Because Wang Xiuyu needed to stay in Ningxuan Palace to check the accounts and move the dowry, Rong Tang thought about it for a while and decided to stay in the palace for one night and help her tomorrow.
He sent someone back to report the news, washed up and went to bed, but he tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
One reason was that he hadn't been back for a long time, and another reason was that he had hardly eaten a single bite of food at night.
He was very hungry.
Just as Rong Tang was struggling over whether to starve to death or get out of bed and have a midnight snack before going back to sleep, a fragrance suddenly wafted from the door.
Young Master Rong was slightly startled, and heard the sound of the wooden door being knocked a few times from the outside and then pushed open.
He turned his head and looked over. There were a few candles lit in the room. The light was not too glaring, but bright enough for seeing things.
Su Huaijing had not changed out of his court robes yet. He held a white porcelain bowl in his hand, placed it on the table, and turned to ask him, "Tangtang, do you want a midnight snack?"
Rong Tang's stomach growled in a very unpromising way.
So option one was directly invalidated. He threw back the quilt with a little surprise, got out of bed, trotted to the table, sat down, and looked up at Su Huaijing: "Why are you here?"
It was hot in late summer, and the pajamas were thin, but it was still hard to resist the constant heat in the air. Su Huaijing took a palm leaf fan and sat beside Rong Tang, fanning him slowly while answering his question: "I miss Tang Tang."
Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, then his ears turned red and he whispered, "Speak the truth."
But what's there to think about if we're not together for one night
Su Huaijing said, "I'm not Tangtang, who likes to lie so much."
Rong Tang: “…”
He fell silent and looked at Su Huaijing with unfriendly eyes.
The latter paused for a moment, then immediately smiled and said, "I really miss Tangtang. I can't sleep alone at home. Besides, I'm worried about you and mother being alone in the palace."
The most important thing is that he chatted a little more with the servant who came back to Yong'an Lane to report the news, and heard that Rong Tang hardly ate a bite of his dinner.
Based on Su Huaijing's understanding of Rong Tang, he never liked to trouble others, and he was used to not taking his body seriously. Rather than getting out of bed and asking the cook to make him something to eat when he was hungry, he would probably rather sleep with an empty stomach.
It's so hateful.
But Su Huaijing couldn't bear to be mean to him.
On the table was a bowl of steaming glutinous rice dumplings with fermented glutinous rice wine. The portion was not large, so if eaten at this hour it would not cause indigestion, but would at least fill the stomach.
Rong Tang held a small spoon, stirring the soup to cool it down, and subconsciously asked, "Did you make this?"
Su Huaijing nodded: "Everyone is asleep, it's not good to trouble others."
He was still wearing the clothes he wore when he went to court. The Imperial Censorate and the Dali Temple were the most just and majestic places in the world, and this court dress was not only an official position, but also a symbol of status.
But he let it be tainted with the smell of fireworks.
Rong Tang instinctively thought of the dish of squirrel mandarin fish that Wang Xiuyu had personally ordered to be taken away.
As a couple who are the closest or the most distant of relatives, he and Su Huaijing are probably different from every other couple of this era.
Rong Tang was embarrassed and asked him softly, "Have you eaten?"
Su Huaijing replied: "The government office prepared a meal, so I just had a quick meal. I'm not hungry."
Rong Tang said the next second: "Then go get another spoon and we'll eat together."
Su Huaijing raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "I said I've eaten and I'm not hungry. Did Tangtang mishear me?"
Rong Tang retorted confidently: "You said it was just for show, how delicious can it be? Hurry up and get the spoon, otherwise I will have to eat so much by myself and then digest it. When will I be able to sleep?"
The young master's deliberately pretended impatience and domineering look was particularly adorable. Su Huaijing looked at him for two seconds, lowered his head and smiled softly, then stood up and said, "Then I can only listen to my husband." Then she turned around and went to the kitchen to get a spoon.
After they shared a bowl of dumplings, they took a walk in the yard and then lay down on the bed, feeling very satisfied.
It was a hot summer day and Rong Tang was weak, so he couldn't put a cool mat on the couch. He was always worried that Su Huaijing would die of the heat, so he kept hesitating and asking him indirectly whether he wanted to sleep in another room.
Su Huaijing replied that if he was calm he would feel cool. Rong Tang secretly rolled his eyes and thought to himself that you don't look calm at all.
But in the end, no one exposed him. The summer night breeze blew in through the screen window, accompanied by the chirping of insects, which was quite harmonious and comfortable.
Sleepiness gradually rushed towards his head. Rong Tang closed his eyes and spoke to Su Huaijing in a light tone about what Wang Xiuyu said at the dinner table tonight. He sincerely admired her rationality and scheming.
Finally, he told Su Huaijing about his doubts. The villain was stunned for a moment, then smiled and replied in a gentle voice: "How could your mother have any calculations towards you?"
Because there is no calculation in the mind, there will naturally be no suspicion or fear.
She was not deceived by Rong Tang, she just never thought from the beginning to the end that Rong Tang would deceive her.
To take a step back, even if it was a lie, his ultimate goal was just to marry a man, someone who made him spend so much time and effort to get, how could Wang Xiuyu not try every means to get him back
The love between mother and child cannot be generalized by common sense.
Now that she is no longer willing to love, she will naturally start from the perspective of herself and Rong Tang and gain enough benefits for them from this palace.
Rong Tang narrowed his eyes slightly when he thought of this.
Su Huaijing asked him: "What is Tangtang thinking about?"
Rong Tang: "Why did mother suddenly want to divorce?"
More than 20 years have passed, why is she suddenly willing now? Has something unexpected happened, or has she discovered something unknown
Su Huaijing understood what he meant, and after a moment of silence, he said softly, "Mother lived in the mansion for a while at the beginning of the year. Maybe she heard something at that time, or she was wronged."
Afraid that Rong Tang would have trouble sleeping that night if he continued to think about it, Su Huai patted him gently and comforted him in a gentle voice: "It may be because mother was worried about you in the past 20 years, so she tolerated and gave in. Now that we live outside the mansion, away from the privacy of the inner house, mother feels relieved and is willing to divorce. It is not impossible. Tang Tang does not need to worry too much."
Rong Tang didn't believe it completely, but from his perspective, this was partly the reason, so he didn't refute it. He just rubbed his head against the pillow and said in a low and frustrated voice: "Mom is so good to me, how could I find out now?"
He was about to shrink into a little quail, Su Huaijing laughed and coaxed him: "Think about it from another angle, the reason why you just discovered it now shows that your mother has never put pressure on you."
Wang Xiuyu's love for her son was given silently, she never publicized it, nor did she ask for anything in return. When Rong Tang needed something, perhaps before he even realized it, Wang Xiuyu had already sent someone to get it done.
Because it was too inconspicuous and had blended into daily life like spring water without a trace, and the mother and son did not live in the same courtyard, they did not have many opportunities to meet, so it was normal that they would not notice it at the first time.
In her previous two lives, Rong Tang was busy with missions and assisting Sheng Chengli, so she would not pay too much attention to the trivial matters in the mansion. The princess herself was an extremely smart and strong-hearted person. Except for Rong Mingyu, almost no one had seen her soft and fragile side. On the surface, the mother and son had always been polite, loving and filial, but they had never been as close to each other as the closest people in the world.
Now that they have spent more time together, Rong Tang has gradually become more "sensible", and Wang Xiuyu has gradually revealed her tenderness and weakness as a mother in front of him.
She is strong and she is also weak.
Rong Tang sniffed and said nothing.
Su Huaijing patted his back slowly, coaxing him for a long time before finally coaxing him to sleep.
The next day was a sunny day as usual. It was June and the lotus flowers in the pond were in full bloom. After breakfast, Rong Tang went to find Wang Xiuyu, and the two went to the warehouse together to take inventory.
The housekeeper of the backyard of the palace now is the wife of the second wife, Rong Mingli. Even though she is heartbroken to see large amounts of property being moved out of the palace, on the one hand, this is something that Prince Ning Xuan has promised himself, and on the other hand, the mistress of the palace is still Wang Xiuyu, so she has no right to comment on what the princess does.
The noise was so loud that it alarmed several young masters and young ladies in the mansion who had woken up early.
Rong Zheng and Rong Ning ran over in surprise, and saw Wang Xiuyu bow respectfully and greet her mother, then greet Rong Tang, and then asked in a low voice: "Brother, what's wrong?"
Rong Tang followed Wang Xiuyu's advice in everything he did outside the palace, and praised Rong Mingyu to the sky: "Father was worried that grandmother and mother would not have enough money to live outside the palace, and would have to live frugally and suffer. He also respected and loved mother, and was worried that the palace would be full of people and things, and the storehouse would be understaffed, and he was afraid that rats would eat and miss some treasures. So he simply let mother take the dowry to the other courtyard for safekeeping, which would not only make her feel at ease, but also not be short of money and neglect grandmother."
Wang Xiuyu had a lazy look on her face as she stood aside watching the servants move things. When she heard Rong Tang's words, a smile flashed in her eyes, which made people inexplicably feel that she was extremely proud.
The morning weather was pleasant and everyone was in a good mood, so much so that Wang Xiuyu found Rong Zheng and Rong Ning looked more handsome.
She walked to a box where she had checked the account, asked someone to open it, took a quick look, picked out two things, and called out with a smile, "Zheng'er, Ning'er."
The two were stunned, feeling inexplicably uneasy. They looked at each other and secretly glanced at Rong Tang.
The latter had already seen Wang Xiuyu's actions clearly, and just smiled and nodded: "Mother is calling you."
So the two of them dared to step forward.
Wang Xiuyu placed something in each of their hands: "This pair of Dongzhu earrings was given to me by the Queen. Ning'er is now at the age of marriage, so I leave them to you as a dowry. If you don't want to get married, just think of it as an extra piece of jewelry. It will also look good when you go out to party with the ladies."
Rong Ning was flattered and stunned for a long time. She quickly thanked him with a very sweet mouth.
On the other hand, Rong Zheng was stupid. Wang Xiuyu gave him a seal made of top-grade white jade, saying that it was a treasure awarded by the emperor when Rong Mingyu was crowned king. It was given to him so that he could serve as an official in the court or start a family in the future. He should have a seal that he could show off.
Rong Zheng stepped back repeatedly, his face terrified, and declined, "It's too valuable. This should belong to my elder brother. How dare I take it?"
Rong Tang took a few steps forward, took the seal material from Wang Xiuyu and handed it to Rong Zheng: "You can't refuse a gift from an elder. How much will you suffer in the future if you do this?"
"This..." Rong Zheng was still hesitating.
Rong Tang smiled sweetly at Wang Xiuyu and said coquettishly, "Mother has so many good things, there must be some left for me, right?"
Wang Xiuyu gave him a reproachful look: "Little money slave."
"I have to support my family. It's hard work. Please love me, mom." Rong Tang continued to act coquettishly.
Wang Xiuyu couldn't do anything about him, so she finally moved out of the mansion's ten carts of dowry, and one of them drove straight to Yong'an Lane.
Red silk is hung on the car, representing joy and prosperity.
So much so that when Su Huaijing returned home after work that day, he heard his neighbors chatting at the entrance of the alley: "Have you heard? The family in the alley has taken a concubine! The dowry is being loaded down the truck in boxes. What a scene!"
Su Huaijing: “… ?”
(End of this chapter)