Chapter 30
June 15th is the hottest day of the year. The royal families and wealthy families, who are kind and charitable, open their doors and halls on this day and give away medicinal foods and medicines to the common people. The reputation of the Wang Guogong Mansion is great, and the people come to get medicines and medicines in an endless stream.
When the weather was hot, the maids and servants set up awnings at the side door and the back door and prepared some jelly and cold tea.
Ke Jie'er loved to be lively, so Xie Yunchu asked the wet nurse to hold her and play in the pergola. The little girl had a touch of cinnabar on her forehead, thick eyebrows and big eyes, just like the Fuwa in the New Year pictures. She looked at the people coming and going with curiosity. The people passing by all praised her as the Good Fortune Boy and said she looked very blessed. Qiu Sui was happy to hear that, and grabbed some extra fruits for the old women.
Soon the sun was high, Qiu Sui and the wet nurse took the child back to Chunjing Hall. Dong Ning sat under the corridor and made an octagonal lantern for Ke Jie'er. Xie Yunchu painted a silk painting, and the master and servant cut it and pasted it on the lantern. Then they put a slippery jade handle on the bamboo strips and let Ke Jie'er twist it to play with.
The little girl was very strong. She sat in Qiu Sui's arms, twisting the lantern and shaking it hard. The flower tassels underneath were shaken up and down, making Ke Jie giggle.
Qiu Sui smiled, "Catch some fireflies at night and put them in it, and it will become a firefly lamp."
Everyone said it was good.
Nanny Lin saw the maids playing with the girls, so she came in and peeked at Xie Yunchu. The beautiful young mistress was sitting on the kang bed under the window, knitting. Behind the kang bed hung a painting of the Three Friends of Winter, which was painted by Xie Yunchu herself. She was as beautiful and graceful as she was. Nanny Lin came in quietly and looked at her with a smile.
"My dear girl, tonight is the fifteenth night, so we should prepare something."
Xie Yunchu was startled for a moment, then her face flushed, "Mammy, the Second Master is injured, you don't have to be so anxious."
Nanny Lin was almost full of complaints, "My ancestor, during the time you were away, the mistress sent someone to ask me to take my sister to the upper room to play. Isn't the fourth young lady pregnant? The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are urging us to go to the room. If you don't think about yourself, think about Nanny. Nanny raised you and her lifelong hopes are on you. Please pay more attention and let me live in peace."
Xie Yunchu couldn't stand Nanny Lin saying these things. She had been an orphan since she was a child, but Nanny Lin had raised her. She quickly dropped the work in her hands, got out of bed, and pulled Nanny Lin to comfort her, "Okay, okay, but today is different from the past. He is injured and may not be happy to come. Don't worry, just wait until he recovers and you can make up for it for a day."
Nanny Lin knew that these were just words to comfort her. She had watched coldly over the past few months as the young lady stopped caring about her son-in-law and was even indifferent to the child. One day more on the first and fifteenth day would not do, but one day less would be fine. Nanny Lin was also trying to persuade her with good intentions, thinking that since Xie Yunchu had no other options, it would be better for her to go and take a look at her son-in-law.
He made up his mind and did not rush Xie Yunchu. "Okay, you go ahead and do your work. I'll go check on the stove."
Nanny Lin thought about it and ordered someone to prepare some ginseng soup. It was just a minor injury, what was the big deal? Her husband had done all kinds of bad things when he was young. Thinking of this, her face turned red, and she went to the small kitchen, fanning herself with a bamboo fan. After everything was ready, she quietly went to the front and called Minggui.
"How is the injury of the Second Master?"
Minggui felt even more miserable than Nanny Lin. When he saw the old lady, he no longer cared about his dignity and almost cried, "Mammy, has grandma been very busy these days? Our grandfather was injured and it was too hot outside so he dared not go out. Why didn't you go to visit him?"
Nanny Lin grasped the crux of the matter and asked, "Is this what the Second Master meant, or is this what you meant?"
Minggui was silent, scratching his head and thinking about the appearance of the Second Master. His face was like that of a jade-faced immortal, and there was no sign of anything special about him. He just did what he was supposed to do every day. Especially since he had made a contribution this time, people came to visit him one after another, and official business was also sent to his house, with almost no rest.
Nanny Lin knew the details of his situation when she saw his appearance, so she didn't ask any more questions and just asked, "How is the Second Master's injury?"
Minggui answered cheerfully, "Oh, it's not a big deal. There's ice in the room these days, and it's all the best ointment. The wound has healed long ago."
Nanny Lin also saw Minggui's anxiety. It had only been five days since the assassination. It was impossible for everything to go well. Nanny Lin sighed, "In any case, urge the master to come to see my sister tonight. The rest depends on fate."
Minggui agreed.
Wang Shuhuai was injured, and although he could not practice martial arts, his arms could move freely. The Duke came to visit him last night. According to the palace, the Princess planned to use him and let him work with Liu Qiliang, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, to be in charge of the fish scale atlas. Liu Qiliang held a high position and had a great reputation, so he could control people, and he would actually be in charge of the matter as his deputy. The Duke also revealed that the Emperor intended to give him the Imperial Sword, which would make it easier for him to do things.
It seems that he will leave Beijing by early July at the latest.
Only half a month left...
Wang Shuhuai finished writing a letter, relaxed his left arm, and leaned back in the armchair. At this time, Minggui came in and served him a cup of lotus seed soup to clear his internal heat, and said, "Second Master, today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month. Don't you want to go to the backyard to see the young lady?"
He had already checked on the child in the past two days since he came back. Every time he went, Xie Yunchu was not there. Minggui asked this, of course, not because of the child.
Wang Shuhuai felt that his wife had treated him coldly since he returned to Beijing. Could it be that she was angry because he risked his life? This was understandable. If something happened to him, they would have no one to rely on. Wang Shuhuai felt guilty and said, "Go to the backyard and tell them that I'm going over for lunch."
Minggui was overjoyed and immediately sent the message. Nanny Lin was delighted and started making preparations in full swing.
In a while it would be the Qiqiao Festival on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Xie Yunchu planned to make a hydrangea, so she took out rice paper and designed a pattern. Nanny Lin saw that she was busy and did not disturb her.
At noon, Wang Shuhuai changed into a moon-white gown and prepared to go out. Before leaving, he suddenly remembered that Xie Yunchu was interested in the ghost-crafted ball, so he opened the box, took the ivory ball in his hand and came to Chunjing Hall.
When they stepped onto the corridor, Xia An was playing with Ke Jie'er. Ke Jie'er was holding a round pillar and looking at her father with a silly smile. Xia An saw the ghost ball at a glance, and was so scared that he drooled and quickly saluted Wang Shuhuai.
Wang Shuhuai couldn't take his eyes off his daughter when he saw her. He handed the ghost ball to Xia An and picked up Ke Jie'er. Xie Yunchu heard some noise outside and stepped out of the door. Seeing his daughter struggling on Wang Shuhuai, he frowned and said, "Second Master is injured, why bother holding her? She is so fragile, what will happen if she gets hurt?"
This was the first time his wife had spoken to him harshly. Wang Shuhuai did not find it abrupt. Instead, he believed that his wife was concerned about him, so he handed the child back to her. Xie Yunchu took it and glanced at the ghost ball calmly, his expression did not change at all, "It's hot outside, come in."
There was ice in the room. Nanny Lin knew that Xie Yunchu was afraid of the cold, so she deliberately placed the ice basin next to Wang Shuhuai's feet. Wang Shuhuai was sitting at the table drinking tea. Ke Jie'er was getting heavier, so Xie Yunchu threw her on the bed and left for more than ten days. Ke Jie'er was now sticking to her mother more and more. She didn't even play with her toys, but acted like a little rascal, hugging her mother's arm, kissing her with her little mouth, and refusing to let go.
Xie Yunchu's heart softened like a puddle of water, and he gently stroked her forehead to comfort her. Ke Jie'er was even happier, and she used her mouth to nudge her arm hard. Xie Yunchu felt itchy and couldn't help laughing.
This is a smile that comes from the heart, without any embellishment.
Wang Shuhuai looked at his wife. Her eyes were so gentle that tears could drip from them. She had also looked at him like this before, and suddenly her heart felt stabbed, and even the tea in her mouth tasted dull.
Xia An placed the ghost ball on the table with a nervous mood. Wang Shuhuai played with it while watching the mother and daughter quarreling. His eyes somehow fell on the drawing paper on the table beside him. The outline of the hydrangea on the drawing was exactly the same as the ivory ball in his hand. Just as he was about to pick it up to take a look, Xie Yunchu noticed it and she immediately spoke,
"The ball in Second Master's hand is really beautiful. Is it the ghost ball you mentioned?"
Xia An and other maids hid behind the curtain and laughed, thinking that their master was pretending to be so serious.
Wang Shuhuai immediately put down the drawing paper and handed the ball to her, "You want to play, right? Take it and play."
Xie Yunchu suddenly felt mixed emotions, "Second Master, are you giving it to me as a gift?"
Wang Shuhuai was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, "This was given to me by someone else. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to give it to you. If you like it, I'll find you one later."
I never thought that husband and wife are one body, so how can there be any such thing as gifts or not?
Xie Yunchu couldn't tell what he felt, his expression was cold, "No need, I'm not interested at all." He turned around and took the child away.
Wang Shuhuai rubbed his forehead and concluded that Xie Yunchu was unhappy. He blamed himself for his lack of experience in getting along with women and didn't know how to make his wife calm down. It seemed that he had to seek advice from his colleagues.
After dinner, Wang Shuhuai planned to spend some time with the child, but unexpectedly Qi Wei came to report that someone from the Ministry of Revenue had arrived. Wang Shuhuai immediately restrained his expression and returned to the study. Xie Yunchu thought that he was probably injured and it was inconvenient for him to have sex at night, so he simply had lunch at noon as a token of his respect. After all, he was like this in his previous life, always making people guess what he was thinking.
Xie Yunchu quickly put it aside and took his daughter to take a nap.
The person who came was none other than Prince Zhu. Prince Zhu was also on duty at the Ministry of Revenue and was a relative of Wang Shuhuai. Some documents in the Ministry of Revenue needed to be stamped by Wang Shuhuai, a member of the Yuanwailang. Prince Zhu took the initiative to take on this task and delivered the documents to the palace.
Wang Shuhuai first politely asked Master Zhu if he had had lunch. Master Zhu was sweating profusely. He took the tea handed to him by Wang Shuhuai and took a big sip, panting, "I had some food in the restaurant. It's so hot that I don't have much appetite."
Wang Shuhuai immediately ordered Minggui to go to the backyard to get some bitter melon snacks for Prince Zhu to fill his stomach.
The two talked about business for a while. Prince Zhu sat lazily opposite him, watching him review the documents meticulously, and sighed,
"Yunzhi, we grew up together, and you married a pair of sisters. My father often compares me with you. To be honest, I hated you when I was young."
Wang Shuhuai moved the paperweight, smiled and didn't respond.
"Of course, not only me, but all the young masters in the capital hate you. We are still begging for food, but you have made two great achievements in succession. You can compete with those old men in the court. You will go south again in a while..." At this point, Zhu Shizi suddenly remembered something, "Oh, by the way, you will spend at least three years in Jiangnan this time. You and your sister-in-law have only one child. Will you take her with you?"
Wang Shuhuai paused. In the past, he would have refused without a second thought. Bringing his wife with him when he first arrived would make people think he was not steady enough. But now, he hesitated. "I will discuss this with my wife and make a decision later."
Prince Zhu had already thought it through for him, "You go there for half a year first, get your feet on the ground, and then come back to pick up your younger brother and sister-in-law."
Wang Shuhuai also thought this was a good idea and said, "We'll talk about it later."
Xie Yunchu might not be willing to accompany him to work and suffer.
He was concentrating on reviewing the documents, while Prince Zhu was leaning on a side chair and taking a nap. When he finished, it was already early afternoon. Prince Zhu was also full of sleep and was about to leave with the documents in his arms. However, Wang Shuhuai rarely asked him to stay.
"Brother Zhu, please take a seat. I have something else I want to ask you."
Zhu Shizi sat down puzzledly, "What's the matter? Why are you so cautious?"
Wang Shuhuai was embarrassed, and folded his hands on the table, thinking and asking, "I was injured this time, and my wife blamed me for not taking my life, and she was quite resentful. I want to ask Brother Shi, what do women like, so that I can find one or two to make my wife feel relieved."
Prince Zhu changed his lazy look and immediately became interested. He patted his chest and said, "Yunzhi, you asked the right person."
"Well, let me help you sort it out." Prince Zhu put down the document and said seriously, "First of all, there is no woman who doesn't want jewelry and clothes. Jewelry can cure all diseases and cure all diseases."
It was the first time that Wang Shuhuai heard such a statement and he rubbed his forehead.
"Of course, there are also wives who dislike their husbands' wasteful spending or dislike the jewelry they buy. For these people, you have to pay them."
"By the way, let me ask you one more thing, has Yunzhi's salary been given to your wife for safekeeping?"
Wang Shuhuai nodded, "That's natural."
Prince Zhu pondered, "In that case, you'd better make some gifts for her yourself, such as poems and paintings, or jade pendants with good meanings. In short, you have to let the woman know that you want to be with her forever."
"Of course, if a man is diligent, he can cook something delicious for his wife, which will definitely make her happy," Prince Zhu looked at Wang Shuhuai with a smile, "I'm afraid Yunzhi can't do this."
Wang Shuhuai shook his head decisively, "A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. My wife may not be happy with me doing this."
"If all that doesn't work." Prince Zhu fanned himself leisurely, "Then tame her in bed."
Wang Shuhuai was listening intently, but when he heard this sentence, he coughed lightly and did not answer. He just stood up and urged him, "Brother Shi, I will remember your words in my heart. It's getting late, I will see you out."
Prince Zhu was very good at observing people's words and expressions, so he could understand that there was nothing wrong with the way this couple got along except that they were too reserved with each other. For example, he and Xiao Youran would quarrel at one end of the bed and make up at the other, and no matter how big the quarrel was, it would be over after a quarrel.
Wang Shuhuai acted quickly, escorted the man out, and immediately called Minggui, "Did the madam leave any money with you?"
Wang Shuhuai had to socialize on a daily basis, and he was a person who was not interested in worldly matters and had no interest in money. In the past, Xie Yunchu had accepted his salary in person and then gave it all to Minggui, for fear that her husband would be short of money.
Xie Yunchu took care of all the food, clothing and other expenses for Wang Shuhuai, so he didn't need to spend extra money. His pens, ink, paper and inkstone were either distributed by the government or rewards from the palace, which were public expenses. After Wang Shuhuai passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar, the Duke granted him an extra quota, allowing him to spend two hundred taels of silver from the public treasury every month for official entertainment. This was something that only he could do, and no one else could do.
Therefore, this was the first time Wang Shuhuai asked about money, and Minggui immediately answered, "Yes, yes, your salary is all here with me."
Wang Shuhuai frowned immediately after hearing this, "They are all with you? You didn't give them to the Madam?"
Minggui smiled bitterly, "Madam told me that you, as a man, have many places to spend money outside, and there is still monthly salary at home, so she gave all the salary to me to prepare for your emergency needs."
Wang Shuhuai stood there in silence for a long time. He had often heard his colleagues in the yamen mention that their wives were in charge of the salaries and money, and many officials had to save some money in private. In contrast, his wife was generous and virtuous, and always put him first.
His wife was silently giving in places he didn't know about.
The lady didn't want it, so he had to give it to her, so he told Minggui, "Keep ten taels, and give the rest to the lady."
Minggui did as he was told, and after a moment he turned back, looking at Wang Shuhuai eagerly, "Second Master, Madam doesn't want it, and told you to keep it for use, saying that you will go to Jiangnan soon, and keep these several hundred taels of silver for your own use."
Wang Shuhuai was stunned. Xie Yunchu really had plenty of money to spend. In the past two years, he had received countless rewards, big and small. All the gold, silver and jewelry were piled up in the warehouse. She could take them out whenever she wanted.
He pressed his slender fingers against his forehead and pondered for a moment, remembering what Master Zhu said.
"Then go to Duobao Pavilion in person and buy some jewelry."
Minggui was overjoyed when he heard this. He was like he had just finished a New Year's Eve dinner. He said excitedly, "I'll go right away."
Minggui was quite smart. He guessed that Xie Yunchu must like simple and elegant jewelry because of her daily dressing style, so he bought her a lotus hairpin inlaid with kingfisher feathers and a pair of gold bracelets inlaid with green pine. The items were quickly delivered to Chunjingtang.
The maids were all very happy, and Nanny Lin was even more satisfied, with a feeling of waiting for the clouds to clear and see the moon.
"Grandpa knows how to please grandma now."
Only Xie Yunchu was staring at the jewelry in a daze. What's wrong with this man?
"Go ask Minggui what happened to him?"
Nanny Lin smiled, "I have asked, and Master Zhu is here today."
Xie Yunchu understood that the Zhu Shizi was the most capable person, and he must have seen some clues and persuaded Wang Shuhuai to coax her. Fortunately, Wang Shuhuai was willing to listen, which was really strange. It is not advisable to extend a hand to a smiling person. Xie Yunchu said calmly, "Keep it."
Chunqi picked up the rosewood box and asked playfully, "Master, since my master is coming today, will you wear one?"
Xie Yunchu glared at her and said, "What a success."
In the evening, the Duke summoned Wang Shuhuai to Qinghui Palace, where he had dinner. He did not return to the study at three quarters past eight in the evening, but went straight to Chunjing Hall.
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