Chapter 67 Covering the World with a Big Blanket, Peace Reigns (Part 2): Yu Lang didn't return at noon, so after eating, Shen Wanqing sat fully clothed on the daybed in the side room watching Granny Fei deliver...
Yulang didn't return at noon, so after eating, Shen Wanqing sat fully clothed on the daybed in the side room to read the Journey to the West that Granny Fei had brought. Shen Wanqing's dowry included a more detailed edition, but the one Granny Fei brought was a simplified version, more suitable for reading in bed.
Along with the gifts came the Romance of the Western Chamber, The Story of the Lute, and some supernatural tales and romance novels whose names had never been heard of before. These stories depicted a series of romantic relationships between humans and fox spirits, ghosts, immortals, and so on. Shen Wanqing laughed uncontrollably while lying on the couch after only a cursory glance at them.
What about upholding heavenly principles and suppressing human desires? What about rules and etiquette being paramount? What about the saying "without rules, there can be no order"? In the end, these are just things that are talked about the most, and they are the best tools that masters use to control their servants.
When it comes down to the individual, don't we all still enjoy these romantic and supernatural things? In the end, people live for food, drink, entertainment, and basic needs.
Others might find this statement crude, but for Shen Wanqing, it was her life's ideal. She needed both money and men; if possible, she could never have too much money, and the men had to be as handsome as possible.
So even though she had just spent 1,500 taels, just thinking that she was now in charge of the entire Hesheli family made her feel as happy as the great demon in the demon cave in Journey to the West. As long as she didn't think about those distant worries, life was still very happy.
Grandma Shen hummed a little tune while watching Journey to the West, enjoying the grapes and pomegranates that Qiuwen had washed and peeled for her, completely content. Meanwhile, in the back room of the main courtyard, the relationship between Tongjia Shi and Fuxuan, a mother and daughter who should have had a wonderful relationship, was unusually tense.
“Mother, what kind of families are these? You shouldn’t have let them in today.”
Fuxuan knew that a matchmaker had come to her house this morning. A few years ago, when she was younger than she is now, she would secretly go to see the matchmaker whenever she came, so she could hear what the matchmaker had to say and have a better understanding of the situation.
After hearing it a few times, Fu Xuan didn't have the courage to go. No matter how nice or high-sounding their words were, what they really meant was that they were old and spinsters, and that they should accept the marriage proposal as soon as possible, otherwise no one would want them.
The words "nobody wants you" were too harsh. Every time Fu Xuan heard them, she would get so angry that her heart would ache and she couldn't sleep all night. How dare they say they were unwanted? Those people hadn't even been interested in them!
Gradually, she no longer wanted to hear these words or see these people, but reason told her that she couldn't stay at home as an old maid forever, so she could only hide in the back room and have her maid go to the main courtyard to inquire.
This morning, Fu Xuan heard that two families had come to propose marriage, and she felt a little smug. One moment she thought that her family was, after all, from the same clan as the Empress, and still had some prestige. The next moment she wondered if Yu Lang had recently caught the eye of the Crown Prince, and that the Crown Prince, seeing that her family was about to rise in rank, wanted to arrange a marriage alliance.
Regardless of the reason, Fu Xuan was in an exceptionally good mood. While her maid went to the front to eavesdrop on the news, she took fish food to the small garden at the back to feed the fish.
Unmarried girls rarely go out, and no matter how willful Fu Xuan's temper was, she never broke these rules. With nowhere to go, she would spend her days in the small garden, and she had almost fattened the koi fish she kept at home from small fish into balls.
After hearing about it, Shen Wanqing even went to the small pond one afternoon to see the fish.
Looking at those fish, which resembled the koi and piglets fed by tourists in temples of later generations, she knew that Fuxuan longed to stay close to home. On the other hand, her life was truly boring, which was why she repeatedly wanted to find a good family for her to marry into as soon as possible.
The fish had just eaten a round of food in the morning and weren't hungry at all. The fish food that Fu Xuan threw in was soaked in water and looked dirty, but not a single fish raised its head to the surface to take a bite.
Fu Xuan complained that she had spoiled them, but her face still beamed with undisguised joy.
She felt that with two companies available today, she was likely to be able to choose one of them. Even if it wasn't perfect in every way, she was willing to compromise a little.
Miss Fu thought she was being very generous, until the maid returned from the main courtyard with a pale face and told her about Tu Lin and De Cheng's situation. Fu Xuan was so shocked that she dropped the fish food in her hand and was speechless for a long time.
After Shen Wanqing and Shumulu left the main courtyard, Tongjia sat alone for a long time. The lunch was laid out and then cooled down completely before this old lady, who always believed she could solve everything, finally got up and walked towards her youngest daughter's back room.
"Mother."
"You know everything?"
Since the matchmaker had been gone for so long and Fu Xuan hadn't come looking for her, Tong Jia knew that Fu Xuan must know about the matter and that she definitely didn't approve of either of the two marriage proposals.
"Now that you know, tell your mother what you really think." Tongjia pulled Fuxuan's cold hand and held it tightly. "Think it through before you speak. You're a grown woman of twenty, don't say things out of anger."
Fu Xuan, who had already been angry three times, was deflated by these words. Tong Jia was right. Even in later times, Fu Xuan was not young. She was not expected to be mature or sensible, but at least she should be able to control herself and not act like a child. That was not something she should have.
“Mother, I’ve said before that I don’t want to leave the capital. If I wanted to leave the capital, I could have found a better family to marry into than Dong E De Cheng two years ago. Why would I have to wait until now and still be on this path?”
"That's because you cried your heart out in this room two years ago. No matter how I reasoned with you, you said that this old woman didn't want you anymore and was going to marry you off to a distant place and then never care about you again."
Her youngest daughter had been there for her through the grief of losing her husband and son, and Lady Tongjia's affection for her outweighed her rationality. Every time Fuxuan complained that the husband's family she had found for her wasn't good enough, Lady Tongjia, as her mother, couldn't help but feel that her daughter was still young and it was understandable for her to have high aspirations. "Let's wait a little longer," she would say.
Who would have thought that just one moment of weakness on Fu Xuan's part would completely ruin everything?
When Tongjia looked at Fuxuan, she couldn't help but think of Shen Wanqing. Shen Wanqing was a year younger than Fuxuan, so how come she was so shrewd and measured in her actions, while her own daughter only knew how to act according to her own whims?
She desperately wanted to tell the world that her daughter wasn't a bad person and was a good girl. But it was no use. Once she got married, who would listen to her say that? If she couldn't stand up for herself and didn't know how to restrain her temper and think before she spoke, who knew how many more losses awaited her later.
“Then I still don’t want to leave the capital. I don’t even know what Jingzhou is. How can I marry someone there and spend my life there?”
"So you mean you're willing to marry into the Ulanara family?"
"Of course not. Why should I be someone's second wife or stepmother the moment I enter the door?"
“Your mother doesn’t want you to go to the Ulanara family either. Their family is a quagmire. If you had Shen Shi’s brains, I might consider letting you marry into that family. But you don’t, so your mother can’t just watch you jump into a fire pit.”
Hearing Tongjia's words, Fuxuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to marry far away, but she was even more unwilling to marry into Tulin's family and become a second wife. The first wife and her family alone were a mountain weighing on her head. In the end, the entire Hesheli family would be inferior to the first wife's family. How could that be?
"This won't work, that won't work, maybe we should just listen to what my second sister-in-law said and refuse both families, since..."
"no."
Tongjia knew that Fuxuan was planning this, and she forcefully interrupted her daughter. Seeing that her eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry again, the old lady, who always doted on her daughter, sighed and then, before anyone could react, raised her hand and slapped Fuxuan, slapping her back down from her tears.
"Mother, did you hit me?"
"I slapped you too late. I should have slapped you earlier to wake you up."
"There will be a talent show next year, and then there will be countless more girls in the capital who are willing to date. Are you still waiting? Can you afford to wait?"
"To put it bluntly, these two families aren't here to ask for your hand in marriage; they're here to arrange a marriage between our family and Lang Ge'er. If you don't seize this opportunity, you won't even have a chance with a family like the Ulanara's later on. Do you believe me?"
In the past, she always advised her daughter in the most tactful way, but now that she suddenly realized there was really no way out, Tongjia Shi finally became ruthless.
“Spoiling a child is like killing a child. Your current temper is my fault as your mother. If you hate me, then hate me. I’m making things clear to you today. Tomorrow I will have a matchmaker come and finalize the marriage. We’ll finish all the necessary formalities before the end of the year, and the wedding will be before the end of next year.”
We really can't delay any longer. Fuxuan will be twenty-one after the New Year. Some women who are twenty-two in the traditional Chinese age reckoning already have children starting school. If we follow the usual marriage process for another two or three years, Fuxuan will be twenty-three when she gets married.
I didn't think about it before, but now that I think about it carefully, I'm getting more and more scared.
Fortunately, Yulang caught the Crown Prince's eye; otherwise, without these two families coming to visit, this old woman would have lived a muddled life, thinking that her daughter was good in every way.
It's already September. In the blink of an eye, winter will arrive, followed by the Winter Solstice and the Lunar New Year. After the New Year, spring will bring the talent show. If we only realize this when it's time, our daughter might really be unable to find a husband.
"Mother!" Fu Xuan had never been beaten by Tong Jia before. Today was the first time she had been beaten, and she was so frightened that she trembled all over. She didn't dare to say that she wouldn't marry, and just looked at Tong Jia with teary eyes.
"Jingzhou is so far away. If I marry there, will I be able to come back? What if my mother misses me? What if I suffer grievances at my husband's family and miss my mother?"
“Even when I’m not busy, I think about you every day. If you’ve been wronged at your husband’s house, think more about Madam Shen. She was wronged by you on her very first day in our family. Look at her now. Who in our family dares to challenge Madam Shen?”
"Second daughter, your mother doesn't dare to ask you to be by her side every day, nor is she afraid that you will suffer or be taken advantage of. Every married woman has a bellyful of grievances to tell."
"Your mother is afraid you'll waste your youth, because after I die, you'll suffer endlessly. If you truly want to be a filial child, be like Madam Shen; then I can die in peace."
Shen Wanqing was unaware that she had been made a role model for Fuxuan by Tongjia. She sneezed a few times during her afternoon nap, but Grandma Shen dismissed it as a matter of whether she should change to a thicker quilt.
They changed the bedding and curtains on the east courtyard without hesitation. In the afternoon, Shen Wanqing stayed home with Chunqian and the others to change the bedding and curtains. They were busy until evening before they finished.
The bedding and mattresses were all brand new, but there were still some crumbs and dust from taking them out of the trunks and cabinets. Perhaps because there was too much cotton fluff, Shen Wanqing kept feeling itchy in her nose, so before dinner time, she quickly asked Qiuwen to have the kitchen send hot water for her to take a bath and wash her hair.
After taking a shower and washing her hair, she lay back on the small recliner and let Chunxian dry her wet hair until it was half dry. When she came out of the side room, she found that Grandpa Yu, who had been out all day, had returned.
He smelled faintly of alcohol and was lying lazily on the daybed, quiet but clearly still a little drunk.
The light blue brocade robe she wore when she went out has been changed into a royal blue jacket, which is too big for her and doesn't look like it fits her well.
"Who did he run into this time? I heard that Akdun never drinks during the day."
"I ran into my second uncle again when I was almost at my doorstep."
Akdun was known for his inability to drink a hundred cups or a thousand cups without getting drunk, but he never touched alcohol during the day. This was because he was a cavalry captain, and he was also paired with Yulang, a lieutenant commander who spent most of the month working in the palace.
All the officials under his command would go to him first for any matters, big or small, within the Zuo Ling (military command), because he was afraid that drinking during the day would cause him to miss work. Yu Lang knew about this habit, which is why he went to see him early in the morning.
Yu Lang didn't hide the matter of the firearms battalion from him, after all, he still needed Akdun to appease Suhe and Altai.
Without the protection of the military academy, the Blue Feather Chieftain would inevitably be constrained. How to ensure that they are valued by the new military academy while still remaining one of their own is of paramount importance to Aktun, who acts as the middleman.
If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. What I gave Akdun was enough to ensure that Yulang wouldn't go elsewhere, so he had to clearly explain his thoughts, what he wanted him to do, what he could and couldn't do.
Never speak in a vague or pretentious manner, as if it's something only heaven, earth, and I know, and you have to guess. That might work for ordinary servants, but for Aktun, it's simply a sign of a madman.
“I made it very clear to him that this kid, who doesn’t drink during the day and doesn’t break his abstinence, said he was feeling pent up and went hunting with his men without even having lunch. He said he felt great and had to find a place to vent his frustration.”
Of course, he was overjoyed. In the eyes of outsiders, Yu Lang had only gained the favor and reward of the Crown Prince, yet people were already eager to marry the Hesheli family's daughter. Now, the Crown Prince had spoken out about sending people into the firearms camp, and his name had entered the Crown Prince's ears. This was something he had never dared to imagine before.
"He just took his men and left without a word, leaving me sitting there dumbfounded in his house."
Yulang has just finished his shift at the palace and has been working hard last night. Who wants to go out with him for horseback riding and hunting?
I couldn't stay at Akdun's house even if I didn't go, so I decided to come back. But as soon as I turned into my alley, I ran into He Yi, who was on his way to the Shen family's house.
This second master is truly a remarkable person. He has made it clear that all the things that happened before are in the past. When he saw Yulang, he acted as if nothing had happened at all and insisted on taking him to the Shen family together.
"My second uncle might be appointed to a post before the new year, and it's hard to say whether he'll be home for the New Year. My father-in-law is incredibly efficient and thorough in his work. He wasn't surprised at all when my second uncle dragged me along. He even wrote two letters to my second uncle in front of me, saying that if he encountered any problems at his post, he could take the letters to the right person."
Lunch was served in Shen Hongshi's study. With his father-in-law and second uncle present, what could Yu Lang, as the nephew and son-in-law, do? He could only eat and drink quietly, listening to the two old foxes' probing exchanges.
“The coastal area of Fuzhou has a different local culture than that of the capital. Seven years ago, the sea ban was lifted, and the Xu family’s shipping guild has grown bigger and bigger, whether it’s going to sea or heading north.”
The bigger the business, the more people will be eyeing it; who wouldn't want a bite of such a lucrative piece of meat? The Xu family and the Shen family are united by marriage, and the Shen family has Shi Wenbing standing behind it. Over the years, these three families have established themselves as local strongholds in Fuzhou, and even if others are envious, they dare not make any rash moves.
But after Shen Hongshi returned to Beijing, the situation gradually changed. The feeling that he was powerless to intervene was becoming increasingly clear to Shen Hongshi over the past few years.
Everyone knows that the Xu family's business is protected by Lord Shen in the capital, but how could Lord Shen, being so far away in the capital, possibly know and manage everything? Even the Xu family wouldn't report every little thing to Shen Hongshi, much less bypass Shen Hongshi and go directly to Shi Wenbing.
As a result, the Xu family's business has been affected to some extent in recent years. Originally, even if He Yi hadn't intended to go, he would have chosen someone else anyway. Since He Yi, the son of the former Minister, the second-class guard of the Hesheli family, and the uncle of his son-in-law, could only take the path he had arranged, it was naturally better to send someone else.
"My father-in-law meant that with a big business comes a lot of trouble, and my second uncle's trip to Fuzhou this time is of great use."
“I understand. My father thinks that since my second uncle and aunt have given in and I have also obtained the power to manage the household, we should let bygones be bygones and no one should keep bringing it up, so that my second uncle can leave the capital and take up his post in peace, right?”
"That's what they both mean, they're just afraid that we're too young and hot-blooded to give in."
Yu Lang turned to the side and pulled Shen Wanqing, who was only wearing an apricot-yellow shirt embroidered with white butterflies and no jacket over it, and casually pulled the thin blanket on the daybed over her waist and legs to cover her.
The weather was already a bit chilly in the evening, and the kang (a heated brick bed) would only be heated after dark to dispel the cold and dampness. At this time, it would be too hot to wear too many clothes and too cold to wear too few. Shen Wanqing refused to wear more clothes, and Master Yu didn't want to nag her, so he could only stubbornly cover Grandma Shen with the small quilt.
"I agree."
Given the circumstances, Yu Lang had no choice but to agree. He Yi was about to leave the capital, and Shen Hongshi needed him for many things. Besides, he was his own second uncle. What else could he do?
"We should agree."
Shen Wanqing stubbornly pulled the blanket off herself and pressed down on Yu Lang's hand to stop him from moving. "In the end, it's up to you to be able to accept this. I got what I deserved, and I have no objection."
Moreover, when doing things, you either have to go all the way, or if you can't, you must leave people a way out. Otherwise, if you offend someone to death but don't actually kill them, you're just leaving yourself with a major future problem.
Don't think that others will let you go. Unless you are stronger than them for the rest of your life, they will definitely pounce on you and bite you until they kill you.
He Yi and Shumulu appeared in the west courtyard on the same day, which must have been pre-arranged. Shumulu first went to the main courtyard to subtly advise Shen Wanqing, and the two tacitly agreed on the future situation of the family. He Yi then turned around and went to the Shen family.
Who would have thought that Yu Lang would run into them by chance? Of course, he had to bring everyone over as well. Now, not only He Yi and Shu Mulu were covered with a big blanket, but Shen Wanqing and Yu Lang also joined in the activity.
"However, let me make this clear beforehand: the money that the West Courtyard agreed to hand over to the public treasury at the end of the year must not be less. If the Second Madam gets bored with her peaceful life and starts having other ideas, then she can't blame me for being impolite as a junior."
"Why are you being so polite, Grandma? Tell me about it first, okay?"
"What are you talking about? Tell me about your clothes first. Whose clothes are you wearing?"
"Your second cousin's."
Shen Hongshi's drinking capacity was even more frightening than Akdun's. Akdun drank loudly and boisterously, making a bowl of wine sound like a whole jar. Shen Hongshi, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, behaving like a scholar. Yulang drank a whole jar but thought he had only drunk a bowl.
"The first time I went to your house, your dad pretended to be half-drunk and told me that he must not mistreat you in the future. It was all just to coax me, his new son-in-law. The little bit of alcohol wasn't even enough for him to rinse his mouth."
Even though he was drunk, Yu Lang didn't cause any trouble. He just sat quietly to the side and listened to Shen Hongshi and He Yi talk about what he should do after taking up his post in Beijing.
Occasionally, He Yi would turn to ask Yu Lang for his opinion. When he was drunk, his mind would slow down, so Yu Lang would simply pretend not to understand. He would listen to whatever He Yi said, and only after a long time had passed would he belatedly nod. He looked like he was completely drunk.
Shen Hongshi was quite satisfied with personally getting his son-in-law drunk. It didn't matter whether he could hold his liquor or not; the most important thing was that he could keep his mouth shut and not say anything out of line while drunk, and control his temper so as not to lose his temper. That was good enough.
"When I stood up, I knocked over the wine cup and spilled it all over my clothes. My father-in-law was afraid that I would come back smelling of alcohol and offend you, so he asked my second cousin to bring me his new robe."
Shen Wenyuan's excellent martial arts skills were exactly to Yu Lang's liking. The Shen family also realized that this son-in-law was the closest to him, so they simply had Shen Wenyuan carry Yu Lang back to his courtyard from the study to change his clothes.
"My brother-in-law shouldn't be upset about this, right?"
"It's hard to say."
Shen Wanqing pulled Yu Lang's hands off her waist and got up to find the new fabric she had received a few days ago. Shen Hongshi, the father, clearly wanted to elevate his son-in-law's status. She had sent the letter home earlier, but she didn't know if Shen Hongshi had sent anyone out of the capital to welcome Shi Wenbing's family.
Since they were willing to help their daughter and son-in-law, Shen Wanqing naturally couldn't distance herself from her family. Once Yulang went to work in the palace, she would have to find time to go back.
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A week that has a weekend but feels like it doesn't.
[Dog head carrying a rose][Dog head carrying a rose][Dog head carrying a rose]
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