Chapter 2

The east side room of Chunjing Hall was brightly lit. A man with deep eyes, broad shoulders, long legs and a handsome figure stood there. The bright palace lanterns were reflected on his handsome, perfect face without any flaws. His expression was as gentle and calm as ever, yet there was a hint of nobility that could not be easily overlooked.

It was clearly the same face, but for some reason Xie Yunchu felt something strange.

He was wearing a moon-white straight gown with a piece of Hetian jade tied around his waist with a dark blue palace belt. He was already handsome, and with this outfit, he looked even more noble and peerless.

Could it be that he deliberately dressed younger in order to please Xie Yunxiu?

Xie Yunchu was so angry that he blurted out,

"I gave you the message this morning. Why did you come just now?"

The tone was even more aggressive than before.

She was still struggling here, half dead, but he was in a hurry to dress up like a peacock.

Xie Yunchu was filled with resentment.

Wang Shuhuai was slightly stunned when he saw that his wife's eyes were red but she was stubborn and refused to shed a tear.

He had no idea that she had sent the news to the government office, let alone that she was so anxious? This was completely different from her usual gentleness and generosity.

But his astonishment was only fleeting, and his eyes quickly returned to normal.

One month after the wedding, Xie Yunchu became pregnant. Since then, he moved back to the study, and it has been more than a year now.

Getting married and having children are the top priorities. Wang Shuhuai does not think there is anything wrong with temporary separation.

After giving birth to the child, Xie Yunchu suffered from postpartum hemorrhage and was quite weak. Wang Shuhuai did not think of staying in the backyard until he visited his mother in the morning and evening. His mother sternly asked him to resume his relationship with his wife, saying that Xie had rested for half a year and could continue to have children.

Wang Shuhuai then realized that the child was already half a year old.

Only then did he return to Chunjingtang.

But as soon as he came in, he was confronted with Xie Yunchu's complaints and even accusations of grievance.

Continuing the family line is the eldest grandson's responsibility and is also the key for Xie Yunchu to gain a foothold in the Duke's Mansion.

Xie’s anxiety and complaints are understandable.

Wang Shuhuai walked slowly up to the platform, his expression calm and his tone gentle.

"Sorry, I'm late."

The tall and straight figure stood on the platform, his face was pure and clean, untainted by dust, his demeanor was upright, handsome and graceful.

But these words did not reduce Xie Yunchu's anger in the slightest. On the contrary, his overly calm expression made her feel sick. She endured the pain and asked in a firm tone,

"Do you know what the madam is planning?"

Wang Shuhuai paused slightly, put his hands behind his back, and his expression was somewhat intriguing.

The mother's words just now flashed through his mind: "Your grandfather is old, and you are the grandson of the eldest branch. The position of the crown prince must fall to our second branch no matter what. Last time Xie was pregnant, your grandfather didn't show it on his face, but he was looking forward to it very much. In the end, he only had a daughter. Now, while you are still young, you must give birth to a legitimate eldest son as soon as possible, so as to reassure your grandfather..."

How could a legitimate grandson handle the mess in the Duke's Mansion?

My mother and Mrs. Xie are still too shallow-minded.

Wang Shuhuai had no intention of arguing with his wife and mother, so he nodded calmly.

"I already know." His face still showed the calmness that showed everything was under control.

Xie Yunchu was furious. How could he talk about remarrying so lightly in front of his dying wife?

Xie Yunchu pressed his eyebrows deeply and almost couldn't breathe.

No, that's not right, she was wrong.

This is the Wang Shuhuai she knows.

No matter when or where, he could always calmly and sharply weigh the pros and cons and make the best choice. Xie Yunxiu was the aunt of the two children. She was gentle, generous, well-behaved, and close to everyone in the mansion. She also had an outstanding family background and appearance. She was the perfect choice for him to be his concubine.

They clapped their hands in celebration, but no one asked her what she thought.

Xie Yunchu couldn't calm down or swallow the anger in his heart.

She closed her eyes and spoke in a cold tone.

"dream!"

Then he slowly turned half of his body on the bed, almost disdainfully looking at Wang Shuhuai, his tone sounded very ruthless and even mocking.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Let me recover." Maybe I can recover.

As long as she is still alive, Xie Yunxiu will never succeed.

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

The maid Chunqi was so frightened that she almost fell to her knees.

Ancestors of heaven and earth, why did the master say such foolish words?

Aren't you looking forward to the Second Master moving back to the backyard, having sex and giving birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible?

Why did he suddenly get so angry that he wanted to shut the Second Master out?

This... isn't right.

Chunqi didn't dare to look at Wang Shuhuai's face. No man could accept being rejected by his wife in person. Chunqi took a deep breath, watched his face, and tried to reduce his presence as much as possible.

The room was very quiet, with only the flickering sound of the lights.

Wang Shuhuai was stunned for a long while, frowned slightly, and tapped the table with one hand. His fingers were slender and powerful, and he looked at Xie Yunchu motionlessly.

He could conclude that Xie Yunchu was speaking in anger.

Wang Shuhuai always appears to be a very easy-going person. Whether he is happy or not, satisfied or not, he never shows it. Sometimes he doesn't care, and sometimes he is disdainful.

Mrs. Xie has always been considerate and generous in her actions. Maybe there was a reason for her temper today, but Wang Shuhuai had no time to find out the reason, nor was he used to noticing anything unusual about his wife.

His expression was still calm and indifferent, "Then you should have a good rest and get well."

After saying this, he turned and left.

The bead curtain rustled with a crisp clash of sounds. Xie Yunchu snorted and lowered his eyes indifferently. At this moment, a familiar jade pendant suddenly flashed into his sight. Xie Yunchu lost his composure and immediately picked up the jade pendant with a strange look on his face.

This jade coin carved with an anchovy was a wedding gift from her mother-in-law during the wedding tea ceremony. She loved it very much and always wore it around her waist. Unfortunately, it was accidentally broken by the little girl on the day of Ke Jie'er's one-year-old birthday banquet. She was afraid that others would find out, so she kept it secret. Later, in order to prevent her mother-in-law from asking about it, she made another coin based on the same pattern, but she put it in her dressing box and never wore it again.

The piece in front of her is obviously the original one, so how come it is in her possession now?

At the same time, the maid Chunqi saw Wang Shuhuai leaving in anger, and burst into tears. She knelt down in front of Xie Yunchu with a plop.

"My Lord, you are always patient, but what happened today? You looked forward to her coming back so long, but now you push her away? Please don't scare me."

I have already been looked down upon. If I offend my brother-in-law again, my life will become even more difficult.

Xie Yunchu sat on the bed holding the jade pendant with a dazed look on his face. His eyes moved from the jade pendant to Chunqi. She was wearing a pink bodice, a sweat towel of the same color tied around her waist, and had her hair done in double buns, which was common among young maids.

Chunqi got married a year ago, so she should have her hair in a bun.

An incredible thought flashed through my mind.

Xie Yunchu's heart was filled with fear. His slender fingers dug deeply into the quilt, and his eyes moved around the room several times without making a sound.

Is she a wandering soul?

Or did he die and come back to life?

Chunqi looked at her bewildered master and gently tugged at her sleeve. "My sister is already six months old. You picked a date the other day and decided to invite the son-in-law back to the room today. Now you've angered him and he's gone. What will happen later? I'm worried that you'll be scolded by the master and the mistress."

Through Chunqi's words, Xie Yunchu became more and more certain that this was a return to the past.

All this happened too suddenly and too unbelievably. Even though Xie Yunchu had died once before, he didn't know how to react.

Only the hatred in her mind was growing and unceasing. Now, let alone the harsh criticism from her parents-in-law, even if they wanted to divorce her, she would still set off a few firecrackers and burn incense for three days. So she sneered and replied,

"Let him be."

Seeing Chunqi's uneasy face, Xie Yunchu suppressed his chaotic emotions and comforted her with a smile, "You go and rest first, I will handle this matter properly."

Chunqi still didn't move. She had been serving Xie Yunchu since she was a child and was very familiar with her temperament. She just felt that something was wrong.

Xie Yunchu was worried about being questioned by her, so he rubbed his stomach and said, "I'm hungry. Go and make me a bowl of bird's nest porridge."

Chunqi's face was shocked again. The Xie family was of noble origin but not wealthy. When the young lady married into the Wang family, she did not dare to touch her dowry easily and had been living frugally. There were only a few taels of the best bird's nest in the warehouse. Every time she wanted to take some out to nourish the young lady, the young lady was reluctant to do so and said that she wanted to keep it for honoring her parents-in-law.

Chunqi felt that Xie Yunchu was too selfless, always thinking about others and never caring about himself. After hearing this, he stood up without saying a word and walked very quickly, fearing that Xie Yunchu would change his mind.

After watching Chunqi leave the east room, Xie Yunchu sat on the golden nanmu bed in a daze, his eyes slowly passing over the auspicious lintel carved with dragons and phoenixes, the red gorilla and mandarin duck brocade curtains hanging on both sides, and all the familiar furnishings...

Is she really still alive?

Her hand touched the edge of the bed and she tried to stand up. She did not feel the dizziness as before when her feet touched the ground.

Very good.

Tongtai's body dispelled the haze in her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes. After dying once, living became precious.

Xie Yunchu digested the matter for a while by herself, then called the little maid who was on night watch to ask some questions indirectly, and confirmed that she had returned to March 15th, the eighth year of Tianxi.

At this time, she had been married to Wang Shuhuai for more than a year, and in this one and a half years, she had only eaten and slept with him for one month, and they lived apart for the rest of the time.

Later, because Wang Shuhuai was busy with official duties and was no longer used to sleeping with her, the couple agreed to have sex on the first and fifteenth of every month. After she gave birth to Er Ge'er, Wang Shuhuai came to her room less and less often.

I originally thought it was because he had been practicing Taoism since he was young and had restrained himself and cultivated his character, but now I think about it, maybe he doesn't like her.

Xie Yunchu closed his eyes, put his hands on the table, and let out a long sigh.

She wants a divorce.

She wouldn't be stupid enough to serve those ungrateful things again.

But when he thought of Sister Ke, who was only half a year old, Xie Yunchu frowned deeply.

It would be wrong to abandon Sister Ke, but it would be difficult to take her away as well.

After thinking about it for a long time without any clue, Chunqi on the other end had already handed over the bird's nest porridge.

After drinking the bird's nest porridge, Xie Yunchu continued to sleep. She spent the night in a daze. When she woke up the next day, there was a bruise under her eye, but she was still energetic. Without saying a word, she asked Nanny Lin to go to the upper room to ask for leave. Xie Yunchu looked after the child, asked the wet nurse and the maid to take care of Ke Jie'er, and returned to the moon-shaped window where she died in her previous life, and sat there in a trance. The servants saw that she was silent and did not dare to disturb her.

Xie Yunchu leaned quietly on the pillow, his eyes looking outside the courtyard through the half-open Xiangfei bamboo curtain.

Spring arrives slowly in the capital. The crabapple trees on the branches are trembling in the morning dew. A gust of wind blows, and some green petals stick to the bamboo curtains. Xie Yunchu holds the thin, cracked azure teacup and takes a sip of the fragrant tea. His fingertips seem to be entangled in green.

She couldn't help but think of the beginning and end of this marriage.

She had been diligent and hardworking since she was young, and was proficient in flower arrangement, tea art, chess, calligraphy and painting. At the age of sixteen, she won the first prize in the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Queen and became famous. The eldest princess of the time decided to marry her to the new top scholar Wang Shuhuai.

And this Princess is Wang Shuhuai's step-grandmother. Although the marriage has not been clearly decreed, it has been made clear in front of the Emperor and Empress. If she proposes a divorce, will the Regent Princess agree?

I'm afraid divorce is not going to work.

Somehow Xie Yunxiu's smug face flashed through her mind.

If she divorced Wang Shuhuai, given the character of Lu's mother and daughter, there is no guarantee that they would smooth over the connections and send Xie Yunxiu over.

The Wang family will not let her take Ke Jie'er away. The wheel of time has once again rolled back to the same checkpoint in her previous life. She believes that Wang Shuhuai will make the same choice and choose Xie Yunxiu, who is closely related to Ke Jie'er by blood, as his wife.

Wang Shuhuai is going to be the Prime Minister in the future, so she can’t let the Lu mother and daughter get away with it.

Xie Yunchu sat there in depression for a long time, still feeling unhappy.

After calming down, she began to weigh the marriage.

Putting aside the fact that Wang Shuhuai had no interest in her, this husband was a general and a prime minister, he was both civil and military, he could earn a good future for his children, he could support her in external affairs, and he never interfered in household chores, so he could be considered a competent partner.

If she marries someone else, she will have to live a shaky life again. It is better for her to stay in the Wang family. At least she knows where the pitfalls are and where the smooth road is.

Xie Yunchu smiled faintly.

In this life, she gets to use Wang Shuhuai as a tool.

As for her parents-in-law, she no longer serves them.

The household items also have to be thrown out.

She just needed to take good care of herself, save some money, become a rich and idle person, and then live a long life to outlive them all.

Xie Yunchu vented his thoughts and suddenly everything became clear.

Last night's incident caused quite a stir. The confidants who followed her from the Xie family were still in fear. They were also worried that she would get sick from vomiting, and they were all distracted.

Xie Yunchu had four maids: Chunqi, Xiaan, Qiusui and Dongning.

Before leaving, Nanny Lin asked Xia An, who was usually the most pleasing person, to stay and serve Xie Yunchu.

Xia An quietly hid in the outer room and arranged flowers, glancing into the inner room from time to time. Seeing that Xie Yunchu looked better, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She quickly washed her hands and came in happily holding a treasure.

"Miss, this ivory ball only has one last step left to complete. You instructed me yesterday, so I'm reminding you to finish it today." She stared at the exquisite patterns happily. "Your craftsmanship is so good, my son-in-law will definitely like it."

Xie Yunchu's eyes fell on the object in her palm, and his eyes ached slightly.

This is a hollow and exquisitely carved ivory ball.

It was the gift she prepared for Wang Shuhuai on his twentieth birthday.

As a young girl in love, Xie Yunchu admired Wang Shuhuai, but her admiration was melted in every stitch and every spoon. Once, when she accompanied Wang Shuhuai to the palace to pay respects to the eldest princess, Wang Shuhuai's eyes fell on a magic ball on the partition for a long time. The thoughtful girl noticed it, and on the way back, she confirmed with her husband whether he liked it. After getting a positive answer, she secretly spent a huge amount of money to buy a piece of excellent ivory, learned the craftsman's technique, and carved it for him day and night.

I don’t know how many times I hurt my hands and how many times I damaged my eyes.

She was immersed in love and only wanted to give her husband a surprise.

When Wang Shuhuai received the ingenious gift, he just smiled faintly and said it was a thoughtful gesture.

Seeing this ingenious ball that took her a whole year of hard work again, Xie Yunchu's expression was so calm that she was almost numb.

"It's already been carved. Go sell it."

"What...what?" Xia An suspected that he had heard it wrong.

The so-called last step is to engrave Wang Shuhuai's words, which is no longer necessary.

As for the word "Chu" that had been carved inside, there were so many people with the same name in the world, who could have expected that it was her? Besides, she carved it so secretly that it could not be easily discovered.

Xie Yunchu said word by word, "Yes, it was sold."

Facing the spring light, she smiled brightly, "After we exchange the money, we can buy some bird's nests to nourish our bodies."

Xia An blinked. She was different from Chun Qi. She was innocent and straightforward. Since Xie Yunchu said he would sell her, she would obey as a slave.

Xia An met Xie Yunchu's determined eyes, no longer hesitated, and said with a smile,

"Okay, I'll go find Uncle Lin and sell it to him. This thing is really rare, maybe I can get a lot of silver from it."