inspire-indiana Chapter 394 A Reply
Chapter 394 A Reply
Zhou Bai stepped quietly into the inner room and saw that Xiu Yun's brows were furrowed. He unconsciously frowned as well.
He gently placed the food box on the table and slowly walked behind Xiuyun.
"Are you writing a letter to Shu'er?" he asked gently.
"Didn't you just reply to my letter half a month ago? What happened?"
Xiuyun put down her wolf-hair brush, parted her red lips slightly, and gently blew the ink on the paper to dry it.
"The people I sent to Jiangning to investigate today have returned..." She tapped the letter lightly with her fingertips, then sighed, "...My father repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, saying he only managed to enter the Duke of Qing's mansion as a strategist through the connections of his mentor. But today's investigation revealed that my father's mentor was merely a scholar who had passed the provincial examinations, and had no reputation whatsoever—"
She looked up at Zhou Bai, "How can one climb up to a prestigious family like the Duke of Qing's mansion?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Bai said, "Could there be some hidden story?"
"Since receiving Shu'er's letter, it was only today that I vaguely remembered someone. Speaking of which... this concerns a secret of my mother's family, and can be considered a family scandal."
“I have an aunt I have never met. My mother is very secretive about whether she is alive or dead. I only remember that when I was very young, my mother vaguely said that my eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to my aunt’s.”
Xiuyun's voice gradually lowered: "I heard that my aunt... eloped with someone back then."
Seeing his wife's sorrowful expression, Zhou Bai stepped forward and knelt before the desk, taking her slightly cool hands in his.
"That person...is the Duke of Qing?"
Xiuyun leaned gently on his shoulder and shook her head softly: "I don't know. My aunt disappeared without a trace after leaving Jiangning. Even if there was any news, my mother never mentioned it to me."
But now that I think about it, the fact that a former servant of the Duke's mansion 'recognized' me means that my aunt had some connection with the Duke's mansion..."
Xiuyun vaguely guessed that her aunt had most likely gone to the capital with the Duke of Qing, and that she might have been in contact with her mother all along.
Was it related to this that my father was able to enter the Duke's mansion?
There are still many mysteries surrounding this. Why did her mother never mention it to her? Did she meet with her aunt during the year or two she lived in the capital? Was her aunt still alive after the incident at the Duke's mansion?
But she never mentioned it until her mother fell ill and was on her deathbed, so her aunt must have already passed away.
Furthermore, Xiu Yun harbored an even more terrifying suspicion—
That old nanny was the wet nurse of the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion. The fact that she could 'recognize' me by my appearance... did that mean...?
Her thoughts were tangled like a jumbled mess, and Xiu Yun had only managed to write down these conjectures in the letter by sheer willpower.
Zhou Bai closed the letter after a long while and comforted him, saying, "Although many years have passed, it is not difficult to investigate. With the power of the Marquis of Lin'an's mansion, it probably won't be long before it is resolved."
However, if this is truly as you suspect, then the eldest daughter of the Duke's mansion would have already passed away.
I've heard that the Emperor and she were childhood sweethearts. If she were still alive, she probably wouldn't be the Consort Qing we know today...
Xiuyun gazed out the window, lost in thought, and said slowly, "The past is gone, and the truth of the matter is not really my concern. But if I can help Shuer by chance, that would be good."
Zhou Bai nodded, got up and opened the food box, and the aroma immediately filled the room.
Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, he suddenly heard Xiuyun ask softly, "Shu'er asked you to resign when your term is up. What are your plans, husband?"
The bamboo chopsticks hung in mid-air, and Zhou Bai fell silent upon hearing this.
After a long silence, he slowly shook his head and placed a piece of osmanthus cake on the celadon plate in front of Xiuyun: "It's not too late to discuss this after my term ends in three years."
Xiuyun looked at his tense jaw and knew what he was thinking. She suddenly reached out and picked up the osmanthus cake, then raised it to Zhou Bai's lips. Zhou Bai was startled, and took a bite from her hand.
"I would prefer you to enter the officialdom, rise to a high position, and become Shu'er's support."
Xiuyun withdrew her hand, her voice as soft as a osmanthus blossom falling on the water, stirring ripples in Zhou Bai's heart.
......
The capital city, the imperial palace.
Until the first snow fell, the Emperor rarely set foot in the inner palace, but he would dine with the Empress every few days. Cuiyutang came less often, only twice in half a month, but she would often send Jingming to deliver some new little trinkets.
Because of the snow, Meng Shu was confined to her room by Consort Chun and Green Willow all day long.
That day, she was holding a medical book and leaning against the incense burner, idly flipping through it. The red charcoal in the burner was burning brightly, making her feel drowsy.
I could hear the soft patter of snowflakes hitting the glazed tiles. After only a short nap, when I looked up again, the red walls and golden tiles were covered with a layer of pure white.
"By the way, my uncle's letter should be arriving soon."
Meng Shu placed the medical book on the small table with intertwined branches and gently tapped the spine of the book with her fingertips.
Hearing the commotion, Green Willow came over to help Meng Shu to the window to look at the snow, and also pulled her fox fur cloak up tighter. "It's been over thirty days since I asked Madam to send the message. If we travel at full speed, we should have news in the next few days."
As they were talking, the cotton curtain was suddenly lifted, bringing in a blast of biting snow.
Winter melon, wrapped in a thick vest with frayed edges, rolled in like a snowball.
She breathed out white puffs of air and said, "The snow outside is so bright that Shushu's eyes will hurt if she looks at it for too long."
Then, showing off her treasure, she counted on her fingers and said, "Shushu, today the imperial kitchen sent over some freshly slaughtered mutton. The hind leg meat, with its perfect balance of fat and lean, is sliced as thin as paper, making it perfect for hot pot. I also brewed some hot milk tea and prepared tender tofu, bamboo shoot slices, lotus root starch dumplings..."
Before he could finish speaking, he swallowed hard.
Seeing this, Green Willow smiled and said, "Didn't Miss Winter say that she should use Physician Jian's Lightness Pill and abstain from meat?"
Winter Melon remained unfazed and said confidently, "You need to be full before you have the strength to swallow pills."
Upon hearing this, Meng Shu said, "Why would you need a slimming pill? Have you forgotten your skills in developing drinks back in the manor? Just boil a pot of these and drink them a couple of times, and you'll probably lose half your size."
Green Willow immediately bent over laughing, her arms trembling as she held onto Meng Shu's arm: "When it comes to eloquence, only Consort Chun can rival you."
"—Who's talking about me behind my back?!"
Xia'er lifted the curtain outside the door, and Consort Chun entered, carrying a hand warmer and wearing a silver fox fur cloak, with unmelted snowflakes still in her hair.
She raised an eyebrow at the people in the room, her gaze finally settling on Meng Shu: "I could hear the laughter from inside from a distance. So they were making fun of me."
Consort Chun never referred to herself as "this palace" in front of them; although it was a joke, it was also full of intimacy.
Green Willow quickly apologized with a smile and hurriedly stepped forward to take the cloak. Meng Shu pulled Consort Chun's hand and moved closer to the incense burner, saying, "Running out in the snow, Mengzhu didn't even stop you."
Mingyue, who was following behind, stuck out her tongue quietly. Mengzhu poked her forehead and said, "It's all because of this girl. She said that when she saw that the Imperial Kitchen sent fresh yellow sheep meat to the palaces, she said that winter melon must be used to make hot pot. Before she knew it, she had convinced the Empress."
Seeing that Aunt Mei was not with her, Meng Shu was about to ask when Consort Chun spoke first: "Mother sent a message saying that Lord Zhou has replied. Since it is inconvenient to bring the letter into the palace, I asked Aunt Mei to go back to the manor."
Meng Shu's expression tightened, guessing that it was probably some important news from Xiu Yun's side.
Consort Chun did not notice Meng Shu's expression. She casually picked up a medical book from the small table, flipped through a couple of pages, and said lightly, "I just happened to run into His Majesty when I came over. In this freezing weather, even the Empress was exempted from the morning greetings. It is truly remarkable that His Majesty personally went to Zhaoqing Palace to visit the confined concubines."
Meng Shu told Donggua and the others to go and prepare a hot pot. Then she said to Consort Chun, "Consort Qing has summoned the imperial physicians twice more. Yesterday afternoon, the Empress Dowager invited the Emperor to speak at Cining Palace... If this continues, I'm afraid the gates of Zhaoqing Palace will be opened in a few days."
......