Chapter 76: The heavy snow was unusually lively, the sound of conch horns rang out, and all around...
There was a different kind of liveliness, with the sound of conch shells and the well-wishers around singing happy songs. The long Mongolian tune, sung by many voices together, had a solemnity of its own.
Muxue was dressed as a Khalkha bride, with Dorji holding her hand tightly, and walked around the altar.
It was so lively, with everyone singing and dancing, that any sadness Mu Xue had left was completely suppressed by the noise, and she just smiled.
It was not until the moon rose and we entered the newly built yurt that we finally calmed down.
Now, there are only two people left, she and Dorji.
He leaned over and wanted to kiss her. Mu Xue put her hands on his chest and felt his throbbing heartbeat.
A faint sadness welled up from her heart.
It's time to make things clear, she thought, and then she said, "Dundubu Dorji, have you really thought it through? Do you want to love me?"
"Of course, I love you."
"Perhaps you haven't thought it through clearly," Mu Xue said, "I have you in my heart, but I... I still have myself. Even if I love you, it's hard for me to be like an ordinary woman, with my heart completely tied to my husband and everything for him first."
She looked quite serious. Dorji was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "So what?"
He placed a gentle kiss on her brow, full of love and affection.
"Love is not about weighing the pros and cons. I can't control my heartbeat, nor do I want to control it."
"Muxue, I know that you and I each have our own ties and entanglements, but meeting you is a great gift from the eternal heaven to me."
"So, love me! Love me like the wind loves the grassland, like the eagle loves the cliff."
The whole place was filled with red silk, and the young man was as hot and bright as a fire in the dark night.
How can I not love him?
Mu Xue hugged him tightly with her arms, her lips brushed across his ear, and her breath made him feel numb.
"good."
There are so many people in this strange world, but she happened to meet him, and thus there was one more person's shadow in the vast loneliness.
The weather was getting colder. In the big tent with a fire burning, Muxue always snuggled up to Dorji. Sometimes Qiuqiu would stick to her feet, and sometimes Dorji would push the dog out by its ears and keep Muxue all to himself.
In this late autumn and early winter in the northern desert, the warm tent is filled with joy.
She lay on the soft mink mattress, looking at their crossed hands, hoping that this kind of time could last longer.
Heavy snow fell.
It's snowing all over Mobei.
Before the world froze, the envoys from the capital finally arrived.
Because there were officials from the Lifanyuan, a banquet was specially held in the Golden Tent.
Muxue sat quietly, looking a little uneasy.
Dorji was a little puzzled at first, but when the visitor from the capital read out the emperor's edict, he understood everything.
"The Emperor, by the Will of Heaven, decrees..."
"The storm in the northern desert has not yet subsided, and the beacon fires are always on the alert. For the safety of the fourth princess, I order the construction of a princess mansion in Guihua City in the south of the desert... Wait until spring comes and the scenery is bright, then you can choose an auspicious day to set off. I decree this!"
Holding the long-awaited imperial edict, Mu Xue's mood calmed down instead, and she felt a kind of peace that everything had settled.
This is what she wanted.
After the banquet, Dorji said nothing, just stood up and went back to his tent alone.
Nanny Wu, who was standing behind him, looked in the direction where the prince consort left and asked softly, "Princess, do you want to go..."
Mu Xue just gently picked up the wine glass and took a sip of wine.
"Let's go back to our own tent. There's still a lot of work to do."
There were indeed a lot of things to do. After returning to the princess's tent, Mu Xue first met with several officials from the Lifanyuan and asked them one by one what they needed to do.
"...You all came at the right time. I also ordered my men to gather some information, which can be used now. But it's been freezing cold these past two days, and it's snowing heavily. Why don't you take a rest for two days, and then my men will accompany you to do the work."
"It's up to the princess."
Muxue instructed Mother Zhao to take these officials from the Lifanyuan to the newly built account office to rest. After they were settled, she summoned Yunqi and his men.
Yunqi knelt down and congratulated him: "Princess, this overseas copper trade was a great success. Excluding the expenses involved, the profit was approximately 12,346 taels of silver."
It's really not a small amount. This income alone is enough to cover her wedding dowry.
Mu Xue nodded: "Thank you for taking care of it."
"It is all thanks to the princess's decision that I have room to display my abilities." Yunqi said, "When I was in Beijing, I heard that the princess would move to the south of the desert to naturalize after the new year. Because it was inconvenient to travel, I did not bring all the silver with me. I only brought some with me, and the rest was kept in the pawnshop. This is the silver note issued by Cui Gu, please have a look, princess."
Mu Xue glanced at it indifferently. It was a silver note issued by her Rong'an Pawnshop. It was made of thick paper, with the amount of silver deposited written on it, and the words "Exchange upon presentation of the note" in Weibei style. There was a small missing part in the corner, which was because the shopkeeper tore it off when the silver note was issued for future verification.
"That's good. Since you've specially issued the banknotes, you don't have to call it a pawnshop. You can just open another shop and call it a money house."
Mu Xue originally wanted to say "bank", but she was afraid that they might not understand clearly and it would be troublesome to explain, so she simply used the name of "money house" which is still used today. She said, "Let's call it Rong'an Money House, it's easier to remember."
"I'll take note of it."
"Sit down and have a cup of hot milk tea first, okay?"
The maid brought the freshly brewed hot milk tea, with butter spread out and dots of fat on the milk skin.
Yunqi took a sip. She was not used to this kind of milk tea at first, but she had drunk it for a year on the grassland. Now that she had left and came back, she felt a little nostalgic when she tasted this taste again.
Fan Yuqi, who was standing next to him, was also beaming with joy. The princess made so much money from selling copper, so the Fan family must have made a lot of money. Thinking that the Fan family's participation in this matter was also due to his contribution, Fan Yuqi couldn't help but feel proud. He thought that after following the princess back to Guihua City, he would find an opportunity to take a leave to see his family, and he didn't know how much praise he would get.
Nanny Wu's face was full of joy. She held the handkerchief tightly, thinking that the Buddha had appeared. Finally, the small treasury she managed for the princess was full again, and it was richer than ever before. Now when the princess's mansion was built, she could buy a lot of things. I don't know what regulations the princess's mansion will be built according to, but it must be built in a grand manner. She likes it more than the tents in Mobei. Living in a house with bricks, tiles, and a roof and a floor.
Even the maid who had just served tea and was standing by the side with her hands down had a faint smile on her face. The news that the princess could return to live in Huacheng spread like the wind in an instant. All the princess's relatives who heard this news were happy! Although they might also worry about what to do with the sheep and cattle raised here, being able to return to a more familiar life is nothing!
Everyone in the big tent has his or her own joy.
Mu Xue sat upright, stirring the milk tea in the bowl with a teaspoon. After a moment of silence, she said, "By the way, when you left, were they ready to welcome the Mongolian princes to the New Year?"
Yunqi put the milk tea on the small side table and said, "I specifically went to tell Cui Gu that everything has been arranged. After all, once the princes and nobles arrive in the capital, their ranches and sheep and cattle will serve as collateral for their food, clothing, housing and transportation. No matter what money they need, it will be paid by the pawnshop - oh, or you can say, the bank. When they finish their duties this year and return to the grassland, we will settle the accounts together."
"Calculating the time, they should have arrived in the capital in half a month. According to the annual agreement, they should arrive in the capital fifteen days before New Year's Eve."
Afterwards, she reported to the princess about the mutton business in the capital, as well as the sheep and silk trading.
There were many things to tell, and they were all complicated. By the time I had finished explaining most of them, it was already time to light the lamps.
"Okay, let's go downstairs and have dinner first. I've specially asked the cook to prepare good wine and food for you." Mu Xue curled her eyes, "There's roasted lamb back."
After expressing gratitude, everyone left.
She just sat there, pressing her brows tiredly.
Rong Er handed over an enamel hand warmer and asked, "Master, are you going to have your meal in the big tent today? Or are you going to move to the dining room?"
"Don't worry." Mu Xue said slowly, "I ate too much in the king's tent earlier, so I'm not hungry. If I eat too much, I'll get indigestion and feel even worse. You can go outside the curtain and rest. Bring me the letter that Yi'er Niang sent me."
Rong'er presented the letter, gently moved the wick of the silver-gilt candle to make the light brighter, and then pushed it outside the curtain.
Now, the silence that Muxue was familiar with returned.
She closed her eyes and rested for a while before opening the letter and reading it word by word.
Concubine Yi first congratulated her on the opening of her residence. Compared to the distant Kulun, the round trip from Guihua City to Beijing only took more than a month. After moving to Guihua, she could return to Beijing during the New Year holidays.
After that, she implicitly mentioned that maybe the prince consort would have some grudges about this. If she didn't care, it would be fine. But if she thought about the relationship between husband and wife, then she should listen to her words: Don't be stingy when you need to be sweet. There is work to be done, but it doesn't prevent you from saying some soft words. After all, you have the benefits in your hands, and there is nothing to lose by coaxing the prince consort.
Muxue read the letter from beginning to end twice, tapping her fingertips lightly on the pear wood table.
What Concubine Yi said in the letter was indeed reasonable. To put it bluntly, it was to persuade her to say soft words but do hard things, and to have a sharp heart but a soft mouth.
She must have thought of her own stubborn temper, so she wrote the letter to persuade him earnestly.
Originally, Mu Xue had some escapist mentality and didn't want to deal with this troublesome matter. She also felt a little guilty, after all, she was the one who proposed to leave this place. However, after being encouraged by this letter, she also had some ideas.
After all, in those novels and movies about tragic love, the hero would swear to the heroine forever, but he would have no choice but to marry three wives and four concubines, have children with other people, and even harm the heroine's relatives. However, he could still say that his love was deep and the audience would cry.
Compared to those people who were deeply in love, she didn't do anything bad! She just took her own interests into consideration, and didn't take a male lover, nor did she raise a child with others, and she didn't kill his whole family.
Why can't you be considerate of her?
You have to give it a try and tell your grievances, just like what Concubine Yi said, say soft words and do hard things.
No? It's just about expressing your true feelings beautifully. She can definitely do it.
Having made up her mind, Mu Xue put the letter away and stood up to look for Dorji. After taking two steps, she suddenly turned back and looked at herself in the diamond-shaped mirror.
Is the attire too modest?
She thought about it and simply messed up her hair a little, letting two strands of hair fall pitifully on her face. She rubbed her eyes hard and then walked out with a heart full of hope.
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