Chapter 161
Even with the candlelight lit that night, Yi Ning couldn't sleep well. On the one hand, she didn't want to give in, but on the other hand, she felt that her words were not wrong and that he had a problem.
They had to get up early for the morning court the next day, and he had already left when Yining got up.
Lin Hairu had just received several baskets of Tangxi mandarin oranges and distributed them to the various families, including two to the eldest wife. The new oranges were a vibrant yellow, a sign of autumn. Yining was pruning branches outside when she saw the large oranges and remembered how Lin Mao had given her a basket of mandarin oranges as a birthday gift before they met.
I wonder how he is doing as the county magistrate in Gaomi County now.
She asked Madam Fan to take some to the front hall to worship the statue of Confucius, and then brought some freshly made walnut-filled chestnut cakes to Lin Hairu to pay her respects. Lin Hairu was leaning against her pillow, tapping her calf with a beauty hammer, seemingly absent-minded. Seeing Yining approach, she beckoned her to sit next to her.
This mother-in-law was the best. When Yi Ning was in the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, there was not only the Marquis's wife but also the old lady, all of whom wanted to control their daughter-in-law. Her three sisters-in-law were all born into prominent families, but she was the only one born into a humble family, so she had no temper to argue with them.
Yi Ning suddenly remembered what Lu Jiaxue had said: "...Do you think it's so easy to marry a bastard from a marquis's mansion? You don't come from a high-class family. How could it be possible if I weren't here?"
What he said must be true. When he said it, his expression was serious. It was indeed not her crying that led to the marriage.
Lin Hairu was living a comfortable life now. With Luo Shenyuan's support and the birth of Nan, she had no other worries except for Aunt Qiao's occasional annoyance. Yi Ning took the beauty hammer and massaged her legs: "What are you thinking about so intently?"
"I wonder how Sister Lian could have married into such a high position, and she hasn't even shown up yet—" Lin Hairu sighed and straightened up. "Mrs. Qiao went to see your father and said that my monthly allowance was too little, and she wanted a few hundred taels of silver to buy her a headdress. Your father told me about it last night and gave me a scolding."
"He still sees Aunt Qiao?" Yining paused with the hammer in her hand. She thought Aunt Qiao had completely fallen out of favor.
"Men are always soft-hearted. They'll cry a few times and then not see each other." Lin Hairu didn't care; he was her husband after all. But after so many years, she didn't have the energy to care anymore. It would be better to turn a blind eye and pretend not to notice.
Yi Ning thought for a while, then asked about Lin Mao's status as the magistrate of Gaomi County.
Lin Hairu perked up and showed her a letter from Lin Mao. It was from Lin Mao, writing to his parents in Yangzhou. Ever since his son became an official, the Lin family had treated him with utmost respect. Lin Mao's letters were copied and sent to his aunts, as he was the first in the family to hold an official position in the capital. This fellow didn't feel at all like he'd been demoted to Gaomi County. His letters were travelogues: a day trip to a certain mountain, a two-day trip to a certain lake, a trip to the countryside in the Jiashen year. He described everything he'd seen and heard along the way, what he'd eaten, in eloquent and elegant prose.
Yi Ning laughed so hard that her stomach hurt. She returned the letter to Lin Hairu and said, "Tell your uncles to save all the letters he wrote. When he comes back, they will publish a biography of Lin Mao or something like that, so that it will be recorded in history forever."
"He was demoted, and the happiest person was his grandfather, who said it would be better for him to go to the local government and serve as a parent official to help the people. But how could he help the people with his condition?" Lin Hairu scoffed, "I'm afraid the people will get rid of him."
Yining couldn't help laughing. Lin Hairu seemed to remember something and said to her, "Oh, by the way, Madam Cheng San said that when their fourth young master gets married, they're inviting the women from our neighborhood to the bridal chamber to make a scene. Your aunt and I are going, and we're asking if you'd like to go. It would be best if you go; your two sisters-in-law aren't as suitable as you."
Yi Ning immediately shook her head and refused: "I'll just drink a glass of wedding wine, but I won't make trouble in the bridal chamber."
Let’s forget about causing trouble in Cheng Lang and Xie Yun’s wedding room!
Lin Hairu didn't force her. When Nan Ge'er woke up, he was carried out and threw himself into his mother's arms.
By noon, news arrived from the palace that Luo Shenyuan, for his meritorious service in pacifying the border, had been rewarded with five hundred acres of fertile land, two thousand taels of gold, and five thousand taels of silver. The censor who had denounced him was given ten strokes of the cane in court for falsely accusing a loyal and honest person. Everyone in the Luo household was thrilled.
Luo Shenyuan didn't seem excited when he received the reward. When he emerged from the palace, his colleagues congratulated him. Xu Wei looked at him with surprise and bewilderment. Luo Shenyuan had concealed this from him. He was incredibly patient. In this regard alone, Yang Ling was indeed far inferior to Luo Shenyuan.
Luo Shen came over from a distance and bowed to Xu Wei: "Teacher, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to publicize my actions. Please forgive me."
For a moment, Xu Wei truly thought he had misjudged him. The Luo Shenyuan before him was truly a good official who worked for the common people. He helped Luo Shenyuan up and said with a smile, "Since you're doing good things, how can I blame you? I'm proud of you. By the way, I have some books for you. Come pick them up another day."
Luo Shenyuan agreed. Sometimes he felt Xu Wei genuinely cared about him, and sometimes he felt Xu Wei was clearly using him. He couldn't even tell the difference.
Lu Jiaxue left the court in a sedan chair, his face gloomy, but he was stopped midway. The emperor summoned him to the Qianqing Palace for a meeting. When he arrived, the empress was also there, grinding ink. The Qianqing Palace was silent.
The emperor, who was practicing calligraphy, offered him a seat. "...The Tatars and the Oirat are planning an alliance, and I'm losing sleep over it. My dear minister, has anything been decided on the border issue?"
Lu Jiaxue first informed the emperor of the changes in the deployment of border troops and who would be sent to garrison. The emperor was relieved when he found that the border was tightly connected and there were no loopholes.
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