Was it easy for her to return to the capital from Jiangyuan? In order to fulfill the promise made by their ancestors, they married her to the Li family in Jiangyuan when she was just 15 years old. Although it was also a prominent family, it was no longer prominent. Their ancestors had produced a prime minister. At that time, Li Zhao's grandfather and the old man of the Xu family served in the same dynasty, one civil and one military. They once joked that they would marry their children to each other. Unexpectedly, both of them gave birth to sons, so they asked their sons to continue the relationship. As a result, the Li family asked for a baby marriage for Xu Xiaojuan as soon as she was born. At that time, the Li family had retreated from the capital to Jiangyuan. From Li Zhao's father to Li Zhao's generation, no one had become an official. The whole family of uncles and brothers, guarding the land and family business left by their ancestors, lived a life of luxury and comfort. However, they lacked the official style in the capital that was enough to scare ordinary people away. Xu Xiaojuan was somewhat uncomfortable with it. Fortunately, her husband Li Zhao was suave, handsome and unrestrained. The newlyweds loved each other very much. She enjoyed two years of happiness, but with the birth of her daughter, the dowry she brought to her husband's house became less and less, and she found her life more and more difficult. The reason was that she and her husband were too extravagant. The monthly allowance given by Li Ke was not enough for them to spend for a few days. She was used to spending like that in her natal family and could not help herself. Her husband Li Zhao saw her spending money generously and thought that his wife had a generous dowry, so he felt at ease to spend it on wine and women outside. As a result, she lived off the family fortune. After selling all the dowry, she was short of money. Her husband needed money to go out and meet literary friends. She was helping her mother-in-law manage the household affairs, and had some public silver in her hand, but she embezzled more than ten taels, so she was scolded by her mother-in-law. How could she, the daughter of a noble family, bear such humiliation? She immediately confronted her mother-in-law and demanded to separate from the family, which made her faint. When her husband came back, he protected her and scolded her. She cried and screamed. From then on, she and her mother-in-law were at loggerheads. She declared that she would no longer care about the affairs of the Li family and would not live under the face of her mother-in-law. She wrote letters back to Beijing, and her parents' family sent her money and goods frequently, so she could still live a carefree and comfortable life. Her seventh brother was killed in battle, her eldest sister-in-law died of illness, and her young son was ill. She did not dare to go back to her parents' home, but she had letters to explain. When she received the news that her mother was ill in bed, she wanted to come back. Once her mother fell ill, she had no support. If she did not go back to her parents' home in Beijing, how could she live? Overhearing her mother-in-law exhorting her uncle to study hard and take the imperial examination two years later, she was reminded that her husband Li Zhao had passed the imperial examination, but because his grandfather suddenly died of illness and his father-in-law had already passed away, Li Zhao, as the eldest grandson, had been in filial piety for three years, missed the imperial examination, and then missed the special examination, and now had to wait for the next examination in two years. Thinking of this, she was not in a hurry to return to Beijing. Anyway, her mother had dizziness and fever in the past, so it should not be a serious illness. As long as Li Zhao got rid of his mourning clothes in a few days, he could return to Beijing to live permanently and study for two years. Regardless of whether he passed the imperial examination or not, he still had a brother, right? Finding an official position was not a common thing!
In this way, Xu Xiaojuan waited and waited until two months ago when she returned to the capital with her husband Li Zhao. She thought her mother must be fine and made preparations to welcome her. However, when she saw her mother's condition, her heart sank.
Most of the money given by her mother-in-law had been spent on the journey, and the couple had no extra money. Even if Jiangyuan’s hometown would send money in the future, how much could she give given her mother-in-law’s temper? How could she cope with the expenses in Beijing? Her mother was so sick that she couldn’t take care of her. If she didn’t get support from her brother and sister-in-law, the family would be half dead in Beijing. If she didn’t live in the Hou Mansion, where could she go? She didn’t even dare to live in the outer house of the Hou Mansion, for fear that her brother and sister-in-law would argue with her and only give her a beautiful big house to live in without money, which would be impossible for her to survive.
For the sake of her husband's future and her children, she couldn't leave the Hou Mansion. She had a big quarrel with her sister-in-law out of arrogance, but so what? With her grandmother's support, she was not afraid that Qin would eat her up!
When she first came back, there was no one to manage the huge mansion, so her grandmother had intended to let her help her eldest brother to manage the household. She also expected that her eldest brother would hand over the mansion to her, as there was no mistress to manage it. Although she was a married woman, she could completely replace her mother to manage the household. Unexpectedly, her eldest brother did not discuss a word with her, but asked the second and third sisters-in-law from the West Mansion to come and let them support for a while until the stubborn and unruly eldest sister-in-law came back, which disappointed her greatly.
No one can be trusted, except her grandmother's kindness. In this mansion, apart from her grandmother, she has no other relatives she can rely on.
Xu Xiaojuan sat on an embroidered stool and sobbed. Her three younger sisters beside her whispered to comfort her. Her concubine's sister-in-law Gan had retreated to the side after being glanced at by her. The old lady said, "It's all right now. The fourth daughter-in-law will take your three younger sisters back to their rooms to rest!"
Gan and the girls stood up, bowed to the old lady, and walked out.
The old lady sighed and said to Xu Xiaojuan, "You don't know how overbearing and unruly she is. If you have something to say, just come and tell me. Why are you looking for her? You are the eldest aunt who was born out of wedlock, and she still treats you like this. What about your illegitimate sisters in the future? Even though she smiles at these three sisters on weekdays, when they get married one by one and encounter any difficulties and come back to their parents' home, if I am alive, your brother may be able to give some help for my sake, otherwise don't expect to get her kindness!"
Xu Xiaojuan took the warm handkerchief Ruiyu offered, gently pressed the corners of her eyes and cheeks, and choked up and said, "As girls, should we just accept our fate when we meet a sister-in-law like this? If my father was still alive and my mother was healthy, would she dare to do this?"
The old lady lay on the couch and closed her eyes: "I am still here now... Are you willing to live in the other courtyard?"
Xu Xiaojuan's eyes were red. "Don't my granddaughter's husband's family have enough money to buy a house for us to study in? But every time I think about how my grandmother has loved me since I was young, and how I have been married for so many years but have not been able to fulfill my filial duties. I have always dreamed of serving my grandmother... Now that I have this opportunity, I don't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay at home. On the one hand, I can see my grandmother every day, and on the other hand, I can take care of my mother. With my sister-in-law like that, I am worried about leaving my mother in her hands!"
The old lady nodded slightly, "It's rare that you are filial! You are the old marquis's favorite girl, and also my favorite granddaughter. How can I bear to let you live outside? If you only bring the child, you can live anywhere in the mansion, and you can live as long as you want. But it's not easy to deal with the son-in-law. It's okay to live for a few days or ten days, but if you live in the inner courtyard for a long time, it won't work. You still have three younger sisters who are not married yet, and the reputation of the Xu family is important. I wanted you to live in the Wenhua Courtyard with a corner gate in the front for easy access, but Junying gave it to the sixth son as a new house..."
Xu Xiaojuan looked up and said, "My granddaughter has discussed this with my sixth brother, and he said..."
"What can he say? You are the elder sister and he is the younger brother. He has always been polite and abides by the rules, so he will give in to you. You can also see if it is in accordance with the etiquette and whether you can accept it!"
The old lady opened her eyes and looked at Xu Xiaojuan: "You are the eldest daughter of the Hou family, and you are also the legitimate aunt. Ordinarily, the concubines' sons are not as noble as you. If it were the fourth son, it would be fine, but the sixth son is different. He is a Jinshi who has been listed in the imperial list, and he has been granted an official position by the emperor. He is honored by his ancestors and is no longer in his previous status. Master Li has not achieved great fame, you must remember this, don't be rash and rude, and offend your sixth brother! Alas! Your temper has been spoiled since you were a child, and you should change it. You should be patient in everything even if you are reasonable. Even if you look for opportunities to vent your anger, you should also be strategic. You are a lady from a wealthy family, you should at least hold yourself up. It is really not advisable to run straight to her and cry like that..."
While Xu Xiaojuan was talking with the old lady and her grandson in Jinhua Hall, Meimei had already changed into royal blue men's clothes and put on a mask. Cui Xi and Cui Lian sent her out of the corner gate of the east courtyard. Bai Zhan followed with more than ten guards leading horses. Meimei rode Xiaobai, went out of the side door, walked around the main gate, and went out of the alley, where she saw Lin Runan, dressed in snow-white men's clothes, riding a horse, surrounded by a group of guards from the palace waiting there. The two teams joined together and ran along the long street to the outside of the city.
After leaving the city gate, he ordered the guards to stay away, and the two of them rode side by side slowly, talking in low voices.
"Alas! Lingxuzi is leaving in such a hurry!"
Lin Runan looked at Meimei and said, "How is he in a hurry? When I came back, I heard him say that he would return to his hometown in May or June. Since he is leaving the secular world to marry a wife, why not hurry back home to get married and have a child as soon as possible to fulfill his parents' dream of having a grandchild!"
Meimei smiled and said, "What a pity for the lovely and handsome little Taoist priest. He has to go home to get married and have children!"
"What do you want?"
"Nothing, I just want him to never marry and cultivate immortality and make elixirs!"
Lin Runan glared at her: "How shameless! It's strange that Xu Junying, who is so dignified, still likes you when you become like this!"
"Oh! I can't figure it out! Maybe she's too beautiful, and men are lustful, so he can't bear to part with this face!"
Meimei frowned and squinted her eyes. Only then did she realize that the sunlight was a little dazzling.
Lin Runan smiled and teased her: "It's true that beauty is a thorn in the side. Being too beautiful is not a good thing. Even the King of Qi likes you and even calls your name in his dreams!"
"What did he yell?"
"He called 'Qin Er'!"
"Go! He wants me to become Master Qin Er. He's dreaming!"
The two women laughed loudly and quickly covered their mouths. Meimei rolled her eyes and looked Lin Runan up and down:
"How do you know he called out 'Qin Er' in his dream? You and him... you and Zhao Bao..."
Lin Runan swung a whip in the air behind her and blushed: "Don't make blind guesses! He and I are innocent, we are just husband and wife in name only!"
"No... But I seem to have heard the Queen say that the Yuanpa was presented, and the Queen Mother was very pleased!"
Lin Runan gritted his teeth and looked at her. He slowly pulled up his left sleeve and stretched out his arm. "The Queen Mother sent maids from the palace to serve and guard the courtyard every night. In order to hide from others, we had to live in the same bedroom. He seemed fearless on weekdays, but he had nightmares every night. He shouted this and that in the middle of the night, as if they were all people who died in the battle. It scared me so much that sometimes I would just go and stuff his mouth with a handkerchief. It would be fine if I ran away. If I was caught by him, he would beat me half to death. When I woke up, he would call the imperial physician to treat me. He just said that I fell because I ran out in a dream. He forced me to take all kinds of strange medicines prescribed by the imperial physician... Look at the wound on my arm. It has healed, with only a little mark left - the blood dripping on the Yuan handkerchief on the wedding night was the one Zhao Bao cut with a knife! At that time, he entered the bridal chamber with a knife, and I thought he was going to kill me. I fought hard and was cut a long way."
Meimei took a breath, "This guy! Why doesn't he cut his own?"
"Humph! Is he the kind of person who is willing to bleed for others?"
Meimei recalled the first time she met the King of Qi. He sneered as he watched the blood on his legs soak through his clothes and drip down, with no regard for the consequences. At that time, he really had no interest in life.
"Runan, the King of Qi is a man of true character. He almost bled to death for someone!"
"You mean the Jian Yu you mentioned? It makes me sick just thinking about it. A man and a man... Ugh!"
Lin Runan shuddered and frowned: "Since I entered the Prince Qi's Mansion, even my appetite has decreased. I can't eat or sleep well. Meimei, I think I may not live long. Alas! I don't want to think about anything. I was born a woman and ended up in such a family. There is nothing I can do!"
Meimei looked at her sympathetically, and silently thought about the moody King of Qi, his confession by the pond in the back garden of Cen's house, his handsome smiling face full of vitality in the sun, his eyes pure and frank, holding her hand tightly under the cliff, at that time it felt like the two hands were grown together, there was no possibility of separation, his face was tense, two masseter muscles appeared on his cheeks, sweat dripped on her head and face like raindrops, and he lifted her onto the stone step, and the strong energy that instantly burst out of him completely shocked her...
"Runan, you have also been with the King of Qi for some time. He is a bit evil, but he is not bad, right? Don't look down on the friendship between two men. Think about you and me. If we can exchange our hearts without reservation, then maybe that is the situation between the King of Qi and Jian Yu. Isn't it said that Jian Yu is very similar to me? You can think of Jian Yu as a woman wearing men's clothes..."
Lin Runan sneered at Meimei: "Isn't this just deceiving yourself? Why should I think about Jian Yu? It's enough to just watch him flirt with the male favorites in the mansion every day!"
Meimei didn't know what to say, so she could only sigh: "I reminded you, remember? It would be fine if you got married earlier! In fact, the King of Qi is also very pitiful, very..."
Lin Runan continued: "Pathetic, hateful, abominable, disgusting, ridiculous! Just unapproachable!"
Meimei sighed again: "You don't have to be like that. Think about it, we are not enemies. We were originally friends!"
"We are not enemies, but we are enemies in appearance! You and he had already made peace with each other on the mountain that day, but he was still suspicious and still regarded me as someone who clung to the powerful. I was determined to be the queen's secret emissary, and I placed me by his side to check his whereabouts from time to time... You also know his temperament. He is obviously fine, but he pretends to be so proud that he says to me: Go wherever you want, do whatever you like! And then warn me: If you want to die, you are not the only one who will die. Count the lives of the Lin family first!"
Lin Runan smiled: "I don't know what to say. I am the most unlucky person in the world! No wonder good luck always passes me by. This is my fate. I have been tortured and teased by the King of Qi these days. I am almost crazy. I have no worries at all. No matter how noble he is, I have used swords, guns, sticks and clubs to fight him. But I have never been able to get close to him. Instead, he has subdued and humiliated me. I usually only laugh and never cry, but after entering the King of Qi's mansion, I cry almost every day - I hate him so much!"
Meimei was dejected. Two people who were originally unrelated, disliked each other, but had no conflicts of interest were suddenly tied together. They wanted to get rid of each other but couldn't. They could only face each other every day and torture each other. It was really a headache. (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)