Chapter 036
Although Chu Xiuming said he wanted to return to the capital, he could not just go back. An official of his rank had to ask for permission to return to the capital, which was easy. Emperor Cheng was eager for him to come back, so he quickly issued an edict to agree. Then, in order to reassure Chu Xiuming, he sent a lot of food and supplies. However, he also sent a few civil servants with him. To put it nicely, they were here to help deal with miscellaneous matters to prevent Chu Xiuming's departure from causing chaos in the border town. To put it bluntly, they were here to rob the city, and knowing the status of the Chu family in the hearts of the generals, they did not even dare to send generals over.
Chu Xiuming thanked the emperor politely and did not let these civil servants die suddenly as Emperor Cheng had worried. Instead, he found a place to take good care of them. He really took good care of them, just like raising pigs. They had enough food and clothing every day, but it was impossible for them to get out of poverty. Every month, the memorials to the court were watched by several strong men. They were told to write carefully, and they would help deliver them to the post station after they were finished.
Moreover, Chu Xiuming didn't need to send people to keep an eye on them, the people in the border town were keeping an eye on these people. They were not fools, and when the barbarians besieged the city, they already hated Emperor Cheng in their hearts. To be honest, in their eyes, even if Chu Xiuming really raised his arms and started an uprising, they would all support him.
Nanny Zhao packed up more than a dozen carts of things one by one, and when they set off one after another, Shen Jin was stunned. It was as if after she had just accepted the fact that her husband was a little poor because she had spent all her family wealth on some life-saving things, reality suddenly slapped her in the face. My husband is not poor at all, on the contrary... a little too rich?
When Shen Jin was in Chu Xiuming's arms at night, Shen Jin carefully told Chu Xiuming that the Moonlight Brocade and Floating Light Brocade were actually very valuable. Chu Xiuming scolded her severely and said, "Don't worry, even if you are poor, you still have enough money to raise a rabbit."
This startled Shen Jin awake, "Are you going to kill my rabbit?"
"Why should I kill your rabbit?" Chu Xiuming reached out and hugged Shen Jin back into his arms.
"Didn't you say you wanted to raise a rabbit?" Shen Jin asked, "But I have a litter of rabbits, and they will give birth to many little rabbits."
Chu Xiuming was speechless for the first time. He couldn't say that the rabbit he was talking about was different from the one Shen Jin was talking about. He just smiled and said, "If I don't have money, can I afford a banquet on the wedding day?"
Shen Jin blinked, "Oh." She had forgotten about it. Thinking about the jewelry, Shen Jin changed her position to stay more comfortable in Chu Xiuming's arms, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Chu Xiuming looked at Shen Jin like this, not knowing whether to sigh that she was too lenient or that she was so confused that she only paid attention to things she shouldn't pay attention to. However, smelling the fragrant fragrance of his wife, Chu Xiuming closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Nanny Zhao arranged another maid for Shen Jin, who looked young and thin. She was named An Ning after An Ping. An Ping seemed to know An Ning. She took the initiative to give up her position next to Shen Jin and instead focused on taking care of Shen Jin's things. Shen Jin always let An Ning follow him when he went out.
At first, Shen Jin didn't know what was going on. But after seeing An Ning lift up half the stone lion at the door with one hand, the look in his eyes when he looked at An Ning changed. Then he secretly said to Chu Xiuming at night, "Such a tall and big stone, he lifted it up in an instant."
Chu Xiuming touched Shen Jin's back. He had been very busy recently and could only talk to Shen Jin at night. He really liked listening to Shen Jin talk about these things because he didn't have to think about them and they were funny. He felt much more relaxed. "Do you think she can lift someone up?"
"Four or five adult men who are good at fighting are no match for An Ning." Chu Xiuming said with his eyes closed.
Shen Jin's eyes lit up, and then she laughed, "My husband, you are so nice."
"How long will it take for you and I to finish the fan cover we are making?" Chu Xiuming was not so easy to coax. He was not satisfied with just a "that's great". He had heard from Nanny Zhao earlier that Shen Jin had selected the material and colored threads to embroider something for him.
Shen Jin couldn't even remember where the things were thrown, "I'm sleepy and sleeping."
"Before we go to Beijing, I hope to see what my wife has made." Chu Xiuming did not insist on it anymore, but set a deadline.
The little one has grown a lot, and now Shen Jin can't even hold it up. However, Chu Xiuming said that the little one can still grow a little taller, and eventually he will be taller than Shen Jin when he stands up.
When everything was packed up and ready to set off, the affairs of the border town were handed over to Chu Xiuyuan. Chu Xiuyuan almost grew up in the eyes of these garrison commanders, and with this surname, the garrison commanders were naturally willing to listen to his orders. There were also military advisors and counselors in the mansion, and the people of the border town had lived and died with Chu Xiuyuan. Moreover, Chu Xiuyuan was not a conceited person, so as long as Chu Xiuyuan was in the border town, even if Emperor Cheng sent more people, it would be useless. At most, there would be more people being kept in captivity.
When they really set out on the journey, Nanny Zhao actually packed some more things. Fortunately, Emperor Cheng was afraid that Chu Xiuming would change his mind and run away halfway, so he sent guards to pick him up. Chu Xiuming directly asked the guards to help transport the things, and he easily set off with more than 20 servants.
Those who could be sent by Emperor Cheng were all his confidants, and many of them were descendants of the new nobles in the court. The main lineage was reluctant to send them out to suffer, but if the side lineage wanted to have a bright future, there would always be some twists and turns.
But even though they were from the side branches, they had never had such a hard life. Chu Xiuming treated them as servants who did chores and did not need to pay them wages and had to provide their own food.
What's worse is that Chu Xiuming is not as scary as the rumors say. He is handsome and gentle, but looks a little cold. He doesn't look like a general who guards the border town and kills countless enemies! He is more particular than them.
Compared with them, the twenty or so people brought by Chu Xiuming were much more comfortable. There was not much they needed to do. They just had to protect the general and the general's wife, and hunt some game for a snack when they had nothing to do.
Shen Jin initially rode in a carriage, but later Chu Xiuming took him on horseback rides. Shen Jin wore riding clothes for the convenience of traveling. They were not in a hurry to go to the capital, so they only traveled when it was not hot every day. They did not suffer much and often had game to eat. He even grew taller than when he was in the border town.
The little guy didn't stay in the carriage all day. He followed the horses by himself. For some reason, the horses were afraid of him. He seemed to have become a spirit, and specifically tried to scare the guards' horses. If the guards had not been capable, they would have almost been thrown off their horses.
Shen Jin felt a little embarrassed and asked Anping to send those people some food such as dried meat. When he came back, he severely taught the little one a lesson, "Don't make trouble. They are protecting our family's things. What if the horses are startled and someone gets hurt? Even if you don't say that someone's things are broken, they're gone, and you won't be able to eat your bones either..." The little one lay on the ground while being scolded, scratching his ears with his front paws.
This made the guards, who were somewhat moved at first, feel aggrieved. This was simply saying that they were not as important as the things. In fact, they were overthinking it. Shen Jin didn't really mean that. It was just the meaning on the screen.
Chu Xiuming dotes on Shen Jin very much. Everyone in the border town knows this, and the guards along the way also know it. After all, whenever they arrive at a prosperous place, they always have to rest for a few days and let Chu Xiuming take Shen Jin out for fun. Moreover, when they hunt game outside, they will specially prepare it for Shen Jin to eat. That time, they saw that Chu Xiuming naturally took over the roasted rabbit leg that Shen Jin couldn't finish and helped to eat it.
Everyone was stunned at the time. Even in the poorest families, the men would eat the leftovers first before giving them to the women. How could a wife let her husband eat when she couldn't finish the food, especially when the husband was in a high position and had great power?
But the general did it anyway, and did it so naturally. All the people brought from the border towns did not make a fuss, but looked as if it was a matter of course. Only the nanny beside the general's wife said a few words. It was not that it was bad, but that the lady had used too much and should remember to eat hawthorn balls later.
Shen Jin hated sour things the most, but she liked sweet and sour things, and the sweeter ones had to be more. In the past, she had no choice but to eat fruits in the capital, except for the best ones at Princess Rui's place. When she returned to Concubine Chen's courtyard, the ones given to mother and daughter could not be the worst. After all, there were also concubines without official status, and their fruits were not the best either. The most important thing was that there was a limit to the number of fruits.
So Shen Jin didn't choose as long as it was edible. When he arrived at the border town, due to the limited variety and the environment, the fruits were all very sweet, and Shen Jin liked them all. Zhao Ma and Anping thought that Shen Jin was not picky and liked everything, but now they know that is not the case.
Chu Xiuming doted on his wife, and he only picked fresh food for Shen Jin regardless of the price. After Shen Jin found out that their family was not short of money, she ate as much as she wanted. Sometimes she couldn't help being greedy, and Zhao Ma didn't want to see her disappointed look, so she turned a blind eye to it. As a result, one day she vomited and had diarrhea from eating so much that she recovered after three days. Since then, Zhao Ma bought hawthorns and asked the doctor to make hawthorn meatballs. Whenever Shen Jin ate a little more, she would stare at Shen Jin while she ate.
Hawthorn balls are not medicine and will not harm the body if eaten. They are good for the body, so no one thinks they are bad. But it makes Shen Jin suffer. She hates sour things the most. But Madam Zhao refused to let the doctor put honey in them. Since she didn't want Shen Jin to be disappointed, she wanted Shen Jin to remember it.
At this time, Chu Xiuming would not stand on Shen Jin's side, but would also help Nanny Zhao to keep an eye on things.
It was already autumn when they arrived in the capital, and Shen Jin entered the city in his sleep, because he was going to the capital for private matters, and Emperor Cheng did not want to give face to Chu Xiuming, so no one came to pick him up with fanfare. Many people were stunned by Chu Xiuming's outstanding appearance, and no one guessed that he was the Earl of Yongning. Until the carriage drove directly into the Earl of Yongning's mansion, no one guessed that Chu Xiuming was the Earl of Yongning. It was really because the rumor was too successful.
Although the Chu family has been stationed in the border town for many years, there are still people in the Yongning Marquis' Mansion in the capital. No matter who they are, they dare not neglect Chu Xiuming and his men. Because they had received the news a long time ago, Emperor Cheng sent people to renovate it for the sake of face. Chu Xiuming put forward all his requirements very impolitely, and it was even more luxurious and wealthy than the general's mansion in the border town.
Moreover, there are quite a few servants in the Yongning Marquis's mansion, and the maids serving in the main courtyard are all beautiful, some plump and some thin. They already knew the rumors about the Yongning Marquis, and they were still reluctant in their hearts. But who knew that when they saw Chu Xiuming in person, they blushed unconsciously, and their movements became more graceful and sexy.
The carriage stopped directly in front of the main courtyard gate. Chu Xiuming didn't even look at these people. He got into the carriage and carried out a person wrapped in a large cloak. The person moved, as if struggling, and arched his back and forth like a silkworm. Then a white and tender hand stretched out from under the cloak and patted Chu Xiuming's shoulder a few times. Chu Xiuming adjusted his posture slightly, and then the hand was retracted. The person under the cloak moved, revealing a pair of delicate embroidered shoes inlaid with jade pieces, and continued to sleep swayingly.
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