Poor Family

In November of previous years, the dignitaries and nobles in the capital were busy admiring the snow and making tea, but this year, everyone's attention was drawn away by the draft.

On the eighth day of the first month of November, horse-drawn carriages passing by on the streets of the capital from time to time.

Outside the gate of Uncle Wuchang's Mansion, under the watchful eyes of the Shi family, Shi Fuyue and Shi Fuyin, who were newly dressed, also got into the carriage.

Among the crowd, Jin Yue'e looked the most worried, and Mrs. Shi Wu had the most complicated expression.

Entering the palace to participate in the election is very likely to be a turning point in the fate of his daughter. As mothers, the two of them are naturally the most worried.

As for the rest of the Shi family, their expressions were relatively relaxed. Most people actually hoped that the two would be selected. The adults took into account the feelings of the fourth and fifth families, and dispersed without saying anything, but the juniors gathered together Looking forward to the future.

"I hope that the second sister and the third sister can be selected. In this way, our family is also a relative of the emperor."

"It's best to be favored by the emperor and enter the palace as a concubine."

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty is too old to be the father of the second and third sisters. It's better to be favored by the prince."

"What do you know, it's the best thing for the uncle's house to be a concubine in the palace. The second and third younger sisters are the emperor's concubines, and we are naturally the emperor's people, so we don't need to join other party disputes."

"If the second younger sister and the third younger sister become the prince's people, the uncle's house may be involved in the prince's fight for succession in the future."

"The matter of seizing the concubine has always been bloody, and if you are not careful, you will ransack the family and exterminate the family. Tell yourself, should the second sister and the third sister enter the palace as a concubine, or enter the prince's concubine?"

"It's better to enter the palace as a concubine."

Shi Fuxin walked behind, listening to the discussion of the brothers and sisters at home, but did not make a sound.

"Sister, what are you thinking?"

Seeing that Shi Fuxin was silent all the time, Shi Dinghao stretched out his hand and waved in front of her: "Are you worried that the third sister will be selected?" As he spoke, he pulled Shi Fuxin some distance behind.

"Sister, didn't you prepare medicine for body odor for Third Sister? Just now, when Third Sister got into the carriage, I sniffed it. The smell...is absolutely amazing."

"I'm telling you with the feelings of a man, no man can bear it, you, put your heart back in your stomach."

"Puff~"

Shi Fuxin couldn't help laughing, and looked at the silly brother: "You are a man? What kind of man are you? You are a brat at best."

Shi Dinghao was unhappy: "Why am I not a man anymore?" He patted his chest, "I am an upright man, sister, let me tell you the truth, there are girls who give me purses."

Looking at the stupid brother who is arrogant, Shi Fuxin was overjoyed: "Yo, I can't tell, you are quite charming." With a curious face, "Where is the purse, show me."

Shi Dinghao looked serious: "Sister, you look down on your brother too much. Am I the kind of casual person? If any girl gives me a purse, I will accept it. Then I'm too cheap."

Shi Fuxin smiled all over her face: "Look, I can give you."

"Sixth Sister, Ninth Brother, we are going to Big Brother's Water Pavilion to enjoy the snow, shall you join us?"

Shi Dinghao glanced at Shi Fuxin, saw that she was not interested, and replied loudly: "We still have homework, so we won't go, you guys have fun."

Seeing Shi Fuxin and Shi Dinghao walk away, Shi Fulin curled her lips: "Every time I ask them to play together, I only agree to it once three times. This air is big enough."

Shi Fubin: "Fourth Uncle's family doesn't want Third Sister to run for election, they are in a bad mood, why should you force them."

Shi Fulin: "Where am I going to force them? Also, can I force them?" He hummed, "The brothers and sisters of the whole family are together, but they are absent. I know that they don't want to play with us. I don’t know, I thought we excluded them.”

Shi Dingrong said: "Okay, the sixth sister and the ninth brother have something to do, we just enjoy the snow by ourselves."

After Shi Dinghao and Shi Fuxin returned to Yiguiyuan, seeing that Shi Fuxin was still not in a good mood, they were surprised and said: "Sister, why are you becoming sentimental, this is not like you."

Shi Fuxin gave him a sideways look: "Do you think everyone is just like you, heartless?"

Shi Dinghao retorted: "I am born with a magnanimous heart."

Shi Fuxin didn't continue to talk to him, but said: "Just now you heard what Sister Lin and the others said, how do you feel?"

Shi Dinghao sneered: "A group of self-righteous guys, they can choose whoever they want."

Shi Fuxin's expression was indifferent: "It is said that we are brothers and sisters in the whole family, but when something happens, the first thing everyone considers is their own interests. How many of you have put yourself in the shoes of your elder sister and second elder sister?"

Everyone thinks about the benefits to the uncle's mansion after the two are elected, but whether it is entering the palace as a concubine or entering the prince's mansion, life is not so easy.

Shi Fuxin looked at Shi Dinghao: "Jiulang, what do you think of the capital?"

Shi Dinghao said without even thinking about it: "Of course the capital city is better. There are delicious food, fun things, good-looking things, and good-sounding things. There are many things that I never even thought about when I was at the border."

Shi Fuxin was silent: "The capital city is indeed prosperous and lively, but there are also many people who cannot help themselves."

Shi Dinghao nodded: "Sister, I understand this. I also remember what you said before. The capital city is like a chessboard. After we come to Beijing, we will be the chess pieces inside."

Shi Fuxin: "Yeah, it's a pawn, and you will be ruled by others, whether you like it or not. Even if your status is as high as Dingguo's, you have to obediently send your favorite nine girls to the draft."

Shi Dinghao was stunned: "Sister, so you are worried about Miss Xiahou, don't worry, I heard from my brother that the old Duke Xiahou entered the palace two days ago, he must have gone there for Miss Xiahou, what is the matter with the emperor?" You have to give the old Duke Xiahou some face, Miss Xiahou will definitely lose the election."

Shi Fuxin's eyes flickered slightly: "This person still has to be valuable enough, the value is large enough, even the emperor has to give face." Saying that, she looked at Shi Dinghao.

"Kuro, have you thought about the future?"

Shi Dinghao was taken aback: "In the future?" His face showed uncertainty, "Study hard to take the number one prize?"

Shi Fuxin didn't expect a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy to have a clear plan for the future, but said: "It's been a year since we went back to the Bo's mansion to do our best."

"During this year, Dad became the deputy commander of the Army and Horse Division; Mother also learned how to manage the land and shop allocated to Dad by the uncle's mansion. In addition to the monthly regulations in the mansion, our family also has its own extra income."

"Brother won the examination of Wu Zhuangyuan and became a fourth-rank imperial guard; you, me, and sister were admitted to the Imperial Academy and the Imperial Women's Academy. Our family can be considered to have established a foothold in the uncle's residence."

"If you have a firm foothold, it's time to seek development."

Shi Dinghao: "Development? Development of what?"

Shi Fuxin looked at him: "What do you want to do? What kind of life do you want to live? What kind of person do you want to be? What will you do to get what you want?"

Shi Dinghao was dumbfounded by the question, he never thought about it, they are not yet thirteen years old, do they need to think about such a serious matter?

"Sister, what do you want?"

Shi Fuxin stood up and looked at the sweet-scented osmanthus tree in the yard: "I want to live a free life. Others can't force me to do what I don't want to do." Turning to look at Shi Dinghao, "My life, only I can Make the decision, no one else can interfere."

Shi Dinghao's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Sister, I am the same as you."

Shi Fuxin smiled: "But in the capital, it is very difficult to do all this."

Shi Dinghao was confident: "It's okay, sister, we can do it."

Shi Fuxin laughed: "Then tell me, how are you going to get everything you want?"

Shi Dinghao got stuck, and after holding back for a long time, he said, "I'm the younger brother, let me see how you do it, sister."

Shi Fuxin glanced at him: "If you want to be in charge of your own life, especially in the capital, you must have power and influence, and have enough bargaining chips to influence other people's decisions."

"How to obtain chips, or create chips, is what we need to think about."

"For most people, the two biggest things in life are nothing more than starting a family and starting a business. As long as these two things go well, the rest will not be much different."

"After returning to the uncle's house, our family's life has been greatly improved, but this is not enough."

"For example, elder brother and sister are not young, can our family come up with a reasonable dowry and dowry?"

"If you can't get it, you need the help of the uncle's house. If you are short of hands, you will eat people's mouths. If you get money from others, you have to listen to them."

"I don't want my marriage to be manipulated by others in the future. We will earn a lot of money from now on. Where does the money come from? We must first have an inheritance."

"If you have an industry and develop it, money will naturally come."

"With the money, I can naturally gather a rich dowry. If I have a rich enough dowry, I don't need to contribute money from the house. In the future, I will have the absolute say in choosing a husband and son-in-law."

"So, first step, I want to own my own property."

Shi Dinghao: "What industry?"

Shi Fuxin: "This depends on each person's situation. When choosing to operate a business, you must first consider whether there is a market, whether you are good at it, whether the profit is large, and whether you have strong competitiveness."

"According to these standards, think for yourself what you can do."

"As for me, I've already made up my mind. I'm going to start preparing to open a rouge and gouache shop. I want women in the capital to think of me as the first thing they sell when they buy rouge and gouache."