Chapter 52 How could she be at ease when the autumn wind rises?
Lu Xiuyi leisurely avoided the crowd and arrived at the back mountain, where he saw Meng Yin, dressed in a wedding gown, waiting alone at the entrance of the cave.
He stopped a few steps away from her and said in a calm, emotionless tone, "If my fourth brother-in-law knew that we were meeting alone here on our wedding day, I'm afraid he would be unhappy."
Meng Yin couldn't understand the meaning behind his words. She only thought that after she had given herself to Jiang Xuanli, he wanted to take the opportunity to bully her and dared to control her.
“Jiang Xuanli doesn’t dare to interfere with me, but brother-in-law, if Third Sister finds out that you’ve been meeting with me behind her back, what do you think she’ll think? Oh, right,” she said, as if she had thought of something, and suddenly sneered, “Third Sister doesn’t have you in her heart. Even if she knew that you were meeting with me in secret, she might not be angry.”
The gaze piercing from ahead was like a knife, but Meng Yin still felt it wasn't enough to vent her anger, and continued to add fuel to the fire: "Third brother-in-law, do you know that before Third Sister married you, she confessed her love to Jiang Xuanli? Uh..."
Before she could finish speaking, her fair and slender neck was suddenly forced to tilt backward, and a feeling of suffocation suddenly surged into her heart.
Lu Xiuyi suddenly stepped forward, his large hand gripping her neck tightly, his sharp fingertips tracing her face, his expression dark and ruthless: "You don't need to provoke me with these words. I know better than you how Yu'er treats Jiang Xuanli. But I'm warning you, if even a little bit of this gets out, you and everything you cherish will cease to exist."
After saying that, he flung his hand away, pulled out a handkerchief with a look of disgust, carefully wiped his fingertips and palms, then threw the handkerchief into the pool next to him and left without looking back.
The moment Lu Xiuyi threw her aside, Meng Yin desperately clawed at the stone wall. Her neatly manicured nails cracked from the force she used, and only in this way could she avoid being thrown to the ground.
Why? Why does that bitch Meng Yu get his love? Why can't she get what she wants even after trying her best and begging with all her might? Why can he still trust her wholeheartedly after knowing her shameful deeds?
She stared intently at Lu Xiuyi's departing figure, her exquisitely drawn eyebrows and eyes seeming to blaze with fury.
***
After the banquet, Meng Yu said goodbye to Aunt Shen and returned to the General's Mansion with Lu Xiuyi that evening.
After washing up early, the fatigue on their bodies dissipated. It wasn't too late yet, so Lu Xiuyi went to the study to deal with the military affairs that had piled up all day, while Meng Yu picked up a book and leaned against the couch to read.
After serving them for a day, she sent Huaiyin and Zhimian back to rest, and dismissed the others in the room to wait outside.
After reading a few pages, Meng Yu remembered that she hadn't eaten anything that day, so she took out a small bottle from the bottom corner of the dressing case and shook it. There was only one pill left inside, so she would have to find some time to ask Huai Yin to buy some herbs to make a new one.
Meng Yu poured the pill into his palm, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it without needing to drink water.
This pill is made from dozens of herbs, including Platycodon grandiflorus, Ophiopogon japonicus, Sterculia lychnophora, and Phyllanthus emblica. It is used to clear heat and soothe the throat. She has been taking it for three or four years. It was originally prescribed by a traveling doctor she met by chance years ago. She doesn't know if it has any effect on her throat, but now she can only try it as a last resort.
"I heard that His Majesty has issued a proclamation and is searching the whole country for that princess who has been lost among the common people. I wonder which lucky girl is it." Just after taking the pill, Meng Yu heard a voice of envy suddenly come from under the window.
Judging from the voice, it seems to be the maid on night duty tonight.
Another person sneered, "I thought it was a pheasant, but it turned out to be a phoenix. You think just anyone can have such a dream? You'd better keep watch tonight!"
Seemingly nudged by the person opposite, the first speaker muttered, "The general and his wife are still awake, what's the point of keeping watch at night..."
Before she could finish speaking, Meng Yu heard a "shh" sound, followed by two respectful voices: "Greetings, General."
The visitor gave a faint "hmm".
The sound of steady, powerful footsteps soon approached her.
The next moment, Lu Xiuyi's face, with a faint smile, appeared outside the beaded curtain: "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Meng Yu put down the comb, sat in front of the bronze mirror, turned around, and raised her hand: "I felt a bit more energetic after my bath, so I read for a while. Now that I've finished combing my hair, I'm going to sleep. What about you?"
She sat gracefully before her dressing table, adorned with no ornaments, her long, soft hair cascading over her shoulders, the bright yellow candlelight illuminating her snow-white face.
In Lu Xiuyi's eyes, she seemed like a gentle and virtuous wife, making him feel restless and aroused.
He took a deep breath, turned around and went to the cabinet to take out a quilt and spread it on the chaise longue: "Just like you, I just finished bathing and couldn't sleep, so I went to handle some military affairs. I read a few pages and then got sleepy, so I came back to sleep."
Meng Yu got up, lifted the beaded curtain, said goodnight to him, and then lowered the curtain to go to sleep.
***
After Meng Yin's wedding, Meng Yu returned to the Meng family for two more meals. At the dinner table, Jiang Xuanli tried to be nice to her in a humble manner, repeatedly putting food on her plate, but she disgustedly threw it out of her bowl.
Even in front of everyone, she didn't give him any face. Surprisingly, he wasn't angry; on the contrary, he seemed to enjoy it.
It is said that Madam Yuan disliked the Jiang family's humble dwelling, so she not only bought a small courtyard for Meng Yin to live in in Yuntong Lane, which is about two miles away from the Meng family, but also bought more than ten maids to serve her. As for the maids' monthly salary, it was drawn from Madam Yuan's room every month and did not go through the public account.
Since Meng Yin was living alone, Jiang Xuanli was naturally worried and moved there as well, leaving only Jiang's mother in the original Jiang family.
In the first few days after they moved out, Jiang's mother warmly sent eggs and chicken soup to the small courtyard several times, but without exception, they were all thrown out by the maids.
These incidents had happened more than once, and Jiang Xuanli was unlikely to be unaware of them, but he did not intervene at all.
Meng Yu had met Jiang's mother. Although her behavior was a bit crude, she was a kind-hearted person. When she met people who were poorer than her, she would not only give them a discount on the price of vegetables, but also give them as much extra as she could. Therefore, among all the vegetable stalls in the market, her stall had the most repeat customers.
Although she was Meng Yin's mother-in-law, she always felt that her son had wronged her and was even marrying above his station, so she always acted subserviently. Therefore, she didn't dare to speak loudly in front of Meng Yin.
Surprised by Jiang Xuanli's attitude, Meng Yu no longer had any goodwill towards him as before, but instead felt a growing aversion to him.
Another half month passed, and the autumn exams were about to begin.
Madam Yuan busily packed Meng Zhangzhou's luggage for the examination hall, including his hair ornaments, sleeping clothes, outer garments, shoes and socks, various toiletries, writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones, and books for review. Most importantly, she checked the official seal in the bundle; without it, he wouldn't even be qualified to enter the examination hall.
Unlike Meng Zhangzhou, Jiang Xuanli had no page to help him pack, and Meng Yin did not allow the maids to help him in the slightest. He packed his luggage himself the night before he went to the examination hall. The people in the inner room had already lowered the curtains and gone to sleep, and he did not see her get up until he went out the next day.
Jiang's mother, however, quietly waited at the corner not far from the courtyard early in the morning, keeping a close eye on the dark red wooden door without daring to look away.
Seeing Jiang Xuanli come out with a bundle slung over her shoulder, she was so excited that she hurriedly ran over, carrying the food box, her steps trembling.
Jiang Xuanli was startled. He looked back at the tightly closed door with a look of panic, and immediately pulled his mother to a corner: "Mother, why are you here?"
Having not seen her son for many days, Jiang's mother noticed the dark circles under his eyes, assuming he hadn't slept well. Her heart ached, but she dared not show it on her face. She stuffed a food box into his hands, saying, "You're going to the examination hall today, how could your mother not come to see you off? Although it's autumn, the examination hall is in a remote, damp, and sweltering place, and the food isn't very good. These are some leek buns that your mother made, your favorite. Take them with you quickly."
Jiang Xuanli opened the bun and stared at it intently. The bun was smooth and round, with meat juice overflowing from the small hole in the middle. The aroma of chives mixed with meat wafted into his nostrils, causing his stomach to rumble.
Jiang's mother, her eyes wide with surprise and heartache, subconsciously asked, "Haven't you had breakfast yet?"
Jiang Xuanli shook his head: "Yin'er is feeling a little unwell, so I told her to rest well and not to have anyone get up early to cook."
Jiang's mother knew perfectly well that this excuse was lame, but she couldn't bear to expose it, so she forced a smile and said, "These buns are still warm. Your mother made a lot, so have one to tide you over."
A sour feeling welled up in his eyes, but Jiang Xuanli suppressed it and shook his head, saying, "No rush, it's getting late. I'll eat at the examination hall."
Jiang's mother dared not delay him any longer, so she hurriedly told him: "Be careful on the road, take good care of yourself, and don't rush when answering the questions. Just stay calm."
Jiang Xuanli responded repeatedly, only saying to her, "Yes, Mother, don't worry."
Watching that thin figure walk further and further away, Jiang's mother took two steps after him, then, disregarding everything else, raised her voice and asked again, "Xuanli, it gets cold in the examination hall after nightfall. Did you bring any warmer clothes?"
The voice he had heard for decades now carried a slightly hoarse tone, piercing through layers of barriers as it reached him from afar. Jiang Xuanli stopped, turned around, and replied, "I brought it, Mother, don't worry."
How could she not feel at ease?
Tears blurred her vision. As Jiang Xuanli turned around again, she took a few more steps and opened her mouth to look at his back, but the words that were on the tip of her tongue never came out.
But the person in front seemed to sense something, suddenly stopped, and turned around to ask, "Mother, what's wrong?"
Jiang's mother shook her head, raising her voice while deliberately lowering it slightly: "No, Mother just wanted to ask if you brought your official seal? You can't enter without it."
The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the air was still thick with mist. Jiang Xuanli's temples were damp with sweat. "Don't worry, Mother, I brought it. If there's nothing else, I need to head to the examination hall first."
Jiang's mother nodded and waved to him.
***
Ning Sui finally returned after suppressing the bandits. After resting for only half a day, she swaggered to the General's Mansion to see Meng Yu.
Lu Xiuyi had already received news of her return and expected that she would rush to his residence as soon as she heard about his marriage to Meng Yu.
Meng Yu was already his wife, and no matter how much she tried to change things, she couldn't. Lu Xiuyi wasn't afraid of her causing trouble, so he didn't have anyone stop her.
“If I were in the capital, I would definitely snatch the bride in the street. Your marriage to that scoundrel Lu Xiuyi is like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung.”
Even though Meng Yu had coaxed Ning Sui for a long time, the thought that her best friend had been paired with Lu Xiuyi made her want to take up her sword and kill her at the Western Camp.
Meng Yu picked up his pen and teased her: "He's not bad-looking either, and he comes from a good family. If he's not good enough for me, then what kind of person is good enough for me?"
Ning Sui put her arm around hers, smiling brightly: "Naturally, only a gentle and refined gentleman is worthy of our Yu'er. As for Lu Xiuyi, besides his face and his background, what does he have to offer? He has a bad temper and a personality as gloomy as Qin Musui. He turns dark after just a few words, and nobody knows what they did to offend him. It must be exhausting to have to deal with someone like that every day."
Meng Yu didn't seem to care much about Lu Xiuyi's shortcomings. Perhaps it was because, in her mind, Lu Xiuyi wasn't a necessary figure, so she didn't pay much attention to his temper or mood.
As they were talking, Ning Sui pulled her to her feet and said with a grin, "It's too stuffy here, let's go for a walk! Speaking of which, the best thing about you marrying Lu Xiuyi is that you can leave the mansion at will, unlike before when you had to apply for permission to leave. We can go boating on the lake, watch a play, have a meal, and play all day long. You have no idea how exhausted I was during those months of bandit suppression."
Meng Yu made a simple gesture in response.
Ning Sui understood the gesture.
She opened her bright, sparkling eyes and smiled, "Perfect timing, I'm free these days, why don't you teach me sign language? That way you won't have to write it down or have Huaiyin relay it to me when I talk to you."
Since Ning Sui was willing to learn, Meng Yu was naturally happy to teach her and immediately agreed.
The three of them cruised the lake, listened to operas, watched street performers perform acrobatics, listened to the Taoist priests with flags spouting nonsense, and inquired about medical lineages from itinerant doctors traveling the world. They had a great time. When they got hungry, they ate at Xunmanlou Restaurant and bought a bowl of sour plum soup from a street vendor.
After strolling around for a day, Huaiyin relayed the meaning of Meng Yu's sign language to Ning Sui.
By the end of the day, Ning Sui had learned quite a bit.
After wandering around for a few days and studying diligently for a few days, Ning Sui was able to understand most of Meng Yu's sign language.
That day, the three of them went out of the mansion as usual to listen to a short opera by the willow tree in the east of the city. After the opera, it was almost noon. They were tired of the food at Xunmanlou, so Ning Sui suggested that they go to a street stall to eat a bowl of delicious wontons.
This was exactly what Meng Yu wanted to do, and the three of them immediately decided to go.
Halfway through the journey, a large crowd blocked their path.
Thinking it was a street performer, the three of them squeezed through to take a look, only to find a person lying on the side of the road.
Meng Yu took a closer look.
But it was Jiang's mother.
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