Chapter 673: Micro-movement (Part 2)

On the Dragon Boat Festival, the Xu family's back garden was as bright as a starry sky.

The lady-in-waiting held Xu Lingkuan in one hand, and walked among the flowers and trees with lanterns hanging on them with a smile on her face. She would turn her head from time to time to talk to the Eleventh Lady, the Fifth Lady and others behind her. The children were running around and playing among the lanterns, making the place more lively than during the Chinese New Year. Jiang's eyes could not help but turn to the Eleventh Lady. She was responding to the lady-in-waiting's words, smiling and with a gentle expression.

Who doesn't love such a scene?

Jiang couldn't help but sighed softly. After the banquet, she gently advised Xu Sinian: "Father-in-law and mother-in-law don't care about food and clothing. If you do this, won't your father-in-law and mother-in-law think it's too extravagant?" Xu Sinian couldn't help but frown.

My wife had been in a low mood since dinner, and when she saw the lanterns all over the yard, the smile on her face even became a little forced. Now she asked this question again...

He thought for a moment, holding Jiang's hand, "I also know that I spent a lot of money, but I didn't use the public money, I used all our own money. I thought that I was married and I was an adult. This is my first Dragon Boat Festival after getting married, and it is also my mother's first birthday. If I can buy a special birthday gift for my mother, she will definitely be very happy." As he spoke, his voice became lower, "I also want to make you happy... If you don't like it, I will no longer act on my own in the future, and I will discuss everything with you before doing anything, what do you think?"

Jiang was very anxious. From her tone, it seemed as if she was reluctant to let him go.

"If you can make the elders happy, no matter how much money you spend, it is not extravagant." Jiang said hurriedly, "I just want to say that the gift-giving method should be considered. If it suits the temperament, the happiness will be different. It's like giving a sword to a hero, and giving a beauty to a beautiful woman. It's just the right thing..."

"I understand what you mean." Xu Sizhen's eyes showed some confusion, "Grandmother and mother are both well-informed. They have a lot of rare jewelry and precious fabrics, so they are not rare at all. It took me two months to come up with this idea, and I hired three lantern shop masters. It took more than a month to make this lantern..." He laughed, "You can see that grandma and mother are very happy. It's obvious that they like this gift very much."

Jiang had no choice but to bring up Xu Lingyi: "If the father-in-law comes back and asks about it..."

"Then you don't have to worry." Xu Sizhen smiled, his eyebrows relaxed, and whispered: "Father once spent 8,000 taels of silver to buy a set of emerald headdresses for mother. I only spent 3,000 or 4,000 taels of silver... Father will definitely not say anything if he knows."

The emerald headpiece can be passed down as a family heirloom, but this gauze lantern can no longer be used after being used twice. Besides, the family's property was earned by my father-in-law, so he can use it however he wants. His personal money was either given by my father-in-law or left by my deceased mother-in-law... How can this be compared!

"Husband..." Jiang wanted to persuade him, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Xu Sizhen smiled and said, "Okay, okay. Don't worry about it. Even if your father blames you, I'm here to take care of you. Just sleep well." As he spoke, his hand gently landed on her bulging belly, "You are not alone now. If you don't sleep well, he won't sleep well either..."

His words reminded her of another incident.

"Husband, do you want to let Ge Rui serve you..." Before she finished speaking, her expression was already a little awkward.

Before Xu Sizhen got married, he took his personal maid E Rui as his concubine. After Jiang came to marry, she soon became pregnant. Generally, in such a situation, the wife would arrange her personal maid to serve the master in order to prevent the concubine who had a relationship with the master since childhood from becoming a big woman. But Xu Sizhen fell in love with Jiang at first sight, and Jiang saw that E Rui was very honest, so she kept her.

"No need!" Xu Sizhen tucked the quilt for Jiang, "I'll stay here with you, you're pregnant!" Jiang felt sweet in her heart, and her unhappiness just now disappeared.

She held her husband's hands tightly. The tiredness from accompanying the elders to walk around the garden soon made her fall into a deep sleep.

A few days later, it was Xu Sizhen's birthday. The lady and Shiyi Niang discussed inviting relatives and friends to come, set up three tables of banquets for him, and invited people from the Changsheng Society to sing in the hall.

There were loud drums and gongs on the stage, and laughter in the audience. Everyone was eating and drinking happily.

Eleventh Lady gave Xu Sizhen a palm-sized glass crystal cup that looked like a lotus: "Your fifth brother helped me find it in front of Xiangguo Temple. It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Xu Sizhen couldn't let it go: "It's very beautiful, I like it very much." He smiled and thanked Xu Sizhen.

Xu Sizhen smiled and took out a fist-sized blue and white porcelain lantern with a carved vine flower pattern: "I saw this in Duobao Pavilion, I'm giving it to you on behalf of my sixth brother." He also took out a sheepskin revolving lantern the size of a large bowl with a painting of the four scenes of the Western Hills, "This is mine, just like my mother's glass lantern, I bought it from a stall next to the Xiangguo Temple." He gave all the things to Xu Sizhen, "Although I don't know how much they cost, I think they are all cute."

Xu Sizhen's eyes lit up. He looked at this and touched that. He didn't know what to do. "I want to hang these three lanterns in my study... No, hang them on the Luohan bed in the warm room. When I lie down and read, I can see them as soon as I raise my head."

"As long as you like it!" Eleventh Lady smiled.

As he was speaking, Xu Sijian ran over and said, "Oh, fourth brother, you're so lucky. When can you treat us to a meal?" He still loved teasing people.

"Okay!" Xu Sizhen said happily, "You can choose any place you want."

"How about Cuihua Hutong?" Xu Sijian asked seriously.

That was a famous place of entertainment in Yanjing.

Xu Sizhen's face flushed red: "Or, let's go to another place!" He spoke a little haltingly.

Xu Sijian laughed, turned to the lady and said, "Fourth brother even knows this place!"

Even if you don't know, you can tell it's not a good place by looking at his shabby look.

"Come here!" The lady waved at Xu Sijian, "I'll make you behave yourself." She pinched his ear.

"Ouch!" Xu Sijian covered his ears with his hands, pretending to be in unbearable pain, "Grandfather, please be gentle. I am also a sixth-rank official. How can I face you like this!"

The whole room burst into laughter.

Jiang was a little disappointed.

When she saw that Eleventh Lady had given Xu Sizhen many lanterns with unique designs but cheap prices, she thought that Eleventh Lady would take the opportunity to persuade Xu Sizhen, but Eleventh Lady said nothing.

Amber also asked privately: "Madam, didn't you say you wanted to remind the Fourth Young Master a few words?"

"Let's find another opportunity!" said Eleventh Lady. "There are too many people here. He has good intentions. I'm afraid he will lose face."

Amber nodded.

But before Shiyi Niang could find the opportunity, Xu Lingyi and Jiang'er suddenly came back.

"Why didn't you ask the servant to deliver a message overnight?" She hurriedly asked the kitchen to cook, found some clothes for Xu Lingyi to change into, helped her son take a bath, and told the maid to take out all the clothes in their boxes and wash them, "so that we can be prepared at home." She added, "Didn't he say he might not come back until after summer? Why is he here so early? It's so hot to travel in summer!"

"He Chengbi won a great victory in Fujian and wiped out all the Japanese pirates in Pinghaiwei." He looked at Shiyi Niang with a blazing gaze, "The emperor appointed He Chengbi as the general of Fujian."

Eleventh Lady didn't know who He Chengbi was, but in recent years, Fujian's wars had relied heavily on the Jinghai Marquis Qu family.

"Does this mean that from now on the court will have generals available for naval warfare?"

Xu Lingyi laughed, "Right. He not only pacified Pingwei Sea, but also pacified Hengyu before." His joy was beyond words, "I no longer care about the Qu family." He lay in the pine wood bathtub, looking up at the two tiles on the bathroom, "Twelve years..."

Some things are never forgotten.

The faint voice floated in the misty house, making Shiyi Niang's eyes slightly sad.

"My Lord!" She rubbed his back.

His back had clear lines, was broad and strong. She didn't know why, but she always felt that his shoulders were too tired. She wanted him to rest for a while. Whenever the handkerchief brushed past him, she would hold the corner of it with her hand, fearing that the weight would make him feel tired.

For a while, the clean room was silent and the only sound was each other's breathing, but it didn't feel monotonous or boring. With each breath, it was like singing in harmony, asking and answering, which gradually became a frequency that made people feel comfortable.

"Lord!" A little maid's timid voice broke the silence of the clean room, "Lord Yong is here!"

Xu Lingyi stood up, and the sound of water splashing filled the room: "Please go to the small study, Your Majesty. I'll be right there!" His voice was cool and cold, and Eleventh Lady's heart was pounding.

As if sensing her uneasiness, Xu Lingyi turned around and held her hand: "It's okay! Our brother Jian hasn't started a family yet!"

Eleventh Lady smiled and nodded, quietly hugged Xu Lingyi for a moment, turned around to get him some clean clothes: "My Lord, would you like to wear official uniform or casual clothes?" Her voice was clear and without a single wave.

In mid-July, the emperor sent three letters of inquiry in one day to Marquis Jinghai for the unfavorable results of the Taizhou campaign, which kicked off the impeachment and condemnation of the Ou family both inside and outside the court.

The octogenarian Marquis of Jinghai personally went to the capital to plead guilty, but died of illness in Guangze County on the border of Fujian. The emperor did not let the case go, but posted a notice outside the Meridian Gate to denounce the Qu family for 36 crimes when the family reunited during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Qu family was subsequently stripped of their titles, their property was confiscated, their direct descendants were executed, and their collateral descendants were exiled. The family business of more than 200 years was destroyed in one day.

The Fujian family was reshuffled. They didn't recover for the next five years. However, Yanjing had already found new bargaining chips - when He Chengbi awarded rewards to his subordinates, Li Ji, the second son of Li Zhong, the former Fujian general, was ranked first.

The old events of that year were brought up again. Li Zhong became a tragic figure who was unlucky at the time, while Li Ji became a young hero who revived the family.

"The fact that he was hired by He Chengbi is nothing to be underestimated, not to mention that he was given the first place by He Chengbi." Xu Lingyi threw down the official report in his hand and said lazily.

Everything was going as he hoped, and there was a hint of excitement on his calm face, making him look several years younger.

"So many years have passed, the emperor shouldn't hold on to the matter of Li Zhong, right?" Eleventh Lady sat beside him and made a bellyband for Jiang'er.

"Now is the time to use people." Xu Lingyi said calmly, "Besides, Li Zhong's actions at that time were also unclear and confusing. The emperor will not bring up the past again."

As he was speaking, the servant ran in breathlessly: "My Lord, Prince Yong is here!"