Chapter 17 Let's offer incense to my sister.
When the Marquis of Jinyang married Lady Xue and introduced her two children to everyone, he was just like Zhao Ming is today. There was a barely suppressed pride in his eyes, probably because he felt that his own son was exceptionally outstanding.
Unfortunately, Ji Chan couldn't understand it back then.
Ah Chan, who is sitting here today, sees it clearly.
The difference is that the Marquis of Jinyang brazenly brought the person back to his home. Regardless of what people outside say, his status and position are enough to suppress those rumors.
Zhao Ming, on the other hand, was an imperial censor. If he were of questionable character and someone found fault with him, he might not even be able to continue his official career, which is why this drama came about.
It's likely that Old Mrs. Zhao planned these words long ago, hoping to take this opportunity to confirm Zhao Wenqi's identity.
At Kobayashi's funeral, he couldn't wait to adopt a son for her, and others praised Lord Zhao for his deep affection for his deceased wife.
To Achan's surprise, Zhao Wenyue didn't try to cause trouble. She didn't think Zhao Wenyue would be so considerate of her father, probably because she had received enough benefits to get her to agree to the adoption.
The only destabilizing factor in the household has been resolved, and Zhao Wenqi's adoption has been formally approved among relatives, making it unlikely to be changed again.
Looking at Zhao Wenqi, who was being praised by everyone and looked radiant, Achan thought of Xiao Linshi, who had been holding her belly and looking expectantly a dozen days ago, and thought to herself, "Humans are really heartless."
She kept looking at Zhao Wenqi and noticed that he would occasionally glance in her direction, as if he were looking at someone.
Achan looked around and spotted a young woman in her thirties among the many relatives of the Zhao family. The woman was dressed simply, but her attire was very elaborate. The jade ornaments she wore looked extremely valuable.
The woman was not far from Achan. Whenever Zhao Wenqi looked over, the woman would smile at him, as if to comfort him.
"A banquet has been prepared at home, please come and take your seats." After the relatives' curiosity was satisfied, Zhao Ming instructed the servants to lead everyone to their seats.
Achan deliberately sat next to the young woman without speaking to her, but learned her identity from the conversations of the other people at the table.
The woman's surname was Su, and she was a distant relative of Old Mrs. Zhao.
I heard that she married a merchant from another region in her early years. However, her husband died in an accident less than two years after she moved away, leaving her all alone. She had no choice but to return to the capital to make a living.
It's no wonder that as soon as she sat down at the table, someone tentatively asked her if she planned to remarry, offering to introduce her to a potential partner.
Madam Su politely but firmly declined the other party's offer.
After the meal, everyone took their leave in twos and threes, saying they would return the next day for Kobayashi's funeral.
Ah Chan stayed behind, and Madam Su didn't rush to leave either.
It wasn't until Old Mrs. Zhao finished her meal and was helped out by her children and grandchildren that Madam Su finally got up and went to greet them.
When Old Mrs. Zhao saw Madam Su, her face immediately lit up with a smile: "Isn't this Yao? You came to my house without even telling me. Have we become estranged?"
Madam Su quickly smiled and explained, "Aunt, what are you saying? I've come to see you."
Grandma Zhao held Madam Su's hand: "It's good that you've come. I'll have someone tidy up the courtyard right away. Yao must stay at the mansion for a few more days this time so we can talk more."
"This..." Madam Su looked somewhat embarrassed.
Standing next to Old Madam Zhao, Zhao Ming spoke up: "Mother has been feeling unwell lately. If it's convenient for you, cousin, please stay at the mansion and keep her company."
"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer." Madam Su glanced at Zhao Ming, then quickly looked away.
When Zhao Wenqi heard that Madam Su wanted to stay, he couldn't hide his excitement and kept circling around her. Madam Su reached out and touched his face with tender eyes.
What seemed like an ordinary scene to others became the key to unlocking all my doubts for Achan.
The Zhao family members left hand in hand with Madam Su, while Zhao Wenqi skipped and jumped around, finally displaying the innocence and carefree nature of a child. The scene looked warm and harmonious, as if they were truly a family.
They seemed to have forgotten that the original mistress of this mansion was lying in the coffin in the mourning hall.
Night falls, inside the mourning hall.
On the offering table, thick white candles burned, illuminating the mourning hall. Zhao Wenyue knelt on a cushion, looking somewhat agitated.
It is now Hai Shi (9-11 PM). Zhao Wenqi was taken away by Old Madam Zhao early on, who said that he was young and needed to go to bed early, but she had to stay in the mourning hall to keep watch.
Zhao Wenyue didn't want to stay here. The thought of her mother's corpse in the coffin made her feel uneasy, as if her mother was watching her.
After another quarter of an hour, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the mourning hall, startling Zhao Wenyue so much that her face turned pale.
Once the person walked in and she recognized him, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Father, what brings you here?"
Zhao Ming stepped forward and helped Zhao Wenyue up from the cushion, saying gently to her, "You've had a long day, so get some rest tonight. I'll stay here and watch over your mother."
"Thank you, Father." Zhao Wenyue stood up eagerly, but stumbled a little when she stood up because her legs were a little numb from being pressed down.
"Slow down." Zhao Ming used some force to support her, and said, "You're a young lady now. After these three months, the Xue family will come to propose marriage. Be more composed."
"I know, Dad is still the best to me." That's what she said, and that's what Zhao Wenyue thought too.
Only her father truly cared for her and knew what she wanted. Unlike her mother, who always said she was doing it for her own good, but wasn't she just doing it for her own benefit?
Although she didn't particularly like Old Mrs. Zhao, the old lady was right about one thing: her mother was selfish.
Now that her mother is gone, the mansion is much quieter; at least no one is interfering anymore.
Watching his daughter leave, Zhao Ming bent down, picked up a stack of paper money, squatted down by the brazier, and threw the paper money into it one by one.
The paper money turned black in the flames and finally turned to ash. The flickering flames in the brazier reflected Zhao Ming's face, creating an indistinct glow.
"Qiaoniang, I was very happy to marry you back then, and I thought I would treat you well for the rest of my life, even though you had to marry me because of your ruined reputation."
Zhao Ming spoke in a low voice, revealing a truth that Madam Lin had never known.
“But you rely on your family background to look down on my parents and disregard my dignity in trying to drive them away. You are unwilling to give me another son and you won’t let me take a concubine. I’ve agreed to all of these things.”
You should never have caused the death of my cousin's unborn child. I never intended to take my cousin into the household; that child was an accident. Yet you couldn't even tolerate it, forcing my cousin to have an abortion behind my back. The child was already six months old, a boy.
“Over the years, you’ve never mentioned it to me, and I’ve pretended nothing happened. That night, you were so frightened by the baby’s cries—was it because you felt guilty for doing something wrong?”
Zhao Ming seemed to be questioning Kobayashi, but Kobayashi was no longer able to answer.
The candle flame flickered.
"Fortunately, heaven has eyes, and my cousin gave birth to another child for me. I named him Wenqi. The child is intelligent and diligent from a young age. He is far superior to Wensheng, whom you spoiled."
At this point, Zhao Ming smiled and said, "That child doesn't resemble me in any way, yet he has the title of the legitimate son. How can my son, Zhao Ming's son, be such a good-for-nothing?"
"In order for Wenqi to stay in the manor legitimately, someone has to make a sacrifice. You should be able to understand me, right?"
"But don't worry, even if you die, you will always be my first wife, and Wenqi will still call you Mother."
Just then, a slight noise came from outside the door. Zhao Ming turned to look at the doorway and asked in a deep voice, "Who is it? Come out."
"Cousin, it's me." Su Yao appeared outside the mourning hall. She was wearing a white cloak, but it couldn't cover the crimson skirt underneath.
Zhao Ming was somewhat surprised. He stood up and went to greet her, shaking Su Yao's hand without any hesitation: "Why did you come on such a cold day?"
"I'm worried about you." She glanced at the memorial tablet in the mourning hall again. "And while I'm at it, I'll offer incense to my sister."
"Why are you calling me 'sister'?"
Zhao Ming led her into the mourning hall. The two, who never even looked at each other in public, were more intimate than ordinary couples in private.
“Qi’er will be registered under her name in the future, so I should call her ‘elder sister’.” She said, then sighed, seemingly a little sad. “If our first child were still alive, he would probably be as intelligent as Qi’er.”
"It's all in the past," Zhao Ming comforted her softly.
Su Yao really stepped forward and lit three incense sticks, but before she could put them into the incense burner, Zhao Ming took them and threw them into the brazier.
"Stop burning incense, she doesn't deserve to be called your sister."
Su Yao sighed, "Although she killed our first child, Qi'er has now taken her child's place. It's a cycle of cause and effect."
"It's just that you'll have to put up with this for now, as no one can know about your relationship with Qi'er," Zhao Ming said to Su Yao with pity.
Su Yao smiled and said, "What are you saying, cousin? As long as you and Qi'er are happy, nothing else matters. I don't care about titles or status. As long as I can see you often, like before, that's enough."
Zhao Ming put his arm around her, and Su Yao rested her head on his shoulder.
As they poured out their hearts to each other, Sun's mother stood outside the door, covering her mouth and staring intently at the two embracing.
She was worried about Zhao Wenyue, fearing she might not do her best and would ruin the incense offering for the lady tonight, so she came to take a look, but she didn't expect to hear these words.
Seeing the two people embracing each other in the madam's mourning hall, Madam Sun slowly backed away. She never dreamed that the master who had once been so obedient to the madam... would actually be such a heartless man.
Because it was too dark outside, Sun's mother didn't notice for a moment and mentioned a pebble. The pebble flew out and hit somewhere with a thud.
Zhao Ming immediately released Su Yao and shouted sternly, "Who are you?"
He spoke as he walked out.
Just then, a gust of wind suddenly slammed the door shut, almost hitting Zhao Ming in the face.
Taking advantage of the break, Mrs. Sun hurriedly left.
Zhao Ming kicked the door open, but there was no one outside.
Su Yao also stepped forward, looked outside, and said, "It's probably something that the wind blew on."
After a slight hesitation, she said, "Cousin, I've heard that people who die unjustly are most likely to cause unrest in their homes. The wind just now was really strange. Do you think it could be?"
As she spoke, she glanced at the coffin placed in the mourning hall.
"Don't worry," Zhao Ming reassured him. "I've already sent someone to invite Master Jingyun of Pingnan Temple. He'll be here first thing tomorrow morning."
"Master Jingyun? Did you invite him to perform a ritual to help your sister's soul find peace?"
“No.” Zhao Ming looked at the flickering candlelight in the mourning hall and said in a cold voice, “That master was most skilled at sealing souls. As long as the soul is sealed in the coffin, there will be no need to worry about ghosts or monsters coming out to cause trouble in the future.”
Even if Lin Xiaoqiao really became a ghost after her death, he would not allow her to have the slightest possibility of resisting.
Su Yao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and said, "Cousin is so thoughtful."
Zhao Ming smiled and said, "Qi'er will live in the mansion in the future, and you will also move in a few years later. Of course, I will remove all obstacles for you."
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