The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 111
Wen Shuse’s thoughts were still lingering on her disappointing belly. For a moment, she did not come back to herself. Stunned, she asked, “Go where?”
“Recently, Imperial Father and Crown Prince have both been troubled over the matters of Hexi and Hebei. Anyone with eyes can see that those places are already diseased beyond saving, yet Imperial Father has sent quite a few people there and still cannot find the root of the illness. He was just worrying over being unable to find a suitable candidate. Today, your Commander Xie came along and volunteered himself, asking to go to Hexi and Hebei to investigate the taxes. Once the imperial examination is over, he will have to set out at once… “You did not know? He did not tell you?”
Tell her what? Just yesterday, he had even said that once this busy period passed and he had a little spare time, he would take her to the west of the city to see the red leaves.
Ming Wanrou glanced at Wen Shuse’s dazed expression and sighed. “I knew it. The Crown Prince advised him several times, but Commander Xie would not listen. This trip will take at least half a year. If it goes longer, probably one or two years…”
One or two years. By then, the child in A’Yuan’s belly would already be able to call her Mother. When exactly had her husband’s ambition grown so large?
She rushed home. Chancellor Xie and Second Madam had already blocked the doorway. One had a stern face, eyes full of indignation. The other’s expression was calm and indifferent, though her eyes were also fixed tightly on their son before them, whose gaze kept dodging left and right.
“What are you rushing for? The Commander of the Imperial Guard is a position countless people dream of. You climbed up there in less than half a year, and you are still not satisfied?”
Second Madam tucked both hands into her sleeves and echoed blandly, “He has ambition now, of course.”
The situation in Hexi and Hebei had been chaotic for a long time. Those insatiable old fox generals were not ordinary cunning men and could not be easily handled. Chancellor Xie had been searching for someone on his side, only for his own son to suddenly cut in and volunteer himself.
How many years had he even lived? Could he outmaneuver those old foxes?
The moment morning court ended, the Emperor called Chancellor Xie over and told him the candidates for Hexi and Hebei had already been settled. It was his own son, Xie Shao. What else could he say? That he only had this one son and could not bear to send him to his death?
He couldn’t vent in front of the Emperor. The moment he returned, Chancellor Xie was almost pointing his finger at his head. “Haste makes waste. Aren’t you entering the examination hall tomorrow? With your brain, no matter what, you should make the top ten. Once you have scholarly honors, you’ll enter the Department of State Affairs. How many more years can these old bones of mine still toss about? In a few more years, this position will sooner or later be yours.”
Second Madam tilted her head and added fuel to the fire. “Not only does he have a high-ranking official for a father, but he also has a father-in-law with wealth in the tens of thousands.”
Exactly.
He had an office if he wanted an office, and money if he wanted money. In this lifetime, even if he lay flat, he could still live in wealth and honor.
Ever since they witnessed his reckless drive, both of them had a lingering fear in their hearts.
“It is not that I do not believe you lack the ability. But the situation in those two regions is complicated. It is not something you alone can settle by going there.”
The way Chancellor Xie looked at him was almost like he wanted to slap the words “overconfident” onto his forehead.
It was rare for husband and wife to be so in tune, one singing and the other echoing. Behind the desk, the young master’s expression seemed to loosen with some regret. “I understand everything Father and Mother have said, but…” Before the two could let out a breath of relief, he calmly picked up the imperial edict from the box and said apologetically, “His Majesty has already issued the decree.”
So, anything they said was useless. It was too late.
With one sentence, he blocked off both their words. Second Madam was so choked she nearly fell backward. No longer willing to waste another half sentence on him, she pulled her husband and turned to leave. “Why bother with him? Let us see how he explains this to Shuse.”
As they crossed the threshold, they saw Wen Shuse standing on the steps.
The one who could deal with him had arrived.
Since the imperial edict had already been issued, it was useless to stop him now. They could only think of a way to choose an experienced person to accompany him there.
After Chancellor Xie and Second Madam left, Xie Shao wearily rubbed his temples. Tomorrow, he has to enter the examination hall. He was just about to take out his books and review when, from the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow enter through the doorway. His expression paused. Lifting his head and seeing that bright, beautiful face, guilt finally rose in his heart. He stood up and smiled. “Wife is back? Did you not say you would stay until after noon?”
Wen Shuse did not answer him. She walked over and sat in the round-backed chair beside his desk.
Xie Shao tilted his head and watched her for a while. His little wife’s face was calm, but the more one could not tell her joy or anger, the more uneasy his heart became. He set down the book and walked before his little wife, bending down and planning to beg forgiveness with tenderness.
Then, his little wife turned to look at him. “When is Husband leaving?”
“Nine days from now.”
Since the imperial edict had already been issued, there was nothing left to hide. That meant he would leave as soon as the imperial examination ended.
Wen Shuse rose. “I will go pack your things for you.”
She was so carefree, with none of the confrontation or anger he had expected. Based on past experience, his little wife was probably angry to the extreme. He quickly caught her hand and did not let her go. “Are you angry?”
“Would my anger be useful?” Wen Shuse turned back, her expression bland. “Didn’t Husband already say? The imperial edict has already been issued. No one can stop it.”
That was the excuse he had used for Chancellor Xie and Second Madam. The excuse for her was different. His arms gently wrapped around his little wife’s waist from behind, and he lowered his head, resting his chin on her shoulder. In a low voice, he said, “The Eastern Capital lies in the Central Plains, and the price of sea goods has remained high. If Mixian Tower relies only on Father-in-law’s connections and supply in Fuzhou, seafood will always be in short supply. But Liao lives off the sea. Your husband has heard people say that the Liao people are especially skilled at going into the sea, and during the peak season, a single sea cucumber once sold for a low price of only a few wen.”
As expected, a merchant could not bear to hear the word “cheap.” The young lady’s eyes moved slightly.
“Hexi and Hebei border Liao. As long as the routes are open, we can buy low-priced seafood from Liao and send it back to the Eastern Capital. Mixian Tower’s business will at least triple to five times.” He looked at the young lady and said softly again, “Did you not want to do fabric business too? Hexi is the necessary route for silk. Once I have cleaned up Hexi, let alone opening one fabric shop, Wife could open ten.”
Seeing the expression on his little wife’s face gradually loosen, he began making promises again, a skill he had always been good at. “In the future, I will be the official. Wife needs only make a fortune.”
But the young lady was no fool either. “Such a good thing would fall to you?”
“Exactly, only after enduring the bitterest bitterness can one become above others. If one wants such wealth and honor, one can only seek it amid danger.” Xie Shao continued attacking her heart. “The only suitable candidates in court are the Yang family and my Xie family. Only with the two families’ status in the Eastern Capital’s court can those arrogant people be suppressed. If my Xie family does not go, then the Yang family will have to go. The Yang family has been entrenched in the Eastern Capital for so many years, with deep roots. General Yang followed the late Emperor in conquering the realm in his early years and made outstanding military achievements. He was granted the title of Founding Marquis. My father was born a civil official. Scholarly merit is difficult to earn, and he left court for ten years. After returning to his old post, though his honors reached the rank of Pillar of State, he had no hereditary title. If we want to balance this bowl of water, then my Xie family must take the first step forward.”
Military generals earned merit quickly. With the imperial examination added on, once he obtained honors and noble rank, only then could he win his little wife an imperial mandate.
Seeing him pull the matter from profit to family prosperity, his little wife thoroughly lost her chance to speak.
“Wife, rest assured. On this trip, I have ninety percent certainty.” In order to reassure her further, he gave her another calming pill. “Cui Nian’s father-in-law is in Hexi. With him looking after things, this trip will not be so difficult.”
Wen Shuse froze. “Cui Nian has only been back for two months. When did he marry? Why did I not know?”
“Soon.”
Cui Nian now told everyone he met that he was the son-in-law who had married into the Huai family of Hexi. It had almost spread through all of Fengcheng.
Her husband had painted the picture so vividly, analyzing the pros and cons for her, then throwing out temptations. In every aspect, he had already considered her worries. What else did she have to be concerned about?
She suddenly understood.
“I have discovered it. Husband hides too deeply. What wastrel son? Your ambition is buried in your bones. You just happened to meet someone like me, who loves money, which suited you perfectly and awakened it. Now you are like a fierce beast…”
She had hit the nail on the head. The seedling that had been cut off had grown again, and the grand ambition in his chest was unstoppable.
“What kind of beast?”
Her husband feigned confusion. His face suddenly drew close beneath her neck. Seeing her fair earlobe lit by the sunlight outside the room, delicate and translucent, revealing the tiny blood vessels within, he opened his mouth and held it, lightly grinding it between his lips and teeth.
Wen Shuse shuddered, half her body going soft, and cried in surprise, “In broad daylight, what is Husband thinking?”
“Just what you’re thinking,” he murmured. His arm slid down and wrapped around her waist, then he lifted her horizontally and carried her into the inner room.
As Ayuan said, the trip to Hexi and Hebei would take at least half a year, and if longer, a year before her husband returned. Some matters she could still keep buried in her heart, but whether there was a child in her belly or not could be seen at a glance. She had already been anxious to begin with. If he left, would this not be delayed by another year or half a year?
Her husband was anxious, and so was she.
Supporting her sore, swollen waist, Wen Shuse gritted her teeth and turned to look at the husband who had just calmed down. “Husband, are you tired?”
He was not tired. With her, he felt nothing but joy. Closing his eyes, he pulled her into his arms and gently stroked her cheek with tender pity. “Parting is near, so I got a bit carried away. You must be tired.”
“I am not tired.”
Xie Shao opened his eyes in surprise.
The young lady slowly climbed on top of him, traced a line down his chest with her finger, and looked resolute. “If Husband is not tired, then I will have to trouble you for another round or two.”
If they succeeded, all the better. He would go out to struggle for achievements, while she would stay home and raise the melon. By the time he returned, covered in success and fame, it would be just right to harvest it. Counting it this way, the child could still be born in the same year as A’Yuan’s child, just a little younger by a month.
Xie Shao: …
—
Nine days later, as soon as the imperial examination ended, Xie Shao stepped onto the road to Hexi and Hebei. The official ship departed from the harbor, but he himself took the official road, dressed in plain clothes, sitting inside the carriage of a merchant caravan. The only ones seeing him off were Wen Shuse and Wen Huai.
Mid-Autumn had already passed. Now, when the night wind blew, even a thin cotton cloak could not withstand that chill. Wen Shuse stood at the entrance of the Wen family’s cloth canopy, her hands tucked into her sleeves, letting the wind lift the loose hair at her temples. She only watched the carriage from afar, not entering the canopy, nor willing to approach.
Xie Shao lifted the carriage curtain and watched her for a while. In the end, he could only say to Wen Huai before him, “Take good care of your sister.”
“You should worry about yourself instead. Coming back safely is more important than giving her anything else.”
Having reached this point today, what power or wealth did she still care about?
Speaking of this matter, Xie Shao was just about to ask him, “Why did you not take the imperial examination?”
Long ago, he had sent books to him and also introduced him to his former teacher, even securing him a place in the provincial examination. And what had he done?
He did not go.
“In this lifetime, what I dislike most is studying. It is enough to get myself the title of an official of the fourth rank. As for striving for scholarly honors, I will leave that to my descendants.”
Descendants. His marriage had not even been settled, yet he was already speaking of descendants.
Xie Shao’s eyes already carried obvious mockery. Wen Huai saw it clearly and did not need him to say it aloud.
Since Wen Huai no longer went to Fuzhou, the layer of dark skin on his face had slowly begun to turn fair again. It no longer shone as darkly as before, and his features had become fairer. The more one looked, the more pleasing he became.
The Xie family only had him, but the Xie family also had an eldest brother-in-law who was not yet betrothed. Moreover, this eldest brother-in-law’s conditions were not bad. He was the young master of a family with wealth in the tens of thousands, and his bone structure was not poor either. Even in the Eastern Capital, he would still be popular.
“Has Shizi Yang invited you out lately?”
Since the Sixth Young Lady Yang had failed to enter the Eastern Palace as she wished, and the Second Princess had also failed to enter the Xie family, the Yang family would not resign themselves to it. Going off the beaten path, they might inevitably set their sights on this piece of black charcoal wrapped in gold. Xie Shao heard that Shizi Yang had been frequenting Mixian Lou, calling Wen Huai ‘brother’ and even inviting him to the autumn festival later this month. They were likely trying to set him up with some cousin from the Yang family.
Other things were still fine. But the person he would have to call Sister-in-law in the future should be considered carefully. Her character had to be properly sifted.
Wen Huai knew what he was worried about. “Rest assured. I know what I am doing. I will not drag your Xie family down.”
Since he pointed it out in one sentence, Xie Shao did not deny it either. It would be best to find someone who stood on the Xie family’s side, so as to avoid differences arising in the future.
After they finished speaking, he once again looked toward his little wife in the distance, smiled at her, and called out, “Gao Xian, I am leaving.”