Chapter 43 Archway Zhao Liangxu, are you going to tear down the An Mansion?! ...
Zhao Liangxu was suddenly pushed away, and for a moment she was a little confused.
What's wrong?
What illness has Anhe had this time?
She hasn't even started to do anything yet.
Anhe lay back, sinking into the soft pillow behind him. The pillow was a great help, covering his reddened ears.
He closed his eyes and said, "Alright, we'll give you the land deed. The one on the north side, right? You can move there."
The emotional control he had developed through hard work and struggle played a significant role at this moment. Normally, he didn't restrain his temper because he didn't need to, but now he used this control to maintain his tone of voice.
In this light, past experiences are indeed quite useful.
Just as An He was saying this, the carriage arrived at the An residence. Zhao Liangxu was still a little dazed. After getting off the carriage, a gust of cold wind blew through her, and she shivered before she felt much more awake.
I really don't understand Anhe.
*
Zhao Liangxu quickly obtained the land deed and key. She felt that she was the kind of person who did whatever she wanted. Without even seeing what the house looked like, she casually took over the land deed.
She took the key and inspected the house, discovering that it was much smaller than Anhe's house.
She realized once again that Anhe possessed the power and influence of a eunuch.
I wonder how much money he has. If Li Ying takes it, I'm afraid the saying will spread: "When An Huan falls, Li Ying is satiated."
Zhao Liangxu found it amusing just thinking about it.
She spent some money to hire workers to clean the old house, which had been uninhabited for a long time. She also spent a lot of money to have furniture made, but unfortunately, with the New Year approaching, most shops were preparing for the holiday, so some furniture could only be picked up after the New Year.
Therefore, Zhao Liangxu only focused on tidying up a few rooms that she and Zhu Mu would need.
She then had the servants help her move things from the small courtyard of the An residence to the new house. When the servants realized that Zhao Liangxu had led them to the An residence, they were so frightened that they turned around and wanted to leave. Zhao Liangxu had no choice but to give them some extra pay before she made them "pull the millstone like a ghost."
However, several strong young men still entered the An residence with trepidation. In particular, An He appeared out of nowhere outside Zhao Liangxu's courtyard, wearing a black and gold python robe that showed off his status, looking quite imposing and intimidating.
Zhao Liangxu could tell at a glance that An He was doing it on purpose.
It seems he's still unhappy about me moving out, probably because he feels it will be harder to keep an eye on her now that I've moved out? He's probably regretting it now.
Anhe stood outside the courtyard, watching the workers move things with his hands behind his back.
He merely glanced at the man, and the poor fellow's legs trembled, thinking he was about to lose his head.
Zhao Liangxu clicked her tongue at An He, staring at him with displeasure.
She's not attending court, the ministers aren't scolding her, and Li Ying isn't controlling her anymore; she's just causing trouble for herself.
Seeing Zhao Liangxu's hurried pace in moving things out of the courtyard, An He's mood naturally soured.
Zhao Liangxu looked at him with an expression of disgust, and An He was even more indignant, so he snorted heavily and left.
Without An He's cold, watchful eye, the workers moved much faster, emptying everything in a single day, even the small storeroom where Zhao Liangxu's rewards were kept. Only a box of silver ingots remained, left as money for the land deed.
After moving all her things, Zhao Liangxu walked to the bedroom she had chosen. Heading south, she found herself at a rockery and stream, and then the An residence, separated by only a wall.
As for why she chose a house facing north, there were naturally reasons behind it.
She approached the thick wall and tapped it; it was a very solid blue brick wall.
When hiring workers, she also found an experienced construction worker, which was used for this purpose.
"Could you please take a look? Is it possible to create an archway in this wall?"
Upon hearing this, the worker stepped forward and measured with his hands. He rubbed off some paint from a corner to examine the inside of the wall, then tapped it lightly for a moment, pondering: "Young lady, this wall is quite thick, it should be fine. However, making an opening in an old wall requires considerable skill, especially since the New Year is approaching..."
"Money is not a problem. How long do you think it will take to complete the project?"
The worker and his assistant had come together and knew that Zhao Liangxu was from the An family. He asked somewhat timidly, "There's one more thing. Did you tell... that if I offend the Ninth Prince, what if..." He had to find out. If opening the archway offended the Ninth Prince, he would run away no matter how much money he was offered.
"Don't worry, he won't blame you." If anything happens, he'll blame her first.
Furthermore, she was quite confident that she could make Anhe accept the archway happily. Judging from Anhe's apparent reluctance to move out, whatever the reason, if she could open the archway now and coax her a little, she didn't believe Anhe would still be angry.
"Young lady, it will probably take one or two months."
So long?
Zhao Liangxu was obviously taken aback by the construction schedule for a moment, but then she thought it was normal. In ancient times, construction was done by hand, so it was reasonable for it to be slower.
However, she did not want to wait until after the New Year to start construction, so she discussed with the workers that they should open the archway first, and then do some simple repairs before completing the archway after the New Year.
As they got to work, the sound of the stone wall breaking was quite loud, immediately attracting Anhe's attention.
An He was engrossed in reading in his study when he suddenly heard the sound of chiseling stone coming from the north. He sat up abruptly.
Zhao Liangxu is demolishing a house! Such a big commotion!
Immediately, the servant called out from outside the study, "Your Highness, please go and see! Princess Zhao is breaking through the wall!"
What is it?
When Anhe arrived at the wall connecting the two houses, he immediately noticed a large hole in the wall.
Zhao Liangxu's head was still swaying in and out of sight on the other side. She noticed An He approaching and stopped at the large opening in the wall. She blinked and greeted him politely, "Eunuch An, it's been a long time!"
What do you mean, "long time no see"?
An He was so shocked by Zhao Liangxu's destructive behavior that his chest heaved. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Are you crazy? You moved out of the An residence and then smashed our walls to vent your anger? Zhao Liangxu, you!"
Are you sick in the head?!
He almost cursed out loud!
"This wall doesn't just belong to you, it belongs to our family too. You think you can just smash it down like that, Zhao Liangxu?"
Zhao Liangxu leaned closer to the hole and repeatedly corrected him, "What are you saying, Eunuch An? How could I possibly smash the wall in a fit of anger?"
"Then what are you doing!"
“Eunuch An, I’m thinking of turning this wall into an archway, so that my house can be connected to the An family mansion. What do you think?”
Do I think it's good or bad?
An He smiled.
He had never been so speechless before.
He found it ridiculous to talk back and forth with Zhao Liangxu through the hole!
"Should we thank you? We're so grateful that you still thought of coming to the An residence!"
Zhao Liangxu didn't argue with An He; she simply asked, "Then, does Eunuch An want me to continue the repairs?"
You even asked him?
Zhao Liangxu acted first and reported later. Now that he's arrived, he's even pretending to ask for his opinion!
"Are you suggesting we just leave this annoying hole here? You've made such a mess, are you going to just use you to patch it up?!"
He said through gritted teeth that for Zhao Liangxu, this was tantamount to an unwilling acquiescence.
"Then thank you, Eunuch An."
Anhe flung his sleeves and left, staggering as he turned; he was so angry he almost couldn't walk straight.
"Young lady, should we still fix this door?" the worker asked, swallowing hard. An He's angry expression had terrified him.
He was just an ordinary commoner, and he feared that Anhe might take his anger out on him when he was so angry.
"Just fix yours, he agreed."
Which statement do you agree with?
The workers dared not ask, and only after Zhao Liangxu promised them three times the pay did they reluctantly continue chiseling the wall.
For the next few days, Anhe stayed in the palace until very late almost every day. He wished he could stay in the palace every day for the next few days. Whenever he returned to An's residence earlier, he could hear that annoying sound of chiseling against the wall.
His study and bedroom were on the same side of the An residence, slightly closer to where Zhao Liangxu was running amok, so he could always hear Zhao Liangxu's voices during the day.
Even Li Ying couldn't help but ask him, "Eunuch An, the New Year is almost here. You've been working very hard these past few days, staying in the palace all day..."
Anhe's lower eyelids twitched, but she still replied, "It's no trouble at all. We are people from the palace, so it's only right that we serve you no matter how hard it is for us."
I just hope Zhao Liangxu can fix her broken door as soon as possible!
*
The house has been tidied up over the past few days, and the archway has been roughly shaped. The workers will reinforce the archway, and the rest of the work will be completed in the spring.
For the first few days, he was worried about the vengeance of the Ninth Prince, but nothing happened for several days in a row, and in the end he happily received his wages and went home for the New Year.
Zhao Liangxu admired the half-finished archway, and An He was actually indulging her like this.
He really did change his attitude.
During these probing attempts, he didn't say anything about what he would do to himself.
Has he really changed his nature?
Thinking of Anhe, she couldn't help but sneeze a few times.
Zhao Liangxu touched her nose and breathed on her hands to warm them.
Could it be that Anhe is badmouthing her behind her back?
Unfortunately, it wasn't as Zhao Liangxu expected. It was because the snowflakes melted on her head that day, turning into snow water, and then she was blown around by the cold wind.
Her body, which had been well-nourished by good food and drink, had already caught a chill.
She's had a persistent cough these past few days, but drinking pear juice every day hasn't made it worse.
However, she couldn't stay idle, busy tidying up the house, and in addition to checking the progress of the archway in the cold wind, her body really couldn't take it anymore.
The next day, she fell seriously ill.
Zhao Liangxu huddled in the quilt, feeling listless and weak when she woke up. Her throat felt like it was being cut by a knife, and it was painful to swallow.
"Zhumu, when has it been?" As soon as she spoke, one could sense how urgent and serious her illness was.
Her throat was like a broken basket, and she could barely utter a complete sentence. The few words she managed to squeeze out were torn and tangled, all coming from Zhao Liangxu's steaming mouth, making them difficult to understand.
She felt like the air she was exhaling through her nose and mouth was steam. She wanted to say a few more words, but before she could say anything, she felt an itch in her chest and couldn't stop coughing.
Zhu Mu didn't hear Zhao Liangxu calling her, but Zhao Liangxu usually got up at this time. Since there was no movement in the house, she went in to check on the situation with some concern.
She immediately noticed that Zhao Liangxu's face was flushed, and her whole face looked ashen and tired.
Bamboo and wood touched Zhao Liangxu's forehead: "Ah, it's so hot!"
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Author's Note: In a fit of anger, Eunuch An...
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