Chapter 38: Everything was predicted correctly: Whether it's right or wrong is hard to say, but at the moment, no one in the Hesheli family is in the mood to think about it. ...
Whether it's right or wrong is hard to say, but at the moment, no one in the Hesheli family is in the mood to think about it.
After returning from the First-Class Duke's residence, Shumulu fell ill that very night.
When Qing Shuang told her that the West Courtyard had sent a nanny out to find a doctor, Shen Wanqing had just finished dinner and was about to get up to take a stroll in the back garden when she heard about it, so she sat back down.
"Did you ask what was wrong? She was fine when she went out today, how did she suddenly fall ill? Has the Second Madam seen anyone since she came back?"
"No, the Mid-Autumn Festival just ended today. Normally, the Second Madam should go to the accounting office to tally up the expenses incurred during the festival and send them to the main courtyard. She returned to the west courtyard this afternoon and hasn't come out since. It seems she is truly ill."
"It was already late when I got back. It's normal for Second Aunt not to go to the main courtyard so late. Even if she had finished calculating the accounts and sent them over, it would have been past the old lady's dinner time. What accounts would she be looking at so late at night?"
"The eldest madam doesn't know that last Mid-Autumn Festival, the second madam's brother had a new baby. The second madam went back home the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and it was almost dark when she returned."
I still went to the accounting office to finish the Mid-Autumn Festival accounts as usual. I heard that the old lady had already gone to bed when I sent them to the main courtyard.
Qiaoyun, who was serving the old lady, suggested that they wait until tomorrow to discuss it, but the second mistress insisted on leaving the accounts behind, saying that the ledgers were all organized and she wouldn't take them back. She added that the old lady wouldn't look at them tonight, and she could come over again tomorrow morning.
Everyone in the family knew about this at the time, and Qing Shuang imitated it perfectly, making Shen Wanqing laugh and shake her head at the same time. Look at how diligently she acted as a dutiful son and grandson, no wonder the East Courtyard couldn't compete with her.
Shumulu has always been meticulous in managing the household affairs. Except for the occasional delay in monthly payments over the past year or two, she is extremely careful in all other matters, especially in sending things to the old lady for her approval. Today's sudden change is indeed unusual.
The Hesheli family's house was only so big. Although they were tired during the Mid-Autumn Festival, the amount of money they spent inside and outside was limited. If you didn't include the gifts from relatives and colleagues, it would only cost a hundred or two hundred taels of silver at most.
This sum of money wasn't small, but it wasn't insignificant either. Shumulu wouldn't skimp on a single penny; on the contrary, she would present it to Tongjia with exceptional care, ensuring everyone in the household saw that this stewardess never harbored any selfish motives. The sudden cessation of such a clever and pleasing practice—what serious illness could be at play?
Having figured out Shumulu's logic, Shen Wanqing felt a little uneasy, wondering if she had really scared herself into something bad.
"Don't rush. There are different kinds of illnesses. Let's wait and see. Send someone to keep an eye on things at the gatehouse. When the doctor from the west wing arrives, be very attentive to him and try to find out what he specializes in treating."
"I've already sent Laixi over, Grandma. Don't worry, we always know which doctors to hire. Laixi knows exactly which doctor is good at treating which illnesses. He can't go wrong as long as he sees the right person."
Laixi and Duofu are servants who run errands, guard the gate, and relay messages for the East Courtyard. Laixi is twelve years old and Duofu is thirteen. Because they are still young, they can freely enter and exit the second gate. Both of them are clever. Usually, Changlu, who is in charge of the study, doesn't go out much, so he takes care of the two of them. In a few years, when they grow up, they will both accompany Yulang on his trips.
Whether Shumulu was sick or not, and what kind of illness it was, Shen Wanqing wasn't particularly concerned. What worried her was that this person might have lost her mind and insisted on getting involved in Guangyuanxing's affairs even though she was perfectly fine, and that the illness was just an excuse.
The waiting time was the hardest. The festival was over and the dowry was all packed. Her husband had gone to work and hadn't come back. There were only so many people and so few things to do in the East Courtyard. Half a month had passed and everything that needed to be done had been taken care of. She really couldn't think of anything else to do.
With nothing to do, she decided to play around. Shen Wanqing rummaged through the small box she had brought from her parents' home and picked out a piece of Qingtian stone with orchid-green color, intending to use it to practice her skills.
“Why did you pick out this stone, Madam? The Madam said the stones in this box aren’t very good. There’s a box of good stones that the Madam specially prepared for you in the storeroom. Shall I go and get that?”
"No need, I just want to practice. It's been so long since I've touched a knife, giving me something good would be a waste."
The original owner had loved playing with these seals and fan surfaces since she was a child, and the Shen family specially prepared a small room for her to store these things. This time, she didn't bring many of the seals she had carved before, nor the paintings she had framed for her father and brothers. Xu Shi knew that these were her daughter's keepsakes left at her parents' home, so she had someone collect a box of good stones and bring them to her daughter's husband's home.
Orchid Green, as the name suggests, is characterized by its elegant color, a green tinged with emerald, resembling orchid leaves. The piece she had chosen had more emerald than green, so it wasn't particularly good, but Shen Wanqing simply loved the color and was planning to have it engraved on her personal seal.
The management rights for the East Wing won't be delayed much longer. Once I get the keys and ledgers back, I'll have a lot more things to manage, and naturally, I'll need to use my personal seal more often. It'll be quite interesting to make myself a personal seal.
Shen Wanqing picked out a stone, took out the carving knife and other tools that the original owner had used for several years, wiped them one by one, and arranged them according to her body's usage habits. She then took out paper and ground the ink to make a brush. After hesitating for a long time, she decided to use white-text engraving. Finally, she had thought it all out and picked up the brush to design the layout on the paper.
"grandmother?"
"ah?"
When Shen Wanqing was doing these chores, Chunxian was usually there to serve her. Watching her mistress prepare in an orderly manner was a pleasure to watch.
Especially since she married into the family, her daughter hasn't had a single moment to indulge in these things. It's better not to think about it, but now that she does, she can't help but feel sorry for Shen Wanqing. What's so great about getting married? Once you're married, you don't even have time for your old hobbies and pastimes.
"What are you thinking about?" Chunxian looked at the ink stain on the paper. She rarely saw her mistress so lost in thought when fiddling with these things. "Are you still worried about the Second Madam's affairs?"
"No, what's the use of me worrying about someone who's sick? I'm thinking about what to carve."
Shen Wanqing currently possesses the technical skills but lacks any clear ideas. Engraving a name? The original owner's family has a ton of such seals. The pleasures of a young woman's quarters? That kind of thing can be enjoyed in bed; there's really no need to put it on paper. Expressing homesickness? One's own homesickness is hard to express; if it were truly engraved, it would require a 20,000-word thesis—that wouldn't be a seal, it would be an inscription.
The only thing that could be put into writing and engraved as a seal, after much thought, seemed to be the fighting spirit that had to be ignited at this moment. Shen Wanqing casually switched the paper and wrote the three characters 'Wanli Yun'.
"How about it? I'll use this as my seal when I'm in charge of the household. Is it presentable?"
"Good, young lady should have the spirit and breadth of mind to travel thousands of miles. We will surely be able to live like this vast cloud in the future, and have many good days ahead of us."
“Then, with the blessing of Miss Chunxian, this will do.”
In fact, Shen Wanqing wanted to use "swallowing up thousands of miles" more, but she felt that the tone was too arrogant. If something went wrong in the future, it would not be the majestic image of "swallowing up thousands of miles like a tiger", but rather the shame of "losing face for thousands of miles".
Once the characters are written on the paper, their size and layout are calculated, and the reversed characters are printed on the seal surface, everything is prepared before picking up the flat-edged carving knife to make the first cut.
No sooner had the knife been placed than Qing Shuang rushed in from outside, "Madam, Lai Xi is back!"
Looking at the slanted cut, Shen Wanqing felt that she shouldn't have done this now. Her mind was not at peace. She didn't want to accidentally fall off the cloud and get a head injury.
She waved her hand, signaling Chunqian to put away the stones and carving knives, and then Shen Wanqing got up and came out from behind the desk. "Tell me in detail what exactly is going on with the Second Madam."
"We invited Doctor Peng from the outer city. I heard that when the old lady was the housekeeper, whenever any of the women in the household felt unwell, they would call Doctor Peng's father to come and treat them. In recent years, Doctor Peng has gotten old, so we've been calling Doctor Peng all the time."
Lai Xi recognized Dr. Peng's carriage, and as soon as it arrived, he took the initiative to follow it.
Lai Xi was young and often hung out at the gatehouse, so no one thought anything was wrong when he went to greet them. He didn't go into Shumulu's courtyard, but he took the initiative to lead the way for Doctor Peng and overheard a few important words.
"When Doctor Peng came out of the west courtyard, he was escorted out by the wet nurse who served the second mistress. It was hard to say what the illness was, but I heard Doctor Peng repeatedly instructing the second mistress not to get angry or worry too much, and that it would be best to rest quietly."
Specializing in treating female relatives, requiring them to stay calm and not worry, Shen Wanqing looked up at Qing Shuang and Chun Qian. None of the three people in the room spoke, but they all understood the unspoken meanings of each other.
Chunxian and Qingshuang were happy, but everyone could see that the Second Madam was unwilling to hand over the management of the household, and the Old Madam didn't want to give it up either. The First Madam was determined to hold on to Qingshan and slowly negotiate with them until she got her hands on the accounts of the East Courtyard.
But if the second wife becomes pregnant again, or if she is seriously ill and needs to rest, she will have to relinquish the power of managing the household, whether she likes it or not. In the Hesheli family, nothing is more important than the children. If the second wife were to cause any harm to the children for the sake of managing the household, that would be a real disaster.
"Don't spread this around. The West Courtyard won't say what happened, and no one in the East Courtyard is allowed to go out and spread rumors. Since you need to rest, then rest. It's good that we've just finished the holiday, so let's all take a break."
Whether she was truly pregnant, ill, or using this as an excuse to avoid the limelight, Shen Wanqing had no intention of pressing her advantage. As long as this person wasn't out of their mind, that was fine.
What Shen Wanqing said in the carriage today wasn't alarmist. Who knows how things will develop after this kind of usury that drives Manchus to their deaths? As a lowly Kalami, she's done what she should have done, said what she should have said, and warned others. All that's left is to obediently lie low.
The next day, after paying her respects at the main courtyard, Shen Wanqing went straight back to the east courtyard and stayed there all day without going out. This prompted both Niohuru and Tongjia to send their nannies to ask if she had fallen ill after going out.
Shen Wanqing felt somewhat helpless about this. She knew they were wondering why she hadn't gone to the West Courtyard today, but after all, everyone there was sick. Did she really have to be so heartless?
However, it was easier said than done. They insisted on giving her the runaround, so Shen Wanqing simply lay down on the bed, whining that she had a headache. She neither intended to go to the West Courtyard nor to explain why she suddenly wasn't going anymore, acting completely shameless, which left everyone speechless.
Shen Wanqing originally planned to stay quietly in the East Courtyard for a few days, waiting for Yulang to return from the palace so that the two of them could discuss the matter and then see what to do next.
Before Yulang could return, news spread that the matter of Guangyuan Trading Company had been reported to the Emperor by both the Censor and the Infantry Commander's Office, and that it had really blown up.
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