As Yuxi and her servants moved into their new home, everyone would surely come over to congratulate them. That afternoon, Yuru and Yujing came over one after another, and they both prepared some gifts.
The embroidery patterns behind this kang (heatable bed) is called kang screen. It's used as decoration.
Image Credit | 沅汰 (走进清宫看陈设, Sep 13th, 2017)
Image Credit | 沅汰 (走进清宫看陈设, Sep 13th, 2017)
Yuru prepared a pair of kang screens. "I embroidered it myself. I hope Si Meimei won't dislike it." Yuxi's embroidery was good, which was known all over the Duke of the State Residence. It was a pity that Yuxi pursued perfection. Thus she had made only a few embroidered works. Only the Old Lady and the First Lady had obtained her embroideries, while others didn't have the opportunity.
Yuxi took the kang screens and smilingly said, "It's not too late to like it, and how can I dislike it?" Yuxi also knew that she always blew apart the hairs upon a fur to discover any defect, but she couldn't help it. If the embroidery wasn't to her liking, she would rather destroy it than use it.
The seat screen generally refers to a screen with a base that cannot be folded. In ancient times, it was often used as a barrier behind the main seat to recognise nobility and dignity. - 座屏, Jun 16, 2016
Yujing’s gift was also embroidery, which was a pair of seat screens. The difference was that at first glance, Yuxi could see Yuru’s pair of kang screens had been embroidered by herself, while Yujing's gift was clearly from her maid's hand. Yuxi didn't show any dislike for it, and she smiled as her expression of thanks.
What Yuchen had given her as a gift was a painting. Tingyun Pavilion had already been tidied up a long time. Thus, at the beginning of the fifth lunar month, Yuchen resolutely moved back to Tingyun Pavilion despite the opposition from the Old Lady Han.
Yuxi originally thought it was a painting Yuchen painted herself. That was why she was shocked when she opened it. Yuchen had gifted her Wu Daozi's 'Five Saints and a Thousand Officials'. Yuxi hastily declined it, "San Jie, this gift is too valuable. I can't take it. If San Jie really wants to give me a painting, please paint one for me, and I'll like it even more." This thing was priceless! Yuxi couldn't even figure out why Yuchen was giving her such an expensive gift.
Yuchen shook her head and said, "When things have been sent out, there is no reason for me to take them back. If you really like my painting, I will draw it and send it to you another day."
It was not good to accept something so valuable, but then again, Yuchen looked like she wouldn't take it back once she had given it away. Yuxi felt like Yuchen was giving her a hard time. [+]
Yurong looked at Yuxi's awkward expression and felt that Yuxi was truly pretending. This painting was worth several cities. Yuxi's heart must have been eager to receive it from Yuchen while going as far as pretending to be awkward. But as Yurong thought about how Yuchen had sent her a few mediocre things from the moment she came back from Hebei until now, she became agitated. She was also her younger sister, but she received such different treatment from Yuchen.[T/N]>
Yuru smiled beside her as she urged, "This is San Mei's piece of mind. Si Meimei, just take it!" She remembered when she first saw the painting, how jealous she felt. However, she didn't expect that it would be in Yuxi's hands in the blink of an eye. However, it was fortunate that she didn't snatch away the painting that day.
Those bandits didn't understand anything about calligraphy and painting, let alone this painting of the 'Five Sages and Thousand Officials' hanging in the parlour. That was why they didn't take any precious calligraphies and paintings in the study.
Yujing really couldn't tolerate seeing Yuxi being neither leftwards nor rightwards as she said, "Si Mei, don't be sentimental."
With Yuchen's gift having been given out first, Yurong and Qiu Yanfu's gifts could just be ignored. The two didn't want to give Yuxi any gifts, but it was because it would be terrible if they didn't give any.
After everyone sat down, a maid brought in several plates of peaches. These peaches were fragrant and tempting, and their colour was gorgeous. Yuxi smiled and said, "These peaches taste good. Everyone should try it."
Yurong looked at the peaches and asked, "Did you buy these peaches, Si Jiejie?" Everyone in residence knew that Yuxi's courtyard had burned down, so where would she still have the money to buy peaches. The peaches were just on the market, and they were so expensive that most ordinary people couldn't afford to buy them.
Yuxi smiled, "No, I don't have that kind of spare money. These peaches were sent over by Er Ge this morning." As for whether Han Jianye bought it or got it from someone else, she wasn't sure.
Yurong sneered. Yuxi only knew how to curry favour with the family’s main branch, without looking at which side she was currently on. Yurong didn't know what her father thought about this, but unexpectedly he didn't seem like he even cared and just let Yuxi have her way to court favour with the main branch.
Yuru smiled and commented, "Er Ge really loves Si Meimei."
Yuxi didn't seem to see the different expressions on everyone's faces as she happily smiled. "Yeah! Er Ge loves me very much. He will think of me every time he sees good things outside. In these years, many rare items that I've got were bought by Er Ge."
Yuchen listened to these statements with a forlorn look on her face.
Momo Gui didn't know at first that Yuchen had sent Wu Daozi's 'Five Saints and a Thousand Officials' as a gift. After she knew about it, she advised, "Miss, if you're sending such a valuable thing to Fourth Miss, what will you send to Eldest Miss and Second Miss for their happy occasion in the future?"
Yuchen smiled, "It's not like they're going to have the joy of moving into a new house." She lost all her jewellery while the bandits had broken some of her porcelain and jade ware into pieces. Nevertheless, she still had all those fixed assets, such as the house deed, land title, and silver drafts, so Yuchen didn't wound her muscles and move her bones.
Momo Gui softly said, "Miss is very good to the Fourth Miss." It was too good, which made others feel that the Third Miss was clinging to Fourth Miss. [+]
Yuchen indifferently said, "It's just a painting. How can that be considered as good!"
Momo Gui thought of Yuxi's manner and said, "Miss, no matter how well Fourth Miss behaved usually, it is an unchangeable fact that she has a grudge against the Old Lady and the Lord in her heart. Otherwise, she should have taken Zijin and the Deng's sisters to the Main Courtyard to protect the Old Lady that night instead of going to the Master Courtyard. If the Fourth Miss had gone to the Main Courtyard, so many people would not have died in there." Momo Gui said these words in the hope that Yuchen could guard against Yuxi and not get emotional.
It had been such a long time, so how could Yuchen not know what Momo Gui thought as she softly said, "Momo, please go out. I want to be alone." It wasn't like she didn't know what Momo Gui said. It was just that night matter, what position did she have to blame Yuxi?
After Momo Gui left, Yuchen went to the window and looked at the swaying lotus flowers outside. Her mood was unusually heavy.
During this period, Yuchen had been reflecting. Yuxi knew to let her maids take refuge in the rockeries in the garden after discovering that something was wrong, but what about her? She only followed Momo Gui to the main room and left all the others behind. If she had arranged the servants like Yuxi, would those people be alive? Also, Yuxi kept Zijin and Deng's sisters in the Master Courtyard, while she and her grandmother did nothing. When they knew that the bandits had come, they hid in the secret cabinet of the Buddhist temple, and they didn't care about the maids at all. She hid in there, as she listened to the cries of people for help, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't forget that kind of feeling until the day she died.
Also through this incident, it made her see the difference between herself and Yuxi. Yes, Yuxi's looks and talent couldn't compare to hers, but in other aspects, she was far inferior to Yuxi.
Yuchen sometimes felt that Yuxi was like a mirror, and every time she looked into it, she could find her flaws. It was not scary to have flaws. It was scary when one did not know where one's flaws were.
That evening, Yuxi received a gift from Han Jingyan, which was a set of four treasures of the study. After taking a look at it, she told a maid to put it in the study.
By having a study, reading was much more convenient for Yuxi. However, after reading the medical books for half an hour, she felt out of sorts. She remembered the burned Book of Han and the notes that she had made. Her six years' hard work had gone to waste.
The next day, Yuxi sought out Qiu Shi, stating that she wanted to buy books. The books that she had bought before had been reduced to ashes, which Qiu Shi knew all about. However, she disagreed with Yuxi's request.
Qiu Shi explained, "There is still some chaos outside. After some time has passed, you can go out to buy books." Seeing that Yuxi didn't quite agree, she continued, "If it's so urgent, then you can ask your Er Ge to buy it for you." With what happened before, Qiu Shi had become frightened.
Yuxi smiled as a response and talked about another thing, "Eldest Aunt, shouldn't we let the Deng sisters go back?" Since the incident, Qiu Shi had made the Deng sisters stay behind. Usually, she would ask one of them to follow her around before feeling at ease, which was the night’.
Qiu Shi was a little hesitant.
When Yuxi saw the situation, she took a compromise method, "Eldest Aunt, Deng Xue's wedding date has been set for the tenth lunar month, so she has to go back to embroider her dowry. If you want, you can ask Deng Xue to stay here a little longer."
Qiu Shi thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Forget it. Just let the sisters go back! The residence is now patrolled every night, so there shouldn't be any more trouble."
Yuxi said with relief, "Eldest Aunt, there was a reason for the incident last time. If the bandits come again, they will only come and go." Last time, the Crown Prince rebelled. So, many people wanted to fish in troubled waters. Now, who dared to do such a thing, if only just to court death.
Qiu Shi nodded and said, "You are right. Such a thing can’t happen again." However, rather than saying these words for Yuxi, it was more for herself to hear.
Yuxi became aware that Qiu Shi had fallen into the shadow. She suggested, "Eldest Aunt, if you are not at ease, why don't you put some more strong women in the courtyard. If something happens, they will be able to withstand it for a while."
Qiu Shi noticed that the way Yuxi spoke her words like the clouds were pale, and a light breeze was blowing, that she suddenly laughed, "Fancy that this aunt who has lived to such an old age, has it even worse than you, and yet I'm not getting better." Yuxi was not afraid, but she was. Wasn't this kind of a joke?
Yuxi thought that it was normal for Qiu Shi to be afraid, "Eldest Aunt has too many worries to let go. So as a result, Eldest Aunt feels very afraid."
These words made Qiu Shi couldn't help but tap the back of Yuxi's head when she heard them, "What kind of words are these? What do you mean I have too much to let go of? You talked as if you had no worries."
Yuxi smiled gently. Not all things could be explained. There was really nothing that could make her worry in the Duke of the State Residence. [T/N]
Qiu Shi's heart choked with emotion, but she couldn't say anything to make it better. She simply turned her head and told Liu Yue: "Go and call the sisters, Deng Shuang and Deng Xue." [T/N]
The Deng sisters were relieved to know that Qiu Shi would let them go back to their own home. They were well fed, well housed and well dressed at the Duke of the State Residence, and yet they still felt uncomfortable all over. But the Lady of the Duke of the State didn't even raise the matter of letting them go back home, so they couldn't take the initiative to ask her to leave the residence. Moreover, the employer hadn't said that they had completed the contract, so they couldn't take the initiative to cancel it.
Qiu Shi was a very generous person. Knowing that Deng Shuang was going to marry, she not only gave them some jewellery but also one hundred mu of fertile farmland, which was worth a lot more than silver to the sisters.
The Deng sisters were so happy to have gotten these things that they couldn't close their mouths. This good land around the capital was truly something that no amount of money could buy. So the sisters took the reward and went back happily. This one errand trip was truly worth it.
Yuxi said, "Eldest Aunt...you should just give them 1,000 taels of silver each. Why should we give them such fertile land?" However, this style of spending money was a bit too much.
Qiu Shi smiled, "The Crown Prince had plotted a rebellion, and many families had been implicated. Those who have a little money will take this opportunity to buy property." Those families that were implicated in the plotting and rebellion case, all their properties were all up for sale. Qiu Shi still had good insight as she bought some shops and estates during this time.
Yuxi quickly said, "Eldest Aunt, I still have over three thousand taels of silver on hand. Do you think you can buy another small shop for me?" Although she had an annual income of two to three thousand taels of silver, her expenses were huge. Hence, she could only save three thousand taels of silver so far.
Qiu Shi smiled, took a small casket from Mama Li's hand and handed it to Yuxi. Yuxi knew what it was without having to look at it, as she shook her head and said, "Eldest Aunt, I can't take this."
Qiu Shi placed the small casket in Yuxi's hand and said, "This is the dowry that aunt has prepared for you, but now it's given to you in advance."
Yuxi was dead set against it.
Mama Li smiled and said, "Fourth Miss, this was specially placed for you by my Lady. Wouldn't it be a waste of my Lady's efforts if you don't take it?" In the past, whenever Qiu Shi wanted to help Yuxi financially, Mama Li would say a few words of advice. She was afraid that if they gave things too generously, Yuxi would want a foot after winning an inch. However, now, Mama Li didn't even say half a word. Compared to what Yuxi had done before, this little bit of stuff was nothing.
In desperation, Yuxi could only take the small casket.
Mama Li said to Qiu Shi, "This temperament of the Fourth Miss is rare." That night, Yuxi not only protected the lives of all the people in the Master Courtyard, she also preserved its properties. For such great merit, Fourth Miss not only did not take credit for it, but she seemed to have also forgotten about it, which was admired by Mama Li.
Qiu Shi nodded, "Yes! It's all thanks to Yuxi." If there were no Yuxi, she would be just like the Old Lady, where all the properties in her courtyard would have been looted. If so, where would she have the money to purchase estates and shops?
Mama Li smilingly said, "This is also a reward for my Lady's kindness." If Qiu Shi didn't treat the Fourth Miss as her own daughter, the Fourth Miss wouldn't have run to the Master Courtyard to protect the Lady despite the danger, and she would have hidden inside the rockeries just like her maids.
Qiu Shi agreed very much with this saying, "While living a life, you still have to accumulate a lot more blessings." Only when one accumulated blessings could one be rewarded with blessings.
When Yuxi returned to Taoran, she gave the small casket to Zisu.
Zisu was naturally a money-grubber and loved money much more than Yuxi. Otherwise, in such a dangerous situation at that time, she would not have forgotten to let the maids and old women servants of Rose Courtyard snatch all the jewellery. Zisu opened the box and looked at the contents. She happily said, "Miss, the Lady has given you a pavement storefront in East Street, plus a thousand mu of fertile land." These two things were much more valuable than the industries Yuxi had at hand.
Since it was a dowry for her, Yuxi already knew it was a shop and an estate without even looking at them. Only these industries were the most affordable. Yuxi instructed, "Since they are gifts from Eldest Aunt, you should put them away!"
Zisu happily put these things away and said to Yuxi, "Miss, with the industries in your hand and the dowry that the State Residence will give, we won't have to worry about money anymore in the future." At that time when Zisu knew Yuxi had given out 500 taels of silver every year to let Zijin learn martial arts, her hair nearly turned white with worry.
Yuxi didn't respond to this statement. If there were no mistakes, these properties would indeed guarantee her food and clothing. But no one surely knew what would happen in the future.
PS (Author): Good night, folks, and sweet dreams.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi