Chapter 56: Chapter Fifty‑Six

After seeing off Yan Shi and Cheng Linghe, the two great Buddhas, Xie Junling's expression instantly darkened. He glared at Lu Bao'er, not knowing what resentment he was feeling, and said, "Madam, you do have a big heart."

"Huh?" Lu Bao'er was baffled by Xie Junling's remark; she was as clueless as a monk, and hurriedly asked, "Why suddenly praise me?"

"Is this a compliment?" Xie Junling was extremely awkward, and after a pause continued, "If she had run into not Zhu Sheng but me? Letting Zhu Sheng go now is just because she's unwilling to be married off; if she had run into me, pulling and crying nonstop, would my madam, being so magnanimous, also take her into the inner residence?"

"That naturally wouldn't happen," Lu Bao'er said softly.

Hearing her refusal, Xie Junling's complexion improved a bit, and he gave a composed "hm."

Not a moment later, Lu Bao'er spoke, "A woman who disregards propriety like that cannot be taken into the household. If she were to be matched with a husband, she must be well‑versed in poetry, understand the greater picture, and be sensible."

Lu Bao'er considered herself eloquent; this flattery of Xie Junling would surely please him.

Unexpectedly, Xie Junling grew angrier, sneering, unwilling to utter another word. Could she share him with other women? He was not valued by her, forced to be pushed around and given to others?

He treated her so well—why didn't Lu Bao'er understand? Xie Junling, rare in offering a sincere heart, now felt it was like feeding a dog. He was pitifully foolish; Lu Bao'er had merely been playing the role of the Xie family's madam, never keeping him in mind.

Is toying with him this entertaining? Xie Junling felt he was blind.

He took a deep breath; though angry, he couldn't bring himself to take it out on Lu Bao'er.

He then said calmly, "Tonight I will sleep on the Arhat couch in the study."

Guessing Xie Junling had official business and didn't want to be disturbed, Lu Bao'er said, "Then I'll have the old maid bring you a coal basin to warm your feet."

She recalled the study had no heated floor, so it was very cold.

Xie Junling coldly declined, "No need."

After saying that, he waved his sleeve and left.

Anyone with eyes could see Xie Junling was angry, and Lu Bao'er became even more confused.

When the old maid hurried over, seeing the young couple part ways, she felt extremely upset. She hurriedly asked Lu Bao'er, "Did something happen?"

Lu Bao'er thought it over and concluded, "Perhaps my husband is blaming me for not bringing that cousin into the household?" Otherwise, what could make him angry?

Upon hearing this, the old maid frowned, gritted her teeth and said, "All men in the world have the same virtue! Madam need not worry about him; you are in the prime of your jade‑like years, yet the master dares to think of others. Will the household not become filled with chatter? I, your humble servant, say this: you cannot tolerate this, let him cause trouble!"

Lu Bao'er nodded vaguely, and decided not to bother any further.

Until dinner, Xie Junling was still holed up in the study, not seen. Lu Bao'er knew he could become engrossed in reading and skip meals all night.

But this was not good for his health, and she was very worried, so she brought a bowl of knife‑sliced noodles drenched in chicken broth to Xie Junling.

Perhaps hearing the commotion, Xie Junling called through the door, "Did madam send you to bring food? Leave it by the door; I'll fetch it myself."

Lu Bao'er pursed her lips in a smile, "Husband, it's me! Open the door quickly!"

Xie Junling was startled; seeing the sky gray and snowflakes falling, he feared Lu Bao'er would catch a cold, hurriedly opened the door and said, "Why did you come? The old maid didn't even give you a cloak."

Xie Junling's anger rose quickly and faded just as fast; within two hours he had calmed down. Did he not understand Lu Bao'er's temperament? She had been like that since childhood, disliking competition, unwilling to voice desires. Yet when frightened at night she still sought him, called for water, relying solely on him—why bother with so many concerns?

Thinking this way, Xie Junling felt that he was still quite valued in Lu Bao'er's heart. To be so humble yet keep a steady face, he considered himself a flexible person.

Lu Bao'er, her face reddened from the cold, brought out the chicken‑broth noodles, placed chopsticks, and called Xie Junling to eat: "Husband, try this; I watched the kitchen maid prepare it. I know you prefer vegetarian, so I had two strips of cucumber added."

The cucumbers were hard to grow, yielding only a small basket; some were given to Old Lady Su, and the rest were left in the household for Lu Bao'er to taste herself.

Xie Junling's thoughts stirred slightly; he naturally knew Lu Bao'er liked cucumbers, so he usually kept some for her. He didn't expect she also thought of him, watching the kitchen maid simmer the chicken broth. His heart warmed, and any lingering gloom dissipated.

He disliked eating in the study, feeling such actions would tarnish a scholar's books, but today, for Lu Bao'er, he made an exception for the first time.

Xie Junling picked up a bite of noodles and ate politely, while Lu Bao'er propped her chin with both hands, smiling as she watched him. The chicken broth had been simmered all day by Ye Daniang; the chicken meat was completely tender and dissolved into the broth; the excess shredded meat was scooped out and mixed with sesame oil, cilantro, chopped peanuts, Sichuan pepper, and bean paste as small condiments, forming a cold dish usually paired with porridge in the morning. Clearly all the essence was in the soup, making it highly nourishing. Xie Junling, usually busy with official duties, and Lu Bao'er, striving to fulfill her role as a virtuous wife, helped him nurture his health.

Seeing Xie Junling eat more than usual, Lu Bao'er hurriedly sought praise, "Husband, what do you think? Is it tasty?"

Xie Junling dabbed his mouth corner with a handkerchief, set down his chopsticks, and then leisurely said, "Not bad."

The maids outside the study heard the commotion, hurried in, removed the food box, and brought a cup of saline water for Xie Junling to rinse his mouth.

He rinsed his mouth obediently, washed his hands, and thought of returning to the room with Lu Bao'er, but the harsh words he had spoken earlier were still vivid, making him somewhat embarrassed. He wanted to go back in his heart, but maintained his outward composure, acting as a gentleman of firm word.

Lu Bao'er didn't overthink; she planned to return to the room to rest, and asked Xie Junling, "Husband, will you come back with me?"

Xie Junling hesitated a moment, then sighed, took her hand, and said, "Without me, you can't sleep at night? At your age you're still afraid of the dark; your courage is truly small."

He spoke loudly, as if deliberately for the maids to hear. Only Lu Bao'er looked at him puzzled and muttered softly, "I'm not afraid of the dark…"

Just as she was about to retort, she glanced again at their interlaced fingers, her mouth slightly upturned, thinking, "Is her husband being insincere? He's really childish."

That night, Xie Junling insisted that Lu Bao'er sleep in his arms; she complained he was warm, pushing and shoving, and after a few attempts they ended up tangled together. Xie Junling was not a man of strong desire, but seeing Lu Bao'er made him hard to restrain; by the time he regained composure, it was already late night.

This winter had been fairly pleasant, and after half a year, Lu Bao'er heard a matter. It was said that Cheng Linghe, the concubine‑born daughter of the third branch of the Cheng family, had married the fifth‑rank Tongzhou Inspector as a secondary wife. At that time Tongzhou was still a prefecture, not yet a commandery, and the inspector had not yet become a governor; although the position could not compare to the wealthy officials of the capital court, it was still a rare high marriage, and it would have been even better if the Tongzhou inspector were younger. It was said that after Cheng Linghe married there, even the inspector's legitimate eldest son was already twenty years old; whether her future offspring could bring the husband a late‑born son was uncertain, and whether the secondary‑wife's child could survive to adulthood was also unknown, since that child would have to contend with his own legitimate brother and possibly inherit the family estate—a difficulty not to be underestimated. As for the family fortune, forget it; the Tongzhou inspector naturally understood this, so he treated his young wife with some favor. Unfortunately, Cheng Linghe, unaware of her blessings, vented all her resentment onto Yan Shi, causing trouble three or four times a day, exposing the deeds that Yan Shi's brothers had done by donating official posts, and deliberately setting up business schemes to trap Yan Shi, forcing her to secretly misappropriate public funds. When the second madam discovered this and reported it to Old Lady Cheng, it dealt a huge blow.

While that side was in chaos, Lu Bao'er's situation remained relatively comfortable.

By this autumn, Lu Bao'er still showed no sign of pregnancy. She was not anxious, but the old maid and Old Lady Su were somewhat worried, wondering if some deficiency in her constitution needed nurturing. They hired a famous midwife, who said her body was fine, and that matters of offspring depended on fate.

Old Lady Su secretly desired a grandson; she had given Lu Bao'er an unknown number of Guanyin statues, placing them by her bedside and setting up a small Buddha hall, so that whenever there was nothing to do she could offer incense to Guanyin.

Lu Bao'er was not in a hurry about these matters; when destiny calls, it will happen, and when it does not, one should not force it. Her marital luck was not strong, but she was extremely beneficial to her husband. This summer, the floods in Tongzhou spread widely; the Tongzhou Inspector repeatedly submitted memorials to the court, pleading for disaster‑relief silver. Tongzhou is surrounded by rivers on all sides, suffering floods every year; the amount of silver the court dispatched was unknown, yet Tongzhou seemed like a bottomless pit that could never be filled. The Emperor grew suspicious and wanted to send officials to Tongzhou to inspect the allocation of the relief silver. This was a thankless task; most officials knew the Inspector was the head of the prefecture, essentially a local power holder. If you went alone to audit his territory, pretending to be deaf would be fine, but if you uncovered wrongdoing, the locals might become desperate and…

A few years earlier, there had been a case where a drought broke out elsewhere; the Emperor sent an official to distribute disaster‑relief silver, but that official colluded with the local inspector, embezzling a large sum. When he reported back to the capital, he portrayed the destitute scene as post‑disaster reconstruction, and now the area was thriving with music and dance. If not for refugees from that region filing a petition in the capital, the Emperor would have remained deceived.

For that incident, the Emperor was enraged and ordered the execution of the local inspector and the dispatched official, which finally quelled the people's grievances.

This time it was clear the Emperor wanted to uncover something; if they returned empty‑handed and later something was exposed, their heads would be forfeit. No one volunteered, so the court debated for ten days to half a month without reaching a conclusion. The Emperor saw their thoughts and shouted loudly in the hall. Minister of Revenue Lord Gu suddenly stood up and recommended Xie Junling: "I have a matter to report. Since none of you have a suitable candidate to go to Tongzhou, I have one to recommend. How about sending Sir Xie Junling of the Imperial Academy? All of you hold multiple offices and are busy, unlikely to find time. Though Sir Xie is young, his palace‑examination essay dealt with flood control, showing considerable experience. Perhaps we should give him a trial opportunity."

Lord Gu's words were calculated; he knew this was a thankless task. Sending an inexperienced youngster like Xie Junling to Tongzhou to clash with the local power holder would likely get him devoured. He wanted to give Xie Junling a taste of hardship, to make him understand that as long as he remained at court, Xie Junling should not expect a good life. Moreover, he had heard that the secondary‑wife of the Tongzhou Inspector was from Lu Bao'er's family, Xie Junling's rural wife. When it came time to consider family dignity, she would surely protect the Tongzhou Inspector; if later an investigation uncovered something, they could accuse Xie Junling of factionalism and corruption, labeling him a villain. Then Xie Junling would have no place in the capital, perhaps even face death.

Upon hearing this, Minister of Revenue Fu naturally refused. Xie Junling was his grandson‑in‑law; if he were inexperienced and mishandled the matter, it would inevitably implicate Lu Bao'er.

Thus, Fu, rarely speaking up in court, retorted, "Sir Xie holds the position of Imperial Academy Reader Scholar; how could he understand the severity of local floods? I, an elder minister, think assigning this task to Sir Xie is inappropriate; it may backfire."

He openly disparaged Xie Junling, saying he only knows how to lecture the emperor and study, lacking practical experience. Implicitly, he sought to quietly replace him, avoiding the sharp end.

The Minister of Revenue and his superior clashed; each faction had a good show to watch, and those standing by observed thoughtfully, none daring to intervene for fear of incurring resentment.

The Emperor indeed valued Xie Junling; otherwise he wouldn't have promoted him. Yet his experience is shallow and he is young, making him unsuitable for heavy responsibilities, so he must be given a task to see his methods. If Xie Junling endures, the Emperor will have the intention to support him and use his achievements to silence other ministers; if he fails, it reflects his lack of ability. The Emperor merely loses a favored minister; he can find a second or third, so what does Xie Junling amount to? It shows that serving a ruler is like handling a tiger—you must always keep your head, as the ruler's mind is truly unpredictable.

The Emperor rubbed his forehead and said, "Enough, I have already decided. All of you have duties that keep you from leaving. Therefore, let Sir Xie be my eyes and ears, go to Tongzhou and inspect; the disaster‑relief silver must be put to proper use!"

The Emperor's decree was out; any further resistance was futile.

Upon hearing this, not only was Xie Junling stunned, but Old Lady Su and Lu Bao'er also felt uneasy.

Xie Junling had some connections and naturally knew it was Lord Gu; this paternal grandfather was giving him small shoes. If trouble arose in the future, he still hoped Xie Junling would seek him out, so he could bring him under his command.