Chapter 9
On the first day of April, the morning breeze and dew are bright, the steps are covered with willows and flowers in the garden, and the morning sun is shrouded in a colorful halo.
The servants of the Xie family cleaned the courtyard early in the morning and wiped the tables and chairs in the flower hall in an orderly manner. A lively maid came skipping and bringing fresh flowers, which were placed one by one in the plum vase in the corner.
Before the hour of Si, clansmen from the side branches arrived at the main house one after another, and Qi Qihou stood outside the ancestral hall.
Some elders in the clan were not very satisfied with the promotion of a concubine to the position of clan wife, and they had many complaints in private. However, Xie Hui was the most outstanding person of that generation in the Xie family, and the whole clan relied on his power, so they did not dare to say anything.
In order to avoid arousing Aunt Lu's suspicion and also to keep an eye on her, Xie Yunchu accompanied her in getting dressed.
Aunt Lu didn't dare ask Xie Yunchu to work, so she called her personal nanny to serve him.
Xie Yunchu sat on the Luohan bed beside her and talked to her. Although Aunt Lu was a bit old, she was well maintained. She had fair skin and tender flesh, and with a layer of makeup, she looked even more youthful and beautiful. She wore a red and gold headpiece with a colorful phoenix, which symbolized the principal wife, and a crimson bridal robe, which gave her the aura of a mistress of the house.
Aunt Lu looked at herself in the mirror, and thought about how her years of planning had finally come to light, and there was a hint of excitement between her brows.
Xie Yunchu sat aside nonchalantly drinking tea, met Lu's eyes in the mirror, and smiled,
"You have served Daddy for nearly twenty years. Today is the honor you deserve."
These words touched Aunt Lu's heart. Xie Yunchu always took her into consideration. Aunt Lu had no defense against her. She thought that from today on, she would be Xie Yunchu's stepmother. On the one hand, she was moved by her true feelings, and on the other hand, she also wanted to show off her abilities.
"Chu'er, you don't know that Xiu'er is not by my side, and I feel closer to you. I heard from your father that your son-in-law will be sent to Jiangnan in three months, so I was worried about you. Your son-in-law is naturally a very good man, but men are men after all. Once they go to a place where they can't see each other, they can do anything."
After hearing this, Xie Yunchu looked up at her while holding the teacup, thinking that wasn't Aunt Lu the person her father met when he was traveling around the country? She went from being a helpless merchant girl to the wife of the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, and the teacher's wife of countless scholars in the world. She must be very proud of herself.
Aunt Lu was indeed relieved. She turned around and said to Xie Yunchu, "You still have to give birth to a son as soon as possible. If you can give birth yourself, that would be great. If you can't, you can raise the one born by your maid and you can rest assured."
Worried that Xie Yunchu would be displeased, Aunt Lu smiled bitterly, "I am just trying to rub salt into a wound. I am speaking from the bottom of my heart. If I didn't treat you as my own daughter, I would never dare to say such words to make you sick. In the next three months, you can serve by yourself. If that doesn't work, arrange for someone around you to serve you. By the way, are there any suitable maids among the four around you? If not, I will pick two from my family."
Almost all the maids in charge of the Xie family are Aunt Lu's people.
Xie Yunchu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Aunt Lu had also said these words in her previous life, so Aunt Lu had always wanted to get someone around her, but it was a pity that she couldn't see through it at that time.
Xie Yunchu's heart tightened a little in an instant, and he flexed his slender fingers slightly, saying solemnly, "I will carefully weigh your words."
Aunt Lu smiled and continued to dress up.
After a while, a maid came to report that the auspicious time had arrived and the master invited Aunt Lu and Xie Yunchu to go to the ancestral hall.
With a different identity, Aunt Lu no longer walked cautiously, becoming gentle and generous.
Xie Yunchu was beside her and glanced at the slightly raised corners of her lips.
Unfortunately, she soon stopped laughing.
First, a grand sacrificial ceremony was held, and then Xie Hui asked someone to fetch the family tree, ready to fill in Lu's name in public.
The sun's halo grew darker, and thin dark clouds covered it without a trace, and the sky outside the door gradually dimmed.
A gust of wind and sand blew up, making the family tree that had just been spread out rustle, and also forced Xie Hui, who was about to pick up the pen, to retreat. He stood up and rubbed his eyes.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Xie Hui's pen.
Different expressions.
Contempt flashed in the eyes of Second Aunt Li, and some clan elders also showed displeasure and even regret. It was not that they disliked Aunt Lu, but in their minds, the clan wife should be the daughter of a prominent family, well-educated and well-mannered, and should not be a concubine.
Only the old lady and Xie Yunchu looked normal.
At this moment, a servant suddenly came running in from outside, sweating profusely and kneeling at the door.
"Master, it's bad. There's a fire in Furong Garden in the southwest corner."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the solemn ancestral hall.
Aunt Lu almost couldn't stand and had a bad feeling in her heart.
A highly respected elder of the clan quickly stepped out, his face showing an anxious look, "Zhao Lin, the southwest corner is ruled by the Earth Mother. The fire in Hibiscus Garden means that the Earth Mother is not kind. We must not continue today. Let's do it another day, another day."
No matter how clever Aunt Lu is or how virtuous she is, she still cannot stand up to those old pedants who stick to the old ways.
Elders of the clan gradually said that they would choose another day to add the family tree to the list.
Xie Hui's face was not very good. He looked at the tearful Aunt Lu, thinking of her years of hard work and dedication, and felt ashamed. He gritted his teeth and said, "Even if it's another day, I have made up my mind to make Lu the legal wife. This intention cannot be changed."
People are very particular about taboos, and the fire in the yard today is a bad sign.
"From today on, Lu is my wife, Xie Hui. As for the family tree, I will add it to it on an auspicious day."
Xie Hui's words were binding and no one could change them, but their dissatisfaction grew deeper.
Members of the Xie family left the ancestral hall one after another. Aunt Lu was the last one to step out of the threshold. The sun shone through the clouds, stinging her eyes and causing pain.
What do you mean the Earth Mother is unkind? There must be someone who can't bear to see her glory and is plotting against her in secret.
If the first plan fails, there might be a backup plan, so Aunt Lu suddenly became nervous.
At Xie Hui's insistence, the family dinner continued.
Because she had something on her mind, Aunt Lu begged Xie Yunchu to host a banquet for her, and hurried back to the courtyard. As soon as she entered the door, she grabbed her trusted nanny, with a fierce look on her face that she could not suppress, "Go, quickly check for me, I want to see who is making things difficult for me."
The nanny was frightened by her terrifying appearance. She calmed herself down and immediately went to look for her confidant in the outer courtyard.
Aunt Lu was leaning over the dressing table, looking at her own loss-of-control self in the bronze mirror, and she took a few deep breaths to try to calm herself down.
She called the maid to do her makeup again and hurried back to the flower hall. She was thinking about the suspicious person in her mind while entertaining the guests absent-mindedly.
Li used illness as an excuse to not show up, and the rest of the people gathered in the flower hall and forced a smile.
Soon Xie Hui also arrived and the family dinner began.
Halfway through the banquet, Aunt Lu's trusted nanny whispered something in her ear. Aunt Lu's face changed constantly and looked extremely ugly. After thinking it over again and again, she found an excuse to Xie Hui to leave.
Leaving the flower hall, Aunt Lu was no longer as calm as before, and asked in a low voice, "What is he doing here? Can you find out who is causing trouble?"
Mammy followed beside her and smiled bitterly, "I don't know. I only received a message from him saying that he had to see you for something important."
Aunt Lu said no more, her heart was pounding, and her lotus steps became faster and faster. The master and servant chose a secluded path and quietly came to the back room, where they saw a tall man dressed as an accountant standing by the well. When he saw Aunt Lu, he immediately showed a look of pain, "Zhen Niang, has our affair been discovered? Come with me!"
When Aunt Lu heard this, she felt something was wrong. At this time, a buzzing sound came from outside the yard.
Oops! I fell into someone's trap.
By the time Aunt Lu reacted, Second Madam Li and her people came flooding in. Aunt Lu's heart sank when she met Li's cold gaze.
What happened next was a natural progression.
Thunder rumbled in the sky at noon, and the sun was completely covered by dark clouds. Xie Yunchu looked at the empty flower hall, drank tea in silence, and listened to Xia An's vivid description.
"My master didn't see it. The usually gentle and quiet Madam Lu was like a tigress, punching and kicking the man. Oh, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, how would I know that she hid her cousin in our Xie family as an accountant? Oh, my master was so angry that his face turned green..."
It turned out that Aunt Lu had a childhood sweetheart and they had a secret crush on each other. Later, she met Xie Hui by chance and was impressed by his charm. She then wanted to climb up the social ladder. After Xie Hui went to Beijing, her cousin also followed. Aunt Lu was furious at first, but then she thought quickly and used some means to appease her cousin. She also brought him into the Xie family to work as an accountant as a secret support. As a result, Aunt Lu became very successful in the Xie family.
He learned about this by accident before he died in his previous life, and took advantage of it in this life. When he returned home these few days, he found out how the two of them were in contact. First, he set a fire to prevent Aunt Lu from being included in the family tree, and then he spread false news to both parties to entice the two of them to meet, thus revealing this secret.
Aunt Lu's reputation is completely ruined, and Xie Yunxiu will also be disliked by the family.
Aunt Lu was locked up with a disheartened heart, and the cousin was also taken away for interrogation. After a severe torture by the steward, the cousin was forced to confess a lot of the truth, even the fact that he had withheld Xie Yunchu's dowry and secretly purchased a shop for his daughter.
But Xie Yunchu underestimated his father Xie Hui's feelings for Aunt Lu.
Xie Hui was so angry that he fell ill.
Xie Yunchu personally served medicine to his father at the bedside. He felt sad when he saw his tall, thin and vigorous father become weak and listless in a short time.
When Xie Hui was young, he loved books and had great literary talent. He was the third place in the imperial examination and worked his way up to become the chief academic officer of the Imperial College. He had many students all over the world and valued his reputation more than his life. Suddenly, he suffered a setback and was deeply saddened.
Xie Yunchu counseled him, "She is a beast in human form, and has deceived father for so many years. Why would you hurt yourself for her?"
Xie Hui's lips trembled for a long time, he was unable to speak. He had a failed marriage before, and he was very worried about getting married, so he waited for so many years before marrying Lu. But he didn't expect that he was kept in the dark and treated like a fool. He sighed, and did not explain anything to his eldest daughter. He directly ordered,
"Chu'er, send someone to the houses of the in-laws to apologize and tell them that the birthday party is cancelled."
This was something Xie Yunchu had not expected. She paused, but had no choice but to do as he asked.
Although Aunt Lu was locked up, there was a mess at home. Xie Yun was unable to go back on the first day of the new year, so he asked Xia An to go back to the Wang family.
Family disgrace should not be made public, so the Xie family announced to the public that Xie Jijiu's old illness had relapsed and the birthday banquet was cancelled. After all, it was not a full birthday celebration, so no one took it to heart. The second wife Jiang, who had originally planned to celebrate the birthday, immediately relaxed when she heard this.
"In that case, have your master come back quickly. I've had back pain these past few days. I don't know what method she used to apply medicine to me, but I was able to recover completely. The sooner the better. Tell her now and come back tonight."
Xia An, wearing a light green bodice, stood in front of Jiang respectfully like Duo Bihe, and answered crisply,
"Second Madam asked me to apologize to Madam. The master is ill and I cannot leave. Madam, you are always kind-hearted. Please give me a few more days and wait until the master's birthday is over before coming back."
Jiang was so angry that she threw the teacup over and said, "If you have the guts, don't come back."
Xia An went back and told Xie Yunchu exactly what Jiang had said, and the little maidservant burst into tears in anger.
Xie Yunchu, however, looked indifferent and said, "Okay, then I won't go back." Anyway, the Xie family had no leader, and with Jiang's words, she was not afraid of having no excuse.
Jiang thought that if she scared Xie Yunchu a few times, Xie Yunchu would be so scared that he would come back to serve her that night. Unfortunately, she waited until her eyelids were frazzled but there was no sign of Xie Yunchu.
Jiang was completely furious now.
"I finally understand. She first used the excuse of being unwell, and then pretended that her parents had something to do. It was obvious that she deliberately didn't want to serve me. It was just because I said a few harsh words that day and threatened her to take a concubine for Huai Ge'er, so she held a grudge. If she has the ability to give birth to a son, I don't have to worry about this in vain."
When the second master came back, Jiang threw herself into her husband's arms, crying and pouring out her grievances to him.
"My wife is riding on my head here, you have to make the decision for me."
The second master heard the whole story and knew that his wife was always pretending to be nice to him. He hugged her and advised, "Xie Jijiu cares about his reputation the most. He will not cancel the birthday banquet unless it is an urgent matter. You just have to wait for a few more days. When she returns home, I will order her to serve you."
It is said that the second master has been craving the crystal sashimi made by Xie Yunchu for a long time.
After hearing what her husband said, Jiang stopped crying. Although she was old enough to be a grandmother, she was beautiful and had a pretentious personality. She would act like a spoiled child in front of her husband from time to time, and the Second Master was completely controlled by her.
But at the end of the next day at 9:00 p.m., news came from the Senate that the Duke had returned.
The Jiang couple were shocked.
"Normally, there is always news delivered in advance so that everyone can prepare in advance. Why is the reply so sudden today?"
The Second Master Wang Shou was cowardly, and Jiang was unstable. The couple had often been scolded by the Duke, so when they heard the "bad news", they felt as upset as eggplants hit by frost.
Speaking of the Duke's Mansion, there are four rooms in total.
Each house is lush and leafy, and the land is narrow and densely populated.
Later, the late queen, the eldest princess' mother, came up with an idea. She simply merged the Princess's Mansion and the Duke's Mansion next door. The two mansions became one, so that four families could live together neatly.
No one else had any objection to this move, but the second wife was unhappy.
In this case, is this the princess's residence or the duke's residence?
Except for the second branch, all the others here are the eldest princess's children. The first branch knows this very well and will not compete with her two younger brothers. However, the second branch is the legitimate eldest son of the Duke and should have inherited the main house. Now that things have been mixed up, it is hard to predict what the future of the second branch will be.
Whenever the second master Wang Shou came to the main courtyard, he felt unhappy.
Because of the eldest princess's superior status, the main courtyard where she and the Duke lived was named Qinghui Palace.
In the afternoon, the birds were chirping, the sun was scorching, and outside the Qinghui Palace there was a crowd of people standing in the courtyard. People from all the rooms had come, waiting to pay their respects to the Duke.
After a while, the palace door was opened with a creaky sound by a servant, and a man was sitting in the grand and majestic main hall.
The Duke was in his sixties, with a broad forehead and face, a solemn expression, and was wearing a half-new indigo long gown with a front opening. He did not smile, but he was intimidating without even getting angry. Although he was in his sixties, he was still tall. He sat at the very top with his hands on his knees, and his children and grandchildren below did not dare to make a sound.
Next, people from each room were called in for questioning one after another.
The eldest son of the family had no blood relationship with the Duke, so the Duke asked a few token questions and then released him.
It's the second room's turn.
Wang Shuhuai was still in the government office area, and Xie Yunchu was not there either. Without the eldest son to support the family, Wang Shou timidly led his wife and others over the threshold.
Except for Wang Shuhuai and his wife, everyone else from the second house was like a mouse seeing a cat when they saw the Duke.
The Duke took a quick glance and saw that everyone in his eldest son's family was in low spirits. His square face instantly fell.
"What's the matter? Are you so upset just by seeing me?"
"Father, I miss you and can't see you. I feel sad." The second master choked and knelt down first. The others all fell to the ground in silence.
Whenever the Second Master said something like this, the Duke would calm down.
My son has been wronged, and I am aware of it.
As expected, the Duke stopped scolding him.
"Get up."
The Duke was not surprised that Wang Shuhuai was not there. Shuhuai was a calm person and was full of energy, so it was normal for him to be busy in the government office.
Where is that girl Yun Chu?
There was a reason why the Duke suddenly left the palace. When he didn't see Xie Yunchu, his expression became even uglier than before.
"Where is Brother Huai's daughter-in-law?"
Hearing this, Jiang plucked up the courage to look at her father-in-law. He looked gloomy and obviously angry. She thought she was angry with Xie Yunchu.
"In reply to father, Brother Huai's daughter-in-law has been in a bad mood recently. Half a month ago, she used the excuse of being sick to stop coming to the upper room to serve her parents-in-law..."
When the second master heard this, he felt something was wrong and gently pulled his wife's sleeve to ask her to stop.
His father would never allow his family to criticize each other, expose each other's strengths and weaknesses, or cover up other people's wives' mistakes. Jiang's behavior would only make his father unhappy.
Jiang was helpless. She finally caught Xie Yunchu's fault and complained angrily, "That Xie went to Xie's house under the guise of celebrating my father's birthday and didn't come back for a few days. She left the food to the third son's wife and didn't take care of the children. When the wife sent someone to take her back, she still refused. She is simply lawless."
As soon as she finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Dou Keling and Xu Shiwei were somewhat gloating.
The Duke narrowed his eyes and looked at Jiang quietly. Xie Yunchu had been married for a year and a half, and the Duke knew her well.
Although the old man was not often at home, it did not mean that he was deaf. He waved his hand first, signaling the other people in the second house to go out, leaving only the second master and his wife. Then he called the blue-clothed servant at the door and asked about Xie Yunchu's recent situation.
The servant told the story in detail about Xie Yunchu's illness, the doctor's visit, and his return to the Xie family to host a birthday banquet. In the end, he even told her how Jiang had sent someone to scold Xie Yunchu and told her not to come back. Jiang turned pale with fright, and then she realized that her father-in-law was very cunning, so she quickly shut up.
The Duke looked at his eldest son and his wife in disappointment. "Although I am old, I am not blind. She is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Duke's Mansion and your son's wife, not your servant. You asked her to serve you, but why don't you serve your own parents-in-law? As an elder, you keep telling her not to come back. Where can you let her put her face?"
He had something important to tell Xie Yunchu and couldn't delay.
"I order you to go to the Xie family and bring him back immediately!"
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