Chapter 3: Don’t think too much about the study.
In order to make up for yesterday's mistake, Jiang Keyu patiently accompanied the two children until they were tired of playing, then changed into official uniform and went to work.
Fortunately, there is nothing important today, so it’s okay to be late.
As soon as Song Baoyuan saw him off, piles of account books were brought into the house.
She remembered what her husband had told her yesterday, and called Qiao Yue to get some wine.
The Fen Yanzui from Qianqian Pavilion is both expensive and rare, but fortunately it is their own property, so it is just a matter of a word.
The maid lit incense, served tea, opened the door, and then retreated to the bedside to watch over the young master and young lady who had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Song Baoyuan was looking through the account book at the desk, and the maid was serving as a silver servant.
There were a bunch of people below using abacus.
The Song family made their fortune in the winemaking business, but it wasn't until Song Baoyuan's grandfather's generation that they began to branch out into a wider range of businesses.
Later, when the family split up, all the businesses that my father took over from my grandfather became Song Baoyuan's dowry, and she has been managing it ever since.
Add to that the Jiang family's original businesses, and if things get really busy, a whole day wouldn't be enough.
After noon, Qiao Yue not only brought back Fen Yanzui, but also went to the most famous dessert shop in the capital and bought some osmanthus yogurt for the young master at home.
"Madam didn't eat much this morning." Qiao Yin handed over the cheese.
Song Baoyuan had just taken it and had no time to taste it when she heard the doorman outside reporting.
"Madam, Miss Sheng is here."
"Which Miss Sheng?" Qiao Yue, who was closer to the door, asked.
Song Baoyuan's eyes froze for a moment, but soon returned to normal.
Which other Miss Sheng could come to visit my home?
She calmly drank the spoonful of yogurt she had already scooped up, but found it a bit sour and not to her taste, so she pushed the whole bowl aside.
"Let her wait in the front hall."
"She said she didn't have time to wait, and that her husband had asked her to come and get a case file that he had left at home, and she urged us to take her to her husband's study."
Mr. Qiao Yue was furious. "How could she, an outsider, enter your husband's study?"
The Master's study was specifically forbidden to anyone. Even the Madam never entered without permission when the Master was away.
Song Baoyuan wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. "Does she have any proof that it was her husband who asked her to come?"
"I asked the same question..." The concierge who came to report hesitated. "But she asked me in return, 'Given her relationship with our Master, does she still need proof?'"
As the doorman spoke, another maid came jogging over.
"Madam, Miss Sheng has been urging us to take her to Mr.'s study. She also said that it has delayed important matters and she is afraid she can't bear it."
"If it was really urgent, my husband would definitely send Liu'an and Aqi back!" Qiao Yue questioned.
Liu'an and Aqi have been serving Jiang Keyu since childhood, and are the closest and most trustworthy ones.
Song Baoyuan understood this logic, but the affairs of the Dali Temple could not be delayed. What if Liu'an and Aqi were also hindered by urgent matters?
As she thought this, she set off.
In the front hall of Jiang's residence, there were only Sheng Qiyin and her personal maid.
Because whoever came had to be urged by them to lead the way to the study, but they had no say, so all the servants in the Jiang Mansion withdrew.
Sheng Qiyin's personal maid, Taozhi, was quite angry. "What's wrong with those people in the Jiang Mansion? They said it was an important matter, but they left us here?"
Sheng Qinyin stood at the door with her back to the camera, silent and obviously unhappy.
"Jiang Shaoqing has indeed been delayed by his wife. If that family hadn't held him hostage, you would be the mistress of this mansion now! Jiang Shaoqing would definitely not still be just a Dali Temple Shaoqing."
Behind the door, Song Baoyuan paused.
The angry Qiao Yue wanted to step forward to argue, but was stopped by her with her hand.
Song Baoyuan shook her head at Qiao Yue, whose face was filled with anger.
After all... what they said was not wrong.
When Song Baoyuan was six years old, her father brought nine-year-old Jiang Keyu back home, saying that his parents were no longer around and he would live in his own home from now on.
Living under the same roof, she called Jiang Keyu brother for nine years.
With the Song family's unremitting cultivation, the year Song Baoyuan came of age, the eighteen-year-old Jiang Keyu passed the imperial examination. With the promotion of her mentor, she successfully entered the official career and became the most popular person.
That same year, Song's father fell seriously ill, but he was worried about his only daughter. After much deliberation, he decided that the only person he could trust with his life was Jiang Keyu, whom he had raised for nine years.
But everyone knew at that time that Jiang Keyu was the grandson-in-law that Mr. Sheng favored, so he was the first one to be promoted among so many students.
Song's father knew it, and Song Baoyuan knew it too.
But Song's father still said that he wanted Jiang Keyu to marry Song Baoyuan. It was just a request, but he knew that with Jiang Keyu's character, she would not refuse.
"Jiang Shaoqing is so unlucky to be involved with their family. His life is ruined." Taozhi said angrily.
"Alright." Sheng Qiyin frowned slightly and reprimanded, "Don't you know where this is?"
Separated by a door, Song Baoyuan didn't know whether she should show up.
Taozhi stuck out her tongue, afraid her young lady would be angry, and whispered teasingly, "Young lady said she wanted it, and even if it was a red-faced drunken bottle worth ten thousand taels, Jiang Shaoqing would agree without blinking an eye. Could it be that... he's still obsessed with you, young lady?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Sheng Qiyin put her hands on her hips and said, "Second brother and I are good brothers, so naturally we don't care about so many things."
Taozhi smiled secretly and gave him a meaningful look.
"You little girl!"
"I was wrong, I was wrong, please forgive me, miss!"
One side is joking, the other side is silent.
Qiao Yue, who was originally angry, was now a little at a loss.
Song Baoyuan's mind went blank for a moment, and her body stiffened. Her legs, which were about to move forward, felt like they were filled with lead.
After a long time, she came to her senses and loosened her fists that she had clenched at some point.
She pulled the corners of her mouth, put on a polite smile, and then took a step forward.
"Miss Sheng, please wait."
Sheng Qiyin frowned when she heard the voice, and raised her voice, "Sister Song, you are finally here. My second brother asked me to pick up a very important case file. It is really urgent. Please take me to my second brother's study."
"But..." Song Baoyuan felt a little uncomfortable when her hand was grabbed by her. "My husband's study is not open to outsiders. Why don't you tell me what case file you want, Miss Sheng, and I will get it for you."
Sheng Qiyin looked embarrassed. "It's not that I look down on you, Sister Song, but I'm afraid you don't understand what's in the Dali Temple. Since Second Brother asked me to come and get it, he probably doesn't treat me as an outsider, right?"
"But Sister Song, please don't misunderstand!" She said anxiously, "Second Brother and I are really just good brothers. He doesn't treat me as a woman, and I don't treat him as a man. Don't think too much!"
"I didn't think much about it." Song Baoyuan's expression was calm and her tone was light.
"That's good." Sheng Qiyin looked relieved.
"Why is it Miss Sheng who's here to get the Dali Temple case file?" Song Baoyuan was surprised and said quickly, "It's not that I don't trust Miss Sheng, but Miss Sheng, you also said that this is the Dali Temple's stuff. I don't understand it, so I can't just hand it over casually. Don't think too much."
Sheng Qiyin was stunned for a moment, her eyes dimming as she explained, "I'm not afraid of Sister Song laughing at me. My family is always urging me to find a suitable husband, and I'm fed up. The thought of marrying someone who doesn't love me, whose value is only to bear children, and being trapped in the inner chamber for the rest of my life, gradually turning into a resentful woman with no future, no vision, and even no friends. Most likely, my husband will despise me and make me unpresentable. I'm terrified just thinking about it!"
She suddenly opened her eyes wide, "I'm not talking about you, Sister Song, please don't misunderstand me!"
Song Baoyuan laughed dumbly, "What is there to misunderstand about me?"
"I'm glad there's no misunderstanding. Second brother said that you're sensitive, Sister Song. I was afraid that I'd upset you by speaking my mind." Sheng Qinyin smiled like a flower and spoke playfully.
"Anyway, I just couldn't stand staying at home, so I came out to play with someone. My eldest brother had to go to the palace to visit his aunt and didn't want to play with me. My third brother was sick again and was looking for fairies all over the capital, so he didn't pay any attention to me. Only my second brother didn't mind and was willing to take me out to play. But then, don't I have to be a good boy and do what he wants? So I'm running errands for him!"
Song Baoyuan nodded, unnoticedly pushed her hand away, turned around and said, "Then come with me."
On the way to the study, Sheng Qiyin couldn't help but ask, "Sister Song, why didn't you come when we went on the pleasure boat trip yesterday? Everyone else brought their families, but only Second Brother wanted to be treated specially! We blame him. Sister Song, you're so beautiful, but he never brought you to show us."
Song Baoyuan said indifferently, "I have some trivial matters at home and can't get away."
"I see. I almost thought it was you, Sister Song, who didn't like crowds." Sheng Qinyin nodded as if she had suddenly understood something, and warmly invited, "Then you must come with my second brother to my grandfather's birthday later. If my second brother doesn't take you with him, I won't forgive him!"
Song Baoyuan just smiled.
When she first got married, she knew that Jiang Keyu's friends didn't like her and were quite critical of her for "stealing someone else's love", so she never joined their gatherings.
Over time, it becomes a habit.
After walking through the corridor and passing a locust tree, I arrived in front of Jiang Keyu's study.
The maid who was cleaning today happened to come out from inside. She hurriedly bowed to the visitor, her expression of surprise revealing a bit of strangeness, "Why is Madam here?"
Although the husband did not forbid the wife from entering and leaving the study, she never came here on her own.
"My lord, a case file was left in the study. Have you seen it?" Song Baoyuan asked.
The maid was stunned for a moment, then shook her head. Seeing the lady walk past her and into the study, she panicked, "Husband, Madam!"
Song Baoyuan stopped herself from pushing the door open and turned around to ask, "What's wrong?"
"That..." The maidservant hesitated to speak, her vague eyes passing over Sheng Qinyin.
In the end, he just lowered his head and said, "Madam, be careful with the threshold."
Song Baoyuan had her doubts in her mind, but the most important thing right now was to find the case file.
She turned around, pushed the door open, stepped over the threshold, and took a few steps inside before she understood why the maid was evasive.
A scroll was spread out on the neat and heavy desk.
The wind blowing in from the window lifted a corner of the scroll, and the sunlight seeping in cast a glow on the pretty beauty in the painting.
"Huh?" Sheng Qiyin exclaimed in surprise, "Why is there a portrait of me here?"
There was a smile on her face, but also a hint of anger in her words, "Second brother, are you using me as a practice pen again?"
Song Baoyuan was stunned and did not respond for a long time.
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