Chapter 57, Meeting
Did Xiumei marry Zhao Jian?
Li Xiaoxiao recalled Zhao Jian's simple and honest appearance. He must be in his twenties. Is he still not married?
Madam Mao sighed, "Zhao Jian is hard-pressed to find a spouse. When Steward Zhao proposed to Madam, she was also a little hesitant. She only agreed to the marriage after asking Xiumei for her consent."
Tough luck? How tough can it be?
Madam Mao said, "When Zhao Jian's mother was pregnant with him, his grandfather was only thirty-four years old when he died from a cold. His grandmother passed away six months after his birth, and his mother died when he was five. The Zhao family steward, at that time, had a Taoist priest from the Baiyun Temple in the capital tell his fortune. The priest said he was cursed and would likely face many misfortunes in his life, and that it would be best to send him to a martial arts school to ward off the curse. So the steward sent him to a martial arts school. When he was sixteen, he was betrothed. Just as the engagement was set, the girl went out to pick lotus flowers and drowned. The rumors of Zhao Jian's bad luck spread, affecting not only his own marriage but also making it impossible for the steward to find another wife..."
She glanced in the direction of the outer courtyard and whispered, "If it weren't for the ominous saying, with Steward Zhao's abilities, he would have been snatched away by those gentlemen in the capital long ago. It's just that our master is kind-hearted and has never believed in these things, so Steward Zhao and his son are loyal to him."
Li Xiaoxiao asked in surprise, "How can you attribute this to bad luck? His grandparents didn't die at the same time, and his mother died when he was five. The girl he was engaged to could be considered unlucky to have met him. How can you blame Zhao Jian for all this?"
Madam Mao said, "Our master thought so too, and he even comforted Steward Zhao not to take it to heart, but we don't believe it. Many people do believe it. Zhao Jian has been single until now. It was only after he heard that Xiu Mei was rejected by her fiancé and wanted to commit suicide that Steward Zhao mustered up the courage to ask Madam. If Xiu Mei didn't agree, he probably would have let it go."
Li smiled and asked, "Did Xiumei do it willingly?"
Madam Mao said, "She really wants to. Zhao Jian is honest and kind, and he's skilled in martial arts. Apart from his not-so-good reputation, he's a perfect person, much better than Yu Dayong. He's been a dutiful servant all these years and has some savings. After Xiumei agreed to the marriage, Steward Zhao immediately rented a house in the back alley of the yamen for them to live in as their new home. They won't have to live in the side room with other people. Aunt Luo is also very happy and said she'd like to embroider handkerchiefs with her as part of her dowry."
Li smiled and asked, "What date did they set for their wedding?"
Mother Mao said, "We've set it for the 22nd of next month, a beautiful day with clear skies and crisp autumn air."
Li Xiaoxiao lowered her head and calculated how much money she had left and what kind of gift she could give Xiumei.
Seeing her daughter deep in thought, Mao's mother couldn't help but reach out and pat her head, letting out a soft sigh.
Li Xiaoxiao looked up at her blankly.
Mao's mother didn't say anything.
She originally thought that Li Xiaoxiao was still a silly, childish girl, and that the things she said occasionally could scare people to death. It was only because she was still young and didn't know any better. She thought that once Li Xiaoxiao was more mature in a couple of years, she would take it upon herself to tell her to Zhao Jian.
Zhao Jian is honest and kind, without many tricks up his sleeve, and is capable of supporting his family. Although he has a reputation for being tough, Li Xiaoxiao is also an orphan, all alone, so neither of them should look down on the other.
Besides, after their marriage, with the shrewd and capable steward Zhao as their father-in-law, and no mother-in-law or sister-in-law above or below, she would be the mistress of the house after marriage. For a maid who had signed a life-or-death contract, this was the best possible outcome.
She just didn't expect that Li Xiaoxiao would catch the young master's eye and was now studying by his side. Yingchun was sent back to the capital by the madam because of this, and the other maids were secretly envious. But Mama Mao didn't think so.
Concubine Luo was the most peaceful of all the concubines. She had no illegitimate sons to compete with the eldest son, and she only had one daughter to live with. She posed no threat to Madam Liu at all. But even so, Madam Liu's face was always grim during the few days each month when Magistrate Meng stayed in Concubine Luo's room.
She didn't want Li Xiaoxiao to follow in Aunt Luo's footsteps.
Li Xiaoxiao looked at her with her clear black and white eyes: "Aunt Mao, what's wrong?"
Mother Mao smiled and said, "It's nothing. I just thought of you since Xiumei is getting married soon. You're fifteen this year, and you'll be getting engaged in a couple of years. Have you thought about who you'll marry?"
If it were any other girl, she would have been too shy to look up at this topic, but Li Xiaoxiao didn't even raise an eyebrow: "I'm still young, no rush. I'll talk about marriage when I'm twenty."
Mao's mother clicked her tongue, feeling that nameless anger rising again. This brat always said she would only get married when she was twenty. By the time she was twenty, it would be too late. Other people's children would be old enough to run errands. What good family would she be looking for then?
She said irritably, "Wait until you're twenty. What if I introduce you to a nasty man who drinks, gambles, and beats his wife? What will you do then?"
Li Xiaoxiao clenched her fist: "He dares to hit me?! I'll beat him to death!"
Mother Mao looked at the two large vats in the room, sighed, and thought to herself, "That's right. When she was seriously ill, she could still carry more than 100 pounds. Now that she's recovered, she's even more invincible. Who can beat her?"
Unable to contain her anger or argue, Mother Mao poked her forehead hard with her finger: "I'll keep my eyes wide open and see what you'll say then!"
Li Xiaoxiao touched her forehead, which had been poked so hard, chuckled, and hugged her hand: "Aunt Mao, when can you tell me when my sword sheath will be ready?"
Mother Mao said irritably, "Almost done, almost done, you're such a troublemaker, a woman who doesn't know how to sew but how to use knives and guns..." She kept complaining, but still went back into the house to get the wolf skin to sew a sword sheath for her.
Li Xiaoxiao moved a small stool and sat under the eaves, watching Mao's mother do needlework. The afterglow of the setting sun shone softly on her through the thick tiles, and for the first time, she felt the meaning of the phrase "peaceful and quiet life".
The life she had always dreamed of came to life on this summer evening.
Time flew by like flowing water. The arrest warrants sent out from Biyang County disappeared without a trace, and Yu Dayong and Baoqin vanished completely. Zhao Jian and Xiumei got married and moved into a rented house behind the county government office, but he still went to the county government office to work every day. During the autumn harvest, Magistrate Meng took Meng Guanqi to the countryside again to inspect and organize the collection of autumn taxes. After winter came, Biyang County was covered with snow. Snowflake-like notices were sent to the backyard of the county government office again. Liu spent a lot of money to buy winter clothes and jewelry for Meng Liniang and took her to banquets everywhere to find a suitable marriage. However, after attending the full moon banquet of the Li family, she fell ill and stopped going out.
The day after the full moon celebration, rumors spread among the wealthy in Biyang County that the county magistrate's wife was short of money and had to pawn her jewelry to make a good impression.
Actually, this wasn't exactly a rumor. Since the beginning of winter, Liu had secretly pawned several items from her dowry to cover household expenses. However, when she sent Granny Qi to the pawnshop this time, she mistakenly took a gold necklace engraved with her surname. Coincidentally, a lady attending a banquet at the Li residence bought it and wore it. Whether intentionally or not, the lady flaunted the necklace during the banquet, saying it was a rare find in Biyang County, and even took it off to share with others. The "Liu" character engraved on it made it impossible for Liu to deny it.
Overwhelmed with shame and indignation, Liu began claiming illness the next day and refused to leave her home.
However, the news spread like wildfire, reaching not only Biyang County but also Lin'an Prefecture. Meanwhile, Magistrate Meng, who was kept in the dark, was attending the year-end performance review meeting hosted by Prefect Song with Meng Guanqi.
The magistrates of the four counties under the jurisdiction of Lin'an Prefecture gathered at the prefectural government office to discuss and report on their work and achievements over the past year. Prefect Song evaluated them and ranked them according to their performance in various aspects such as household registration, taxation, and criminal cases. The magistrates were mainly divided into three levels: upper, middle, and lower. Magistrate Meng was already determined to be in the lower level due to the issue of displaced people. Prefect Song only needed to evaluate the level of the magistrates of the other three counties.
Because Magistrate Meng had been reprimanded by the imperial court and was at odds with Prefect Song, the magistrates of the other three counties naturally kept their distance from him. He sat at the lower end of the table, watching the magistrates of the three counties chat and laugh with Prefect Song, completely out of place in the scene.
Meng Guanqi stood behind her father, her lowered eyes obscuring her expression, but her fists were clenched tightly at the side of her sleeves.
Magistrate Meng patted his hand reassuringly, telling him not to take these people's attitudes to heart.
With a beaming smile, Prefect Song rated the magistrates of the other three counties as "superior," as if deliberately trying to embarrass Magistrate Meng. After the evaluation, he even prepared a celebratory banquet for the three magistrates to reward them for their hard work this year.
A grand banquet was held at Chunfeng Tower, with officials of all ranks from the prefectural government gathering and filling five tables. Fine wines and delicacies were served in a continuous stream. The three county magistrates, who had received high praise, chatted and laughed, repeatedly raising their cups to toast Prefect Song. Prefect Song accepted all toasts and drank heartily, occasionally telling the three county magistrates some amusing anecdotes. The atmosphere was cheerful and harmonious, making the Meng father and son, who were ignored in the corner, seem out of place.
Meng Guanqi had no desire to attend such a banquet and only wanted to leave as soon as possible. Prefect Song was too deliberate and petty. Not only did he neglect him and his father, but he also dragged in the magistrates of other counties to isolate his father. Those magistrates had no integrity as scholars and only knew how to fawn over him, deliberately making things difficult for his father.
It was just a small gathering, and they left after the meeting. As for Meng Guanqi, he looked down on others and he looked down on others in return. He was just worried that his father would feel bad about being treated like this.
He would occasionally steal a glance at his father.
Magistrate Meng was much calmer than he had imagined. He ate his meal leisurely by himself, ignoring everyone, without even raising an eyebrow.
Meng Guanqi felt somewhat relieved and began to eat seriously.
Prefect Song was quite generous; the dishes he ordered were all famous dishes from Lin'an Prefecture, which were rarely available in Biyang County.
Meng Guanqi picked up a piece of crispy chicken. Hmm, it's pretty good. It seems like he hasn't had this dish in a long time. His family used to make it often, but it seems like he hasn't had it for quite some time.
Lately, whether it was because his mother was lazy or something else, the food at home seemed to be getting lighter and lighter. But he rarely paid attention to such things. It wasn't until he ate the crispy chicken that he suddenly realized it had been a long time since he had eaten it...
Someone approached with a cup: "Isn't this Magistrate Meng? Why are you eating here alone? Your colleagues are all toasting everyone, why isn't Magistrate Meng toasting Lord Song? Do you have some kind of opinion about Lord Song?"
The newcomer immediately slapped a heavy label on him, and Meng Guanqi's expression changed. He quickly looked up.
He was a middle-aged scholar nearing forty with a large belly, followed by a young man in his twenties. Meng Guanqi's eyes were as deep as the sea, and they met his venomous and gloomy gaze. Neither of them looked away.
Lu Weifu!
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