The Duke House's Ideal Daughter-in-law
Chapter 85
After sending Zhao Huanxi and Yin Luochen away and dismissing the maid, Yin Furen asked Xu Nian’an, “Why did you want me to accept this fabric?”
Xu Nian’an moved to sit on the stool next to Yin Furen and said, “Lao Taitai’s action clearly shows that she is worried that the words spoken by Qingxiang Junzhu at Ying Guogong Residence today might affect her and the Fifth Branch ’s reputation. Both Lao Taitai and Wu Taitai know that Mom, you don’t lack this fabric, especially not when it has already been cut. But they still sent someone to deliver it. What do you think is the reason?”
Yin Furen thought for a moment and then angrily said, “Could it be that they just want to go through the motions so that they can spread the word outside that they’ve given us something, only to say that I turned it down because I was being picky?”
“Exactly. When they talk about it outside, they certainly won’t mention that the fabric they sent was already cut by the Fifth Branch. And if you want to clarify the situation, it will be difficult, because everyone saw them send the fabric over, but only we know that it had already been cut,” Xu Nian’an replied.
Yin Furen couldn’t help but clench her fist and pound the table, saying, “I knew it! Lao Taitai hasn’t really been reciting scriptures in the Buddha hall for the past ten years. God knows what she chanted. Ever since Wu Di passed away, she has completely changed. The older she gets, the more vile and ruthless her actions become.”
After venting her anger, she frowned and said, “But if I accept it and can’t use it, she’ll still go around telling everyone that she gave our branch a piece of fabric. Wouldn’t that just mean I endured her disgusting gesture for nothing?”
Xu Nian’an picked up a large jujube from the fruit platter, handed it to Yin Furen, and said, “We may not need it, but there are others who do. As expected, this fabric was likely taken from Jia Shi, and it was tailored to her measurements. Chengke Tangmei from the Second Branch is still growing, and with a few adjustments, she should be able to wear it. If Lao Taitai spreads the word that the fabric was given to us the First Branch, but a few days later, at Chengke Tangmei’s hairpin ceremony, she appears in a brocade silk dress, don’t you think the guests at the banquet will ask what’s going on? Could it be that our Guogong Residence received three pieces of peacock feather zhuanghua gauze? Er Shenshen is wise, she’ll know exactly how to respond.”
Yin Furen held the date in her hand, and the laugh lines at the corners of her eyes deepened as she smiled, “Your Er Shenshen is still upset with Lao Taitai and the Fifth Branch over the brocade silk matter. She’s a proud and self-respecting person, and after all these years in the family, it’s rare for her to ask for anything from the residence treasury. If I send this fabric to her, she’ll certainly know what to do.”
After speaking, she looked at her daughter-in-law with delight and praised, “You clever one, how did you get so smart? Having you as my daughter-in-law, I might just live a few extra years.”
“As the saying goes, ‘Good deeds bring good rewards, and evil deeds bring evil consequences’. With a heart as pure and kind as Mother’s, one is surely destined for a long life,” Xu Nian’an said with a smile.
After having dinner at Yin Furen’s place, Zhao Huanxi and Yin Luochen, as usual, arranged with Zhao Huanrong to practice swordsmanship in Guogong Yé’s courtyard. After chatting with Yin Furen for a while, Xu Nian’an returned to Yifang Garden with her maidservants.
As soon as she arrived at Yifang Garden, Xu Nian’an noticed that the maidservants who were staying in the courtyard, such as Songyun and Yisu, were all smiling at her.
Xu Nian’an was puzzled and asked, “What happened?”
Songyun smiled and said, “Nainai should go to the room and take a look; there’s something good!”
Xu Nian’an entered the main room and went to the left side chamber, where she was astonished to see a large festive lantern, as tall as a person, standing beside the bed. The lantern was divided into two sections, with eight panels, each depicting a different painting. At that moment, the lantern was slowly rotating in two directions, casting shadows that created a mesmerizing and beautiful scene.
“This… where did this come from?” Xu Nian’an turned around and asked Songyun.
“This afternoon, while you were away, San Yé and Biao Shaoyé personally brought it here. They were very careful and didn’t let any of us touch it, afraid it might get damaged,” Songyun replied.
Xu Nian’an couldn’t help but laugh. Seeing the maids curiously peeking in from the adjacent room, she said, “Come in and enjoy it together.”
The maids cheered and rushed in all at once, but they didn’t dare get too close to the lantern. Instead, they naturally formed a circle, standing three feet away from it.
“Oh heaven, this lantern is truly beautiful! I’ve never seen such a large and exquisite lantern in all my life!”
“It’s not just you, little girl, even people outside have probably rarely seen a lantern like this.”
“The paintings on it are so lovely, and as the lantern turns, it’s as if we’re walking past each of these beautiful scenes one by one.”
“Why can this lantern rotate on its own?”
“It has a mechanism. I saw San Yé and the others place the lantern here, and then they twisted the little bird on top of the lantern, and it started to rotate.”
“Hahaha, what little bird? That’s a phoenix. San Yé said this lantern is called the ‘Phoenix-Headed Eight Views of Jinling Panchi Lantern.’”
“Tsk tsk, it’s truly impressive! Even the name of the lantern is something I can’t remember.”
The maids laughed and enjoyed the lantern for a while before tactfully taking their leave, leaving Xu Nian’an alone in the room.
Xu Nian’an carefully examined the paintings on the lantern and recognised them as the work of Zhao Huanxi. She felt both touched and amused, realising that Zhao Huanxi was still bothered by not winning the lantern contest at the Mid-Autumn Festival.
When Zhao Huanxi returned from his martial arts practice at Dunyi Hall, he saw Xu Nian’an had moved a stool to sit beside the lantern. With her elbows resting on her knees and her hands supporting her cheeks, she remained still, admiring the lantern.
He felt a surge of happiness in his heart and walked in, calling out, “Dong’er.”
Xu Nian’an turned around, seeing him enter with flushed cheeks and slightly dishevelled hair. “You’re back,” she got up to pour him a cup of warm tea.
Zhao Huanxi drank the tea in one gulp and asked, “Dong’er, do you like this lantern?”
Xu Nian’an replied, “How can you be like this? You give a gift and don’t explain it; instead, you come right out and ask if I like it?”
Zhao Huanxi smiled awkwardly and walked over, saying, “This lantern is called ‘Phoenix-Headed Eight Views of Jinling Panchi Lantern’. The phoenix head refers to the mechanism on top of the lantern. If you want it to rotate, you twist this mechanism. If it’s tightened, it can rotate for about two hours. If you don’t want it to turn, just leave the mechanism untwisted. The Eight Views of Jinling are represented by these eight paintings. Look, the top four are ‘Moonlit Night on Phoenix Terrace’, ‘Stone City after the Snow’, ‘White Egrets in the Spring Tide’, and ‘Sunset on Wuyi Lane’. The bottom four are ‘Woodcutter’s Song at Tianyin’, ‘Fisherman’s Flute on Qinhuai River’, ‘Clear Clouds over Zhong Hill’, and ‘Misty Rain over Long River’. I painted them based on Biao Ge’s descriptions of these eight views. After I finished, I showed them to him, and he said they were pretty accurate.”
“So, recently when you would always retreat to the west wing after practicing martial arts, it was because you were painting these Eight Views of Jinling?”
Zhao Huanxi nodded, a hint of shyness in his eyes, and said, “I couldn’t win the Lantern King for you, so I made one myself to give to you. Jinling happens to be part of Jiangnan as well, so the Jiangnan in your heart will be more vivid, right?”
Xu Nian’an’s eyes sparkled with a smile as she nodded and said, “What’s so special about the Lantern King? The one you made is a thousand times better. I really like it. Thank you, Sanlang.”
Zhao Huanxi, overjoyed, jumped three feet high and said as he headed outside, “I’ll go tell Biao Ge that you like it so much! My efforts weren’t in vain!”
“Ei! Come back quickly and take a bath. There’s something else I need to talk to you about.”
Even though Xu Nian’an called out quickly, he was already outside the door, shouting back from afar, “Got it!”
Half an hour later, after Zhao Huanxi had finished bathing, he climbed into bed and said to Xu Nian’an, who was sitting at the head of the bed, “Biao Ge is really wicked.”
Xu Nian’an, casually flipping through a book, asked indifferently, “Oh? How is he wicked?”
“He said I should take advantage of the moment you were happy to give you a kiss; that way, for the sake of the lanterns, you’d be too embarrassed to bicker with me over it.” He said smugly: “He wanted to trick me again, but I didn’t fall for his trap!”
Xu Nian’an: “…..”
As Zhao Huanxi was climbing up, he suddenly froze, then looked up at Xu Nian’an and asked, “Dong’er, did I just become a villain who betrayed a friend again?”
Xu Nian’an put down the book, looked at him, and said, “Of course not. I’m your wife; there should be nothing we can’t talk about with each other. Besides, no matter what you say, I won’t tell anyone else.”
Zhao Huanxi sat down on the inner side of the bed, pondering, and said, “So, it doesn’t really matter if you betray someone or not. What’s important is making sure they don’t find out they’ve been betrayed, right?”
Xu Nian’an stared at him in surprise and quickly interrupted his train of thought, “Of course not. Your Biao Ge is a family member, and he was just joking when he gave you that idea. When you tell me, I also just take it as a joke, so that’s not betrayal. And if you share things about outsiders with me, I have no interest or involvement with them, so I wouldn’t retaliate or harm them for giving you advice. That’s also not betrayal, understand?”
Zhao Huanxi: “Oh.”
Xu Nian’an breathed a sigh of relief and thought to herself that she should have more heart-to-heart talks with him in the future; otherwise, who knows where his cleverness might lead him if left unchecked.
“You mentioned earlier that you had something to tell me, what is it?” Zhao Huanxi asked her.
Xu Nian’an composed herself and said, “It’s about the gathering you’re planning with your friends. After thinking it over, I couldn’t come up with any new and interesting places to go, so we’ll have to try something different. Since the withered lotus is still around, how about renting a pleasure boat and taking a day trip along the Bian River?”
Zhao Huanxi immediately became interested and said, “That’s something new!”
“On the pleasure boat, we can set up fine wines and delicacies, enjoy music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, along with games like dice and pitch-pot. But the most crucial thing is to invite one particular person. If this person agrees to come, no matter who hosts a gathering in the future, they won’t be able to surpass yours. You’ll always be the top host among your friends.” Xu Nian’an raised a thumb.
Zhao Huanxi grew even more excited and pressed further, “Who is it?”
“During your time at the Imperial Academy, did any of your classmates ever mention a name; Liu Fuyi?” Xu Nian’an asked.
Zhao Huanxi thought for a moment and shook his head.
“How about Miaoyin Niangzi?”
Zhao Huanxi suddenly understood, “Oh, her! I’ve heard of her. They say Miaoyin Niangzi’s pipa playing is unmatched in the capital, and even more impressive is her ability to play and dance at the same time. But she’s not part of any musical troupe; whether she accepts invitations seems to depend on her mood. Her fees are high, and she has formidable guards at home. When she doesn’t want to be seen, not even a request can get you an audience. When Huo Qingzhe and the others talk about her, it’s almost as if they’re speaking of a celestial being.”
“If we could get her, do you think Qian Ming and the others would be totally in awe of you?” Xu Nian’an asked with a smile.
Zhao Huanxi lifted his head and said, “Of course, if we could invite Miaoyin Niangzi, I’m afraid even my elder brothers would be willing to be my younger brothers.” However, he quickly returned to reality and said to Xu Nian’an, “But we should just consider it as a fantasy. Mother would never agree. She dislikes these charming and seductive women the most and doesn’t even allow me to see them, let alone spend a large sum to invite her to perform for us.”
Xu Nian’an asked, “As far as I know, Liu Fuyi has always been known for her artistry, not for seducing people. How is she considered charming in that sense?”
Zhao Huanxi was taken aback and said, “I don’t know. It’s just that every time Huo Qingzhe and the others mention her, they seem to have an infatuated look, so I assumed she must be charming in that way.”
Xu Nian’an, with a serious tone, said, “The world is already harsh and restrictive towards women. The same behaviour that would be seen as licentious in a man would only bring him a reputation, but he could still marry or pursue a career. For a woman, such behaviour could mean death to her reputation. A woman’s reputation is like her life. While we can’t control others, we must control ourselves. We shouldn’t make assumptions about uncertain matters, especially those concerning a woman’s reputation. We must be cautious and not take others’ opinions at face value, for words can destroy a person’s reputation just as fire consumes wood.”
Zhao Huanxi lowered his gaze and said softly, “I was wrong.”
Seeing his sincere apology, Xu Nian’an’s anger subsided a little, but she reminded him firmly, “Remember this for the future! If you speak like this again, I will be upset.”
Zhao Huanxi glanced at her and, seeing her stern expression, quickly averted his gaze. He nodded obediently and replied, “Oh.”
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