"Cousin, you can't do that!" Guo Hongzhe tried to dissuade her.
As the relative was about to kneel down before him, Guo Honglei instinctively supported her, keeping her knees from touching the ground. He frowned and said, "What are you doing? Get up quickly. I will do my best to help Brother Gong out of this predicament."
Liao Xiaodie was only halfway down when she was supported. She sobbed, wiping her tears with a handkerchief in her right hand, and her left hand clasped his arm. She replied gratefully, "Thank you so much! Honglei, if it weren't for you, I really don't know what I would have done. Yipeng's safety depends entirely on your mediation."
Her ten fingertips were painted with nail polish, and her bright red nails dug into the moon-white sleeves of Guo Honglei's robe, the red and blue were distinct and very eye-catching.
Guo Honglei felt the other person grabbing his arm and leaning against him, almost falling. He frowned, feeling secretly unhappy. He quickly let go, stepped back, and said to the Gong family maid, "Help your wife sit down."
"Yes." The maid obeyed the order and helped Liao Xiaodie away.
Guo Honglei and his younger brother sat down and whispered a few words. The elder brother said, "Cousin, you've come a long way and must be exhausted. Mother and daughter are ill, so please rest first. Let's discuss this and get back to you later." He then instructed Zou Gui, "Send a doctor immediately. The most important thing is to get treatment."
"Yes!" Zou Gui accepted the order and went back to do his job.
Guo Hongzhe looked at the little girl in the nurse's arms and said with concern, "My niece's face is red with fever. She seems to be very ill. Cousin, it's cold outside. Hurry and take the child inside to rest."
Liao Xiaodie smiled bitterly, stood up, took her daughter from the nurse's arms, and rocked her gently, "Baozhu? Baozhu? Zhu'er? Wake up and pay your respects to your two uncles."
The girl's eyes were dull and she was coughing non-stop.
Guo Honglei was stunned. "Precious pearl?"
"Yes." Liao Xiaodie's eyes were misty with tears as she answered hoarsely, "Your elder brother gave it the name. I thought it was vulgar, but he thought it was good. So it's up to the father to decide."
Recalling how he once joked with his wife about naming their daughter "Baozhu" or "Mingzhu," Guo Honglei smiled. "How could that be vulgar? 'Pearl in the Palm,' that's a very good name." He looked at the girl with pity and urged, "She must have caught a cold. Hurry and bring her inside to keep her out of the cold."
"Okay." Liao Xiaodie was instantly intoxicated when she saw the nobleman she once admired smiling at her. She quickly lowered her eyes to hide them and asked with concern, "I heard Yushu gave birth?"
Guo Honglei immediately laughed, "The baby was born last night, both mother and child are safe."
"Son?"
Guo Honglei nodded happily.
Liao Xiaodie gritted her teeth and acted delighted. "Oh, congratulations on the birth of your baby boy! Ahem, but, unfortunately, Zhu'er and I are sick and can't visit her for the time being. I'll congratulate her in person when she recovers."
Guo Honglei nodded and immediately ordered, "Hu Gang, take the guests to rest. I will explain to Madam Pan myself."
"Yes." Hu Gang bowed and raised his hand and said, "Please."
Liao Xiaodie held her daughter in her arms, looked at Guo Honglei deeply, then turned and walked towards the guest room.
The next moment, the two brothers acted separately:
"Azhe, you should arrange the food for my cousin and her group. Since they are relatives of the Guo family, you shouldn't ask others to pay for it."
"Of course. I'll do it right away."
Guo Honglei thought for a moment, "Is there enough money at home?"
"We're not short of money for now. The Jiang family is giving my sister-in-law some money again." The younger brother informed his elder brother, "She has difficulty moving around, so at the end of last year, she gave me three hundred taels to help manage the household for a few months."
Guo Honglei was so eager to return home that he regretted it, saying, "I should have brought the reward silver back earlier. I thought it was too heavy and left it all at the Yongzhou government office."
"That's fine. We're not short of anything for now, so we can move it another day." Guo Hongzhe waved his hand. "I'm busy now. Let's talk later!"
Guo Honglei smiled with relief, "Go ahead."
Then the elder brother went to find the county magistrate's wife and told her that the relative would be staying for a few days.
Unexpectedly, just as he stepped out of the hall and walked for a while, he saw Pei Wenfeng standing in the courtyard where County Magistrate Pan lived, holding a pot of wine and talking with the county magistrate and his wife:
Pei Wenfeng, still drunk, shook his wine pot and said with a smile, "Congratulations to Mr. Pan on his promotion to Tongzhi of Yongzhou. Congratulations to Mrs. Pan on her husband's promotion."
"Hahaha~" The former Heqin County Magistrate beamed, cupping his hands and saying, "Congratulations! Didn't you get promoted too? And you're also the Tongzhi of Yongzhou. It's just that you'll be in charge of patrols and arresting bandits, while I'll be in charge of grain."
After years of hard work, her husband finally got a promotion. Mrs. He smiled from ear to ear and said with suppressed excitement, "Master Pei is young and promising. I hope you will take good care of us in the future."
Pei Wenfeng replied modestly, "No, it's not true. Lord Pan is young and strong, while I am young and ignorant. From now on, I should ask him to give me more advice."
The three of them sat facing each other, chatting and laughing harmoniously.
He glanced at Guo Honglei and immediately greeted him, "Mr. Guo is here!"
Her husband turned and bowed, congratulating her. "I just got back from the capital and heard that Madam Guo and her child are safe. Not only have you welcomed a son, but you've also been honored for your meritorious service, and your wife has even been granted an official position. It's such a great blessing! It's truly, truly—huge joy!"
Guo Honglei hurriedly returned the greeting, "Thank you very much, thank you very much. I, Guo, would also like to congratulate you. From now on, you are the deputy prefect." After saying this, he walked towards Pei Wenfeng, "Brother Pei has made remarkable achievements in government, and was promoted within a year. I admire you very much."
In front of everyone, Pei Wenfeng smiled and replied, "Yongzhou is in urgent need of reconstruction. There are many things to be done, and there are many vacancies. I was lucky enough to fill the gap."
After a few pleasantries, Pan Rui moved closer and asked anxiously, "How is my brother Kui?"
Guo Honglei completely suppressed his smile and replied solemnly, "Captain Pan was a brave warrior who made great contributions in the battle to recapture Yongzhou. Although he was unfortunately wounded, his life is safe. Please rest assured. General Dou has granted him twenty days of home leave. We will return to Xicang together. He should be recuperating at home now."
"Alas." Pan Rui sighed deeply. He also sighed worriedly, but she comforted her husband: "Don't worry too much, your life is safe, and your injuries will heal. You are about to take up your post, so I won't be able to spare the time recently. I will go back home to pay my respects to the elders, announce the good news, and visit my brother Kui."
Pan Rui was helpless. "Go back quickly and tell that kid that I have prepared some good wine and will be waiting for him in Yongzhou!"
"good."
Pei Wenfeng would occasionally tilt his head back to take a sip of wine, and his whole body reeked of alcohol.
Guo Honglei explained his intention and apologized, "Everyone, I'm truly sorry to bother you. Not only is my family here, but we have relatives visiting unexpectedly, so I'm expected to disturb you for a few days. But I'll find a place to stay and move out as soon as possible within two weeks."
"Why be so formal? Just live here peacefully!" Pan Rui knew that the man wouldn't be staying long, so he generously said, "There are many rooms in the back hall. They're empty anyway. Let alone half a month, a month won't be a problem!"
Mrs. He smiled and said, "I know your family will definitely buy a house, but Yushu is in confinement after giving birth, so it's best not to move around. If you must move, you must wait and see."
Guo Honglei readily agreed, "Madam, you are right. Thank you for your understanding."
Pei Wenfeng suddenly asked, "Mrs. Gong must have come here to ask you to save her husband, right?"
Guo Honglei remained calm, "Brother Pei knows?"
"I'm the Vice Magistrate of Xicang. I spent some time at the government office before going to Heqin County for training." Pei Wenfeng sniffed the aroma of wine, his breath permeated with the smell of alcohol. He seemed half-drunk and said nonchalantly, "It's well known that Lord Gong is upright, kind, and approachable, but unfortunately he's henpecked. I heard that Madam Gong and the former prefect, Madam Wan, were close friends and had frequent exchanges. Now that Wan Bin has been dismissed from office, his property confiscated, and imprisoned, he deserves the punishment—" He paused, burped, and continued, "The imperial envoy has been ordered to investigate the case and will conduct a thorough investigation. I'm afraid that Lord Gong will be implicated by his wife."
Guo Honglei suddenly understood and whispered, "I see? I've been in the military camp for a long time and don't understand many things. Thank you, Brother Pei, for reminding me."
Pei Wenfeng's eyes were deep, and he looked half drunk and half awake, with a half-smile on his face. "The Gong family's affairs are not my business, and I don't bother to care. But if you are too kind and reckless to interfere, once something goes wrong, you will drag the whole family into the quagmire, and you will drag Sister Shu into the quagmire. After so much hardship, Yushu's life has finally gotten a little better. If you implicate her again, hmph, not only I, but also your uncle will not forgive you!"
Guo Honglei remained calm and replied, "This is a serious matter. How dare I act rashly? I must be cautious."
Pan Rui and his wife watched from the sidelines, feeling awkward. They tried to smooth things over by saying, "Brother Wenfeng, drink less. You look drunk. The new prefect Lin has been ordered to take office within this month. Let's quickly sort out the tasks at hand and hand them over to his successor."
"Yes," He said gently, "A promotion is inevitable, so I'll have to set up two tables of wine to say goodbye to my colleagues and friends here. We can drink together later."
As soon as their eyes met, Guo Honglei knew that the other party was sober and just had a drunken temper. He had a wife and a child, and he was content, so he didn't get angry at all. He said calmly, "Brother Pei, don't worry. I will think it over carefully before I act."
Meanwhile, Guest Room
"cough."
"Cough, cough, cough, mother, cough—" The girl had a cold and a fever, and she kept coughing. Her face turned red and she had difficulty breathing. She cried and struggled in her nanny's arms, and her nose became red and swollen from blowing her nose.
Liao Xiaodie leaned on the couch in the inner room, feeling restless and irritable. She scolded impatiently, "Is the nanny dead? Hurry up and comfort Zhu'er!"
"Yes, yes." The wet nurse held the child and paced back and forth outside, coaxing the child with the maid, anxiously waiting for the doctor.
In the inner room, Liao Xiaodie hugged her pillow and sighed softly, "Honglei is indeed a promising man. It hasn't been long since he started, but he has already revived the family business. His future is limitless."
The trusted maidservant was apprehensive, "Madam, we left at night without saying goodbye to the Master. Isn't that inappropriate?"
"Hmph, if you don't leave, you're just sitting there waiting to die." Liao Xiaodie twirled her hair with her index finger. "I know Honglei very well. He's a man of integrity, and he's very clear about what's good for him and what's bad for him. He'll definitely not ignore Yipeng."
"Yes! My Lord, you have done your utmost to treat the Guo family with kindness and justice. Now that the Gong family is in trouble, it would be unacceptable for the Guo family to stand by and watch."
Liao Xiaodie's eyes were filled with nostalgia. She sighed and complained, full of resentment, "If only old Mrs. Wang had let me marry Honglei back then, how wonderful it would have been! Even if I had to be his mistress and endure a few years of hardship, it would have been better than marrying Yipeng. Honglei is so talented. If I followed him, I would have enjoyed endless wealth and glory for the rest of my life."
"But..." The maidservant hesitated and shrank back in silence.
Liao Xiaodie curled her lips, her resentment mixed with jealousy, and sneered: "Alas, a good man is actually taken away by a woman like Jiang Yushu, it's really unacceptable!"
"A wife's status depends on her husband. She gave birth to a son for the second young master, and was named a 'special envoy' by the court. She actually became a female official? It's quite strange." The maid was amazed.
Liao Xiaodie was filled with jealousy. Just as she was about to make a sarcastic remark, she heard her daughter crying, coughing, and suddenly vomiting. She flew into a rage, half-lifted herself, poked her head out, and cursed in a hoarse voice: "Why is Zhu'er vomiting? Is the wet nurse really dead? She's such a loser, she can't even take care of a child!" After cursing, she fell back into the quilt, blew her nose with a handkerchief, and murmured tiredly:
"Debt collector, you're always sick. Even at this critical moment, you won't let me have some peace and quiet."
Jiang Yushu was completely unaware of her distant cousin's shocking words.
At this moment, she is immersed in the joy of becoming a new mother.
Jiang Yushu sat on the edge of the couch, holding the sleeping baby in her arms. She looked at him seriously and said with satisfaction, "He looks much prettier now than he did last night. When he was born, he cried with his eyes closed, and his face was wrinkled."
"Hahaha." Nanny Pan lowered her voice, her expression loving and full of emotion. "Look at these eyebrows, this nose, this mouth. Except for being a little thinner, it's exactly like yours! Oh, back then, yours was only this big. In the blink of an eye, it's been almost twenty years, and your son is already born."
Jiang Yushu gazed at the child intently, lovingly: a full forehead, sharp eyebrows, a high nose bridge, and shaped lips... Although thin and small, and with a rosy complexion, her facial features bore a striking resemblance to her father. She lowered her head, leaned in closer, and nuzzled the baby's cheek affectionately.
The baby was wearing a tiger-head hat. His breathing changed, his mouth moved, and his left eye slowly opened a crack.
"Look, look, he opened his eyes! He woke up!" Jiang Yushu was immediately very excited.
"She must be hungry." Nanny Pan and wet nurse Qiu surrounded her. Qiu wanted to take over and feed her, but Jiang Yushu was reluctant to let go. She couldn't help asking, "Well, why, why didn't I, didn't--" She looked at the wet nurse's plump chest and was a little embarrassed to speak.
Experienced people understood. Madam Pan sighed, grabbed Jiang Yushu's arm with her left hand and Madam Qiu's arm with her right hand, and replied helplessly, "Your two arms are barely as thick as Madam Qiu's one. You are too thin and weak, so naturally you have little milk, or even no milk at all."
As a mother, breastfeeding is instinctive. Jiang Yushu thought for a moment, "Take medicine? Drink soup? There must be a way, right?"
"Do you want to feed it yourself?" Nanny Pan was surprised.
Jiang Yushu looked at the baby and replied softly, "Isn't this natural?"
"No, that's inappropriate. It won't work. The young master will never agree to this." Nanny Pan shook her head repeatedly and tried to dissuade him. "The most difficult days are over. The young master is now a lieutenant, and the lady also holds an official position. They can obviously afford a wet nurse, so why not? In any wealthy family, it's rare for anyone to breastfeed their children themselves; they always have a wet nurse take care of them."
Facing the female official, Mrs. Qiu agreed stiffly, "Yes. You hold an official position and are responsible for important matters. Wetting a child would be a waste of your talent."
"How, how could this be a waste of talent?" Jiang Yushu was at a loss for words. Just as she was about to explain her thoughts, she heard a knock on the door.
"Mammy?" Guo Honglei knocked on the door. He washed and changed his clothes specially, for fear of passing his illness to his wife and children.
Nanny Pan hurriedly stood up and answered, rushing to open the door. "I'm coming!"
In a moment, Guo Honglei appeared behind the screen and visited his wife and children from a distance of more than ten feet.
"He just came back from a visit. He heard that Madam Gong's daughter was seriously ill, so she didn't dare let him get close to the child," explained Nanny Pan.
Guo Honglei was also worried, so he stopped as he was told. With great interest, he asked from a distance, "Let me see what the child looks like."
"It looks especially like you." Aunt Pan smiled.
Jiang Yushu held the child sideways and said briskly, "Look, this is what it looks like!"
Guo Honglei's brows were sharp and his eyes were bright. He stared at his son with joy. Then, puzzled, he asked, "Why is he only opening his left eye? What's wrong with his right eye?"
"Nothing serious." Nanny Pan said cheerfully, "We checked and found that the young master can open both eyes. His eyelids are just glued shut for a moment."
Guo Honglei felt relieved, but the corners of his mouth couldn't be lowered. He smiled and said, "It's probably sweat or tears. I should wipe it off for him."
"It's not time yet. The baby's skin is delicate, especially the eyes. You can't wipe it whenever you want. You can wipe it once a day at most." Nanny Pan was conscientious and responsible, but she was still worried, so she urged: "Okay, we've already checked it today. Let's check it another day." As she spoke, she asked Guo Honglei to leave the inner room without saying anything.
"I have something important to discuss with you!"
Jiang Yushu couldn't help laughing. "Wait a moment, I'll be out soon." She was reluctant to let him go. She lowered her head and rubbed the child's cheek before handing him over to the wet nurse. "It's time to feed him. If you don't feed him now, he'll cry from hunger soon."
"Hey." Mrs. Qiu reached out and held the baby.
Supported by Nanny Pan, Jiang Yushu, wrapped in a cloak, walked slowly. Guo Honglei from the outer room hurried to greet her, so Nanny Pan let go and went back to the inner room to take care of the child.
"sit."
Jiang Yushu sat down on the low couch and calmed herself down, "Is my cousin-in-law okay?"
Guo Honglei, out of concern for his illness, sat opposite him, a few feet apart, and briefly told him what he knew.
Jiang Yushu was deeply moved after hearing this. She sighed deeply, her expression solemn, and whispered, "Imperial edicts, imperial edicts are truly terrifying. One imperial edict brought down the Jingyang Marquisate; another imperial edict appointed us officials; another imperial edict brought great turmoil in the Xicang officialdom. Some were dismissed and their property confiscated, while others were promoted. Although they were all fair, I still felt terrified."
"It's not surprising. There has been a saying since ancient times that 'serving the emperor is like serving a tiger.' When an official enters the political career, he will inevitably have many concerns." Guo Honglei sighed.
Jiang Yushu sighed and nodded.
Guo Honglei thought carefully and whispered, "Let's not look at Cousin Liao, let's look at Brother Gong! I mean, I'd like to ask Uncle Mu to intercede. The Guo, Mu, and Gong families have all lived in the capital for generations. Our ancestors were friends, and now they're related by marriage. Uncle Mu has been an official for half his life and has a wide network of contacts. He should be able to speak to the imperial envoy."
"I believe Brother Gong is an upright official. I'm afraid Cousin Liao may have done something wrong behind his back, like colluding with Wan Bin's wife." Jiang Yushu frowned. "Husband and wife are one. Outsiders will inevitably assume that the husband instigated his wife. It will be difficult for Brother Gong to explain clearly."
Guo Honglei said slowly, "No matter what the outcome, we've done our best and have a clear conscience. 'Failure to manage the household' is more likely to be punishable by death than 'embezzlement and bribery.'"
Jiang Yushu felt a headache. "I have to repay the debt of favor, but I have to be careful."
"Of course." Guo Honglei's face was gloomy. "Uncle Mu is experienced. I will quietly remind him that if he is not sure, he should never act rashly."
Jiang Yushu trusted her husband and said, "It's the only way."
A few days later, at noon
Three carriages entered Heqin County and headed towards the county government office.
"Hasn't it arrived yet?"
"Why hasn't it arrived yet? Isn't it too slow?"
"What's my little brother's name? What does he look like?" Guo Yu, a six-year-old boy, looked out the carriage window. "Where is my little brother?"
Wang Qiaozhen stared at her son, suppressing her anger. "It's almost there! You've been asking questions all the way here. Can you please be quiet for a moment?"
"No! I won't be quiet!" Guo Yu stuck out his tongue and made a face.
Wang waved her hand and said lovingly, "Yu'er, come here, let grandma hold you."
Guo Yu threw himself into his grandmother's arms, put his feet on Wang Qiaozhen's legs, and rolled over and over.
Wang hugged her eldest grandson and said happily, "This is Heqin. We'll be at the county government office soon. The family will finally be reunited. Your cousin was just born and hasn't been named yet. As for what he looks like, I'm curious too. We'll know when we see him."
The author has something to say:
Don't worry, Yushu is a career-oriented woman [clench fist]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
