Chapter 51. Sister-in-law, don't treat me like this. ...
Several maids couldn't help but widen their eyes slightly.
Bai Xuerou looked at the young man in front of her. He was the oldest among the people chosen by Yu Zan, only one year younger than her, and was twenty-one years old this year.
But they are also the smartest.
“Get up and speak,” she said.
Zhu Ji straightened up and looked at Bai Xuerou calmly.
"So, you're from the 'Recommended Pillow' faction," Bai Xuerou said. Seeing that Zhu Ji's expression remained unchanged, she asked again, "Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed after being exposed?"
"Madam is too kind," Zhu Ji said with a smile. "It would be my honor to be chosen by you. If anyone says anything, it's probably just jealousy. With your status and appearance, even noble families would vie for your attention, let alone me."
"I'm afraid some people would love to get rid of me as soon as possible."
Bai Xuerou looked at him with a smile, "Aren't you afraid?"
"Of course I'm afraid, but you have to pay the price for what you want to gain. I believe I still have some ability to survive."
Bai Xuerou looked at him with great satisfaction.
The only problem was that she wasn't sure if he had already joined the forces of King Wu.
"That's good. Have you gone to seek refuge with the King of Wu?" she asked directly.
Zhu Ji was surprised and said, "Why does Madam ask such a question?"
Bai Xuerou looked at him quietly and said, "You and the Lang family are sworn enemies, so it's understandable that you want to seek revenge by joining the King of Wu."
When the Lang family was mentioned, Zhu Ji's expression finally changed, revealing a hint of coldness. However, he looked at Bai Xuerou with even more seriousness and said, "But that was before. With Madam here, the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion was the best choice."
"Very good then." Bai Xuerou smiled and said, "Then starting tomorrow, you will go to the Prince's mansion as a retainer, and write some stories for me in your spare time, how about that?"
"Thank you, Madam." Zhu Ji's face immediately lit up with joy.
"Have you thought this through? What will you face after I bring you into my household?" Bai Xuerou reminded her.
"Madam has given me a chance; how I perform afterward is up to me."
“Very good,” Bai Xuerou said.
And so, quietly, the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion gained a new retainer.
The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion has many retainers, some powerful and some ordinary, but as long as they have a skill, they can stay in the mansion.
The Prince's mansion was very large, and the retainers all lived in the western courtyard. Bai Xuerou arranged a courtyard for Zhu Ji near the inner courtyard, which was tidy and ready for him to move in. There were also two servants to take care of him.
The commotion was small, but everyone in Chang'an who needed to know about it knew.
In the morning, after reading the letter Ling Xun sent back, Bai Xuerou unfolded the letter, hesitated for a moment, and only wrote that she had found a scholar who could write storybooks to be her retainer, without mentioning anything else.
But she thought Ling Xun would find out; his people in Chang'an would send him messages.
After delivering the letter, Bai Xuerou thought for a moment and asked Zhu Ji to come and discuss the storybook with her in the afternoon.
After lunch, she took a short nap. When she woke up, her maid reported that Zhu Ji had arrived.
"Why are you here so early? Didn't you say I was going to take a nap?" Bai Xuerou asked as she got up to do her makeup.
She's not a demanding person, there's no need to keep people waiting for her.
Yingui reported, "He said that Master Zhu said he was worried about being late, so he wanted to wait here first."
"That's thoughtful, but it's not necessary. Remember to tell him later." Bai Xuerou yawned lazily. The sky had been overcast for the past few days, and it looked like the weather was about to change. She couldn't help but feel sleepy.
It should be silver laurel.
Bai Xuerou closed her eyes while being dressed, but her mind was preoccupied with other things.
She found it difficult to trust others now. She wouldn't even give people like Yu Kai and Fu Weina a chance to get close to them. Even with someone like Zhu Ji, who had no power or influence, she would suspect that he might have ulterior motives.
But she wasn't like this before. Bai Xuerou couldn't help but sigh. The higher her status, the more mixed the people around her became. No one knew which force was behind a seemingly ordinary person, so she became more uneasy and cautious.
It wasn't intentional on her part, but rather she had no choice but to do so.
After washing up, Bai Xuerou went to the flower hall to see Zhu Ji.
There were few flowers in the winter month. The door was open, with thick curtains hanging down. The window was left a crack, and the house was warm and cozy with the underfloor heating burning.
A pot of orchids sits on the elevated shelf; it is beautiful in shape and has a delicate fragrance.
When Bai Xuerou entered, Zhu Ji hurriedly stood up to greet her.
The clothes he wore today were provided by the Prince's Mansion. They were blue brocade robes with few decorations, and he didn't look as disheveled as he did yesterday. They also made him look better.
She's still a bit thin.
Bai Xuerou thought that she should give him a good boost before Ling Xun came back, otherwise Ling Xun would become suspicious.
“Sit down,” she said.
"You're still too thin. I'll tell the kitchen to give you some extra nutrition," Bai Xuerou said with a smile.
She meant nothing by saying this, but it took on a different meaning in Zhu Ji's ears. He blushed, and a hint of embarrassment crept onto his smiling face as he lowered his eyes.
When he offered himself as a male concubine yesterday, he was thinking about seizing this opportunity—
After all, as he said, being a gigolo for a beautiful and kind lady like Bai Xuerou is not a bad thing; in fact, many people would love to have it.
Moreover, given her status, with just a little help, he could survive the Lang family's oppression.
Therefore, Zhu Ji did not hesitate at all.
But now that everything has settled down, and he has moved into the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, he can't help but think about having a male concubine when he faces Bai Xuerou again.
In fact, he had already thought about what he wanted to do when he came here today.
Unexpectedly, Bai Xuerou said such a thing.
Moreover, she didn't seem to have any other intentions.
"Are you thinking of letting him rest a little longer?" Zhu Ji thought for a moment and obediently replied, "Yes."
When Bai Xuerou saw him like this, her eyes flickered and a smile appeared on her face.
"What are your thoughts on storybooks?" She sat down at the head of the table, and seeing that Zhu Ji had also sat down, but with his eyes downcast and not looking around, she was somewhat satisfied and asked with a smile.
"What kind of things would you like to see, Madam?" Zhu Ji asked in return.
"Your previous writing was just as good. The kind of poor scholar who wins the favor of a noble lady and then gets a beautiful wife and concubines and rises in rank and wealth is simply an eyesore for me. You are very clever, and your writing is more suitable for women to read."
Storybooks have been written about this for a long time, but even today, most of them are still written for men, and there aren't many suitable for women.
Zhu Ji immediately understood Bai Xue Rou's meaning and shared some of his own thoughts.
Bai Xuerou became interested upon hearing this and began to talk back and forth with him. Then she asked someone to prepare pen and ink so that he could write something on the spot.
Zhu Ji is clever and capable of multitasking. While writing, he doesn't forget to chat with Bai Xuerou about movable type printing.
Originally, there was no movable type printing in this dynasty. Bai Xuerou got her storybook, and it sold well, but it took a long time to carve the printing blocks each time, so she thought of movable type printing.
It was quickly promoted afterward. There was some resistance at first, but with the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion involved, everyone calmed down.
Zhu Ji was praised by everyone.
Bai Xuerou did not take credit, saying that she had heard about it from others before letting people try it, and it was not her idea.
Zhu Jiwei's surprise only made her more sincere.
He saw things clearly and was not short-sighted. Whether it was cotton in the past or movable type printing today, these things that benefited the country and its people were enough to make him famous in history. Ordinary people are only eager to take credit for themselves; how many people can speak the truth as frankly as Bai Xuerou?
Bai Xuerou's character alone is enough to inspire admiration.
Zhu Ji couldn't help but glance at Bai Xuerou.
This lady is not someone who seeks fame or fortune; her gentleness and kindness are genuine.
These qualities are extremely rare these days.
After that, the two got along quite well.
Although Zhu Ji was unrestrained and unconventional, he was not arrogant or rude. He acted with propriety and his words were pleasing. Bai Xuerou quickly went from being unfamiliar with him to becoming familiar with him and appreciated him more and more.
Meanwhile, news from Chang'an, after a long journey, reached Ling Xun.
Ling Xun was inspecting the eastern territory he had conquered earlier. After more than a year of governance, the area had been initially restored to peace. Although the people would still feel uneasy and panicked when they saw soldiers, they were no longer as easily frightened as before.
They felt grateful to see the Zhenbei Army, and their respect for Ling Xun grew even stronger whenever someone learned of his whereabouts.
I received the letter in the evening.
Bai Xuerou's letter was a family letter, nothing of great importance, and was personally delivered by the guards of the Prince's Mansion on horseback at top speed. The secret letter sent from Chang'an was even faster, traveling day and night, in an effort to get the letter to Ling Xun as soon as possible.
Ling Xun had just dealt with a few corrupt officials. The blood in front of the hall was still wet and smelled of rust. It was left from the corrupt officials kowtowing and begging for mercy.
The servants on either side were silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to breathe too loudly, their brows and eyes still suppressed by Ling Xun's barely contained rage, which had been like a dark cloud.
But this suffocating atmosphere gradually dissipated when the guards rushed in from outside, saying there was a letter from Chang'an.
Ling Xun's slightly cold expression returned to normal as he took the letter, opened it, and began to read.
The servants breathed a sigh of relief. Every time they received a letter from Chang'an, the prince's mood would improve considerably. This matter should be over soon.
Just as everyone was secretly rejoicing, Ling Xun's expression suddenly turned cold.
Secret letters from Chang'an were often brief, first mentioning the movements of the court and several families, leaving the matter of the Prince's Mansion and Bai Xuerou for last.
There were no major moves by the court and those few families, but then the rumors about Chang'an started. They said that the other party was acting mysteriously and the root of the problem had not yet been found. Then there was the story of Bai Xuerou bringing a down-on-his-luck scholar into her mansion and asking him to write stories for her. They said that the lady summoned him every day, talked for a long time, and even invited him to stay for meals.
The letter writer dared not say that the two were intimate, but traces of that in the words were evident.
Ling Xun lost his composure for a moment, crumpling the letter into a ball with both hands, causing bits of paper to fall out.
The servants on either side didn't even dare to breathe for a moment.
Could something major have happened in Chang'an? The crowd wondered anxiously.
"Your Highness, is something wrong in Chang'an? I will arrange the return journey immediately," said Ling Qi, a personal guard.
Ling Xun raised his hand to stop him.
"Nothing's wrong in Chang'an, it's just some private matters," he said slowly, paused for a moment, and then sent someone to fetch his entourage.
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
But seeing Ling Xun's obvious displeasure, he still felt uneasy.
"All of you, step back," Ling Xun said.
The servants immediately left, but out of the corner of my eye I saw the prematurely mature prince slightly lower his head, unfold the crumpled letter, and seem somewhat forlorn—
Ling Xun was indeed very lonely, which was followed by panic, unease, and sadness.
At first glance, the contents of the secret letter seemed to be Bai Xue Rou's attempt to suppress rumors, but Ling Xun knew that was not the case.
My sister-in-law wouldn't care about these rumors, and even if she did, she wouldn't resort to such a foolish move.
Bringing someone into the mansion wouldn't stop others from speculating; they would only think she was acting out of guilt and on purpose.
Bai Xuerou wouldn't do something so pointless.
She only picks people up because she wants to.
But she already knew how he felt...
But we still have to do it.
Is she trying to dissuade him? Does this mean she has no feelings for him?
Various thoughts swirled in Ling Xun's mind, and he felt as if his heart was twisted together, or as if a stone was pressing down on it, making it impossible for him to feel happy.
“Sister-in-law…” he whispered.
Ling Xun, whose back was always straight, hunched slightly and closed his eyes.
Sister-in-law, please don't treat me like this.
Have pity on me.
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