In the Prajna Hall, old lady Hong Yingrong, wearing reading glasses, stroked the yellowed sheepskin drawings with her fingertips, and suddenly stopped at a map of the Beidi Manor.
There was a drizzle outside the window, casting her shadow on the mottled wall, making her look particularly thin.
"Strange..." the old lady murmured to herself and moved the candlestick closer.
This map not only marks the dimensions of each courtyard of the ancestral home in the north, but also depicts the hunter trails in the dense forests in the back mountains in great detail.
She remembered that in the last year of the old marquis's life, he always liked to lock himself in the study and draw all night long, thinking that it was just a way to relieve the loneliness during his illness.
"Mother." Fifth Miss Xue Shanqiu came in with a cup of tea. Seeing her mother lost in thought over the blueprints, she couldn't help but advise, "You're looking through Father's things again. The imperial physician said that your cough shouldn't be strained."
Hong Yingrong took off her glasses and rubbed her sore nose.
"I'm old," she said, fondly reminiscing about the past. She pointed to a corner of the blueprint and said, "Look at this cellar mark. When did our ancestral home have a cellar?"
Xue Shanqiu leaned in for a closer look and suddenly exclaimed, "This isn't a cellar. I've heard my father talk about this converted ice house before. That year, there was a severe drought in northern Xinjiang, and my father ordered people to dig three feet into the ground to store ice, saying it was to prevent something..."
She suddenly stopped and her face changed slightly.
The old lady's eyes suddenly became sharp: "What are you guarding against?"
"Nothing, I didn't think much of it then." Xue Shanqiu hurriedly sorted through other drawings. "My daughter can't remember."
The sound of rain grew heavier. Hong Yingrong looked at her daughter's evasive eyes and suddenly remembered what the old marquis had been repeating in his dreams before.
"Bei House Cellar, be careful."
I thought it was just a rant at the time, but now I think it has other meanings?
Hong Yingrong thought that after all her children had settled down, she would return to Beizhai to retire.
There are mountains full of wild pear trees, which are like snow in spring and fragrant in autumn. There is no need to deal with the powerful and wealthy anymore.
At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the rain.
Xue Zhong, the chief steward, hurried over holding an oil-paper umbrella and kowtowed heavily in the corridor. "Old Madam, there's an imperial decree from the palace! It's already in the front hall!"
Hong Yingrong straightened her plain double-breasted shirt and said in a deep voice, "Open the middle door and set up the incense table."
Rainwater accumulated into small puddles on the bluestone slabs in the front yard.
The eunuch Gao Quan, who was delivering the imperial edict, held the yellow silk imperial edict in his hand, and a scarlet umbrella covered his head, creating an air of majesty.
More than a hundred people from the Marquis' Mansion knelt on the ground, and the rain soaked everyone's knees.
"The Emperor, by the grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, decrees: Xue Yuanchu, the eldest son of the Xingyuan Marquisate, has made meritorious contributions at the border and is commendable for his loyalty and bravery. He shall immediately inherit the title of Xingyuan Marquis..."
Hong Yingrong knelt in the first position and heard Jiang Shuxiu gasp beside her.
Little Chong'an was held by his wet nurse and twisted his body restlessly.
"...The second son, Xue Zhongfu, is exceptionally talented and learned. He was granted the title of Baron of Yicheng, an annual salary of 800 dan, and no additional palace..."
The sound of rain suddenly became louder, and the sound of rain hitting the umbrella was like the beating of a drum.
Hong Yingrong remembered that it rained so heavily on the day the old marquis was buried.
At that time, the emperor said, "You will be conferred the title of marquis again in three years." Who would have thought that the title would be lost and regained in the midst of storms and turmoil?
"Your Majesty, I obey your command and thank you for your grace." The old lady kowtowed three times. When her forehead touched the cold stone slab, a tear mixed with the rain.
The eunuch who delivered the decree smiled and bent down to support her. "Old Madam, please stand up quickly. His Majesty has specifically instructed that the Xue family has a double celebration and that he will bestow an imperial plaque upon the Second Young Master's wedding."
Hong Yingrong winked at Xue Zhong, and the old housekeeper immediately presented the red envelope that had been prepared long ago.
The heavy weight made the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict leave with a smile on his face.
In the main hall, Jiang Shuxiu was holding her mother-in-law's hand, which was trembling slightly.
She looked at the servants kneeling on the ground in the yard, and suddenly remembered that dark night when her husband was deposed from the title of Crown Prince and the evasive looks of the servants in the mansion.
Now they knelt in the rain, their foreheads pressed against the bluestone slabs and shouted.
"Mrs. He! Madam He!" The sound of their voices caused raindrops to fall from the eaves.
"Mother." Jiang Shuxiu had just opened her mouth when Hong Yingrong patted the back of her hand.
"Go prepare court attire for Yuanchu. He will wear it tomorrow to enter the palace to express his gratitude."
Within a few days, the threshold of the marquis's mansion was worn shiny by the guests who came to congratulate him.
Outside the vermilion lacquered gate, carriages and horses from various mansions formed a long queue, blocking the alley completely.
Butler Xue Zhong stood under the eaves, watching boxes of gifts being carried into the mansion, and couldn't help but think of the deserted scene half a year ago.
"Uncle Zhong, a visiting card from the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion!" the servant came running over breathlessly. "The carriage has arrived at the alley entrance!"
Xue Zhong straightened his clothes and was about to go out to meet him when he suddenly heard the sound of a dragon-headed cane knocking on the ground behind him.
Old Madam Hong Yingrong had been standing in front of the screen wall without anyone noticing. She wore a crimson-purple bodice with a swastika pattern over her plain dress, and the jade headband on her bun was shining.
"Open the east door to welcome the guests." The old lady's voice was not loud, but it immediately stopped the busy servants. "Tell the kitchen that today's banquet does not need to be too extravagant. Reduce it by 20% according to the standard for entertaining guests in a normal marquisate."
Steward Xue Zhong hesitated and said, "This... Marquis Wu'an brought a generous gift..."
"That's why we need to be more cautious."
Hong Yingrong glanced at the piles of gift boxes in the courtyard and said, "Go and polish the plaque of family rules. Have all the servants come to the ancestral hall at noon."
At noon, more than a hundred servants knelt in front of the ancestral hall.
The old lady's tall figure was reflected on the bluestone floor washed by rain.
The plaque behind her, which read "Loyalty and Filial Piety Passed Down from Generation to Generation", was newly painted with gold, and it was so dazzling in the sun that it hurt people's eyes.
Old Madam Hong Yingrong slammed her dragon-headed cane.
"From today on, anyone who uses the name of the Marquisate to cause trouble will be expelled from the house!"
"Especially the doormen and the buyers," the old lady continued. "Accepting doormen's fees and deducting fees from vendors are old bad habits. If I discover a single case, I will not let them off lightly."
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