The hexagram Pi (否) - Zhongzhong hexagram
Chapter 12 The Hexagram of Obstruction (否卦) - A Fleeting Moment of Success
Rong Yan remained seated, gently tapping the table with her finger to signal Du Chuhong to stay calm.
If Lady Hou truly caught them in the act, then Hua Li and the others outside the door could attest that Du Chunhong entered with Xie Qisheng.
As for why they hid in the eldest son's bed, they could explain it away, but it was not only against etiquette, but it also lowered the status of the third uncle and aunt.
Seeing his mother-in-law angrily lift the bed curtains, Rong Yan paused in the act of rubbing his index finger.
Just as Fang's mother was about to utter the word "prostitute," she was shocked by what she saw before her.
A slightly pale face appeared, with relaxed eyebrows, sparkling eyes, and slightly parted thin lips, indicating that the person had woken up.
This sudden movement caused Lady Hou's face to change drastically. She was both angry and shocked, then surprised and delighted, and tears involuntarily streamed down her face.
Fang's mom: !!!
"The eldest young master is awake!"
"child……"
Rong Yan slowly stood up, his gaze darkening slightly.
Lady Hou was extremely excited, her eyes instantly filling with tears. "My child, you've finally woken up! You've finally remembered your mother! You've finally decided to wake up?"
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Xie Chengzhi seemed very weak. He frowned, unable to even raise his wrist, and blinked slightly.
This naturally alarmed Lady Hou, who immediately pressed down on his wrist. "Good boy, don't worry, you should rest first. What are you waiting for, Mama Fang? Go and fetch the imperial physician, quick!"
Lady Hou noticed that the eldest son's hair was turning gray, and she felt both distressed and strange. However, she dared not make a sound to disturb him, fearing that the eldest son's momentary lucidity was just a fleeting moment.
Only then did Mrs. Fang realize what was happening, and she hurriedly turned around and ran out.
Maids kept coming in and out of the room. Du Chunhong quickly slipped out from the other side of the table and mingled in the crowd, pretending to have just heard the news and come in, covered in sweat.
Looking at the completely surrounded Qu Shen Courtyard, Rong Yan didn't know whether to laugh or worry.
"Yanyan, come here."
Rong Yan then stepped forward, and what came into view were his slightly deep eyes, his expression was very indifferent, and his lips were even a little pale.
“My child, this is the wife I arranged for you. She is the daughter of Minister Rong. It is thanks to her that you woke up.”
Xie Chengzhi's gaze fell on Rong Yan's face, and after a few seconds of eye contact, he closed his eyes again.
Rong Yan then spoke softly, “Mother, my husband has just woken up. It’s not appropriate for too many people to gather here. Too much turbid air might affect him.”
Upon hearing Rong Yan's words, Physician Qi, who had just entered, repeatedly affirmed, "What Madam says is absolutely right."
Lady Hou and several other women in the hall were all taken aback when they heard his voice.
Rong Yan clearly sensed the sudden change in the atmosphere in the hall. The Lady Hou, her face cold, said to the household's matron, "Mama Li, how did you handle this?! I told you to fetch the imperial physician, Physician Zhang, not this Physician Qi who once plotted against my son!!"
Rong Yan then turned to look at Qi Siyun, who looked to be in her early twenties and was already a royal physician at such a young age.
Before she got married, she already knew the relatives and interpersonal relationships within the Marquis's family by heart, and knew that this person was the Qi family, who were rumored to have a blood feud with the Marquis's family.
Qi Siyun was also unsure of what to think. He knew he was coming to the Marquis's residence before he arrived, but he still chose to come. He was serious and calmly said, "Imperial Physician Zhang is on leave. He is a doctor with a benevolent heart. I hope that the Marquis's wife will not delay the eldest son's condition."
"Hmph, you don't need to put on this act!"
“Madam Hou, if you dismiss me, there will be no imperial physicians in the palace who can go out. If you insist on doing so, I will take my leave.”
Madam Fang glanced at the expression on Lady Hou's face before speaking, "Imperial Physician Qi, please wait. The eldest young master has regained consciousness; please take a look at him."
Lady Hou glanced away, seemingly very unwilling to see him, but she didn't say anything more, which was a tacit agreement.
After taking his pulse, Qi Sijun's expression turned serious. "This... did the two ladies really see the eldest young master wake up?"
After exchanging a glance, Madam Hou and Rong Yan became somewhat anxious. Mama Fang said, "It's true! We all saw him open his eyes!"
Rong Yan noticed a corner of the bed trembling slightly, his lips twitched, and he turned to the side to block it.
Lady Hou's eyes were red and she looked extremely fragile.
Physician Qi sighed and shook his head at Rong Yan.
He didn't utter a single word, yet it was as if he had sentenced Lady Hou, and he burst into tears.
The worst fear is that the person isn't actually waking up, but rather experiencing a final burst of energy before death.
After everyone left the courtyard, Xie Chengzhi never woke up again.
Qi Siyun left alone, which was quite impolite of Lady Hou.
However, as an outsider, Rong Yan was neither aware of nor in a position to comment on the feud between the two families.
Xie Qisheng carefully crawled out from under the covers in the corner of the bed, his face already flushed and his clothes soaked with sweat.
Who would have thought that this hiding would last for a full three hours!
He was suffocating under the covers and didn't dare to move.
He came out and met Rong Yan's gaze. The father and daughter didn't need to say anything. They nodded and then peeked out the back window, which faced a garden. There were no outsiders outside from there.
As he climbed down from the windowsill, he couldn't help but think, "He's a respectable father, how could he really seem like someone having an affair?"
The soil under the windowsill was a bit soft, and he dared not step on it rashly, for fear of leaving trouble. When he squatted down, in the dim light from the window, he seemed to vaguely see a shallow footprint.
The footprints were small, leaving only the imprint of the forefoot.
Perhaps it was left over from the maid tending the flowerbeds, but he didn't pay it any mind. There was nothing he could do; the man had come in standing up, so he could only roll out.
If it weren't for the dead of night, anyone who saw it would be terrified.
The dim light in the room flickered because the window was open. She slowly sat down on the edge of the bed, stared at Xie Chengzhi for a while, and then got up and turned off the light.
He did wake up just now. Was it a coincidence or an accident that he woke up at such a time?
She went back to sleep on the chaise lounge, remembering that Madam Wang had specifically instructed her to keep watch at night and not to rest.
She glanced at the bed, gave a cold laugh, and lay down decisively.
Strangely, Bai Qiong didn't come to watch over Xie Chengzhi that night, nor did he disturb her sleep.
Rong Yan was woken up by a noise. Early in the morning, Wang Shi rushed over with a large group of people. They had already arrived in the courtyard, and Rong Yan could hear Wang Shi deliberately telling people not to announce her arrival.
"They are all women, so there's nothing inconvenient about it. Your Excellency can come over later."
Rong Yan: !
When Wang entered, Huali still looked pale, terrified that her mistress would stay in bed longer.
Upon opening the door, she saw Rong Yan wiping Xie Chengzhi's hands. When she saw everyone come in, she seemed surprised and said, "Mother, Aunt."
Wang stepped forward in a few quick strides, her voice urgent, "How is Daoheng?"
Rong Yan shook his head dejectedly.
Wang's face immediately showed visible sadness. She didn't say anything and just sat by the bed watching.
The Marquis arrived later with his younger brother-in-law. Rong Shu couldn't hide her feelings; although her ankle was still hurting badly, it couldn't conceal her good mood. She smiled and comforted Rong Yan in front of everyone, "Sister, don't panic. The eldest young master will wake up eventually. Besides, such a good imperial physician as Physician Zhang is attending to him, so he will wake up."
After saying that, she covered her lips with her handkerchief and smiled quietly.
Rong Yan nodded, "No need for you to trouble yourself, sister."
The sentence was both unfamiliar and polite, but to Rong Shu it sounded like she was being nosy. She gritted her teeth, feeling somewhat annoyed, but had to pretend she didn't understand.
Lady Hou arrived full of hope, only to find her basket empty. The emptiness before her eyes was heartbreaking.
She trembled her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't muster the energy.
She could only vent her anger on the Marquis, "Where were you when our son woke up last night? Now you're feigning compassion, but it's too late! Don't let it get to the point where you can't even see your son one last time!"
"Wang Lan, let me tell you, don't go too far! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"
Rong Yan had a sudden inspiration and tried to mediate the argument, saying, "Father, Mother, perhaps the time is not right for my husband. How about starting today, I will go to the Taoist temple every day to pray for him? The temple will be closed, and I will be all alone, so no one will know."
"Now that you are the young mistress of our Runan Marquis's mansion, why do you need to show your face in such places?"
Lady Hou was clearly dissatisfied with her explanation, and her mood worsened as the eldest son failed to wake up.
“Mother, why don’t we let my sister-in-law go? Firstly, she can pray for my eldest brother’s well-being, and secondly, it will show that our Marquis’s mansion has such a capable person. Right now, the Emperor is vigorously promoting Taoist temples in search of the elixir of immortality. If our Marquis’s mansion can also contribute its share, it will be beneficial to the mansion.” Xie Zhezhi rarely spoke up for Rong Yan.
Lady Hou looked troubled. "How can a mere woman from the inner quarters help the Hou family's official business?"
The Marquis frowned disapprovingly. “Woman’s view! The Emperor recently approved several plots of land to build Taoist temples and is searching everywhere for alchemical techniques. Everyone is trying to curry favor with him, and you’re pushing this opportunity away. This matter is entirely beneficial to the Marquis’s family.”
"Alright, if you can wholeheartedly serve the young master, that would be excellent. It just so happens that I'm planning to let the manager of my restaurant, Fu Lou, retire. He's quite capable in managing things, so if you need someone, you can give him a try."
Wang's words meant she had given in. Rong Yan's actions were merely paving the way and testing the waters for reopening the Taoist temple. Unexpectedly, Wang understood immediately and even took the initiative to recommend a talented person to her.
"Thank you, Mother."
A gentle breeze blew through the Qu Shen Courtyard, and the fragrance of white plum blossoms was so strong that it made her head spin. She flipped through Manager Li's notebook and discovered that this man was an expert in a wide range of things.
The sky overhead was an unusually blue, with a wisp of cotton-like cloud drifting by, its soft, fluffy appearance making you want to take a bite. The weather was perfect, and going out felt especially refreshing.
Yu Ling looked at her mistress and said, "Young Madam, this meat was marinated by Third Aunt this morning and sent over. She told us to make sure you eat well. She said you could finish this pound, but you've only eaten less than two ounces so far. Please eat more."
A gentle breeze blew through the white plum tree that had entered from outside the courtyard, coming from the southeast. Like a spring breeze, it swept away the plum blossoms.
Rong Yan seemed to ponder seriously for a moment, then pursed his lips and said with some regret, "It's probably because we forgot to add minced garlic when grilling the meat earlier, so it lacked some flavor. It's a pity, it's going to rain soon, so we'll have to find another place to go out."
"How can it rain on such a beautiful day?" Yu Ling murmured from behind, looking up at the sky.
“Go and invite your third aunt over. She told me she wanted to go to Hebai Temple to pray for blessings. But before we go there, we need to meet someone.”
As they packed their things, the group helped the person onto the carriage.
Rong Yan lifted the curtain and peeked out, then smiled and said, "It's still sunny now, but it might get cloudy by the time we get back."
"How could that be? Young Madam, you're overthinking it. The cotton-like clouds overhead today indicate fine weather; there's no chance of wind or rain."
What did Huali do before?
"Madam, although I learned needlework from my aunt since I was a child, I am a farmer from my hometown, so I am very good at reading the weather."
Rong Yan smiled, not responding to her comment about being good at reading the weather, "Then you can mend my clothes for me from now on."
Along the way, the outside world was bustling with noise. As we walked along the Bianhe Street, many vendors, seeing that it was a sedan chair belonging to a wealthy family, called out at the top of their lungs, "Selling sesame cakes!"
"Fragrant and large steamed buns, only three coins!"
Du Chunhong whispered in her ear, "Your father was terrified last night. He couldn't sleep and didn't fall asleep until dawn."
"Mom, you have to give him a good talking to. He's such a grown man, yet he acts so recklessly."
"That's right, the flatbread here isn't very good. I'll show you how to make it another day."
The sedan chair traveled along Qingfeng Street. Most of the vendors on both sides of Qingfeng Street were ordinary people, mostly poor people who got up before midnight to knead and ferment dough to make steamed buns, flatbreads, and the like in order to support their families.
They set up their stalls on Qingfeng Street right at dawn, all rushing to sell some to the officials who were going to court.
On the contrary, girls from ordinary families go to bed later, and some widows even get up before noon, so some breakfast stalls will be set up until noon.
The steamed buns of the Song Dynasty were actually what we now call mantou (steamed bread). What we now call mantou became the vegetable steamed buns of the Song Dynasty.
Rong Yan lifted the curtain and glanced at the bustling scene on the street. There were indeed many people, hence the lively atmosphere.
Manager Li was waiting at the entrance of Fu Lou from afar, with the colorful Huan Gate behind him. Many people were coming and going, including the waiters, but not many paid him any attention.
To his surprise, Rong Yan specifically instructed someone to provide him with a smaller carriage.
The woman, who was rumored to have never been enlightened, behaved with such politeness and humility that she was definitely not someone who had never been enlightened!
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