Chapter 18 Chapter 18 (Revised) Ah Xu, where is Wei Yangbo? ...
Nan Xu was dozing off with his forehead supported by his hand. When he heard the noise, he woke up instantly. He thought it was Duan Wenpei who came back, but unexpectedly it was Liu Hui who came in.
Seeing the hope in his wife's eyes slowly turn into disappointment, Liu Hui didn't know how to start.
"Is he not coming back?"
Nan Xu asked before him.
Liu Hui nodded, not daring to look at her, "Madam..."
He wanted to explain, but was interrupted by Nan Xu, "Does he know that he will be going back to his parents' home tomorrow?" It didn't matter if he didn't come back, as long as he knew that he would be going back to his parents' home with her tomorrow, it wouldn't matter if he came back early tomorrow morning.
Liu Hui secretly complained, but he could only report the truth, "My uncle...I'm afraid he doesn't know about Huimen."
Yes, this marriage was not what either of them wanted, so how could he care about her going back to her parents' home?
Nan Xu rubbed her wrist which was numb from supporting her head and prepared to get up and return to Jingyuan.
At night, she only wore a light-colored plain dress with a pattern, and pinned a jade green hairpin in her black hair, which made her slender waist look even more prominent.
Nan Xu did this specifically according to the instructions in the husband-training manual.
In Liu Hui's eyes, his mistress looked sad and lonely.
He couldn't bear it, and seeing Nan Xu approach the door, he hurriedly chased after her and said solemnly, "Don't worry, madam. I'll send someone to the Ministry of Justice to tell Master Bo."
Nan Xu turned her back to him, looking into the deep night, her voice vague.
"That's good."
*
Going back to the parents' home was a big deal, so Nan Xu got up early and asked Nanny Jiang to personally watch the servants load the things into the carriage.
After breakfast, Nan Xu waited and waited but still did not see the tall figure show up. She sighed in her heart and had to get on the car to return to the Marquis' Mansion alone.
The atmosphere in the carriage was somewhat stagnant.
Yuxiang, who used to be good at making people laugh and having fun, huddled beside Yuming and didn't dare to speak.
Nanny Jiang watched Nan Xu closely, poured a cup of tea and placed it on the low table in front of Nan Xu, and couldn't help but feel a little more worried.
The Marquis's wife placed her next to Nan Xu, hoping that she could persuade the lady and find a way to win over the son-in-law so that the newlyweds could slowly accept each other.
Now, the son-in-law doesn’t even come home to visit. Isn’t this a dereliction of duty for her as a servant?
The carriage swayed forward, and the master and servants all looked listless.
It was not until a familiar voice was heard outside that Nan Xu perked up and hurriedly asked the maids to lift the curtain.
"Father! Mother!"
The Marquis of Yong'an and his wife were standing in front of the second gate of the mansion, eagerly waiting. When they heard their daughter's voice, before the Marquis of Yong'an could say anything, his wife couldn't hold back her tears and her eyes instantly filled with tears.
"My son!"
The Marquis's wife quickly stepped forward, hugged Nan Xu, and could not take her eyes off him.
Caressing Nan Xu's face, she whispered, "Ah Xu has lost weight."
How can you tell whether someone is fat or thin in just three days?
Nan Xu felt a sudden pain in her chest upon hearing this. She reached out and wiped away the tears from the Marquis's eyes. She affectionately took her arm and called out to the Marquis of Yong'an who was approaching. She smiled and said, "Then today, I'll eat more. Mother, don't call me a greedy cat later."
When Nan Xu was a child, she loved snacks, so there were always cakes in her room. The Marquis's wife would hold her breathlessly and shout that she couldn't hold the little greedy cat anymore if she ate any more.
Hearing her talk about the tender affection between mother and daughter in their childhood, Madam Hou patted the back of Nan Xu's hand, finally coming to her senses. She scratched her nose and said with a smile, "You, even after getting married, still haven't grown up."
After these words were spoken, everyone came to their senses and looked behind Nan Xu. Why did this married man come back alone?
"A Xu, where is Wei Yangbo?" Yong'an Hou said in a bad tone.
Nan Xu bit her lower lip, lowered her head and said nothing.
The Marquis's wife's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Madam Jiang beside her to ask what was going on.
Nanny Jiang shook her head in shame and said, "This old slave deserves to die!"
Seeing that the Marquis of Yong'an's expression was getting uglier and uglier, his wife hurried to smooth things over. "Well, recently, a court official's entire family was massacred on East Street. Kyoto has been in turmoil lately. Your son-in-law is in charge of the Ministry of Justice, and he has to make decisions on all matters, big or small. We are used to being idle, so we should be considerate of your son-in-law. Maybe he will come after he finishes his work."
As he said this, he asked the servants to unload the things Nan Xu brought and take them into the mansion, while he took Nan Xu to the backyard to talk in private.
After being married for many years, Marquis Yong'an is not someone who doesn't know his limits.
He always had to consider his daughter's face in public, but he felt upset. Seeing the mother and daughter walking further and further away, he snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves and followed them.
*
The news that Nan Xu had returned alone spread throughout the Hou Mansion in no time.
Some people feel sorry for Nan Xu, while naturally there are also people who are happy to see it happen.
In the second courtyard, Zhao Yuqin coaxed Wen Ge'er to sleep, and the wet nurse Duan Mama came forward and said that the third girl had arrived.
Zhao Yuqin wanted to say no, but on second thought, she asked Mama Duan to help her change her clothes and went to the flower hall to meet Nan Yun.
"Has Second Sister-in-law heard? Second Sister came back by herself, and Uncle didn't accompany her."
She didn't call him second brother-in-law, but only called him uncle, because she felt from the bottom of her heart that this marriage should not fall on Nan Xu.
Zhao Yuqin knew her little trick, but she didn't say anything, just pretending not to know, "I heard about it. It's such a big thing, it can't be concealed even if you want to."
She said it casually, as if she had no thoughts on the matter.
This was not the result Nan Yun wanted. She looked at Zhao Yuqin with concern in her eyes.
"Isn't Second Sister-in-law angry? If Second Brother had agreed to let me marry Uncle, perhaps I could have won Uncle's heart, and Second Brother's restoration might have been possible..."
"Third sister!"
Zhao Yuqin interrupted her and raised the teacup in her hand towards her, indicating that she should drink tea.
The tea was clear, reflecting the contempt in Zhao Yuqin's eyes.
She didn't like her sister-in-law Nan Xu very much, but she didn't necessarily look down on Nan Yun either.
When the Second Master first said that his sisters should marry powerful officials, it had aroused Nan Yun's restlessness. Seeing that the Marquis's wife would not allow her to criticize her marriage, she personally went to the Second Master to volunteer. No matter what their background or age, as long as they were His Majesty's right-hand men, she was willing to lend a hand to the Second Master.
After much thought, the Second Master thought of Wei Yangbo Duan Wenpei, but in this kind of matter, after all, his own sister was more reliable, not Nan Yun!
"Why bring up the past? No one can predict such things; it's all up to us."
She put down the teacup, her eyes calm, and she really looked like a person with a peaceful mind.
Nan Yun bit her lip secretly, why was she pretending?
If I hadn't known that she had almost split up with the Marquis' wife because Nan Xu shot Wei Yangbo with an arrow, I would have been frightened by her indifferent look.
Nan Yun put away her distracting thoughts and just said that her second sister-in-law was a good person. "I also wanted to help my second brother. My second sister is used to being respected and might not be willing to bow her head. But I am a person who remembers things carefully. I have to get married anyway, so it would be best if I could marry someone who can benefit my second brother."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke. "I do feel sorry for my second sister-in-law. I have to take care of the children and run around for my second brother's affairs. Now that my brothers have a good life, it will also bring honor to us girls. We are all family members and should help each other. I don't mean to say that my second sister is not good... It's a pity that I am powerless..."
It was rare to see her so sincere, and Zhao Yuqin was slightly moved.
Then he softened his tone and said comfortingly, "Your second brother knows that you have this intention. Don't worry, you will find a good match."
"As for Ah Xu..."
The rest of the words were lost in thought, and there was no smile on Zhao Yuqin's face.
The appearance of indifference is just for show to others.
She felt very complicated. She felt happy that Nan Xu returned home alone, but also felt unwilling that Nan Xu could not become Nan Yiling's helper soon.
At first, he just kept it in his heart, but now Nan Yun added some fuel to the fire, and the raging fire burned all those thoughts hot.
Nan Yun observed the expression and curled the corners of her lips quietly.
Second sister-in-law is not someone who can consider the overall situation.
Restraining her impatience, Nan Yun sat for a while longer, until the sun was at its highest point in the sky. It was half an hour before lunch, and then she stood up to say goodbye.
After leaving the second courtyard, Nan Yun walked along the small path, avoiding the servant who came to call Zhao Yuqin to go to Jiahui Hall for dinner.
Dong Yu, the personal maid, was puzzled. "Miss, why don't you stay a little longer? Otherwise, we have to go back to the Marquis's place again."
The path was quiet, and Nan Yun no longer hid herself. She unbuttoned her coat and scratched her back with her backhand. "What do you know? Mother won't let me go to the banquet tonight. If I don't go, will I be laughed at by others? Right, right, right, go a little to the side..."
After all, the action was not elegant and it was inconvenient to stretch his hands backwards, so Dong Yu hurried forward to help.
But after picking at her nails for a few times, blood streaked between them. Dong Yu felt distressed and said, "Miss, let's report this to the Madam and ask for the imperial physician."
"Shut up!" Scratching the rash broke, not only failing to stop the itching but also exacerbating the pain. "Because of the Fertility-Giving Guanyin and telling Nanxu about Li Zhan's marriage, Mother has punished me by making me copy the "Nu Jie Nu Nu De" (Instructions for Women and Virtues). If the imperial physician asks about the rash, what will I say? Should I say that I applied this poison to the Fertility-Giving Guanyin specifically for Nanxu?"
She also underestimated Nan Xu, the second sister who used to be the most considerate of the overall situation. Not only did she not accept the Guanyin statue of Fertility, she also knocked out the two girls who presented them as gifts, tied them up, gagged them, and sent them to the concubine's courtyard.
The Goddess of Childbirth was hiding under the clothes of the two maids.
It was dark at night and she didn't know what was going on. She went forward to check and touched the clothes of two maids, and then she caught a rash.
Fortunately, she didn't touch her cheek with her hand, otherwise her face would have been disfigured!
She was not sure whether Nan Xu knew that she had poisoned her. As long as Nan Xu didn't say anything, she would naturally not rush to give others a chance to talk about her.
"Okay, this rash looks dangerous, but it won't kill you." Fearing being seen, Nan Yun endured the discomfort and put on her coat, not wanting to linger any longer. "Send someone over there to watch over there, and tell them to hide and not give away anything."
Even if she is not here, Nan Xu will not have an easy time!
*
When Zhao Yuqin arrived, the main hall was already full of people.
Not only were there people from the Hou Mansion, but also the Second Master's family and two aunts.
Men and women sat at separate tables, and since they were all family members, there was no screen between them.
Zhao Yuqin first saw her husband chatting and laughing with several cousins. The two looked at each other, and then Zhao Yuqin was pulled by the third wife Li Wan to sit down at the table.
When I looked up, I found that the person sitting opposite me was Nan Xu.
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