The second girl is back again
Shi Wenbing's journey with the emperor was not very fast. The person who delivered the clothes returned soon and said that everything was fine and asked the family to rest assured. Xiluote breathed a sigh of relief and began to make arrangements for the New Year.
With her husband away, she didn't have to worry about socializing with officials and guests. Fu Hai followed Shi Wenbing north, and Zhang Lu stayed at home to support him. He asked him to take Shi Wenbing's note to a limited number of households, asking them to bear with him. That was the end of the matter.
As for the female relatives, they were all familiar with each other in the Banner Camp, so it was easy to deal with them. In Hangzhou, the only people who needed to go to were the Governor and the newly appointed Provincial Governor and Provincial Surveillance Commissioner. The former Anhui Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Wang Guotai became the Zhejiang Provincial Governor, and the new Provincial Surveillance Commissioner was Tong Guozuo, the governor of the Xixitong Commercial Road. Both of them had been officials for a long time, so their wives would at least not be difficult to get along with in social situations.
Plans don't change as fast as they should.
At the end of November, news arrived that Mahada had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Manchu Army of the Plain White Banner by Emperor Kangxi. Xilut even went to congratulate his wife. Two days later, in early December, Zhang Lujia beamed with pride, "Madam, great joy! Someone came to congratulate us, saying that our master has been chosen by the Emperor as Commander-in-Chief of the Han Army of the Plain White Banner."
Fu Hai's wife had always been worried about her husband going out with the master, but now, upon hearing that Shi Wenbing had been promoted, she thought that her husband would also be able to get some good things, and she was also happy: "Madam, I am very happy."
It seems that the words Shi Wenbing left before he left, "Everything is fine," were not really meant to comfort everyone.
Xiluo Te's face lit up with joy. She asked Zhang Lujia, "Is the news confirmed?" Zhang Lujia replied, "My husband just sent a servant to tell me to tell Madam. The congratulatory messages and gifts have arrived."
This news had come from outside. Shi Wenbing, the deputy governor stationed in Hangzhou, had left with the emperor, but his copy of the official report remained with him, though it was kept in his office. However, all the other officials in Hangzhou who hadn't left were able to see the official report, so of course they were to be congratulated.
A Banner Commander was different from a garrison deputy commander. All the Han army's subordinates had to look to his face. Naturally, they showed even more respect to the Shi family, and congratulations on their promotions were especially careful. Some, in an attempt to curry favor, even sent over official reports.
Xiluo Te asked Shujia to read it to her. There was only that one sentence about Shi Wenbing in the entire court report. Zhang Lu's family had already told her the news, but Xiluo Te listened to Shujia reading it again and was as excited as if she had heard it for the first time.
The New Year was approaching, and with this good news, Xiluo gave the servants an extra bonus, and the whole family was filled with joy. After the joy was over, Xiluo ordered the gifts to be counted and recorded, and then put in the storeroom. Halfway through, she suddenly remembered something: "Master has become the governor-general, so he must stay in Beijing. We should also go back!"
That's for sure.
Three days before the New Year, a messenger from Beijing arrived and brought a message from Shi Wenbing. The gist of it was that someone would be sent to pick you up after the New Year, so hurry up and pack your luggage and yourselves.
Xiluo Te questioned the messenger in detail. Although the messenger had left home for the New Year, he was still cheerful: "Congratulations, Madam. The master has been promoted and often receives advice from His Majesty. Two days before I arrived, His Majesty heard that both of our masters were in the official school. He summoned the two young masters and tested their academic performance. He promoted our eldest master to the rank of Blue Feather Guard and awarded the second master a high rank. He is now serving as a full-time officer in the Imperial Guard."
It was truly a blessing from heaven. Originally, the Shi family belonged to the Han Army Banner and the Plain White Banner, so their competitiveness was not as good as that of the Manchus and the Plain Yellow and Bordered Yellow Banners. Although it was not difficult to get a position as a guard, there would still be some twists and turns. This time, it was Kangxi who personally appointed them, and there was no need to take an exam. It was really great.
Shujia knew the guards were associated with a certain family in the Forbidden City, a position clearly worth considering. The Imperial Guard, by the name, seemed to imply a connection to the emperor. Oh my god, their family was too close to Old Kang, wasn't it? Was Old Kang going crazy? Or did he truly value her father?
Xiluotai rewarded the messenger and ordered him to take the food and rest. Then, after chanting several Buddhist prayers, she cheerfully instructed everyone to first re-box the unused spring and summer clothes. After the New Year, they would pack up the rest. Meanwhile, she pondered what to take back with her: "The dowry is valuable stuff, so we should take it with us. The heavy furniture... let's take it too. It's hard to throw it away or sell it, and it won't look good. Anyway, we can take it by boat. What local items should we bring? Alas, I didn't expect to be leaving at this time of year. I haven't prepared anything yet..."
————————————————————————————————
This New Year was quite joyous, her mood was good, and everything seemed pleasing to the eye. This was exactly the mood that Xiluo was in. She even summoned the four women with bound feet who had been sent there (does anyone remember them?) and asked, "Do you have any relatives? If so, I'll give you your indentures and money to go home." Miss Wanrou was in a bit of a tragedy; she couldn't let them go, so she had to take them with her.
Unexpectedly, no one wanted to leave. Although they were not supported here and had to work, think about it, even if they had relatives, they could sell it once and then sell it a second time, but who knows what the next time would be like. How could they want to go back?
Xiluo Te sighed and said, "It's up to you." But she made up her mind to marry them off to servants when she got home - she had two grown-up sons at home, so this was no joke.
Not long after the New Year, just after the first month of the lunar year, the people from Beijing arrived to pick them up. Seeing them, Xiluo was surprised: "Why are you here? Didn't you say you were going to be the Imperial Guard?"
The one who came was Xiluotu’s second son, Qingde.
Shuxian and Shujia were both sitting in Xiluo Te's room, and were surprised to hear that their second brother had arrived. Meanwhile, Qingde had already rushed in and bowed down.
Qingde was at the age of growing up, and he was getting taller and thinner. Xiluo was very distressed. Shujia twitched her lips. It was so painful for the young man to lose weight!
Qingde, who was in the process of voice change, sat next to Xiluo Te, letting her touch him all over his body and face. He coughed and said, "I'm almost done with my New Year's leave, and the master has summoned me to ask a few questions. I said I missed my mother, and my father and brother were busy, so I wanted to come and get her. The master agreed."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiluo Te slapped him in the face: "You are fooling around again! You are so arrogant just because you got the job!"
"Oh, mother, it's okay, I know what to do~" Qingde begged for mercy, "Don't worry, I've discussed this with my father and brother. I'm much more reliable than Mafa... Girl, do you still recognize me?" Seeing that his mother was about to get angry, he quickly changed the subject. He saw two little girls when he came in. It was easy to guess: the tall one was Shuxian and the short one was Shujia.
The two little girls were wearing the same sable-lined jackets. They had grown their hair, styled in pigtails and buns, and looked very pink. They had been standing when he entered, and didn't sit down until he did. After the fight with Xiluo, Qingde began to flirt with his sister.
Even Shuxian, who was not very close to him originally, began to feel a sense of intimacy after being apart for a long time. Unfortunately, Miss Shuxian was too well-educated, and she was still polite when she saw her brother: "Second brother." Qingde twitched his lips and smiled weakly: "How are you, big sister? You are becoming more and more polite."
Having been slightly disappointed, Qingde turned his attention to the younger sister. Fortunately, the younger sister was quite to his liking. The younger sister wrinkled her nose and said, "Second brother, I have grown up, not become stupid. Aunt Fu just said, 'Second Master is here,' so of course she recognized you."
Qingde made a face at her: "You're sharp-tongued."
Pop.
After a hit on the head, Xiluo Te said angrily: "You have offended two sisters with just two words. Go and see your little brother."
Qingde was delighted and ran over to pinch Guanyinbao's nose, making the little bun, who was taking a nap, cry...
Shujia: ...Mother, did I also suffer this kind of torture when I was a child? Is it because of him that my elder sister has such a blank expression?
————————————————————————————————
Qingde's personality was more like his father's: lively, clever, and... a scoundrel. But a scoundrel had to be likable. If he failed to please someone once, he would still smile lecherously next time, but he would remember to avoid the minefields.
With him around, even if he seemed a little unreliable, he was still a proper "master." He immediately arranged for the packing of luggage, the arrangements for transportation, and then accompanied Xiluo Te to visit Mahada's family. Mahada had been promoted to the Governor-General of Manchuria and was also moving his family back to Beijing. It was a good idea to combine the two places so that they could have someone to look after them on the way.
When Qingde ran to Shujia's yard, she was directing the maids to pack their luggage. All the things that would not be used in the winter had been packed into boxes before the New Year, and now they had to pack up the things that were currently in use.
Qingde looked around in the main room and immediately went to Shujia's study. He picked up a book from the desk and leaned on the couch: "You have tidied it up really well here. Oh, I came too hastily. I rushed here as soon as I heard the news. I rode a fast horse all night! I am so tired~~~~"
Shujia sat down opposite him: "What do you want to do?"
Qingde said, "We're going to take a boat back home. The journey will be long. Can you borrow a couple of books?" He then pulled out two small, long boxes from his sleeves and said, "Brother, pay the rent."
Shujia was quite interested: "What is this?"
Qingde said, "Let's talk about changing first?"
Shujia smiled and said, "You'll give it to me no matter what I say. We're leaving the next day, and there are so many bookshops in Hangzhou. You could send anyone to buy it, but why do you have to look at mine? My dear brother, you're just trying to get me a bargain, aren't you?"
Qingde was amused. He turned over and scratched his sister's nose: "You are so clever. But keep it. My elder sister has some too, but not as many as yours, nor as good as yours. Don't make it difficult for me, understand?"
Shujia asked doubtfully, "Don't tell Big Sister about this again, will you?"
Qingde feigned anger: "You heartless little thing, I'm giving it to you because you always write to me!"
Shujia stuck out her tongue and said, "Big Sister wanted to write this too, but you guys aren't always with her, and she felt embarrassed." She reached out and snatched the box, opening it. Inside one was a pair of ivory hairpins, each with a carved peony flower on it, very delicate. Inside the other was a pair of mutton-fat jade hairpins, equally finely crafted.
Qingde pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh my, the little yellow-haired girl has grown up and needs to dress up. Oh my, I wonder if that little yellow hair can hold a hairpin~"
Shujia frowned and curled her lips: "Your braid has become thicker. I can't hold it in place anymore, so I'll just pin it all up on your head." She noticed from the beginning that the area of hair on Qingde's forehead had become larger, but it was not easy to interrupt in front of Xiluo, so she asked about it now.
"Your hair doesn't look right, does it? It looks like it has an extra loop on it compared to Ama's?"
Qingde burst out laughing, and it took him a long time to calm down. "Wait until you go to your house and see your father. He has a lot more hair now. All the men in the capital are starting to grow their hair longer. I estimate that it will spread all over the country soon."
Shujia: "Hey, stop laughing and start talking."
Qingde pretended to savor the memory, and Shujia acted like a loli: "Good brother, tell me~" After thinking for a while, she ran to the bedroom and dug out a net: "Tell me, this is for you."
Qingde's vanity was satisfied. He took the silk cord and studied it for a while: "Well, not bad. The little girl has grown up." Then he began to explain the reason why her hair had grown thicker -
————————————I am the dividing line of explanation————————————
The four sorrows of men: weight gain in youth, kidney deficiency in youth, baldness in middle age, and Alzheimer's disease in old age.
If you were chubby as a child, before the age of two, all sorts of weird aunties and your elders would think you were cute. After the age of three, the kids around you, regardless of your self-esteem, would naively and truthfully give you a nickname that suited your body shape. To avoid teaching children bad habits, I won't repeat them here.
The young man was lustful and admired young girls, but he ended up feeling weak...no explanation needed.
When you get old and become stupid, the people you used to scold and teach a lesson no longer take you seriously, and instead cheat you in all kinds of ways. Even if someone is well-intentioned and you can no longer react, it is still very miserable.
The most detestable thing is middle-aged baldness! It's described as Mediterranean, surrounded by barbed wire and with an ice rink in the middle, and incredibly smart. In this day and age, middle-aged baldness is more than just a tragedy; it's practically a coffee table. While I'm nagging, I still have to remind everyone that this era's hairstyle is...
The imperial court only allowed you to keep a patch of hair on the top of your head, and shaved all the way around, but you just happened to be bald in the middle... Although it's said that if you keep your head but not your hair, or keep your hair but not your head, and if you don't shave your head you'll be beheaded, you can't give up completely like this, right? Being bald isn't a ticket to immunity from death!
Of course, you could wear a hat and pin a fake braid on the back, but that would be tragic. Imagine if you were an official, meeting the emperor, and the emperor praised or scolded you, and you took off your hat to greet him. By taking off your hat, you could be helping Emperor Kangxi see the lightbulb hundreds of years in advance...
What a twist of fate!
————————————I have finished explaining the dividing line——————————
Qingde finished his explanation with a smile, and Shujia was left speechless. "No wonder they became half-monk-like by the end of the Qing Dynasty. Such inhumane regulations can't cope with the physical challenges." "Why haven't I considered this before? Oh, I don't need to worry about that." She thought, then glanced at Qingde with pity.
All I heard was Qingde say, "Hey, seriously, when you get back, ask Mafa again. I guarantee he'll explain it better than I ever could. The one who made the joke was his enemy. Mafa will be delighted if you ask her, and she'll like you even more." Then he went on and on with a lot of reminders about things to be aware of, like how he and Mafa didn't get along very well to begin with, so of course he had to behave himself this time around. Mafa certainly wouldn't like her granddaughter being unruly, but she also didn't like people who looked like wooden figures...
Shujia tilted her head and looked at him: "Are we going back on the same boat or separately?"
Qingde: "Ah? Hey~~~ Now that we're talking, let's go together. Mother asked me to go with Mr. Jiang and my father and the others. It's okay, I'll come find you tonight, okay?"
Shujia said, "Mother, this is for your own good."
Qingde touched her head: "You know it again."
Shujia thought to herself that the title was a gift from the wealthy and powerful, and Qingde would have to fight for it on his own. Although it wasn't difficult for him to find a job at the moment, a third-class earl was a superior rank. If Qingde wanted to stay close to his brother in the future, he had to familiarize himself with the rules from now on. Fearing that Qingde might be suspicious, she didn't say much, only pretending to be calm: "I know everything."
————————————————————————————————
Having been on a boat once before, I had some experience this time, so I had seasickness medicine ready. The masters also each had a sachet filled with mint leaves to soothe the mind. For spring trips, there's no need to bring sunstroke prevention gear.
There were three boats when they arrived, and five when they left. Besides one boat for men and one for women, there were three more boats for cargo. There were the ceremonial processions for Xiluo Te and Shi Wenbing, the farewell ceremony, various local specialties, some purchases by various families, and furniture and furnishings that they had acquired since arriving in Hangzhou and were reluctant to discard. And so on and so forth.
Look at the Mahada family's goods. They have one more ship than the Shi family. Merchants from Hangzhou also wanted to attach themselves to the two official ships to facilitate their journey. More than a dozen more ships arrived.
They marched north in a mighty procession.
With merchants to rely on, the wealthy merchants who ventured out to do business were knowledgeable and well-mannered. They didn't have to worry about food, clothing, housing, and transportation; when the time came, they would be offered the best. Shujia felt a little uneasy. Qingde was chewing a vegetable stalk in his mouth, slurping it. "Why are they so young? Don't look at them like this. Compared to having the navy stop them and extort money, we're giving them a bargain."
Shujia said, "Who said that? Father and my brothers just got promoted. What if someone says something about our trip..." Qingde said, "That's standard practice. Don't worry. Everyone does this. The censor is dead? Impeachment? Why would merchants rely on us for travel? The master's servants are disguised as officials and are acting like pirates... Are you willing to listen? If I can manage it, I'll deal with these bastards first. If I can't, I'll just help those in need."
Shujia said "Oh" and continued eating.
————————————————————————————————
Arriving at Tongzhou Wharf, my legs still felt weak after disembarking. The Shi family had already sent a carriage to pick me up, packing my luggage into boxes and loading the people onto the car. Back in Hangzhou, I had already packed all my valuables neatly, so I just loaded them onto the car. The only things visible were local specialties, so I didn't look rich.
When I got home, I kowtowed to the old man first.
The old man was in good spirits, stroking his beard with a smile: "Good, good, the girls have grown up."
Shujia looked up and saw that the old man's hair had indeed grown longer. Her father was also there, and just as Qingde had said, the braids of the men in Beijing were getting thicker. She also noticed that everyone was starting to grow mustaches, so even if the ends of their hair drooped, they wouldn't look like a bad lawyer.
Just like when you haven't seen a child for a long time and then go back to see him, you will find that he has changed a lot, but if you have been together all the time, you won't feel the same. Shujia found that the atmosphere in the capital has undergone subtle changes in the past two years.
Perhaps because she was looking at him too openly, his head tilted. The old man followed her gaze and saw the braid. Without his granddaughter asking, he said, "You must be tired from the journey. Go back and rest. The eldest daughter-in-law will probably have to present a sign to the palace to pay her respects when she returns. The maids will come and talk to me tomorrow."
In fact, he wanted to share his good mood with others.
Shi Huashan seemed to be a dashing man when he was young, but now he seems to be a bit of an old rogue. It is said that geniuses are all idiots in life, and this is the case with him - although he has a strategic vision, he often goes crazy.
This time, a bitter rival he'd made at some point in his long, decades-long life had made a fool of himself, and he couldn't wait to tell everyone he met about it. Then his son arrived, but he was too prim and reserved, constantly "advising" him, which took away a lot of his fun. Then, when his granddaughter arrived, the old man used the excuse of chatting with her to indulge his craving for more.
Shi Wenbing: ...There was this father-in-law. Seeing him was painful, because he was so erratic; not seeing him was also painful, because you were afraid that if you missed him, he would freak out again and offend others. This was by no means Shi Wenbing's fault. His father-in-law, Heshuo Efu Shi Huashan, had once held the title of Grand Secretary, but his father-in-law's words ruined it.
In the first month of the sixth year of the Kangxi reign, he thoroughly insulted Prince Zhuang, Boguduo, with such scathing language that even Emperor Kangxi could not bear to listen. How harsh were his words? The answer: "Those who were just passing by were caught in the crossfire." The emperor said, "Hua Shan is a wicked man. You heard what he said, and yet you didn't stop him, dissuade him, or report him! I will punish you too! Who told you to just pass by?"
Shi Wenbing: ...I was under so much pressure! By then, he'd already inherited the title (I guess Shunzhi had already seen through Hua Shan's true nature, so he passed on Shi Tingzhu's title to his grandson, not his son). He had to attend court every day. Prince Zhuang also attended court every day, and those who were punished also attended court every day. It was enough to make my scalp tingle. What's even more terrible is that Hua Shan also attended court every day...
Shi Wenbing's calmness, which was already at a high level, made a qualitative leap from that time on.
————————————————————————————————
When they arrived in Hangzhou, the two girls were still young and had no courtyards of their own. When Shi Wenzhuo got married the previous year, he had only built a courtyard for his bridal chamber. Now, without a courtyard of their own, the two girls had to temporarily live in Xiluo Te's courtyard. Shi Wenbing discussed this with Xiluo Te, and after a brief period of settling in, they renovated their home to create independent courtyards for their daughters.
So Xiluo Te came into the palace with a sign in her hand. With her around, Shi Wenbing felt at ease to leave the entire family to her while he took care of his own official duties.
Hua Shan, now a mere son-in-law, had no duties. After finishing his shift, he would go home and tell his granddaughter about his enemy's embarrassing story. Finally, he was quite indignant: "This is beneath the dignity of an official, and he was fooled by a few tears! He has such a crooked mind, and he's too clever!"
Shujia smiled and said, "So you're extremely smart?"
Hua Shan was overjoyed and laughed, clapping his hands: "Right, right, right! Our girl is indeed knowledgeable." After laughing, he said seriously, "I can say this, but you are not allowed to say it outside."
Shujia watched him perform his face-changing tricks and began to believe that he was the Annan general who had fought the Three Feudatories for eight years without suffering any loss. She lowered her head, looked at his clothes, and considered whether to retract her words. Hua Shan clapped his hands, holding a tea bowl in his hand...
Later in the afternoon, someone arrived from the palace. It was a eunuch, followed by two younger eunuchs. They said they were from the Cining Palace and carried badges. They delivered the Empress Dowager's message: "The old lady heard that their family still had two daughters, and she asked that they be brought to the palace to see them. As she grows old, she enjoys the hustle and bustle of life."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
