The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 203 Ascending the Throne

At present, it seems that distillation is easier to operate.

However, the distillation vessels needed also needed to be customized in advance. More importantly, it was winter and there were no flowers available for her to conduct experiments.

Chen Cui could only write down what she thought of first, and then do it after everything was ready.

Time flies, and soon it's the end of the year again.

After arranging matters in the capital, the family returned to the village to celebrate the New Year.

Having said that, Chen Cui actually doesn't like the hassle of going back to the village every year. Maybe it's because she is used to the quiet life in modern times, and always feels a little out of place in this lively atmosphere.

In her opinion, the Chinese New Year is about family reunion, not facing these meaningless social engagements.

Unfortunately, not only is the family not together for the New Year this year, but we still have to wear masks to deal with all kinds of people coming to visit.

The news of Changping's success in the imperial examination has spread, and this year there are even more women from the gentry and landlords coming.

These people either tried to sell their own daughters to Chen Cui, or introduced their nieces or nephews. In short, they all wanted to bring their relatives and Chang Ping together.

Even if Chen Cui emphasized that Chang Ping had been cursed and it was not suitable for her to get married early, it was useless. They still chattered to Chen Cui with enthusiasm.

There is no way. The temptation of the Juren master is too great. Not to mention that Changping is a young woman under 20 years old. Even if her age is doubled, there will still be people who want to marry the Juren.

Not only was Chen Cui troubled by the noise from a bunch of women, Chang'an and Changfu were also besieged by a group of people.

In the past two years, the three brothers received the male guests at home together. Changping usually took the lead and everyone's attention was focused on him. Changan and Changfu only needed to follow and respond casually.

But this year Changping was not at home, so Changan became the main force in entertaining guests and received most of the attention. Even Changfu was noticed by many people and was approached to talk to.

The two brothers finally realized the pressure that the eldest brother had to face in previous years and were truly exhausted from dealing with it.

So, as soon as the New Year was over, on the fifth day of the first lunar month, in order to avoid more people visiting, the family was eager to return to the city.

But as soon as I arrived in the city, I heard a shocking news.

At the end of the year, the old emperor passed away, and the King of Shu succeeded to the throne and changed the reign title to Zhide. This year is the first year of Zhide.

As soon as the news reached the provincial capital, the family hurriedly changed out of their festive New Year clothes and put on plain clothes, even before they had time to pack their luggage.

The white lanterns have been hung up at the door of the house, but the colorful festive decorations have been removed.

The national mourning lasts for twenty-seven days, with days replacing months. No banquets or drinking are allowed during the national mourning period, and this situation must last at least until the end of the first month.

Chen Cui had an imperial decree to confer a title, and Chang'an and Changfu were both men of honor and fame. These were things that ordinary people did not need to attach too much importance to, but their family had to strictly abide by them, otherwise it would be a blatant sin.

However, deep down, Chen Cui was very happy. The King of Shu took the supreme position, which was not bad for her in any way.

Concubine Zhang would definitely be made a princess, and her two sons also became princes. These could be considered as the Zhang family's supporters.

Chen Cui's career is tied to the Zhang family. It can be said that they prosper together and suffer together. Naturally, she hopes that the Zhang family is strong and has a powerful backing.

However, this is not without risks. Thanks to those palace fighting novels, she also knows many examples of failed struggles within the royal family.

But that was a long time ago. The King of Shu had just ascended the throne and was in his prime. His sons were not yet old enough to compete for the throne, so they would not face this problem at least in the next few years.

However, Chen Cui thought of Changping who was far away in the capital, and wondered whether the national mourning and the succession of the new emperor would bring any changes to the imperial examination. She hoped that it would not bring any bad influence.

Although she had to wear plain clothes and not eat meat recently, Chen Cui had no complaints.

All officials and their families in the entire Zhou Dynasty did this, and it was not just their family. There was nothing they could do about it.

What's more, after the King of Shu ascends the throne, he will only bring her greater convenience and benefits. Thinking of this, there is nothing to complain about.

Zhang Ruomei could hardly hide the smile in the corners of her eyes. She had not expected that her cousin's status had tripled in a short period of time, and she had jumped to become a palace concubine. This was really unexpected!

As a result, the status of their Zhang family has also risen. Haven't you seen that Lord Ma has been more friendly to the master these days?

If it weren't for the fact that it was not convenient for people to visit each other during the national mourning period, Mr. Ma's wife, Mrs. Qian, would probably come to visit her.

Zhang Ruomei thought about how she had flattered and humbled herself in front of Mrs. Qian in the past, and she had to admit, things have changed.

Time passed quickly and it was the end of the month. Everyone could finally change into colorful clothes and resume walking and feasting. Chen Cui immediately went to the palace to ask Zhang Ruomei for news from the capital.

A few days ago, she received a letter from Changping reporting his safety after arriving in the capital, but she still wanted to know more details, so she could only ask Zhang Ruomei.

"Don't worry. I treat Changping as my own nephew. I have already told those people that I will not neglect him."

Zhang Ruomei replied with a smile.

Since the end of the war, Chen Cui returned safely with her two sons. The children are not only healthy, but also have gained a lot of weight. Zhang Ruomei's affection for Chen Cui's family has grown even stronger.

It's not like Zhang Ruomei hasn't raised children before. Even if she took care of them herself, the children might not be so well taken care of. After being away for a few months, Chen Cui lost a lot of weight, but she raised her two sons to be plump and white. Needless to say, the effort she put into this was enormous.

Therefore, in order to return the favor, she paid great attention to the things Chen Cui asked her to do. She made proper arrangements for Changping's food, clothing, housing and transportation along the way, as well as his settlement in the capital, so that the child would not have any deficiencies in life.

"It's all thanks to you!" Chen Cui patted Zhang Ruomei's hand gently and sighed.

"Why are you saying these unorthodox words? I didn't even mention that you helped me take care of the two children. Moreover, even if we don't mention our friendship, I would like to thank Changping for transporting thousands of kilograms of grain to the mansion."

At that time, the city gates were closed, supplies in the city were tight, everyone was in panic, and no one could buy food with money. So food became a hard currency that was harder than silver.

If you want those yamen runners and laborers to obey your orders, it is useless to rely on official positions to suppress them. Under the threat of survival, everything else has to take a back seat. Later, the master relied on real food to win over those yamen runners and laborers and ensure the public security in the city.