The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 35
Last night, Xie Shao had already gone to speak with Zhou Kuang and settled everything. He would begin his post today.
Back when he still had mountains of gold, he had never risen this early. He was accustomed to retiring late and rising late, a habit nurtured over many years. But today, before sunrise, Minzhang had to rouse him. His eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and his mind was foggy and sluggish.
Even after dressing and washing up, he still hadn’t fully awakened. Dragging his feet, he went to the east wing to retrieve the document. Seeing that the young lady wasn’t up yet, he plopped down into the reclining chair she had claimed for herself for many days.
Looking around the room, a long-lost sense of familiarity washed over him. Thoughts of his former carefree days surfaced, how everything had changed, people and circumstances utterly different now. It was truly painful to look back.
He couldn’t help but reflect: when had his life begun to shift so drastically?
It seemed it all started the moment he married the young lady inside that room. A cuckoo taking over the magpie’s nest, and now, family fortune scattered to the winds.
Since the two had never matched their birth charts before marrying, he secretly wondered if she might be naturally incompatible with him, as if destined to bring him misfortune. Just as this thought crossed his mind, the young lady’s voice drifted over, calling him “Husband”.
Her tone was bright and bubbling with joy, clearer and more pleasant than the orioles he had heard outside earlier. He turned his head. Her expression was radiant, having just risen from bed with no time yet for cosmetics. Though lacking her usual vivid brilliance, she possessed a different kind of charm. Her fair, delicate cheeks tinged with a natural blush, reminding him of the newly blooming water lilies in the pond outside.
Looking further down, however, it became somewhat inappropriate. This particular water lily before him hadn’t yet dressed for the day, and perhaps due to the gradually cooling weather, her attire was rather light.
She wore only a crabapple-red inner robe, with no outer robe over it. Her fair arms and shoulders were exposed, almost dazzling to the eyes.
Xie Shao discreetly averted his gaze, expression calm and unreadable.
The young lady seemed delighted, completely unaware of how she was dressed. She held out the documents to him and asked, “Husband, are you going to take up his post now?”
Xie Shao stood up, turning his neck to receive them while making an effort not to let his gaze wander toward her. Yet the young lady leaned in closer, right in front of him. “I knew you’d come around! Such a position, earned at the cost of so much grain, wouldn’t it be a waste not to collect the salary?” She added, “That day, Madam Zhou promised fifteen strings of cash per month, but I heard from her that salaries are adjusted every autumn. And autumn isn’t far now—just five or six more months.”
Xie Shao: ……
Five or six months? By then, she might very well have starved to death.
As for the salary, he didn’t need her to worry about it. He pulled a pouch from his sleeve and handed it to her. “I collected ten taels of silver in advance yesterday. Old Madam’s headaches have been acting up lately. Buy some more of that gastrodia you bought last time.”
Wen Shuse nodded and reached out to take it, but the young master’s hand suddenly paused, not letting go.
Surprised, Wen Shuse looked up and saw the serious expression on his face as he instructed her, “Not all apothecary owners are honest. Before buying anything, have Nanny Fang visit a few different shops to compare the quality and prices…”
Hearing such words from him was genuinely unexpected, even though he noticed it himself as he spoke.
In the past, whenever he wanted to buy something, he would never have asked about the price.
And now, listen to what he’s saying, speaking as if he knows how to manage a household. He hardly recognized himself anymore.
Lost in his own silent lament, the young lady before him seemed not to understand and asked, “How exactly should we compare them?”
He forgot that compared to himself, this person was even more extravagant. Her ability to squander money far surpassed his. In the end, he still couldn’t feel at ease. “Forget it, let Nanny Fang handle it.”
He withdrew the pouch once again.
Wen Shuse said, “It’s fine. It’s not as if I have much else to do here in the courtyard anyway.”
“You should go back to sleep.” As long as she stopped ruining his household, he’d already be grateful.
As he turned to leave, Wen Shuse finally couldn’t help but ask, “Husband, did you sleep on your neck wrong last night? Why is your head tilted?”
Did she truly have no self-awareness at all?
Xie Shao felt it necessary to remind her, “Next time you come out to see someone, could you at least put your clothes on properly?”
Wen Shuse stared blankly for a moment. Following the fleeting direction of his gaze, she glanced down at herself, and then her mind instantly exploded with a “buzz.” She wanted to grab something to cover herself, but with her bare arms, there was nothing at hand.
She considered crossing her arms to shield herself, but felt that would be overly dramatic.
In the end, she embraced the recklessness of letting things shatter completely. She neither covered up nor shielded herself and even retorted defiantly, “What’s there to be afraid of? We’re husband and wife, after all. Isn’t it you who benefits anyway?”
She certainly could act as if she didn’t mind, so what was with that increasingly red face of hers?
Although their marriage was mutually unwilling, they were still properly wedded husband and wife. Put that way, her reasoning seemed understandable.
Suddenly, his gaze became open and unabashed, his neck no longer tilted. His eyes fixed intently on the young lady before him, sweeping over her in a bold inspection that made her eyelids twitch involuntarily. Just before she could lose her temper, he lightly touched the tip of his nose and promptly turned away. “Finished looking. I’ll take my leave.”
As he lifted the bead curtain to leave, the young lady’s exclamation echoed behind him, “I knew he wasn’t a good person…!”
—
Perhaps it was because he had finally managed to fluster the young lady who had ruined his household, but as he stepped over the threshold, the weather today felt especially refreshing and clear, and his steps lightened considerably.
That very same day, Xie Shao went to the Jing Wang Mansion to assume his post as a Deputy Senior official overseeing both civil and military affairs.
Zhou Kuang was naturally delighted. To celebrate Xie Shao’s first day on duty, he paid out of his own pocket and bought a pot of wine from Drunken Fragrance Pavilion for himself. “Originally, I should be treating Brother Xie to a meal at Drunken Fragrance Pavilion, but as you know, I’m probably the poorest shizi in history. And with the recent natural disasters, Mother is keeping an even tighter grip on expenses. So today I can only buy you a pot of wine. As for the meal… let’s put it on credit for now.”
Cui Nian also bought him a pot of wine. “Didn’t I take over Brother Xie and Sister-in-law’s shop recently? I’m in the middle of renovating and getting everything back in order. All my money’s gone into that, so I don’t have much silver on hand. I’ll make it up to Brother Xie next time.”
As for Pei Qing, there was no need to mention him; with the meager salary he earned each month, after covering his household expenses, little was left. Buying a flask of wine had already required gritting his teeth.
In the past, among the four of them, Xie Shao had always been the most generous with money.
Now that the “money jar” was gone, all of them were knocked back to their original state overnight. Going to Drunken Fragrance Pavilion was out of the question, so the four carried their three pots of wine to Pei Qing’s residence instead.
The sun was still hanging in the western sky, yet the wine in their cups was already gone.
The four looked at their empty cups before them, lacking their usual carefree swagger, and remarkably in sync, stood up and headed home separately.
On his first day of duty, Xie Shao only needed to register his name—there were no actual tasks to handle. Besides, the position of Military Judicial Officer was a relaxed one.
Xie Shao had just returned to the Xie Mansion and intended to catch up on sleep. He hadn’t even lain down when two men arrived from the Jing Wang Mansion, carrying a bamboo basket.
“Deputy Xie, Shizi said these are all the military records since the establishment of the mansion. He asks that you take a look and get familiar with them first.”
Xie Shao: …
Had he perhaps overestimated himself?
“Shizi also said he has already asked Madam Zhou for approval. The ten taels of silver that Deputy Xie borrowed yesterday will not be deducted from next month’s salary. It will be considered an extra allowance for you.”
Money can make even ghosts grind the mill.
What goes around comes around, and now it was his turn to face the consequences.
What else could he say? He spent the night by lamplight reading until the early hours, then reported to the Jing Wang Mansion promptly at the chen hour the next day.
Since he was a newly appointed official, Zhou Kuang had specially prepared a new official robe for him.
Once Xie Shao was dressed, Zhou Kuang led him around the residence, introducing him to every adviser under the prince’s command. After that, he had him follow Pei Qing on patrol.
Zhou Kuang’s intention was not hard to guess. He wanted Xie Shao to show his face to as many people as possible. The more people who recognized him, the harder it would be for him to back out later.
This tactic proved effective. Within two days, all of Fengcheng knew that the Third Young Master Xie had become an official.
Compared to the title of “Military Judicial Officer,” Senior Deputy was easier for people to remember. So the townsfolk of Fengcheng quickly shifted from calling him “Third Young Master” to calling him “Deputy Xie.”
Every time he heard “Deputy Xie,” Pei Qing couldn’t help but chuckle, never missing the chance to twist the knife. “I never imagined that one day I’d have the honor of working alongside Brother Xie.”
After a few days of this, Xie Shao’s heart had grown nearly impenetrable, but that didn’t stop him from being petty. A casual retort almost never failed to hit its mark. “So, when are you heading to the Eastern Capital?”
Sure enough, the mention of this immediately soured Pei Qing’s mood. After a moment of silence, he suddenly lowered his voice. “I don’t know what that old fox is plotting, but lately he’s been frequently sending people to persuade me, insisting I go to the Eastern Capital.”
Xie Shao’s expression shifted. “Lord Pei sent someone to fetch you?”
Pei Qing nodded, then shook his head. “Even if I die here in Fengcheng, I will never accept his goodwill or seek shelter under his protection. The moment he abandoned his humble wife and young son, I severed all ties with him as a father.”
But Xie Shao wasn’t thinking about that. He asked, “When was this?”
“Yesterday.”
As he stood in the middle of the street, deep in thought, a bright, cheerful voice suddenly called out, “Third Young Master Xie!”
Xie Shao turned toward the voice and saw a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar. He studied it for a moment, unsure if he had recognized correctly. “Third Wen?”
“On the way back, plenty of people failed to recognize me.” The young master across from him flashed a cheerful smile. “Good thing Third Young Master Xie has sharp eyes.”
This was none other than the Third Young Master Wen, Wen Huai. His features were clean and refined, and when he smiled, he looked especially sunny, though his tan was indeed quite dark.
He had recognized the person, yes…, but given the current relationship between the two families, the situation was undeniably awkward.
The encounter had come too suddenly, leaving him unsure how to face him.
Xie Shao had long known that Second Master Wen and this Third Young Master had spent many years in Fuzhou. Whether the Wen family had informed them about recent events, he was not certain.
But judging by the open, relaxed expression on Wen Huai’s face, it didn’t seem like he was aware. Xie Shao began with some polite small talk. “When did you arrive?”
Wen Huai gestured toward the horse his servant was holding behind him. “Just entered the city.”
During the final fishing trip of the season, Second Master Wen had traveled quite far out to sea. To make it back in time for the Eldest Young Lady Wen’s wedding, Wen Huai had turned back halfway and rushed to Fuzhou. As soon as the ship docked, he set off for the capital without stopping.
Fuzhou’s climate was hotter than Fengcheng’s. By the fourth month, Fuzhou was already like a furnace, and the sun reflecting off the sea had tanned Wen Huai even darker than the year before.
Many in the city hadn’t recognized him. Xie Shao was the first to do so. But compared to Xie Shao, Wen Huai had been classmates with Xie Heng, the eldest son of the Xie family, and their relationship was closer. Having just arrived in the city, his information was still months behind. “Pity I couldn’t make it in time for the wedding banquet of Brother Xie and my eldest sister. I’ll visit my new brother-in-law at your residence another day.”
No need to ask, he clearly didn’t know.
The expression on Pei Qing’s face beside them couldn’t have been more vivid. He watched the scene unfold with undisguised amusement.
This was awkward. There was no need to arrange a visit later; his new brother-in-law was right in front of him.
The story was long and far from glorious. Xie Shao pressed his tongue against his cheek, turned his head slightly, weighing whether he should just drop the truth on Wen Huai right here in the middle of the street.
He didn’t know this Third Young Master Wen very well. They were both from noble families and had crossed paths before, so they recognized each other.
He seemed to have a decent temperament, probably resilient enough to handle it.
But then again, it was hard to say. After all, it involved his own younger sister. Their mother was already gone, and at the time of her wedding, neither her father nor her brother had been by her side. And from their perspective, she hadn’t exactly married her ideal match.
Even the best temperament might snap under such circumstances.
Still hesitating over how to proceed, Wen Huai added, “What I missed most while away was the food of Fengcheng. Fuzhou dishes are all just a handful of salt tossed in—no flavor at all, practically impossible to eat.”
He clasped his hands toward the two of them politely. “I won’t keep you both any longer today. I’ll go drink some of my family’s tea first to shake off the weariness.”
Next to them stood what had once been the largest teahouse of the Wen family.
After Cui Nian took over, he had changed the interior decor and staff, but the sign outside hadn’t been replaced yet. Before the other two could react, Wen Huai turned and ducked inside the building.
Xie Shao’s eyelids twitched, and he quickly called out, “Third Wen.”