Xu Junying, who was walking in front, stopped and turned around. Mother Wang quickly signaled Cuixi and the maids to stop as well. When Mei Niang came closer, Xu Junying said to her, "You and Rulan, just ask those maids again and again. Is there anything that the Second Madam and the others haven't asked before? Although you are in charge of all the affairs in the mansion, after all, this is their affair between husband and wife. You don't have to intervene. Let them solve it themselves."
Mei Niang responded: "I know."
But I thought: When they need it, they say you are in charge, but when they want to be partial, they won't let you manage it. Xu Junlang and his wife had such a mess, and almost ruined their marriage. It was obviously the concubine Xiangrui who did it. In order to save Xu Junlang's face, the whole family pretended to be stupid and obedient. The family rules and regulations quietly became invalid. Did they set up this old man only to restrain the disobedient women who married into the family
Mei Niang's eyes were still shining in the darkness, and Xu Junying could even see the sarcastic smile in her eyes.
"What did you and Rulan say to Jingyu just now?"
Mei Niang thought about it and decided to tell the truth: "Rulan told Jingyu: Wei Ge'er is fine, the fever has subsided, and he is fine. I told Jingyu: She did nothing wrong, it was the Second Master who misunderstood and believed. Xiangrui should kneel in the ancestral hall!"
Xu Junying was stunned for a moment: "How can you say that? If Jingyu makes a fuss based on what you said, and there is another chaos, Junlang will not be able to bear it, and the Second Madam will definitely have a grudge against you again. As for the old lady... the old lady is old, she can't stand such a fuss."
"Don't worry, Bai Jingyu doesn't have the energy to make a fuss." Mei Niang walked past him and walked forward: "I asked the maids and servants, and everyone knows it clearly. Only Jingyu is dizzy. She fainted because she was too deeply in love with the Second Master. She has lost the Second Master's heart, and she is really afraid that the Second Master will divorce her. She is a strong-willed girl from a famous family, and she has to consider the reputation of her family."
Xu Junying walked side by side with her, was silent for a moment, and said: "Junlang will not divorce his wife. There has never been a divorced woman in the Xu family."
Mei Niang looked back at the maids who were deliberately lagging behind, and asked cautiously, "Master, is there any difference between resting in the lower hall and in another courtyard?"
Xu Junying paused for a moment before answering, "If a woman is not virtuous enough to be divorced, she can be sent back to her mother's home if intercepted by a clerk, and her father and brother will decide her fate. If it is just a private discussion among the clan, they can live separately in another courtyard and take care of her until the end of her life."
Mei Niang took a deep breath and mustered up her courage: "My Lord, the wedding is coming soon. After the bride is married, I..."
Xu Junying stopped and asked, "What?"
In the dark night, his eyes gleamed. Mei Niang was a little flustered and quickly changed her words: "I think Jingyuan is very good, really, I went to see it again."
Xu Junying said calmly, "You are the eldest grandson's wife of the Xu family, and you are the lady granted by the emperor. This cannot be changed! Qinghua Courtyard is where my parents live. I grew up there. When current wives marry in, they cannot live there... Even if you marry someone new, there are courtyards nearby. You can live there with peace of mind!"
Mei Niang gritted her teeth and said, "I don't think that yard is suitable for me. There is a pond there, and the water vapor is too heavy. It's terribly cold in winter!"
Xu Junying walked forward and said, "It's spring now. When summer comes, the water lilies and lotus flowers will bloom in the pond, and the breeze will be refreshing. You won't think the pond is bad!"
Mei Niang was defeated by his words. It was good enough that she could survive the winter and spring, but she could play with you until the summer
She almost wanted to scream, "Xu Junying, let's get divorced! Please, I won't tell anyone anything. I'll keep the secret to myself..."
In the end, she just opened her mouth, inhaled sharply, exhaled, and then followed him dejectedly and silently towards Tsinghua Courtyard.
The conditions are not yet ripe, and it is impossible to expect Xu Junying to let go on her own initiative. She will think of the past at any time in her mind, which is related to his reputation and the innocence of the entire Hou Mansion. He will never believe her. Although she can swear and put her life in his hands like Mother Wang, why should he waste his energy and take the risk? It is already very kind to allow a woman who has brought shame to him to live. Letting her go, allowing her to run around freely and talk to all kinds of people, no man can do it.
Put yourself in their shoes. If someone holds a secret that could bring ruin to one's reputation, it seems like you wouldn't be able to remain so calm.
How to solve this problem? It seems that the only way is to be open and honest, have a good talk, make an agreement with each other, sign a treaty or something, which may be reliable. Of course, she must first find a strong backer to save her life. She can't let him get confused and don't want to continue to be a good person and easily kill her. Although she died once, she is still afraid of death. It's good to be alive. She can't believe that God will give her another chance to travel through time.
Someone was hurriedly walking towards the end of the corridor holding a lantern. It turned out to be Cui Si, leading the little girl Cheng'er, bringing a cloak and an umbrella, as well as some bad news.
Heng'er caught a cold during the day, had a fever in the evening, and has been in a coma since then.
Mei Niang was surprised: "You had a fever in the evening, why didn't you tell me?"
Cui Si was also very anxious: "The eldest wife didn't allow us to tell, and we invited two doctors to see, and they both said it was just a common children's disease, and it would be fine after taking some medicine, and there was no need to let the eldest grandmother know. Because, because the cousin... was always by his side, Xia Lian had to stay with Heng Ge'er and couldn't leave for a moment, and couldn't come out to find someone to pass on the message, until just now I found a chance and asked Mother Yu in the corridor to tell me."
Mei Niang was angry and anxious: "What's the logic? The child is sick and you won't let me see him? Let's go! To Qiuhua Courtyard!"
He didn't even bother to pay attention to Xu Junying who was standing beside him, and just walked away.
"Wait!" Xu Junying stopped her, "If you go like this today, will anyone still be able to send you messages in the future?"
Mei Niang was startled when she heard this: You are right! Xia Lian, who was by the side of the eldest wife, was taken in by her. She was loyal to her and protected Heng'er. She would let someone report to her if there was any disturbance. The eldest wife was originally bothered by her and Heng'er being too close, but it was not easy to stop the mother and son from meeting. Heng'er was sick, but she was not notified because she didn't want her to know that she would use Heng'er's illness as an excuse to stay by Heng'er's side, or simply take Heng'er away. If she rushed over now, the eldest wife would definitely be suspicious. If she found out that it was Xia Lian who leaked the news, wouldn't it harm Xia Lian? It would be difficult to find a girl like her to be an insider in the future...
Seeing Mei Niang stopped and did not move, Xu Junying said, "I will go. I will come back from Huifang Courtyard and go around Qiuhua Courtyard to visit my mother and see how she is doing. If she is well, there is no need to send someone to call you. If she is..."
Mei Niang interrupted him and said, "No matter whether it's good or bad, you have to send someone to call me. The child is sick and he doesn't want anyone else. He misses me the most!"
Xu Junying stood still in silence. In the darkness, she couldn't see the expression on his face. Mei Niang felt a little uneasy. She couldn't help but frown and bite her lip: It seems not good to say such words in front of Xu Junying? He actually forgot that Heng'er is not his own flesh and blood! Did this irritate him? Saying that Heng'er missed her seemed to be the same as saying that Xu Junjie missed Qin Mei Niang.
Oh! What's going on
Such a handsome man, a meritorious general, should have been happy, but ended up like this. Who should be blamed? Qin Meiniang, or Xu Laoqi
In short, it’s not just me and Heng’er, this point must be made clear!
Sympathy does not equal love. No matter how good he is, he can never be hers - she can never want him!
As the eldest son of the eldest house, a marquis, a filial son and a virtuous grandson, he has to be responsible for the entire family and is ready to marry a wife and concubines to expand the family line and reproduce future generations... The burden on his shoulders is too heavy, and the responsibility is too great. Even if such a man is a god from heaven, she dare not want him, and cannot afford him. The best thing is to find a way to avoid him!
"Master Hou, you, you should go! Heng'er is too young, and he lives with his grandmother. He rarely sees us. He is sick now, and he must miss his parents the most... You should go and see them."
Seeing that Xu Junying was reluctant to leave, Mei Niang was afraid that he would refuse to go to Qiuhua Courtyard again. She changed her mind, took two steps towards him, and spoke softly, half coaxing and half begging.
Xu Junying finally moved and said, "I'll go first, you walk slowly, Baoju will come back to talk to me later!"
What does it mean that Baoju would reply? Should she still be allowed to see Heng'er
Before Mei Niang could ask, Xu Junying had already walked a long way away.
Cui Si comforted her softly, "Mr. Hou will ask Baoju to invite Grandma!"
Mei Niang walked slowly with the maids and servants. After walking for about half a cup of tea, Baoju emerged from the shadows in a hurry. He walked up to her, bowed and saluted, and said, "The Marquis asked me to tell the Madam that Heng'er is not feeling well and is crying. Let the Madam go over to take a look!"
Mei Niang heaved a sigh of relief and hurried to Qiuhua Courtyard. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard Heng'er's hoarse voice crying. She ran into the second hall and saw Madam Zheng hugging Heng'er tightly, her eyes full of tears, and her hair was disheveled, obviously grabbed by Heng'er. She loved her grandson, and seeing Heng'er crying non-stop, she felt uncomfortable herself, and choked with sobs and coaxed:
"Heng'er, my dear grandson, please stop making trouble, okay? Let's take some medicine, and then we won't feel uncomfortable anymore. We'll be fine after a good sleep, okay?"
Heng'er's cheeks were red, and he just kept crying and waving his hands. Chunyue took a handkerchief to wipe his tears. When Mother He wanted to feed him medicine, he shook his head like a rattle and couldn't be fed at all. Xia Lian saw that Mrs. Zheng was tired and wanted to come up and hold him, but Mrs. Zheng was reluctant to let go. Zheng Meiyu reached out to Heng'er, but he pushed her away again. He turned his head to the other side and cried even louder. Xu Junying sat at the table, frowning as he watched several women surrounding a child in a mess.
Mei Niang called out, "Heng'er!"
Heng'er stopped crying suddenly, raised his head, and looked over with wide eyes. His tearful face showed a look of joy and grievance. He opened his two chubby hands and rushed towards Mei Niang. Mei Niang caught him and said to Madam Zheng:
"Mom, take a break. I'll hug him!"
Heng'er calmed down in Mei Niang's arms, resting his head on her neck, docile and well-behaved. Madam Zheng stared blankly at the intimacy between the mother and son, sighed, and nodded: "Now you're here, Heng'er just caught a cold and has a fever, the doctor prescribed a prescription, take some soup and he'll be fine!"
Mei Niang patted Heng'er's back and said, "Children always have headaches and fevers. Mother, don't panic. It will be fine!"
As she was talking, Mother He brought the medicine bowl over and said, "Brother Heng is not making a fuss now, hurry up and feed him some medicine while it's still hot!"
Mei Niang glanced around, and Chunyue hurriedly supported her and said, "Grandma, sit over here!"
Leading her to sit on the chair next to Xu Junying, Mei Niang held Heng'er and knelt down towards Xu Junying: "Lord Hou!"
Xu Junying remained calm: "Sit down, let Henger take the medicine well."
Mei Niang sat down and turned Heng'er's face. She saw that he had his eyes closed, as if he was about to fall asleep. Mother He said, "Brother Heng slept too much today. I just coaxed him awake, but he knocked over the medicine bowl after taking only two sips. This is a separate decoction. You have to drink it before you can sleep."
Mei Niang looked carefully at Heng Er's red face, touched his hands, body, neck, and back, asked He Mama what the doctors had said, took the medicine bowl from He Mama's hand, took a sip, and gave it back to her:
“This medicine is too bitter!”
Madam Zheng sat on the couch and drank two sips of tea. After catching her breath, she said, "How can medicine not be bitter? Bitter medicine is good medicine. After he finishes it, just give him a candied date to suck on."
Mei Niang said, "Heng'er just wants to sleep now. If it's because he cried too hard, it's nothing. He didn't eat anything, so taking medicine alone won't help. Chunyue, get some warm water and give him a bath. Xialian, find some clothes to change into. Everyone else, go to the door. Don't stand in the room. Cuisi, open the window and close it again, leaving a gap."
Zheng Meiyu carefully changed a cup of hot tea for Xu Junying and said to Mei Niang, "It's windy at night. Heng'er has already caught a cold. If you open the window, won't it be..."
Madam Zheng hurriedly stopped Cui Si: "No! You can't open the window!"
Mei Niang was helpless: "Only open it for a while, and then close it after changing the air. This room is not ventilated, the curtain on the door is tightly sealed, and the air is too turbid..."
Zheng Meiyu looked at her: "What did you say? In this room..."
Mei Niang lost her patience and glared at her: "Cousin Yu is too idle, so it's okay to let your cousin sit with you. If you have something else to do, please go and do it yourself. Heng'er is sick, and your cousin is not in a good mood. He will be annoyed if he hears too much!"
Zheng Meiyu shut her mouth, and Xu Junying looked at Mei Niang sullenly.
Warm water was prepared, and clean clothes for Heng'er were found. Mei Niang took off Heng'er's two thick cotton clothes and gave him a bath, despite Madam Zheng's objection. Madam Zheng was worried and annoyed. With Xu Junying around, she couldn't be too tough, so she had to stand by and watch Mei Niang do it, instructing Chunyue and Xia Lian to do this and that, and bring a few braziers into the room and stand around. Mei Niang let her do her work and only said one sentence:
"Move the brazier further away, it's too hot!"
After washing his hair and face and taking a shower, Heng'er's temperature slowly dropped and his face was not so red anymore. She wiped him awake, and he opened his eyes and snuggled in Mei Niang's arms without making any noise. Mei Niang hurriedly asked Xia Lian to get some warm water to feed him. Seeing Heng'er drinking as sweet as honey water, she couldn't help laughing and secretly breathed a sigh of relief: This is the advantage of being a colleague with a married woman. What those women talk about the most every day is parenting tips, how to take care of children, how to do housework, how to coax her husband, how to deal with her mother-in-law. She was annoyed at first, but got used to it over time. In the end, she wrote down all their experiences, thinking that one day she would get the same.
Heng'er was born to Qin Mei Niang, and now he is her son. She will cherish him, protect his smooth growth, and never allow him to have any accidents. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)