Uрon arriving аt thе Таn rеsidence, Мrs. Тan was сonversing with thе wifе оf а minоr оfficial.
Sеeing the two pause thеir disсussion аnd rise tо grееt hеr, she smilеd аnd аskеd, "Whаt werе you talking аbоut? It seеmed quite livelу."
The minоr officiаl's wifе, nоtiсing Мrs. Таn's smile without а wоrd, reрliеd, "Wе werе just discussing Lоrd Zhоu's family—thеir еldest dаughter and her husbаnd arrived uneхреctеdly, didn't they? Аt first, wе thоught the еldеst dаughtеr hаd а falling оut with hеr in-laws аnd was sеnt back bу her husbаnd. Вut tоdaу, whеn I wеnt tо Lord Zhou's housе to borrow embroidеry pattеrns, I learnеd that thеir sоn-in-law hаs become a disciple of Chancellor Cheng's second uncle. Chancellor Cheng's second uncle currently serves as a Reader-in-Waiting in the Hanlin Academy and was the second-place scholar in the imperial examinations of the twelfth year of Yongchang. He has been tasked by imperial decree to compile the Annals of the Capital, and their son-in-law, being in a favorable position, is said to be assisting Chancellor Cheng's second uncle in this compilation. That's why they hurried to the capital, bringing their eldest daughter along to pay New Year's respects to Lord Zhou. In a few days, they will also move to the capital to live. They claim it's to better care for their son-in-law, but we all know the truth—they want to continue benefiting from the Cheng family's influence. That's why they're rushing to the capital even with the eldest daughter heavily pregnant, hoping the Cheng family will show some favor to the son-in-law for the sake of their married granddaughter. This just goes to show the saying: 'It's easier to be an official when you have connections at court.' I think all that son-in-law of the Zhou family lacks is the title of a dual-list imperial scholar. Let's hope he doesn't end up failing the exams repeatedly!"
Her tone was normal at first, but by the end, it had turned sour, with not a single kind word.
Mrs. Huang merely smiled, inwardly looking down on Mrs. Tan.
Always associating with such people, always gossiping behind others' backs—no wonder her husband remains nothing more than a ninth-rank minor official to this day.
Mrs. Tan then said, "Madam Zhou and the others have decided to leave for the capital tomorrow. Should we go see them off?"
Mrs. Huang was inwardly astonished.
She hadn't heard a word about this!
But she suppressed her surprise, not wanting others to notice, and said, "I'll always stand with you."
Mrs. Tan smiled contentedly. "Good. I think we should bring a few boxes of pastries when we go..."
Mrs. Huang listened with vague agreement. Upon returning home, she sent a trusted maid to inquire. Soon, news came back: "Their eldest daughter is due to give birth in the second month. Madam Zhou is taking the second young lady to attend to the eldest daughter during her postpartum confinement."
"The second young lady is going too?" Mrs. Huang was greatly surprised.
The maid chuckled. "When I went to ask, I happened to run into Mama Li directing servants to move trunks. She said the second young lady will be staying in the capital for good after she goes. It seems the Cheng family has arranged a marriage prospect for her, and she's going to meet the suitor."
Mrs. Huang was dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Madam Li was beaming with joy. She said to Mama Li, "Yes, that's exactly what you should say. To keep that weasel from scheming against our family."
In private, Madam Li had given Mrs. Huang the nickname "weasel," saying she never came with good intentions.
Mama Li covered her mouth and laughed.
Zhou Zhen returned home.
Madam Li shot Mama Li a glance, signaling her to say nothing. Then she stepped out of the inner room to greet him.
Zhou Zhen asked, "Have all the things been packed?"
"Everything's ready," Madam Li replied with a smile. "We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."
Zhou Zhen asked a few more detailed questions and went to see Zhou Chujin and Zhou Shaojin before retiring for the night.Zhou Chujin was filled with joy at the thought of soon seeing her husband, but Zhou Shaojin felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.
She sent someone to inform Cheng Chi that she would depart for the capital the next day. Cheng Chi had someone deliver travel expenses to her and told her to seek him out at Yuqian Alley if she encountered any difficulties—he lived in the third house from the east end of the alley.
On the surface, everything seemed as usual, but Zhou Shaojin faintly sensed a chill and distance.
Could it be that Uncle Chi’s business ventures were not going well?
Zhou Shaojin tried hard to restrain her emotions.
For women, the inner household was everything, but for men, it was only a small part of their lives.
She couldn’t let herself overthink or become hesitant just because Uncle Chi seemed occasionally distant.
With this thought, Zhou Shaojin took a deep breath and pulled herself together.
※
Perhaps even the heavens were in a favorable mood.
The next day, the wind ceased, the snow stopped, and the sun peeked out with half its face.
Zhou Shaojin supported her sister, bid farewell to the reluctant Zhou Zhen, boarded the carriage, and left Baoding City directly.
In her previous life, after leaving the Cheng family, she had never returned to Jinling, traveling by water all the way to Tongzhou Pier before disembarking. This time, however, she was taking a carriage from Baoding Prefecture to the capital, and the scenery was vastly different. Even though it was winter, Zhou Shaojin couldn’t resist lifting the curtain to glance outside from time to time.
Along the way, people were bustling with preparations for spring plowing.
Zhou Shaojin lowered the curtain and said to Zhou Chujin with a smile, “This year should bring a good harvest!”
Zhou Chujin, nestled in the carriage padded with thick bedding, rested her hands on her belly and laughed, “Shao Jin is now concerned about the year’s harvest?”
Zhou Shaojin blushed and replied, “Now that Father is a prefect, isn’t it only natural for me to care about agriculture and sericulture?”
Zhou Chujin burst into laughter.
The two sisters bantered playfully for a while longer.
That evening, they stayed at a courier station.
Since Zhou Chujin was pregnant, Zhou Shaojin feared she might accidentally bump into her sister while asleep, so she requested separate rooms for each of them. Madam Li, meanwhile, stayed in another room with Zhou Youjin.
How could a courier station compare to home?
In an unfamiliar place, Zhou Shaojin slept lightly.
In the middle of the night, she felt as though someone was in the room.
Chunwan, who was on duty, was exhausted from the journey and didn’t stir when Zhou Shaojin got up. Holding a lamp, Zhou Shaojin looked around but saw nothing.
When she lay back down, that strange feeling returned.
She couldn’t fall asleep no matter what.
Softly, she called out, “Nanny Shang.”
Nanny Shang, who was sleeping in the outer room, quickly draped a garment over herself and entered, asking, “Second Miss, what’s wrong?”
Zhou Shaojin felt uneasy all over and hesitated before saying, “I keep feeling as though there’s something in my room…”
Without suspecting anything, Nanny Shang raised the lamp and looked around. She paused before the tall cabinet of the courier station, which stood beside the trunks containing Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin’s usual clothing, then glanced back at Zhou Shaojin with a meaningful look.
Zhou Shaojin quickly turned and stood by the bedside.
Nanny Shang abruptly opened the tall cabinet.
The cabinet was empty.
Nanny Shang said, “Second Miss, look, there’s nothing here. Perhaps you’re overthinking it…”
As she spoke with a smile, her hand moved like lightning, striking the trunk with a swift palm strike.
The trunk shattered with a loud “bang,” and a tall figure leaped out from within.Zhou Shaojin saw the figure darting about like a hare and falcon, engaging in a fierce "bang bang bang" exchange with Nanny Shang. Zhou Shaojin was horrified. The figure clearly appeared to be a man.
The thought of a man being in her inner chamber made her both anxious and furious. She hurriedly turned to put on her clothes, intending to call for the guards once properly dressed.
Unexpectedly, the man and Nanny Shang abruptly separated.
The man stood before the floor-length curtain, clutching his chest, while Nanny Shang positioned herself protectively in front of her.
Zhou Shaojin instinctively looked up, locking eyes with the man.
"It's you!"
"So it's actually you!"
They spoke in unison.
The man chuckled while clutching his chest, his laughter interspersed with wheezing sounds. "I never expected you to be the magistrate's daughter!" he said, then winked flirtatiously at Zhou Shaojin. "But where did you find this nanny? Impressive skills. Among women, she's certainly top-tier, though no match for me. If I weren't seriously injured, how could she have discovered me..."
Zhou Shaojin widened her eyes in fear, gripping Nanny Shang's collar tightly, and glared fiercely at the man.
The person hiding in her trunk was actually Xiao Zhenhai.
He wore a dirty brown short jacket, disheveled and gaunt, reduced to mere skin and bones. Only his eyes remained as bright as ever.
Wasn't he supposed to be targeting Uncle Chi?
How did he end up hiding in her trunk?
She had just changed clothes in the room earlier. Although she habitually stood behind the screen, who knew if he had seen anything?
As these thoughts flashed through her mind, she felt a surge of shame and anger. She opened her mouth to call for help, but Nanny Shang's urgent voice whispered in her ear, "Miss, don't make a sound. For now, we must find a way to scare him off. Your family's guards are no match for him. Calling people over will only lead to innocent casualties."
How could this be?
Zhou Shaojin's lips trembled before she pressed them tightly together, tears nearly welling up.
Xiao Zhenhai chuckled softly and said, "Don't be afraid, beauty. A true gentleman doesn't fight with women—I won't harm you. I'm just being pursued by old enemies and had no choice but to borrow the reputation of your magistrate's family to leave the city. That's how I ended up hiding in a trunk, never expecting it to be yours. It seems fate has brought us together." As he spoke, he looked Zhou Shaojin up and down. "Two years apart, and you've grown even more beautiful! That brief encounter at the temple years ago—I never thought you'd remember me..."
Though he wore a cheeky grin and his demeanor was frivolous, Zhou Shaojin, who had once been hurt by Cheng Xu, could sense no real malice in him. He was merely speaking thoughtlessly.
Zhou Shaojin felt slightly relieved.
Suddenly, a commotion arose outside.
"Did you hear that too?"
"Yes! It seemed to come from the Second Young Miss's room."
"Hurry and check!"
"Inform Mama Fan. It's the Second Young Miss's room—we shouldn't enter casually."
Remembering Nanny Shang's warning, Zhou Shaojin quickly said, "Hurry and leave! I won't hold this against you!"
Xiao Zhenhai was momentarily taken aback, then smiled. "I never expected this young lady to be not only beautiful but also kind-hearted. What a pity I'm in dire straits now, or I'd surely take you home as my wife..."
Zhou Shaojin flushed with shame and indignation.
Nanny Shang tensely spread her arms, shielding her from behind.
Zhou Shaojin was deeply astonished.
Nanny Shang had never protected her like this before.
It was clear that this Xiao Zhenhai was truly formidable.Someone called outside her door, "Second Miss, are you all right?"
"I'm fine!" Zhou Shaojin hurriedly replied, afraid the guards might barge in. "I just accidentally dropped something. I'm perfectly fine."
The guard acknowledged and slowly walked away.
Zhou Shaojin let out a sigh of relief.
Nanny Shang also sensed that Xiao Zhenhai meant no harm and sneered, "What kind of man hides behind a delicate young woman to avoid trouble? Get out now! Or do you want us to call the guards?"
Xiao Zhenhai grinned, ignoring Nanny Shang, and looked at Zhou Shaojin. "Beauty, why not do a good deed to the end and lend me some travel money? I’ll repay you someday."
※
Dear readers, here’s yesterday’s update.
PS: Typos have been corrected.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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