latelenovela Chapter 239 It's been so long, and there's still no good news from the princess.
Chapter 239 It's been so long, and there's still no good news from the princess.
Autumn rain fell on the earth, and the weather became slightly cooler.
The storm lasted quite a while; the dark clouds finally dispersed overnight, the air grew a bit chilly, and it felt somewhat like autumn.
The maids in the courtyard were busy tidying up the withered leaves and fallen flowers that had been knocked down by the autumn rain. A gardener came in person to straighten the flowers that had been knocked to one side by the autumn rain.
Finally, the scenery was rearranged, and the flower shop sent over a few pots of chrysanthemums.
After a morning, Chunxie Courtyard had been completely transformed.
In the afternoon, Zhao Rufang and He Landian came to visit with gifts.
Today is the day Zhao Rufang returns to her parents' home. She went back to the Zhao family in the morning and then came to the Pingxi Marquis's residence to pay her respects in the afternoon.
Qin Yizhen didn't see He Landian, but instead had someone invite Zhao Rufang in to talk.
"How was your first visit to the Zhao family?"
"It's good. My parents-in-law are kind to me and haven't made things difficult for me. My sister-in-law is a little dissatisfied with me, but she doesn't dare to say anything at this time. It's just that my husband's attitude is a bit strange."
"How is it strange?" Qin Yi was genuinely surprised. How could it be strange?
"Oh? How is it strange?"
"Well... he's very polite to everyone on the surface. He's a dutiful son in front of his parents and an obedient younger brother and uncle in front of his older brother and sister-in-law. But in private, he told me that if anyone bullies me, I should bully them back."
"Is that so?" Qin Yizhen was slightly surprised, but then she thought about it again and felt it was quite good.
"So, do you have any concerns? Isn't this a good thing?"
How many men in the world expect their wives to be tolerant and yielding, turning a blind eye to the grievances their wives suffer, and calling it "harmony in the family brings prosperity" or "you must be filial to your parents on my behalf"?
He Lan Dian suffered injustice himself, but he didn't want his wife to suffer injustice, which shows he is a rare and considerate man.
Zhao Rufang's expression was somewhat strange: "I only just found out that he was willing to marry me because he didn't want his wife to suffer."
“He was just a son of a concubine and mediocre. The noble daughters of those prestigious families looked down on him. As for me, my status was a bit lower, but because I had the princess backing me up, I was doing alright in the He family.”
"I thought he genuinely liked me..."
"...?!"
Qin Yizhen looked at her like she was an idiot: "You're upset about this?"
"I...I just feel like it's not what I imagined..."
Qin Yizhen sighed, “There will definitely be differences. You only met two or three times before you got married. You didn’t fall in love at first sight, and you didn’t have time to develop feelings for each other over time. It’s normal that he doesn’t have romantic feelings for you.”
"Feelings naturally develop when you spend a lot of time together."
"Moreover, true sincerity is hard to find in this world. If you have it, it's the icing on the cake; if you don't, life still goes on. Even if you were his choice after careful consideration, the fact that he didn't hurt you and even planned for you to avoid being hurt by others is already quite good."
"Don't let your mind wander."
"Besides, have you forgotten what you're after? You're after wealth and status, and to marry into a prestigious family."
When Zhao Rufang initially requested this marriage, she set high standards: she wanted to marry into an official family, and her husband had to be handsome and wealthy.
Now that the marriage meets her requirements, she's started to worry that the other person didn't genuinely like her before the marriage.
Qin Yizhen suddenly thought of Shi Jinkui again. She said that she only sought wealth and honor and not true love. She hoped that Shi Jinkui could hold on to her own heart, so as not to end up like Zhao Rufang, who sought true love, which would have brought her much suffering.
Zhao Rufang wanted to say something more, but Qin Yizhen didn't want to listen to her anymore: "Alright, I'm tired. You can go back now. Now that you're married, the most important thing is to live a good life. Don't have any wild thoughts or do anything reckless, or you'll only harm yourself and others."
“The Pingxi Marquis’s mansion is willing to help you a little, but it is not a backer for you to bully others. If you dare to bully others, I will not let you off the hook.”
Qin Yizhen had a gift prepared for the young couple, and then asked them to leave.
.
After Helan Dian and Zhao Rufang returned to their parents' home, the Pingxi Marquis's residence was quiet for quite some time. In the blink of an eye, the autumn imperial examinations began, and in the blink of an eye, the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived.
Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Pingxi Marquis's mansion delivered the prepared Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to each household, and also received Mid-Autumn Festival gifts from others.
However, the Marquis of Pingxi's residence adhered to its previous practice and refused to accept any gifts.
Only the gifts sent from the palace, as well as those from the princess's residence, the prince's residence, and the imperial family, were kept.
The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the daughter of the Earl of Changting came in person, bringing a pot of her newly cultivated chrysanthemums and freshly baked mooncakes.
The Changting Earl's family is surnamed Lu, and the Changting Earl's wife's daughter is named Lu Jianjia. She is only ten years old this year. She is well-mannered and lively, and Qin Yizhen likes her very much.
"These are mooncakes made with a new filling that I prepared. My father and mother both thought they were delicious after they tasted them, so they asked me to send some over to the princess, saying that the princess likes this kind of thing."
"Although the princess's residence has everything, I have shamelessly brought these as well, so please have a taste. Oh, by the way, this pot of chrysanthemums is also a new variety that I have cultivated. The flowers are purple. I got two pots, so I will give one to the princess."
Unlike the Lady of Changting, who was straightforward, impulsive, gossipy, and clumsy, Lu Jianjia's daughter was truly skillful, able to make pastries and all sorts of food and household items, and also adept at growing flowers.
Qin Yizhen had previously received a pot of calamus, which she placed in her room and found to make the air feel much fresher. Later, seeing that Cheng Yan liked it, she moved it to Chunhui Garden and placed it on his desk where he handled official business.
If the Marquis of Changting's mansion had given her something else, she might not have cared, but she did like the potted flower, especially since it was a newly cultivated variety.
"You're so thoughtful. The chrysanthemums in this courtyard are the same every year, and I've grown tired of them. Adding a pot of fresh flowers would be festive. By the way, I heard from your mother that you quite like crabs. Madam Chen in the manor makes excellent drunken crabs. I'll have someone bring you a jar in a bit."
"Thank you, Princess. This is my favorite."
After delivering the flowers and mooncakes, Lu Jianjia didn't linger. She happily took a jar of drunken crabs home, skipping along as she left.
Granny Gui also liked her and kept saying, "Miss Lu, slow down, be careful not to fall."
"It's alright, it's alright, Granny, I'm walking very steadily."
Her steps were light and quick, her skirt fluttering like a butterfly.
Granny Gui exclaimed, "How wonderful, just like when the princess was a child."
"Like me when I was a child?" Qin Yizhen asked in surprise. "Was I this lively when I was a child?"
"When the Dowager Consort was still alive, the princess was more lively. Princess, do you think that if you had a daughter, she would be as lovely as Miss Lu?"
At this point, Granny Gui muttered to herself in surprise, "Why hasn't there been any good news about the princess after all this time..."
Qin Yizhen: "......"