Chapter 37 "General Xie, can you endure this?"...
Last winter, Xie Zhuo pacified the southern border, leaving an army to garrison it and capturing the rebellious chieftains to bring them back to the capital. After the spring, the emperor decided to establish a pacification commissioner's office in the southern border, select a group of officials to educate the people, cultivate land and reclaim wasteland, and carefully govern this once turbulent and uncivilized land.
Southern Xinjiang is even more remote than Western Sichuan, making it an undesirable destination. It is far from being a place to comfort the widowed and orphans or to promote good governance. Such matters cannot be resolved overnight, and many court officials regard it as a daunting path and are unwilling to go. As a result, the matter has been delayed for a long time.
One day in April, Hanlin Academician Chen Liangqing suddenly submitted a letter requesting to go there.
He wrote "The Southern Expedition," which shows his deep interest in the customs and culture of southern Xinjiang and his desire to set foot on this land and contribute to the revitalization of the region.
Chen Liangqing entered the Hanlin Academy immediately upon entering officialdom. For many years, he devoted himself to scholarship and was content to be a literary attendant. He had never been in charge of general affairs. This decision came as a surprise to everyone.
Facing his parents, he said, “Liangqing has spent most of his life in his study, restraining himself with etiquette and rules. He has a great reputation, but he has a shallow understanding of human nature and is ignorant of worldly affairs and hardships. I am ashamed and wish to take advantage of the court’s appointment of people to go to the southern border to gain some experience.”
The Duke and Duchess of England were unwilling for him to suffer in the barren land and tried to persuade him many times, but to no avail. Chen Zhelan was even more unwilling for her brother to leave the capital, and several times she secretly ran out of the ancestral hall at night to look for him, but Chen Liangqing avoided seeing her every time.
The only person who supported him was Chen Liangzheng.
“Brother, ever since you were very young, I have felt that you have bound yourself too tightly. You are too self-disciplined and restrained by propriety, suppressing too many of your desires. Leaving the study, leaving Zhongjing, seeing the mountains and rivers, seeing the sky and the earth, and listening to the voice of your heart is not necessarily a bad thing.”
"Life is inherently a cage," Chen Liangqing said with a slight smile. "I understand what you mean, brother. I'll give it a try."
Emperor Deyuan was struggling to find capable people, and Chen Liangqing stepped forward to fill the last vacancy in the newly formed envoy team.
While Chen Liangqing lacked experience, Emperor Deyuan had no doubt about his abilities and sense of responsibility. Ultimately, Chen Liangqing was appointed as the Deputy Pacification Envoy and would soon travel south with the envoy's office to assume his post.
When Xue Mingyao learned of this, her feelings were mixed.
Over the past six months, she had devoted herself to Chen Liangqing. During the last painting session, she saw that she had gotten closer to him and even declared her future with "Chen Lang." However, Xie Qinglang suddenly appeared, throwing her into a panic and leaving her at a loss for what to do with Chen Liangqing.
In the blink of an eye, she was about to remarry, and he was leaving the capital to take up his post, so there was no need to talk about the future.
Xue Mingyao went to talk to Zhao Ying a day ago and slipped a letter to the Chen family, asking someone to deliver it to Chen Liangqing.
She planned to see him one last time to say goodbye.
She no longer hid it from Zhao Ying and told her that Xie Zhuo was her former lover from Xichuan, begging her to keep it a secret and not to reveal it to anyone.
Zhao Ying was surprised for a while and asked her, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if you two rekindled your romance? Why were you unwilling to marry before?"
"I told you before, I like scholars, not generals," Xue Mingyao replied earnestly.
"Scholar, general, aren't they all him? It's the same person, nothing has changed."
Xue Mingyao shook her head. "He's changed so much. If he were still the same person he was back then, I would recognize him even if he were wearing a mask."
In terms of physique, voice, and temperament, Xie Zhuo and Xie Qinglang were practically identical. The only thing that hadn't changed was his usual awful attitude of arguing with her.
Xue Mingyao admitted that she had feelings for Xie Zhuo, but that should stem from her lingering feelings for Xie Qinglang over the years. Now that he has become this kind of person, Xue Mingyao felt that it would be difficult for her to like him again.
Perhaps after spending some time with him after marriage, this lingering affection will be completely exhausted.
Zhao Ying still had many questions, but seeing Xue Mingyao's reluctance to speak, she didn't press the matter further.
Xue Mingyao said in a low voice, "Yingniang, after you married the prince consort, didn't you take a contraceptive prescription for a while? I want to ask you for that prescription."
Zhao Ying was taken aback. "You're this age, why do you still need contraception?"
Women from wealthy families often marry at fifteen or sixteen, fearing that childbirth at such a young age would harm their health. Some delay consummating their marriage a few years, while others devise methods of contraception. However, both Xue Mingyao and she have turned twenty-five this year. At this age, women usually have more than one child.
"I don't want to have his child."
If she and Xie Zhuo eventually grow to dislike each other, or even if he really divorces her, a child with his blood will only constantly remind her of this pain. How could she bear it?
Seeing Zhao Ying's disapproving expression, Xue Mingyao laughed and said, "Besides, I'll get old and ugly. I want to stay beautiful for a few more years!"
"Alright." Zhao Ying smiled helplessly. "I'll have someone copy the recipe for you."
“However, you should still use this medicine with caution. Although the imperial physician said it would have no adverse effects on your health, I have stopped taking it for almost half a year and have not received any good news. I am worried that it may be a problem with this medicine,” Zhao Ying said, frowning as she advised her.
Xue Mingyao blinked at her, "It's only been half a year, and you're already in such a hurry."
Zhao Ying pouted, "Half a year is a long time."
"Perhaps it's because you haven't practiced the rites of Zhou Gong enough," Xue Mingyao said with a smile. "The Prince Consort is a respectable man and probably wouldn't be greedy for more."
Zhao Ying blushed.
The prince consort is indeed a respectable man, but perhaps because he, like her, is eager for a child, he has become greedy recently, even though he wasn't usually that greedy.
She was starting to feel overwhelmed...
Zhao Ying coughed lightly, changing the subject, "Yaoyao, you said you were with General Xie in Xichuan for over a year, how did you manage to avoid getting pregnant back then?"
Xue Mingyao was a widow at that time, so of course she couldn't be pregnant.
"Well, I'll try not to get it in," Xue Mingyao said, a little embarrassed.
That's really not a reliable method.
"General Xie, you can endure it?" Zhao Ying asked, slightly surprised.
“He wouldn’t dare disobey me,” Xue Mingyao said with a smile.
At that time, she was afraid of being pregnant, but Xie Qinglang was even more afraid than her. If a wicked woman like her were to become pregnant with his child, he would rather die. As he said this, he was still connected to her, and Xue Mingyao rolled her eyes and bit him hard.
Although the words were infuriating, the two of them reached an agreement on this point, and Xie Qinglang was very careful.
But occasionally he would make a mistake, and the boy would look embarrassed, like a child who had done something wrong, and hurriedly try to figure out how to get it done. Xue Mingyao thought of those blushing and heart-pounding scenes, and a smile couldn't help but slip out of her mouth.
The smile turned into a bitter smile.
It will be difficult to get him to listen to her now.
......
The Emperor has decreed a marriage, and there is no time to delay. The Xie family proceeded with the wedding in an orderly manner, bringing geese to the door each time. The betrothal gifts given during the betrothal ceremony filled the courtyard, showing their great sincerity.
The Xue family members were worldly and sophisticated, but behind closed doors, their faces were filled with joy.
"Our princess is truly blessed!"
Xue Mingyao heard these words from more than one servant. Even Xue Xingtai became more enthusiastic, saying that Xie Zhuo clearly valued her highly. He then listed the benefits of marrying into the Xie family. Even if it didn't benefit him, having a marquis as a brother-in-law would be advantageous for Yuniang when she was considering marriage, and it would also be convenient for the young duke to become an official when he grew up.
Xue Ming smiled gracefully.
Is Xie Zhuo trying to show off his sincerity? He's obviously showing off.
He was capable, powerful, and favored by the emperor. Many of the betrothal gifts were imperial bestowals; any one of them was glittering with gold and exuded wealth and power.
The servants' murmurs were incessant, and the first thing visitors said upon arriving was to congratulate the princess on her remarriage. Her sister-in-law was working with great enthusiasm to prepare her phoenix coronet and wedding dress, putting in even more effort than when she got married for the first time, fearing that she wouldn't be beautiful enough to do justice to the generous dowry and be worthy of the powerful General Xie.
Xue Mingyao subtly sensed the difference in status between herself and Xie Zhuo, and felt an indescribable sense of frustration.
A few days later, she received a reply from Chen Liangqing, sent by the Chen family.
The letter said that he was busy preparing for his trip south and had no time to meet her. He asked for her understanding. He also said that the painting was not yet finished, but he would send it to her before he left Beijing.
In just a few words, it's not hard to tell that Chen Liangqing wanted to avoid suspicion.
Xue Mingyao tore up the letter without saying a word, then, urged by her sister-in-law, picked up her needle and thread and began the final stitch on her magnificent wedding dress—it was best if the bride herself embroidered the dress; wealthy girls, unwilling to put in the effort, would simply use a single stitch as a token gesture.
Before they knew it, their wedding day had arrived.
Getting married is something you get used to the first time, but you get used to it the second time.
Xue Mingyao, being very experienced, ate a lot of food to fill her stomach before applying makeup, and then, like a puppet, let the maids busy themselves with her makeup.
She was flipping through a "treasured" book her sister-in-law had given her the night before. Having been married twice, she wasn't embarrassed to look at such things. This book was much richer and thicker than the erotic books she received on her first marriage. Xue Mingyao thought she and Xie Qinglang were quite experienced, but she discovered she didn't recognize most of the positions. As she flipped through it, she felt aroused. However, the thought of being with Xie Zhuo made her feel awkward. So she turned the page and stopped looking.
The house was filled with noise; the Xue residence was extremely lively today. Several cousins had come from the ancestral home, and the young prince, who was not yet ten years old, had also been brought by the adults.
Both are remarried, Xue Mingyao thought, is it really necessary to make such a fuss? Then she realized that this was also to save face for Xie Zhuo. It would be too embarrassing if General Xie's family was few and quiet when he got married.
In a way, she married up.
When her unmarried cousins spoke to her, they were all filled with envy, smiling as they reached out to touch her hand, wanting to be blessed with her good fortune. Xue Mingyao sneered inwardly, but readily allowed them to touch her, displaying the pride of a princess marrying into a wealthy family.
She despised this marital affair, but in front of outsiders, she was still willing to put on a show.
When the auspicious hour arrived, she walked out gracefully, adorned with jewels and jade, her head covered by a veil, holding a round fan.
The entire mansion was filled with people, the corridors were filled with feet, and the courtyard was filled with eyes.
Xue Mingyao calmly, almost numbly, walked through the crowd to the gate of the mansion. Under her veil, she suddenly caught sight of Xie Zhuo standing at the other end of the courtyard, a shadowy red figure that was exactly as she had imagined.
She's going to marry Xie Qinglang.
She's actually going to marry Xie Qinglang!
Xue Mingyao's heart skipped a beat, and her palms were soaked with sweat.
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