Chapter 15
When the Jin Dynasty unified the south of the Yangtze River, the Duke was ordered to garrison Xichang to resist Western Chu. During the battle between the two armies, the Duke broke the legs of King Jing'an, who was known as the Overlord of Western Chu. As a result, King Jing'an's prestige plummeted and he has been confined to a wheelchair ever since.
More than ten years have passed. Prince Jing'an's descendants have become talented and occupied important positions in Western Chu. He has finally regained some of his face, but his defeat at the hands of the Duke has always been a hatred in his heart. More than ten years later, Prince Jing'an brought his son and two grandsons to negotiate in Da Jin. He was willing to exchange the horses that Da Jin lacked for raw silk, salt, tea and the like. The condition was that his eldest grandson would be allowed to provoke the eldest grandson of the Duke, and the two would compete with each other. It didn't matter who won or lost, as long as they had a fight.
The emperor had no reason to refuse.
But the eldest princess was worried.
The Duke's Mansion claimed that the eldest grandson was the eldest master's eldest son, Uncle Wang Shuzhao. Therefore, the young master of Prince Jing'an chased Wang Shuzhao on the street. This young master was as handsome as a cheetah and had great martial arts skills. Wang Shuzhao was no match for him. How could the eldest princess watch her grandson die at the hands of the little cheetah?
Therefore, the eldest princess announced that a coming-of-age ceremony would be held for Wang Shuhuai in the imperial palace.
The Wang family of Langya crossed the sea to the south and returned to the north. They followed the customs of their homeland in the north as well as the cultural relics and rules of the south of the Yangtze River. In the north, strong men have to go through the ceremony of coming of age at the age of eighteen, while in the south, they have to go through the ceremony of coming of age at the age of twenty. It is not unreasonable for the eldest princess to follow the old customs of the south of the Yangtze River.
Wang Shuhuai agreed.
This time, the princess was forced to acknowledge that Wang Shuhuai was the eldest grandson of Duke Wang Guo's mansion and the heir of his bloodline.
But troubles loomed.
Seeing that Wang Shuhuai was dignified and calm, the other party couldn't help but have some dirty thoughts. He wanted to anger Wang Shuhuai, so he spread the word around the capital that if Wang Shuhuai lost, he would give his wife to him as a concubine. This did not anger the unmoved Wang Shuhuai, but it did anger his younger brother who was about to be sent back from the academy.
Xie Yunyou was impulsive by nature. He took the initiative to find the Prince of Jing'an and fought with him in the street. He was seriously injured and became lame. From then on, he had no chance of taking the imperial examination. Later, Aunt Lu and her son became more and more prosperous. His father was very disappointed with his brother and blamed him for being impulsive. The father and son almost became enemies.
This incident shocked the court and the public, and the court officials attacked King Jing'an. Seeing that the other party was so strong in martial arts, the emperor was worried that Wang Shuhuai would not be able to defeat him, so he cancelled the competition. Even though Wang Shuhuai, as a civil servant, led the army to flatten the Western Chu and avenge his brother a year before her death, his brother's life was ruined here.
When Xie Yunchu thought of this, he felt a sharp pain in his heart and almost burst into tears.
No matter what, she must twist the wheel of fate in this life.
Jiang thought of the eldest princess's attitude towards the second branch, who looked up to her but actually suppressed her, so she lost interest. "What's the big deal about a birthday party? There are so many elders in the family, how can it be the turn of a young person to have a big party? If the third brother's wife is interested, the whole family can just have a lively dinner together."
The Third Madam shook her head and said earnestly, "No matter what, Shu Huai is of a special status, and he deserves a big celebration for his twentieth birthday. Let's do this, Chu girl, let me take care of this matter."
Seeing that the Third Madam was so cautious, Jiang and Xie Yunchu had nothing to say and could only say that they were sorry for the trouble.
Xie Yunchu agreed verbally, but he knew in his heart that Wang Shuhuai's birthday party would not be held in the Duke's Mansion.
After the ladies left, Xie Yunchu returned to Chunjing Hall with a heavy heart. As soon as he entered the house, he told Nanny Lin,
"Mammy, please send someone back to the Xie Mansion to ask if You'er has returned. If he has, have him come to the palace to see me immediately."
Nanny Lin saw that Xie Yunchu's face was pale and anxious, and she said worriedly, "I will ask Uncle Lin to go to Xie's house right now. But young lady, what happened?"
Xie Yunchu pressed his brows tiredly, "It's just that I haven't been feeling very at ease lately. I'm a little worried about him."
Nanny Lin said no more and immediately sent Xia An to the outer courtyard to find Uncle Lin, Xie Yunchu's companion, and asked him to go to Xie's house.
Originally, she had agreed to go shopping with Xiao Youran today, but Xiao Youran was probably angry and didn't send anyone to pass on the message. Xie Yunchu didn't have the mood to think about it. She lay on the rattan chair pressing her solar plexus, trying to recall the situation in her previous life and think of a countermeasure.
She had no idea when the Western Chu delegation arrived in her previous life, so she could only look for Qiu Sui again, "Go to the front yard and find the steward Ming who is beside the eunuch, and ask him if there is any news in the capital recently."
Qiu Sui went and brought back a servant soon, who happened to be Ming Gui's younger brother Ming Lan.
Originally, the Ming family had the wife as a concubine, but now the father worked for the second master, and one of the two sons was assigned to Wang Shuhuai, and the other stayed in the outer courtyard to serve. After listening to Qiu Sui's words, Manager Ming thought that Xie Yunchu was bored, so he sent the smart and clever younger son over.
The servant stood in the corridor of the back house, describing what he saw and heard in the capital in vivid detail.
"The prince of the Prince's Mansion, Mr. Zheng of the Minister of Rites' Mansion, and Mr. Li of the Ninghou Mansion went to play a polo match yesterday. The venue was Jinxiu Manor in the south of Beijing. I don't know what the owner of the manor was thinking, he actually arranged a group of dancers for the dinner."
"Thank goodness, Prince Zhu was frightened away. Young Master Zheng was speechless and stammered, looking for an excuse to leave. Only the tall and mighty Second Young Master Li was left. Those girls all rushed towards him, but Young Master Li, who remained calm, slapped them away with a palm, and finally they piled up like a pile of monks."
"This matter has become a joke in the capital. Everyone laughs at those men for being henpecked."
When Nanny Lin and the others heard this, they couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh, "My dear monkey, please speak seriously. I don't believe this is true. Did Prince Zhu and Master Zheng really run away?"
The servant Minglan was also very clever. He knew that Xie Yunchu was close friends with those ladies, so he tried to amuse Xie Yunchu by telling her what she liked to hear. Unfortunately, Xie Yunchu had no intention of listening to him and asked directly,
"Has any diplomatic mission come to Beijing recently?"
The servant blinked and said, "Haven't you heard of it?"
Xie Yunchu's brows were deeply furrowed, and it seemed that he had not yet arrived in Beijing. He also instructed Nanny Lin to give the servant a few dimes to send him away.
Uncle Lin came back at noon and only said thank you Yunyou for not returning home yet.
Xie Yunchu thought about it, and without saying anything, he wrote a letter to Uncle Lin.
"You must find a proper person to personally deliver this letter to You'er, and tell him that his brother-in-law is currently repairing the Fish Scale Atlas, and that these volumes are very important to him. Please ask him to go to the library of Songshan Academy to find these volumes and then hand-copy them for me."
Based on her understanding of Xie Yunyou, he would not be able to complete this task within a month or two, so let him stay in the academy.
"Just say that everything is fine at home. As his elder sister, I don't expect anything from him. I just hope that he can concentrate on studying and pass the imperial examination. I have someone to back me up, so there's no need to return to Beijing unless necessary."
Wanwan entrusted Uncle Lin to hire a servant to look after Xie Yunyou for half a month and just ask him to stay away from this matter.
After making the arrangements, she felt a little more at ease.
I slept in a daze for an hour in the afternoon. By the end of the afternoon, I felt less dizzy and my sister-in-law, the third daughter Wang Shuyi, came to visit.
She first teased Ke Jieer who had just woken up, and then saw Xie Yunchu mending a small piece of clothing for Ke Jieer, so she came over to talk to her.
"I heard that Sister You Ran came over a few days ago, but unfortunately I didn't meet her. I wore the jade earrings she gave me last time very well. Sister-in-law, what does Sister You Ran like? I have to return the gift tomorrow."
Xie Yunchu looked at her calmly. Her small face was fair and pretty, and she looked 50% like Wang Shuhuai. Although she was beautiful, she did not have Wang Shuhuai's unique temperament, so she was much inferior. In her previous life, she treated Wang Shuyi with special favor and sincerity because she was the most like her husband. Unfortunately, Wang Shuyi was also a person who changed with the wind. Later, when he saw that she was hopeless, he became friends with Xie Yunxiu.
The reason why Wang Shuyi stayed close to her every day was because he fell in love with her second aunt's cousin Xiao Huaijin, Xiao Youran's biological brother, and tried every means to find out news about Xiao Huaijin from her.
It’s a pity that even though Wang Shuyi had a superior family background and outstanding appearance in her previous life, Xiao Huaijin still refused her.
Wang Shuyi failed to marry the man she loved, and because of love she turned into hate, she tormented him as much as she could.
For Xiao Huaijin's sake, Xie Yunchu would certainly not help her to make connections in this life.
"You Ran is not a person who cares about small things. You don't have to return the gift."
Wang Shuyi felt sad, "That won't do. This will make me, the eldest daughter of the Duke Wang's mansion, appear to be impolite."
"Didn't you give her a box of ointment first, and then she gave you a return gift? Why do you keep going back and forth, endlessly?"
She was eager for you to come and go. Wang Shuyi shyly pulled her handkerchief and said, "My box of perfume is not worth much. How can it compare to Sister Youran's gift?"
Xie Yunchu looked up at his sister-in-law's innocent appearance and said something provocative for the first time in his life.
"If you really feel guilty, why not just return the earrings to the owner." His tone was also firm.
Wang Shuyi looked at her blankly, unable to believe that her gentle and quiet sister-in-law would say such words. Tears slowly filled her eyes. She waited for Xie Yunchu to come and comfort her, but in the end, Xie Yunchu turned a blind eye. She could only leave in despair.
Nanny Lin sent the person away and came in to look at Xie Yunchu, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Why are you so impulsive today, young lady? Be careful or your little ancestor will come back and complain."
Wang Shuqin is the ancestor of the third house, and Wang Shuyi is the ancestor of the second house. They were both brought up in pampered conditions and had never been honored by anyone.
Xie Yunchu didn't even raise his head. "Let her be. I just don't want her to be an eyesore in front of me."
In her previous life, she was considerate of others in everything, and everyone took her efforts for granted. Why should she swallow her anger and be humble?
After Xie Yunchu finished speaking, he saw the young lady on the Luohan bed puffing up her cheeks and uttering two vague words, "An eyesore..."
Xie Yunchu pinched her chubby cheeks and said, "Yeah, our sister Ke is also a little eyesore."
Sister Ke thought it was a nice name and smiled so hard that her teeth were showing.
Xie Yunchu was amused by her, and the gloom in his heart was swept away.
Another day passed, and Wang Shuhuai did not return home. Xie Yunchu sent someone to bring Wang Shuhuai a lunch box as usual. After dinner, he took the child to the yard to digest the food. When the lights were about to come on, Xia An came along the corridor with a stack of banknotes in high spirits.
"Miss, your ghost ball has been sold. Duobao Pavilion just sent someone to deliver the silver note to Uncle Lin. The total amount was two thousand taels. The shopkeeper got five hundred taels and we got fifteen hundred taels. It was originally split 30-70, but the shopkeeper said the seller was straightforward, so he gave us one hundred taels."
Xie Yunchu was a little surprised. He handed the child to Chunqi and took the banknote himself. "You sold so much?"
Xia An said proudly, "Don't you see how well you carved it? I heard that the buyer praised it highly."
Xie Yunchu was holding a stack of banknotes, looking slightly dazed.
After a whole year's hard work and the love she had longed for, she only got a bland "thoughtful" from Wang Shuhuai, and ended up dying of old age. Fortunately, in this life, she stopped the loss in time and not only got 1,500 taels of silver, but also regained her clarity of mind.
Xie Yunchu was not well off. When her mother passed away, she left all her dowry to her and her younger brother, half to her and half to her. When she got married, the Xie family added another two thousand taels of silver. Together with Wang Shuhuai's betrothal gift, all she had in dowry was only ten thousand taels of silver, and most of it was items.
After her rebirth, Xie Yunchu had always wanted to do some small business, but she had no capital. Now this "ghost ball" has become her first pot of gold.
Xie Yunchu took the banknote and slowly walked back to the main room, thinking about what kind of business he would do.
Tongde Hall at this time.
Dou Keling fiercely grabbed the third master Wang Shukuang's ear, and burst into tears, without any of her usual dignity.
"What kind of shady soup did you eat to secretly withdraw so much money? Tell me the truth, what did you do?"
After three years of marriage, Dou Keling tried her best to squeeze out several hundred taels of silver from the public treasury, but now it was all squandered by her husband.
Third Master Wang Shukuang was also very guilty, and he quickly comforted his wife, "Ling'er, don't worry, listen to me, this is what happened."
"You talk, I'm listening." Dou Keling yelled into his ear, making Wang Shukuang dizzy.
In order to relieve the pain, he hugged his wife around the waist with both hands. Dou Keling could not stand his teasing and her body almost went limp, so the strength in her hands naturally weakened.
Wang Shukuang seized the opportunity to explain, "Father told us yesterday that my brother will be celebrating his twentieth birthday in a few days, and asked us brothers and sisters to send him a birthday gift together. You know my second brother, he has a sharp eye, and ordinary things are not pleasing to him. So my fourth brother and I went to the Duobao Pavilion in the capital to get such a unique ghost-crafted ball. You didn't see it, the workmanship is exquisite, and there are seven layers inside. I heard from the shopkeeper that it took a whole year to make it."
Dou Keling didn't have time to listen to his details. She sat on his lap and asked, "How much silver?"
Wang Shukuang touched his nose and replied awkwardly, "A total of two thousand taels, five hundred taels for mother, five hundred taels for father, and four hundred taels for me and my fourth brother each. Originally, it was said that my sister would not contribute, but later she asked mother to give her share, saying that if we brothers and sisters work together, there will be hope for the second house."
"Twenty years old is considered adulthood. Second brother is the backbone of our second branch. It's not too much for us to pool money to celebrate his birthday, don't you think?"
When Dou Keling heard that all her hard work had ended up in the pockets of Xie Yunchu and Wang Shuhuai, she felt like a piece of flesh had been cut out of her heart, and she started punching and kicking her husband.
My father-in-law is a scoundrel who even instigated his sons to do some unreliable things.
The money had already been spent. She had to deal with her parents-in-law's orders and her own brothers. Dou Keling had no way of saying anything. In the end, she just kicked her husband off the bed and went to sleep.
Xu Shiwei was not as fierce as Dou Keling. She just pulled her husband's sleeve and cried, which made the Fourth Master Wang Shutong very confused. The Fourth Master was a dull man and didn't know how to comfort his wife. In the end, he simply carried her to the bed and pressed on her. Xu Shiwei could only gasp for breath and didn't care about the money at all.
The next day, Wang Shuhuai returned home in the middle of the night.
Minggui personally presented this valuable birthday gift to him respectfully.
The tall man changed out of his loose official uniform and put on a moon-white robe. He glanced at the brocade box inadvertently.
"What's going on?"
Minggui opened the brocade box with a smile, facing Wang Shuhuai, and gestured, "Second Master, please look, this ghost-crafted ball is extremely exquisite and rare in the world. It is a birthday gift given to you by the master and his wife, the third master and the fourth master, and the young lady."
Wang Shuhuai was slightly stunned, his narrow eyes lowered and he stared at the ghost ball for a moment. He was a person who never showed his emotions, so it didn't seem that he was very happy. But then he played with the thing in his palm and didn't put it down. Minggui knew that he was satisfied.
It is no secret that Wang Shuhuai likes this thing. When he was young and studying, he carved a three-layer Hetian jade ghost ball by himself. But the ivory ghost ball in front of him has seven layers. It would take at least three months for a skilled craftsman to make it, and it would take him a year to do it in his spare time.
Wang Shuhuai had no choice but to accept the gift from his family, saying, "It's too expensive."
Minggui smiled, "You are celebrating your twentieth birthday, so it is reasonable for the master and his wife to be so cautious."
Wang Shuhuai asked Minggui to step back and began to examine the ghostly ball in front of him, also called the concentric ball.
The whole thing is milky white, with layers of hollowing out, and each layer has a different carved pattern. The outermost layer is carved with auspicious dragons and phoenixes. He found a small silver needle and moved it inside. The pattern of the second layer slowly turned from the hollow part, symbolizing the four scenes of spring, summer, autumn and winter, the third layer is twin flowers and mulberry trees, the fourth layer is a full moon, the fifth layer is many children and blessings, the sixth layer is the sound of musical instruments, and the innermost layer is a heart-to-heart bond, and it seems that there are words engraved on it, but the light couldn't get in at night, so Wang Shuhuai didn't take a close look.
The patterns are complex, exquisite, and have good meanings.
Look at the beautiful and graceful lines. Could it be made by a female craftsman? Wang Shuhuai was full of admiration. He played with it for a while, put it on the base, and put it in the dark box behind him.
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