Chapter 24 Maintenance 3 If I agree to take a concubine, will my wife have no objection? ...
Su He calmly served the old lady a bowl of soup and began to speak softly, "Zi Yu must have been worried that Mother would be overworked, so he handed the housekeeping duties to me. As for Miss Mei Zi, I originally wanted to arrange for her to serve in the room, but there were already two maids in the room, and with Mei Zi, there would be three, and having three people serve in one room would be a waste of manpower, so I arranged for her to be elsewhere. I absolutely did not mean to disobey Mother, so I hope Mother will not misunderstand me and Zi Yu."
Zhang Qian'er, who was standing by, also echoed, "Yes, aunt, although Brother Ziyu has a stubborn temper, he has always been filial to you. The mink mattress on your couch was obtained for you by Brother Ziyu after asking many people to help. Please don't deny it."
There was a hint of coquettishness in her tone, and it was obvious that she had the old lady's trust.
Xu Nanzhi sighed, "Forget it, forget it. I won't bother with you youngsters. Since Ziyu asked you to be the housekeeper, you should just manage the household for him."
Then he changed the subject: "I came to you today to discuss something with you."
Su He smiled slightly and said, "Mother, please feel free to say it."
Xu Nanzhi turned her head to look at Zhang Qian'er and took her hand: "Although Qian'er is a relative of the third room, she is quite close to me. Over the years, she often walks around me, taking care of my diet and daily life. We are already more than mother and daughter. To be honest, I wanted to persuade Ziyu to marry Qian'er, but Ziyu refused to listen and said that he would never marry in his life. I had to give up this idea. Unexpectedly, the emperor issued an edict to Ziyu to grant the marriage. After that, Ziyu happily married you. He was happy, and naturally I was happy too. But now, Qian'er's marriage is still uncertain. Your third aunt has been a widow for many years and has no intention of making plans for her. I thought about letting Ziyu take Qian'er as a concubine. Qian'er herself is also willing. I just don't know what you think, Shuli?"
It really was a Hongmen Banquet, and they used both soft and hard tactics. Su He couldn't help but sneer in his heart.
She looked calm, "It's a good thing to strengthen the relationship between relatives. I naturally have no objection. But I'm afraid our opinion on this matter may not count. We still need to ask Ziyu's opinion. What do you think, Miss Qian'er?"
Zhang Qian'er's face was filled with shyness. "I... I am of low status and my words carry no weight. I dare not overstep my bounds. I will leave it entirely to my aunt and the young lady to make the decision."
Xu Nanzhi also took over the conversation: "I know this matter requires Ziyu's approval, but you also know that Ziyu has never taken my words to heart. Therefore, I can only ask you to come forward and persuade him. After all, you are his bedside, he will listen to your advice at least a little, right?"
The old lady was really willing to ask. She had only been married for a few days, and she actually asked her to persuade her husband to take a concubine. Did she think she was a prime minister with a big heart?
No wonder Xie Wuhen is not close to the old lady. This is purely making trouble out of nothing.
Fortunately, Su He had her own plans and didn't care much about this marriage. She had really decided on this "Prime Minister". "Don't worry, mother. When Zi Yu comes back, I will persuade him."
Xu Nanzhi breathed a sigh of relief: "In that case, I feel relieved. Let's eat the food quickly, it's getting cold." After saying that, she picked up a piece of lotus root and put it into Su He's bowl.
Su He said "Thank you, mother."
Zhang Qian'er, who was standing by, also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and said, "Thank you, young madam."
Su He replied: "We are all family from now on, so you don't have to be polite to me, sister."
The three of them seemed to be having a great time, and they didn't leave until it was time to light the lamps.
Su He took his leave first and walked out of the main courtyard along the porch. Just as he reached the corridor in front of the courtyard, he heard Zhang Qian'er's voice behind him: "Young Madam, please wait a moment."
Su He stopped and looked back, and saw Zhang Qian'er walking towards her gracefully.
Under the night sky, Zhang Qianer had a simple make-up and her skirt was also of ordinary style. Compared with her outfit on the day of the "tea ceremony", she was obviously deliberately hiding her edge today.
When she came closer, she bowed solemnly and said, "Thank you for your help today, sister."
Su He replied directly: "It's not done yet, thank you in advance, sister."
"Whether it succeeds or not, I have to thank my sister for her open-mindedness."
"My sister is being distant."
The two walked and talked along the corridor.
Zhang Qian'er narrated, "My family is poor, and I've been short of food and clothing since I was a child. Thanks to my aunt, I was able to grow up in the Xie family in the capital. In terms of family background, appearance, and talent, my sister and I are worlds apart. If I were lucky enough to become the first wife's concubine, I would follow her lead."
Zhang Qianer is indeed a smart person. In order to let her do her best to help her, she took the initiative to come to her and show her loyalty.
But if she knew that she was just a slave of humble origin, would she change her attitude at this moment?
Su He looked straight at her and said teasingly, "If it weren't for me, sister might have had the chance to marry Zi Yu. But now she can only be a concubine. Don't you hate me?"
Zhang Qian'er replied respectfully, "Brother Ziyu once said he would never marry, leaving me waiting in vain for so many years. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have the chance to be your concubine. Now I should be grateful to you, so how could I harbor resentment?"
Su He's tone was meaningful. "As the saying goes, it's better to be a poor wife than a rich concubine. My sister is a persistent person."
Zhang Qian'er secretly clenched her fists, her fingers digging into her flesh, but she didn't show it on her face: "After all, I know the Xie family inside and out, and I'm on the same page with my sister. I believe that even if I become a concubine, my life won't be difficult."
She was not on the same page with Su He, she was on the same page with the old lady in the main courtyard.
Su He arched her brows and said, "Sister, you are right. Then just wait for my news."
Zhang Qianer bowed her head again.
When I returned to Chunhuayuan, the night had deepened.
Xie Wuhen had returned from his shift and was sitting at the table in the house peeling chestnuts after dinner.
He found out that Su He liked to eat chestnuts, so he bought some on the way back home and peeled them one by one.
When Su He entered the room, he had just finished peeling the entire porcelain bowl.
He pushed the porcelain bowl in front of Su He and said, "Try it and see if it's sweet."
Su He tasted one and said, "It's very sweet. Thank you, husband."
"As long as it's sweet." He continued to peel chestnuts with his eyes lowered.
She glanced at him and found that he was a little unusual today.
Normally, he would look relaxed when he came back from work, but today he had a stern face and was not smiling at all. He even drove away all the servants in the house.
"What's wrong, husband?" she asked.
He didn't even raise his eyes: "Nothing."
She was still full of suspicion: "Is my husband angry?"
When he came out of the main hall on the day of the "tea ceremony", he also had a stiff expression on his face.
"My lady, you're worrying too much. Why can I be angry?"
Then he pretended to be casual and asked, "Is there something that the main courtyard wants you to come over for?"
Su He also sat down at the table: "Well, mother does have something to do."
"Tell me about it." He was still concentrating on shelling chestnuts.
She answered the question irrelevantly, but hinted at something: "Miss Qian'er is also going with us."
Xie Wuhen then raised his head, his handsome face becoming even more stern: "About taking a concubine?"
He was smart and guessed it right the first time.
Su He continued to eat chestnuts, and said as she ate, "Well, mother meant that I, a poor concubine, should persuade my husband."
He put down the chestnuts in his hand and looked at her seriously: "Did you promise mother?"
Su He replied: "It seems that I have no choice but to agree."
"What do you think, my lady?"
"I will see what my husband means."
He paused, his eyes trembling with undercurrents, "Madam, what you mean is, if I agree to take a concubine, you have no objection?"
She replied calmly: "My husband has agreed, so I naturally have no objection."
He fell silent for a long time.
He seemed to suddenly realize that this woman just needed a husband from the beginning to the end. No matter whether this husband was a sixty-year-old man or a young man, no matter whether this husband loved her alone or had many wives and concubines, she didn't care and could turn a blind eye to it.
Thinking of this, he felt inexplicably blocked in his heart.
After a long while, he replied, "I know what my lady means."
She asked, "Will my husband agree or not?"
"Madam, are you so anxious to know the answer?"
"Mother is still waiting for my reply."
Xie Wuhen was so angry that he almost laughed.
She seemed to care more about the old lady in the main courtyard than him.
He raised his hand and stroked his forehead: "It seems that my wife is still regretting not marrying that sixty-year-old man!"
Su He heard the sarcasm in his words and was confused: "What do you mean, husband?"
He asked in return, "My lady, you don't have high expectations for this marriage, right?"
She looked at him and said, "My husband is the same. He said on our wedding night that I should do as I please."
He fell silent, his tense expression suppressing all emotions.
Time seemed to stand still.
The two looked at each other solemnly, and no one spoke for a while.
After a moment, he slowly stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to stroke her cheek, but when his fingertips touched her skin, he withdrew his hand, then stood up without saying a word, lifted his long legs and walked out of the house.
Su He said nothing and watched him disappear through the door.
She didn't know how she had offended him today to make him so unhappy.
Forget it, I’m too lazy to think about it. It’s more important to take care of my own business.
She then called Zhang Xiuhua into the house and asked, "Is Ah Si back?"
Zhang Xiuhua shook her head: "It's likely that the account book hasn't been found yet."
"Then let's wait a little longer." She got up and went to the bathroom to wash up and rest.
The evening breeze outside the house is blowing gently, making people feel even more uneasy.
Xie Wuhen stood beside the water pavilion in the mansion, staring at the dark pool in a daze.
After a moment he called out "Mr. Wu".
Wu Sheng heard the voice and stepped forward: "Boss, what's going on?"
He ordered in a deep voice, "Send a message to the old lady tomorrow morning. Tell her that if she mentions taking a concubine again, I will take the young lady and move out to live alone in a new house."
Wu Sheng choked up and said, "Boss, isn't that... too harsh?"
How can you abandon your mother and live alone? Doesn't this just prove the old saying - when you marry a wife, you forget your mother!!!
He asked back in a bad mood: "Why, you don't want to pass it on?"
Wu Sheng immediately lowered his head and said, "I dare not."
He also instructed: "Keep an eye on the carrier pigeons in Fuzhou these two days."
Wu Sheng stammered, "Is it the Emperor... urging us?"
He looked up at the vast night sky and sighed, "Regardless of whether the Emperor urges us or not, we must find out about that lady as soon as possible."
At this time, the emperor was also looking at the night sky at the gate of Weiyang Palace.
The night sky is clear, with only a few stars twinkling.
Zhao Fu took out a cloak and said, "Your Majesty, it's cold at night. Please go back to the palace and rest."
The emperor did not comment, and then ordered: "Prepare the sedan chair and go to Changle Palace."
In Changle Palace, Concubine Shu was lying on her back on the couch, asking her maid to put cucumber slices on her face.
It is widely rumored that these thin cucumber slices can nourish the skin, fight wrinkles and ageing, so Empress Shufei, who has always been afraid of aging, has to try it no matter what.
But after just a few slices, the cucumber slices slid off her face in a very disobedient manner.
She was so angry that she slapped the maid: "Are you dead? Don't you know how to cut it thinly?"
The maid shrank back, "Slave...slave will cut it into thin slices right away."
Before Concubine Shu could complain, the eunuch Yunzi hurried into the palace to report, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is here."
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