Prev | TOC | Next
———
~ Please support this site by disabling your ad-blocker ❤️ ~
______
CHAPTER 19
———–—————————————
SCHEDULE
Weekly: Fridays and Saturdays
Vote and leave a review for this series' translation here!
Appreciate the translator's hard work by Supporting us and also for bonus chapters!
———–—————————————
"Shi Cui Restaurant."
Both inside and outside the hall, the crowd was so dense that it was almost impossible to move. Fortunately, Tan Jian had reserved a round table near the stage in advance. The waitstaff cleared the way, and they proceeded to the table.
Tan Jian expressed regret that his younger sister hadn't come, "I thought she wanted to come, but Mother was afraid she might get pushed around again, so she left her at home. Otherwise, we would've been even livelier. This theater troupe only comes to Qinglong once every half year. I've been eagerly waiting for this..."
Yang Zhen wasn't familiar with theater troupes as described by Tan Jian, but she thought that Tan Rong might indeed be too timid. It might be better if she didn't come. As she pondered this, she glanced at her elder sister-in-law.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
Her elder sister-in-law had a gentle and quiet demeanor. Were so many people intimidating to her as well?
Yang Zhen had experienced how her elder sister-in-law was mistreated when she first entered the family. She couldn't help but wonder if Xiang Yi was now scared. She turned her gaze but noticed that her elder sister-in-law's initial excitement had faded, and her gaze was directed at someone not far away.
Xiang Yi saw the young master of the Tan family, and her expression paused for a moment before she walked over.
Tan Ting hadn't quite recovered from her sudden change in demeanor. Seeing her approaching him of her own accord eased his tension slightly. As she reached him, he sensed a decrease in the tension. However, as she stood before him, her calm expression held a hint of aloofness.
"Young Master is here. Is there something happening at home? I will return now."
The performance on the stage was about to start, and the noisy chatter in the hall surged like waves. Amidst this, Tan Ting could only catch Xiang Yi's two sentences.
It seemed as though she hadn't considered any possibility other than this situation. Now, she was about to leave.
Tan Jian and Yang Zhen hurriedly followed.
"Sister-in-law, are you going home?" Tan Jian asked in surprise.
Yang Zhen was even more astonished, "The play hasn't started yet. Didn't you say you haven't watched one for a long time, Sister-in-law..."
Xiang Yi reassured them with a smile, "It's okay. There's always next time."
Tan Ting could almost envision her about to bow and leave. He couldn't help but speak before she did.
"There's nothing urgent at home. You don't have to go back."
He spoke slightly faster, and all three turned to look at him, especially his wife, whose eyes held confusion.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
That was right.
If nothing was wrong at home, why would he suddenly appear here?
After all, he knew they were coming, but he wasn't formally invited. He couldn't possibly explain that he ended up here for no apparent reason...
He decided to call for Tan Jian.
"Leave the guards behind; you'll accompany me back home."
Tan Jian was taken aback by what he heard. His elder brother had come to find him?!
The theater troupe that he had been yearning for, the precious moment of taking his wife out for the first time, the little bit of leisure he had managed to steal... were all gone?
Tan Jian was dumbfounded. The play was about to start, and the bustling crowd began to quiet down. Tan Ting didn't want the person to keep looking at him with puzzled eyes, so he directed her and Yang Zhen to move towards the stage to watch the play. Tan Jian was left alone.
Looking at his big brother's fluctuating emotions, he couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong.
However, it seemed like his big brother wasn't planning to leave immediately. Tan Jian held onto a glimmer of hope. "Big brother, it's been a while since you watched a play, right? This theater troupe has a few outstanding plays that are favored by various noble families from different regions. They often invite them to perform."
Seeing that his big brother didn't show any signs of refusal, Tan Jian's gaze fell on a spot that he wasn't sure was on the stage or in front of it. With a little more courage, he quietly mentioned the play he was looking forward to the most.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
"... That play truly moves people to tears. If not for unexpected obstacles, the two of them wouldn't have been separated by life and death... After the young lady's death, the scholar didn't want to live alone anymore. After his elderly mother passed away, the scholar disappeared. The villagers couldn't find him, and in the end, they discovered that he had buried himself next to the young lady's grave..."
As Tan Jian spoke, he was on the verge of tears.
The sound of testing lines and singing could be heard from the stage, and it was the exact play he was talking about. His big brother somehow turned his gaze toward the stage.
Tan Jian's heart was full of hope. He wondered if his big brother had also been moved by this poignant story.
However, the big brother he anticipated being moved was looking at his wife, who had lost her earlier enthusiasm since he had arrived.
Yang Zhen playfully said something to her, but she only responded with a shallow smile. Her enthusiasm was completely gone.
Tan Ting's lips pressed into a tight line.
Tan Jian didn't notice this and continued, "Brother, doesn't this peerless love story truly touch the heart?"
Before he could finish speaking, his brother's gaze fell on him. It was a gaze filled with displeasure.
"A peerless love story? Do you really believe the exaggerated tales that theater troupes use to make a living?"
Tan Jian's head lowered under the scolding, and he heard his big brother's cold snort.
"I think you're lacking in knowledge of classic literature. Tomorrow, I'll have someone buy you five books. Spend more time reading. How can a man get lost in romantic relationships?"
Saying this in a cold tone, his big brother stood up with a stern face and left the Shi Cui Restaurant in big strides.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
The Tan Family.
Qin Jiao didn't dare to delay matters concerning Lady Lin, the wife of Lin Dafu and a member of the Tan family. He was afraid of making mistakes that might displease Lady Lin and bring her dissatisfaction. Therefore, he personally attended to every task.
He didn't expect much, only hoping that Lady Lin would take into account his dedication and help him secure a position as a magistrate or governor. Unfortunately, Qin Jiao had spent his entire life studying for the imperial exams, yet he was only stuck at the level of a successful candidate (juren).
In the current world, there were numerous successful candidates, and even some scions of prestigious families didn't necessarily land good positions, let alone him—a poor scholar from a humble background. The only person he could rely on now was Lady Lin.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
After several days of being out, Qin Jiao returned to the Tan family, feeling sore all over. Upon his return, he heard about the incident where Xiang Yi's accounts were audited. He didn't even have time to drink tea before he exclaimed, "They audited Madam Xiang's accounts? What happened? How much embezzlement was involved? How did the Lord handle it?"
But the response from the servant he asked left him bewildered.
"Sir, the accounts were audited, and every figure was accurate. Madam wasn't involved in any embezzlement. Instead, Lord held a meeting and personally dealt with the troublesome relatives..."
The servant finished speaking, and Qin Jiao froze in place. No embezzlement? She didn't embezzle like her father, Xiang Zhiyuan? This astonishing revelation left him dumbfounded. But then another thought occurred to him.
He urgently stopped the servant. "What about the letter I gave you before?"
In that letter, he had firmly asserted that Xiang Yi was not clean-handed. The matter wasn't resolved yet, but he had hastily written a letter to send to Lady Lin. And now, with Xiang Yi not being implicated in any wrongdoing, wouldn't his letter become a joke?
He immediately told the servant to give him back the letter, but the servant scratched his head and replied, "Sir, how can we get it back now? Three days ago, there were people from the government office heading to the capital. I entrusted the letter to them, and they've taken it to Beijing!"
The letter had been sent three days ago. Qin Jiao took a deep breath, feeling like he was about to be sent away as well. But since the letter had been sent to Beijing three days ago, there was no way to retrieve it now.
Dizzy and disoriented, Qin Jiao realized that while he was meticulously managing his properties, he had made a grave mistake here.
Was his dream of becoming a magistrate or governor shattered?
Feeling a sense of desolation, Qin Jiao considered that Lady Lin wouldn't change her attitude towards Xiang Yi just because she turned out to be innocent. After all, Lady Lin looked down on Xiang Yi due to her background. In her eyes, how could a corrupt official's daughter from a common clan be worthy of a distinguished Tan family scion?
Therefore, even if the contents of his letter weren't true, Lady Lin wouldn't doubt it. Instead, she might even be pleased. After all, this would further reinforce her belief that Xiang Yi wasn't a suitable match for the Tan family's young master.
With this realization, Qin Jiao regained some of his composure. What mattered most was that Lady Lin acted according to her own wishes. As long as she was content with her actions, she probably wouldn't focus on him too much.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
As the year-end approached, life became busy again, seemingly returning to its usual rhythm. However, the husband of Xiang Yi, the young master of the family, had spent the past couple of days confined to his room or courtyard, making things a bit inconvenient.
For instance, just yesterday, Qiao Xing hurriedly entered and exclaimed, "Madam's seal carved with the character 'ĺ’Ś' was sold for thirty taels of silver!"
Xiang Yi was surprised. She thought twenty taels would already be a decent sum. She was about to ask a question, but then she realized that the master was still inside the room. She glanced over and noticed that he paused while flipping through his book. His expression seemed to soften a bit, as if he had seen something interesting.
Xiang Yi didn't understand. Although the Tan family didn't have strict rules prohibiting daughters-in-law from working outside, she didn't want to discuss her private matters in front of him. So, she called Qiao Xing outside to continue talking.
With him at home, Xiang Yi naturally couldn't drive him away. This was his domain, and she was just here to handle some affairs. So, it was better to avoid any inconvenience.
Now, Xiang Yi was in Qiao Xing's room. Qiao Xing had sewn a thick cushion for her and prepared some hot soup to keep her warm. Xiang Yi thanked her with a smile and opened the letter she had just received from Ji Xiang Seal Shop.
The letter was still written by her sister, Xiang Ning. She started by updating her on recent events. Seeing her sister's stronger handwriting, Xiang Yi knew that her sister's health had improved compared to the previous years when she often suffered from various illnesses. Winter wasn't treating her badly.
Xiang Ning briefly mentioned some trivial matters and wrote about how she had been walking a lot to improve her health. However, her brother, Xiang Yu, didn't allow her to walk at night, fearing that she might fall into a ditch due to night blindness.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
Xiang Yi found this amusing. Xiang Ning continued by describing Xiang Yu's recent activities. Xiang Ning mentioned that Xiang Yu had gained the favor of one of the scholars who managed the Qingzhou Daily. He was selected to join the editorial team and help with selecting articles.
Although it was a time-consuming job, it allowed him to read many articles every day, along with interesting anecdotes from various fields. Xiang Ning had also started reading some of these and found them amusing and intriguing, though she wasn't sure if they were true or not.
This Qingzhou Daily was conceived during their father's last year in office. He had thought of combining the important government documents with well-written articles and distributing them to scholars. Although the government documents were essential for scholars to read, they were often distant and inaccessible for those who hadn't yet achieved the ranks of juren or jinshi.
So, their father had instructed Qingzhou Academy to compile government documents with good literary works, and also include interesting anecdotes. This practice had gained popularity in the nearby counties and prefectures. The scholars there would correspond with Qingzhou Academy, sending their own interesting stories and receiving back compiled editions with their contributions included.
Xiang Yu was just a xiucai (a successful candidate) at the moment. Although he had joined the editorial team, he was unlikely to be in charge of selecting literary works. Instead, he might be assigned to curate the anecdotes. Nonetheless, it was always beneficial to broaden one's horizons, and Xiang Ning was pleased that her brother was part of this endeavor.
Xiang Yi didn't pay too much attention to this matter, but upon reading the letter and realizing her family was doing well, and that her siblings hadn't heard about the incident in the Tan family, she felt relieved. She picked up her pen and began writing a reply...
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
The past few days, Tan Ting had been spending more time in the courtyard, and he hadn't seen Xiang Yi much. He understood that she was avoiding him. He acknowledged his past mistakes and knew there were some lingering grievances on her part, so he couldn't force anything.
Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words. He organized several matters and received a letter from Prefect Liao, saying that the reinforcement of the Chao Yun River embankment was almost complete and invited him to inspect it. Initially reluctant to go, he eventually decided to visit.
As Tan Ting departed, Xiang Yi's surroundings became quieter and more relaxed. She took care of household affairs and family matters while having Qiao Xing check on the well-being of Chu Xinggu and her mother. Although the truth had come to light, Chu Xinggu and her mother didn't feel comfortable returning to the Tan household, fearing they might burden Xiang Yi again.
Thankfully, mother Xinggu's relatives were willing to take them in for the winter, so they were planning to travel to their relatives' home. Xiang Yi sighed with relief. This outcome was satisfactory—the mother and daughter wouldn't have to endure the cold looks from some of the Tan family members anymore.
The days grew colder, and Tan Ting didn't return home on the same day he left. He had left on the fourth day of the month and now it was already the fifth. His absence was more pronounced on these particular days, such as the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth of each month.
Today was the fifth day, and as night fell, lamps were lit around the courtyard, yet there was no sign of his return.
Xiang Yi finally relaxed a little, settled herself under the lamplight, and did some needlework before preparing to sleep. Little did she know that at this moment, footsteps resounded in the courtyard.
She heard the maid's report: "Master has returned."
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
We hope you enjoyed this chapter! You can vote for this novel translation and drop a review on Novel Updates!
Show support by clicking on the support button below!❤️
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
0 Comments
What's on your mind...