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Chapter Forty-Five:
This Is Not a Scandal
It was raining in the winter, and it was a proper way to seek death. The servants and maidservants who were watching saw that something was wrong, and hurriedly dragged the boy and girl into the house. Originally, the servants of the Lou family were not sure yet, but after hearing their young master’s passionate confession in the courtyard, they packed Lou Yao and the young mistress of the Cheng family together and sent them to the county government office. However, the female guards of the Cheng family who also witnessed the scene would not refuse.
That evening, in the backyard of the county government office, Madam Sang received two large gift packages for reconciliation. One was a wet niece with signs of a cold, and the other was a young master of the Hedong Lou family who was wet but showed no signs of cold.
After bathing and changing clothes, no one was surprised that Shaoshang fell ill. She was dizzy, her face was hot, nose running, and her hands and feet were soft, she couldn’t even hold the soup bowl. Her dull head fell asleep. On the other hand, Young Master Lou, who had been traveling for a long time, was strong and energetic. After drinking three bowls of ginger soup, he didn’t even sneeze. He looked around for a while and couldn’t find Shaoshang. He also shyly asked if the whole family would have dinner together.
Madam Sang replied with a smile, “Dinner will be accompanied by you, Uncle Cheng, and me.”
Before finishing dinner, Cheng Zhi and his wife had thoroughly investigated Young Master Lou inside and out.
Madam Sang propped her elbow on the table in thought, occasionally looking up and down at Lou Yao.
Cheng Zhi once again put on his old father-in-law’s picky face and lengthened his voice, “You know where we are going. Since we are near Linjun and have heard of chaos in Dongjun, why didn’t you come and see Shaoshang earlier?”
Lou Yao waved his hand in fear. “No, Uncle, you misunderstood me. Before the incident in Dongjun, my father sent me back to the capital city, saying that he would carefully consider the marriage, and then I slowly rode back. Half a month ago, I could only have seen the gate of the capital city and heard that the governor of Dongjun, Fan Chang, was causing trouble. I quickly turned around to look for you! A few days ago, I bumped into my old servant and his party on the official road and they said my father had already agreed to the marriage. They were sent back by my father to the capital city to send family letters to my mother.”
Cheng Zhi pouted, 20% satisfied.
As a responsible and self-righteous guardian, Cheng Zhi wanted to send Lou Yao back to Shanyang County or the capital city the next day. As a result, Lou Yao refused to leave after hearing Shaoshang was ill in bed. Anyway, Lou had enough money, and wanted to buy a residence in the county.
Cheng Zhi felt his head spin upon hearing this, and he hurriedly dragged Young Master Lou into the side room of the county government office’s backyard to settle down. That day, his niece and Lou Yao had had a big argument, and so many people witnessed it. It took him so little time to get back home from the city defense, and if Lou Yao lived outside again, and people came and went, it would be a bustling city.
Meanwhile, Madam Sang received both good news and bad news.
The bad news was that due to overwork and depression, coupled with being caught in a winter rain, her niece’s cold seemed to have worsened and she developed a low fever during the night. The good news was it was impossible to persuade her niece to leave the clinic, and now it was natural to handle her resignation procedures.
Shaoshang was ill for several days and kept waking up and sleeping, which made Madam Sang increasingly worried. Fortunately, the doctor repeatedly confirmed that excessive fatigue caused wind and evil to enter her body, and gradually recuperating would always be good. Even so, Cheng Zhi still invited a renowned and powerful witch doctor from a neighboring county to perform a fierce prayer in the back of the county government official’s house.
In other words, since the Cheng Zhi couple took over caring for their niece, they had hardly been without worry for a day. When they left the capital, they were worried that she had just been beaten, and the child’s family would take her on horseback rides, play the flute, and visit friends all day.
Alright, her mood had brightened up and she became open-minded and generous. As a result, they encountered the bandits, which made her see piles of dead people at a young age, mostly with incomplete limbs and a miserable state of death. Later, she was asked to take a ride at the medical house, but to her surprise, she took this matter seriously and responsibly.
Going out and returning late, everything must be done in person. Watching her increasingly melancholic and sorrowful expression as she returned from the medical hut every day, Cheng Zhi and Madam Sang couldn’t help but slap themselves in the face. The couple couldn’t help but discuss who had the bad idea in the first place!
“…Oh, I remember. At that time, I was still dealing with my leg injury in the house. The next morning, I got up and heard A’Zhu say that Niao Niao went to the medical house. It was you, that was your bad idea!” Madam Sang looked at the sleeping girl on the bed, worried, and then turned her head bitterly to her husband.
Cheng Zhi sat across from the bed. “It’s not that you keep talking about this since you’ve encountered this chaos. You should take advantage of the situation and earn some good reputation for Niao Niao. How compassionate and merciful she is. There are also wealthy families in the town, and when Niao Niao’s good reputation spreads back to the capital, it will be easier for her to get married in the future.”
Madam Sang touched the girl’s bright red and hot face. “Can we only go to the medical house?”
“Where can we go? Should we take her to the city defense to watch thousands of naked men working, or go to the barracks to listen to the old men there talk dirty? Or go out of the city to appease the people in villages, in case someone slips through the net. What about thieves and bandits? The medical house is different. In the city, there are guards who will watch over you, and the medicinal materials and food will be delivered. But it’s just cooking soup and medicine to check the accounts!”
Cheng Zhi felt he was wronged. “Besides, I didn’t make a fuss when I saw her coming from the mountains of corpses and blood. Letting her help the doctors is natural.”
“What do you know?” Madam Sang lowered her voice. “Niao Niao is that kind of person. If she’s bullied, she will not accept any injustice, and will have to retaliate. But if it hurts her heart…” She gave a sigh. “Niao Niao must hide it in her heart so that no one knows.”
Cheng Zhi sighed. “Yes,” he said. “This disease will get better soon, and then they will get married…”
Madam Sang looked at her husband with a blank expression. “I feel like I’ve missed two things. First, who said that Niao Niao was going to marry Young Master Lou? I haven’t written a single word, yet.”
Cheng Zhi became anxious. “Why not marry?” he asked. “The Lou family is the first aristocratic family in Pengcheng, Hedong! Besides, A’Yao is such a good child. Although he may be a bit clumsy in speaking, his heart is in the right place. Haven’t you seen him these days?”
Speaking of the benefits of Young Master Lou, Cheng Zhi couldn’t stop. “Yesterday, the old man withdrew from the spiritual hall, and the old lady was going to take her family to help the coffin back to her hometown. You and I are too busy to do anything, and there may be no mistakes. It was all the arrangements made by A’Yao running in and out, from the smokeless fine charcoal to the fur-made bedding, and even riding horses to send them out dozens of miles outside of the city. Old Madam Cheng said, if it weren’t for her two granddaughters getting married early, she would have definitely snatched my son-in-law from me! Who in this county town doesn’t praise my good fortune now, like the Lou family in Hedong. The family is famous and diligent and prepared to propose marriage!”
Madam Sang glared. “In just a few days of hard work, you’ve been full of A’Yao, A’Yao. If things don’t work out in the future it’s because of how you end this awkward situation! The second thing you forgot is that Niao Niao was not born to you or me. She has her own father and mother to make the decision about marriage.”
Cheng Zhi remained silent for a moment. He sighed after a while and said, “Who said no, if Niao Niao was born to you and me, I would immediately finalize this marriage! Oh, I don’t know if there will be such a good son-in-law in the future…”
This time, even Madam Sang sighed. “Yes,” she said, “if I were to speak freely, I would also be grateful for a son-in-law like A’Yao! I don’t know how Sister-in-law plans to do it.”
“What else can we do? Just wait,” Cheng Zhi said helplessly. “I hope Sister Yuan Yi doesn’t get confused about this.”
However, both husband and wife were wrong in their predictions. They received a response from Cheng Shi first.
After four days of being in a daze, Shaoshang’s fever broke and she completely regained consciousness. Although she had woken up from time to time before, she was still unconscious and unable to handle things. Although the body was still weak, her head was clear and bright and obviously there was no serious problem.
On the same day, Cheng Zhi and his wife received a silk family letter urgently sent by the military cavalry, and the seal on it was the emblem of their elder brother Cheng Shi. After reading the letter, the couple realized that Cheng Shi was in Pingyuan Commandery at Qingzhou at this time, and was only two days away from Shanyang Commandery in Yanzhou, which was where the Lou father lived.
The meaning in Cheng Shi’s letter was very simple: the Lou family was also a prestigious family and it was a great blessing for the Cheng family to be able to marry into them. This matter was only asked about the intentions of Shaoshang. If she agreed, then she would become a relative. If not, then she wouldn’t.
Cheng Zhi read this family letter three times and sat back, saying, “Elder Brother is really the one who makes the decision about marriage. How can you listen to the child? What does Niao Niao know?”
“You’re the one who doesn’t know anything.” Madam Sang grabbed the silk scroll and walked out. “Your brother is wise. With Niao Niao’s temperament and ability, if she doesn’t want to, she will make a fuss about it. If, on the other hand, she does want to…” She smiled. “Everything will be smooth sailing.”
As she spoke, she turned around and left, turning in the corridor and walked straight into Shaoshang’s room.
At this time, A’Zhu had just washed Shaoshang, and served her with bone congee and sweet honey steam cakes. Shaoshang begged A’Zhu to open a window to breathe, otherwise, the disease and food smell in the room would be difficult and unbearable.
A’Zhu’s face was as black as a pot and she had to work tirelessly to drag the young mistress back from the hands of the King of Hell. She then raised a white and chubby child, naturally showing disdain for anyone who did not value her hard work, including Shaoshang herself!
After Shaoshang’s good words were fully expressed, she acted coquettishly and added A’Mei’s assistance. A’Zhu finally agreed to open the window half a grid. When Madam Sang entered the room, she quickly closed the window again.
Madam Sang looked at the tough back of A’Zhu as she left and smiled. “If you don’t take care of your body again, I will tie you up and give you back to your mother. You don’t want to think for me and your uncle. Your father entrusted you to us. If you have good or bad intentions, your uncle and I still have the face to return to the capital!”
Shaoshang fell on the ground and raised her arms to make a bow. She said, “Aunt, please forgive me. I already know I’m wrong. These days, A’Zhu hasn’t given me a good face.”
Madam Sang stepped forward and pushed the girl back onto the bedding, took out the roll of silk and handed it to her. She picked it up. “Is it something urgent? Why is Father in Qingzhou?” Shaoshang quickly read through it, and her first thought was that Father Cheng was just what she wanted, not only using simple and easy words, but also writing in a font that she could understand.
Madam Sang tucked up the four corners of the quilt. “Your father has a tight tongue, and we only know this,” she said. “The emperor has ordered Qingzhou to eliminate banditry these days. Ordinary bandits and thieves are always on the lookout. Only in Pingyuan Commandery, there is a band of bandits, who are always hard to attack with the help of high mountain strongholds.”
“The emperor asked Father to eliminate them?! How dangerous!” Shaoshang immediately became nervous. She could remarry if she married the wrong person, but Father Cheng was so good that she didn’t want to change her father!
“No! With His Majesty’s current strength, what thieves and bandits cannot be eradicated?” Madam Sang pressed the girl’s shoulder back onto the bedding. “The emperor heard that it was some kind of righteous bandit who had been protecting the village during the war for many years and was loved by the people. His Majesty couldn’t bear to commit murder, so he wanted to recruit an army. Your father once recruited a large stronghold in Qu Ling, which was well preserved both inside and out. His Majesty was very satisfied, and that’s why he went to recruit again. Otherwise, like General Wu, he would be brave and invincible, and could easily slaughter cities and capture prisoners, causing blood to flow into a river. His Majesty would not like that.”
As soon as she heard that, there was no need to worry, and Shaoshang breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing her like that, Madam Sang pursed her mouth and poked her, “Hey,” she said, “don’t worry about your father now. I heard that he will be there soon. What do you say? Will you marry or not?” She used a joking tone, deliberately teasing the young girl and wanting to see her niece blush.
Unexpectedly, Shaoshang was not shy at all. Just like deciding whether to have soup or rice for dinner, she lightly said, “Marry, of course. Please hurry and write a letter to Father saying that I agree.”
“You… you’re sure?” Madam Sang asked, surprised. “You don’t want to think about it anymore?”
“What does Aunt want to say?” Shaoshang slowly raised her head and looked at her.
Madam Sang chose her words carefully. “What about Yuan Shanjian? Don’t you have any interest in him? Didn’t you tell me that he even sent you medicine before he left? And…” She bit her tongue and didn’t mention another name.
“So what?” Shaoshang picked up the silk scroll. “The Lou family has been a famous family since the previous dynasty and has not declined for many generations.”
“The Yuan family has also been a famous family since the previous dynasty, and has not declined for many generations!”
“Young Master Lou has treated me with the utmost sincerity and affection, simple and pure.” Shaoshang’s ten fingers were slender, rolling the silk without any disorder.
“Although A’Yao is good, in terms of talent, academic ability, and political power, Yuan Shen can suppress him a hundred times!”
“So, you have seen Yuan Shen?” Shaoshang rolled up the silk and slowly tied it with a brocade rope.
Madam Sang stopped talking.
Shaoshang placed the roll next to her pillow. “Aunt,” she said slowly, “let me ask you. Isn’t the Lou family not worthy of its name? It looks like a cluster of flowers, but it’s actually an empty bag.”
“The Lou family is wealthy, and I dare not say that they are the richest in the world.” Madam Sang shook her head. “There are still some richer east of the river. In court, they have a good reputation.”
“Is it true that the young master had some wrongdoing and cannot be allowed to marry?”
Madam Sang shook her head again and gave a bitter smile. “A’Yao’s previous fiancé was He Zhaojun, who was a famous and shrewd little girl. If anything went wrong with A’Yao, she would immediately shout all over the city.”
“So, is it because Young Master Lou’s parents dislike me for my bad reputation and lack of family background that they don’t like me?”
Madam Sang couldn’t help but laugh in spite of herself. “Looking at Master Lou’s enthusiasm in delivering letters to your parents, I believe he has no prejudice against you. As for Second Madam Lou… I know a little…” She smiled. “She really didn’t like He Zhaojun. She had repeatedly signaled to Madam He that she should teach her daughter well. Later, when the He family broke the engagement, she lost face and felt sorry for her son’s humiliation. I think she should be full of hope for you.”
Shaoshang spread out her small hands and smiled. “Since that’s the case,” she said, “why can’t I marry Young Master Lou?”
Madam Sang hesitated, not knowing how to say what she wanted to say. “Don’t you want to wait and see if there’s a better candidate?”
Shaoshang leaned back against her pillow with a smile. “Aunt, I don’t have much experience, but I know that the most difficult thing to guess in this world is the human heart. The human heart is separated by the belly, how do you know what people think in their hearts? Since you can’t guess their hearts, then watch their actions. Young Master Lou is indeed not as talented as Yuan Shen, but he really holds a heart in front of me.”
Madam Sang remained silent.
“But, what does Yuan Shen think in his heart? I don’t know, and no one knows. What if he was just teasing me and doesn’t have the heart to marry me, and I pushed him for such a good marriage?!” Shaoshang shook her head as if to say to herself, ‘I wouldn’t know.’
Madam Sang couldn’t help but sigh.
Shaoshang looked at Madam Sang and gave a sweet smile. “Aunt, you are the best-looking child in your own family. You always think that I’m good here and there. But I am not that good, I am just the most ordinary little woman. If I’m different it’s because my mouth is sharper, temper is worse, and am more cunning. Now that I can win the favor of Madam Lou, it is my great fortune. If I have any greed, it’ll become a joke.”
Madam Sang remained silent for a long time. “…What you said is also reasonable,” was the only thing she could say.
“Aunt?” Shaoshang suddenly raised her voice and laughed. “When you mentioned Yuan Shanjian just now, did you also want to mention Ling Buyi?”
Madam Sang’s heart shook. “What are you talking about?” she smiled.
“The day that I came out of the hunting house, Grandfather Li whispered to you for a while about how Ling Buyi took care of me,” Shaoshang looked at her aunt with interest. “But just now, you dare not mention his name. Because you also know that for someone which such a high position and power, any more thoughts would be self-indulgent. You were afraid of causing me to think recklessly, so you simply didn’t mention it.”
Madam Sang looked at the girl’s clear eyes and couldn’t say a word.
“Master Ling has a strong and kind-hearted personality. He came to save our lives, despite being seriously injured, but he has to be thought of by others for no reason. He has encountered so many such things that he looks cold all day.” Shaoshang laughed happily at herself. “Ten birds in the forest are better than one bird in the hand. I have long known this truth.”
Madam Sang gave a sigh and patted the young girl’s hand. “Okay, I’ll tell your uncle to write to your father.”
When someone raises a child, they always worry that the child might not be able to see clearly, and their self-esteem would be too high, but they raise their own children, but they are worried that their niece would think too clearly, which made people feel heartbroken for no reason.
Shaoshang sighed a few times. She heard heavy footsteps in the courtyard outside of the house, followed by the clear and hurried voice from a young man, “Nanny, is your young lady better today…?”
Then there was A’Zhu’s low voice, which was hard to hear in the room.
Shaoshang laughed. “Aunt doesn’t know, Nanny told me that at this time of day, Young Master Lou always comes to ask after me and then stands in the courtyard for a while before leaving.” As she spoke, she suddenly raised her voice significantly. “Nanny, I’m much better now. Please let Young Master Lou come in!”
The girl’s crisp and clear voice spread outside the room. After a while, she only heard a flustered sound of taking boots off. A’Zhu slowly pushed the door open, careful not to let the cold wind blow into the room. The brave and vigorous young man strode in.
She didn’t see clearly that day in the rain, and hadn’t seen him for two months. Lou Yao seemed to have grown a few inches taller, his face slightly tan, and gradually faded away from the boy’s youthful stubbornness, become more like a dignified man.
Lou Yao bowed and greeted Madam Sang, who was sitting on the side of the bed. When he saw her nod and raising her hand, he sat down on a fluffy cushion on the floor.
Shaoshang smiled at him. “Young Master Lou,” she said. “I heard the maidservants say you’ve been busy inside and outside these days. It must have been very hard for you.”
Lou Yao looked up and saw the girl on the bed, after a long illness, her skin was almost white and translucent, with only a touch of pink on her lips. Her dark eyes grew larger, and her fragile skeleton supported her spacious pajamas, feeling very lonely and pitiful.
But he felt that the girl was extremely beautiful, like a butterfly breaking through its chrysalis, painfully peeling off the layer of baby-like chubby temperament that was being nurtured, transforming into a thrilling and isolated beauty.
Lou Yao only glanced once, then dared not look again. His face turned red and he spoke politely, avoiding her gaze.
Shaoshang picked up the silk roll and shook it. “Young Master Lou, my father sent a letter today. He has agreed to this marriage.”
Lou Yao suddenly looked up and was pleasantly surprised. “Really? Really?”
Shaoshang found it funny and couldn’t help from saying, “Some people have impersonated the military notices, some have impersonated official documents when they were appointed, and some people also impersonated the family letters for marriage alliances.” She suddenly changed her tone and said softly, “Young Master, there are no words yet. I heard my aunt and uncle call you A’Yao. How about I also call you A’Yao?”
Lou Yao looked at the beautiful expression of the girl and his heart was filled with hot air. He became even more flustered. “Okay! Can… can I call you Shaoshang…?”
“Of course you can,” Shaoshang smiled gently, like a budding flower. “I heard from my uncle that you want to start your own household, even if it’s remote and poor, and you have to rely on your own ability. I can settle accounts, read paperwork, and understand farming. Will you take me with you when the time comes?”
Lou Yao’s eyes were warm for a while, and tears flowed out of excitement. He was speechless with joy and said loudly, “Okay! Let’s go together, and we are not afraid of hard work!”
Madam Sang looked to the side, trying not to smile at her niece’s feeble speech. This was the most natural law in heaven and earth. Her niece had finally grown up and learned how to use her beautiful face to achieve what she wanted.