Chapter 644: Sense of Accomplishment Halved [Many Thanks! Bowing Again! 38k Chapters Owed]

In the afternoon,

on Quyuanjie,

at Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Hou Fu,

in the rear courtyard,

Xu Xu Zaijing, having returned home from Sheng Family Academy, passed through the moon gate with his female attendant and entered his own courtyard.

Passing the grape trellis in the yard, Xu Xu Zaijing walked over to the fish tank placed beneath it, picked up the porcelain dish holding fish food, and began feeding the fish while admiring the beautiful goldfish swimming within.

"Young Master has returned!"

Seeing Qingcao, who had accompanied Xu Xu Zaijing to the Sheng family today, shouted happily from within the courtyard.

Hearing the cry,

Yun Xiang and Hua Xiang hurried out from inside the house.

Holding a letter in her hand, the elder sister Yun Xiang smiled and said, "Young Master, a letter was delivered to our courtyard at the main gate; the gatehouse courier said it was sent from the northwest!"

Xu Xu Zaijing set down the porcelain dish, clapped his hands to clean them, and looking at Yun Xiang as she approached, asked, "Did they say who sent it?"

"Replying to Young Master, they did not mention that," Yun Xiang replied with a smile.

"Young Master, this servant suspects it might be from our eldest young mistress's husband!" interjected Hua Xiang, who had followed over.

While they spoke, Xu Xu Zaijing had already torn open the letter and begun reading.

As Xu Xu Zaijing read the letter, Seeing Qingcao, having put down her book satchel, also walked out from inside the house.

The three female attendants, observing Xu Xu Zaijing's slightly surprised expression as he read the letter, exchanged glances with one another.

"Young Master, what is wrong?" Seeing Qingcao asked softly.

Xu Xu Zaijing shook his head with a slight sigh, looked at the three female attendants before him, then glanced at Seeing Qingcao, and said, "This letter is not from my eldest sister's husband; it is from that lad Chu Zhan."

"Chu Zhan? Why would he think to send Young Master a letter?" Seeing Qingcao asked in puzzlement.

Xu Xu Zaijing pressed his lips together, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Yun Xiang, Hua Xiang, you two go to the main kitchen and bring back today's supper."

Without exchanging a single glance, Yun Xiang and Hua Xiang responded in perfect unison with "Yes," then walked out of the courtyard.

Once out of the courtyard,

walking along the covered corridor of the Hou Fu,

the younger sister Hua Xiang looked at Yun Xiang beside her and said, "Elder Sister, isn't it a bit early to go to the main kitchen at this hour?"

"It is not early; arriving now will allow us to chat with the matrons in the kitchen," Yun Xiang said, keeping her eyes fixed ahead.

"Elder Sister, is Young Master using this matter to send us away?"

"Young Master likely has matters to discuss with Elder Sister Seeing Qingcao."

"Oh, Elder Sister, what do you suppose those matters are?"

"Hua Xiang, I think life in Young Master's courtyard has become too comfortable for you! Have you already forgotten the teachings of the nursing matron from Marquis Xiangyang Hou Fu?"

"Elder Sister, I... I was wrong."

As the two female attendants spoke, they disappeared through the moon gate leading to the main kitchen.

"Young Master, why did you send Yun Xiang and the others away?" Seeing Qingcao asked, looking toward the courtyard entrance.

Xu Xu Zaijing took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, then said, "That lad Chu Zhan encountered a family in Jiuyuan City who had been tattooed and exiled to serve in the military; they were in the process of selling their daughter."

Seeing Qingcao's eyes darted about, her expression one of serious listening and contemplation.

"Young Master, could it be that Chu Zhan knows this family, and the letter is a request for you to intervene and assist them?" Seeing Qingcao asked uncertainly.

Xu Xu Zaijing shook his head and said, "This family bears the surname Cao; previously, they served as the county magistrate in your hometown of Wushang County."

Hearing this, Seeing Qingcao's expression changed, and she said, "Young Master, is this... is this the magistrate's family responsible for the mine disaster?"

Xu Xu Zaijing nodded and said, "Correct! Chu Zhan encountered them in Jiuyuan City; quite coincidentally, they were claiming to be relatives of our family. Hearing this, Chu Zhan asked a few additional questions."

Seeing Qingcao asked in confusion, "Young Master, I recall that family was exiled to Xining Prefecture; how did they end up in Jiuyuan City?"

"Currently, our court is preparing for war along the border with Northern Liao; they must have been reassigned there."

After Xu Xu Zaijing finished speaking, Seeing Qingcao reached out to touch the large fish tank before her, remaining silent for a time.

After waiting a while, Seeing Qingcao lowered her head and asked, "Young Master, then what does that lad Chu Zhan intend to do in his letter?"

Looking at the young female attendant whom he had practically watched grow up, Xu Xu Zaijing said, "That family is currently under guard; if you have any wishes regarding their disposition, simply send a letter."

"The letter also states that when Chu Zhan was previously alone here on Quyuanjie, he received no small amount of care from the three of you and Hua Qing regarding laundry and mending; knowing of this matter, he naturally could not turn a blind eye."

Listening to Xu Xu Zaijing's words, Seeing Qingcao bowed her head and said softly, "Young Master, I... I do not know how to handle this."

"In my heart, I only remember that the county clerks were all executed under Zheng Fa, and that the magistrate's family was exiled from Wushang County to the frontier lands thousands of li away."

"Regarding that magistrate's family, I have no impression... and in my heart, there is still some..."

Seeing Qingcao did not continue speaking, merely raising her eyes to look at Xu Xu Zaijing with shame.

That Magistrate Cao had taken bribes and perverted the law, causing the deaths of many miners; this forced many families who had lost their breadwinners to sell their sons and daughters just to survive, truly altering the life trajectories of many people.

Looking at the young female attendant bowing her head before him, Xu Xu Zaijing said solemnly, "Seeing Qingcao, do you feel that being able to live your current life is an opportunity gained only because of the calamity that befell your family?"

Rubbing the fish tank, Seeing Qingcao nodded twice.

Xu Xu Zaijing took a deep breath and said slowly, "Then nowadays, how many of your fellow villagers who were sold together to the slave traders have any news of them?"

After pondering for a moment, Seeing Qingcao replied, "Replying to Young Master, only Elder Sister Sister Qingzhi and I have news, simply because we entered the Hou Fu together. There is also Elder Sister Xiaxue; according to Elder Sister Miss Yun Mu, she has already..."

"How many people left the village together back then?"

"There were more than sixty."

"At an age when you should have been cherished by father and mother, you have all already begun serving others. So, Seeing Qingcao, how many of your fellow villagers do you think are living lives like yours and Sister Qingzhi's?"

Seeing Qingcao pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, and said, "Young Master, I have little contact with those sisters from our village, but based on what I have seen and heard, few manage to enter great households!"

"Among the great households, there are not many in Bianjing City that treat their servants as our Hou Fu does."

"Serving as a female attendant in other families mostly means either receiving beatings with planks or suffering whips and harsh reprimands."

"Those with better complexions might even catch the eye of masters, old or young, yet ruin their health without ever gaining a proper status."

Xu Xu Zaijing nodded and said, "Exactly! That County Magistrate Cao, in his original intent to embezzle and pervert the law, was he doing it to change your fates and give you a better life?"

Seeing Qingcao shook her head.

Xu Xu Zaijing continued, "Then, of the more than sixty people who left the village with you, would they all necessarily end up like you and Sister Qingzhi?"

Seeing Qingcao continued to shake her head.

"Therefore, that County Magistrate Cao is nothing but a criminal who commits evil deeds and treats human lives like grass!"

"That you and Sister Qingzhi could enter Hou Fu and enjoy such a life is the result of your own luck and hard work; it has nothing to do with that fellow Cao!"

Listening to Xu Xu Zaijing's words, Seeing Qingcao's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Seeing the expression on his young maid's face, Xu Xu Zaijing nodded and asked, "Have you figured it out?"

Seeing Qingcao pressed her lips together and nodded repeatedly.

"Alright! Since you have cleared this up in your mind, I shall send a reply to that lad Chu Zhan." Speaking thus, Xu Xu Zaijing walked toward his study.

Seeing Qingcao trotted after him, asking, "Young Master, what... how will you deal with that family?"

Xu Xu Zaijing replied, "It entirely depends on them."

Seeing Qingcao said, "Young Master, let me brew tea for you."

"Mm."

Chatting as they went, master and servant entered the main hall.

Passing the sword rack displaying precious blades in the reception hall, the pair parted ways—one heading to the study, the other to brew tea.

Upon entering the study,

Xu Xu Zaijing looked at the letter in his hand and sighed with considerable helplessness, "Since things have changed so much, why must I still receive news about this family?"

Sitting in the chair behind his desk, Xu Xu Zaijing placed the letter on the table, turned his head to gaze at the autumn scenery in the courtyard outside the window, and thought silently, 'Judging by this situation, that Cao Jinxiu should not yet have been force-fed excessive medicinal soup causing infertility.'

After this thought flashed through his mind, Xu Xu Zaijing smiled and shook his head, murmuring softly, "The ties between the Cao family and that Military Registrar of Xining Prefecture are indeed deep; even a thousand five hundred li away from Xining Prefecture, we still manage to cross paths."

At this moment,

Seeing Qingcao entered carrying a tray, looking somewhat puzzled at her Young Master who was smiling and shaking his head.

After setting down the tea cup and grinding the inkstick for Xu Xu Zaijing, Seeing Qingcao withdrew from the study.

Holding a writing brush in his right hand, Xu Xu Zaijing looked at the blank paper on the desk and muttered to himself, "I will spare you some suffering, but... do not return to Bianjing."

Just as he finished speaking,

Xu Xu Zaijing patted his forehead with his left hand and said with some regret, "Without that fellow Gu Gu Tingye, this family would never have been able to return anyway."

Subsequently, with his sense of achievement halved, Xu Xu Zaijing wrote on the paper with considerable depression.

Nan Jiang Tang Lane,

The Rong residence,

Huixue Courtyard,

"Sister! Sister?"

Rong Rong Xian's voice rang out outside Huixue Courtyard,

Shortly after, Rong Rong Xian, wearing a jade crown on his head and clad in a bright red brocade robe, appeared at the moon gate.

Glancing at the young maid entering the main hall to announce his arrival, Rong Rong Xian curled his lip, then with a look of triumph, clasped his hands behind his back and stepped onto the covered corridor in the courtyard.

Surveying the autumn scenery within the courtyard, Rong Rong Xian nodded with great appreciation.

Walking along the paved path to the front of the main hall, he saw the fine curtain being lifted and smiled with a nod.

Entering the room,

he found a chair and sat down,

then Rong Rong Xian glanced around at the items on the walls inside the room and said, "Sister, when was your room restored to its original state?"

Rong Rong Feiyan, sitting behind her desk reading a book, said with shifting eyes, "Brother, what nonsense are you spouting? When has my room ever changed?"

"Hey, you girl! Earlier when Lady Xu went to the Chai family's—"

Meeting Rong Rong Feiyan's gaze, Rong Rong Xian timely stopped himself from continuing.

"Brother, what are you doing in my courtyard? If you have no business, hurry off to keep Shen Shen Congxing company!" Having spoken, Rong Rong Feiyan lowered her head and continued reading.

"Ai, good, good, good! I, as an elder brother, originally had tremendous good news to tell you, but since Sister is driving me away, I shall just... leave!"

Saying this, Rong Rong Xian stood up, carefully brushed off his bright red brocade robe, heaved a deep sigh, and walked outward.

Rong Rong Xian was nearly out the door, and the maid at the entrance had already lifted the curtain for him.

Just as Rong Rong Xian could no longer maintain his bluff and was about to turn back to speak,

Rong Rong Feiyan behind him called out, "Brother, what good news is there?"

Rong Rong Xian turned around with agile movements and waved his hand at the maids inside the room.

The maids standing in attendance did not leave immediately but instead looked toward Rong Rong Feiyan behind the desk.

Only after Rong Rong Feiyan nodded did the maids perform a curtsy and walk out.

Watching Seeing Ningxiang and the fine curtain at the doorway close the door from outside, Rong Rong Xian rubbed his hands together and said somewhat nervously, "Sister, just now Sister sent her personal female official out of the palace to find me and say..."

Rong Rong Feiyan frowned, full of curiosity: "Brother, say what?"

Rong Rong Xian took a deep breath, slightly calming the excitement that surged whenever he thought of it, then whispered, "Sister's personal female official said that Sister... she is pregnant again!"

Rong Rong Feiyan's beautiful eyes widened suddenly; for a moment, she could not quite digest this news.

"Brother, you cannot joke about such matters! His Majesty has already..."

"Sister, do you take me for a fool, to joke about this? Yesterday, His Majesty just ordered the retired Imperial Physician Yu to enter the palace, and the old physician said..."

Rong Rong Xian paused to catch his breath, then continued, "The old physician said that this pulse reading is slightly different from when she was carrying the Princess!"

"Different?" Rong Rong Feiyan asked, her eyes darting about incessantly.

"Exactly!" Rong Rong Xian nodded.

Feeling somewhat panicked, Rong Rong Feiyan pressed her hand to her chest and said, "Heavens above! Brother, could it be..."

Rong Rong Xian shook his head and said, "Sister, Big Sister specifically instructed us not to let our minds run wild! Do not overthink it."

Despite these words, Rong Rong Xian's expression clearly showed that his heart was not as calm as he claimed.

After indulging in these speculations, Rong Rong Xian continued, "Because of this matter, Big Sister had her lady-in-waiting tell me that while the news has not yet spread, I should find an opportunity to thank Brother Jing."

"Come to think of it, his reputation in the capital plummeting is also due to our family."

Reining in her excitement, Rong Rong Feiyan took a deep breath, then nodded with a look of considerable self-reproach, saying, "Brother, will he attend the chrysanthemum appreciation at the Chengxi polo field this year?"

Rong Rong Xian hesitated before shaking his head, saying, "I do not know! I will ask Brother Jing when the time comes."

Saying this, Rong Rong Xian rarely adopted a serious expression as he looked at Rong Rong Feiyan, saying, "Sister, if what we fear comes true, you and Brother Jing..."

Rong Rong Feiyan froze, her mood visibly sinking.

The next day,

the morning court had already concluded.

Inside the Great Zhou Imperial Palace,

within the hall where the Great Zhou map hung, only the Emperor, a senior palace eunuch, and one noble were present besides the sovereign.

The Emperor stood with chest puffed out and belly protruding, hands confidently placed on his hips, head held high as he gazed at the enormous map hanging on the hall wall.

Beside him, the Marquis of Marquis Xiangyang beamed, giving a thumbs-up as he said, "Your Majesty, your blade remains sharp with age; your gait is that of a dragon and tiger; you grow stronger with years and more vigorous with age! This subject truly admires you from the bottom of his heart."

"This subject once thought himself quite formidable, but standing before Your Majesty now, I truly feel ashamed by the comparison!"

Smiling at the corners of his mouth, the Emperor waved his hand and said, "Enough! Stop all this flattery and currying favor! Speak plainly about what you want."

The Marquis of Marquis Xiangyang: "Uh..."

"What treasure will you trade with Us?"

"This subject..."

After the Marquis of Marquis Xiangyang finished speaking, the Emperor nodded in satisfaction, then leaned in to whisper a few words to him with a smile.

In the Empress's palace,

Princess Princess Pingning sat on an embroidered stool before the Empress's knees and spoke in an extremely low voice: "Mother Empress, what decision have you made?"

The Empress smiled and said, "His Majesty has already spoken to me; naturally, we must protect Consort Rong and ensure she gives birth safely!"

Princess Princess Pingning raised her eyes to look at the Empress, hesitating to speak.

"Princess Pingning, are you worried that Consort Rong might truly give birth to an Imperial Prince?" the Empress asked.

Princess Princess Pingning nodded: "Yes, Mother Empress."

The Empress smiled and shook her head, saying, "Princess Pingning, do you know how many times Fang'er has taken medicinal soup in all his years growing up?"

Without waiting for Princess Princess Pingning to answer, the Empress laughed and said, "Just once."

Princess Princess Pingning's eyes filled with astonishment.

"Whether the child Consort Rong bears is a boy or a girl, I do not care," the Empress continued.

"If Fang'er truly gains a younger brother, I will be happy! The Rong family will have secured its foundations, but Yuan Yuan Erlang's position in the Forbidden Army will certainly need to be adjusted."

"Mother Empress thinks with profound foresight."

(End of Chapter)