Chapter 75, Conversation Between Husband and Wife
Zhao Xian reached out and picked up the peony flower, and found a round, flat porcelain bottle of smoky blue color underneath it.
He put down the peony flower, picked up the smoky blue porcelain bottle, and opened it; inside was a box of rouge.
Reach out and ring the bell on the corner of the bed.
Peony, accompanied by her maids, filed in to help Zhao Xian get up.
"Take it and put it in a vase." Zhao Xian handed the peony to Shaoyao.
Peony was somewhat surprised, but the lady didn't say much, and she didn't want to say anything either. She took the flowers and found a narrow-mouthed porcelain vase to put them in.
"Yingchun, go and tell the kitchen to make a dish of flounder with clams, a dish of braised gold and jade, a dish of fried pork ribs with chicken porridge and five-spice cake. We won't be having these at Haitang Residence today. Take them to Yanchi Studio in a bit."
Yingchun nodded, "This servant will go right away."
Waiting for Yingchun to bring the food.
Zhao Xian, dressed neatly, arrived at Jiang Liangxu's study, Yanchi Zhai.
After Zhao Xian started choosing a husband for Cui Tingyue, she rarely came to the study anymore. Even when she did come, she would only stay for a short while before leaving.
A large part of the reason was that she had already read through most of the miscellaneous books in the study, and the rest were those that didn't interest her.
Without having any servants follow her, Zhao Xian carried the food box into the study herself.
The fake Jiang Liangxu was recuperating on the west side of the study, but Zhao Xian knew that the truly important part of the study was on the east side. Beyond the screen, there was a door on the east side that led to the small courtyard at the back.
The courtyard is quiet and secluded, with artificial hills, ponds, stone tables and benches, as well as lush and green bamboo groves.
The small garden behind the study wasn't large, but it was enough for him to stretch out and practice a set of Five Animal Frolics.
As Zhao Xian stood on the steps of the roof, Jiang Liangxu withdrew his fist and quickly stepped forward, taking the food box from her hands.
With his sudden closeness, Zhao Xian had to look up to see his face.
Their eyes met.
The two said almost in unison.
"Madam has lost weight."
You've lost a lot of weight.
The two were taken aback for a moment, then laughed at the same time.
Jiang Liangxu, carrying a food box in one hand and grasping Zhao Xian's hand with the other, stepped down the stairs. "I had to travel while I was away, so I'm like this. I'll be fine after I go home and rest. But why have you lost weight, Madam? Did the children upset you?"
Zhao Xian shook her head, no longer pursuing the topic, "When did you get back?"
The petals of that peony were a little droopy, probably because it had been sitting there for too long.
"I returned yesterday. I went to the palace and came back in the middle of the night. The lady was sleeping soundly and I didn't want to disturb her."
As Jiang Liangxu spoke, he opened the food box, and what he saw was all his favorite dishes.
He released the peony flowers to let Zhao Xian know that he had returned.
Since his return date is uncertain, and I've already asked Qin Da, there's been no sign of improvement in his 'seriously injured' condition, so I can't just show up rashly.
Furthermore, he did not plan to recover for the time being, so he did not stay at Haitang Residence.
The food was laid out on the table. Zhao Xian held her chopsticks, feeling she had so much to say to him: what had happened after he left, what his son had done, and Cui Tingyue's choice of husband, and so on...
But none of them could compare to her sudden dream.
"I had a dream a few days ago."
Jiang Liangxu picked up a piece of golden-brown, crispy bamboo shoot, took a bite of the tip, and asked, "Did you dream about me?"
"No, I dreamt of a woman, who was also Vier's godmother."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Liangxu paused in his chewing of bamboo shoots. He didn't look at Zhao Xian, but kept his eyes on the bowl in his hand, slowly chewing the food in his mouth.
Zhao Xian kept staring at Jiang Liangxu, noticing that he didn't immediately refute her.
Therefore, Jiang Wei really did have a godmother.
The woman in her dream did indeed exist.
In fact, Zhao Xian herself was not sure either. After all, apart from the dream that made her wake up crying, she had looked through many books and letters, but there was no record of that woman.
Especially the people who serve him, they know nothing when asked.
She asked Jiang Wei privately during his rest period, but Jiang Wei had no recollection of it.
Apart from the dream she suddenly had at Guluo Temple, she couldn't find any trace of the other party in the Jiang family.
After finishing chewing his food, Jiang Liangxu spoke, "Did anything else come to mind, Madam?"
Zhao Xian recalled the blurred scenes from her dream: "She was so familiar, and we clicked so well. You once wrote to me telling me not to recognize people casually. Was Wei'er's godmother also from another time?"
Seeing that Jiang Liangxu did not refute, Zhao Xian tightened her grip on her chopsticks. "Where is she? Why won't you let me recognize her with the other villagers? Do I have a grudge against her?"
Hearing her say this, Jiang Liangxu knew that her memory had not yet been restored; otherwise, she wouldn't have brought up such a distant event on her own and curiously asked him for details.
"Does Madam think that just because someone is from the same hometown, they are necessarily a good person?"
Zhao Xian couldn't answer that question. Human nature is diverse; there are good people and bad people. Although the characters she transmigrated into in novels were all good, that was because the characters the authors created were good.
But no one has stipulated that bad people cannot travel through time.
Judging from Jiang Liangxu's words, the other party is not a good person?
Zhao Xian pursed her lips. "I've fallen out with her?"
"She has passed away." It's been fifteen or sixteen years. To be honest, if Zhao Xian hadn't suddenly brought it up, Jiang Liangxu would have almost forgotten that such a person existed.
Can you tell me about her?
The faces of the people in the dream were blurry, but their words were so clear, and their emotions and feelings were so real. Zhao Xian still remembers the overwhelming sadness she felt after waking up.
What on earth happened to cause such deep sorrow and grief?
That person was from the same hometown as her. They had received the same education and had the same ideas. They had known each other and recognized each other. If they hadn't been very close, how could her body have reacted so strongly?
Jiang Liangxu put down his chopsticks and said, "This story begins with my appointment as the magistrate of Huquan County. It's a long story, would you like to hear it, Madam?"
He had wanted to tell her about their past to awaken her memories, but she refused to listen. This time, he shouldn't blame him for bringing in his own agenda.
Zhao Xian nodded. "Go ahead."
"Huquan County is a remote and poor place. The county government has a lot of trivial matters to deal with, but there are very few capable people."
“When we first took office, you wanted to help me, but there were too many things to do in the county government. I not only had to take care of things in the county government, but I also had to go out often. Wei’er was still young, and I was worried about leaving you in the county government. We had a disagreement.”
"Later, we compromised. In your words, we held a live recruitment event to find capable people to work for, but you disguised yourself as a man and joined in." Jiang Liangxu smiled as he said this. At that time, Zhao Xian was lively, bold, and daring.
It wasn't that he wouldn't let her help; it's just that he had only just taken over the county government, and aside from the internal corruption and chaos, there were also many other issues to deal with.
He worried that he wouldn't be able to protect her while he was away from the county government office.
The Qian family almost harmed her and Wei'er in their attempt to curry favor with the Prince Duan's mansion, leaving him with a deep shadow.
"And then what?" Jiang Liangxu was very good at telling stories, and he spoke slowly and deliberately, but Zhao Xian was eager to know about her fellow villager, so she couldn't help but urge him on.
"In that lively event, there was also a woman dressed as a man, who was the fellow villager you mentioned. The opinions and forms you provided, as well as your ability to do mental calculations without an abacus, allowed you to see each other during that event, and you even started to compete with each other."
Although it happened a long time ago, Jiang Liangxu still remembers their appreciation for each other.
"...After that, I agreed to let you work in the county government. Madam Meng is about your age, and you get along very well. However, I often hear you call her 'Madam' or 'Grandma'."
At this point, Jiang Liangxu still doesn't understand these two titles. When he asks, he gets evaded, and they even say that he wouldn't understand even if they explained it to him.
Not long after they recognized each other, Jiang Liangxu regretted it and was unwilling for her to have contact with that woman, because his wife would repeatedly push him away for the other woman.
Jiang Liangxu never imagined that it wouldn't be a man fighting with him for his wife, but a woman.
Zhao Xian recalled the figurine the other person had made in her dream. The terms "Madam" and "Big Boss" warmed her heart; they were nicknames for a powerful figure.
Her surname was Meng? Zhao Xian didn't think much of that surname and asked, "What's her name?"
Jiang Liangxu thought for a moment, then said, "Meng Yingniang."
Upon hearing the name, Zhao Xian tried hard to recall it, but she had no memory of it at all, and it even felt very unfamiliar.
"And then what happened?"
Listening to Jiang Liangxu recount how they met, it was unexpected yet absurd, but also felt quite reasonable.
Using their familiar knowledge, they unabashedly revealed their identities, which in turn led them to discover that there were fellow villagers from the same place in this time and space.
They must have cherished each other so much at that moment.
"Later, with your help, the county government..." Jiang Liangxu said, glancing up at Zhao Xian sitting opposite him, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together for a moment, "Six months later, one day you had a fight, a very fierce one."
Zhao Xian: "What were you arguing about?"
Jiang Liangxu shook his head: "I don't know, you won't tell me."
Zhao Xian pursed her lips: "We broke up just because we had a fight?"
"I suppose so. Since then, Miss Meng hasn't come to the county office much, and your relationship with her has also cooled down." Jiang Liangxu said, placing a piece of tender bamboo shoot into Zhao Xian's bowl, avoiding her gaze.
Zhao Xian was so engrossed in his actions that she failed to notice the unusual expression on his face.
"How did she die?"
Jiang Liangxu: "Miss Meng's health has never been good, and later it became serious..."
Upon hearing this answer, Zhao Xian subconsciously frowned.
"Liar! In my dream, she committed suicide by stabbing herself in the abdomen with a dagger." Although her face was unclear, she was young and not sickly.
In the dream, she said sorry to her.
Zhao Xian suddenly realized something, "Her death is related to me."
"No."
Jiang Liangxu denied it too quickly.
He also noticed this and interrupted Zhao Xian's thoughts, "Madam Meng's passing was an accident, but Madam has indeed attributed her death to herself and has been regretting arguing with Madam Meng."
When I picked up the bowl again, the food was cold. It was supposed to be my favorite dish, but it tasted like nothing at all.
He hoped Zhao Xian would regain her memory, but he didn't expect that the first sign of her resentment would be that incident from more than ten years ago, the woman who had once made his Ah Xian lose her smile.
Zhao Xian persisted, "Did I never even explain why we argued?"
What could those two time-traveling women possibly have to argue about? And argue so much that their feelings for each other have faded.
"The lady scolded men for being hypocritical and also scolded me, but she never explained the reason for your argument."
They were yelling at men? Was their argument really about men?
"Do you remember what she looked like? Draw a portrait for me." If there is a portrait, will it awaken bodily memories and bring back those memories?
Upon hearing this request, Jiang Liangxu was taken aback for a moment and shook his head: "This matter happened fifteen or sixteen years ago, and my memory has long been blurred. Madam, you've put me in a difficult position."
Even with his excellent memory, he had met too many people in his life, and besides, he didn't want to mention that woman, so her face had long since become blurry.
The food in his mouth had lost its flavor, so Jiang Liangxu poured himself a cup of tea to cleanse his palate.
Zhao Xian stared at Jiang Liangxu for a long time, "You're calling men hypocritical? We didn't fight because of you, did we?"
"Pfft...cough cough cough." Jiang Liangxu choked instantly, raising his hand to deny it, "It has nothing to do with me, cough cough...I was just implicated."
"Then who was I cursing at?" Zhao Xian had a vague feeling that something was wrong. If Jiang Liangxu could lie to her about the way the other person died, it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't hide other things.
But why would he do that?
In his account, there were many details about their trip to Huquan County, but his account of her relationship with Meng Yingniang was actually quite brief.
Before, she had no suspicions and didn't think anything of it, but once she started to have doubts, it instantly aroused Zhao Xian's vigilance.
Could there be something wrong with Meng Yingniang's death?
"Cough cough..." After finally suppressing the itchy cough, Jiang Liangxu lowered his eyes and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. A moment later, he put down the cup with his sleeves, picked up the bowl, and used his chopsticks to pick and choose the food.
He seemed busy, making a lot of small movements, but he didn't say a word in response.
Zhao Xian slammed her chopsticks on the table. "Speak."
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