Chapter 27 Jie Yinnong extinguished the candles without hesitation...
Jiang Yunjin looked at her with a gloomy expression. His body's instincts were out of control, but his eyes were cold and sharp, a complex mixture of displeasure, repression, and warning.
He raised his hand and pulled down Cui Yiluo's hand on his waist, then turned around and walked out from behind the screen without hesitation.
Cui Yiluo rubbed the wrist he had pulled down, still tingling with the warmth of yesterday's fire. The corners of her mouth, raised slightly, slowly closed, and she calmly put away the measuring tape.
The shopkeeper and the servant who were waiting outside with a booklet to record the dimensions were all bewildered when they saw Jiang Yunjin coming out.
The shopkeeper was keenly aware of the low pressure around the man and said, "Sir, have you finished measuring?"
Jiang Yunjin said coldly, "Someone from the mansion will deliver it."
It was not until the man's figure disappeared at the door that the shopkeeper sensed something from the man's frugality in words and his expression of suppressed displeasure, but he could not understand why.
Between husband and wife, it is just an ordinary thing for a virtuous and considerate wife to measure her husband's size.
I saw the graceful woman behind the screen, walking out with the measuring tape in her pocket, looking calm as if nothing had happened.
The shopkeeper quickly put aside his thoughts and went to meet him.
Cui Yiluo's smile remained polite as she handed the measuring tape to the shopkeeper: "Just do as my husband says."
She had no explanation, and she didn't need one.
After leaving Huaming Pavilion, the carriage had already stopped in front of the door. The coachman was waiting outside with an embarrassed look on his face. Jiang Yunjin was already sitting in the carriage.
He is still so polite. Even if he is angry, he will not walk away without caring about anything.
Cui Yiluo was helped by Lilan into the car and opened the door. Half of the sunlight was blocked by Cui Yiluo, and the other half shone on the man sitting upright in the car.
He sat upright, the slight hint of displeasure he had just displayed now subsided, and he once again became the respectful, silent, and quiet gentleman he once was. The gentleman's way is to be indifferent yet not tiresome, concise yet refined, and gentle yet rational. Even when he was displeased, he wouldn't show it like others did.
"Husband."
Cui Yiluo walked over and sat down beside him.
Jiang Yunjin hummed briefly, raised his hand and tapped the car wall twice with his fingers.
The carriage walls were thick, and two extremely dull knocks were heard inside the closed carriage. Then the carriage started moving, and the sound of horse hooves stepped heavily on the ears.
The carriage was still silent, but the atmosphere was closed and dull, and the breath was suppressed as if it had sunk into the dust.
Cui Yiluo's voice was light and calm: "My husband, are you still angry?"
After the words were spoken, the car was silent for a few moments.
"Cui."
The voice came low and low, and Cui Yiluo was slightly startled. It seemed that except in front of the elders, he would call her by her name, but in private, he never did so. They were not an ordinary couple with close relationships. In the past, in private, he occasionally called her cousin, but more often, he called her Miss Cui.
"Just because you're married doesn't mean you can break the rules."
He didn't look at her, but stared straight ahead, with an aura of majesty surrounding him.
Cui Yiluo suddenly laughed. Was he angry about her breaking the rules, or about his uncontrollable desire that he couldn't react to according to the rules?
"Since my husband asked me to follow the rules of the Jiang family's young lady, I will do so."
Jiang Yunjin still had a cold expression. She clearly said the answer he wanted to hear, but he didn't seem to be relieved by it. Instead, his brows furrowed slightly.
Cui Yiluo changed the subject: "But since my husband considers me the Jiang family's young mistress, why hasn't he planned to hand over the affairs of the first house to me even after being married for half a month?"
He married her not for love, so she should find her place as a lady of an aristocratic family. She should follow the rules of a lady of an aristocratic family and have the power to manage the affairs of the household.
She knew that with the old lady around, it would be impossible for her to manage the Jiang family business in a short period of time. The affairs of the first house were originally managed by Jiang Yunjin's mother. After his mother passed away, the first housekeeper had been in charge.
Since they were married, she should take care of everything. But half a month after their marriage, he had never shown any intention of doing so.
On the one hand, he asked her to abide by the rules, but on the other hand, he didn't want her to get involved in the affairs of the room.
Jiang Yunjin paused, his brow furrowed even more tightly. He didn't seem to expect her to bring it up directly. After a few breaths, he opened his lips slightly and said, "I didn't mean that."
In Cui Yiluo's opinion, this statement was too flimsy to stand up to scrutiny. He attached great importance to rules and did things perfectly, but he had forgotten about this matter.
As if he couldn't get away with it, he added, "I'll have the steward hand over the accounts to you."
Cui Yiluo didn't expect him to agree so readily. After a while, she smiled softly, "Then I'll trouble you, my husband. Don't worry, I will do my best to be the young mistress of the Jiang family."
Jiang Yunjin glanced at her, frowned, and opened his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing and only responded softly.
After dinner, Jiang Yunjin went to the study as usual.
Cui Yiluo asked Lilan and learned that when they were in Huaming Pavilion, another rumor suddenly arose outside. The emperor sent the commander of the Yunyi Guard to investigate the spread of the rumor. It turned out that the second prince Xiao Jing was in collusion with the monks in the temple. The arson was just a cover. The rumor was later spread to seize power and usurp the throne.
Although the Emperor had yet to appoint a crown prince, and the Second Prince was the Empress's son, the Emperor had favored Concubine Qiong for many years, and everyone had seen it. The Fifth Prince was also equally favored as the Second Prince. The Second Prince could no longer sit still.
By tomorrow, everyone will think that the Second Prince is impetuous and intends to seize the throne.
Jiang Yunjin obviously had a plan in place. It was quite intriguing that something like this happened a few days before the Queen's birthday, the Queen's Thousand Years' Day.
Cui Yiluo naturally wouldn't bother with other things. After listening, she went to take a shower. When she came out, she saw Lilan had placed the book on the couch in the bedroom, and added silver dan grass to the tea.
Cui Yiluo asked doubtfully, "Lilan, didn't the previous one run out? When did you buy it?"
She only brought three jars from Ningzhou, and she gave one of them to Jiang Yunjin. She had the habit of reading in the evening, so she often added silver dan grass to tea, so the two jars were used up quickly. But it happened that there was a wedding ceremony, and Lilan was busy running around, so the matter was delayed.
Li Lan was equally bewildered. "Didn't the young lady ask someone to buy it for you? I just found it in the cabinet in the room."
As she spoke, she handed over the porcelain jar, which was exactly the same as the one she brought from Ningzhou.
Cui Yiluo's fingertips gently stroked the forsythia flower pattern on the porcelain jar, and her voice was cold: "No, this is the one I gave to Jiang Yunjin earlier."
The whole jar was still full, with no signs of having been used except for what was in her teapot. She could almost smell the cool aroma through the jar, which made her mind clearer.
Lilan understood and couldn't help but get angry: "I only kept two cans for myself and gave him one can. Why doesn't he appreciate my kindness?"
"He always does."
He naturally wouldn't use the things she gave him. Even after they got married, he only treated her as a lady to be treated according to etiquette, not as a wife he loved.
Cui Yiluo handed the porcelain jar back to Lilan. Lilan took it and asked tentatively, "Do you want to put it back?"
"No need," Cui Yiluo said in a slow voice, "If he doesn't use it, we'll use it ourselves. Why waste such a good thing?"
Lilan took it and saw Cui Yiluo calmly holding the book and flipping through the pages, just like usual. She didn't seem to be bothered by it, so Lilan felt relieved.
The night sky gradually became darker. Cui Yiluo turned the book back to the place where she started reading tonight. She felt that she read a little slower tonight. Perhaps it was because she had been out during the day and was inevitably tired. Even the silver dan grass was of no use.
Since Jiang Yunjin had promised her that he would hand over the main house's accounts, he would definitely do it. She would likely start taking over the books tomorrow. Jiang Yunjin's father had been a Imperial Censor, and her mother was from the Wang family of Yanzhou. The main house's businesses and estates must be a complex web. If she didn't manage it well, Old Lady Jiang would undoubtedly become even more prejudiced against her and would be even less likely to hand over the Jiang family business to her. Jiang Yunjin, deeply concerned about the family's success, was no exception.
Cui Yiluo frowned, picked up the candle snips and lampshade, and extinguished the candles one by one.
The happy characters they had posted during their wedding ceremony, as well as the bright red cushions and woven carpets embroidered with auspicious patterns, had all been replaced. As the candlelight in the room dimmed, the room's original coldness was revealed.
When the light went out in the corridor connecting the door to the bathroom, Cui Yiluo stood in the corridor for a moment, and finally, just like last night, she put the candle clippers in front of the bathroom and turned back to the bedroom.
She closed her eyes and fell into darkness, pulling herself under the covers. She opened them again when the door creaked softly. Jiang Yunjin had obviously been restraining himself to avoid waking her, but she was a light sleeper, and the slightest noise jolted her awake.
The sound of water came from the bathroom. Cui Yiluo stared at the tent and suddenly remembered the sound of water rushing beside her ears and body in the bathroom that night.
It lasted for a while, then the sound of water suddenly stopped, the bathroom door opened and closed, footsteps were heard for a few steps, and then suddenly stopped.
Through the curtain, Cui Yiluo glanced sideways and saw the man's figure stopped on the bamboo curtain in front of the bedroom by the candlelight in front of the bathroom door. The sharp lines of his profile became a little blurred through the curtain, and he even looked a little hesitant.
What was he doing standing in front of the bathroom? The faint light of the candle reflected in Cui Yiluo's eyes.
The next moment, the man moved, the candlelight suddenly dimmed, and the light reflected in Cui Yiluo's eyes also disappeared.
The scene in the tent was different from last night. Cui Yiluo turned slightly to the side, closed her eyes with a calm expression, and her long black hair cascaded towards the tent. She looked as if she had been sleeping for a long time.
A familiar breath came, the bamboo fragrance on his body was tinged with the slight aroma of bath beans. The bath beans used by aristocratic families were different from those used by ordinary people. Most of them had specially prepared recipes, which must contain precious spices. The fragrance was subtle and was a symbol of one's body.
When Cui Yiluo lived in the Cui family, she could not afford expensive spices. After she got married, she personally made a recipe according to ancient books and ordered someone to make it and put it in the bathroom.
If you use the same recipe, you will naturally have the same scent on your body. Therefore, the recipes of each branch of the family are private, and the same fragrance indicates an extremely close relationship.
In fact, there are more than just bath beans, there are also incense in the Boshan stove in the room, and fumigation baskets for fumigating clothes...
The man next to him was already lying upright, breathing steadily and evenly.
Cui Yiluo stopped thinking and closed her eyes again.
-
The next morning, the steward of the main house really handed the key to the accounting office to Cui Yiluo.
"Madam, I will take care of the business for the next few days. If you have time, you can come and see the shop. The eldest master means that from now on, you will be in charge of the business, and I will assist you. If you have any questions, you can ask me at any time."
Cui Yiluo smiled and said, "I'll have to trouble Manager Liu from now on."
After saying that, he glanced at Lilan, who immediately stepped forward and gave him a gold ingot.
Manager Liu didn't take it, but smiled respectfully, "You're too polite, Madam. I've worked for the eldest young master for many years, and he's never treated me unfairly. Now that he's married, it's my duty to hand over the accounts to her."
Cui Yiluo wasn't surprised by Manager Liu's refusal. Jiang Yunjin was a man of integrity, and his subordinates were naturally upright as well. His refusal wasn't a pretense. So she asked Lilan to take the gold back.
"I heard that Madam had already managed several shops before she got married. Madam is intelligent and smart, I think she will be able to handle it easily in no time."
After Manager Liu finished speaking, he picked up the account book and flipped through it while introducing it to Cui Yiluo.
Cui Yiluo's smile froze almost imperceptibly.
She seemed to have never told Jiang Yunjin that she had managed the shops left by her biological mother, so how did Jiang Yunjin know this? Or perhaps Manager Liu hadn't heard this from Jiang Yunjin. It wasn't impossible. After all, she was going to marry into the Jiang family, and Madam Jiang must have sent people to Ningzhou to investigate her background. It made sense for her to know this.
Cui Yiluo thought for a few moments, collected her thoughts, and started looking at the account book.
The eldest wife's family indeed had countless assets. Cui Yiluo had always seen Jiang Yun being so self-disciplined and had never imagined that he would have so much money.
Her eyes were sore from reading the numerous accounts. After dinner that evening, she had the account books, paper, pen, and abacus brought into her room, and began to look at them by the candlelight in her bedroom. She kept reading until the hour had passed. She had planned to go to bed before Jiang Yunjin returned, but she had forgotten. It was only when the bedroom door opened and closed that she was brought back to her senses.
A tall figure slowly appeared on the bamboo curtain. Cui Yiluo stared at the clear shadow. He seemed a little hesitant, but perhaps thinking of the mutual respect between husband and wife, he gently pushed aside the bamboo curtain with his slender fingers, and the handsome face behind the curtain slowly appeared in the candlelight.
Cui Yiluo had been very good at putting on a good face since she was a child. When she saw him push aside the bamboo curtain and come in, she put on a gentle smile and said, "My husband is back."
"Um."
Jiang Yunjin approached, his eyes glancing over the account books piled on the desk and the woven carpet on the floor. He spoke for the first time, "If you have any questions, just ask Manager Liu. He's been handling the accounts for the past five years, and he's always assisted us."
Jiang Yunjin seemed to have really given her the power to take care of the affairs. Cui Yiluo was suddenly a little shaken. Could it be that he had really forgotten about this matter because he was too busy with work?
"Yiluo understands."
Cui Yiluo felt relieved and stood up and walked out. "I'll go get someone to bring in some water."
"etc."
As he passed by her, he suddenly called her. His dark eyes stared at her face, causing Cui Yiluo to pause slightly.
"Husband?"
He continued to stare at her face, his fingertips twitching slightly at the side of his leg, but ultimately did nothing. Cui Yiluo waited for a few breaths before he softly said, "There's ink on your neck."
Although it was only a tiny bit, not even as big as a grain of rice, it was particularly noticeable on the snow-white, slender neck.
Cui Yiluo was startled, then curled her lips: "I can't see it myself, husband, can you help me point it out?"
The light in the bedroom was somewhat soft in the middle of the night. The man's eyes darkened, and then he gently raised his hand, clenched his slender fingers into a fist, and gently pressed his thumb on the side of her neck.
He returned late at night, feeling cold and his fingers were a little icy. When he touched her warm skin, Cui Yiluo trembled slightly uncontrollably.
With a little force, the ink mark disappeared, and the black ink turned into Jiang Yunjin's fingers.
Cui Yiluo smiled faintly and said, "Thank you, husband."
"Yes. Go to sleep first. I'll go get some water."
Cui Yiluo had been checking accounts for a whole day and was inevitably tired. Naturally, she would not refuse. After agreeing, she walked towards the bed.
Jiang Yunjin's eyes deepened. He turned around, closed the bamboo curtain, and called the servant to fetch water.
After the sound of water, Cui Yiluo naturally couldn't fall asleep, even though she was extremely sleepy. She keenly noticed that Jiang Yunjin stopped in front of the bathroom again, but quickly turned off the lights.
She suddenly raised the corner of her lips, her eyes tinged with interest. She turned slightly to the side, half facing the outside of the tent, just like last night.
The man who came in through the tent behind him took a deep breath, then he gently lifted the quilt and lay down.
The night passed peacefully.
The next day, Cui Yiluo got up very early, but Jiang Yunjin naturally got up earlier than her. After dinner, as usual, she went to pay her respects to Old Madam Jiang, but she didn't expect that before she went to pay her respects, the old lady sent someone to come in advance.
Ming Gu had a faint smile on her face, but her eyes were cold, "Young Madam, the old lady wants to see you."
Cui Yiluo stood in the yard, her eyes glancing at the account books that the servants were about to move back to the accounting office, her face slightly gloomy.
She followed Minggu into the old lady's room and saw the old lady sitting calmly on the seat of honor taking medicine. She didn't even raise her eyes when she heard her enter the room.
Cui Yiluo's eyes turned cold, but she still bowed as usual, "Granddaughter-in-law pays respects to grandmother."
"Well, get up."
The old lady responded casually and scooped up another spoonful of the dark medicine into her mouth.
The only sound in the room was the gentle tapping of the spoon against the white jade bowl. The dark liquid gradually dried up, revealing the crystal-white bottom of the jade bowl. Old Madam Jiang pressed her lips with a handkerchief before she spoke.
"Yiluo, take Ming Gu back with you later and give her the key to the accounting office. Ming Gu will be in charge of the main house's accounts from now on. You've just married into the Jiang family, so you'll need to get familiar with the situation before you start. After all, there are quite a few things left behind by Shen Zhi's parents, and you've never taken care of them before, so it would be stressful to start in such a hurry."
Cui Yiluo sneered in her heart. The old lady didn't give her any chance to get in touch with them, so how could she get familiar with them before getting started?
Minggu stood beside her, turned slightly, and was ready to leave the room.
Cui Yiluo replied with a certain firmness, "Grandma, my husband has already ordered the accounts to be handed over to me. Manager Liu will still be in charge for the time being. I'm just helping you learn. Since Grandma said you'll let me take care of it in the future, then the sooner I learn, the faster I'll get the hang of it, right?"
She directly refuted, and Madam Jiang's face immediately darkened.
"Your most important task right now is to expand the Jiang family. The eldest branch only has Shen Zhi, and the heirs are few. Cui, you must distinguish between the important and the unimportant."
Cui Yiluo kept smiling, and just as she was about to open her mouth again, the old lady's serious voice rang out again.
"And Shenzhi also knows about this."
Cui Yiluo's smile froze.
After returning to Yuzhuyuan, Cui Yiluo calmly ordered Lilan to find the key. Minggu took the key and spoke with a smile in her eyes.
"Young Madam, don't be sad. In fact, the Young Madam also understands that if the eldest son had not followed the etiquette, the Young Madam would probably not have been able to enter the Jiang family. The Jiang family is wealthy and powerful, and it has been passed down from generation to generation. It is for this glory that the old lady can't help but worry. I have watched the eldest son grow up. The eldest son has been sensible and reasonable since he was a child. He puts filial piety first and the Jiang family first. Naturally, he and the old lady are of the same mind. When he wanted to marry you, the young lady, the eldest son promised that he would not let the young lady touch the accounts."
Minggu's words seemed to comfort her, but in fact they were directly exposing the truth and humiliating her. Cui Yiluo's face grew even colder.
Ming Gu continued with a smile, "The eldest master may appear cold on the outside, but he's actually warm-hearted. Perhaps he felt it was difficult to refuse you, Young Madam, and that's why she misunderstood."
After saying that, Minggu opened her lips to continue.
"Now that you've got the key, please hurry back and report back. Don't keep Grandmother waiting anxiously."
Minggu was stunned. She didn't expect Cui Yiluo to directly drive her away. She was someone close to the old lady. Her face suddenly turned ugly. She casually bowed and left Yuzhuyuan.
After Minggu left, Lilan accompanied Cui Yiluo back to Jixuezhai.
"Miss, how could they do this to you? Why don't you talk to the eldest master again? If you speak frankly, there might be a chance for a turnaround."
Cui Yiluo shook her head, looked at the green bamboos on both sides of the stone road and suddenly sneered.
She actually believed Jiang Yunjin.
He cared so much about the prosperity of the Jiang family. He studied hard since he was young, and became even more diligent after entering the court. He was not intentionally avoiding her in the study every night. He did so every day, year after year.
How could such a person trust her, and how could he be willing to hand over the Jiang family to her?
Originally, Jiang Zhaoyue asked her to go out of the house today, but she postponed it because she had to look at the account books. Suddenly, she had some free time and suddenly felt that the days were particularly long.
The sun sets and the moon rises, and it is already late at night.
The lights in the bedroom were completely out, with only a faint light coming from the candles in the corridor.
Cui Yiluo stood in the aisle, holding a candle snuffer in her hand, and extinguished the candles without hesitation.
The bedroom was completely dark.
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The author said: "The way of a gentleman is to be plain but not boring, simple but elegant, warm but rational." From "The Book of Rites: The Doctrine of the Mean"
My cousin didn't agree, there was a misunderstanding [poor]
[Red Heart] Thanks to the babies who irrigated the nutrient solution: Cai Jin x1, He Qingyi x1
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