Chapter 50
The wind and snow blew hurriedly across his cheeks. His face was cold and stiff, and there was even a hint of a cold smile in his eyes.
The lights gradually became clearer in his pupils. He strode to the corridor. The servant lifted the curtain, and he stepped into the warm study amid the sound of snow and wind.
The oncoming warmth melted the ice and snow on his body in an instant. The coldness faded away, the stiffness in his body was resolved, his senses slowly awakened, and the feeling of emptiness in his heart and chest became even stronger.
A dim silver lamp was lit in the room. The servant was about to light the palace lantern, but Wang Shuhuai waved his hand, motioning him to go out.
The tall and straight body was sunken in the armchair, with the slender neck tilted back and the handsome face completely hidden in the darkness.
The door creaked open and footsteps came in.
Wang Shuhuai didn't even raise his eyelids. He just lay back in the armchair lazily and even a little depressed, and said in a voice so soft that it was barely audible, "Have you found out?"
Qi Wei came to the table and stood still, looking up at Wang Shuhuai. His clothes were covered with snow residue and he looked shabby. He had come back from thousands of miles away, but his wife had given him three concubines. No one would be happy about it.
Qi Wei sent the three maids to the Discipline Institute and checked the matter between Xie Yunchu and Jiang. Then he shook his head.
"Madam didn't ask Madam to come over and talk to her."
The dim yellow light illuminated half of his snow-white robe, and his features were hidden in the darkness. After hearing these words, he seemed to be nailed to the spot, and did not say a word for a long while. After a long while, the corners of his lips slightly raised a smile.
"So, she took me a concubine on her own?"
Qi Wei didn't dare to respond.
He never wrote letters home, but now he wrote once every half a month, and later once every three months. From time to time, cartloads of gifts were sent back to the capital. Qi Wei had witnessed how much his master cared about his wife, and he must have been very happy to hear that his wife was pregnant. He rushed back home in a hurry, but was poured a basin of cold water. You can imagine how he felt.
The wide hem of her clothes swayed, signaling Qi Wei to leave. When Qi Wei turned around, he heard a slight sneer that disappeared into the night.
Wang Shuhuai slowly sat up from the armchair. After running all day and night, he was very tired. He placed his hands on the desk, propped up his face, buried his whole face in his palms, and sighed deeply.
Every word she just said flashed through her mind like a flower in the air.
"Second Master, I will give you a concubine."
"Second Master is in his prime, and it will be inconvenient for me to serve you in the future. I will pick two beautiful concubines for you to accompany you south, so that you will have someone to take care of you."
"Only one thing, Second Master, you have to promise me that I am your legal wife and no one can surpass me. You didn't allow me to ask for a divorce in the first place. As long as Second Master does this, we can respect each other and live in peace."
What a good saying, "Respect each other like guests and live in peace."
It turns out that she has always had this idea in mind.
How could she push him to another woman so calmly? If you put yourself in his shoes, would he be willing to push her to another man?
No, just thinking about this thought was enough to make him feel bone-chilling rage.
But she was calm.
Is this really his wife?
During this period of time, there were dozens of letters exchanged back and forth, countless family letters, clay figurines made by the children, paper cuts, and handwriting she wrote with her daughter. What he thought was deep love turned out to be just a one-man show.
Another sneer echoed in the study.
His forehead felt heavy and pressed against his palm.
After a while, Qi Wei's cautious voice came through the window.
"Second Master, Madam sent someone to bring some ginseng soup, saying that you should rest early, as your health is very important."
Wang Shuhuai could no longer hold back his laughter.
The same old rhetoric, the same old ginseng soup.
He tried his best to show his affection, but she remained indifferent. He followed her in everything, but she could not be shaken in the slightest. She was like a heartless paper figure, fulfilling her responsibilities as a wife step by step every day without any emotion. At this moment, he really wanted to twist her clothes and ask her if she had a heart or not.
When Xie Yunchu woke up from vomiting the next morning, he found out that Qiu Sui had been executed.
After Nanny Lin sent the people away last night, she was worried that Xie Yunchu was upset, so she urged her to go to sleep. Xie Yunchu slept soundly. Not long after, Nanny Lin learned the news that Wang Shuhuai had beaten someone to death. She was shocked and had no time to tell Xie Yunchu. She hurried to the Discipline Institute to look for someone. Unfortunately, by then, the three maids had been killed, and only Nanny Gui was left, frightened and horrified.
Aunt Gui explained to her in a trembling voice,
"The Second Master beat the three people to death on the grounds of betraying their master. I guess the Second Master wanted to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys and completely stop the maid from having the idea of climbing into bed..."
Nanny Lin had not expected Wang Shuhuai to be so cruel, and she felt mixed feelings of sadness and joy.
Fortunately, my son-in-law is a clean and upright man. Previously, the wealthy families in Jiangnan forced him to take a concubine, but he refused. Now he is determined not to take a concubine at home. It can be seen that he is a reliable husband and will not have any other thoughts.
The sad thing is that three lives were lost. After asking people to collect the bodies, I returned to Chunjingtang with mixed feelings.
Afraid that Xie Yunchu might have a miscarriage, she dared not say anything and only told a few maids quietly.
Xia An cursed with red eyes, "You bastard, you deserve to die."
Dong Ning said nothing in a depressed tone, and in the end he just sneered.
Chunqi, on the other hand, was kind-hearted and had the best relationship with Qiu Sui. The continuous blows made her unable to bear it. She sat under the corridor of the back room and cried. On the one hand, she cursed Qiu Sui for being hateful, and on the other hand, she felt sad for her ending in such a hasty manner. After thinking about it carefully all night, she thought that this might not be a bad ending. Could she just watch Qiu Sui compete with her master for favor in the future?
So when Xie Yunchu woke up the next day, he saw several maids serving him with red eyes and listless looks.
Nanny Lin told Xie Yunchu what had happened, and Xie Yunchu was stunned for a long while.
After more than ten years of master-servant relationship, it was impossible for her not to feel uncomfortable. However, she had experienced the betrayal of Aunt Lu and her daughter and the cold-bloodedness of the second branch of the Wang family in her previous life, so Qiu Sui was able to withstand this little thing.
There is no doubt that Qiu Sui is a pawn of Aunt Lu and her daughter. Without this clue, she has no idea what Xie Yunxiu's next plan is.
Qiu Sui deserved to be put to death, but as for the two maids... Xie Yunchu had not expected that. Her chest was churning and she couldn't hold it anymore and had another bout of morning vomiting. She almost vomited bile, so she told Nanny Lin to take care of the funeral of the two maids.
During the breakfast break, a maid reported the news from the previous night.
"There was a quarrel at Ninghe Hall last night. The Second Master not only confiscated the concubine given by the Madam, but also accused the Madam of interfering in her son's bedroom affairs out of nothing. He simply gave the chosen concubine to the Second Master."
"The Second Master was unwilling to accept any of them, so he pushed all of them to the Third Master. The Third Master only dared to accept one, and he returned the other to the Second Master. The Second Wife was so angry with the Second Master that she cried in the room, and she was forced to marry the maid to the Second Master. She fell ill this morning and hasn't even gotten up yet."
"And the Third Young Madam went crazy. After hearing about our Second Master's behavior, she hated her husband even more for his incompetence. She forced the Third Master to send the maid away. Unfortunately, the maid got angry and slept in the Third Master's study last night. She refused to leave. Now the master and servant are fighting in the yard. It's really a lively show."
Nanny Lin, Xia An and others felt relieved after hearing this, "Thank goodness your wife and second master explained it so carefully, otherwise we would have been confused." Everyone laughed, and the depressing atmosphere in the room faded a lot.
Nanny Lin was half relieved and half emotional as she advised Xie Yunchu.
"Leaving aside the means, the fact that the son-in-law was so resolute in refusing to take a concubine shows that he is a good person. Even if the young lady no longer has feelings for him, she won't expect him to take a concubine. The son-in-law is a clean man, and the young lady will have fewer worries. Even the mistress helped to calm the young lady down, so you can rest assured and take care of your pregnancy from now on."
Xie Yunchu lay in the quilt, his pale face bloodless, his eyes closed as he endured the torture of morning sickness, and he did not respond.
It would be a lie to say that there was no fluctuation at all. She just let it go with a calm mind. When her body felt uncomfortable, her brain became slow to react and she had no time to worry too much. In her previous life, it was because of her overthinking that she damaged her body. In this life, she had to put her own health first. Her stomach was empty after vomiting, and she forced herself to eat a bowl of bird's nest porridge and fell into a deep sleep.
Once a person has a heart of stone, he will have no worries at all.
Wang Shuhuai sat in the armchair in a daze all night last night. Then he fell asleep on the table somehow. He woke up at dawn, changed his clothes in a hurry, and went back to the palace.
No matter what the reason for coming back, as long as you return to Beijing, you must see the emperor.
Wang Shuhuai brushed away the confusion in his mind and rode into the palace.
He first paid a visit to the emperor, and then went to Changchun Palace to meet the eldest princess and the duke.
The couple was very surprised to see Wang Shuhuai.
"Why are you back again?"
It hasn’t been long since I last left Beijing.
Wang Shuhuai's lips moved, not knowing how to explain. The Duke smiled and said,
"Are you back for your wife?"
Wang Shuhuai's heart was instantly pierced, and he spoke without thinking, "I returned to Beijing because of Jiang Cheng's matter."
After hearing this, the princess sat up straight and asked, "What's the matter?"
Wang Shuhuai gathered his thoughts and said calmly, "My grandson wants to force the Jiangnan nobles to surrender before New Year's Eve. The first thing he needs to do is to capture Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng's eldest daughter married the Prince of Nan'an, but the Prince of Nan'an is greedy for beauty and has many concubines in his house. Even though the princess has a legitimate son, she has never been given a title."
"What I mean is that the court should issue an imperial decree to confer the title of Crown Prince on the princess' son, to clear the names of Jiang Cheng's eldest daughter and grandson, in exchange for Jiang Cheng's submission."
The princess pondered and said, "Jiang Cheng can only be outwitted and not forced. Your method is good. Don't worry, I will discuss this matter with His Majesty today. If it's quick, I can give you the decree in the afternoon."
Wang Shuhuai said, "My grandson may have to go back to Jinling in the evening, so please hurry up, grandmother."
Before the princess could say anything, the Duke looked at his grandson distressedly, "You just came back last night, and you're leaving again today? Don't you want to take a break? Your wife is pregnant, and she needs you right now. You should at least stay for two days. Don't worry, I'll talk to Liu Qiliang and His Majesty on your behalf."
Wang Shuhuai thought of Xie Yunchu, and his heart ached, and his lips turned pale. He managed a smile.
"Court affairs are more important. She... has always been virtuous... and won't care." Wang Shuhuai said almost word by word, with a hint of self-mockery at the corner of his lips.
She really doesn't care, otherwise she wouldn't have pushed him to someone else.
The Duke and the Princess looked at each other and were speechless.
There are two children, one is introverted and steady, with his family, country and the world in his heart, and the other is virtuous, respectful, and hardworking.
Although they were a wonderful couple and lived in harmony, there was something missing.
Unfortunately, the princess and the duke were also of the same mind, so they tacitly said nothing.
The eldest princess stood up and said, "You stay with your grandfather and talk for a while. I will go find His Majesty and bring you the deputy decree as soon as possible so that you can take it to Jiangnan to give to Jiang Cheng."
Wang Shuhuai believed that with this imperial edict, Jiang Cheng, who had already been weakened, would completely side with him.
The arm cannot bend the thigh, and the honor and disgrace of the Jiang family is still in the hands of the court.
After the eldest princess left, the grandparents looked at each other in bewilderment.
The Duke was quite attentive. He noticed something was wrong with his grandson's face, and he was no longer as high-spirited as before.
"What happened? Why do you look so grim?"
Wang Shuhuai knew that the news about the mansion would eventually reach the Duke's ears, so he did not hide it from him. "As soon as my grandson returned home, the mansion arranged for me to take a concubine, but I refused."
The Duke frowned and said, "Your mother... is such a confused person."
More than 20 years ago, he arranged for his son to attend a flower-viewing banquet to look for a girl. Originally, he had planned to marry a woman from another family, but unfortunately, his son accidentally caught a glimpse of Jiang's beauty and was so overwhelmed that he insisted on marrying her. The Duke had never made a decision on marriage in his life, so he agreed with his son. However, he didn't know that the daughter-in-law was so delicate.
Just for Wang Shuhuai's sake, the Duke tolerated Jiang no matter how foolish she was.
"It doesn't matter. No matter how foolish your mother is, your wife is a good one."
Wang Shuhuai pinched his palm with his slender fingers and did not respond.
The Duke was very pleased to see that his grandson had figured it out.
"Huai'er, the higher a man goes, the further he goes, the more he must understand one thing: one, don't be greedy for money, and two, don't indulge in lust. You will be a minister in the future, and you must go down in history. You must be honest and upright and leave a good reputation for the rest of your life. Don't be blinded by money and beauty. There are a lot of capable people in the six ministries of the court, but there are very few officials who are upright."
"I have countless concubines, but only one wife. When you have experienced many things, you will understand that the one who can really accompany you to the end is not your parents, nor your children and grandchildren, but your wife who stays with you. Grandfather hopes that you will cherish your feathers and live up to the one beside you. Do you understand?"
Wang Shuhuai stood up and bowed, "Grandson will follow your instructions."
The Duke's face was warm, "Good boy, Grandfather doesn't need you to accompany him now, go back and accompany your wife."
Wang Shuhuai moved his lips and left Changchun Palace silently.
After returning to the Ministry of Revenue, he met with several officials and dealt with some paperwork. Seeing that he had finally returned to Beijing, everyone took him out in groups of three or four and arranged a meal at the teahouse opposite. Wang Shuhuai always responded in a gentle and elegant manner, with a gentle and shallow smile on his handsome face.
Finally, the socializing was over and he left the teahouse. The snow on the streets had been cleared and the sunlight dimly revealed some shadows. Qi Wei was waiting for him in a carriage. Wang Shuhuai abandoned his horse and got into the carriage, closing his eyes to rest.
Just after noon, the winter sun was high in the sky, vaguely surrounded by a halo.
Wang Shuhuai returned to the palace in silence, walked along the slope from the front yard towards the study, and when he came to a fork in the road, he caught a glimpse of a person standing in the open hall leading to Chunjing Hall.
She was wearing a thick light purple jacket embroidered with bright red peonies, a bright red feather cape, and holding a heater in her hands, she looked at the child with a gentle smile. Sister Ke was standing in a wooden wheelbarrow running in the middle of the hall, giggling at the snowmen piled up outside.
As if by telepathy, Xie Yunchu turned his eyes away.
The couple looked at each other from afar across the snowy sky.
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