Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Fox Woodcarving.
The weather in the capital is getting colder, and there is white steam when you breathe out. The winter solstice is getting closer and closer, and the winter sacrifice is coming soon.
After the winter solstice, it is not far from the twelfth lunar month. The noble families in the capital usually like to get married at the end of the year, which adds insult to injury.
Therefore, during the period of waiting for the arrival of the winter sacrifice ceremony, the streets and alleys of the capital were very busy. Every household was cleaning, worshiping their ancestors, matchmaking, children were walking in the streets, and women were chatting. The winter was not cold at all, and the weather was very hot.
Xue Yuanyin was under house arrest and could not go anywhere. Apart from looking at the frost on the window of her boudoir all day and practicing Tai Chi with Liu Minyan, she had basically nothing to do.
Fuzhu simply moved into the house and slept on the floor, staying with her all day, picking up the lively gossip outside to entertain her:
"There have been a lot of people visiting the capital lately, especially matchmakers. It seems that those who are planning to get engaged this year want to do so before the end of the year. The Zhang family, in particular, is also actively arranging a marriage for their eldest son. The door is almost broken down by matchmakers..."
Fuzhu was unaware of the connection between Xue Yuanyin and Zhang Jingxuan, but because Xue Yuanyin would occasionally ask Zhang Jingxuan if he had sent any letters, Fuzhu thought she was very interested and so she told her more about the Zhang family:
"But the eldest son of the Zhang family doesn't seem to care much about it. He's busy in the Eastern Palace all day and rarely shows up outside."
Xue Yuanyin listened silently.
"That's right."
Fuzhu suddenly remembered something, "The young lady once asked me to help her pass a message to Master Zhang's servant. Do you still want to deliver it?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Yuanyin took out a piece of letter from the wooden drawer of the desk. There was not much written on it, just explaining that she was under house arrest and that it would be inconvenient to contact them in the future.
She also asked why he didn't come to look for her, but there was no explanation. Was he too busy?
Xue Yuanyin stared at the letter, and after reading the last sentence which sounded a bit like a courtship question, she felt a burning pain on her face.
I wrote it down on impulse, but hesitated whether to hand it in. Now it seems that this was completely undignified, so I took a pen and crossed it out heavily.
After reading it again and finding nothing wrong with the rest, she folded the letter, sealed it, and handed it to Fuzhu, saying:
"Please give this letter to Huaizhou for me. You must hand it to Huaizhou personally and not give it to anyone else. If Huaizhou doesn't accept the letter, please tell him that I am under house arrest. Be careful not to be discovered."
Fuzhu took the letter, took note of Xue Yuanyin's instructions, and turned to go out.
After a long while, Fuzhu finally came back, put the letter on the table, and said guiltily: "Miss, I didn't deliver it."
Xue Yuanyin frowned slightly and asked, "Didn't you see Huaizhou?"
"No." Fuzhu whispered, "The doorman won't let me leave the house at all."
The gossips she told Xue Yuanyin were all heard from the doorman. She thought they had a good relationship and that if she gave him some money, he would be able to make some concessions when he went out. However, she didn't expect that the doorman, under Xue Chang's instructions, refused to give in.
Xue Yuanyin clenched the letter and fell silent.
Fuzhu said cautiously: "Only Master Liu can take the girl away when he has a tryst with her, so why not..."
Xue Yuanyin shook her head: "He's not a fool. Besides, he's not trustworthy at all."
Liu Minyan had turned a blind eye to her visit to Zhu Yue Palace under the pretext of climbing a mountain. Now asking him to help her deliver the letter would be like slapping Xue Chang in the face, which was no different from handing the evidence into Xue Chang's hands.
Xue Yuanyin opened the letter and looked at the line of words she had crossed out, feeling a pang of pain in her heart.
Everyone says Zhang Jingxuan is busy? Is he really busy? He hasn't even sent her a letter yet. He has time for matchmaking, but no time for sending letters?
Or maybe he had no intention of delivering a message to her at all, and just took this opportunity to distance himself from her.
This should be the truth. He is a prince's party, and he can't abandon the Zhang family and take the risk of having an affair with her.
Xue Yuanyin suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness, even despair. She thought, she had been holding on to hope for so many days, only to see it gradually become slimmer, and now, she had finally given up.
She shouldn't be like this. She shouldn't be afraid of an uncertain future and should be able to take on and let go.
Looking at it from another angle, there is nothing wrong with marrying Liu Minyan. At least he is handsome, has a good temper, and their children can have her surname. Although she doesn't like her surname at all.
"Brush the beads."
Xue Yuanyin threw the letter to her, closed her eyes and said, "Burn it."
Fuzhu took the letter helplessly and advised, "Miss, let me try again. The Marquis has been keeping a close eye on you lately. In a few days, I'll find a chance to slip away..."
"It's useless. Fuzhu, he won't let me go out until he sees that I'm engaged. Besides, the Winter Sacrifice Ceremony is only a few days away. How can you wait for another chance?"
Xue Yuanyin opened his eyes and looked at her, saying calmly, "Don't hide the letter and wait for him to see it. Just pretend I never wrote it. Burn it immediately. After that, call Master Liu over and tell him... that I miss him."
Fuzhu responded hesitantly, holding back the tears that were about to burst out, and threw the letter into the charcoal brazier, watching the flames engulf the letter and gradually reduce it to ashes.
-
Zhang Mansion, Zhanyun Courtyard.
Huaizhou knocked on the door of the study, went in with the letter, handed it to the headmaster and said:
"Sir, the letter has not been delivered."
“Why didn’t you hand it over?”
Zhang Jingxuan put aside his official duties at the Eastern Palace and asked calmly, "Did you say I handed it to you?"
Huaizhou lowered his head and said, "I have kept in mind the Master's instructions and have not disclosed any information about you. I sent someone to claim that we were classmates at the Imperial College, but the gatekeeper at the Xue Mansion refused to accept us."
Zhang Jingxuan washed his hands with a handkerchief, took the letter, and returned it intact with the lacquer seal still on.
He put down the letter and asked calmly:
"Is it the Xue Mansion's concierge's intention, or their eldest lady's?"
Huaizhou bent even lower and said tremblingly:
"The concierge said that the young lady has been in a bad mood lately and has locked herself in her room. She can only see her fiancé when he comes to visit. All other invitations or messages have been turned away according to the young lady's wishes. The concierge... the concierge didn't dare to deliver any messages privately, for fear of upsetting the young lady."
"Is she determined to get engaged to that man?"
Zhang Jingxuan's voice was dull and he seemed to have no emotion, but Huaizhou's heart skipped a beat when he heard it. He made a bitter face and didn't dare to answer at all.
Zhang Jingxuan destroyed the previous letter and wrote a new one, which was a little shorter. He checked it one last time, sealed the letter, handed it to Huaizhou, and said calmly:
"I'll write another letter. Please have someone deliver it. It should clearly state that a distinguished person has specifically requested that Miss Xue come and receive it in person."
Huaizhou took the letter and left, handing it to the errand boy, giving him some instructions. After the boy left, he returned to report:
"Sir, there is another piece of news..."
Seeing the cold look from Zhang Jingxuan, Huaizhou lowered his head and spoke faster:
"I heard from the concierge that Miss Xue has agreed to be engaged to Master Liu. They are preparing to send invitations to various mansions and choose an auspicious date. I'm afraid... the date is not far away..."
Zhang Jingxuan was just picking up the teacup on the table when Huaizhou finished speaking when the cup suddenly fell down and broke with a bang. Huaizhou suddenly fell silent and the study was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Zhang Jingxuan glanced at the teacup that accidentally fell to the ground, stretched out his arm to pick up the broken pieces of the teacup, and accidentally cut his finger with too much force, and bright red blood immediately appeared.
He paused, his eyes falling on the blood drop on his fingertips.
Huaizhou was startled: "Young Master!"
Zhang Jingxuan frowned slightly, then smoothed his brows, withdrew his pierced hand, and said in the same calm tone as before, as if nothing had happened:
"Huaizhou, call someone to clean up the teacups and water stains."
"yes."
Huaizhou was about to go forward and clean up himself, but Zhang Jingxuan called him back again. He wiped the blood off his hands with a handkerchief as if nothing had happened, and said in a light tone:
"Let someone else clean up. Go out again immediately and intercept that letter."
Huaizhou paused while bending over, stood up, responded in a low voice, and quickly left the study.
Zhang Jingxuan wiped his hands, looked at the tiny wound left on his fingertips, and gently pulled the corner of his lip.
The Winter Sacrifice Ceremony was still waiting for him to get the rules, and the prince had earnestly instructed him on many trivial matters... He was also confused, why did he only know how to focus his energy on useless things.
Zhang Jingxuan looked away and threw away the bloody handkerchief.
…
Huaizhou chased after him at the fastest speed and successfully intercepted the letter before the Zhang family servant arrived at the Xue Mansion.
Seeing that the lacquer seal on it had not been removed, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and breathed a long sigh of relief.
It was almost there! Fortunately, fortunately!
The alley ahead was Xue's residence. At the gatehouse, Fuzhu had just been rejected and went back in frustration.
The servants on both sides knew nothing about this and did not see each other. They both turned around and just missed each other.
Winter is getting colder.
-
The day after tomorrow is the Winter Solstice, which is also the grand winter sacrifice ceremony. The whole capital is looking forward to it and everyone is paying attention. The Ministry of Rites and the Guanglu Temple are checking all the procedures. The Hanlin is writing the speech for Your Majesty to preside over the ceremony. There is a sense of order in the busyness.
But this is a grand ceremony that only happens once in many years. No matter how fiercely the Crown Prince and Prince Yu fight in private, on the surface everything appears harmonious. The people will also watch this winter sacrifice from afar, and no mistakes can be allowed.
In Zhanyun Courtyard, the old doctor from the palace came to Zhang's house to take his pulse. Zhang Jingxuan covered his lips to suppress the cough in his throat.
The old doctor put down his hand, wrote a prescription, and said slowly:
"Winter is about to arrive, and the cold is biting. Even if you are busy with official duties, you should take care of your health."
"I know, thank you, doctor."
Zhang Jingxuan's tone was still respectful and gentle, but his attitude was not very friendly, and he obviously didn't want to say more.
The old doctor stopped talking at the right time and handed over the prescription.
Huaizhou took it, turned around and went out to boil the medicine.
Most of the masters of the Zhang family will attend the sacrificial ceremony the day after tomorrow. After checking the pulses of other people in the mansion, the old doctor said goodbye and left.
Half an hour later, Huaizhou brought the medicine into the study, placed it on the desk, and said:
"Young Master, it's time to take your medicine."
Zhang Jingxuan looked up from the documents on his desk and saw the dark bitter soup, frowning slightly.
Huaizhou obviously knew his young master very well, and he immediately prepared his persuasion. However, Zhang Jingxuan did not have any other more obvious reaction. He picked up the medicine cup and put it to his lips.
A strong smell of medicine drifted into his nose, and Zhang Jingxuan frowned again, feeling a little nauseous.
He has a shallow stomach and cannot tolerate bitter medicine.
Huaizhou said with a bitter face: "Sir, you still need a little kid to coax you into taking medicine. Who will coax you into taking medicine when you get married?"
Zhang Jingxuan's lips were slightly straightened, with no expression on his face.
Someone once tried to coax him into taking medicine, but the method was a little too weird. But in the end, he still took it.
He suppressed his thoughts, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.
Huaizhou was a little surprised, then delighted. He quickly took the medicine cup away and brought him some clean water to rinse his mouth.
After drinking the water, Zhang Jingxuan remembered something, opened the wooden drawer, took out a fox-like wooden sculpture, played with it in his hands, and his eyes were a little gloomy.
After examining it for a moment, he handed the wood carving to Huaizhou, slowly closed his eyes, and calmly instructed:
"Go burn it."
Since we have nothing to do with each other anymore, we shouldn't keep any ties and cause unnecessary trouble.
Huaizhou took it, but didn't dare to move for a moment. He looked at the young master, who seemed to be hesitant to speak for a while, but in the end he didn't dare to persuade him. He sighed softly, walked to the charcoal brazier, and was about to throw the wood carving in.
"Wait a moment."
Zhang Jingxuan pressed the table hard with his fingertips and opened his eyes. He restrained himself and calmed down, saying calmly:
"It's a shame to burn the hard work of others. You can just dispose of it. Throw it to any child and let them play with it. That's enough to make it useful."
Huaizhou was stunned for a moment, then replied with a silent "OK". He walked out step by step with the wooden carving in his arms, his steps were a little slow.
To be honest, he was a little reluctant to part with it. It was such a fine piece of wood carving, and throwing it away would be so hurtful. He would rather keep it for the young master. But the young master would probably be angry, so he let it go.
Huaizhou gradually walked away, and was about to leave the yard. Zhang Jingxuan felt the veins on his arms bulge faintly. He calmed down for a moment, but his mind was still in turmoil. Finally, he spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Huaizhou."
Huaizhou quickly turned around and went back to the house. His steps seemed more agile than when he walked out earlier. He asked, "What can I do for you, sir?"
Zhang Jingxuan's Adam's apple rolled, and he said, "Show it to me again."
Huaizhou returned the wood carving to him.
Zhang Jingxuan held it in his palm, stroking it slowly. The surface of the wood carving was smooth and flat, and the little fox's lazy and arrogant smile was lifelike. It was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into it. No matter what he did with it, it seemed inappropriate.
He held the wooden sculpture tightly for a moment, then raised his sleeve and said, "You can leave now."
Huaizhou was a little confused, but he vaguely guessed that this meant that the wood carving would no longer be dealt with. He breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly retreated.
Zhang Jingxuan looked at the eyes of the fox wood carving, and finally pressed it to the bottom of the box and closed it to seal it.
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Author's note: I wanted to finish the protagonist's psychological transformation, but it was too long, so I moved it to the next chapter. It won't be all sad, and it will soon be sweet.
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