Chapter 20 Stripped of Title I am actually very easy to take care of, my wife, don't worry...
The sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn.
Yu Nie got up very early, hurriedly ate breakfast, and used a ceramic pot that was only an inch tall and two and a half fingers thick to hold the peacock blue powder that had been baked the day before, and rushed to the Rong residence without stopping.
The moment she stepped out of the door, a tall, dark-skinned figure came into view.
Under the old locust tree in front of the door, Zijing stroked the side of the tall horse's neck with his palm, holding fresh grass in his hand, feeding it with a strangely focused expression.
Seeing that he probably hadn't seen her, she smiled slyly and quietly circled behind him, planning to give him an unexpected "surprise" and scare him.
She tiptoed up behind him, standing on her tiptoes, before raising her hands in a menacing gesture.
The boy suddenly spoke up: "Standing behind me risks your life; my knife doesn't discriminate."
She thought she had hidden it perfectly, but he easily caught her. She immediately deflated, made a face behind his back, and listlessly lowered her little paws, feigning a coquettish voice: "Since the captain saw me so early, why didn't you say anything?"
He fed the horse grass, saying, "If everything is made clear, wouldn't it lose its fun? If I don't give the young Taoist priest something to look forward to, how can I find any enjoyment?"
How could he be so cunning? How come she never noticed before? When arguing with him, she never wanted to lose. If he was looking for fun, she had to find something to enjoy too.
She walked around to his side, stole a glance at him, sighed deeply, and said with a sorrowful expression, "Last night, someone said they wanted to marry me and share wealth and glory."
“It’s only been a blink of an eye,” she said aggrievedly, glancing at him while wiping away tears with her sleeve, “and now he’s making fun of me. I’ve entrusted myself to the wrong person, even though I was so happy and thought I had found a good man.”
She acted with such sincerity that she secretly rejoiced. He was certain she had taken her casual remark from last night seriously. This whole charade of hers must have terrified him.
Hearing her "condemnation," Zijing glanced at the person next to her. Their eyes met unintentionally, and Yu Nie, who had just stopped crying, immediately started sobbing again.
It was as if he had truly wronged her.
She was getting tired of crying, and the man remained motionless for a long time. She thought to herself, "This man is too cold-hearted; he doesn't even try to comfort me. I can't let him keep crying like this."
She was secretly furious at this, determined to strip him of his title.
Even faking tears is tiring. The more Yu Nie acted, the more she realized that she had really put herself into it this time.
She planned to wrap things up quickly; she had important things to do and didn't have much time to waste.
After much deliberation, she thought to herself that she might as well just give up and quit the performance altogether. She laid her cards on the table, though she was faking it.
Even though changes always precede planning, they don't give up until the plan is done.
The boy suddenly leaned closer to her, at a respectful distance, his eyes scrutinizing her: "Are you really crying?"
"No." She intended to end the prank and walk away gracefully.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly grabbed her wrist, his voice filled with remorse, and said sincerely, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have teased you, my wife. My wife is kind and generous, please forgive me this time?"
The term "Niangzi" (娘子) is quite subtle, carrying two meanings in one word, conveying both a sense of distance and intimacy.
Young women encountered on the streets and in alleys can all be politely addressed as "Niangzi" (娘子).
When the red candles are lit and the bed is warm, this term can also be transformed into sweet nothings spoken in the boudoir, becoming a whispered secret of lovemaking.
He made no attempt to provoke her, and his demeanor was impeccably composed. Yet, the way he spoke made her inexplicably feel a tightness in her chest and a difficulty breathing.
That's really strange.
Despite the turmoil in her heart, she maintained a composed demeanor.
Worried that he seemed so convinced of her acting, she quickly explained, "I was just joking, young master, please don't take it seriously."
"A promise is a promise, why shouldn't I take it seriously?" The young man's boldness left her speechless with his retort.
She was stunned for a long time before she managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Are you really going to get married? Young master, you don't really want to marry me, do you?" She spread her hands: "I am penniless and have only beauty. I can't afford to support you, young master."
Some people say that he's never seen someone do something like this before, even while discussing serious matters. He's been fighting for many years.
I've never seen it before, so naturally I find it interesting.
At this moment, his intuition was quite similar to that of when he was a child in the mountains and fields, seeing two wild beasts tearing each other apart, fighting for territory and leaving a bloody mess.
He stared at her for a while, as if he were pondering her words.
Yu Nie observed his reaction and earnestly advised, "See? Beauty can't put food on the table here. If you follow this scoundrel, you'll only be eating chaff and wild vegetables. It would be better for you to marry into a family of equal social standing."
Upon hearing this, Zi Jing raised his lips and said in a serious tone, "My lady, are you trying to push me to an outsider? Last night we talked about sharing glory and wealth, and I said that it had to be you. What I said was not an empty promise."
As soon as he finished speaking, he changed the subject and leaned closer to her: "As for the second half of what you said, my lady... I am actually very easy to take care of, so don't worry. Moreover, my salary from this rank and a half is more than enough to buy you cosmetics and provide you with three meals a day."
How terrifying, Yu Nie thought to herself. The more she talked, the more believable it sounded. She looked at the person in front of her; the other person didn't seem to be just making things up.
She suddenly felt like she had gone too far, but then she thought again, they had only known each other for a short time, how could he really have any intention of marrying her? He was probably just chatting with her.
She waved her hand: "Young master, please don't joke with me. I still have to go to the Rong family. I'll take my leave now."
As she spoke, she hurriedly untied the reins of the little red horse in front of the manger, stepped into the stirrups, and eagerly pulled the horse's head to urge it to leave.
Zi Jing stood still, hands on his hips, and said to her, "My lady, please slow down."
The more he called out, the faster she ran, heading towards Huai Yuancheng without looking back.
The smile on the boy's face vanished instantly.
Xie Cheng retrieved his things and came out of the temple. He had seen the two talking from afar but chose not to disturb them.
He still didn't understand what Zijing had said last night.
He watched Zijing grow up.
Although Zijing is still two years away from coming of age, he is already past the legal marriage age. His marriage has always been a source of anxiety for that important figure in Beiye. Daughters from noble families and the royal family have chosen many for him, but he hasn't even looked at their portraits.
Even if they don't get married, they should at least take a concubine to fill the inner palace, have her bear a son or daughter, so that the family line can continue. After all, who can predict what will happen on the battlefield? If something unexpected happens one day, the Huan family will be without an heir.
Even so, Zijing continued to do as he pleased, refusing to take in even a maidservant, let alone a concubine, finding it irritating. In the mansion bestowed upon him by the emperor in Jian'an, the capital, there were only a few servants sweeping and cleaning.
Under such circumstances, those who know this story are basically certain that the adopted son of the dignified Commander-in-Chief of all military affairs, both inside and outside the capital, will spend his entire life on the battlefield, making meritorious contributions.
But Zijing's actions last night seem to be shattering that speculation. Others may not know, but Xie Cheng has a gut feeling that his commander is very likely telling the truth.
Watching Yu Nie's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Xie Cheng walked over, hesitated, and looked at Zi Jing.
Before he could speak, the latter asked without even looking at him, "What do you want to ask?"
Xie Cheng was taken aback, paused for a moment, and then hesitantly asked, "Last night, the Commander said... he wanted to arrange a marriage between himself and this Daoist Yu Nie. The Commander wasn't joking, was he?"
"Thank you for your wisdom, Guard." Zi Jing nimbly and gracefully mounted his horse.
Xie Cheng had already guessed what was going on, so he wasn't particularly surprised by Zi Jing's answer. He then sat down on his horse and pondered for a moment: "If I may be so bold as to ask, Commander, do you not harbor any suspicions about her?"
"Suspicion is suspicion, marriage is marriage, we can do both." Zi Jing tugged at the reins and said, "I have already had Lu Jinshi investigate her background. In the past sixteen years, the farthest place she has been is Dingzhou City, and that was only once. The rest of the time, she has spent almost all her time in the temple."
Strangely enough, this person was full of suspicious points, but his actual behavior was quite different.
Xie Cheng said, "But there are still too many doubts about her. Why did the commander... consider marrying her?"
Hearing the implication in his words, Zijing didn't explain immediately. He simply said, "You'll know after we deal with He Renzhi and Zhao Shuhuai." He slapped the horse's belly hard with both legs and said, "Let's hurry up and go. I wonder if He Renzhi has come to his senses after a night."
After saying this, the horse neighed and galloped off towards the location where the Thousand Prefecture Iron Cavalry was stationed.
*
In a hurry, Yu Nie arrived at the Rong family home as quickly as possible.
After the servant went inside to announce her arrival, the entire Rong family busied themselves coming out of the main hall to greet her. Upon seeing her from afar, they called out, "Little fairy, have you finished mixing the peacock blue?"
Yu Nie approached the group, smiling as he took out a pottery jar from his waist and handed it to Rong Dajia: "I've made some first. Let Dajia take a look and see how they turned out."
Upon receiving the pottery jar, the Rong family members were overjoyed.
Rong Dajia couldn't wait to uncork the pottery jar and pour out some powder to examine closely in his palm.
Madam Rong and her eldest son hurriedly leaned closer to examine it closely, exclaiming, "Exquisite! Absolutely exquisite! The little fairy is truly a celestial being reborn. In just a few days, she has already created this peacock blue that is unique in Beiye."
Embarrassed by the praise, Yu Nie scratched the back of her ear and said, "Madam Rong, you flatter me. I was just lucky; I made it by accident." She still maintained her meticulousness and said, "But I wonder what my peacock blue glaze will look like after firing in the kiln? Will there be any color difference?"
She suggested, "Why don't we try it first? If the color isn't right after firing, I'll go back to the temple and adjust it again."
Rong Jia Dalang laughed and said, "Little Fairy is cautious in her actions and makes sense. I will immediately order someone to try it out."
If you are testing the glaze color, it doesn't need to take as long as the three-day firing process. Simply take a few unglazed pieces, place them in the kiln opening, and wait two and a half hours to observe the color.
As the glaze was about to set, Rong Dajia insisted on inviting her to rest in the main hall. He then turned and instructed his servants to quickly prepare some fresh fruits and pastries, and brew a pot of Heling Maojian tea.
In no time, a multitude of dishes were laid out on the pearwood table, dazzling Yu Nie and leaving her overwhelmed with choices. Rong Da Jia personally poured tea and invited her to take a seat.
Yu Nie felt embarrassed and declined repeatedly, but eventually chose a nearby guest seat to sit down.
Regarding her ability to produce peacock blue in just a few days, Rong Dajia said, "The little fairy's 'magic book' is truly effective; it really saved our whole family."
Yu Nie waved his hands repeatedly and said hurriedly, "Don't be so polite with me, sir. It's my honor to be able to help your family. It would be best if we could solve the problem right now."
Upon hearing this, Madam Rong praised her kindness and asked, "Did you make this peacock blue color according to that important book, little fairy?"
Yu Nie shook his head sincerely and recounted the entire process of making the peacock blue.
I was quite surprised to hear that she had added woad.
Can medicinal herbs be transformed into peacock blue?
Immediately, Yu Nie explained the reasons in detail. The Rong family members listened and were once again amazed.
Rong Dajia said, "If we had known that this wild indigo could be refined into peacock blue, we wouldn't have had to spend that troublesome gold and silver to buy it from the Tocharian merchants at a high price."
Madam Rong admonished her son, saying, "You, without Tocharian, how would we know about peacock blue? Everything has a cause and effect."
The old lady's tone was slightly relieved: "This crisis has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Fortunately, the fairy has shown us a way to make peacock blue."
After being scolded by his mother, Rong Dajia repeatedly agreed, showing no trace of the dignity of a great merchant.
The Rong family was very hospitable and treated her to a lot of food, feeding her things like pipa (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) and lotus root pastries.
Just then, the servant poked his head in from outside the door and said that a distinguished guest had come to visit.
With a hint of guilt, Rong Dajia stood up, bowed to Yu Nie in apology, and then left.
Fearing that she might get bored or tired from sitting for too long, Madam Rong suggested taking her for a stroll in the garden.
Huaiyuan is located in the northwest. Ordinary people don't usually have gardens with flowers blooming in their homes, but they do have pavilions and towers to admire.
Yu Nie readily agreed.
Fortunately, the sun has gone through the clouds today, and it's not too hot. Her eyes will be much more comfortable without the strong light.
Madam Rong stayed by her side, inquired about the whereabouts of her martial uncle Cui Miaochang, and then chatted about other matters for a few more minutes.
The conversation naturally turned to the group of Xuan Ce's army, and he asked, "Even though I've heard that the army leader lives in the temple, what are they like as people?"
"They are all kind people, and treat others well." Yu Nie asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly ask about their character and conduct, Madam?"
But then Madam Rong raised her right hand, adorned with emerald feathers and pearls, and whispered in her ear:
"Little fairy, you don't know? Last night, He Renzhi was taken away by the captain who lives in your Taoist temple. I'm afraid they're going to kill the He family."
Last night... Yu Nie recalled the two people who climbed over the wall and returned; it seemed they had gone to deal with He Renzhi.
A note from the author:
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"厮养" means servant, which I initially intended to mention but forgot.
Happy Dragon Boat Festival to all my friends! [cheering emojis] [cheering emojis] [let me see!]
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