On that day, Xu Junying had a sudden impulse to wait for her in the upper room so that they could go to Jinhua Hall together after she came back. He did not invite her again the next day, thinking that she should understand his idea and go there on her own initiative. However, Mei Niang ignored his intention without any hesitation. She went to Qiuhua Courtyard the next afternoon and stayed there all the time. She coaxed Heng'er who had just woken up from his nap and played with him for most of the day. Not only did she not go to Jinhua Hall to serve dinner, but she also closed the door and turned off the lights when she returned to Qinghua Courtyard at night and went to bed early, not giving Xu Junying a chance to teach her a lesson. When Xu Junying came back from Jinhua Hall, he stared at the dark upper room in a daze. Cui Xi and Cui Lian were doing needlework in the next ear room. When they heard the maid in the corridor calling "Master Hou", they hurried out, bowed to him and replied:
"Yesterday, the first wife felt a little unwell because of taking care of Heng'er. The eldest grandmother went to accompany Heng'er. When she came back, she felt too tired and went to bed after taking a bath!"
In the room, Mei Niang was leaning against the wall on the couch, standing upside down. Cui Si stood by her side nervously, and whispered, "Grandma, come down. If Lord Hou opens the door and comes in..."
Mei Niang said: "I bet he won't get in!"
Outside the door, Xu Junying looked at the two maids, said nothing, and turned back to the east courtyard.
Cui Lian knocked on the door and said, "Go to sleep!"
Cui Si let out a long sigh: "Grandma is really a fortune teller!"
Mei Niang laughed: "What kind of fortune-telling is that? It's just a blind guess. If he really wants to come in, he has to wait for Cui Xi to open the door. I can get to the bed in a few steps. What is there to be afraid of!"
Now she was just living one day at a time in the Hou Mansion. Xu Junying didn't think there was any danger to her, so she just had to be on guard. March was coming, Qin Boqing would take part in the imperial examination, the queen would give birth to a child, Zhuang Yulan and Zheng Meiyu would marry in, and then she could look for a chance to get away!
The problem is Heng'er, how to take him away? He is the apple of Mrs. Zheng's eye! This woman will fight to the death, and when she goes crazy, I'm afraid it will be a mess.
Otherwise, leave Heng'er behind to be raised by Madam Zheng
This thought shocked her. Immediately, the image of Heng'er appeared in her mind, like a movie, crying, laughing, aggrieved, angry, complaining, all kinds of expressions, each look was so cute, tugged at her heartstrings, no, no! Leave him, abandon him, there will be no peace in this life!
Mei Niang lay in bed, thinking about this and that. She didn't know when she fell asleep. She had no dreams all night. She was awakened by Cui Xi in the morning. She stared at the pink gauze tent in a daze: this was the wedding bed of Xu Junying and Qin Mei Niang. Qin Mei Niang died on this bed. She had been here for so long. At the beginning, she was a little possessed. She needed someone to accompany her every night. She slept very soundly, but the strange thing was that she seldom dreamed. She wanted to dream about Qin Mei Niang or Xu Junjie. Sometimes she tried to think about them before going to bed, but there was no shadow of them in her dreams.
These two people who were connected to her for no reason, perhaps their souls have long gone away. Alas! No matter what kind of fate it is, I hope they can be a couple in heaven and on earth!
Seeing Mei Niang still lying on the bed, Cui Xi gently lifted the curtain, poked her head in and whispered, "The Lord is here, get up quickly!"
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment: "What is he doing here? Taking me to Jinhua Hall again?"
"No," Cui Xi suppressed her laughter, "Mr. Hou has something to say to Grandma, and he has asked Cheng'er to serve breakfast."
Mei Niang breathed a sigh of relief, stretched and said, "Then we don't have to go to Jinhua Hall. Okay, I'm getting up!"
There was a hollow flower partition and two layers of curtains hanging, so the bed could not be seen from the outer room. Mei Niang threw off the quilt, got out of bed, put on her embroidered shoes and tried to leave, but was stopped by Cui Xi, who took a morning gown from Cui Lian and tried to put it on her.
Mei Niang pushed it away: "It's spring, and there's no wind in the house, so you don't need to wear this!"
Cui Xi said, "We need to wear some. It's still cold in the morning and evening. If grandma catches a cold, mom will scold us to death!"
Mei Niang reluctantly put on her morning robe and walked into the inner room while asking, "Is Madam Wang's leg better?"
Cuixi replied: "I followed the prescription and went to Qiancaotang to buy some medicine for washing. She is much better now. Cuisi went to see her."
Mei Niang remembered that Xu Junying was outside, and hurriedly put her index finger on her lips to signal Cui Xi to stop talking. The prescription was the one Zhang Jingyun had prescribed for Madam Qin. Qiancaotang was Zhang Jingyun's pharmacy, and Xu Junying might not know this.
After washing, dressing up, and going out to see Xu Junying, Mei Niang discovered that he was sitting on the couch where she usually sat, turning the pages of a book attentively. Mei Niang's heart skipped a beat: Cui Si didn't know whether she had locked the cabinet door inside the couch last night. If he could casually take a Cyclamen account book, she would be finished!
Xu Junying was reading a travel book that was lent to Mei Niang by Ning Rulan. There was Xu Junya's seal on the title page and various annotations by the couple on the inside pages. They had different opinions but the same interests. Sweetness and warmth flowed between the lines. When Mei Niang read the book, she felt like she was reading someone else's love letter at the same time.
Xu Junying closed the book and put it back on the low cabinet inside, where there were two piles of books, all of which were sent by Ning Rulan at Jinshu's request.
He said to Mei Niang, "There are a lot of books in the East Courtyard study. Don't always borrow Rulan's books. Don't move them around and damage them!"
Mei Niang nodded: "Master Hou is right. I don't have time to read these books either. I'll ask Cui Xi to return them later!"
"Wait until the sky clears up, it's raining outside!"
"Ah? It's raining again? Why is there no sound?"
Mei Niang turned her head to look out the window. Xu Junying looked at her and said, "It's a fine drizzle. The trees, flowers, and the ground are all wet."
"Oh," Mei Niang frowned slightly and turned to look at Cui Xi: "The batch of dried fish?"
Cui Xi was shocked: Grandma is getting more and more bold, she dares to worry about Cyclamen in front of Master Hou!
He quickly responded, "It's all packed, don't worry, grandma!"
The dried fish from Jinghu Lake in Qingzhou is famous for its deliciousness. People come from far away to buy it. More than a dozen baskets are piled up in the food warehouse. The weather is cloudy and sunny. Two days ago, I saw Lu Xiangfeng directing people to move to the backyard to spread bamboo mats for ventilation and drying. The dried fish are dried with charcoal fire. If fire is used again during storage, it will be too much and affect the flavor. Just dry it in the sun from time to time to remove moisture.
There is a lot of rain in spring. There were no refrigerators in those days, so it was difficult to preserve dried goods. It was okay to lose some money, but it was a pity to waste such good things. Mei Niang loved to eat dried fish, and she packed several large bags and gave them away. This is a good thing with a high calcium content. I really want to get some for Heng'er to eat. When I think about having to persuade Madam Zheng, I feel powerless. Madam Zheng will probably say: My Heng'er, do you really want to eat such small fish with bones
Xu Junying asked: "What dried fish?"
Mei Niang responded: "I asked them to dry the dried fish I like to eat, in case I forget to leave them outside!"
Cheng'er and her maid brought in lunch boxes. In addition to various kinds of noodles, breakfast also included porridge and seven or eight side dishes. There was only room for three or four plates on the low table. Cuixi said, "Put them on the round table. Please ask Master Hou and Grandma to move over there for breakfast."
Xu Junying said: "No need, these few are enough, take the rest away!"
He finally figured out that the maids around Mei Niang ate and used the same things as their master.
Mei Niang glanced at him and said to Cheng Er, "Go ahead and eat with your mother!"
Then he looked at Cui Xi and Cui Lian and said, "You two can go down as well and come back later!"
Cui Xi and Cui Lian went out, and Mei Niang served Xu Junying a bowl of fresh green preserved egg, lean meat and mustard greens porridge:
"This porridge is good. It clears away heat and relieves internal heat, and it is also nourishing. Lord Hou, please have a bowl."
The two sat opposite each other and ate slowly. Mei Niang turned her head to look at the sky outside the window and suddenly remembered: "Master Hou doesn't have to go to court today?"
I almost said I was going to work.
Xu Junying said: "I'm taking a bath today."
Mei Niang added automatically: "And tomorrow, two days off."
Xu Junying looked at her: "Bathe once every five days, only one day!"
"But I remember one time you took two days off."
Xu Junying raised the corners of his lips and retracted his gaze: "That was a special case. The mission was completed ahead of time. The emperor specially approved it."
"Oh, so that's how it is!"
Mei Niang breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was only one day off. He felt uncomfortable at home, always worried about seeing them. He had to be cautious when he wanted to leave the house. In the past, I always thought he had a weekend off. He had to be on guard for two days when he had one day off. It was really a waste of time.
"What can I do for you?" Xu Junying asked.
"No!" Mei Niang quickly replied, while putting a plate of dumplings in front of him: "This won't taste good when it's cold... Are you going to Jinhua Hall later, Lord Hou?"
Xu Junying nodded: "Today I have to accompany the old lady to the palace to see the Queen Mother."
Mei Niang was delighted: if the old lady went to the palace to see the empress dowager, Zhuang Yulan's matter would be settled soon. Once the imperial decree came down, the wedding would be arranged. If this pair of wives and concubines came into the house, Xu Junying would be in chaos. Then she would be much freer.
There should be quite a few problems. The two of them won't have any internal conflicts during their honeymoon period. After all, the concubine cannot touch the wife. They are united against the outside world. Zheng Meiyu has dared to challenge her openly, and Mei Niang is waiting for her leisurely. "Stupid cousin, just throw out any bottles and jars you have. Your fake cousin-in-law also wants to find out the truth!"
Mei Niang kept a straight face and said in a fake voice: "The weather is bad, it's raining outside, and I chose this day..."
Xu Junying said, "It's okay. We have arranged it. You can take a carriage and enter the palace with a sedan chair. You don't have to walk."
"That's good."
Xu Junying put down his chopsticks and said, "I'm done eating. I'll go to Jinhuatang now and may be back in the afternoon... Heng'er has been sick these two days, so you don't have to go to Jinhuatang. I'll tell the old lady."
"Thank you for your understanding, Lord!"
Mei Niang was surprised and grateful. Lord Hou had shown mercy. That was great!
But then Xu Junying said, "The bundle you asked me to give to the Queen was handed in yesterday. The Emperor liked the sleeveless woolen dress very much. He said it was perfect for spring and the color was also pleasing to him..."
Mei Niang smiled, "Is the Queen okay? I promised to knit it for her. The weather is warm in spring, so she won't have to wear long-sleeved sweaters starting next month. She only needs to wear thin sleeveless ones to prevent catching a cold. I've been busy every day, and finally I've finished knitting it for her. One for the Emperor and the Queen, one for each!"
Xu Junying looked at her: "What color is yours?"
Mei Niang was stunned for a moment: "What?"
"The woolen clothes you wear."
Mei Niang's eyes turned: What do you mean? Asking about the color of someone's sweater.
Xu Junying said, "You knitted the same color clothes for the emperor and the queen, and the emperor said that only husband and wife wear the same clothes... He asked me what color it was?"
That's what he meant! Mei Niang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The emperor was too nosy. He just gave it to you to wear, but he asked all sorts of questions. And the queen, it seemed that they were a really good couple. Mei Niang and the queen discussed couple sets, husband and wife sets, family sets and so on. I guess she told the emperor everything!
Mei Niang didn't know that Cui Xi, on the orders of Queen Mother, gave the long-sleeved sweater she had crocheted before to Xu Junying. When she was knitting the short-sleeved sweater, she never thought of knitting one for Xu Junying. The emperor and the queen wore the same sweater, so she naturally thought that Xu Junying would have one too, and it should be a couple's outfit.
Mei Niang was a little embarrassed: "I'm wearing red, which is not suitable for men. Just tell him a color at random!"
"You can't do it casually, that would be deceiving the king!"
Mei Niang raised her hand and touched her forehead: "Then, let's say it's pink and purple..."
"Aren't you wearing red? I want the same one!"
Mei Niang turned her head away: "Oh no, that's not it, I was just making it up, it's actually pink and purple!"
I don't know how Xu Junying got the room. Mei Niang turned around and found that he had walked to the door. When he reached out to hold the door curtain, he paused for a moment, wanting to say something, but in the end he didn't. The door curtain moved and he disappeared. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.) (To be continued)