Chapter 34 - The Daily Records of the Miss Shen
The child who was leading the way ran away crying for his parents. I wandered around in a daze for half an hour, and finally found a huge word "Chen" on a door plaque.
The word "沉" is ostentatiously outlined with gold lines, which shows the aesthetic taste of my aunt at first glance.
I looked at the word "Chen" which was full of the flavor of a nouveau riche and thought that it was no wonder that my aunt didn't want to remarry. Life after remarriage would not be as easy as being a widow. She had a son but no mother-in-law, and the entire Shen family was at her disposal.
My little maid Shushu opened the door for me and led me in, telling me how someone from the palace suddenly came to deliver a message yesterday, saying that I was coming back, which caught everyone in the Shen Mansion off guard.
I chuckled: "Surprising or not? Unexpected or not?"
Shushu said, "Everything else is fine, but we all thought you wouldn't be able to come back for ten years, so your house..."
"What's wrong with my house?" I had a bad feeling.
Shushu said righteously, "...The madam decided to turn it into a storeroom!"
I nearly fell headfirst: what a surprise!
While we were talking, Shushu led me to the flower hall. My aunt was already waiting by the table, which was filled with all kinds of delicacies from land and sea. The luxury was even comparable to Li Siyan's imperial meal.
──She is a down-to-earth woman who never holds any fancy welcome ceremonies. A table full of delicious food is the highest standard for her to express her love.
I looked at the table full of food, my eyes gradually turning red. I stretched out the only arm I could move, ran towards my aunt, and yelled, "Aunt!"
My aunt stood up gracefully and steadily, her righteous spirit gathering, preparing to cry bitterly with me. But suddenly, her brows furrowed, and she quickly pushed me down onto a chair, sternly saying, "Don't move! What's wrong with your shoulder? Let me take a look!"
I showed her the bow bandage Chan'er had tied. "It's nothing, just a prick."
"Stabbed?" Aunt's voice changed.
I briefly recounted the tragedy that happened today.
My aunt listened to me with a stern face, first she let out a breath, and then, amid my wailing, she ruthlessly ordered the servants to take away all the delicacies on the table and replace them with boiled okra and corn porridge.
She still felt it wasn't enough, so after finishing her meal, she dragged me back to the house and ordered Shushu, "Keep an eye on her, don't let her run around. Damn girl, she's been hurt so badly and still laughing! What's so funny about that!"
Shushu placed the bottle Wei Wan'er gave me on the table and nodded seriously, "Okay, I'll leave it to Shushu."
After my aunt left, I dared to complain quietly, "This is watching a prisoner."
Shushu disagreed: "How can you mess with a prisoner like your wife?"
I reflected on myself and realized that it was indeed my fault. I can understand why my aunt was angry.
So he lay back on the bed obediently, ate a small orange and asked Shushu: "How is the family doing while I'm away?"
Shushu spoke frankly, "It's not good, nor is it bad. Master Chuan goes to the Imperial College to study, and only comes home once every ten days or half a month. With only my wife at home, we live a very carefree life."
I sighed: "Free and easy as that, wouldn't she be lonely living alone in such a big house?"
Shushu said, "My wife is very strong-willed and never talks about such things."
"Why don't you go to the side branches and pick up a few young ladies to chat with and cheer them up?"
Shushu shook her head. "The Third Master mentioned it, but Madam declined. She said the Emperor's heart is unpredictable. Madam, you are not favored by the Emperor in the palace. Maybe one day the Emperor will be unhappy and execute the entire Shen family. She doesn't want to implicate other people's daughters."
When I heard Shushu say that the emperor didn't like me, I choked on the orange and coughed several times.
"My lady, be careful!" Shushu helped me up.
I lay back down with her help and asked her, "Do you all know what I'm doing in the palace?"
"I know a little, but it's all hearsay. There was a period of time at the end of last year when people said that His Majesty had banished you to the Imperial Palace. Madam was terribly worried, but there was nothing she could do. Her hair almost turned gray with worry."
I suddenly felt guilty: I was so busy dealing with Li Siyan at the time that I didn't even think of sending any message outside the palace. I made my aunt worry about me for nothing. I really shouldn't have done that.
No one knows what Li Siyan feels towards me except for a few of his closest old servants. To outsiders, I am just a discarded toy. My aunt has always loved me, and she must be feeling bad when she heard that I was in a miserable state in the palace.
Out of guilt, I behaved extremely well after she came back. When the doctor came to check my injuries, I didn't cry out at all and acted as if everything was peaceful the whole time. But I didn't expect that my aunt stood and looked at me for a while, then went out to wipe her tears. I lay on the bed in a daze, looking at Shushu for help.
Shushu pondered and said, "Madam must think that you have suffered great injustice in the palace and have been tortured so much that your temper and personality have been worn away..."
Me: Meow meow meow?
To prove that my temper and personality were still there, I instantly returned to normal and screamed at the top of my lungs: "It hurts! Aa ...
I howled so clearly and loudly, I don’t know what my aunt felt, I only knew that the doctor who changed my dressing was almost deafened by me.
When I shouted the third string of high notes, the doctor finally couldn't bear it anymore.
He ruthlessly gave me a strong dose of medicine with some sleeping pills added in. My eyelids became heavy, I became quiet, smacked my lips, and fell asleep.
The next day, at daybreak, birds were singing. The old man at the West Street entrance was vigorously teaching his grandson a lesson for failing to climb over the wall, while the old woman at the East Street entrance was performing a piece of Qingyue music to the morning sun.
I was violently awakened from my morning dream by my aunt, who threatened me that if I didn't get up, she would tear my bed apart.
I cried out in grievance, clutching the quilt and refusing to move. Auntie became furious, grabbed my ear and angrily shouted, "Still sleeping! Still sleeping! The eunuch who announced the imperial decree has been sitting in the hall for almost an incense stick, and you're still sleeping! What were you doing yesterday? Why didn't you tell me that an angel was coming? The whole family was unprepared, and we really neglected them!"
Angel? What is an angel?
Oh! It’s the eunuch who delivers the imperial edict!
Eunuch delivering the decree!
I blinked, woke up, and crawled out of bed.
Shushu quickly grabbed a piece of her green silk skirt and wrapped me up. My aunt kept urging me, "Hurry up, don't forget to wash the saliva marks on your face."
After another stick of incense, I rushed into the flower hall in a hurry and knelt down in front of the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial edict. The eunuch recognized me and was frightened by me. He hurried to help me and said, "Madam Shen, what are you doing?"
I was puzzled and said, "I'm here to receive an imperial decree. Otherwise, what else would I be here for?"
The eunuch then remembered the purpose of his visit, and hurriedly cleared his throat, saying loudly: "Chen Ying, obey your orders..."
The imperial edicts issued by Li Siyan were always short and concise, without any flowery words. This time was no exception, it was shockingly short, with only two sentences in total. The first sentence talked about granting marriage, and the second sentence talked about the gift. I had also seen that gift. It was the Han family landscape screen that he showed me in the study that day.
Perhaps Li Siyan felt upset when he looked at the screen after returning, so he gave it to me.
I stroked the screen lovingly, then turned to my aunt and said proudly, "Well, your niece is amazing, isn't she?"
My aunt changed her fierce and aggressive demeanor when she woke me up, and with trembling hands, she held up the imperial edict: "Keep this decree. You will need it when you get married next month."
I said, "I know. How could such a large scroll be lost?"
After the aunt settled the imperial edict, she tucked her things into her sleeves and walked around the room in circles, muttering as she went, "Oh my God... my Yingying, what kind of magic potion did you give the emperor? Last time, you were shouting for war and killing, and I even sent you to the palace to serve as a night incense burner. How come it's only been a few months and you've been granted a marriage and a reward? What's wrong with you..."
I chuckled and said, "Well, originally there was no such thing as an arranged marriage. I took a knife for him, so I'm using this incident, and a time I accidentally helped him many years ago, as a way to repay the favor."
My aunt stopped and asked, "Repaying a favor? Have you helped him before?"
I nodded.
The astute aunt immediately said, "Impossible. He grew up in the imperial court. When he was ten, the imperial concubine died. He then returned to his ancestral home and was taken to the Imperial Academy to be educated. Later, the crown prince disliked him and banished him to the prince's residence. He was not allowed to go out unless he was on duty. It is impossible for you to have met him."
I said, "Yes, auntie, do you remember that the year after my mother passed away, my father was recruited into the palace to take the position of attendant, and I went to look for him, but got lost and went into the palace, and by some strange coincidence, I saved the emperor once."
My aunt was stunned: "Have you ever done this?"
I whispered, "My father was afraid I would be punished, so he hid me in a pile of clothes and carried me out of the palace, so no one else knew about it."
The aunt was extremely helpless: "So you are the savior of the current emperor?"
I chuckled again: "I'm awesome, right?"
My aunt's response was another beating.
After hanging around the house for the whole morning, Meng Xu came to see me at noon, holding another imperial decree granting marriage in his hand. His expression was filled with an indescribable confusion and an instinctive ecstasy.
I laughed out loud and rushed to the door dragging my injured arm. I used my moving arm to strangle his neck tightly and leaned over to kiss him on the face.
When Meng Xu saw my arm hanging up, all his doubts disappeared. He quickly pulled me off his body and asked with concern, "Yingying, what's wrong with you? Is your shoulder injured? Have you seen a doctor? What medicine are you taking?"
I smiled and said, "It's okay, just let it air dry for a few days. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't have received the imperial decree granting the marriage."
Meng Xu frowned and said, "It doesn't matter whether the marriage is granted or not. Just don't harm yourself like this in the future."
I obediently said: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
Hearing the voices of Meng Xu and me, my aunt put down the account book and walked out of the hall quickly.
Meng Xu greeted his aunt politely. His aunt looked at him and suddenly burst into tears. She laughed while crying and said, "It's really touching. After going through so many twists and turns, they still couldn't break up your marriage."
I reminded him quietly, "It was already disconnected, but I forced it to connect again."
Meng Xu smiled and said, "Yingying is the best."
I shook my head proudly and gave him a look that said, "You understand me best."
It's been like this since I was little. No matter what I did, Meng Xu was always happy to applaud and cheer for me...Except for the time when I accidentally fell from a tree. He ignored me for two days because of it. On the third day, I went to his house and cried, made a scene, and even threatened to hang myself. I repeatedly promised that I would never climb a tree again, and only then did I reluctantly get his forgiveness...
Accidentally fell from a tree! There's a scene like this in the legend I wrote! I suddenly remembered something and asked Meng Xu, "Brother Meng, do you still read legends?"
Meng Xu was startled for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I'm so busy with work, and I'm really trying to get a chance to be a clerk. I haven't read any books in a year."
I suddenly became excited: "Wow! Then you must be... woooooo..."
I had barely finished speaking when my aunt quickly covered my mouth with her hand and whispered to me, "Silly girl, you talk so much! Don't you know you have to avoid suspicion before getting married?"
I opened my eyes wide, twisted my body, and made a whimpering sound.
She dealt with me and politely asked Meng Xu to leave. Meng Xu said in a daze, "But Sister Ying and I have known each other for a long time, so there's no need..."
The aunt said, "...it's because they're childhood sweethearts that we need to avoid suspicion! This marriage is an imperial decree, so we can't be careless. Nephew Meng, please go home. If there's anything urgent, just send someone to pass on the message, okay?"
Meng Xu was just a nobody and had no ability to resist his aunt. He was tricked away by her in two or three moves. Before leaving, he looked back reluctantly, but was locked outside the door by his aunt with a fake smile.
I immediately felt aggrieved: "Aunt! Our family and the Meng family have been friends for generations. Why should we avoid suspicion?"
The aunt raised her chin and said, "What's the value of a lifetime of friendship? When you were in trouble, did his family even show any intention of helping you?"
"...But I'm marrying Meng Xu, not his family."
My aunt glanced at me and said, "Marriage is about uniting two families. If you spend every day with your fiancé, people outside will look down on you. The Meng family values reputation above all else. If you develop a reputation as dishonest, you'll be met with a lot of cold stares in the future."
I asked curiously, "Don't they all say I'm a demon girl from the Rakshasa Kingdom? I have three heads and six arms, and I can bite off half a head with one bite. Who dares to turn his back on me?"
The aunt was furious: "What's the point of being so talented? Everyone in our neighborhood knows that you are both talented and beautiful, and have a good character. Anyway, don't worry about this matter. You're right to listen to me. Just stay at home and embroider your wedding dress honestly, and don't go out before you get married."
"What!" My grievance instantly turned into madness: "Working as a maid for a month! You might as well kill me."
The aunt snorted, and said angrily, "I didn't expect you to be so clumsy. You just draw the patterns and let Shushu and the others embroider them."
"Then...then you can't stop me from going out."
My aunt asked, "You've been locked up in the palace for two years, and you're still arguing with me about this one month?"
This sentence blocked me.
My resistance failed, and I spinelessly succumbed to my aunt's tyranny and returned to the house covered in dust.
"Don't forget to draw the embroidery pattern." Shushu reminded me.
"What should I draw?" I scratched my head worriedly, "I've never drawn a pattern for a wedding dress before..."
Shushu thought for a moment and answered honestly, "Shushu doesn't know. This is also the first time I've made a wedding dress, but since it's for a big wedding, it naturally has to be auspicious."
Got it, Geely.
I got up and rummaged through my bookcase, looking for the 100-pattern Fugui Tianxiang set I had bought some time ago.
But the strange thing is that after flipping through it twice, I still couldn't find the booklet.
I was extremely puzzled and turned to ask Shushu, "Did anyone touch my book?"
Shushu replied, "I left in such a hurry when I moved that I didn't have time to move everything. I left a few books with Mr. Meng."
I said as a matter of course, "Then go and get it back for me. The title of the book is One Hundred Styles of Wealthy and Heavenly Fragrance."
Shushu stared at me warily: "...Madam, Shushu advises you not to have any bad thoughts. Madam has to save face, she will not condone your private correspondence with Mr. Meng."
"I just want a book, not some secret affair." I spread my hands and said, "I bought that book from an old weaver. It's the only one of its kind in the world, and it's filled with the most exquisite patterns. Nothing else is worthy of mention."
Shushu wavered, hesitated for a long time, and reluctantly said, "...Then, then I'll go ask the madam. If she nods, then it's okay."
I smiled and said, "That's right!"
Without the album, I naturally couldn't start work today. I lay comfortably on the couch all day. The next day was the day when the matchmaker from the Meng family came to the Shen family to propose marriage, and I still had nothing to do.
Shushu took the opportunity to tell my aunt about my request for the book from Meng Xu. My aunt refused without even thinking about it.
"Why?" I felt terrible and complained sadly, "Auntie wasn't like this before. She used to dote on me!"
Shushu: "The wife said: The little kid is so quiet, she must be making trouble. Madam, you have been too quiet these past two days, she thinks you have bad intentions."
"You should speak with conscience!" I was shocked: "I have been the most well-behaved girl on the whole street recently."
Shushu pursed her lips, probably vomiting silently in her heart.
"Who is the best-behaved girl on the whole street?"
My aunt's voice floated from the door. I turned around and saw that her face was full of joy and she was smiling like a peony.
"The little girl may not be good at other things, but she has a really good eye for choosing a husband!" Aunt sighed: "The Meng family is really a respectable family. They asked the old lady of the Jiang family to act as a matchmaker and even let Meng Xu come to the door in person. It can be said that they put a lot of effort into it."
I didn't think so. "This is a marriage granted by the emperor, written in black and white in the imperial edict. Even if they don't like me, they still have to give the emperor face."
My aunt said, "You haven't even married yet, why are you saying such depressing things?"
I chuckled, "How can I be discouraged? If Meng Xu doesn't even bother to come to my house in person, why would I marry him?"
My aunt rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, alright, I know your husband is smart."
Then she said, "By the way, when Meng Xu came just now, he also brought the books you left with him. Didn't you ask for an embroidery pattern book? I'll ask Shushu to bring it in for you later."
I asked in surprise, "Shushu said you didn't send a message to Meng Xu, so how did he know I wanted the book?"
Auntie said, "You two are so in tune with each other, are you happy?"
I held my face and smiled foolishly.
"As for embroidery patterns, the ones in this booklet are the most reliable." After my aunt left, I picked up my brush and sketched the patterns while sighing to Shushu, "After the two previous eunuchs retired, the palace's weaving skills have declined significantly. The patterns they have come out with are not as good as my drawings."
Shushu cooperated and asked, "Why?"
"Because this emperor has terrible taste. Not only that, but he also loves to show off," I said. "Have you ever seen a man embroidering on his boots? I happened to see him."
Shushu was shocked: "So generous!"
"The belt that Concubine Shu embroidered for him was nailed with forty-eight pieces of Lantian jade, and each one was carved with patterns. My God, even the dancers from the Western Regions are not that fancy." I became more and more excited as I spoke.
Shushu was even more shocked: "Forty-eight pieces of jade, how many years would it take to earn that much without eating or drinking?"
I sighed, "The Wei family is rich, and money makes the world go round."
After saying that, I had just finished drawing a pattern. I gave it to Shushu and turned a page in the booklet.
"Huh?" I blurted out.
Shushu asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." I quickly came to my senses, closed the embroidery pattern with a snap, cleared my throat and said, "I...I need to rest for a while."
When Shushu heard that I wanted to rest, she immediately helped me lower the bed curtains, stepped aside and said, "Madam, take a rest first. Shushu will go to the outer room to embroider."
I pretended to be going to sleep, but in fact I was listening to Shushu's movements. After a while, the wooden door closed gently and the room was silent.
I immediately jumped up, opened the embroidery pattern booklet, took out a small piece of paper, and began to read it secretly.
It was indeed Meng Xu's handwriting. I sighed in my heart, what a terrible atmosphere in the Secretariat! Even a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes like Meng Xu could whisper to each other.
Due to space limitations, Meng Xu restrained his habit of showing off his bookish knowledge and used two lines to express his thoughts for me. The third line reads: At noon on a day off in the second half of the month, at the west wall of Zhuochen Courtyard.
Zhuochenyuan is the name of my courtyard. It was given to me by my brother. It is based on the allusion to the Canglang River.
But what does he mean by the Western Wall?
After thinking about it for a long time, I still couldn't figure it out. In the evening, I took Shushu to see the western wall that Meng Xu mentioned, under the pretext of familiarizing myself with the new residence. Although Shushu suspected that I was up to something, she had no evidence and could only let me wander around.
As soon as I saw it, I immediately understood what Meng Xu wanted to say, because I suddenly discovered a small weasel hole at the foot of the wall...
At that moment, I had only one thought in my mind:
Zhongshu Sheng, please give me back my simple and kind brother Meng!
In the next few days, my main focus became how to escape my aunt's surveillance and successfully have a perfect weasel hole date with Meng Xu.
I almost turned gray with worry over this.
Who is my aunt? She's been helping my mother manage the land since she was ten, married my dashing second uncle to her husband at fifteen, and after marrying, she's taken on all the household duties, forcing the Shen family, once so poor that only their integrity remains, back to a comfortable life... How could I, a shrewd woman from Chang'an, deceive her and secretly date Meng Xu? That's a bit difficult...
I thought of several plans, such as pretending to take a nap and sneaking away, or knocking Shushu unconscious and killing her later, but after thinking about it, they seemed either too immoral or too naive, so they wouldn't work.
I was worried until the appointed day, but I couldn't come up with any good solution.
It seems that all roads are blocked, but God will occasionally open the ceiling for you when the windows and doors are locked.
The name of this ceiling is Shenchuan.
Today is a day off, and it happens to be the day when my cousin Chen Chuan comes home. My aunt felt that we have a deep affection for each other and must have endless things to talk about, so after dinner she left us alone so that we could talk to each other about our youthful thoughts.
"Actually, that's not the case," Shushu told me the truth in secret. "The Madam thinks something's not right with Young Master Chuan lately and suspects he's having a lover. She wants you to get him to tell her the truth in private."
"Is Xiaochuan in love?" I hurriedly gossiped.
Shushu said seriously, "I'm just suspicious."
Boys in their teens grow like strong leeks. I haven't seen Shen Xiaochuan for two years. He has grown taller. Not only has he grown taller, but his eyes and eyebrows also have some of my second uncle's handsomeness, which makes me feel dazed.
It seems like an old friend is coming.
I was still feeling sad when the handsome guy started talking enthusiastically.
He said, "Sister, the food in the palace is good. I've gained weight."
One sentence cut my sadness into pieces.
I angrily said, "What happened in the palace? You got fat from your mother's ginseng chicken soup after you came back."
Xiaochuan said, "Haha, let me tell you, your return scared the three guys from the Shi family so much that they insisted on adding two more servants, saying they were afraid you would go and settle your score with them."
I curled my lips and said, "A few useless people from the Shi family slandered me with false accusations. Now I'm scared like this, they deserve it."
This story begins two years ago.
When I went home two years ago, Xiaochuan told me that the boys from the Shi family had been gossiping about me and had fought with him. In order to vent Xiaochuan's anger, I carefully prepared a complaint and submitted it to Censor Jiang. Censor Jiang was worried about the performance of this month, and when he saw the job coming to him, he immediately joined forces with several colleagues to impeach the father of these little brats. I don't know much about what happened afterwards, I only heard that these foul-mouthed kids were beaten so hard that they cried for their parents, and the sound shook Chang'an.
Xiaochuan looked at me with admiration: "Sister, you are amazing! You are amazing!"
I accepted his compliment with a smile.
Just as I was feeling self-inflated, a golden light suddenly flashed in my mind.
I slapped my thigh and said, "You pulled me aside and I almost forgot what I was doing."
"What's the matter? You want me to buy some Sushan for you, right? What flavor do you want?"
"No," I said mysteriously, "Chuan, do me a favor."
When Xiaochuan heard that I was going to date Meng Xu in the weasel hole, he almost laughed the ceiling off.
"You laugh! You laugh! What do you know? This is love, okay?" I was filled with righteous indignation.
Xiaochuan laughed even harder: "Hahahaha, you're so miserable, sister. Xiaoyun and I are not that miserable!"
I grasped the key words firmly: "Who is Xiaoyun?"
Xiaochuan immediately shut up and said nothing, his face turning red.
Something happened indeed!
I jumped up and said with my hands on my hips, "Well, Shen Xiaochuan, you little pig, you've learned to dig up other people's cabbages!"
"Whose family is Xiao Yun from? Have you ever seen her? How did you two get to know each other?"
"Student Shen Xiaochuan, if you don't help me, I will tell my aunt!"
Xiaochuan smiled and said, "Sister, don't be like this. We are so close, how can I not help you? You...you must not tell my mother."
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