Chapter 93 Snow Every Year "I'm... quite happy too..."
Three days later, on the morning of the same day, Xue Chan and Jiang Ce returned to their family home.
They were greeted by Xue Chenghuai and Madam Zhou.
Cheng Huaizhu rushed over as soon as Xue Chan entered the room, before Zhou Niangzi could even call out to her, she was already in front of the two of them.
She excitedly reached out to take Xue Chan's hand, but when she caught sight of Jiang Ce out of the corner of her eye, her smile vanished instantly.
"snort!"
Cheng Huaizhu didn't speak, but then felt that she was showing her emotions too obviously.
I thought about it for a while.
She forced a fake smile at Jiang Ce and gently pulled Xue Chan away.
Jiang Ce stood on the stone steps, his eyes wide open, unable to figure it out no matter what.
He didn't provoke the Second Miss Cheng, did he? Why does it feel like she's always disliked him?
It must be an illusion.
Jiang Ce strode down the stone steps and followed the two to the flower hall.
Xue Chenghuai was speaking softly to Xue Chan.
"Your son-in-law greets your father-in-law!"
Jiang Ce strode forward, bowed, and changed his address, his voice so loud it startled the birds into flight.
Xue Chenghuai raised his face, and his smile froze instantly.
Jiang Ce thought: This is not an illusion.
So he earnestly called out "Father-in-law" again, bowing even more deeply and showing even greater respect.
Xue Chenghuai turned his head and carefully examined Xue Chan standing to one side before sighing inwardly, "Bo Zhou, no need for formalities."
Jiang Ce's eyes lit up, and he became bolder, surrounding Xue Chenghuai with one father-in-law on each side.
After Cheng Ying and the others finished their court session, they had a homecoming banquet together, and then Xue Chenghuai called him away.
Jiang Ce followed behind: "Father-in-law, is there anything you would like to tell your son-in-law?"
Xue Chenghuai walked ahead, gripping his cane tightly. He didn't want to hear the words "father-in-law" again.
"I need to talk to you about something."
"Yes, father-in-law."
The two walked further and further apart, and Xue Chan returned to the house she had lived in before.
Except for her belongings, everything remained the same.
Cheng Huaizhu entered at some point: "Sometimes when I come here, I always feel that you haven't gotten married yet. You've just gone out, and you'll come back in the evening, or the next day. We'll still live together, reading, writing, playing polo, and rope skipping."
She sat on the edge of the empty bed, head bowed in disappointment.
Xue Chan sat down next to her: "Huaizhu, whether I get married or not, we are still sisters. Let's go to the Sanqing Temple to worship the Immortal together another day. We'll ask the Immortal God to let us be sisters again in the next life."
Cheng Huaizhu was amused by her and leaned her head on Xue Chan's shoulder: "I'm not a child anymore, you always like to coax me like you did when I was little."
Xue Chan patted her hand: "I'm willing. Others might try to coax me, but I'll coax you."
Cheng Huaizhu burst out laughing, then turned her face away, burying her face in her shoulder and trembling.
"I think it's good to be a child, with so many people being kind to me."
“You deserve it, Huaizhu.”
Cheng Huaizhu yawned, already feeling a bit sleepy.
Xue Chan took off her shoes and lay down with her for a midday rest.
Yun Shengming lowered the curtain, and some scorching sunlight shone in from outside, making it soft and bright.
Cheng Huaizhu didn't say anything, but just held her arm very tightly.
Xue Chan asked her softly, "Huaizhu, is something on your mind? You seem a bit down lately."
Cheng Huaizhu, who had buried herself in the blanket, opened her eyes, somewhat lost in thought.
A few days ago, she slipped into Cheng Qingpei's study to read.
There were some books he wouldn't let her read on ordinary days, but Cheng Huaizhu would sneak in to read them when he wasn't around, and then sneak out again right after court.
She's done it many times.
A few days ago, she also slipped into the study.
She heard voices outside before the appointed time. Afraid of running into Cheng Qingpei if she went out directly, and getting caught if she stayed inside, she simply hid in the box he used to store books.
She hid inside, listening to the sounds outside.
Before long, Cheng Ying's voice was heard, followed by Cheng Qingpei's.
Through the box, Cheng Huaizhu heard her father's voice tremble slightly: "Qingpei, why are you so determined to reopen the Tongzhou case?"
Cheng Qingpei said, "For justice, for innocence, and for the vindication of the wronged."
His voice was clear and resounding as he asked Cheng Ying, "Father, I have been studying and learning etiquette since I was a child, and this is exactly what you taught me. Is this a mistake?"
Cheng Ying took two breaths, her tone very serious: "Qingpei, do you know why His Majesty still ordered the Deng family to be beheaded, even though there were suspicious circumstances?"
Cheng Qingpei paused for a moment, then said firmly, "It's because His Majesty made a mistake."
"No! Embezzling disaster relief funds and delaying disaster relief efforts have caused resentment and riots among the people."
Cheng Ying retorted, then said, "Because such a thing is enough to shake the people's hearts, and stabilizing the people's hearts is the first priority, rather than the truth. Even if it wasn't the Deng family, there was the Wang family, the Li family. In short, it can't be the fault of the imperial family."
He went further and questioned Cheng Qingpei.
"And now you're asking His Majesty to reopen the Tongzhou case, aren't you just forcing His Majesty to admit his mistakes? Can you guarantee that the evidence you have will be able to thoroughly investigate the matter? Can you give His Majesty an explanation? Do you know that perhaps... your career is coming to an end?"
"Qingpei...you'll regret this."
Cheng Ying couldn't bear it anymore, and even inside the box, Cheng Huaizhu still felt a pang of sorrow and reluctance.
She curled up in the box, covering her mouth to keep from crying.
Her brother was upright and honest from a young age. He studied hard for more than ten years and passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen. He was even selected as the third-ranked scholar by the emperor in the palace examination.
Cheng Qingpei remained gentle, but the look in his eyes when he looked at his father was extremely firm.
He chuckled softly, lifted his robe, knelt down, and asked Cheng Ying.
“When my father was young, he spoke out for a mother and daughter surnamed Lin, risking his life and even disguising himself as a beggar to travel thousands of miles to appeal to the capital. Later, he was even imprisoned and almost died unjustly.”
He asked him.
Do you regret it?
Cheng Ying froze on the spot for a moment, speechless.
At that time, while he was in prison, Deng Hui, who had helped him submit the petition, asked him the same question.
How did he answer at the time?
No regrets
Cheng Qingpei, her voice hoarse, with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, continued to ask him.
If you could do it all over again, would you do it again?
Cheng Ying closed her eyes.
"meeting"
Cheng Qingpei laughed and knelt down to kowtow.
"Qingpei is a child raised by his parents, and he has been taught since childhood that he should not disgrace them. Huaizhu is not yet married, so please, Father, remove your unfilial son from the Cheng family genealogy."
Cheng Ying slumped into a chair, burying her face in her hands on the table.
Cheng Huaizhu didn't know how long she had been curled up in the box; she just cried silently until she fell asleep.
"Huaizhu?"
Seeing that she did not answer for a long time, Xue Chan assumed that she had fallen asleep.
Afraid that she would feel suffocated, Xue Chan lifted a corner of the blanket to touch her face, but instead touched two lines of tears.
"What's wrong?"
Cheng Huaizhu smiled faintly, buried her face in her arms and mumbled, "It's nothing, I just missed you so much."
Xue Chan and Jiang Ce didn't leave the Cheng residence until almost evening, and Cheng Huaizhu was somewhat reluctant to part with them.
Xue Chan smiled and said, "I'll send you and Miss Xiao a visit to my residence another day."
Cheng Huaizhu nodded.
She stopped laughing when the two were quite far apart and almost out of sight.
Cheng Qingpei said softly, "Huaizhu, your father and I brought you some osmanthus sugar cakes from Jixiang Shop. Didn't you keep asking someone to buy them for you the other day?"
Cheng Huaizhu looked up, her eyes instantly reddening. She pouted but didn't cry, her eyes were just brimming with tears.
Cheng Qingpei smiled and said, "What's wrong? Are you reluctant to part with Qiaoniang...?"
"Brother, I'm not getting married."
He wanted to take out a handkerchief to wipe Cheng Huaizhu's tears, but she blurted out such a childish sentence.
Cheng Qingpei said helplessly, "Why are you saying such silly things?"
Cheng Huaizhu raised her head, wiped away her tears, sniffed, and said earnestly, "I'm serious. I'm not getting married. It's enough for our family to stay together."
"Huaizhu..."
Cheng Qingpei raised his hand and gently placed it on the top of her head. After a long while, he spoke.
"Alright, it's cold outside, don't stand there anymore. Go back and eat some sugar cakes with your maids, they won't taste good if they're left out too long."
"Um....."
--
Xue Chan and Jiang Ce rode back in the carriage. Jiang Ce leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Let's have osmanthus sugar cakes tonight. Do you want some?"
Xue Chan replied lazily, "Whatever."
Jiang Ce stopped talking and simply leaned against her side to take a nap.
The two nestled together, and by the time they arrived at the Marquis's residence, it was already dark.
Jiang Ce happily made sugar cakes for Xue Chan, and then took her to the garden to brush off the last of the autumn osmanthus blossoms.
Xue Chan and he were washing osmanthus flowers when someone outside handed them an invitation.
Where did it come from?
"They say it's a sunken house in Yongning Lane."
Xue Chan thought for a moment and realized that she didn't seem to know many people with the surname Shen.
Jiang Ce took it and looked at it again: "Hey? It's Shen Zhe's letter."
Xue Chan used gauze to drain the wet osmanthus flowers and spread them in the basket, saying, "When did you become so close to him?"
"Well, about this..." He asked, a little embarrassed, "What, am I the kind of person who's incredibly petty?"
Xue Chan glanced at him, said nothing, and silently turned around to squeeze the water out of the rinsed osmanthus flowers.
Jiang Ce was immediately displeased and poked her arm: "He has a childhood sweetheart fiancée, but she is in mourning, so he has been waiting until now. He passed the imperial examination this time so that he could marry her."
"However, I think His Majesty's bestowal of a marriage upon him may have been a shock, which is why he rushed back to his hometown to get married."
Xue Chan asked, "A marriage decree? What marriage decree?"
Jiang Ce whispered in her ear, "Not many people know about this. It's about a while ago, His Majesty wanted to bestow a marriage upon him, but he refused."
Then Yulang wouldn't be...
The two of them put the osmanthus flowers into a small jar and made a new jar of candied osmanthus flowers together.
As late autumn ends, early winter arrives.
As soon as Jiang Ce finished his wedding, the emperor immediately ordered him to continue his post.
Because of the Ning Prince incident, many people were implicated, and some even fled to other places. Jiang Ce was ordered to pursue and capture the remaining members of the gang.
No sooner had he left the capital than a letter arrived from outside. Cheng Qingpei had presented his findings from his investigation in Tongzhou at the morning court session, requesting the emperor to reopen the Tongzhou case.
Before Xue Chan could even go to the Cheng family, Consort Xue summoned her to the palace.
Perhaps seeing her worry, Consort Xue said, "You don't need to worry too much about the Cheng family's affairs. Everything will have its due outcome."
Xue Chan was very surprised to hear this, and wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
Consort Xue remained calm, turning the pages of her book with her usual laziness.
Xue Chan shut her mouth and didn't ask any more questions.
"How's the child? How are you two?"
She smiled gently, pursing her lips: "It's great, I'm... quite happy too."
Consort Xue lowered her eyes and carefully examined her slightly flushed face, only then revealing a gentle and gratified smile.
Have you seen all the makeup I've put on you?
Xue Chan smiled and said, "I've read part of it, but the Empress's offer was a bit too generous."
Xue Chenghuai gave her almost all of his wealth. In recent years, he has been selling paintings and taking on students, and all that money has become Xue Chan's dowry.
Even without the phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, Consort Xue still had a lot of extra makeup.
"There's nothing else, except there's a garden on the Wei River called Ai Garden. It's nestled against the mountains and by the water, with beautiful scenery and a hot spring. Whether you want to stay there temporarily to paint or something else, it's fine."
Xue Chan's eyes reddened, and she buried her face in her knees, tears streaming down her face.
Consort Xue gently stroked her back.
After noon, the emperor arrived at the Funing Palace, and Xue Chan tactfully left.
The palace servants took her around.
Behind the Funing Palace was a waterside pavilion with several plum trees. However, at this time, the plum trees were still bare branches. She was going to go and check on the red fish.
Before even entering the waterside pavilion, I saw someone leaning against the balustrade.
Xue Chan was about to slip away quietly when she was suddenly called back.
"Stop right there, come here."
She turned and walked into the waterside pavilion, where Yu Lang had already turned to look at her.
Xue Chan bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Yu Lang sighed and said, "Sit with me for a while."
Xue Chan sat down beside her, but Yu Lang didn't say anything, just stared blankly at the red fish in the pond.
She didn't speak, and Xue Chan didn't say anything either, they just stared at the few red fish playing together.
"You said..." Yu Lang suddenly spoke, his voice slightly lower, "Am I alright?"
Xue Chan said earnestly, "In terms of status, Your Highness is a princess. His Majesty even built a princess's residence for you when you were young, and you are pampered and spoiled. In terms of appearance, you are beautiful and elegant. As for other things, you are even more outstanding."
Yu Lang said softly, "I think I'm good too."
“No, it’s excellent!” she emphasized again.
Xue Chan smiled and said, "Yes, why should Your Highness be sad?"
Yu Lang retorted, "I am not saddened."
Xue Chan smiled in agreement, "This winter is too bleak; the autumn flowers have fallen, and the plum blossoms haven't bloomed yet. Perhaps Your Highness would be happier if you went to see somewhere else?"
Yu Lang pondered her words carefully for a moment, then stood up.
"You, come with me out of the palace and to my residence."
"ah?"
She acted decisively, giving Xue Chan no chance to react. After informing Consort Xue, she put her in a carriage and left the palace.
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