Her husband is called Chen Cong
Seeing Xu Lingwan lost in thought as she flipped through the book, the maid Hongyue beside her said, "Madam, you've been reading this travelogue for half a month. Did you find anything good today?"
Chen Yuanyuan pulled herself back to her senses, pointed at the words in the book and smiled at her:
"Yan land is cold. Even after the Flower Festival, the chill lingers. Frost winds blow from time to time, sending whirlwinds of sand and gravel flying. Confined to a cramped room, I can't leave. Whenever I brave the wind, I turn back before I've even taken a hundred steps.
The mountains, washed by the clear snow, are as beautiful as if they had been wiped clean, fresh and bright, like a beautiful woman with a shaved face and her hair just beginning to be combed. Willow branches are about to open, their soft tips like a cloak, and the wheat fields are shallow with awns only an inch long.
Ever since she arrived in this era, she had been depressed for over a month and had accepted her fate. Since God had given her a chance to be reborn, was she going to die again?
Modern life is precious, but life is even more precious. If I die now, I would be a fool.
But just when she was about to accept her fate, a cold struck her fiercely, and her old injuries and new illnesses nearly took her life. If it weren't for the maids and servants who carefully cared for her every day, she would have given up her life.
For this reason, she felt that her life was even more hard-earned and she was even more grateful.
When I was sick, I forced myself to eat and sleep regularly every day, without worrying or thinking too much. I was too lazy to even ask or think about what era or place I was in.
When I recovered from my illness and was able to move around, the doctor said that I couldn't move too much or be exposed to cold because the wound on my back had not healed yet. So after meals every day, I would walk around the house, or look for my nominal husband to keep in touch with him. When I was bored, I would read the books on the desk. I spent my days like this, without the pressure of modern office worker life, and it was really comfortable.
"This 'Travels in Yan' is concise, clear, brisk and neat. The line 'the mountains are washed by clear snow' is particularly insightful. It makes one forget the world and feel as if they have reached the scene even though they haven't seen it." Chen Yuanyuan closed the book and smiled.
While the other essays in this "Travels in Mountains and Rivers" are all lushly written, with elegant and graceful language, most bearing traces of parallel prose, this one alone possesses a refined and elegant style, reminiscent of the styles of Xie Lingyun and Liu Zongyuan.
The Six Dynasties were particularly prosperous in terms of the flourishing of rhetoric. Li Bai once commented on the Six Dynasties literature: "Since the Jian'an period, gorgeousness has not been valued enough."
Although Chen Yuanyuan knew that Taibai's comments were inherently contemptuous of one another among literati, she also agreed with the underlying meaning: the words were rich and ornate, but they also lacked the fun of innocent playfulness.
While he was pondering, he heard a burst of laughter and noise outside, and then he saw Lu Yun coming in happily with lotus flowers and lotus leaves in her hands.
Among the four personal maids, Hongyue and Luyun grew up with Xu Lingwan since childhood; while Qingque and Zhuchi were personal maids sent by Mr. Shen Er for Xu Lingwan's future safety after she was assassinated.
At this moment, Lu Yun saw Xu Lingwan looking at her with a smile, and hurriedly showed her the lotus leaves she had just picked: "Madam, you said you would make lotus leaf rice tonight. Are these lotus leaves enough?"
"That's enough." Xu Lingwan smiled and stood up. She took the lotus from Luyun, smelled it, and told Hongyue, "Go find a nice vase and put the lotus in it. The whole house will be filled with the fragrance of lotus flowers all day long."
"Yes, yes, yes, Sister Hongyue, you should go quickly. Our lady will have lotus leaf rice with lotus fragrance tonight. It will be so comfortable." Luyun quickly interjected.
Chen Yuanyuan couldn't help but smile at the cute look of the delicious food. Remembering that the iced cucumber cheese hadn't been delivered to the kitchen today, she had just told Qingque to check it out, but Luyun volunteered to go to the kitchen herself.
Who knew that as soon as he went out, he saw Mr. Shen standing outside the door.
When she was still in the Xu family, Lu Yun had heard of this future son-in-law.
The second son of the former Prime Minister Shen, he held the rank of Second Rank Tutor to the Crown Prince and Minister of Personnel. The Shen family, descended from the Wuxing Shen clan, was a century-old family of scholars, like the Xu clan.
However, rumors spread that although he came from a noble family, he was actually a sinister person. Many court officials had no good end in his hands. There were even rumors that the former wife, Wang, was killed to pay off Mr. Shen's debts because his hands were stained with blood.
When the marriage was first arranged last year, the fifth daughter of the third house had been trying to sabotage them, both openly and covertly. The cruelest thing she said was, "Congratulations, third sister, on marrying into a wealthy family. Although she's a second wife, Master Shen is older and will surely be more caring. If you sisters have any difficulties in the future, please help us."
Second wife, second wife, Lu Yun wanted to tear the Fifth Miss's mouth apart. What's wrong with being a second wife? Isn't she still married into the family in a formal ceremony with a sedan chair carried by eight people?
What's more, this marriage was arranged by the old man himself, and our daughter has been raised by him since she was a child. Is it possible that he would harm his own granddaughter?
But in private, I secretly wiped away tears several times.
The Fifth Miss's ridicule was not without reason. Although the Xu family was not as powerful as the Shen family, it was still a noble family. There were many noble sons who wanted to marry the daughters of the Xu family, but none of them would marry their pampered daughter as a second wife.
What's more, Mr. Shen has an eldest son and two illegitimate sons and daughters under him. The eldest son is about the same age as his young lady. Who would think such a marriage is good?
"Luoyun, why bother getting angry with someone you don't care about? Grandparents have their own considerations." I still remember my young lady leaning on the couch, book in hand, saying this calmly. Outside the window, red plum blossoms lay pressed against the snow, yet the beauty of the snow itself pales in comparison to the woman before me.
With her young lady's appearance and character, she is more than qualified to be a match for a noble from a royal family.
"Second Master." Lu Yun bowed her head hastily, no longer as lively as before. She was afraid of this son-in-law.
In fact, Chen Yuanyuan didn't know how to face her nominal husband in this world - Chen Cong and Shen Wangxi at the beginning.
From a practical point of view, she should be grateful to him.
In this era where the husband is the head of the family, she married a man from a well-off family, a family of high rank and integrity, a second-rank official in the imperial court and the prince's tutor, thus sparing her from many hardships. If she had been reborn into a less fortunate family, Chen Yuanyuan, a lazy and uneducated woman, would probably not have survived more than two episodes.
During the three months of recuperation and rest, Chen Yuanyuan's initial impression of her husband was that he was extremely stern and cold, and when he frowned he had an aura of keeping strangers away.
Later, as they got to know each other better, she discovered that her husband was a typical gentleman from an ancient aristocratic family, upright and polite, with a noble demeanor.
Faced with such a high-quality husband sent by God, Chen Yuanyuan, who has never been in a relationship since graduating from college and has been a serious office worker, naturally would not miss such a good candidate.
As the saying goes, "When a man pursues a woman, there's a mountain between them; when a woman pursues a man, there's a layer of gauze between them." So, with her intentional or unintentional initiative, the two of them now hold hands and hug each other from time to time. In addition to these physical contacts, Chen Yuanyuan can also clearly feel that her stern and solemn husband has developed some love and tenderness for her.
"Husband." Xu Lingwan smiled at him softly as usual. Seeing that the back of his blue summer clothes was mostly wet and the sun was blazing brightly outside, she gestured to Hongyue to move the ice basin closer so that he could cool down.
"Are you feeling better today?" Chen Cong sat on the ebony cloud-patterned round stool in the inner hall, one hand on the table, his tone neither hurried nor slow, as if he were asking any other question as usual.
Chen Yuanyuan couldn't understand why the owner of this body would knock on the board on the wedding day.
From a modern perspective, apart from the fact that he was married for the second time and had three children, Chen Cong was a truly exceptional man. He was handsome, powerful, and wealthy, and came from a family of profound learning and tradition. If he were to find a husband like that in modern times, Chen's mother would be grinning from ear to ear.
What's more, considering the current reality, Chen Yuanyuan feels that the two points of second marriage and having children are actually not a big deal.
Although it was a second marriage, his first wife died of illness; the legitimate son left behind was already sixteen years old and attended school at the Imperial College; the illegitimate sons and daughters also had their own maids to take care of them, and the legitimate mother only needed to meet them and say a few words of concern from time to time.
My husband gives me money and I don’t have to worry about my children. Life is so wonderful.
"Thank you for your concern, Lingwan is fine now." Every time Chen Cong asked questions, Chen Yuanyuan felt as if she was being questioned by her leader.
She laughed in her heart, but her face was gentle and calm.
"That's good." Chen Cong saw that Xu Lingwan was wearing a crimson shirt, which was rare today. She looked so beautiful that she even outshone the freshly cut lotus next to her.
But the thought only flashed through his mind. Chen Cong continued, "Something unexpected happened during the wedding, so I haven't had time to see my family yet. Three days from now will be a good day to recognize my relatives and exorcise the evil spirits. Then we will have to formally offer tea and greetings."
After saying that, Chen Cong looked at Xu Lingwan meaningfully. His expression was still the same as usual, but his eyes were obscure and unclear.
Well, this was also a coincidence.
She had traveled through time on her wedding day and witnessed someone wielding a knife to kill someone. As a woman of justice raised under the red flag, she naturally stepped forward to block the stab. Because of this incident, from Chen Yuanyuan's observations over the past six months, it seemed her husband had a favorable opinion of her, and everyone in the mansion also held her in exceptional respect.
I can only say that it was a coincidence.
"Yes, my husband." She nodded. Seeing the inquiring look in Chen Cong's eyes, she felt that she should volunteer to make a promise. After pondering for a while, she said, "My husband, don't worry. Ling Wan will definitely perform well."
Chen Yuanyuan reviewed the memories of this body, and the procedures of serving tea and recognizing relatives gradually emerged in her mind.
It must be said that the real Xu Lingwan was truly a lady of noble birth, her virtue, appearance, speech, and skills all being of the highest order. Aside from the attendants Hongyue and Luyun, all the other maids and servants accompanying her were well-behaved. From a family perspective, this third daughter of the Xu family must have been carefully trained to become a high-ranking lady.
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