In mid-February, the ice and snow on the border had not yet melted, and the nights were very cold.
In the dim bed, Liao Xiaodie was wrapped in a quilt, her eyes open, thinking hard, anxiously thinking of a solution, with no desire to sleep at all.
After a long time, the girl woke up from the cold, let out a "choo!" and turned over, mumbling, "Mammy, I'm so cold."
Liao Xiaodie came back to her senses, immediately uncovered the warm quilt, quickly hugged her daughter, and said nothing, allowing the child to mistake her for a wet nurse.
"A-choo~" The little girl sneezed again, curled up in her mother's arms, feeling warm, and fell asleep again in the blink of an eye.
Liao Xiaodie closed her eyes and pondered, and before she knew it, she was falling asleep.
When everything was completely silent, a "dong" sound suddenly came from the distance, followed by three "dong dong dong" sounds. It was the night watchman beating the alarm while on patrol.
It’s the fourth update.
Liao Xiaodie was in a light sleep when she was startled awake. She was stunned for a moment, her eyes suddenly hardening. She reached out again and pulled the quilt covering her daughter away.
She was skilled and it wasn't her first time doing this.
But the first time, it was an unintentional mistake.
It was late autumn. Baozhu was five months old, delicate and beautiful, and was deeply loved by her father.
That day, Gong Yipeng instructed: "Old aunt's birthday is coming soon, and I can spare a few days. Remember to ask the maid to pack the luggage, and we will go to Changping together to visit her."
"ah?"
Liao Xiaodie was stunned. She was extremely reluctant, but she couldn't refuse. She forced a smile and said, "That's great! You're busy every day, and you're finally free. I was worried and wanted to visit the old lady for a long time."
Gong Yipeng replied hesitantly: "There are too many things to do in the government office. I can't go far away casually."
That afternoon, Baozhu was playing in her mother's room while her wet nurse and maids were hanging winter clothes in the courtyard. Liao Xiaodie was sulking alone, absentmindedly trying to entertain her daughter.
The baby was tired from playing and fell into a sweet sleep. Liao Xiaodie walked away when she saw this. She forgot to cover her daughter with a blanket and went to visit the garden to relieve her boredom.
As a result, Baozhu caught a cold and fell ill.
As a new father, Gong Yipeng felt sorry for his daughter and angrily scolded the wet nurse and the maid.
Liao Xiaodie suddenly had an idea and made an excuse that she couldn't leave her sick child behind. She got what she wanted and sent her husband out to Changping County to visit relatives in need, while she stayed at home to take care of her daughter.
From then on, things got out of control.
Whenever her husband suggested going to Changping, Liao Xiaodie would recall the days of humiliation and frustration in the past, blaming everyone and everything, hating the Wang family and the mother-in-law to the core, and filled with resentment. She would secretly make her daughter sick again and again, and could not stop.
Now facing her own troubled family, with her husband under investigation and herself in danger, Liao Xiaodie resorts to her old tricks to escape unscathed, deciding to weaponize her daughter to protect herself.
The next morning
The girl who had caught a cold several times at night was indeed sick. She still had a cold and a fever, and her face was red, coughing and crying.
Liao Xiaodie, bare-faced and pale, paced back and forth holding her daughter, shouting, "What are you standing there for? Can't you see Zhu'er is sick again? Hurry and call a doctor!"
"Yes, yes." The maid lowered her head and looked submissive, and hurriedly urged the servant to go to the street to call a doctor.
Liao Xiaodie was furious and demanded, "He was clearly much better yesterday, so why did he start coughing right after breakfast? How on earth did the nanny take care of the child? He's useless! He's just a bunch of useless people!"
The nurse and the maid looked at each other, silent as a cicada. After a while, the nurse, filled with grievances and trembling with fear, pointed outside the door and speculated, "It was warmer the past two days, but, but today it suddenly became windy and snowy, and it's cold. I guess the child is weak and can't stand the cold."
"Hmph, stop making excuses. It's probably because you guys didn't serve me wholeheartedly!" Liao Xiaodie scowled, trying to comfort her daughter with concern. She shouted, "Zhu'er vomited all her breakfast. Go make some light porridge!"
"Yes." The servant hurried to the kitchen.
Early in the morning, the noise from the Gong family was so loud that it woke up Jiang Yushu, who lived nearby.
She rubbed her eyes and heard the sound of someone washing up outside. She opened the curtain and asked in confusion, "What's going on outside? What's all the commotion so early in the morning?"
"Baozhu is sick again."
Guo Honglei, his robe straight, stepped into the inner room and said, "I've already sent Zou Gui out to get a doctor. Don't worry, just go to sleep."
Jiang Yushu sat up, lowered her head and put on her coat, "No. It's time for me to get up now."
Guo Honglei turned around, pulled a large fur cloak from the shelf, and wrapped his wife completely. "It's snowing, so wear more clothes."
"Stop, stop messing around - I can't see!" Jiang Yushu was pushed back onto the bed. She struggled to stick her head out, her hair disheveled. After the two of them played around intimately for a while, she was able to get off the bed and put on her shoes.
Guo Honglei said loudly, "Sit down and wait for a moment. I'll ask Madam to bring some water."
"Second Young Master, what are you planning to do today?" Jiang Yushu combed her hair in front of the mirror with a smile on her face.
"The weather suddenly turned cold, and Baozhu got sick from the cold. I'll go see Ye'er first, then pay my respects to Mother, and then see Baozhu again. After dinner, I'll take my third and fourth brothers out to decorate the house, and ask someone to choose an auspicious day for moving." Guo Honglei was energetic and methodical, and instructed, "I'll serve Mother breakfast, don't wait, eat by yourself."
Jiang Yushu's heart immediately sank, and she quickly replied, "Then go check on Ye'er and see if he's okay."
"I know!" Guo Honglei nodded and turned to leave. Although the army had granted him leave to recuperate, he had no time to rest and was busy running around.
Because of the confinement period, I had to eat three meals a day in the room.
At lunch, as usual, Nanny Pan accompanied them and they ate together.
"This stewed duck is delicious. Have a couple more pieces." Nanny Pan served the dishes, chattering, "Thank goodness our two young masters are fine! Alas, Miss Baozhu was too weak. A gust of cold hit her, and she fell ill. The doctor prescribed a dozen or so doses of medicine, but they were bitter. The child refused to drink, so I had to force-feed her. She cried so much, it was so pitiful."
Jiang Yushu drank a mouthful of soup, wiped her mouth, and said with pity: "I only met her once. She was well-behaved and quiet. Well...but she was indeed a little thin and in poor health. That's why she was always sick."
"Just look at her hair, it's thin and yellow. She drinks a lot of medicine and eats very little, so how can she be strong?" Nanny Pan changed the subject and said thankfully, "Our little master is different. He drinks milk in one gulp and sleeps soundly. He's getting stronger day by day, and his eyes are especially bright, black and shiny. The more you look at him, the more handsome he becomes."
Jiang Yushu smiled happily when she heard this and said cheerfully, "Is he handsome? I'll take a look later!" She paused and said, "They didn't come back for lunch. I wonder what they are busy with?"
"Don't worry. The three young masters must have taken their people to eat outside, saving them the trouble of running back and forth."
"That's true."
After dinner and after visiting the children, Jiang Yushu walked around the house as usual, back and forth, in circles.
Nanny Pan advised, "You've been doing this for dozens of rounds. Isn't Madam dizzy? I feel dizzy just watching."
Jiang Yushu came back to her senses, not feeling dizzy at all. "No, I'm just thinking about something. I need to move my muscles every day so I can recover faster."
"You're in confinement, so don't worry too much, okay?" Nanny Pan quickly packed her luggage to move out.
Jiang Yushu shook her head. "It's urgent, so we have to make arrangements early. The first thing is the full moon banquet. After much deliberation, we have to have one, and two. While the family is reunited, the county will set up two tables in advance and invite familiar friends. First, to thank them for taking care of the Guo family, second, to let my mother-in-law and sister-in-law meet the county magistrate, and third, to bring joy to the new house. Then, Honglei will return to Yuehu and set up a few tables in town, inviting his brothers from the camp and acquaintances from the village. It will be lively and there's nothing wrong with that."
"My mother-in-law and her family have just arrived in Heqin and are unfamiliar with the place, so we have to take care of everything."
"Good things happen one after another, it's worth celebrating!"
Nanny Pan laughed and said with emotion, "Come to think of it, the Guo family hasn't held a proper banquet since they came to Xicang."
Jiang Yushu sighed, "Before, with the charge of being a 'fugitive', how could I dare to act so openly? I didn't even dare to spend the money I had. Now it's different. I can't save on necessary expenses. If we don't interact with each other, the relationship will fade."
"Yes, that's the truth."
In the evening, the wind and snow became stronger and stronger.
The three brothers of the Guo family returned to the rear court with their servant.
"Oh, I'm so tired!" Guo Hongxuan sat down, tilted his head back, and gulped down a glass of warm water.
Wang stepped on the foot warmer and leaned over to ask with concern: "Have you had dinner? How is the matter going?"
Guo Honglei and Guo Hongzhe bowed to their mother first, and then their brother replied, "We've already eaten outside. The house is roughly cleaned. The 18th of this month is an auspicious day for moving in, so we'll move in then."
"Okay, okay." Wang was delighted to hear that.
Wang Qiaozhen was drinking tea next to the fumigation cage. Guo Yu had been pestering his elders to play, but when he saw his uncles coming home, he slowly approached and mustered up the courage to ask, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, why did you come back so late? I've been waiting all day."
"Yu'er!" Guo Hongxuan raised his head, crossed his legs, and asked in feigned anger, "Don't you have a 'Fourth Uncle'?"
The boy smiled awkwardly and bowed, "Hello, Fourth Uncle."
"Hmph." Guo Hongxuan waved his hand, indicating that the matter was over.
Guo Hongzhe squatted down and asked gently, "What are you waiting for us for?"
"Eating." Guo Yu answered seriously, "We eat together in the morning, it's lively, but for lunch and dinner, it's just me, my grandmother, and my mother."
Guo Honglei smiled and said, "After we move into the new house, we will invite relatives and friends to the wedding banquet. There will be more people and it will be more lively."
"Oh, that's great!" Guo Yu clapped his hands happily. Involuntarily, he followed his second uncle, who was the tallest, and whispered, "I went to see my brother at noon, but he was sleeping the whole time."
Guo Honglei sat down and turned around to say, "He's still young. He spends most of his time sleeping during the day and at night to nourish his spirit and grow physically."
"I heard that the sister I met yesterday is sick. I wanted to go see her, but my grandmother and mother didn't allow it." Guo Yu racked his brains and tried hard to strike up a conversation.
On weekdays, Wang often told her eldest grandson: Your second uncle is a martial arts expert with extraordinary strategy. He is a hero who fights bravely on the battlefield!
Although the boy is ignorant, he is born to admire "heroes".
Guo Honglei was startled. Before he could answer his nephew, he heard his sister-in-law say calmly:
"Your sister Baozhu is ill and is recuperating, so she cannot be disturbed." To avoid getting my son sick too.
"Well, I won't quarrel with my sister." Guo Yu behaved very well, fearing that his "heroic uncle" would dislike him for being naughty.
Wang Qiaozhen glanced at her son who was pretending to be well behaved. She knew what was going on and was happy to have some peace and quiet.
Guo Honglei praised with satisfaction: "Yu'er has grown up, that's great."
The boy was delighted but a little shy, so he quietly took a step closer.
Guo Honglei turned to his mother and asked, "I wonder how Baozhu is doing?"
"The doctor prescribed a new prescription. After taking the medicine, her condition has stabilized." Wang sighed, "That little girl is so weak. No wonder Yipeng gets worried whenever he mentions his daughter."
At this time, Zou Gui quickly stepped into the hall, presented a letter, and reported: "A letter from Changping!"
In an instant, everyone stared at the letter.
Guo Honglei opened it immediately and read ten lines at a glance.
"Is this a letter from Uncle Mu?" Wang Qiaozhen was nervous. She approached with her teacup in hand and asked, "Can I see it?"
Guo Honglei nodded, handed the letter to his sister-in-law, and gave her a look. The wet nurse hurriedly took Guo Yu away. Zou Gui also understood, closed the door and stood guard outside.
Wang was worried, "What did the letter say?"
"Don't worry, there's still room for maneuver!"
Guo Honglei was excited and whispered, "Uncle Mu has been secretly negotiating. The imperial envoy's statement is: Wan Bin has been a threat to the border, embezzling and perverting justice for ten years. After being imprisoned, he has betrayed many people, implicating many people, and there may be suspicion of incriminating others. However, the women of the Gong and Wan families do have a close personal relationship, and this should be investigated. Therefore, Cousin Liao must surrender herself as soon as possible and confess the truth. If she can clear Brother Gong of the suspicion of embezzlement and bribery, she can be spared the death penalty!"
"Then, what about the living crime?" Guo Hongxuan asked in a whisper.
Guo Honglei replied solemnly, "The death penalty may be avoided, but the punishment of life imprisonment is unavoidable."
Wang Qiaozhen slammed the letter on the table with a loud bang, gritting her teeth. "That's right! Xiaodie must surrender herself as soon as possible, or she'll kill her husband!"
Guo Honglei said solemnly, "The longer the night, the more dreams there are. The sooner the better. If the authorities come to arrest me, I won't have the chance to surrender myself."
Wang Qiaozhen raised her head and volunteered, "Without further delay, I will immediately persuade her: it's useless for her to hide here with us. Please hurry back to the capital tonight and turn herself in to save Yipeng!"
"This..." Wang thought for a moment and wanted to stand up, but then she sat still. "Alas, Yushu is in confinement after giving birth, and it's not convenient for a man to go and talk at night. Qiaozhen, then you go and explain the situation to Xiaodie in a gentle manner."
Wang Qiaozhen was confident and walked quickly towards the door. "Old Madam, leave this matter to me!"
The author has something to say:
Wang Qiaozhen: As early as when I was in the Marquis' Mansion, I wanted to chase away the vixen! [Rolling up the sleeves]
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