Chapter 90 Chapter 90 It was the beginning of summer, and a heavy rain had just passed.
It’s the beginning of summer, and a heavy rain has just passed.
The roller blinds hang low under the eaves, and water drops drip from the edges of the bamboo strips onto the stone steps. The sky is dim, perfect for a nap.
"My lady, it's time to wake up."
Inside the green gauze cupboard, Li Shuang half-knelt in front of the soft couch and called out in a low voice.
"What time?" Sheng Puzhu asked in a daze without opening his eyes.
"Three quarters past noon."
"If my lady doesn't wake up, it will be too late."
"It's too late, so I'll sleep for another quarter of an hour." Sheng Puzhu fumbled around with her little hands, grabbed a book next to the soft pillow, and directly covered the extremely bright and dazzling little face with it, trying to block out the light and human voice.
"My wife doesn't want to get up. What should I do?" Li Shuang frowned and paced around the couch anxiously.
"You stay here first, I'll go find Madam Du. Only Madam Du can comfort my wife from her habit of staying in bed." Naidong sighed and quickly turned around to leave.
The person who fell asleep on the soft couch had black hair like clouds, loosely tied with a butterfly hairpin inlaid with jade. A few strands of hair at the temples were wetly stuck to the rosy cheeks, making her look like a gorgeous and precious flower in the world.
A crabapple-red gold-woven quilt was piled on the couch, having been piled at the end of it at some point. A corner of the quilt barely covered her lower abdomen, with most of it falling to the ground. Her long, straight legs were slightly curled up, delicate and slender, as white as frost.
Madam Du really had a solution. She simply asked someone to boil another pot of Huoshan Yellow Teeth outside.
The water in the purple clay stove gurgles as it boils, and the spout of the kettle continuously spurts out hot white mist, which blends with the air after the rain pouring in from the window. The boiling water brews the tea, the fragrance of tea is rampant, and the green gauze cabinet seems like a fairyland.
Sheng Puzhu woke up to the smell of the elegant tea fragrance. She lazily supported herself with her hands and sat up. She didn't know where she twisted her body and took a deep breath of cool air. Then she slowly raised her feet and used her toes to hook her soft-soled embroidered shoes covered with pearls on the ground.
Nanny Lin came forward with tea, smiling so much that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were almost squeezed together, and said lovingly: "My little ancestor, the eldest family will return home later. Even if you don't want to go, you can't even not see them."
"Besides, Princess Shoukang will return to Tianchang Monastery after the old lady's birthday. The eldest lady has recovered in Boling, and now that she's back, she's fully equipped to take over the housekeeping duties."
Sheng Puzhu raised her head, a faint smile on her face. "Before, I thought that since the eldest lady had returned home, I would leave the housekeeping to her. But now..." She paused, then continued, "For the time being, I will take my own people to handle the housekeeping matter. It will only take about an hour. At most, I will need to spend some time to check the account books at the end of the month."
Sheng Puzhu was so annoyed because Xie Qingshu sent her a letter in advance, saying that Xie Juyuan had secretly arranged a marriage for her.
After reading the letter, Sheng Puzhu felt it was ridiculous.
A girl's marriage also needs to be arranged through marriage. For a family as strict with rules as theirs, how could they just marry someone blindly?
What's more, Xie Juyuanding's husband turned out to be the prince of An. Whenever she thought of this prince who was said to be good at riding and shooting but not so good at studying, she couldn't help but think of the prince's slightly weak physical condition.
If Xie Juyuan really had such an idea, then he would be too willing to gamble his money.
The saint is not yet in his twilight years, the crown prince is newly married and is in love with the crown princess. As long as the crown princess successfully gives birth to a legitimate son, it would be a fantasy for him to be adopted by a clan member.
Unless the prince——
Sheng Puzhu's expression turned serious and he quickly cut off the ridiculous thoughts in his mind.
Seeing that she was not in high spirits, Madam Du nodded and said, "My wife is the Crown Prince's wife after all. It is not a long-term solution to have the First Housekeeper be the housekeeper all the time. After all, there has been resentment between the two houses for a long time. If the First Housekeeper is not dedicated, it will probably sow the seeds of trouble in the long run."
At this point, Nanny Du suddenly smiled. "But you don't have to worry. Since the Crown Princess's wedding, Linlang Pavilion's orders have been filled until the end of the year. Jinli and the others can handle ordinary matters on their own. Besides, the Princess has also said that she will leave two housekeepers for you to use when the time comes."
The house hadn't been covered in ice yet, and the air was damp after the rain.
Sheng Puzhu stood up calmly, walked to the window, and reached out to catch the water droplets dripping from the eaves: "I'm not worried about the housekeeper's affairs."
The nanny's loving gaze fell on her increasingly beautiful little face, and she said with a smile, "I have noticed that you are looking better and better lately. In my free time, I go to Wangxian Gate to bring you food."
"It's a good thing that you and your husband have become close, so please let us handle the troublesome matters."
Sheng Puzhu coughed lightly. Although she didn't want to admit it, she and Xie Zhiyan had indeed been getting along very comfortably in recent times.
Ever since that night when she told him a lot of things from the past, an invisible barrier between them had disappeared.
She never had high expectations for marriage, and he probably thought so too, thinking it was just about taking care of the house and serving the elders.
If he is considerate, she will naturally be more attentive.
For her, this way of getting along was already very satisfying. They were less distant and gradually became close with tacit understanding. It was much better than the fake love and strangers she had expected at the beginning.
Just like now, Xie Zhiyan is still busy, but he returns home as early as possible and occasionally asks about her daily life. When his eyes fall on her, there are more indescribable emotions in the dark color.
The past that was once hidden deep in her memory and that she was reluctant to recall, because of a cathartic confession, made her seem to have unlimited courage overnight.
This man who shared her secret was upright, brave and resourceful, and they had the same interests but different paths.
Sheng Puzhu blinked her eyelashes, trying to deny it, but the slightly raised corners of her lips still revealed her happy mood.
"It's getting late. I should change my clothes and go to Yishou Hall to pay my respects to my grandmother." Sheng Puzhu left this sentence as if he was escaping, not even daring to look back.
Nanny Lin shook her head with both relief and helplessness, and followed with a smile.
*
Passing through the corridor, the early summer wind brought with it a dry and warm feeling, blowing through the new bamboo planted in the front yard, making the branches and leaves rustle. However, this rare tranquility was suddenly broken by the eldest family who returned home early.
"This is simply nonsense! Marriage is not a joke." The old lady was so angry that she threw the teacup in her hand.
Xie Juyuan was previously punished with a whipping in the ancestral hall for the incident involving the Crown Prince's Consort, and was soon sent back to his old home in Boling to reflect on his mistakes. He and his eldest wife's family were supposed to leave at the beginning of summer and return to Chang'an after the Grain in Ear, but they were quietly sent back half a month earlier.
Originally, this was a trivial matter. As the old lady's birthday was approaching, everyone would have turned a blind eye and let it go. However, before Xie Juyuan returned home, the second daughter's marriage was hastily decided, and the marriage was to the Prince of An.
This morning, when the matchmaker came to congratulate her with the news, the old lady had already been angry once, and now, in front of the eldest wife's family, she was obviously furious again.
What a person of great status is Prince An, he is one of the few living brothers of the saint.
Although they were not born of the same mother, he almost became the Saint's biggest competitor for the throne of the crown prince when the previous emperor was in power. However, Prince An was too weak and was seriously ill several times and was thought to be dead. However, he managed to survive those times even when he was hanging on for his last breath.
Although he seems to be idle these years, the emperor has always favored him, and it seems that the saint has long forgotten the fights between his brothers.
The Jingguo Mansion is already powerful, with a complex network of relatives in the court. The marriage between the Xie and Xiao families is tantamount to pulling out the beard from a tiger's mouth, and is testing the bottom line of the emperor on the throne.
Besides, who is Xiao Xuan'an, the prince of Prince An? Relying on the fact that he is the only son and the legitimate son, he can be said to be the most dissolute man in Chang'an.
After he came of age, he had nothing to do so he took up a sinecure in the army. Every day he would stroll to the Ministry of War to report in. The rest of the time he was either playing with cats and dogs or hanging out in places of entertainment. He was good at anything related to eating, drinking and having fun.
In addition to the favor of Prince An, the biggest reason for this prince's favor is that he is deeply loved by the Saint. Although he is not personally raised by the Saint, when there are any rewards in the palace, the Saint may forget Prince An, but he will never forget Prince An's share.
With a man like this, let alone discussing marriage, all the noble ladies in Chang'an would like to stay away from him. They didn't expect that Xie Juyuan was going to push his legitimate daughter into the fire pit.
The atmosphere in Yishou Hall was solemn.
The old lady smashed the teacup and stared at Xie Juyuan coldly: "Marrying into the Anwang Mansion is a serious matter. Have you considered the pros and cons involved?"
"Mother, calm down."
"My son had let Qingshu marry into Prince An's mansion after careful consideration."
"Princess An is kind and well-mannered, and has a good reputation in Chang'an City. If Qingshu marries into her, she won't have any sisters-in-law to deal with, nor will she have any younger sisters-in-law to worry about. As long as she lives a good life with the Crown Prince, she won't tolerate any grievances."
"So my son thinks that Prince An is a good match for Qingshu."
"Is this your careful consideration?" The old lady gasped in anger, "Have you ever thought about this family, about the Jingguo Mansion?"
Xie Juyuan stood upright, with the stubbornness of a civil servant. However, in just six months, he had already grown white hair on his temples. He looked thinner, and his angular features had a hint of gloom.
He did not answer the old lady, but slowly narrowed his eyes, lifted his robe and slowly knelt down in front of the old lady.
"When my son proposed marriage to Sanlang, he said something inappropriate and mother directly opposed it. Now Qingshu is proposing marriage, mother also does not want it."
"My son couldn't understand why his mother would stop him from doing good things."
The old lady was so angry that she couldn't speak, and Nanny Jiang kept rubbing her back.
Xie Juyuan's tone was stiff, with a long-suppressed resentment: "As your eldest son, my son has never had a smooth life in all these years."
"Qingshu marrying the Prince of An is a perfect match, a blessing and a blessing for the family. What on earth does mother think is wrong?"
Xie Juyuan's gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on Xie Huaiqian, who had been looking at him coldly. His voice suddenly rose, with a hint of reckless stubbornness: "I can't decide on my second son's marriage, so can't I also have a say in my daughter's marriage?"
"If a mother is unhappy, she can only punish her son."
"It's just that Qingshu and Prince An's birth certificate had already been exchanged. It's already set in stone and there's no way it can be changed."
There was a loud bang.
As soon as Xie Juyuan finished speaking, he was hit hard by a punch.
Even though he was tall, he could not match the general's physical strength. His body tilted and he fell to the ground.
Xie Huaiqian strode forward with a sullen face, stretched out his hand to grab Xie Juyuan's collar, dragged him up with an expressionless face, and punched him again.
In Yishou Hall, it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was stunned, and for a moment no one reacted to step forward to stop it.
It wasn't until Xie Juyuan spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground that the stunned Qin finally came to her senses and screamed, "Stop hitting him! His injuries haven't healed yet. If you keep hitting him, he'll die."
Xie Huaiqian's eyes burned red. "I know your dissatisfaction over the years is because of me, because your second son inherited the title, and Zhiyan was named the Crown Prince."
"But have you ever thought about why father chose to give me the title instead of you?"
"Reading is the key to understanding reason, studying history to understand the present, and distinguishing right from wrong, rather than being blinded by one thing like you. The Xie family has been around for centuries, accompanying Taizu to establish the Great Yan Empire. You've even forgotten our roots as a family of military commanders, and you still want to inherit the title?"
Xie Juyuan shouted and pried Xie Huaiqian's hands apart. He didn't even wipe the blood off his lips, but sneered: "If you have the guts, beat me to death. Qingshu's marriage is set. She can either marry Xiao Xuan or cut her hair and become a nun in a temple."
Sheng Puzhu sat quietly beside Princess Shoukang, her eyes lowered, her fingers stroking the wall of the celadon cup, not knowing what she was thinking. She was even distracted enough to count how many punches Xie Juyuan had received and how many times he had spat out blood.
As for Xie Qingshu's marriage, she didn't want to interfere rashly.
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