrogant just because her husband had reached a high position, and she even asked him with concern. The sullenness in Wang Ruofu's heart was relieved a lot, and he did not embarrass Minglan.

After meeting Wang Ruofu, Minglan went straight to Shou'an Hall. In Shou'an Hall, she happened to meet her sister-in-law Hai Shi, who had just returned to Beijing from Haozhou, and her two nephews.

"Grandma Jin An, sister-in-law Zhuang An!"

"Why did Sixth Sister come here by herself? Where are Brother Ping and Brother An?" He looked behind Minglan and saw Minglan alone, so he couldn't help but ask curiously.

Minglan didn't mince words and said directly: "Sister Qian took her two brothers and Sister Xiu to the village in the morning. The officials also specially sent me to invite my grandmother to stay for a while and help me along the way. Please look after Brother Ping and the others."

"What are you doing in the village in such a cold winter?" Old Mrs. Sheng asked in confusion.

Minglan said bluntly: "The officials are worried that there will be any changes in the court situation, and they are afraid of any troubles, so they asked us to go to the village to take shelter."

"There has been a change in the court situation? Although the sixth brother-in-law has offended many people because of the salt affairs, it has been so long, and I have not heard from officials that anyone in the court has impeached the sixth brother-in-law?" Hai asked puzzledly. .

Changbai was transferred back to Bianjing after Wang Zhong took charge of the Salt and Iron Division. It was the Salt and Iron Division that he joined. Wang Zhong was not afraid of others saying that he was nepotistic. Changbai was well-informed and had a strong memory. He was well-informed and knowledgeable, and he was familiar with Wang Zhong. With his help, Wang Zhong had completed most of the three-year plan he had formulated in the past just over a year after taking over the Salt and Iron Division.
To be continued...