Volume 1 Chapter 118 Aftermath
No need to be polite, the old lady waved her hand repeatedly, "This child is still being polite with me, originally not feeling well, first time entering the palace, and staying up so late..." She didn't even let them arrange another guest room, and instructed Xi Yue, "Just clean up the warm pavilion, let Ah You stay for one night, and we'll tidy up the guest room tomorrow."
The kitchen sent over steaming hot noodle soup.
Zhen Shiniang shook her head, "I'm not hungry at all." Xi Chun then ordered someone to fetch water.
Zhen Shining fell asleep in the bathtub.
Xiqiu was carried out by Xichun and others. Autumn Chrysanthemum knelt beside the bed, changing her clothes while shedding tears.
Mrs. Xiao sighed after hearing this, "It's not a long life after all." She ordered Xi Chun and Xi Yue, "Prepare a soft couch and let Qiu Ju guard the warm pavilion. You should also be more vigilant in serving her. Let's wait until tomorrow morning to find Dr. Wen to take another look."
Regretting the spring and the moon, they retreated in unison.
Zhen Shining slept for three days and woke up in the evening, opening her eyes to see Qiujie's red and swollen eyes staring at her with worry.
"Miss is awake!" Seeing her open her eyes, Qiuju burst into a smile, and tears fell down, hurriedly taking up her sleeve to wipe them away.
Zhen Shiniang grabbed her with one hand and handed her a handkerchief from the bedside, "You...," sighed, "In the future, you'll have to go out with me more often, and can't cry like this all the time."
"I didn't want to cry, but these tears won't listen to me." Qiuju pouted, "Miss has been sleeping for two days, and Jiaku's aunt is not here either, I'm so scared to death."
She slept for two more days!
Zhen Shiniang's heart sank as she listened, "It seems my life won't last long!" Seeing Qiuju staring at her with wide eyes, she smiled and said, "You don't know, sleeping is the best way to nourish one's spirit. I'm weak from blood deficiency and overexertion, so a nap like this will help me recover." Her expression turned serious, "This is good news. It's not my first time sleeping so soundly, you mustn't cry and make a fuss in the future."
Making a big fuss as if one's mother had died.
Zhen Shining is the doctor, and seeing her sleep this sleep and wake up in good spirits, even with some rosy cheeks, she also remembered that Wen Taiyi said she was exhausted, so Qiuju put down her mind. "I understand." She then mentioned what had happened over the past two days, "...Xiao Daren has not returned to the mansion, on the 16th of the first month, the bad news about Cao Xiangye came out, Anqing Hou submitted a letter of resignation, requesting to resign from his position as Grand Secretary and Taifu. He was retained by the Emperor." She looked up at Zhen Shining, "What is meant by 'retained'?"
Something big happened, and the Zhong Tang Fu was like an earthquake for two days. The maids had already spread the news among themselves, and Qiuju was worried that Zhen Shiniang would not have the heart to join in. Now that she saw Zhen Shiniang was fine, her curiosity came out again.
"Leaving it in the middle just means temporarily putting it off, neither saying yes nor no." Zhen Shiniang lazily stretched out her arm to let her serve and help her put on clothes.
"That young lady said that Wan Sui would finally be on time, or still not?" Qiu Ju blinked her eyes.
"I'm not a parasite in the emperor's belly." The crime of treason, yet the Emperor didn't punish Anqing Hou. Zhen Shining really couldn't see through it. However, this had nothing to do with her, and she didn't need to waste her brain cells on it. She asked casually, "Haven't heard about the Empress?"
The queen caught a cold on the first day of the Lunar New Year and was recuperating in the Kun Ning Palace. Autumn Chrysanthemum helped Zhen Shi Niang fasten her buttons, "This is a new set of clothes made by the fourth miss of the Xiao family for the New Year, it's a bit loose on you..." The spare clothes were all at the General's residence, and there was no time to make new ones now. Old Lady Xiao saw that Zhen Shi Niang and the fourth miss had similar figures, so she found two sets for her. Zhen Shi Niang looked down and saw that it was a lake-green plain jacket with a right-hand closure and an ice-green lingxiao flower embroidery on the collar, which was steady and elegant yet lively. She pulled at the hem, "It's much better than my previous one."
She used to have almost all her clothes patched up, regardless of size or thinness, as long as they could cover her body.
She also found herself starting to pick faults after just two good days, and Qiuju chuckled, "The old lady was handed a card to enter the palace to visit the sick, but was rejected by the empress. It is said that an edict was also issued, because the imperial physician said that she needed to rest quietly, even the morning and evening visits of the various palace concubines were exempted." Qiuju had been serving as a messenger for Zhen Shiniang since childhood, and although she didn't understand some things, she could remember them hard and tell Zhen Shiniang about them.
The queen is under house arrest!
Qiu Ju said with a blank expression, Zhen Shining patted her rosy face and said, "Let's go find some ice to apply on your eyes later."
Wanxi suppressed the rebellion of Anqing Hou, and Shen Zhongge's killing of high-ranking officials lost its official reason. It is unknown whether he will be impeached or how Wanxi will deal with him. Just as she wanted to continue asking, Xihua personally brought in a basin of water for washing her face, "Miss Jian has finally woken up." The old lady had sealed her mouth early on and concealed the identity of General's wife, so Xihua and others still addressed her as Miss Jian.
Qiu Ju hurriedly went forward, "Xi Chun sister, quickly put it down, I'll take care of it."
"......Now you can rest assured."
Qiu Ju's words were sweet and many people liked her in the spring.
Chrysanthemum smiled with a giggle.
Xi Chun looked up at Zhen Shi Niang, her respectful gaze tinged with a hint of regret. Behind Wen Taiyi's back, Lao Furen said that she had at most one or two years left to live.
"Hey, such a beautiful person..." Xi Chun sighed again in her heart.
Zhen Shining didn't know about Xi Chun's sigh, seeing her looking at herself, she smiled and asked, "Is the old lady doing well? I'll go see her after washing up." While lowering her head to splash water on her face.
"Master Cao's wife had a big gathering today, and the old lady went to the Cao residence early this morning." Xichun came forward to help her adjust the back of her clothes and muttered, "It's a bit loose." She continued from before, "Let you sleep in, just have breakfast first, no need to wait for her return."
Is Lord Cao collecting taxes today?
Zhen Shining's hand paused in mid-air, "So soon?"
The funeral rites are divided into small and large, the small coffin is usually two days for ordinary people, five days for nobles, and seven days for the emperor. The day after the small coffin is the big coffin. Cao Xianggong was a three-time prime minister, and it's only fitting to follow the etiquette of the nobles.
"His Excellency's ancestral home is in Shun Ning, after the funeral, he will have to move the coffin back to his ancestral home. Afraid that it would be inconvenient to transport when the weather warms up, they rushed to hold the funeral. The Emperor issued an edict granting a posthumous title yesterday."
"Ah......" Zhen Shiniang's eyes flashed with a hint of sadness, and she lowered her head to splash water on her face.
After finishing dinner, regretfully poured away the well-cooked Chinese medicinal soup.
It's said to be Dr. Wen's prescription, Zhen Shining took it over and studied it for half a day, feeling that there was nothing new about it, not as good as her own prescription, "It seems my medical direction is correct."
But her body was getting worse and worse, was she really beyond salvation?
Slowly folding up Dr. Wen's prescription, Zhen Shi Niang's heart was heavy as she pondered whether to go see other doctors another day and discuss it with them.
They say doctors can't cure their own illnesses. In the past, it was because of poverty, but now that's not a problem, she should find some famous doctors to take a look, maybe there's still hope for her. Although she seems very open-minded, Jian Wu and Jian Wen are still young, she really can't bear to leave them behind like this, if possible, she wants to see them grow up, get married and have children with her own eyes.
It would be better if she could live for two more years.
Just then, the old lady came back.
Xian Zhen's tenth daughter woke up, and she pulled her hand to examine it carefully, "Are you okay? Is there anything uncomfortable?" Looking at the beautiful face in front of her, thinking of Dr. Wen's words, Old Lady Xian let out a long sigh.
"That night's discourtesy has worried Aunt for a long time," thinking that she had actually fallen asleep and didn't inform Old Lady Xiao of Cao Xiangye's bad news in the first place, Zhen Shiniang felt some shame.
The old lady wouldn't mind these things.
"Tell Xiuhua Xiuyue, '... bring the plum blossom fragrant pastry that was just awarded in the palace, and add a cup of rose dew.' While pulling her up to sit on the kang, '... Wen Taifu told you it's best to drink less tea.'"
So I didn't let him have tea.
Zhen Shining smiled and nodded, "I only drink boiled water at home."
The old lady took the rose-flavored tea from the maid and handed it to her, "This is best, we women must take care of ourselves, can't..." She wanted to say that they couldn't just rely on men's affection, but thinking of the Shen family's cruelty towards Zhen Shiniang, she swallowed her words. Instead, she talked about the events of the past two days, which were similar to what she had told Qiuju, except when mentioning Shen Zhongjie killing two high-ranking officials that night, she was extremely moved, "Drinking and causing trouble, mistakenly killing high-ranking officials, doing such a reckless thing... The Emperor only scolded him a few times, deducted half a year's salary, and still appointed Li Wei as the Commander of the Nine Gates." Her eyes were filled with envy, but when they met Zhen Shiniang's calm gaze, it slowly disappeared.
No matter how much Shen Zhongxiao was favored, Zhen Shiniang, this wife who had been wronged, could not enjoy any glory, and would even be eliminated as an obstacle to make way for the other. The old lady sighed secretly in her heart, thinking of the previous engagement between Shen Zhongxiao and the tenth miss of Anqing Houfu that had caused a stir.
The old lady was worried on behalf of Zhen Shiyin, but Zhen Shiyin found it amusing.
Li Wei was once the deputy officer of Shen Zhongjie's account, and he appointed him as the commander of the nine gates. The emperor was indirectly telling the ministers that his trust and reuse of Shen Zhongjie would not change, so they didn't need to impeach him again, and impeachment was useless anyway.
It turns out that all the rumors about his unparalleled favoritism were obtained in this way.
That night, he risked his life to fight, but in the eyes of outsiders, he was just a spoiled little rascal who had been pampered by Wan Si, a reckless drunkard who caused trouble. Sighing inwardly, Zhen Shi Niang dared not speak the truth and skirted around the topic, bringing up Cao Xiang Ye with Old Lady Xiao instead.
"...even on his deathbed he still remembered me, and yet I didn't even go to see him off on his final journey." The tone is one of deep regret.
If she hadn't fallen asleep, she would have gone to pay her respects at the prime minister's residence.
"It's better if you don't go." Old Lady Xiao patted her hand, "Even if you did go, Madam Cao might not see you anyway."
Zhen Shining felt secretly surprised in her heart.
The deceased has passed away, and the grudges and grievances before his death have also been settled with the end of life. Being able to pay respects in front of the coffin is a comfort to the deceased, let alone Cao Shangye treating her like his own daughter. So why did Old Lady say such things?
There's no way an old lady like her would say something like that!
As she spoke, she carefully looked at the old lady, "...I don't know what grudge Lord Cao and my father had, why when my father was punished, Lord Cao was fine?"
Judging from Old Lady's tone, the Zhong Tang Fu and Cao Xiang Fu should have a very deep origin. She slandered like this, forcing Cao Xiang Ye's last words to be spoken with guilt in his heart.
I'm sure Madam will speak up for Master Cao and reveal even the most obscure secrets!
