On the Dragon Boat Festival, the streets were filled with calamus, everywhere was pasted with door gods and colored talismans to dispel the five poisons.
Mu Mingtang dressed up in the residence, finished breakfast, and saw that the sun was already halfway up the sky, then leisurely went out.
Although Jinming Lake was open to the public these few days, the island in the middle of the lake was still a restricted area. After Mu Mingtang's carriage arrived at Jinming Lake, there was a special passage for them to pass through, there was no need to squeeze with the people in front. Once the festival came, the streets would be filled with people, but all of this had nothing to do with them.
After the Imperial Residence's carriage arrived at the lake, the guard showed the Imperial Residence's waist plate to the Imperial Guards, the Imperial Guards in charge of the guards waved to the back, indicating to let them pass.
The people who were blocked on the other side saw from afar, and discussed, "Which noble family is this? Just now, the madams and daughters of the House of Marquis all got off the carriage to walk, which family is she from that she doesn't even need to get off the carriage? "
Nobles and Marquis were too far away from the people, they even rarely saw officials, let alone Nobles and Marquis who only lived in legends. This year's Dragon Boat Festival, the Emperor opened the Forbidden Garden, this was a rare occasion for the people to see the real upper class of Tokyo, everyone was enthusiastic, every time a carriage passed, there would be a long discussion.
In fact, none of them had come into contact with these Nobles and Marquis, everything they said was just hearsay and their own imagination, but even so, it could not stop the people's enthusiasm.
A well-informed and gossipy person stretched his neck to take a look, as if showing off, he said loudly, "They don't need to get off the carriage, or else who do you think just passed by?"
As soon as these words came out, many people's eyes were attracted, "Who is it?"
"That's the carriage of the Imperial Residence of Prince An! What kind of place is the Imperial Residence of Prince An, how can it be the same as a normal House of Duke or Marquis. "
In fact, the Imperial Residence of Duke or Marquis was a place like the Heavenly Palace to the ordinary people. But not being able to come into contact with it did not prevent them from bragging. Someone was curious, and asked the person who spoke just now, "The Imperial Residence of Prince An you mentioned, is it the Imperial Residence from a few days ago?"
"Yes, it's him." That person saw that people around him were looking at him, he was proud, and showed off even more, "Our house is in Deep Alley, not far from Vermillion Bird Street, I saw people from the Imperial Residence of Prince An several times to buy vegetables. At that time, the insignia on those people's bodies was exactly the same as the one on the carriage. "
Everyone gasped in surprise. So it was the Imperial Residence of King An. Nowadays, the name of the Imperial Residence of Prince An was known to everyone. Even now, the begonia on Vermillion Bird Street was still in full bloom.
"So you're a female member of the Imperial Residence of Prince An, no wonder you don't need to get off the carriage. Although those dukes, marquises, madams, and young ladies are valuable, but how can they compare to An Wang Fei? "
"That carriage just now was tall and imposing, surrounded by servants and guards. Could it be An Wang Fei's carriage?"
This sentence caused quite a stir in the crowd. Everyone stretched their necks to look, hoping to see some clues from the other side of the water. Unfortunately, other than the moving heads and the bright sunlight, nothing else could be seen.
At this moment, Mu Mingtang got off the carriage with the help of a servant girl. As soon as she steadied herself, a eunuch came out from Water Heart Hall to greet her, "This servant greets Prince An and Princess Consort An. The two masters are healthy and immune to the five poisons. Prince and Princess, please follow me inside. "
Mu Mingtang thanked him and followed the eunuch inside. She and Hsieh Hyun-chen were going to a different place. Hsieh Hyun-chen sent her to the door and watched her enter with his own eyes. Only then did he turn and walk towards the men's gathering place.
Men and women were different. The Emperor, the officials, and the Northern Tribes' envoys were holding a banquet in another place.
Water Heart Hall was built in the middle of Jinming Lake. It was three stories high and the pavilions were connected by corridors. It was very magnificent. The bidding for the dragon boat had not started yet. The women were scattered around the pavilions. They were either enjoying the scenery or chatting with each other. They were all very relaxed. As Mu Mingtang walked, everyone who saw her stood up to greet her.
With Mu Mingtang's identity, she did not need to respond to them one by one. She smiled and nodded, which was already very easy-going. Mu Mingtang walked all the way to the third floor. As expected, at the top, in the compartment with the best view, the Empress Dowager and the others were resting inside.
Now that the dragon boat had not started, the Empress and the Empress Dowager could not wait outside. There must be a special resting room. It was already very respectable for the women who were close to them to bring their juniors to show their faces in front of the concubines. The Empress and the others were listening to the officials' wives. Suddenly, they heard a palace maid outside announce, "An Wangfei has arrived."
The voices in the room could not help but pause. The Empress's face still had a kind and generous expression, but the smile in her eyes disappeared like a ebbing tide, "So it's An Wangfei. The Empress Dowager was just talking about it. Why aren't you inviting her in? "
The palace maid nodded. After a while, a silver-purple figure passed through the curtain and entered.
All the concubines, women, and maids' breathing paused as she entered.
Mu Mingtang was wearing a white top today and a purple long skirt at the waist. It was unknown what material this skirt was made of. The hem of the skirt was gradually enlarged and there was a faint sparkling silver light. When she walked, it was like the moon splashing the Milky Way.
Mu Mingtang was wearing a large sleeve shirt of the same color. The color was slightly lighter than the hem of the skirt. Her hair was tied up properly, and she didn't have many accessories. The most eye-catching one was a translucent hairpin inlaid with gemstones. It was inserted diagonally into her hair, and there were a few fine purple crystals at the bottom. It swayed gently beside her ear.
When Mu Mingtang stood quietly in front of everyone, it was like the Milky Way in the sky was pouring down on her. The Milky Way was made into clothes and the sun and moon were decorations. It was gentle and dazzling.
All the concubines and officials' wives who lived like princes were jealous. What kind of fabric was this? Why had they never seen it before?
Originally, every madame and young miss had dressed up carefully before going out. No matter what they said, when it came to this kind of big occasion, there was no one who did not want to be the most beautiful. Before Mu Mingtang came in, they had been secretly comparing in their hearts. The imperial concubine was satisfied with her beauty, the Empress was satisfied with her noble manners, and the young misses who came to pay their respects were satisfied with their beauty today. They would not steal the limelight of the other concubines and could make people's eyes light up.
But as soon as Mu Mingtang came in, all the women's good moods collapsed. Not to mention anything else, just the fabric on Mu Mingtang's skirt, they could guarantee that they had never seen it on the market.
The atmosphere was gloomy. In the end, the Empress was able to let it go. She smiled and said: "An Wang Fei is really beautiful today. I originally thought that I was used to seeing beauties in the Imperial Harem. I didn't expect that after seeing An Wang Fei today, I know that there is always someone better. I can't even bear to blink when I see you, much less An Wang. "
The Empress opened her mouth and drew hatred for her. Mu Mingtang did not pay attention to the Empress. She only smiled slightly and said: "I don't dare to accept the Empress' words. The Empress is the true national beauty, the mother of the world. I'm just a firefly. How can I compare to the Empress? "
"If you're a firefly, I'm afraid there won't be any beauties in the world." The Empress smiled and said, "An Wang Fei doesn't need to be polite. Quickly sit."
When Mu Mingtang came in, other than the Empress and Empress Dowager, everyone else stood up. Now that the Empress spoke, the madams who were originally sitting at the first table quickly retreated. She smiled at Mu Mingtang and said: "An Wang Fei, please."
Mu Mingtang did not stand on ceremony and sat at the head of the table. After she sat down, the others moved back a seat. Only then did everyone sit properly again.
Originally, standing was enough to attract attention. After sitting down, Mu Mingtang's long skirt stacked to the ground. The fine sparkles in the folds of the skirt spread out like flowing water. It was even more like the Milky Way. The madams and misses on both sides, including the Empress Dowager, could not help but look at her.
A madam could not help but ask: "An Wang Fei, your skirt is strange. I don't know what kind of fabric it is made of. Why have I never seen it before? "
Hearing the madam's question, Mu Mingtang looked down at the long skirt on her knees. She did not expect them to ask this. Although she was surprised, Mu Mingtang still answered dutifully: "I don't know the name of the fabric. It seems that it has not been named yet. Some time ago, the people of the silk village said that they found many golden spiders in the countryside. The silk they spit out is tough and bright. It might be used to weave cloth. It's a pity that the golden spiders are all wild. The spider silk is very limited. I had them mix the spider silk with silk and try to weave a piece. I didn't expect the results to be good. Later, it was mixed with gold and silver thread and made into a skirt. "
When everyone heard this, they were speechless. It was actually spider silk? Wild spiders were not like silkworms. How much silk could they spit out? Also, they could not be farmed. They could only be picked in the wild. In front of this kind of spider silk, gold and silver thread was probably cheap.
They did not even dare to think about making a skirt with this kind of cost.
It was not that the madams of the dukes and marquises could not take out this kind of money. But just to use it on a skirt, they could not afford it. The status of the dukes and marquises' manors was not low. When the other madams heard that it was made of spider silk mixed with silk, they immediately dispelled the idea. They did not even think about it.
Those who could afford it, such as the Empress and Imperial Concubines, were worried about their reputation. Those who were not watched by the Imperial Censor could not afford it. Only Mu Mingtang could afford to wear this kind of sky-high price dress.
Many of the people present went from hope to disappointment. They knew that they could not imitate it. They could only look at Mu Mingtang's Milky Way like skirt for their eyes. A newly promoted favored concubine was filled with envy and jealousy. She said sourly, "Princess An is really extravagant. This kind of skirt, it's the first time I've seen it."
In private, many people said that An Wang's Imperial Residence was extravagant. But talking behind people's backs and in public were two different things. After the favored concubine finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room became quiet. The Empress Dowager, who had not spoken since just now, suddenly opened her mouth, "An Wang used to be extravagant. Now that there are no elders above to control him, he is becoming more and more unrestrained. But marrying a wife is to manage the family business, assist the husband and educate the children. The son's family does not know that money is difficult. An Wang Fei is not going to persuade him? "
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, everyone present became quiet. They did not know why the Empress Dowager would suddenly make things difficult for An Wang Fei. But of these two, one was the Empress Dowager who was at the top of the hierarchy in the palace. The other was An Wang Fei who was in the limelight. No one dared to offend either of them. At this moment, they were all as quiet as cicadas in winter. They were afraid that they would accidentally get involved in the dispute between the Empress Dowager and An Wang Fei.
Especially since the Empress Dowager was the concubine of the previous Emperor, Xie Yi. And Mu Mingtang was the official wife of Xie Yi's only son, Hsieh Hyun-chen.
In a sense, Empress Dowager Lu could be considered Mu Mingtang's mother-in-law.
Naturally, this mother-in-law, Hsieh Hyun-chen, would not acknowledge her. Not only did Hsieh Hyun-chen not acknowledge her, even Empress Dowager Lu did not dare to put on the airs of a mother in front of Hsieh Hyun-chen.
That year, when Xie Yi and Guo Rong first had the intention to rebel, they stayed in Ye City. They were not sure if they should return to the capital. Later, the Emperor Gong of Jin sensed that something was wrong and angrily killed all the family members of the Guo and Xie families. Guo Rong and Xie Yi were away on an expedition. Naturally, they could not move their houses with them. Their wives and children remained in the capital. Later on, when the two of them revealed their intention to rebel, the family members who stayed in the capital suffered.
Hundreds of people in the two manors were killed. Hsieh Hyun-chen was only fifteen years old at the time. When Xie Yi and Guo Rong went to war, they did not want to bring him along. He secretly followed behind the army. Later on, when the capital was in chaos, Hsieh Hyun-chen just happened to escape.
However, Hsieh Hyun-chen's mother, Xie Yi's official wife, Madam Yin, died in that incident.
Madam Yin's death greatly shocked Hsieh Hyun-chen and Xie Yi. Later on, when Xie Yi returned to the capital, he had no intention of remarrying. Others persuaded him that there needed to be a mistress in the manor to take care of the family matters. Thus, he made the mistress, Madam Lu, the mistress.
Madam Lu was a mistress that Xie Yi bought when he was stationed abroad. After Xie Yi withdrew his troops, Madam Lu received a sum of money and was left behind. She did not follow him back to the capital and did not enter the Xie family at all. Although it was not explicitly stated back then, according to the secular rules, Madam Lu was considered a concubine.
Who would have known that the capital was in chaos later on? The legitimate mistress of the Xie family died an unnatural death. Madam Lu, on the other hand, was left behind. No one knew, so she was lucky to escape. After this incident, Xie Yi remembered Madam Lu. Madam Lu's luck changed and she was brought to the capital to take care of the family matters.
Later on, Xie Yi ascended the throne and conferred Madam Yin the title of Empress. At first, Madam Lu only received the title of Imperial Concubine. Then, Xie Yi died. Madam Lu was not recognized when Xie Yi was alive. Instead, after Xie Yi's death, she enjoyed great honor and was honored by Xie Rui as the only Empress Dowager.
Even though Empress Dowager Lu's birth was not respectable in the beginning, she had now changed her appearance and became the supreme woman of the Ye Dynasty. She was the model of a comeback. No one dared to not give face to the Empress Dowager. Only Hsieh Hyun-chen was disgusted and did not give face to Empress Dowager Lu from beginning to end.
However, there was only one Hsieh Hyun-chen in the world. What Hsieh Hyun-chen could do, no one else could. Especially when Mu Mingtang was the daughter-in-law. She was in a difficult position against the mistress her father-in-law had promoted, her husband's concubine.
Jiang Mingwei had been sitting by the Empress' side the entire time. When she heard what the Empress Dowager said to Mu Mingtang, she actually felt a delayed pleasure.
She knew it. Both of them were daughters-in-law, so why was Mu Mingtang able to live so comfortably while she had such a hard time? Jiang Mingwei had been stuffed with so many people by the Empress, but Mu Mingtang didn't even have to get up early to greet her parents-in-law.
Jiang Mingwei also knew that the Empress nitpicked on her because she was the Empress' official daughter-in-law, and Mu Mingtang was just a nephew's wife. Living next door was like living next door to a mountain, so the Empress only cared about flattering her and never disciplined her.
Although she understood, Jiang Mingwei felt very vexed when she saw someone living next door compared to her every day. Today was finally here. Jiang Mingwei let out a sigh of relief, a twisted pleasure surging in her heart.
The Empress couldn't discipline Mu Mingtang, but the Empress Dowager could. The Empress Dowager's words were not light. It was almost as if she was scolding Mu Mingtang for being extravagant and squandering. To be scolded by a step-mother-in-law in front of so many people, for any woman, she would be an eternal laughingstock.
Jiang Mingwei looked expectantly at Mu Mingtang, planning to enjoy Mu Mingtang's embarrassment.
Everyone was silent, but many people's gazes fell on Mu Mingtang. They all had a subtle feeling of watching a good show. Mu Mingtang felt it and calmed down, saying: "The Empress Dowager has misunderstood. Our Imperial Residence isn't extravagant, we just know how to make money. Although the An Imperial Residence spends a lot, the daily income is also large. Since the family's wealth is increasing, why should we wrong ourselves and force ourselves to live a tight life? Moreover, His Royal Highness has been spending money like this since he was young. He's used to it. If I suddenly change it, I'm afraid His Royal Highness will be wronged. "
Mu Mingtang's original intention was to explain, but after he finished speaking, the others' expressions became even uglier. They originally thought that Prince An and his wife were rich and squandered as they pleased. In the end, Mu Mingtang said that their daily income was actually larger. Although Mu Mingtang and his wife spent a lot, they actually earned more?
As expected, they felt even more uncomfortable. Why did he have to tell them these things? It was better not to explain. Everyone's expression was like they had been hit hard. Even the Empress' expression changed slightly.
The Empress immediately remembered that some time ago, in order to build a reputation, they gave Hsieh Hyun-chen and Mu Mingtang a lot of rewards. Basically, however much Mu Mingtang spent, they would fill in that amount. It was fine if the Emperor had his own private treasury, but the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager really spent a lot of money. Even the Empress felt distressed when she thought about it afterward.
When Mu Mingtang said this, the Empress realized that she was right. What was a dress? Compared to the bottomless pit she had given Mu Mingtang, the cost of this dress was insignificant. If there was someone in Prince An's Imperial Residence who was good at business, they could put this money back into the market and let the money accumulate. The profits they could make would be very impressive.
The Empress knew that Hsieh Hyun-chen was not good at business, but she heard that Mu Mingtang had a good eye for investment.
After all, Mu Mingtang grew up in a merchant family. Their ancestors had been in business for generations. Before the incident in Xiangyang, their family's antique business had already spread all over Xiangyang City. The most important thing for an antique dealer was to be bold and careful, have a sharp eye, and make decisions quickly.
Mu Mingtang grew up in this kind of environment. Compared to the young ladies of officials who only cared about singing the wind and singing the moon and despised yellow and white things, their business ability was undoubtedly one level higher. On the other hand, Hsieh Hyun-chen had enough capital and enough deterrence to let her try her luck.
The Empress somewhat believed that although this couple looked like they were prodigal, their daily income was much more than their expenses.
The Empress felt as if her heart had been stabbed. Now, Mu Mingtang's words were becoming more and more like Hsieh Hyun-chen's true teachings. Although everyone was jealous of Mu Mingtang's extravagant spending, they all had a subtle sense of superiority in their hearts. Even a big family business could not afford to keep losing money. Mu Mingtang spent money without restraint. There would come a time when she would not be able to cry.
However, Mu Mingtang seriously explained to everyone that although she spent more, she could earn more. The assets of Prince An's Imperial Residence had been increasing. What Mu Mingtang spent was just the excess of the gains.
Originally, it was just a toothache, but now, everyone felt despair.
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