Chapter 45: Past Events 2: The Xie Family's Secret
It was almost dusk when Su He returned from Tongxin Lane.
At that time, Xie Wuhen was sitting in his room peeling chestnuts. When he saw her enter, he hurriedly stood up to greet her: "Where have you been, my lady?"
Su He smiled slightly: "The weather is getting hotter and hotter. I went out to buy some summer cloth today and asked the tailor to come to make a few clothes tomorrow."
Finally, she added, "I have prepared several suits of fabric for my husband."
"Thank you, ma'am." He pulled her to sit at the table. "Here are the chestnuts I bought for you."
Su He tasted one and said, "Delicious."
He smiled back, a charming slant at the corner of his mouth, and then turned around and handed over a glass bottle: "This is for you, too."
Su He asked, "What is this?"
He replied, "I asked someone to get some flower dew outside the city."
He actually still remembered the story about the flower dew she had made up.
She pretended to be delighted and continued, "Then I will use this flower dew to make tea for my husband later."
He looked at me gently and said, "No hurry."
Then the two of them had dinner together.
When Su He wanted to make tea with the flower dew, he put a coat on her and said, "I'll take you to a place."
She asked, "Where to?"
He looked mysterious and said, "You'll know when you get there."
The moonlight outside was hazy, with only a few stars twinkling.
The evening breeze blows, carrying with it the sweet fragrance of the earth, refreshing the heart.
He took her out of Chunhua Courtyard, through the interconnected corridors, and then through the winding corridors of the mansion, and came to a tall attic.
Looking up, the attic in the night sky has flying eaves and pointed corners, towering into the clouds, like a standing roc, spreading its wings as if ready to fly.
The three big characters "Wangxiang Pavilion" are clearly written on the lintel of the attic.
It is said that the predecessor of Xie Mansion was the Prince's Mansion. The Prince was born in the frontier, but was held hostage in Beijing. He built this tall pavilion because he missed his hometown.
Later, the prince died of illness, and the prince's mansion became vacant.
Later, the emperor gave this house to General Xie Lei to reward him for his outstanding military achievements.
Therefore, the Xie family mansion is not only magnificent, but also huge in area, showing the royal style everywhere.
Even though Su He had been married for several months, she had never walked around the entire mansion.
Now she looked at Wangxiang Pavilion and couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect that there is such a building in our mansion."
Xie Wuhen led her into the building: "Let's go up first."
The two climbed up the stairs to the top eight floors.
Looking up and into the distance, you can see most of the capital city.
Under the night sky, with twinkling stars and thousands of lights, the Qingshui River winds around the capital like a white silk ribbon.
The scene before my eyes seems like a dream, real and unreal.
Su He took a deep breath and inhaled the moisture-laden evening breeze into his lungs.
She asked, "My dear husband, do you want to enjoy this night view with me?"
Xie Wuhen stretched out his arms to hold her: "It's not just the night view."
After saying that, he whistled towards the night sky.
Wu Sheng downstairs hurriedly ordered the servant to light the fire.
In just a moment, with the sound of "whoosh", countless fireworks rushed into the sky, exploding one after another, blooming into countless trees of fire and silver flowers.
The colorful flames illuminated the night sky, the houses, and the dark streets.
Someone's child ran out of the house, shouting happily: "Set off fireworks, set off fireworks!"
Someone's window was pushed open, and a head popped out, looking at the night sky: "It's so beautiful."
In the main courtyard, Xu Nanzhi had just taken her medicine and was about to go to bed when she heard a noise outside. She couldn't help but ask, "Who's setting off firecrackers at this time?"
Nanny Han replied, "It's in our house."
"In our house?"
"I heard that it was the young master setting off fireworks for the young mistress."
Xu Nanzhi was so angry that she kept shaking her head: "You bastard, you are becoming more and more arrogant."
Nanny Han advised: "Don't be angry, the young master is still a young man after all, he will be fine in a few years."
Xu Nanzhi sighed helplessly: "What's the point of coaxing a woman who can't give birth to children?" After saying that, she lay down on the couch angrily.
On the Wangxiang Pavilion, Su He looked up at the fireworks.
The bright light made her almond-shaped eyes sparkle, as if reflected into her heart.
Even though she knew she would not stay in the Xie family for long and even though she knew she would have to leave sooner or later, she was still happy and joyful at this moment.
The brilliant fireworks made her forget about time and the past, and instantly brought her back to her childhood, back to the days when her father and mother were by her side.
She exclaimed sincerely: "It's really beautiful."
If she is happy, he will be happy too.
He said, "My wish is that my wife is happy and healthy."
She turned to look at him, the dim light of the fire reflected on his face, illuminating the corners of his slightly raised mouth and the tenderness in his eyes.
She asked, "Why does my husband treat me so well?"
In fact, she knew the reason.
Ever since the incident in the teahouse, he has been trying to please her in every way.
Yes, he felt guilty, guilty that he had doubted her.
He kissed her forehead.
He said: "Because He He is my wife, I must treat my wife well."
His tone was gentle yet firm.
For a moment, Su He didn't dare to meet his gaze. She was afraid, afraid of that gentle firmness.
She murmured, "Meeting your husband is a blessing for me, a poor concubine."
But this blessing was stolen by her, and she will have to return it sooner or later.
I only wish this moment could last forever.
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips.
The sky full of fireworks is filled with an endless sweet smell.
In the next few days, Xie Wuhen was still busy, leaving home early and returning late.
Su He asked Zhang Xiuhua to inquire about the situation of the melon field outside the city and select the most suitable melon shed.
Then she instructed Ah Si to find out more about the situation of Liu Dazhong's daughter and son-in-law. After all, this was Liu Dazhong's weak point.
Two days later, Ah Si came to report, "Liu Dazhong's daughter is called Liu Jiao. She's as domineering as a tiger. No one in the neighborhood dares to mess with her. I heard that even her husband, Song Sheng, can't stand her anymore. She often goes out to drink to drown her sorrows. Now she's addicted to gambling and can't stop by the casino. A few days ago, Liu Dazhong beat her up because she owed a lot of gambling debts."
Su He's expression slightly calmed down: "That's good."
Then she dug out her dowry and handed a stack of banknotes to Zhang Xiuhua: "Aunt, find a middleman and lure Song Sheng into borrowing the banknotes."
Zhang Xiuhua felt a little distressed: "Do you need so many banknotes?"
Su He replied: "You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. Just let him borrow it."
Zhang Xiuhua replied "OK" and went out to do her business.
Su He also went out of the city to visit the melon shed to familiarize himself with the surrounding geographical conditions.
It is June, and the green melon fields are full of fruits. The breeze brings the fragrance of fruits and melons.
She looked up at the eastern city wall, and looking up along the wall, she could see the high platform where the drum of hearing the news was placed.
Although it was still a bit far away, it was the closest and best distance she could find to the Dengwen Drum.
Zhang Xiuhua also stared at the platform: "When my great revenge is achieved, may Sister Su rest in peace."
Su He murmured, "Aunt, do you still remember what mother looks like?"
Zhang Xiuhua sighed, "How could I not remember?"
Su He's eyes were wet with tears: "But I don't remember."
The harder she tried to remember her mother's face, the more blurred it became, so that now, even though she still remembered her mother's voice, the fragrance of her hair, the way she walked, and the warmth of her palms, she could not remember her mother's face.
Zhang Xiuhua patted her shoulder and said, "You were too young at that time. Your mother won't blame you."
She lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.
She was silent all the way back in the carriage.
It was not until she arrived at the gate of Xie's house that she regained her spirits.
As soon as she got off the carriage, Su He saw Zhang Qianer walking out of Xie Mansion.
She was still wearing a gorgeous dress, with golden hairpins swaying in her hair. After being married for a few days, her face seemed to have become much thinner, but her expression was still sharp and mean.
She walked forward and said sarcastically, "Young Madam, have you gone out to play again?"
Su He sneered and answered irrelevantly: "Miss Qian'er is quite courageous. She ignored my husband's warning and stepped into the gate of Xie Mansion again."
Zhang Qian'er raised her chin, her eyes filled with poison. "You should call me 'sister-in-law' now, don't call me Miss Qian'er anymore, it's rude."
She took a step closer as she spoke, "I came to the Xie Mansion today to visit my sick aunt. As the daughter-in-law of the Xie family, it's one thing for you to ignore your mother-in-law, but you actually threatened me, a well-intentioned outsider. Where is justice? Besides, I'm not a cousin of the Xie family now. I'm the young lady of the Li family. Even if your husband wanted to drive me out of the capital, I'm afraid he can't do it, right?"
After she finished speaking, she gritted her teeth, wishing she could eat Su He alive.
Su He likes the way Zhang Qianer hates her but can't get rid of her.
Her expression remained unchanged, and her tone was calm: "It seems that my sister-in-law and my brother are truly in love and in harmony. Congratulations to my sister-in-law on finding her ideal husband."
After she finished speaking, she smiled, bowed, and turned to enter Xie's house.
Zhang Qian'er was so angry that her face turned pale, and her fists in her sleeves were clenched so tightly that her arms were trembling secretly.
During the days after her marriage, she lived a life worse than death.
She already disliked Li Jianye for being a tuberculosis patient, and he also had a bad temper and would insult and beat her at any time.
On the wedding night, he beat her until her face was bruised and swollen just because she couldn't scream or move.
Fortunately, Li Jianye was a sickly person, otherwise she would have been beaten even more.
Zhang Qian'er watched Su He's back disappear before turning around and getting on the carriage.
She ordered Dong Ye: "Go and call Mei Zi out. I have something to tell her."
Dong Ye took the order and left.
In just a cup of tea, Mei Zi hurried out, looked around, and got on Zhang Qianer's carriage.
She was confused: "I wonder what instructions my cousin has?"
Zhang Qian'er had calmed down, a smile on her face as she took off the bracelet from her wrist: "This was given to me by my mother-in-law on the day of my wedding. Now I give it to you."
Mei Zi was so frightened when she heard this that she lost her mind: "This is unacceptable. This servant cannot bear it."
"We grew up together in the Xie family, how can you not bear it?"
Zhang Qianer insisted on putting the bracelet on Mei Zi's wrist. "It's so beautiful. It fits you perfectly."
Mei Zi turned her wrist and couldn't help but show joy. Finally, she couldn't help asking, "My dear cousin, you are so kind to me. I am very grateful. How can I repay you?"
Zhang Qian'er's expression subsided slightly. "Mei Zi, you're too kind. There's no question of repaying or not repaying between you and me. However, I do have something I'd like to ask for your help."
Mei Zi asked, "What's the matter?"
Zhang Qian'er leaned close to Mei Zi's ear and lowered her voice, "You should know about the old story of the Xie family, right?"
Mei Zi was stunned for a moment: "I heard my aunt talk about it."
Zhang Qian'er's eyes were filled with gloom. "That past matter is a secret of the Xie family. No one in the Xie family mentions it, especially the eldest wife. Do you think it would be a good show if the Xie family's young mistress brought it up?"
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