Chapter 84 (Combined Chapter)
The hundred-day memorial service is a grand ceremony, so the eldest aunt and others arrived early, bringing with them her eldest son and two daughters. The boy is fifteen years old this year, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and is already engaged to the daughter of Ji Shan, the prefect of Tangwang Prefecture in Henan. She also has two daughters, one thirteen years old and the other nine years old.
When the eldest aunt Xiao Suxin returned, Madam Ren was overjoyed. She arranged for her daughter and son-in-law to stay in the guest room, her grandson to stay with Zhao Ge'er, and her two granddaughters to stay with Fu Jie'er and Wei Jie'er.
Xiao Suxin rarely returned to her parents' home, and she came over to sleep with Madam Ren at night. The mother and daughter inevitably chatted about everyday matters.
Since she was observing mourning and couldn't go out, Madam Ren picked some things to talk about at home: "Among my grandchildren, the best one is Zhao Ge'er. He is well-educated and, needless to say, a good person. He is filial, respectful, and knows that I love soft and fragrant cakes, so he often uses his own money to buy them and send them to me."
“I think Zhao Ge’er is good too.” Xiao Suxin thought that her nephew was not very old, but he had a great demeanor and was well-mannered at such a young age. It was said that he was good at riding horses, archery, painting and reading.
A thought struck her, and she couldn't help but sigh, "Now that my fourth brother has become an official, I'm really envious. My husband has been in the Southern Prison for several years, and he's only ever served as a junior official in Huai'an Prefecture."
Madam Ren said, "The son-in-law is already quite good."
"It's not bad at all. I heard that my fourth sister-in-law's father also had a similar experience. Did his brother-in-law mistreat him?" Xiao Suxin had heard Mrs. Lou mention it before. At that time, she defended her own family and remained silent, but she was not convinced.
The problem in this world is not scarcity, but inequality.
Madam Ren defended Xiao Jingshi, saying, "Your words are baseless. It was recommended by the Suzhou prefect, and your brother was just going along with it. Besides, isn't your son-in-law already a prefectural clerk?"
"Even so, my brother became an official, but I, as his older sister, didn't get any benefits. The Wu family said I was useless, and I could only swallow my anger." Xiao Suxin wiped away her tears.
Ren said, "Look at you, just talk, why are you crying?"
"Mother, actually I quite like Fourth Sister-in-law. You saw what Fifth Sister-in-law said last time, and I even went over there to support Fourth Sister-in-law."
“That’s true. Your fourth sister-in-law is impeccable. Of my three daughters-in-law, Han is too soft and muddle-headed, and Lou is too obedient and can’t handle big occasions. Only this brother’s wife is knowledgeable, generous, and very filial,” Ren said with a smile.
Xiao Suxin thought this was just because her fourth brother had become an official, so her mother was praising his wife. But she didn't say it aloud; instead, she echoed Miaozhen's praise.
But at the same time, she said, “Mother, in my opinion, my fourth brother’s wife is indeed the one you chose. She is close to you and will bring good fortune to the family and her husband. But my fourth brother will definitely be very successful in the future. We need to be careful about finding a wife for Zhao Ge’er. If we marry someone who only cares about her high status and nothing else, that won’t do.”
Madam Ren yawned as she listened: "This is your nephew's business, it's not something I can worry about. Besides, Zhao-ge is still young."
"She's not young anymore, only a few months older than our second daughter. Recently, many people have been interested in marrying our Bing'er, but she has a good birth chart, and our doorstep has been worn down with suitors." Xiao Suxin knew that her mother valued these things the most, so she said this on purpose.
But Madam Ren said, "Don't talk about birth dates. Because of this, your fourth brother almost fell out with my mother and me. If he hadn't seen Madam Xu practicing medicine and saving people, he wouldn't have tacitly agreed to this. Anyway, I can't make the decision on this matter."
Seeing that her tricks were useless, Xiao Suxin had no choice but to say, "Mother, I have no other choice. It is an ancient custom to be related by marriage. You can't just watch your granddaughter suffer. If she can marry back, I will definitely make sure she takes good care of her aunt."
Of course, Madam Ren knew that her daughter had a hard time, so she didn't say anything. She said, "You two go and discuss it yourselves. I can't interfere. As long as you agree, that's fine."
Remembering how respectful Xu had been to her when she was at her parents' home, she knew what was going on.
The next day, Miaozhen came over, and Fujie and Weijie also came over. When Xiao Suxin saw Fujie praising her without restraint, Miaozhen said, "Grandma, don't praise her too much."
Miaozhen also disliked the way relatives praised one person while ignoring another. Fortune changes, and they wouldn't always be on top. It's not good for anyone to be treated differently.
Xiao Suxin seemed to have a good relationship with Miaozhen today, even coming to Furongwu to find her after the sacrificial ceremony. At this time, Miaozhen was giving Xiao Jingshi acupuncture, because he had been suffering from severe insomnia for the past few months.
During his mourning period, Xiao Jingshi has been resting in his study and often stays up late reading. Miaozhen only discovered this today, so she is helping him with acupuncture at points such as Shen, Neiguan, and Anmian.
"My wife, I'd like to sleep in your room tonight, is that alright?" Xiao Jingshi said pitifully.
He was not usually an insomniac, but since becoming an official, he was always busy with many things. Now that he was in mourning, he was worried about what position he would hold after being reinstated, where he should exert his efforts, and who should be sent there, and so on.
But in the past, when there were many things to do, he would always be with his wife. When his wife slept next to him, he felt at ease. Now that he sleeps alone, he is always restless and tosses and turns.
Miaozhen laughed and said, "I would like to, but isn't it all about rules?"
As soon as the needle was inserted, someone outside announced that the eldest aunt had arrived. Miaozhen thought she would leave, but she was right there waiting. Xiao Jingshi had no choice but to leave reluctantly after he finished the needle.
"Is there something you need?" Miaozhen quickly instructed someone to serve tea.
Xiao Suxin smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just came to sit here for a while."
No wonder nothing happened. Miao Zhen waited for the tea to be served before taking a sip. As soon as she spoke, Xiao Suxin spoke up, but she was talking about Zhao Ge'er.
“I think Zhao Ge’er is eleven years old (by Chinese reckoning), which is not young anymore.”
"Yes, he's a teenager now."
"I wonder if your sister-in-law has ever arranged a marriage for him?"
Miaozhen hadn't expected her to ask that, but she quickly realized, "Scholars should prioritize their studies; they shouldn't be thinking about marriage."
"That's not quite right. As the saying goes, a man should marry when he's of age and a woman should marry when she's of age. You can only establish a career after you've settled down and started a family," Xiao Suxin said firmly.
Miaozhen waved her hand: "Big sister, why are you talking about this during the old lady's mourning period?"
In Miaozhen's eyes, Xiao Suxin is a plus version of Mrs. Lou—strong-willed and controlling, always wanting others to follow her lead. Seeing Mrs. Lou next door constantly causing trouble, Xiao Jingtang even developed a rift with his mother-in-law because of their strained relationship.
You don't need to reason with people like that. They already have fixed mindsets, and they won't listen no matter what you say. So, Miaozhen simply keeps quiet.
Xiao Suxin realized she had spoken out of turn, but it wasn't easy for her to go back to her parents' home. She was afraid that after the mourning period, her younger brother would be reinstated and leave, and then the matter would be off.
"Fourth sister-in-law, haven't I been good to you?" Xiao Suxin sat up straight and looked at Miaozhen.
Miaozhen smiled and said, "Sister, please just tell me what's on your mind."
She didn't go along with Xiao Suxin's words, so Xiao Suxin couldn't explain things clearly. She just said, "Yesterday, Mother and I discussed that Bing'er was born as small as a kitten. It's a blessing that she's alive now. We wouldn't feel at ease if she married into another family. I'd only feel at ease if she married into her own family. It just so happens that she and Zhao'er are about the same age. What do you think..."
“I understand what you mean, sister, but I am a doctor and have treated many illnesses. I know that marriage between cousins is not conducive to having children, that’s one reason. Secondly, Zhao’er is still young. His father and I want him to establish himself first. Even when the Princess Consort of Jin offered him a princess, we did not agree. Thank you for your kindness, aunt, but we really cannot afford to delay.” She knew that Xiao Suxin would be unhappy with her words and might even cause trouble in the future, but Miaozhen didn’t care.
Xiao Suxin seemed not to hear Miaozhen's words, and kept saying, "Of course, a princess is not good. Princesses and noblewomen are of noble status, but not practical, and they won't help Zhao'er's future. But our Bing'er is different. Our Wu family has produced officials, and our family will give a considerable dowry. Why don't we exchange tokens now? It will be too late later."
Miaozhen called out loudly to the outside, "Please invite Fourth Master over."
She didn't want to argue with Xiao Suxin anymore. As the saying goes, whoever is related to whom should deal with them; if she continued, things would inevitably fall apart. When Xiao Suxin heard that Xiao Jingshi was being called over, she thought that since the fourth brother was her sibling, there shouldn't be any problems.
Xiao Jingshi arrived quickly, since his study was right in front of Furongwu. However, he was just falling asleep when he was called over. As soon as he entered, before Miaozhen could even speak, Xiao Suxin squeezed forward and launched into a tirade.
"Fourth brother, you've come at the right time. Your wife and I were just discussing the marriage between Zhao-ge and our Bing-jie. We even got to the point of exchanging tokens. What do you think..."
Miaozhen said to Xiao Jingshi, "I told my elder sister that we are not considering Zhao Ge'er's marriage right now, and my elder sister said that we should exchange tokens immediately. Now I have invited you here so that you and my elder sister can have a proper talk."
Xiao Jingshi rubbed his temples, looking at Xiao Suxin with some disbelief: "Sister, we're in the mourning period for Grandmother, why are you talking about marriage?"
“Isn’t this the proper thing to do? We’re just talking about it privately now, and we’ll get engaged after the mourning period is over,” Xiao Suxin said matter-of-factly.
Xiao Jingshi, who was originally short-tempered and sleep-deprived, suppressed his temper and explained gently, "Our Zhao-ge'er is not considering marriage yet; he's too young."
Xiao Suxin still acted as if she didn't understand: "What do you mean too young? I don't think she's young at all. Our Bing'er has a good birth chart, not to mention she's a wonderful person..."
Xiao Jingshi felt like his temples were about to explode, and he couldn't take it anymore: "Are you deaf or something? Are you doing this on purpose? Judging from your impatient look, you're trying to force me to marry my daughter into my family? Are you trying to harm me?"
As the eldest daughter in her family, Xiao Suxin was very pampered. After marriage, she managed the household affairs under her husband's control, and she did so very well, which fostered her domineering and authoritarian personality. However, after her husband became an official, she was merely a subordinate wife. She had to flatter the wives of the prefects and vice-prefects above her, and she also had to curry favor with the wives below her. Moreover, the wives of officials were prone to comparison, so she relied on her younger brother's status to look down on everyone.
However, relying solely on sibling affection is not enough to maintain this marriage in the long run. Xiao Jingshi has a younger sister, Su Yun, two brothers, a wife, and several brothers-in-law from the Xu family. What benefits can she possibly gain from this?
But Xiao Suxin would definitely not do this marriage for nothing; she would make sure her daughter had a grand wedding procession.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Jingshi refused outright, leaving Xiao Suxin somewhat incredulous.
"Are you looking down on us now that you've become an official?"
Xiao Jingshi laughed in anger: "Why don't you say that you want to be emperor but can't, that the throne is rejecting you? Does that mean that you can do whatever you want? Let me tell you, the reason I despise you is not because of your social status, but simply because you can't understand human language."
"Someone, see the guest out."
Several servants from Furongwu came up and said cautiously, "Madam, please. Everyone's angry right now, we can talk things out another time."
Xiao Suxin had never been treated with such humiliation. She left in tears. After she left, Xiao Jingshi thought back to when they got married. He had thought the Xu family was bad, but now it seemed the Xu family was the least troublesome. He had simply gone with the flow and let his father-in-law, who was already qualified, gain some experience. His father-in-law was extremely grateful. He was also known as a diligent and careful official, and very capable. He received praise within a month or two.
When they needed help, the father-in-law and mother-in-law offered their full support, not to mention Miaozhen, whose connections reached the highest levels of government. She took care of her parents, bore children, and managed the household, making her a truly meritorious and hardworking person.
On the contrary, his own people, who have only been officials for a few years, are all eager to come and leech off him.
Seeing that Xiao Jingshi was furious, Miaozhen helped him to the inner room to rest, saying, "Don't be angry anymore. It's good that you refused this time. As the saying goes, a tall tree catches the wind, and we've both experienced that now. I haven't even told you about my family yet, and my father is almost driven mad with anger."
After saying that, she told everyone about how her third uncle had pushed her grandparents onto her parents, and added, "Every family has its own troubles."
Xiao Jingshi clearly felt that he was extremely angry just now, but after Miaozhen comforted him for a few words, his heart calmed down and he soon became drowsy.
After Miaozhen had finished sleeping, she first picked some lilies, goji berries, lotus seeds, and half a white fungus and asked the maid to cook them in the back corridor. Then she went to Ren's place. Fortunately, Xiao Suxin hadn't come yet, so Miaozhen told her what had happened.
“It’s not a good time to discuss marriage during the mourning period, and marriage between blood relatives is bad for offspring. After we said that, my eldest aunt insisted on exchanging tokens. You don’t know that Jing Shi has been unable to sleep at night in the study for the past two months, suffering from splitting headaches. She insisted on getting engaged to us, which made Jing Shi faint from anger. Fortunately, it’s nothing serious, and I had someone prepare medicine. You should talk to my eldest sister about it. It’s not that we look down on her, but to be honest, many families in the capital want to form a marriage alliance with our family, but Zhao Ge’er’s studies are his priority right now.” Miao Zhen also looked exhausted.
Upon hearing that Xiao Jingshi had fainted, Madam Ren said, "You must take good care of Jingshi."
“That’s what I think too. Back then, my husband and I were at Xuanda and Jingshang on the front lines, enduring wind and rain every day. I helped him recover in Beijing for quite some time. Now that we’ve come back, there’s the vigil and the funeral procession, and the long journey back is exhausting. He also has to think about Fu’s affairs, and he can’t sleep well night after night…” Miaozhen was full of worry.
"So please talk to your older sister. We really don't dislike her because of her, but Zhao-ge is young and in mourning, so it's really not a good time to discuss marriage with him."
The finishing touches need to be done well. Miaozhen mentioned this matter to Ren Shi in advance to avoid Xiao Suxin coming to complain and distort the truth later.
Seeing Miaozhen say this, Madam Ren quickly said, "Don't worry, I will talk to your eldest sister properly."
"Then I'll trouble you. Please ask your aunt not to make a big deal out of it. Bing'er is already old enough to understand things. It would be awkward for the sisters to live together, and it wouldn't be good for her reputation." Miaozhen sighed slightly, seemingly very concerned for them.
Madam Ren agreed. After Miaozhen left, Master Xiao returned, and Madam Ren told him about it: "Suxin is such a worry. She caused a scene at Furongwu and made Jingshi faint. My daughter-in-law even asked me to talk to Suxin properly because of Bingjie. I don't know how to talk to her."
In Master Xiao's household, the rise of the second branch of the family was entirely due to the second son. His eldest grandson, Zhao Ge'er, was the pride of countless people. How could he let his daughter ruin it?
The son-in-law was a student of the Imperial Academy, and Bingjie was not even as good as the fourth daughter-in-law. You should know that Xu Erpeng was a student of the Imperial Academy back then, while Xu Miaozhen had a close relationship with the Cheng family. She was a favorite disciple of Madam Yang and a student of Madam Qiu. She was very outstanding herself.
"It's best to refuse this as soon as possible, otherwise people who don't know the situation might think that our Zhao'er is engaged. What our daughter-in-law said is also the right thing to do. Now is the time for children to study. If our grandsons produce another Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), even a princess wouldn't be a problem." Master Xiao Er himself was obsessed with officialdom, but he really had no talent for studying. Therefore, he was actually more concerned about the future of his sons and grandsons than they were.
But Ren said, "You know Su Xin's temper, don't you?"
Ultimately, fearing it would damage the relationship between mother and daughter, Madam Ren hesitated.
Master Xiao, however, came from a merchant family and valued profit above all else: "What Su Xin did was truly outrageous. She kept pushing for an engagement, and when the other party disagreed, she made her younger brother faint from anger. What is she trying to do...?"
Madam Ren had never done anything like this before, but after Master Xiao said that, she was determined to talk to her eldest daughter.
Baozhu came in to serve tea and overheard what was happening. After Ren Shi summoned Xiao Suxin, Baozhu, who was also her personal maid, secretly overheard the conversation. She secretly went to the second gate to check the candlelight and told Miaozhen about it.
Miaozhen was very satisfied with the result after hearing this. "It's good that she left. Don't rush to come over in the future. It wouldn't be good if you were exposed."
"Yes." Baozhu remembered the satin and silver jewels that Fourth Grandmother had given her, and even the last time she was almost pushed out by the newcomer, it was Fourth Grandmother who spoke up for her. So she naturally switched sides now.
After Baozhu left, Miaozhen took the brewed medicine to the study. Xiao Jingshi had taken a nap during the day and was in good spirits that night. He was reading when he saw Miaozhen coming over. He put down his book and stood up to greet her.
Miaozhen smiled and said, "I've been simmering it all afternoon, the white fungus is completely melted. Let's drink it first."
Xiao Jingshi trusted Miaozhen's medical skills completely. He drank the soup first and then obediently put it aside.
“After you drink it, we’ll walk outside in the courtyard for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Then you can go back to bed and wait until you’re sound asleep before I go back. It’s very uncomfortable when you don’t sleep well, and it can cause many illnesses, so we need to solve this problem first.” Miaozhen looked at him earnestly.
Xiao Jingshi suddenly felt like crying. He had always been the most reliable person in his family, but only Miaozhen took everything he did very seriously.
The couple went for a walk outside and returned to the study after a while. Xiao Jingshi lay on the bed, and Miaozhen lit half a stick of Zhao Qingxian incense, which was the most refreshing and calming.
After lighting the incense, she sat on the edge of the bed reading a book, occasionally exchanging a few words with Xiao Jingshi. Xiao Jingshi was initially sleepy and worried that she would leave, but when he saw her smile, he said, "I'll stay here with you."
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.
After Xiao Jingshi fell into a deep sleep, Miaozhen tiptoed out. She stood outside the study for a while before saying, "Sweet dreams."
Good habits take about twenty-one days to form. Miao Zhen persisted for almost twenty-one days, and Xiao Jingshi began to sleep well at night. During the day, he could get up and practice his sword as before, and he was full of energy.
By this time, Xiao Suxin had already taken her children home. No one saw her off when she left, and she slunk away.
Many people already know the details of the argument at Furongwu that day, but Ren Miaozhen remained silent, so no one could confirm whether it was true or not. In any case, Xiao Suxin probably can't get the treatment she used to have.
Miaozhen also told Zhaoge and Fujie about this. Sometimes, we shouldn't protect the children too much; we should teach them problem-solving skills.
Fu Jie'er said, "No wonder my aunt secretly sent me a gift; it turns out it was for this reason."
"Mother, why do you all listen to her just because your aunt is forcing you?" Zhao Ge'er didn't understand.
Miao Zhen laughed and said, "Because she used this trick to force too many people to comply. No matter what you say, she will do what she wants. When people get annoyed, they will give in. Too many people have given in, but she didn't expect to run into two tough guys like me and your father."
Even Zhao Ge'er found it unbelievable.
“You usually encounter very respectable people who know how to behave, and most of them are similar to your father. But your aunt is eager to change her own status and her daughter's status, which is why she is acting this way.” Miaozhen understood very well.
These things were just to give them an understanding. Now that Xiao Jingshi has recovered his spirits, he has hired a retired scholar to tutor Zhao Ge'er and Fu Jie'er. Lou Qiongyu has also sent Miao Ge'er over.
Xiao Jingtang, who is almost thirty years old, is still only a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations). Especially after he passed the Xiucai exam, he seemed to think that he had completed his mission and his mind was no longer on his studies. Now, Lou Qiongyu is very disappointed in her husband and places all her hopes on her son. It is a good thing that her son can study with the fourth wife now.
Mrs. Lou also said, "I think Miao is different from his father; he is a studious child."
"Yes, I just don't know if this gentleman will still come to our residence to teach after Fourth Brother is reinstated?" Lou Qiongyu thought that if Xiao Jingshi continued to serve as an official in the capital, they could follow him all the way, but if he served as an official in the provinces, they would not be able to.
Mrs. Lou spat out the sunflower seed shells and said, "You can just go and tell her when the time comes. That Xu Shi and Liu Shi from the next room have fallen out, and now she's had a fight with your eldest daughter-in-law. She's already in a bad situation. If she falls out with you too, she'll really have a reputation for being difficult to get along with. People have pride, and she'll always want some dignity."
"Please stop talking," Lou Qiongyu said, unwilling to listen to her mother's words.
Mrs. Lou thought to herself, "If it weren't for me managing things for you, you wouldn't have a good life. First, you married into the Xiao family, then you went to the capital, and now you've used the fourth branch of the family to drive Xiao Suxin away. You know, the eldest son of the second branch had already used his younger brother's name to arrange a marriage with the daughter of the Commander-in-Chief. Xiao Suxin's initial target was only Miao Ge'er. It was Mrs. Lou who put in a few words to make Xiao Suxin want to marry her daughter to Zhao Ge'er, which angered Xiao Jingshi and his wife. In the future, it will definitely be impossible for them to become even closer relatives."
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