Сhеng Сhi smilеd аnd nоdded.
Zhou Shаоjin stаmmеrеd, "The Emреror... sending mеdicine... аnd nоw sеnding реоple... hоw can this be..."
Cheng Chi еmbrаcеd her sооthinglу аnd said sоftlу, "I'll ехрlain this tо you latеr. Dоn't let аnything slip."
Hе still had to аttend to thе раtiеnt lаtеr.
Zhоu Shaojin nоddеd woоdеnlу, "I won't tеll anуоne..."
Aftеr аll, she wаs still young and сouldn't withstand such shосks.
Сheng Сhi sighed with a smile, hоlding hеr in his аrms and kissing hеr rереаtеdly. Не cоmfortеd her with manу words, аnd оnlу aftеr sееing hеr complеxion improve did hе leave fоr Cheng Shаo's quаrtеrs.
Zhou Shаojin smiled bitterly in resignation.
Since Second Uncle dared to do this, and Cheng Chi said it was fine, she should just stay out of these matters.
At least it was good that Second Uncle wasn't actually ill.
When she went to prepare the medicine, she wasn't as attentive as before. Thinking that the medicine would either be discarded or wasted, she sat by the stove fanning it while lost in thought.
Would Second Uncle really collude with the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau?
How did he manage to deceive those physicians?
Why was Second Uncle pretending to be ill?
Was it to avoid suspicion because he knew too many royal scandals?
But he had already written the imperial edict and investigated the case to avoid suspicion. Wasn't it too late to avoid suspicion now?
And then there was Aunt Chang.
Did the Emperor send her to Second Uncle simply out of concern? Or had Second Uncle's unusual behavior aroused the Emperor's suspicion, leading him to place Aunt Chang by Second Uncle's side—ostensibly to care for him, but actually to monitor him?
Last time when she and Cheng Chi speculated about their previous lives, she suspected that the Cheng family's extermination in their past life might be connected to Second Uncle. Did Aunt Chang's arrival signal that things were already beginning?
Unfortunately, she didn't know how the Cheng family was purged in her past life, nor whether the Emperor had gifted an Aunt Chang to Second Uncle... This was truly vexing!
Just then, Chunwan's exclamation reached her ears: "Madam, what's wrong?"
Zhou Shaojin looked down and realized the medicine pot was bubbling over, with the decoction spilling out.
Chunwan hurriedly lifted the lid of the pot and said, "Madam, this medicine needs to be simmered over low heat. Fortunately, we noticed in time—there's still about two-thirds of the liquid left." She hesitated before adding, "Madam, should we prepare another batch?"
Knowing that Cheng Shao wouldn't drink this medicine, why bother preparing it at all?
Thinking of everyone's busyness today, Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but feel uneasy.
She hemmed and hawed, "We can just simmer it over low heat now. The decoction might be a bit less, but preparing another batch would be too troublesome."
Would this be disrespectful to the Second Elder?
Chunwan looked puzzled. Seeing Zhou Shaojin lost in thought again, she didn't press further. She covered half of the stove and slowly simmered the medicine.
Min Jia approached.
She said, "Aunt, you should go rest! I'll take care of things here."
"No need," Zhou Shaojin replied with a smile. "The maids and servants are here to watch over it. I'm just sitting here fanning the stove. You were on duty last night, and as the weather grows colder, staying up all night is exhausting. You should go rest for a while! Who knows how long Second Uncle's illness will last—it might not be resolved in just a day or two. If you don't rest well now, what will you do later?"
Min Jia looked at her calm, expressionless face, her gaze somewhat complicated. After a long pause, she softly replied, "Mm," and returned to her room.
Zhou Shaojin continued fanning the medicine.Min Jia was just an ordinary girl, following her parents' wishes and the matchmaker's arrangements. She wasn't at fault. If there was any blame, it could only be said that fate played tricks on people.
She sighed inwardly.
Cheng Chi didn't return until midnight.
In this unfamiliar environment, Zhou Shaojin couldn't sleep at all without Cheng Chi.
She found a book and read while waiting for him.
Hearing movement, she draped her clothes over her shoulders and went to greet him.
Seeing Zhou Shaojin waiting for him, Cheng Chi felt a warmth in his heart. He let Zhou Shaojin help him wash up, then they went to bed, turned off the lamp, and whispered under the covers as they had done in previous days: "Second Uncle told me that the Emperor has been investigating the origin of that aphrodisiac incense. Second Uncle had to assist the Ministry of Rites with the funeral arrangements, but Han Ding has been secretly investigating this matter. Two days ago, Han Ding quietly came to see Second Uncle and said that if the investigation continued, it would implicate the Fifth Prince. He was terrified and begged Second Uncle for advice. Second Uncle told him to investigate thoroughly and let the Emperor decide everything. Han Ding left gratefully, but Second Uncle worried that the Emperor would eventually assign the matter to him, so he simply pretended to be ill... Knowing some things isn't necessarily a good thing!"
Zhou Shaojin listened, her heart pounding wildly. She couldn't help but press her hand to her chest and asked worriedly, "Will Aunt Chang notice anything unusual?"
"No!" Cheng Chi said, chuckling lightly. "After dinner, Aunt Chang served in Second Uncle's inner chamber. She knew what Second Uncle wanted with just a glance from him, which even surprised Second Uncle. From what I saw, she doesn't seem like someone who has only met Second Uncle a few times."
Zhou Shaojin immediately grew curious and said, "Do you think Second Uncle will keep Aunt Chang?"
"That's a matter for the elders," Cheng Chi said with a smile. "No matter what Second Uncle thinks, I think it's nice for him to have a companion in his old age. At least A Bao and A Ren will have someone to look after them."
Zhou Shaojin giggled softly and snuggled into Cheng Chi's arms, wrapping her limbs tightly around him. Feeling secure and content, she said, "Let's sleep now! Tomorrow, many people will surely come to visit Fourth Uncle. Will you go to the palace tomorrow to thank the Emperor on Second Uncle's behalf? What did Second Uncle do with that medicine?"
Cheng Chi shifted his position, holding Zhou Shaojin in his arms, and said, "Second Uncle wants to promote me, so he specifically asked me to go to the palace at this time to thank the Emperor on his behalf. Since Second Uncle has already said it, it wouldn't be good for me not to go. As for the medicine," he lowered his voice and whispered into Zhou Shaojin's ear, "Did you see the cloisonné vase with Peng Zu's birthday wishes, as tall as a person, standing beside the screen in Second Uncle's inner chamber? The medicine is in there!"
Zhou Shaojin's ear tickled from the warm breath he exhaled. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed, "Whose idea was that? That vase is so tall, it won't be easy to pour the medicine out. Why not find a smaller bottle to make it easier to dispose of?"
Cheng Chi rubbed his nose but didn't admit it was his idea. Instead, he said, "Let's leave it at that and not talk about it anymore. Too many people, too many words. Who knows if someone might overhear? This is a crime of deceiving the Emperor!"
Zhou Shaojin felt a moment of sorrow for herself again.
Since marrying Cheng Chi, she had gradually become indifferent to matters concerning the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and others, influenced by her surroundings.
She wondered if her father would be surprised if he knew!
Afterward, the Cheng household indeed became bustling with visitors.By the time Cheng Shao recovered, it was already the second month of the following year.
During the Lantern Festival, the Fifth Prince entered the palace to offer congratulations. After having lunch at Cining Palace, he began suffering from diarrhea upon returning home and passed away within just two days.
In less than a year, the emperor had lost four adult princes.
The Empress Dowager, unable to bear this blow, fell ill.
Lady Pengcheng was extremely anxious. Sometimes she would send people in the middle of the night to ask Old Madam Guo for recommendations of famous physicians from Jiangnan; other times she would inquire whether to offer three or five sticks of incense when burning prayer talismans... This made Zhou Shaojin and the others feel quite tense as well.
The old master of the Song family remained ill but had not yet passed away.
The Song family set Song Mu’s wedding date for the tenth day of the second month.
Madam Qiu, meanwhile, sent someone to the Xie family to request moving the wedding forward.
The Xie family was also worried about encountering another state funeral or some unforeseen incident. After discussions between the two families, they decided to avoid clashing with the Song family’s wedding date and scheduled Cheng Rang and Madam Xie’s wedding for the fourteenth day of the second month.
As in her previous life, Liao Shaotang smoothly passed the provincial examination and would participate in the metropolitan examination held in the capital in the third month.
Joining him in the metropolitan examination were Cheng Xu, Cheng Shi, Cheng Zheng, and Pan Zhuo.
Zhou Shaojin hadn’t expected Cheng Zheng to also pass the provincial examination.
It seemed that after the division of the Nine Prosperities Lane branch, the third branch had its own plans as well.
Madam Qiu somewhat uncertainly asked Zhou Shaojin, “Cheng Zheng came to visit me the other day. I only treated him to lunch. Do you think I should send some food and clothing to the inn where he’s staying...”
Once Cheng Zheng achieved success in the imperial examination, he would become a jinshi.
Cheng Rang was not adept at studying, which gave Madam Qiu a natural sense of reverence toward talented young men in the clan.
She was aware of the conflict between the first and second branches, but she might not know exactly what had happened back then among the first, second, and third branches. However, even those who knew might not be willing to engage with the third branch.
Zhou Shaojin said, “This matter should be discussed with Sister-in-Law. After all, she is the matriarch of the clan.”
Back when Cheng Xu encountered trouble, there were also shadows of the third branch involved. Madam Yuan might not be willing to engage with them.
Zhou Shaojin was only concerned about Liao Shaotang.
Although, with the lessons from her previous life, Zhou Chujin had quickly established herself in the Liao family in this life and remained as loving with Liao Shaotang as before, the Liao family had far too many issues—Zhou Chujin had already given birth to Guan Ge, yet there were still people in the Liao family urging Liao Shaotang to take a concubine on the grounds that Zhou Chujin hadn’t added any new members to the Liao family in the past two years. This infuriated both Zhou Chujin and Liao Shaotang.
If Liao Shaotang could pass the metropolitan examination and become a jinshi, he would have a say in the Liao family and could stand on his own.
Zhou Chujin’s life would become much easier.
Zhou Shaojin went to both Daxiangguo Temple and Baiyun Temple to burn incense for Liao Shaotang, prayed for talismans, and drew a pattern of “immediate promotion to nobility” to send to Elm Tree Lane, asking her sister to make a garment for her brother-in-law to wear during the examination.
She also rushed to the Song family to help Madam Song prepare for Song Mu’s wedding and assisted Madam Qiu with Cheng Rang’s wedding. In just a few days, she had grown noticeably thinner.
Cheng Chi felt quite distressed. When he returned home in the evening, he helped massage her and said, “Things like the gold and silver jewelry, cosmetics, and rouge sent for the wedding preparations—just leave them to the stewards and matrons. Why get involved yourself? Even running to the silver shop to choose designs...”Zhou Shaojin giggled and said, "I just think it's really interesting! I used to envy those who were always surrounded by people wherever they went. Madam Song is very kind, and by going over to help, I've learned a lot from her. Next time someone gets married, I'll be able to handle the wedding arrangements all by myself."
Was it because her previous life had been too lonely?
Cheng Chi's heart instantly ached.
If he hadn't seen that she was still in good spirits, he would have directly forbidden her from going.
He leaned down and kissed her plump shoulder, saying, "Just don't tire yourself out!"
"Mhm, mhm, mhm!" Zhou Shaojin nodded, humming contentedly.
Cheng Chi chuckled and asked, "Is it really that comfortable?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Zhou Shaojin replied repeatedly. "Teach me this technique, and I'll give you a massage later."
※
Dear readers, here's today's update.
PS: I saw Tianwaixianxian's spirit beast egg again... I want to rest properly these two days, so I'll wait until after that to add more updates.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
OpenNovel