Chapter 59
Fireworks bloomed one after another, and the night sky was full of flowers.
It was at this moment that Wang Shuhuai raised his hand and held his little daughter in his arms.
Daddy is tall and straight. In his arms, Sister Ke can see a wider view of the fireworks. She clenched her two pink fists and laughed at the gorgeous night sky.
Xie Yunchu was stunned for a moment when she saw Wang Shuhuai. The maids immediately quieted down when they saw the male owner and rushed forward to help Xie Yunchu take off the veil. Nanny Lin gave a look and everyone stepped aside, leaving only the family of three standing on the steps watching the fireworks.
Xie Yunchu's cheeks were still covered with a layer of rosy clouds. Thinking of the imperial edict bestowed upon him in the afternoon, he took the initiative to thank him.
"Thank you, Second Master, for asking for the imperial decree on my behalf."
Wang Shuhuai held his daughter in one hand and supported her armpits with the other hand so that she could watch the fireworks. He did not deliberately glance at Xie Yunchu, but just said lightly, "As long as you like it."
After being rejected repeatedly, Wang Shuhuai didn't know what to say to Xie Yunchu now. He just knew everything clearly in his mind. From the moment he walked towards her, picked up the child, and decided to give up struggling, the sour feeling in his heart faded a lot.
If he said "start over" to her again at this moment, or tried to get close to her obviously, she would definitely reject him. Wang Shuhuai still had some sense of propriety and had to take things slowly.
Her husband still had that calm face, and he didn't change his expression even when faced with a catastrophe. Naturally, Xie Yunchu didn't think much about it.
"Have you had your dinner?"
Wang Shuhuai held the child and shook his head nonchalantly.
Xie Yunchu raised her voice and ordered Nanny Lin, "Ask the kitchen to make a few side dishes for the Second Master." Then she asked Wang Shuhuai, "What would the Second Master like to eat? I'll ask the kitchen to make it."
Wang Shuhuai's eyes passed over her cheek lightly, "Crystal minced meat, the rest is up to you."
When Xie Yunchu heard about crystal sashimi, he was also stunned for a moment, and then signaled Nanny Lin to go to the kitchen.
After the fireworks were over, everyone returned to Chunjing Hall.
Wang Shuhuai walked in front holding the child, and Xie Yunchu followed behind.
Little Ke'er hadn't seen enough, so she stretched her neck outward in Wang Shuhuai's arms, her little head drooping and leaning on Wang Shuhuai's shoulder. Xie Yunchu was supported by a maid and followed behind to coax her.
"It won't be available for a while, let's play with it in a few days."
Children didn't really understand anyway, they just rubbed their little faces against their father's shoulder bones and grinned at Xie Yunchu.
She looks so cute and lovely.
Xie Yun's original intention melted.
Sister Ke hadn't seen her father for a long time, so she held him tightly and refused to let go, and Wang Shuhuai had no intention of letting go either.
He wants to look after the child, and it is justified.
Xie Yunchu had no reason to drive him away.
In fact, Xie Yunchu also hoped that Wang Shuhuai would spend more time with the child. When she was young, Xie Hui was an extremely strict father. She never enjoyed fatherly love, let alone motherly love. She hoped that her daughter could make up for her regrets.
If Wang Shuhuai had not forced her to speak in the villa, she would still have planned to whitewash the situation and live under the guise of a window paper. Now that she has spoken frankly, it has become even more awkward.
"Second Master, take my sister to play for a while. I'm tired and I'm going to lie down."
Wang Shuhuai turned his eyes and saw her gently lift the pearl curtain, holding her waist and slowly walking towards the inner room.
There was only a dim glass lamp lit in the inner room, which was darker than the outer room, and he could not see her at all.
I feel a little blocked in my heart.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour, the kitchen brought in dinner. Nanny Lin asked him where it was placed. Wang Shuhuai glanced at his eager daughter and said, "It's right here."
Then he put her on the Luohan bed to play with her.
Chunqi cleared a table, and Nanny Lin personally served the dishes for Wang Shuhuai, four dishes and one soup, the staple food being a bowl of longevity noodles.
In the past, Nanny Lin would have definitely reminded Wang Shuhuai that today was Xie Yunchu's birthday, but now she has let it go and stopped talking, quietly leaving behind the curtain.
The wet nurse came over and held Ke Jie'er, trying to coax her to sleep, but Ke Jie'er was so excited that she didn't want to sleep.
The nurse was worried about disturbing Wang Shuhuai and his wife, so she planned to take her away by force. Ke Jie'er cried out of grievance and struggled to break free from the nurse's arms. Wang Shuhuai dropped his chopsticks with a slight crisp sound and his tone became cold.
"go out."
The wet nurse was startled and quickly put the girl back on the bed, knelt down, kowtowed, and left in silence.
Xie Yunchu heard the noise and came out from behind the curtain. Wang Shuhuai looked at his tearful little daughter and soothed her with a gentle voice.
"Today is your mother's birthday, dear sister Ke, don't cry."
Xie Yunchu paused.
He actually knew that today was her birthday, which really made things difficult for him.
Wang Shuhuai saw Xie Yunchu out of the corner of his eye, but pretended not to see him and continued eating.
When Ke Jie saw her mother coming out, she reached out to hug her.
Xie Yunchu was pregnant and didn't dare to make any effort, so she went to Luohan's bed to coax her and play.
Sister Ke reached out to grab Xie Yunchu's Qingjin Eighteen-Bead Lapel, but Xie Yunchu gently slapped her chubby little hands away. Sister Ke cried and laughed at the same time.
The mother and daughter were playing nearby, and Wang Shuhuai glanced at them from time to time. The scene was unusually harmonious.
After a while, Xie Yunchu put his daughter down, turned sideways with his back to Wang Shuhuai, and gently patted Ke Jie'er's back to coax her to sleep.
Wang Shuhuai finished his dinner slowly. Nanny Lin brought people to clean up the table and served him tea. Logically, he should leave by now.
But he didn't want to leave.
I can't find a suitable excuse.
I am in a dilemma...
A cute little face popped out from her mother's waist and grinned at Wang Shuhuai, revealing two sweet dimples. She seemed embarrassed and covered her face.
When he smiles, he looks like Xie Yunchu, but the contours of his eyebrows and eyes are exactly the same as his.
At that moment, Wang Shuhuai suddenly felt that everything was worth it.
Xie Yunchu didn't coax her child to sleep, but she coaxed herself to sleep. She was startled awake by her daughter's innocent laughter. She turned over vaguely and saw her cold and noble husband looking into the eyes of her daughter, with a rare tenderness on the corners of his lips.
Xie Yunchu hesitated for a moment, supported himself on the bed and sat up, then looked at Sister Ke seriously.
Ke Jie'er felt her mother's majesty and stopped laughing in time. Her dark eyes rolled around for a while and she excitedly reached out to Wang Shuhuai. Wang Shuhuai followed her instructions and picked up his daughter again.
Xie Yunchu discovered that Wang Shuhuai was much more patient today than usual.
After all, the child was still young, and he was getting sleepy while lying in his father's arms. After Wang Shuhuai handed the sleeping child to the wet nurse, he got up calmly and said, "You should go to bed early." It was impossible for him to stay, and he was not so shameless. He did not even look at Xie Yunchu twice, and then he lifted the curtain and walked out.
Xie Yunchu was hungry, so he called Nanny Lin to prepare a midnight snack. Nanny Lin had already prepared porridge and ginseng soup, and while serving Xie Yunchu, she whispered to the side, "I'm afraid the Second Master will ask for a decree on your birthday."
Xie Yunchu smiled calmly, "Just think of it as my birthday gift."
Whenever she thought about how she had toiled for half her life in her previous life, and died just when she was about to enjoy wealth and glory, and was picked up by others, she felt sorry for herself. In this life, she wanted everything except enjoyment.
When Wang Shuhuai returned to his study, his eyes naturally fell on the ingeniously crafted ivory ball. He held it in his palm and examined it carefully.
When he was young, he had carved a three-layer Hetian jade ball, which was much smaller than this ivory ball. He even broke several knives while carving it, and the skin was cracked countless times. Because of his own experience, he could better understand the effort Xie Yunchu put into it. It is conceivable how desperate she must have felt when she resolutely sold the ball.
Regret surged in his heart, and Wang Shuhuai pressed his forehead and remained silent for a long time.
He wanted to return her an ivory ball.
He immediately called Qi Wei and said, "Go to the market and buy the best and largest piece of ivory."
Qi Wei took the order and left.
Jiangnan Governor's Office.
When Qiao Zhiyun came back from burning incense at a temple outside the city today, she saw her two stepdaughters sitting silently in the middle of the main hall.
Princess Jiang Cailing of Nan'an County had a look of anger on her face, while Jiang Cairu was crying sadly with a pursed mouth.
Jiang Cailing asked about what happened on the way and found out that it was her sister who provoked her first today. She felt a headache.
Qiao Zhiyun's eyes were lazy and indifferent. She took the old woman's arm and went up the stairs, and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
The two girls stood up quickly.
For some reason, Jiang Cailing felt a little timid every time she saw her stepmother. Qiao Zhiyun was obviously a very gentle person, but the nonchalance between her brows made Jiang Cailing feel that there seemed to be very few people or things in this world that she cared about.
She was like this even when she was facing her younger brother who was only eight years old.
Sometimes she envied Qiao Zhiyun, who had her husband under her complete control while living a wealthy and leisurely life with almost no worries.
Unlike her, her husband is obsessed with his concubine and the harem is in a mess. If Wang Shuhuai had not secretly asked for her to be named the crown prince in order to win over his father, she and her son would have been suffering right now.
Jiang Cailing bowed respectfully to Qiao Zhiyun.
When Jiang Cairu saw Qiao Zhiyun, she rushed forward with her skirt lifted up like a bird flying into the forest, threw herself into her arms and complained.
"Mom, my daughter suffered a great loss today."
Qiao Zhiyun slowly stroked Jiang Cairu's back and asked softly, "What loss have you suffered?" Her brows did not move at all and her tone was neither hurried nor slow.
Jiang Cailing remembered Xie Yunchu's identity and was afraid that her sister would offend her stepmother, so she quickly spoke out to stop her.
"It's not a big deal, just a quarrel between children, mother doesn't need to take it to heart." Then she called her sister hurriedly, "Cai Ru, you are the one who made the mistake today, you must never be so reckless again. This is not Jinling, not Daddy's territory, no one will pamper you, do you understand?"
Qiao Zhiyun took one look at her eldest daughter and almost understood the whole story.
She took her little daughter's hand and slowly sat down in the armchair.
She was always as elegant as a finely crafted painting of a beautiful woman. She slowly took the tea handed to her by the servant. Seeing Jiang Cairu crying and gasping for breath, she spoke slowly, "Cairu, don't worry, tell me slowly."
Jiang Cairu didn't understand her sister's hint at all, and blurted out everything about today's birthday party.
"The wife of Xie Jijiu is so unreasonable. She herself didn't teach her son well, and she even dared to scold me for being ill-mannered. Mother, you have to make the decision for your daughter."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhiyun's calm almond-shaped eyes slowly narrowed.
When she married Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cairu was just two years old. Her family was wealthy and had no worries about food and clothing. Jiang Cairu was almost the little princess of Jinling. Qiao Zhiyun treated her well and often went along with her. After all, a little girl was young and ignorant, so as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
The Qiao family was a wealthy family in Jiangnan. Qiao Zhiyun's parents had extremely strict requirements on her since she was a child. She had to get up at dawn every day and do reading, flower arranging, calligraphy, and painting. Qiao Zhiyun hated that in her heart, so she never used those dogmas and rules to restrain her children. In her opinion, children and grandchildren have their own blessings, and everyone has his or her own destiny.
But in Jiang Cairu's eyes, she was raised by Qiao Zhiyun and had long forgotten that Qiao Zhiyun was not her biological mother.
Jiang Cairu kept on accusing Xie Yunchu and Xie Yunyou, completely unaware that the warmth in her mother's eyes had disappeared.
Jiang Cailing was afraid of her stepmother and did not dare to stop them. She only stood by and made excuses for Xie Yunchu and the others from time to time, blaming her sister for being frivolous.
Just at this time, Jiang Cheng came back from the government office and saw his wife and daughter gathered in the hall talking. Hearty laughter filled the hall.
"Madam, are you back? I was planning to pick you up, but when I was halfway there I heard that you had returned home, so I turned back." Jiang Cheng walked towards his wife gently.
His wife didn't look at him, but her eyes were narrowed and her face looked a little dull. Jiang Cheng then realized that something was wrong in the atmosphere. His expression suddenly changed, and he looked at his two daughters and said seriously,
"What happened? Aren't we going to visit the prince's palace today? Could something unpleasant happen?"
As soon as he finished speaking, suddenly, a loud clapping sounded throughout the hall.
Everyone inside and outside was stunned, including Jiang Cheng.
He looked at his wife in astonishment, then shifted his gaze to his little daughter. Five finger marks were clearly imprinted on Jiang Cairu's cheek.
Jiang Cai subconsciously covered her face and looked at her mother like a petrified man.
"Mom..." She was terrified and spoke in a very low voice with disbelief.
Jiang Cailing reacted, feeling heartbroken, and quickly helped her sister up, holding her in her arms, then stepped aside.
Jiang Cairu could not accept that her gentle and virtuous mother hit her with her own hands. Tears fell like beads one by one, and she sobbed.
"Mother, why do you hit your daughter?"
Jiang Cheng was brought back to his senses by the cry. He walked to his wife with a serious and nervous look and asked softly, "Zhiyun, what happened?"
Qiao Zhiyun remained seated, and glanced at Jiang Cheng coldly.
"Your daughter went to the Wang family as a guest. In public, she provoked a pregnant woman and forced her to compete with her in pitching pots. She was then kicked out."
Jiang Cheng's expression suddenly changed. He was angry at the Wang family for not giving him face. Then he shouted at Jiang Cairu.
"On the way to Beijing, I reminded you again and again that Beijing is not like Nanjing, and told you to be more restrained. Not only did you lose face, but you also caused the Governor's Office to lose face. You can go back to your room and reflect on yourself. You are not allowed to go out without your mother's permission."
Jiang Cairu burst into tears and ran to the backyard.
Jiang Cailing felt heartbroken. She bowed to her parents and immediately chased after them.
Jiang Cheng then sat down and called the maid who had accompanied him today to ask about the whole story. When he heard the end, his face became very secretive. He first ordered the housekeeper to take the servant away to be punished, then he gritted his teeth and said to Qiao Zhiyun,
"This Mrs. Wang's attitude is unusual."
Qiao Zhiyun's face was still cyan, "I told you a long time ago that this marriage couldn't happen, but you didn't listen."
Jiang Cheng smiled bitterly and spread his hands, "Is this something I can control? Anyone can refuse this marriage, except me. He is the emperor and the princess, who can I offend? If I refuse, won't it arouse the emperor's suspicion?"
Jiang Cheng's eyes swept over his wife's red palm and he secretly sighed in his heart. He knew his wife very well. As long as others did not touch her bottom line, she was the easiest person to get along with. But once others violated her taboo, she would be the most difficult person to get along with.
The reason why Qiao Zhiyun hit Jiang Cairu was definitely not just because Jiang Cairu was embarrassed. Hadn't her daughter caused enough trouble in Jiangnan?
Jiang Cheng first gently pulled his wife's hand over and asked in a caring voice,
"Ma'am, does your hand hurt?"
Qiao Zhiyun glanced at her husband and guessed what Jiang Cheng was wondering about. She said bluntly,
"I told you back then that I had a pair of children."
Jiang Cheng paused. When he proposed to Qiao Zhiyun, he knew that she had been married before. However, he would never ask if Qiao Zhiyun didn't tell him. He was not interested in who she had been married to. He was not a good man if he could make his beloved woman so sad.
Jiang Cheng and Qiao Zhiyun have been together for so many years. His wife appears to be an extremely gentle person, but her personality is very distinct. Let alone her ex-husband, even if he did something that displeased her, Qiao Zhiyun would still leave.
Therefore, after more than ten years of marriage, Jiang Cheng treated her so well that he would not dare to go west even if he pointed east.
Qiao Zhiyun looked at him and said, "The one who provoked me today is my eldest daughter, Wang Shuhuai's wife, Xie Yunchu."
Jiang Cheng took a breath.
At this moment, his expression became complicated.
No wonder my wife doesn't agree to the marriage.
"In any case, Cai Ru was at fault for what happened today. Let me send someone to apologize to Madam Wang." Jiang Cheng said.
Qiao Zhiyun shook her head. "No need. They won't care. What you need to consider now is how to cancel this marriage."
Qiao Zhiyun stood up and went to the backyard, her back still looking graceful and elegant.
Jiang Cheng rubbed his forehead with a headache.
When Jiang Cheng was in trouble, the emperor summoned the chief supervisor of the Imperial Observatory and ordered him to match the horoscopes of Jiang Cairu and Wang Shuxu. As for the commotion Jiang Cairu caused in the palace, the eldest princess and the emperor also heard about it. Although they were a little unhappy, they did not waver in their idea of granting the marriage.
The Supervisor brought back the horoscopes of the two men, and Yuan Yuandao took the initiative to accept the assignment, and that night he observed the celestial phenomena and did divination.
When the result came out, Yuan Yuandao and the Supervisor were shocked and went to see the emperor at night. When the emperor heard the reason, he hurriedly summoned the eldest princess to discuss. The eldest princess was already slightly displeased with Jiang Cairu because of what happened during the day, and now the two young people were not compatible, so she became hesitant.
Seeing the eldest princess' hesitation, the emperor said, "Let's put it aside and see if there are other more suitable candidates."
The eldest princess agreed.
Xie Yunchu woke up in the morning and took Nanny Lin and Dong Ning to sort out yesterday's birthday gifts and prepare to register them.
The birthday gifts almost filled up half of the room. After sorting them out for half a day, Nanny Lin saw two gifts sent from Duke Yao's Mansion. One was sent in the name of Madam Yao, and the other was sent by Wang Yining. Nanny Lin wondered,
"It's strange. Fifth Aunt is such a good friend of yours, why didn't she come yesterday?"
Xie Yunchu was busy yesterday and didn't bother to ask. After hearing this, she suddenly had a bad feeling in her heart. She urged Nanny Lin,
"Go and find Madam Hao who is by Third Madam's side and ask her why the young aunt didn't come back."
Seeing Xie Yunchu's serious expression, Nanny Lin dropped the work in her hands and went to the Glazed Hall.
After a while she came back with a smile on her face.
"My Lord, the Fifth Aunt is pregnant. Yesterday, she was afraid of stealing your limelight, so she said she was not feeling well and didn't say a word. Just now, Madam Hao told me that the Fifth Aunt is pregnant, and she vomited a lot and couldn't get out of bed, so she couldn't come back to drink."
When Xie Yunchu heard this, sweat broke out on his forehead.
In her previous life, Wang Yining was plotted against two years later. She had thought that she still had time to slowly plan for her, but she didn't expect it to happen so soon in this life.
Could it be that because she changed the course of some events, even the tragedy of her aunt happened earlier?
The blood drained completely from Xie Yunchu's face.
My aunt doesn’t have morning sickness, this is not morning sickness.
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