Chapter Thirty: Xiao Qingyan, Let's Be Together
The Zhao residence.
Zhang went to Songchi Courtyard, but Zhao Yu did not return.
"Has He'an stayed at Wenju again?"
The servant in Songchi Courtyard responded, "The young master said that he is currently very busy with affairs at the Dali Temple, so he will stay at Wenju tonight and return to the mansion once things have calmed down."
Madam Zhang hummed in agreement. She had been restless these past two days, constantly recalling the look in He'an's eyes that evening a few days ago.
It was heavy and weighty, as if it carried many things.
He An was always confident and had never looked so preoccupied.
Lady Zhang returned to the courtyard with a complicated expression. Duke Zhao, lying on his couch reviewing military affairs, glanced at his wife and casually remarked, "Not at home?"
Zhang responded with a soft "hmm".
Duke Zhao's gaze paused slightly.
Madam Zhang changed the subject, saying, "Mother will be back in a while, right?"
The elders of the Zhao family have always loved a life of quiet contemplation; the head of the Zhao family is like this, as is the old lady of the Zhao family.
The previous incident of the third branch of the family reselling maps was very sudden, and if they were not careful, the whole clan would be beheaded. Therefore, the Duke of Zhao did not write a letter to tell the old lady of Zhao.
Two days later, all the members of the third branch of the family were gone. It was troublesome for the old lady to travel back and forth. In addition, she had disliked the third branch of the family for many years. So she used the excuse of being unwell to stay away from the Zhao family.
Suddenly, Zhang remembered something.
"By the way, I've been so busy these days. I heard that my fourth sister's two daughters came to the capital and are in the city now. Why don't we invite them to come to the mansion when it's a good time? After all, they still have the bloodline of the Zhao family."
Duke Zhao remained silent with a sullen face.
The third master of the Zhao family and the fourth sister mentioned by Madam Zhang were born of the same mother, both daughters of the old Duke's former concubine.
Not long after Duke Zhao and Lady Zhang got married that year, a banquet was held in the palace. Zhao Ying, who was then the fourth young lady of the Zhao family, accompanied her brother to the banquet. It is said that she tried to drug Prince Ding but failed and ended up in a quagmire herself. In the end, she was saved by a guard.
The elders of the Zhao family all knew about this back then.
The old Duke and his wife grew tired of Zhao Ying, and disliked their third son as well.
The third brother also hated his younger sister intensely because of this, feeling that it was Zhao Ying's shameless behavior that led to this tragedy.
Not long after Zhao Ying married and moved to Jiangnan, her mother, Aunt Sun, passed away, and Zhao Ying gradually lost contact with the Zhao family.
Until a few years ago, when Zhao Ying and her husband passed away, the Duke of Zhao sent people to Jiangnan, but the two sisters were unwilling to come to the Zhao residence, so the Duke of Zhao gave up on the idea.
The old lady felt that the two sisters were ungrateful and was even more displeased.
To this day, Zhao Ying's two daughters have never visited the Zhao family even once when they come to Beijing. Perhaps Zhao Ying had given prior notice, not wanting her two daughters to have any contact with the Zhao family.
Seeing that her husband didn't speak, Zhang couldn't help but pinch him.
"You old scoundrel, speak up!"
Duke Zhao hissed, "I heard a few years ago that my little sister was suffering from a serious illness. I wonder if she has recovered? Send someone to check on her another day, so as not to frighten them."
Whether they want to return to the Duke's mansion or not depends on their wishes.
Madam Zhang hummed in agreement, recalling her smiling sister-in-law from her memories, and sighed.
In the generation of Duke Zhao, Zhao Ying was the only daughter.
Although the third son was no good, Zhao Ying used to seem like a well-behaved person.
The old lady used to treat Zhao Ying like her own daughter, but it was because of Zhao Ying's drugging incident that the old lady's heart turned cold.
Madam Zhang couldn't help but ask, "Back then, what exactly happened to Xiao Ying...?"
Duke Zhao frowned immediately and turned around, saying, "Don't ask anymore."
Zhang couldn't help but pinch him again.
"What exactly happened to He'an?"
Duke Zhao closed his eyes and did not answer.
Enough of this worrying.
The father and son are both eccentric.
She'll wait until she has time to meet the Xu sisters.
...
That night, Xu Chumian had a nightmare.
Perhaps it was because I had seen Zhao Yu so frequently these past two days.
She dreamed of many people, mostly scenes related to Zhao Yu.
Every New Year's Eve, the elders of the Zhao family would dine together at the Duke's Mansion, along with some younger members, making a total of nearly a hundred people.
Zhang Shi was a hands-off manager, and Xu Chumian had to prepare several days in advance every New Year's Eve.
To confirm the ancestral worship arrangements, we need to know which members of the Zhao family did not attend, and which family sent which gifts.
After New Year's Eve, we still need to sort out the return gifts for those who visited the Zhao family and maintain relationships with prominent families in the capital...
The year-end accounting of the estates, shops, and fields in the Zhao family's public accounts, as well as Zhao Yu's own private accounts...
One thing after another, she couldn't stop even on New Year's Eve.
Many scenes in the dream...
When she first married into the Zhao family, it was her first time settling accounts at the end of the year, and she was unfamiliar with the process. She missed calculating the accounts for one estate, which resulted in a shortage of money.
Zhang's words implied that Xu Chumian had embezzled the money herself. Xu Chumian felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, and she felt extremely embarrassed. While she was being reprimanded by Zhang, Zhao Yu was helping his cousin with her studies.
Hearing the sound, he merely glanced at Xu Chumian indifferently.
Finally, Xu Chumian and Xiao Tao and the others worked on it until midnight before they discovered this oversight.
However, it's a thousand taels less.
Zhang was just looking for an excuse to torment Xu Chumian.
Zhao Yu didn't think there was anything wrong with the Zhang family, and he quickly went through the account books.
It didn't take long for him to easily calculate the difference in silver.
After a busy day of preparing for the New Year's Eve banquet, Xu Chumian could only truly celebrate New Year's Eve by returning to Heyun Courtyard and having dinner alone with Zhao Yu and her sister.
The year before Xu Chumian died.
On New Year's Eve, Xu Chumian made a set of inner garments for Zhao Yu as a gift for the coming year.
As a result, news came from the palace that the Empress Dowager urgently summoned him, and Zhao Yu hurriedly put on his outer robe and left the Zhao family.
They didn't even have time for dinner.
When Zhao Yu returned to the mansion the next day, he had even changed out of his undergarments.
All sorts of past events resurfaced in my dreams.
When Xu Chumian opened her eyes, it was still dark.
She felt only peace.
...
Over the past two days, Xu Chumian's injuries have gradually improved.
At least when the gauze was removed, there was no blood left.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Judging from the time in Qingyan's letter, he would be returning to Beijing around this afternoon.
Xiao Qingyan was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and she had many wounds on her body, so she wanted to avoid the strong smell of blood from making him worry.
As evening approached, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard outside the courtyard.
A smile naturally appeared on Xu Chumian's lips as she lifted her skirt and quickly went to open the door.
Outside the courtyard, Xiao Qingyan nimbly dismounted. His face was sharply defined, with a smile playing on his lips, exuding a free and unrestrained air.
His eyes were lowered, and his amber pupils were filled with the image of his beloved.
A few days later, Xiao Qingyan had gotten a tan and lost weight.
After days of traveling, his voice had become hoarse.
"Chu Mian, I'm back."
Xu Chumian felt a lump in her throat and stood on tiptoe to wipe the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
Unable to bear the slow movements, Xiao Qingyan lifted Xu Chumian up and spun her around before finally pulling her into his arms.
It wasn't even dark yet when Xu Chumian punched Xiao Qingyan's shoulder. "Put me down, or someone will see us."
Xiao Qingyan leaned forward slightly, pulling Xu Chumian into his arms, his large hand gently stroking her long hair.
Xiao Qingyan's voice was tender: "I've missed you so much these past few days."
Xu Chumian slowly raised the corners of her lips.
Xiao Qingyan took a deep breath and gently cupped Xu Chumian's face in his hands.
"Chu Mian, I love you... Will you be with me?"
Xu Chumian looked up into his eyes.
She smiled, her earlobes turning red. "Qingyan, my heart feels the same way."
It was as if fireworks had exploded in Xiao Qingyan's ears, and his eyes, as bright as stars, were filled with surprise.
His eyes and brows were full of smiles as he gently kissed the top of the woman's head.
"Chu Mian, I will always be good to you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
