Épousez un fonctionnaire de la dynastie Song du Nord

Chapitre 55

God, Your countenance can transform all darkness.

God, your merciful heart can conquer all heresy.

God, as your most faithful subject, I pray fervently.

God, I deeply pray that you grant me the most elegant life, the most capricious character, the most loyal servants, the most incredible fortune, and the most dazzling and magnificent life without setbacks.

That afternoon, Nas turned and stared at the image of the creator god, thinking of something he had jokingly said to his girlfriend in what was supposedly the world's largest church sometime in the past.

The duchess looked out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

Sick. Leave of absence note.

Seems to be sick. Hopefully it's not H1N1.

Ask for leave.

Sorry... To be continued... For more chapters, please log in to support the author and read the official version!

Chapter 18, The Prince's Mansion

The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are unknown, the positions of the gods are unknown, and the Nine Stars are unknown, but one knows about the Five Elements, worship, family gatherings, and going out. *Reading* is forbidden in logging, hunting, and gathering.

A small carriage followed the large one out of the back gate of the He residence, led by two guards and flanked by eight riders. The morning sun was indeed warm; although it was late summer, it wasn't too hot yet, and walking along the road filled with shouts and calls was quite enjoyable.

Su Chen sat groggily in the car, feeling like he hadn't fully woken up. He had spent the entire night discussing things with He Su Shi, and finally decided to temporarily put aside some of his thoughts and past decisions. Su Chen realized that He Su Shi was deliberately forgetting that he needed to participate in the scientific expedition.

He Su Shi must have felt confused too. But he'll soon be too busy to think about it. Autumn is approaching, and He Zi Yuan is about to leave again. He's very worried about his son's future, so he entrusted him to a strict and upright friend to tutor him. He Su Shi was packed up and sent to that teacher's house. Starting today, he will return home once every ten days. Wu Shi has a lot of objections, but because she has many things to do and it concerns her son's future, she doesn't say anything explicitly.

Su Chen leaned against the cushion, not wanting to move at all. Dong Kui, sitting on a small stool next to her, asked with a smile, "Miss, are you still not fully awake?" She then poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. "You need to wake up quickly. It's the banquet of the Lady of Xiangmin. It would be a real shame to lose face."

"Is Lady Xiangmin very powerful?" Su Chen asked curiously. Madam Wu only told him that there was a gathering he had to attend, but didn't have time to tell him what he needed to be careful about.

Mrs. Wu is almost frantic with work.

The mansion was being rebuilt, and He Ziyuan, still ill, needed to travel. He Sushi was about to take the imperial examination, and many things needed to be arranged and prepared. A close childhood friend had a family emergency, and she couldn't avoid taking care of him. There were many banquets recently, most of which she couldn't decline. Emperor Huizong had just had a son, and there were frequent banquets, throwing the Ministry of Rites into chaos. He Ziyuan often stayed up all night, which made her very anxious.

In truth, Madam Wu likely cared deeply about her relationship with him and He Su Shi, but partly because she didn't know how to interact with them, and partly because she was simply too busy, she ultimately felt a bit estranged. Having observed her these past few days, Su Chen felt he could understand her hardships and had gradually accepted many things. She helped with inconspicuous household chores, doing nothing wrong but nothing particularly outstanding either. Even so, it made Madam Wu incredibly happy.

Whenever Su Chen saw her smiling eyes, he felt a little heartbroken.

My real mother would never look at me like that.

Sometimes I really find it strange. (* *)( *) If they had no feelings for each other, why did they get married? If they knew from the beginning that they would definitely divorce, why did they still have a child?

I never considered myself as a child who was less than five years old at the time.

Having been met with so many dismissive glances, I felt numb. I never considered that deliberately downplaying the heartache still hurts. I always try to comfort myself: My father is one thing, but my mother is just not good at expressing herself. She still loves me very much.

However, emotional wounds shouldn't be ignored. They won't truly heal on their own as they scab over. On the outside, they may appear to be gradually healing, but inside they may be festering, disgusting, and filthy.

In this situation, the only option is to ruthlessly cut away the rotten flesh. It will hurt, but it will eventually heal.

How naive! Why would anyone think she loves him? A woman like Wu, who has barely seen her daughter, exudes a warm and genuine love and care that is palpable even without being noticed. Although He Ziyuan isn't good at expressing his feelings, the aura he exudes when he's with his wife and children is completely different. It's different from his gentle demeanor when receiving guests; it carries a touch of everyday life.

It has a fatherly feel to it.

I'll probably get used to it gradually.

Su Chen was waiting for Dong Kui's reply, but she smiled bitterly and said, "The Lady of Xiangmin is not harsh at all, but it is said that many daughters of court officials will be here today. The most troublesome one is the second daughter of Duke Xiangzuo, who is over eighteen years old and still unmarried. It is said that the old Consort is heartbroken and does not allow her to be married off casually. I heard many rumors about her when I was still in the capital more than ten years ago. At that time, that mistress was still young, but she had already learned to be ruthless to the fullest extent. My younger sister, a maid in the manor, once served her. It is said that she broke her leg and was thrown back after less than half a month. She could not say anything, but just gritted her teeth and endured it."

Dongkui said with a bitter face, "That young mistress is the most bullying of newcomers. I heard yesterday that the daughter of a governor from Zhili came to the capital two years ago, and was ridiculed in front of the host and guests for everything from her clothes and appearance to her etiquette and talent. That girl still avoids her whenever she sees her."

Is this outrageous? "Didn't anyone stop her?" Where is the owner?

“Who dares to stop her…” Dongkui sighed. “Everyone says that our eldest daughter is the most arrogant in Suzhou, but in my opinion, she’s not even a tenth as arrogant as this mistress. If you try to stop her, she might ruin your entire banquet if she gets upset. Anyway, the old Consort spoils her, so who in the family would dare to say anything? To put it bluntly, this mistress is always on edge wherever she goes.”

Su Chen smiled slightly but didn't answer. She couldn't afford to offend this kind of child; avoiding them was the best course of action.

.

====

The residence of Duke Xiangmin seemed not far from the He residence, and they arrived in no time. Even from a distance, just entering the alley, they could see carriages of all sizes coming and going. Entering through the side gate, Dongkui, with the help of a welcoming maid, alighted from the carriage. Several maids who alighted from the back then set up stools and cushions to help Su Chen down.

Although He Suchen had experienced this many times, she still wasn't quite used to it. She glanced around and saw several maids and servants from the Prince's mansion waiting nearby. She could only pretend not to care as she got out of the carriage. Then, a group of maids and servants surrounded her, calling out to her and serving her, before leading the way forward.

Madam Wu waited for her daughter ahead, and they walked together with the old woman. When no one was paying attention, she said, "When you go in later, you should greet Madam Xiangmin, and then you can go into the inner room. Just say a few words to the other young ladies and smile. If you don't run into Miss Zhenzhu Shang, the daughter of Duke Xiangzuo, then nothing will happen."

Su Chen agreed, but this actually piqued his interest in the girl.

The residence of Duke Xiangmin was very large, built on land and with an inscription bestowed by the emperor at the beginning of the dynasty. The design of the house was done by a military strategist, who, perhaps due to his experience on the battlefield, imbued the design with a sense of spaciousness and grandeur. The details were not particularly elaborate. But for this reason, people felt unrestrained and at ease within its walls.

After a short while, they entered the banquet hall, where many people were already seated, some joking, some talking, and some pointing at a painting or calligraphy and commenting on something. The hostess, Lady Xiangmin, was holding a teacup and chatting with a woman in her forties or fifties. Her daughter-in-law peeked over and said a few words. She turned around, saw Madam Wu and He Sucheng, apologized to the woman, and came over.

"They always come at this time of the month and don't even help me with anything," she complained with a laugh.

"Where am I late? I left early and came early. Did you expect me to have come all night?" Madam Wu replied with a smile, "Congratulations. It's good that Nan is home safely. You've worked hard these past few days, Madam."

The woman beamed, handed the tea to the maid behind her, exchanged a few more polite words, and was about to pull Wu inside when she suddenly saw He Sucheng and asked in surprise, "Who is this child?"

Su Chen obediently curtsied and said, "Su Chen greets Madam."

Madam Wu smiled and said, "I've seen you've been so busy these days that I haven't dared to bother you too much. This is my daughter. She finally came all the way from Suzhou. It's quite a coincidence, actually. The day she and her brother arrived, we just received news about your Nan. It seems like fate." After she finished speaking, she glanced at Su Chen, her satisfied expression evident to everyone.

Upon hearing this, the woman turned to look at Su Chen and sighed, "He really does resemble you. Although he looks like you, his demeanor is just like Lord He's. I wonder who will end up with him."

"