Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 71 Kind and Benevolent Woman
Early in the morning.

A eunuch from the palace came to Xue’s house. He was Wang Chengxi, the chief eunuch beside the emperor.

He led several palace servants and carried a vermilion lacquered plaque with a gold border and exquisite carvings. Inscribed on it were four large characters that fully reflected the royal style.

"A kindhearted woman."

No one in the palace knew that Xue Liu had saved the princess with her own blood. They only knew that she had performed a great deed and was injured while saving the princess. This plaque was not only a commendation from His Majesty, but also a "talisman" for her to walk in the capital in the future.

The plaque bestowed by the emperor must be enshrined.

Xue Qingzhi led the old and young in the mansion and knelt on the steps to receive the imperial edict and plaque.

Mrs. Fu and the Eighth and Ninth Girls felt sour and uncomfortable that they almost felt like nauseating, but they had no choice but to kneel down and thank the emperor and bask in the honor and favor brought by Xue Liu.

The old lady and the third wife were genuinely happy, and they asked the servants to set off three strings of crisp firecrackers in front of the mansion gate, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

The whole of Shangjing knew about the great happy event of the Xue family.

It happened that Xue Yuelou came to see Mingger, and Xue Sui also asked Tianshu to come to the house to diagnose Mingger and the old lady, so he planned to take this opportunity to prepare a banquet in Lixiangyuan.

After all, Pingle is in so much pain right now, it would be unreasonable not to celebrate.

When the third wife heard the news, she rushed over with her youngest daughter Xue Yuezhen.

"Sixth Miss is still not well, she can't be tired. I'll leave the small matter of preparing the banquet to Third Aunt!"

She was still not satisfied with the celebration party she had last time.

Now that he can take care of things for Xue Liu, he is even more enthusiastic.

He kept saying that the Sixth Young Lady had saved a noble lady in the palace and brought honor to the Xue family, so they should have a grand ceremony to celebrate it.

Xue Sui saw that she was in high spirits and let her do as she pleased.

"If there's anything you need me to do, just let me know."

Then he asked Xiao Zhao to go into the house to get the money.

Qian's face changed as soon as she saw it.

"Sixth Miss, are you trying to embarrass your Third Aunt? You just returned home, and you're a girl, how much personal money can you have? Keep it all. When you get married, you'll have plenty of places to spend money!"

She glanced at Xue Sui again, with a half-smile in her eyes.

"Aunt San is not short of money!"

Although Qian was a girl, she was extremely loved by her parents.

Her family has no official position but has immense wealth, so she has to rely on marrying into an official family for protection. How could they treat their daughter badly in terms of money?

She really has a wealthy family background and is generous and magnanimous.

Then she laughed again, "As long as our Sixth Miss is dressed neatly and takes good care of herself, Third Aunt will be very happy to see her."

With the Third Lady taking charge, the Xue Mansion became bustling with activity.

The old lady was delighted and sent a message saying that she would go to Lixiangyuan for a drink in person.

The fourth son of the second house, Xue Hong, who stayed in Beijing to study, and the third daughter Xue Yueshao, the fifth daughter Xue Yuechi, and the seventh daughter Xue Yueqin, who were married, all said that they would bring their sons-in-law and their children to join in the fun.

Even the concubines in the first house who usually had no contact with Xue Liu, as well as some distant relatives, sent gifts to visit Miss Xue Liu and also to visit the sick Ming'er.

A poor man living in a shabby alley has few friends who understand him, while a noble man hiding in the mountains has many flatterers.

Xue Yuelou found it a little unbelievable.

"It's not the first time I've been back to my parents' home, but this is the first time I've seen such enthusiasm."

Xue Sui just smiled slightly.

"Maybe everyone understands how difficult it is for you now."

Xue Yuelou was wearing brand new clothes and a beautiful firefly hairpin on her head. She walked with a breeze and looked radiant. Her previously frail body seemed to have become stronger. It really looked like she had lived a "very difficult life."

She quietly pulled Xue Sui aside, unable to hide the light in her eyes.

"I know all this, all thanks to Sixth Sister for taking care of it for me. Don't worry, sister, I have been taking good care of Third Master Yao these days."

Xue Sui smiled slightly.

Miss Xue is very different now.

There is light all over the person.

Sure enough, people cannot understand things without pain. The strong understand things by themselves, while the weak understand things through pain.

When Xue Yuelou thought of Yao Wei's pitiful appearance lying on the bed, a smile broke out on his face.

"His widowed sister-in-law seemed to be affectionate and loyal in the past. She would die without him and loved him to the core. But when Third Master Yao was bedridden, she came to visit him three times a day in tears at first. Now, she said she wanted to accompany her son to study. She came to visit him so rarely that she left before she could even sit down to warm her seat. Didn't you see the look on Third Master Yao's face..." She deserves it!

Xue Sui sneered.

Xue Yuelou sighed and stopped smiling.

"Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. Why do you think that Yao guy is so cruel?"

Xue Sui was slightly surprised: "So Third Master Yao was involved in the poisoning?"

Xue Yuelou shook his head: "Manager Fang checked it out. Although he didn't poison the woman himself, he covered up for her afterwards. He watched Ming'er getting sicker and sicker, not only didn't he tell the truth, but he also blamed me for not being able to have children and for harming Ming'er. I have blamed myself for so many years..."

"It's a pity that the woman who poisoned his sister-in-law was sent away long ago. Her life or death is unknown, and there is no evidence that she poisoned him..."

At this point, Xue Yuelou's eyes turned red, his hands tightly twisted the handkerchief, and his teeth chattered.

"Sometimes when I see her big fat son and think about my brother Ming, I...I really, really..."

She was very excited, twisting her handkerchief in her hands, and hated it to the extreme.

But after a while, he finally let go of her hand.

"The child is innocent. I know she was the one who did it, but I can't bring myself to hurt her son... I can only get more back from that bastard. Anyway, he has to rely on me for food, drink, and defecation now. With Fang the butler's help, the servants in Master Yao's courtyard also listen to me..."

Xue Sui half-leaned on the couch, quietly listening to her talking about those trivial matters without interrupting, as if he was an outsider listener.

Who would have thought that it was this calm woman who stirred up so many storms with just her own hands.
-
While the two sisters were talking, Qian came in with her daughter and said that they could start the meal in half a quarter of an hour.

Xue Yuelou stopped talking and reached out to hold Xue Yuezhen's hand, looking very fond of her.

Qian looked at her son Ming'er, sighed in her heart, but smiled, and took a box from the maid.

"When your Third Uncle heard that there was a banquet at Lixiang Courtyard, he didn't want to go on duty today. I scolded him and pulled his ears before he left. This is for Ming'er. He said that Ming'er had suffered a lot since he was young, and after going through this, he will definitely have good fortune in the future..."

It was a longevity lock made of pure gold, inlaid with large, round gems.

This is more valuable than the gift given when Ming Ge'er was born.

Everyone knows that the Qian family is wealthy, but it is still a bit surprising that they are so generous.

After all, it was because Xue Qingxiu relied on the help of Miss Xue Liu to join General Yiwu, and now she was highly appreciated by the general. Qian was grateful to her from the bottom of her heart, and she also became close to the second young lady who was on good terms with her.

As for whether Madam Fu was happy or not...

Obviously, no one in the Xue Mansion seemed to care much.

Ever since the purse incident and the identity of the fake Taoist priest Ling was exposed, the pride and dignity of the daughter of the Fu family's Marquisate have been shattered.

Xue Qingzhi no longer set foot in Qinglanyuan, and the relationship between husband and wife was in name only. This was no secret in the mansion.

This is the way the world is.

Even if a woman's family is of noble status, after she marries, if she is not valued by her husband and is ostracized by her mother-in-law, then everyone in the house will naturally act according to her mood.

Fu should be thankful that he still has his daughter and son to support him, and Xue Qingzhi did not divorce his wife for the sake of dignity.
-
There was a cry of grief in Huayi Palace.

The aroma of wine filled the Lixiang Courtyard.

Everyone inside and outside the room flattered, smiled, and tried to please Xue Sui.

But Xiao Zhao could see that the girl was not proud of it.

Because the girl said that if a person is on the rise, he will see all the smiling faces, the whole world will treat him gently, whatever he says is right, and whatever he does is good. Once he is stuck in a quagmire, it is just the opposite. There is no light, no warmth, no helping hand, and all he hears and sees is indifference and cold words. If he does not add insult to injury, he is already a good person.

The words of Miss Zhao Xin...

However, she and Ruyi couldn't help feeling a little proud.

When they first arrived at the Xue Mansion, everyone looked down on them.

Now he comes to please me, and it makes me feel comfortable no matter how I look at it.

Especially the Qinglan Courtyard was deserted and cold. Aunt Jinshu said that the eldest lady was sick again.

Whether it was a real illness or a fake one, she couldn't help but gloat over Ruyi's misfortune behind closed doors...
-
Tianshu did not enter the mansion until dusk, when all the banquets had been cleared away.

He first went to Shou'anyuan to check the old lady's pulse, and then came to Lixiangyuan accompanied by Jinshu.

Xue Sui asked someone to invite Tianshu into the inner room and give Mingger acupuncture first.

Before she could follow in, Jinshu came over with a smile on his face and bowed to her.

"The old lady had acupuncture today, and her headache is gone. She is in particularly good spirits. She wants Madam Xueji to come over and talk to her..."

I will add another chapter later...