To Be A Virtuous Wife

Today Luo fu was especially busy. Luxurious sedans of all kinds stopped at the doors of the Luo fu, and the line was so long it took half the street. The common people watched from far away on the side as the sedans that carried the noblewomen passed by and started to discuss the matter of Luo xiaojie’s upcoming marriage..

The time at which Qu Qing Ju arrived wasn’t too early or too late. Once her sedan appeared, the other sedans quickly moved out to make a path to let her eight-person wang fei ranked sedan smoothly pass through.

Getting off the sedan, the person receiving her was Luo Wen Yao’s mother Luo taitai. She reached out to hold Luo taitai’s hand, stopping her from bowing in greeting to her: "Luo taitai, what are you doing, you are my elder, there’s no rationale for elders bowing to their descendants. Today is Wen Yao meimei’s day of adding to the dowry. Coming here is me butting in to receive some of that celebratory cheer."

"Wang fei could come, it’s bringing light to this humble abode, it isn’t butting in," Luo taitai was smiling widely as she supported her hand to walk into the fu and usher her into the houyuan. She saw that many people had already arrived. These people must be on good relations with the Luo Family to come at this time to add to the dowry.

Tian Luo shi might have been Qu Qing Ju’s jiumu but she hadn’t expected that her niece would personally come. Seeing her, she fell into a short daze before revealing a smile. The fact that her niece was honouring her maternal family, it was out of fondness for her.

"Jiu mu," Qu Qing Ju walked over to Tian Luo shi. She saw that Tian Luo shi was holding the accounts for Luo Wen Yao’s dowry. She casually took a look and said to Luo taitai behind her, "Luo taitai loves her daughter very much, this dowry is very generous."

The other furen present, when they heard the words, followed with their compliments. The family attitude of the Luo Family in placing importance on the next generation was famous in Jing City. Qu Qing Ju ruminated on the stuff listed on the dowry list. This desire to care for their daughter, it was very rare.

As Luo taitai heard the praises, she smiled as tears ran down. It could be seen she was happy at her daughter’s marriage yet sad to part with her daughter.

A short while later, everyone started to demand to see the soon-to-be-married bride. Qu Qing Ju went with the crowd into Luo Wen Yao’s room. After entering, she saw Luo Wen Yao wearing a pink dress, her cheeks red as she sat by the window, clearly embarrassed. Luo lao taitai was sitting beside her, a benevolent smile on her face. It seemed that she, as an elder, was discussing something with her beloved granddaughter.

Qu Qing Ju’s footsteps paused. She felt that this scene before her was very warm and unconsciously gave a smile, holding Tian Luo shi’s hand as she stood silently at one side.

"So beautiful," One furen looked at Luo Wen Yao who had her head lowered, and gasped: "It wasn’t so long ago you were just a young yatou and now you are getting married." She walked in front of Luo taitai and gently patted her hand, "As her aunt, I don’t have anything good to give her, but these things are just a token of my love as an elder."

Once she finished, the yahuan behind her revealed the gifts. Qu Qing Ju found that inside were two pairs of bangles, two pairs of earring, two buyao, and two sets of jade artifacts. The craftsmanship of all these objects were very fine, it seemed that this aunt of Luo Wen Yao’s had put some thought in.

The close relatives of the Luo Family started to give out the objects to add to the dowry. Tian Luo shi, as the aunt, didn’t give jade artifacts or jewelry. She straightforwardly gave out the deeds to the land and house for a shop. It was an exceedingly generous gift. Of course, it also implied her position in the Tian Family.

After the relatives presented, then it was time for the friends. As a wang fei, Qu Qing Ju naturally wouldn’t be left until last. She indicated for the yahuan behind her to present what she had brought. She walked next to Luo Wen Yao, gently holding her hand to say: "According to age, you are some months younger than me. It’s appropriate for me to call you meimei."

Luo Wen Yao’s face was crimson as she bowed: "Jiejie."

Qu Qing Ju smiled as she touched the other’s delicate face. Fifteen years old, still half a child, and to be marriage in this ancient time. She suddenly thought about the "Gou Jian Destroys Wu" from the previous life’s humanities classes, there was a phrase "if a woman is not married by seventeen, her parents are at fault" which used to be a great target for mockery by everyone. Now that she was living at this place, she knew how real it was.

"You have to remember, a woman can be virtuous, can be dignified but cannot forget to be good to herself," Qu Qing Ju slightly lowered her head, and spoke at a volume by Luo Wen Yao’s ear that only the two of them could hear, "don’t assume that, as a wang fei, you have to be careful with speech and laughter. Everything else is fake, to have your husband be good to you is the best tactic of all. You have to remember he isn’t just a wang ye, he is also a man."

Speaking to that point, Qu Qing Ju didn’t go any further. She took a step back. Looking at Luo Wen Yao’s face that was bursting with blood, she couldn’t resist touching her face again. Such a good girl, Little Student Ming better not disappoint her.

Luo Wen Yao looked at the smiling woman in front of her. For some reason unknown, she put what she had just heard deep into her heart. Even though the two had only met a few times, but she felt what the other said was the truth and the conduct of the other was good.

A beat later, she nodded her head gravely: "Jiejie, meimei will remember." In that pair of large eyes were reverence and trust.

The others thought that they spoke a few words due to the similar age of the two and that they would be zhouli in the future. They definitely wouldn’t have thought that Qu Qing Ju was teaching Luo Wen Yao the skills to manage her husband. They looked at the gifts that Duan Wang Fei was adding to the dowry and had to admit to themselves that Duan Wang Fei was one that repaid the kindness done to her.

A phoenix-blood jade pendant, ruby hair comb, mutton-fat bangles, twelve double-sided embroidered silk handkerchiefs, a whole set of pearl hair ornaments, and a dotted jade buyao. Those were all rare objects on their own and Duan Wang Fei had given so many. It could be seen that she still remembered the kindness of the Luo Family from the past.

Thinking about that, everyone laughed on the inside at Chang De Gong Fu. Neglecting an eldest di daughter. Now this eldest di daughter was grown, she was estranged from them. The second di daughter that was put on their hearts rushed up to become a qie. This was already a laughingstock in Jing City. They had to wonder, did the people of Chang De Gong Fu have the courage to leave their home?

Not long after, even the Princess Royal and some of the feipin from the palace sent people to add to the dowry. It could be seen that the importance placed on the Luo Family, and expressed the fact that after Luo Wen Yao married, she wouldn’t be slighted by the Imperial Family.

After the guests left, Luo Wen Yao sat by the window. Thinking of Qu Qing Ju’s words, her face flushed. She twisted to look at her grandmother that was keeping her company and expressed in a small voice: "Grandmother, Duan Wang Fei is a good person."

Luo lao taitai heard her granddaughter’s words and smiled: "Duan Wang Fei might not be a good person, but she hasn’t treated you badly. Yao yatou, you have to remember, tomorrow, you will be marrying into the Imperial Family. The people good to you might not be good, the people true to you might not be true."

Luo Wen Yao nodded. She hesitated before commenting: "For some reason, from the first time granddaughter met Duan Wang Fei, there was a feeling of closeness. Was granddaughter too impulsive?"

"You usually are calm and steady, grandmother knows that," Luo lao taitai shook her head. She reached out to straighten the slightly askew buyao in her granddaughter’s hair. She smiled and replied, "In this world, destiny is important. If you feel you can be close friends with someone, then look and think more. In the end, that will tell you if your instincts are right or not."

Luo Win Yao ruminated before lowering her head, confirming: "Granddaughter will remember."

"Even Duan Wang Fei didn’t always have smooth sailing. When she had just married, she wasn’t favoured by Duan Wang. At that time, she had to endure Liang shi’s attitude when she went home," Luo lao taitai said ruefully, "but who knew that after two short months, Duan Wang started to be seriously attached to her, and for her, created conflict with Chang De Gong Fu. It can be seen that Duan Wang Fei is a very outstanding woman."

As she finished listening to her grandmother’s words, Luo Wen Yao’s worship of Qu Qing Ju became even greater. If a woman like Duan Wang Fei couldn’t receive the affections of her husband, then it meant Duan Wang’s eyes were too lacking.

After finishing adding to Luo Wen Yao’s dowry and staying in Luo fu to eat a meal, Qu Qing Ju sat on the sedan to return to the fu. From the outside of the sedan came sounds of peddling. She brushed aside the curtain and saw a stall not far away selling stewed eggs. It didn’t look extremely clean but the fragrance drifted into the nose.

"Stop," As Qu Qing Ju spoke, the sedan slowly stopped.

"Wang fei," Huang Yang walked to the window of the sedan and asked in a small voice, "Has something happened?"

Qu Qing Ju peeked from behind the curtain, "I see that the stewed eggs seem fragrant, buy some for a taste. Get the owner to add some of the soup. After returning to the fu, it has to be heated so the taste will not change."

Hearing this, Huang Yang turned his head to look at the stewed egg stall at the side of the street. He jogged in front of the stall and took out a handful of copper, buying a dozen or which were then wrapped with lotus leaves. He held a bowl filled with the stew as he ran back to the side of the sedan, informing in a small voice: "Wang fei, this one has bought them."

"En, let’s return." Qu Qing Ju rubbed her nose. Even though she wanted to taste one now, due to the need for appearances, she resisted the craving.

The old woman that sold the stewed eggs didn’t expect that her food would be bought by an important person one day. Her face was full of excitement as she looked at the red and yellow sedan leave, muttering: "The Heavens, that was a noble."

The passersby saw that even a noble and relative of the Imperial Family had bought the stewed eggs and for a time, many bought a few for a taste. This was something that even a noble liked to eat.

Not far away, He Yuan sat on a horse as he looked at the stewed egg stall surrounded by people. He frowned as he raised his horse whip to point to the stall: "He Fu Er, go buy a few."

He Fu Er quickly left with two guards. He pushed into the crowd and brought a few stewed eggs before squeezing out of the crowd. Taking them to He Yuan, he warned: "Wang ye, the food on the street isn’t clean, don’t eat too much."

Looking at the unsightly egg, He Yuan used a white handkerchief to hold the already peeled egg. He hesitated before taking a bite. The egg had been cooked for a long time, it was tough and slightly salty, but the smell was very special.

"What is this, just throw it away," He Yuan ate a whole egg before wiping his hands and throwing the handkerchief away. He ordered coldly, "Return to the fu."

He Fu Er blanked. When he raised his head, wang ye was already far away on his horse. He turned to carelessly shove the stewed egg wrapped in lotus leaves to one of the children on the street and jogged to catch up.

The child that had the egg shoved into his hand stared dazedly at the back of He Fu Er. He unwrapped the egg and took a bite, instantly giving a smile. Tao popo’s stewed eggs were really flavorful, so delicious!

That rich person has terrible sense, to pass on something this good!