Eldest Aunt sighed softly. "This isn't a secret. I didn't tell Mother before because I was afraid that Mother would be anxious if she heard it. Before, someone from Da Zhou contacted Brother Ming and asked him to join Da Zhou. During this time, he said all kinds of bad things about our Emperor. He also said that Little Wang Ye from Da Zhou was brave and that sooner or later, the iron hooves of the Tiger Army led by him would trample our Dayan's mountains and rivers … "
When the female family members heard this, they all gasped.
Duchess Ding frowned.
Second Aunt also covered her mouth and exclaimed.
The Sun Clan was the most direct. She grabbed Eldest Aunt's hand and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, the people of Dayan are not good! If this spread to His Majesty's ears, wouldn't we be giving them a handle? What if they put the hat of treason on us? "
"Didn't it spread to His Majesty's ears? Brother Ming sternly refused the lobbyist on the spot. He even took off his official uniform and went to His Majesty to ask for punishment. You also know that His Majesty … is suspicious. But in the end, he passed this hurdle without any mishap. "
Qin Yining didn't know much about the higher-ups in the capital, but he knew all kinds of rumors about the Emperor.
Among the people, there were many who scolded the Emperor: Old and dim-sighted, muddle-headed and incompetent. He favored the demon empress and let the treacherous officials take power. In particular, the Emperor favored his father-in-law, Grand Preceptor Cao, and condoned the infighting among the princes. As a result, half of the Dayan Imperial Court was in the hands of Grand Preceptor Cao. The princes withered, and now only the Crown Prince was left. There was no choice when it came to inheriting the throne.
Eldest Aunt sighed again and said faintly, "Brother Ming has offended the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty and has been the first to stick his neck out for so many years. I'm really worried. Although he has a gentle temperament, when he's stubborn, even nine oxen can't pull him back. "
"Forget it, it's all in the past. Fortunately, His Majesty believed Brother Ming. " Duchess Ding patted her daughter-in-law's hand. Her eyes were gentle and kind, indicating that her children were here and that she should not say anything more.
Only then did Eldest Aunt manage to recover from her worry. She smiled and said, "It's about time. Mother, I'll go to the kitchen to take a look. The banquet will start soon. Let's set the banquet in the warm room, okay?"
"Of course."
Eldest Aunt stood up and left.
Second Aunt then called over the two cousins who had followed her in just now and introduced them to each other. "Sister Yi, this is your fifth cousin, and this is your eighth cousin. Your second and fourth cousins have both joined the army and are not at home at the moment."
Qin Yining hurriedly stood up and bowed to Fifth Cousin and Eighth Cousin.
The men of the Sun family were very tall. Thick eyebrows and high noses were their characteristics. Fifth Cousin and Eighth Cousin were in their early twenties, and the other was seventeen or eighteen years old. They were very polite to Qin Yining. Perhaps there was a big age gap, or perhaps there was a difference between men and women, but they did not talk much.
They sat down again and chatted for a while. Qin Yining learned that the five cousins of the Sun family, except for Eldest Cousin Sun Yu, were all married. Now Eldest Uncle and Second Uncle were guarding Xi Hua City, not far from the capital. Second Cousin and Fourth Cousin were also in Xi Hua City with their families. They rarely came back in a long time. Fifth Cousin's sister-in-law and Eighth Cousin's sister-in-law were pregnant. One was about to give birth, and the other was just pregnant. The fetus was unstable, so it was inconvenient for them to walk around. Therefore, they did not come out today.
"Since it's inconvenient for Cousin's sister-in-law, there will be plenty of time in the future. I'm not afraid that there won't be a day to meet her." Qin Yining said with a smile, "Cousin, please send my regards."
Fifth Cousin and Eighth Cousin both nodded with a smile, "Come more often in the future. There will be many opportunities to meet."
Seeing that the younger generation got along well with each other, Duchess Ding smiled very happily.
While they were talking, a maidservant outside came in and said, "Old Madam, the banquet has been set. Duke and Eldest Uncle have gone to the warm room. Madam, Miss, and Young Master, please go to the warm room."
"Let's go to the warm room." Duchess Ding stood up with a smile.
The accompanying maidservants in the room served their masters to dress up. The group of people went to the warm room in a mighty manner, talking and laughing.
The warm room was heated. As soon as they entered the room, they felt the heat on their faces, accompanied by the aroma of food, making them feel the warmth of home.
There was an eight-section screen with black lacquer and green bamboo in the middle of the room, separating the two tables. The men were on the other side, and the women were sitting around a table.
Since entering the warm room, Duchess Ding had been holding Qin Yining's hand. When they sat down, Qin Yining naturally sat next to Duchess Ding. The members of the Sun Clan sat on the other side of his biological mother.
Qin Yining pursed his red lips and sat next to the members of the Sun Clan with his eyes lowered. Then, his cousins sat next to him.
Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt stood next to Duchess Ding. They all took the serving chopsticks and served the dishes.
Duchess Ding laughed. "I don't want you to set the rules today. Sit down. Let's have a good meal as a family."
Eldest Aunt put a piece of sweet and sour fish without bones on the exquisite five-blessing birthday plate in front of Duchess Ding and said with a smile, "Mother loves your daughter-in-law, so I can't be arrogant."
Second Aunt also said, "That's right. I'm used to serving Mother. Mother, don't refuse."
Qin Yining secretly looked at Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt's expressions and found that they were very sincere and happy. They didn't speak insincerely.
Big families paid particular attention to the rule of not talking while eating. Only the sound of bowls and plates could be heard in the warm room, but Qin Yining felt that the atmosphere was light and cheerful. After everyone finished eating, the maidservants came in with sputum boxes, tea bowls, brass basins, and handkerchiefs to help their masters rinse their mouths and wash their hands. After everything was done, tea was served.
After all, Qin Yining had just returned to the noble family, so she naturally became the focus of attention. The sisters secretly looked at her, and Duchess Ding observed Qin Yining's behavior all the time. She found that her sitting posture was dignified, her back was straight, and she was calm and composed. She had a kind of temperament and gentleness of a lady from a noble family. There was no mistake in her manners and etiquette. If no one talked about her past, it was impossible to tell that she had just returned home for a few days.
Duchess Ding nodded secretly.
This girl was willing to study so hard. On the one hand, she was smart. On the other hand, it was because she could judge the situation. After determining the situation, she had a strong ability to carry it out.
With such a person by the Sun Clan's side, she could at least say a few words when she saw something. Duchess Ding could also feel a little relieved that the Sun Clan didn't have to be a gun for Qin Yining alone like in the past.
"You can remove the screen. We are not outsiders. Sister Yi should also meet your grandfather."
"Yes." The maidservants carried the screen away.
Mother Bao walked to the door and glanced at the maidservants serving in the room. Everyone immediately understood and followed Mother Bao out of the warm room. They carefully closed the door and retreated to the gate of the courtyard to wait for orders.
Only the family members were left in the room.
Duke Ding and Duchess Ding got up and sat in the main seats again. The rest of the sisters stood aside according to their identities.
Qin Yining knelt on the bright red carpet surrounded by flowers. Duke Ding bowed deeply and said, "Sister Yi pays her respects to Grandfather."
"Get up." Duke Ding's voice was low and deep, like a large bell. It was obvious that Duke Ding was in good health.
Qin Yining took the opportunity to look up and quickly sized him up. Duke Ding was nearly seventy years old. He was tall, had a ruddy face, and his eyes were bright. He was an extremely dignified and hale old man.
Duke Ding asked Duchess Ding, who was beside him, "Don't you have a gift for Sister Yi?"
"I was about to tell Sister Yi." Duchess Ding handed a bowl of warm tea to Duke Ding, and then pretended to be angry and said, "You're the only one who knows how to be a good person. You beat me to the words I wanted to say."
Duke Ding laughed and almost spat out a mouthful of tea. "Look, how old are you? You're still distorting me like this."
The girls and young men were used to seeing their grandparents like this, so they all laughed.
Qin Yining also couldn't help laughing.
Grandfather and grandmother had a good relationship.
This family was also very kind. In contrast, the Prime Minister's Mansion was much colder and more difficult to get along with.
Duchess Ding waved at Qin Yining.
Qin Yining obediently went to stand beside Duchess Ding.
"Good boy. You've suffered so much outside over the years. Now the bitterness is over and the sweetness is coming. "Duchess Ding patted the back of Qin Yining's hand lovingly and said,
"Now I'll give you the 'Zhaoyun Agency'. In the future, you'll be in charge of the operation and management. All the profits will belong to you. You don't have to give them to your mother or anyone else. I'll give you such a deal. First, I'll let you learn how to operate and practice. If you really need to manage the general affairs in the future, you won't be in the dark. Second, I'll give you some private money. There are still many places where you need money. "
Qin Yining had been obediently listening to her grandmother's words. Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at the expressions of the people around her. When she saw that everyone's expressions were slightly subtle, especially Qin Yining suddenly biting her lower lip, she knew that the Zhaoyun Agency must be a good thing.
However, she didn't know what the Zhaoyun Agency was.
She only knew that this industry would definitely make a lot of profit. It was a large amount of profit. She couldn't believe that it was given to her for free. Instinctively, she had doubts in her heart.
Qin Yining looked at Duchess Ding uneasily and said, "Grandmother, how can I manage these things?"
"What girl? Naturally, there will be someone for you to order. I'll give you the original Master Zhong's document of seeking refuge later. He's a suitable person. Don't worry."
Did it mean that Qin Yining was just in name? She could just sit there and enjoy the dividends in the future?
She became even more uneasy.
Qin Yining never thought that there was a free lunch in the world. But she also knew that her grandmother would never harm her.
Hearing this, the Sun Clan finally couldn't sit still and said, "Mother, how can a little girl like her know how to operate? The Zhaoyun Agency is such a big industry. She may not understand it. Losing money is a small matter. If she offends someone, won't it make trouble for the family? Besides, I remember that the Zhaoyun Agency used to be the industry under the name of Brother Ming, right? How can it be given to Sister Yi now? "
Qin Yining raised her eyes in surprise and met Sun Yu's gentle gaze.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
