Tabloids

At noon, Cui Zhiyun and Taishi Zheng finished washing up and sat opposite each other at the table.

Someone followed the food delivery team and brought a pot of lily bulb, tangerine peel, and crucian carp soup in front of the two men. They said, "Madam, Sir, this is a tonic stew made by the eldest young lady for our Sir. She hurried to Lingyuxuan to serve, so she asked me to bring it to you two. Please enjoy it slowly. Once you are finished, I will return the pot to the eldest young lady."

While they were talking, they sent someone to serve the soup and rice and leave the room. Taishi Zheng sat at the table and took a sniff of the fish soup.

The delicious aroma, like the essence of a slow-cooked meal, made Zheng marvel at Cang Yi's skill. "Sister-in-law is truly outstanding. She's put so much effort into making this soup. She must have gotten up very early to make it. We absolutely have to finish it to make sure her kindness is not in vain."

"My dear, please try it. When you're done, I'll return the pot myself and send something to thank you, sister-in-law."

As the saying goes, one should not talk while eating and one should not talk while sleeping. Cui Zhijun simply replied, "As you wish," and picked up the bowl of soup, drinking it without a word.

There was no more conversation during the meal.

But today's breakfast went smoothly, without any hassles or endless rules.

Tai Shi Zheng can also be with the beautiful Cui Zhiyun.

Just look at her face as she put down her chopsticks, a smile spreads across her face. Without even looking up, Cui Zhijun can already sense the overflowing joy across from her.

"I'm going to return the pot. What are you doing, my dear? Do you want to go out for a walk with me?" Zheng invited.

Cui Zhijun refused her, "I'm going to study."

This guy is so boring. Taking a walk with his wife after dinner is such a wonderful "job." But he wants to read? What a blockhead.

Taishi Zheng shook his head. "Alright, there are beautiful women in books. My dear, go ahead, go ahead—"

A few words of scolding, quite charming. But unfortunately, the person in front of me doesn't understand the charm...

Cui Zhiyun ignored her.

Tai Shi Zheng didn't give in either. She picked up the pot and left without looking back.

When they arrived at the yard, Zheng called out to Fu Yuanzi loudly and asked her to take a few sets of jewelry from her dowry and go find Cang Yi.

When Fu Yuanzi returned with the jewelry, he couldn't help but wonder, "Madam, why do you need so many things?"

"It's a gift--" Zheng said bluntly.

She said frankly, "I've been married for several days now, and I haven't even gotten to know everyone yet! Today I'm going to visit each family to give them some gifts. They say that those who receive gifts are grateful, and those who receive gifts are soft-hearted. I'm going to build some relationships and test the waters. This way, when we get to spend more time together, I'll be prepared. Anyway, Tenth Brother has given me so much, I can't even afford it all myself, so I might as well lend some flowers to offer to the Buddha."

"Unfortunately, some people don't want to go with me. Yuanzi, let's go, you come with me!"

Tai Shi Zheng stood outside the door and deliberately told Cui Zhijun what she said. Cui Zhijun looked out the window at her back and shook his head helplessly.

-

But look at the master and servant, one holding a pot, the other holding a pile of jewelry, walking ostentatiously in the mansion. But Zheng didn't know the way to Cang Yi's room at all, but she was still stubborn and refused to ask anyone.

Just like that, she took Fu Yuanzi around the mansion for a long time. The tiny mansion made the two of them feel like they were in the imperial palace.

After walking around like this, they finally stood outside the Cangyun Pavilion in the small garden. Fu Yuanzi started to get mad and refused to follow Taishi Zheng any further. "My lady, if we can't find it, let's just ask. Carrying things around like this really makes you stand out."

Zheng was too tired to move another step at this moment. She turned around and stepped into the Cangyun Pavilion. "Then Yuanzi, you go ask. I'll take a break. Go quickly and be back soon. I'll wait for you here—"

Fu Yuanzi sighed helplessly and put the things down. "Then take care of the things. I'll be back soon."

Zheng Xie stood beside the beauty and waved.

Unexpectedly, just as Fu Yuanzi left Cangyun Pavilion, Cang Yi came by from somewhere. After seeing the two of them, he asked, "Zheng, Yuanzi, what are you two doing here?"

"Madam Eldest Young Master." Fu Yuanzi was overjoyed. How great! The person he was looking for was not in the sky, but right in front of him.

Tai Shi Zheng looked up at the sound and said, "Sister-in-law, come quickly. You've come at a good time. We were just looking for you, thinking of going to your house to give you a pot, but we looked around for a long time and still couldn't find you and your brother's Yinjianju..."

Cang Yi came over, puzzled. She asked, "Yin Jian Ju? Isn't it right behind your Yin Zhu Ya Tang? Zheng, how did you find the small garden?"

Taishi Zheng uttered an "ah," not daring to look at Fu Yuanzi's complaining eyes. "So it's right next to us... It seems I was overthinking it. We went out and looked around but couldn't find it, so we ended up here."

Cang Yi smiled at Zheng. "That's all right. Maybe I just wanted you to wait here for me. Okay, give me the things and I'll take them back on the way. Did you enjoy today's crucian carp soup?"

Zheng said, "It's fine. Thanks to Erlang, we both drank all the soup. Sister-in-law, Yuanzi and I will help you carry the pot over later. But for now, please take a look. I have something for you. I hope you don't mind."

After saying this, he gave a look and Fu Yuanzi picked up the wooden box on top which contained jade hairpins, jade bracelets and jade earrings and walked towards Cang Yi.

How had Cang Yi ever seen such a valuable thing?

Even the jewelry she wore when she got married was just silver jewelry she bought with her dowry. Seeing this, Cang Yi quickly refused: "No, no, how can I accept such a valuable item? Zheng, you should keep it for yourself."

Seeing this, Zheng took the jewelry and handed it to Cang Yi personally, "Sister-in-law, please don't refuse me. Not to mention that you have taken good care of me these days, just look at me right now, I have something to ask of you!"

Cang Yi, holding the wooden box inexplicably, asked, "What does Zheng want from you? Even if you do, I cannot accept this gift."

She started to push again.

Tai Shi Zheng held her down and said, "You must accept this gift. Actually, this gift isn't just for you, my sister-in-law. I was thinking of asking my sister-in-law to take me around to visit various people, and have me personally deliver these gifts to them. As you can see, I'm not familiar with this mansion... There were so many people when we first met that I still can't recognize them all."

Since everyone gets a share, it would be embarrassing for Cang Yi to refuse this gift. She held the wooden box in her hand, no longer trying to refuse, but she was afraid she might accidentally drop it. "In that case, thank you very much, Mrs. Zhijun, for your kindness. It's easy to talk about. I'll take you there."

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Tai Shi Zheng exchanged a glance with Fu Yuanzi, "Then, sister-in-law, let's go to Yinjianju first to put our things there. Then we can go elsewhere."

Cang Yi nodded.

The three were just about to pick up their things and leave Cangyun Pavilion when suddenly several female servants came from the east. They each took a tabloid and whispered to each other, walking towards this side as if no one was around.

When I arrived, I didn't see the host, which was a big taboo.

Fortunately, the people he met were Cang Yi and Tai Shi Zheng, two friendly people, so he avoided being scolded or punished.

Cang Yi was standing in the pavilion. Seeing someone passing by, he asked, "What strange stories and people are written in today's tabloids that have you all been so captivated?"

The maids stopped at this and looked up to see that it was the eldest young lady's wife. They were relieved and said, "Mrs. Young lady, look at what is written in today's tabloid. It's very interesting—"

Cang Yi had always been on good terms with the lower classes, even though she wasn't the one who gave the most rewards or had the highest status. But when people saw her, they all smiled and treated her very kindly. The maids were about to hand the tabloid to Cang Yi, but Zheng suddenly popped out from behind her and asked, "Tabloid? What tabloid?"

When the maids saw the second young master's wife hiding at the back, they were so frightened that they quickly took back the tabloid and turned to walk out of the pavilion.

Unexpectedly, they immediately changed their tune: "Ah, actually there's nothing to see. The weather is nice today. Madam Eldest Young Master, Madam Second Young Master, good afternoon. If there's nothing else, we'll be leaving first."

Cang Yi felt strange and muttered in a deep voice, "Come back."

The maids stopped in their tracks, feeling torn. Cang Yi stood at the foot of the pavilion and held out his hand, "Why are you so anxious? Bring the things before you go."

The maids glanced at each other, stepped forward tremblingly to hand over the tabloid, turned around and left without looking back as if they were escaping from trouble.

This left Taishi Zheng completely confused.

Turning around and sitting down with Cang Yi under the pavilion again, Zheng asked curiously, "Is this the tabloid that appears in Tokyo? They like to read it, too. But why are they so flustered just reading a tabloid?"

Cang Yi smiled and shook his head. "No, this is our own tabloid. It circulates very well in the mansion, just like outside, one copy a day, one penny a copy. It comes from Ginkgo Pavilion and is written by our Third Young Master's wife, Song Mingyue."

The Bo family is truly full of talented people, but I've never heard of anyone publishing a tabloid every day. Tai Shi Zheng found it amusing and surprised, "Is it that Song Mingyue, the talkative Song? She actually has this talent. Could it be that she has so much to say that she has to write it down?"

Zheng laughed heartily, and Cang Yi scoffed, "Perhaps that's one reason, that's not entirely certain. But the main reason is that Mingyue's family is in this business. All the tabloids in Tokyo, big or small, basically all get their news from them."

"Ah, so the daughter follows in her father's footsteps." Zheng nodded.

Cang Yi held the tabloid in her hand, and before she even read the words on it, she continued, "Actually, Mingyue's father was a second-class Jinshi who had been awarded the title of Jinshi. He was a classmate and close friend of our father-in-law. Back then, he joined the Jinzouyuan, which produced official newspapers. But unexpectedly, Mingyue's father resigned from the Jinzouyuan after less than a year and took up a job working on a low-profile tabloid. Our father-in-law always said he was ruining his own future, but Mingyue said his father had come to his senses."

Zheng listened intently and responded seriously, "It shouldn't be considered ruining your future, right? Whether it's the Imperial Court or a tabloid. As long as they don't steal or rob, and they do it for their own pleasure and don't harm others, then whatever they do is their own business."

Cang Yi also agreed with her idea.

Thinking back to the time when Song Mingyue's father came to him, holding the marriage certificate he and Cui Yu had signed while drunk, and demanded that they fulfill their promise, Cang Yi found it funny. That was also the first person who could make Yu Yuelan faint with anger.

Taishi Zheng should be second.

"Zheng, let me tell you something you don't know." Cang Yi suddenly spoke.

Zheng pricked up her ears curiously, "What's going on?"

Cang Yi looked around, then went up to Tai Shi Zheng and said, "Ming Yue was originally going to be betrothed to your Er Lang."

Zheng was stunned when these words came out, "My Erlang! Then why did she marry Sanlang?"

Cang Yi sighed, "Because his family has fallen on hard times."

"However, this marriage contract was originally signed by my father-in-law and Uncle Song in a drunken joke, so it should be considered invalid. Who could have known that Uncle Song would come to our house and insist on marrying his daughter to the uncle's house? He even threatened that if the uncle's family broke off the engagement, he would write about it in the tabloids and make a big fuss about it, so that everyone in the city would know about it."

"Mother-in-law naturally wouldn't agree to Erlang marrying a young lady from such a family, so the two had a huge argument, and it looked like they were going to make it all the way to Kaifeng Prefecture. The father-in-law was also afraid that the matter would become a big deal and affect his reputation, so the task of marrying Mingyue fell on Sanlang."

"I didn't expect this to happen!" Tai Shi Zheng was surprised, but she didn't forget to add, "Then I really have to thank my mother-in-law, otherwise I wouldn't have had anything to do today."

Cang Yi was amused by her. "But I think that in our family, only San Lang is suitable for Ming Yue. One is 'crazy', the other is 'weird', they are a pair of enemies. You haven't seen it, it's very interesting. Look, look where Ming Yue got some interesting things today."

Cang Yi unfolded the neatly formatted tabloid in his hand and read word for word, "'Chef Lu, the food in the kitchen has been a bit salty lately!' Everyone, pay attention! This chef's answer is amazing."

Cang Yi looked down, "Chef Lu responded...If it's too salty, eat less."

Isn't this nonsense?

Cang Yi and Zheng cursed inwardly at the same time, but both remained silent.

Reading further, Cang Yi said, "It's against the will of heaven! The noble princess of the past was forced to marry under humiliation, but now she has become like this—"

Isn't this Zhilin's wife? Although Cangyi didn't say that he saw her every day, she didn't know what she was like. There was nothing special about her, so he didn't mention it.

So, Cang Yi quickly scanned the tabloid, finally landing on the last line. He casually read, "Shocking! A new son-in-law was poisoned by his bride upon his return. A band attended his funeral, revealing the long-planned truth. The mother-in-law burst into tears. Is this a decline in morality or a distortion of human nature? Let's uncover the unknown story behind it."

Cang Yi was still in shock when she read this. She subconsciously flipped the tabloid over and saw the words written on it: "For the following content, please go to Ginkgo House and pay to purchase the latest tabloid."

Cang Yi shook his head, thinking what a mess this was.

However, for a brief moment, Cang Yi felt something was wrong. When she turned around to say something, she saw Taishi Zheng clenching his fists, his hands trembling slightly, and his eyes burning with anger.

Cang Yi knew that something bad was going to happen.

Taishi Zheng slammed his fist on the table in the pavilion, his hair standing on end, and shouted angrily: "How unreasonable! This is alarmist! Song Mingyue, where is Song Mingyue! I want to find her and have a good talk with her--"