Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 704 Deal with it, right? [Thank you! Thank you again! 38k words owed]

In late May,

The first quarter of Si Shi (9:00 AM)

Although it was morning,

But the sunlight was intense.
It was already too hot to stand in the sun.

Pedestrians on the road mostly choose to walk in the shade of trees to avoid the sun.

Jiying Lane,
Under the shade of trees at the street corner,

The peddlers and fruit vendors standing at their stalls would occasionally shout out to attract customers.
There were also women who carried stools to sit under the trees to enjoy the shade, or fanned themselves with palm-leaf fans while watching their children, or worked in the fields.
Men carrying shoulder poles passed by from time to time, with clean wooden buckets hanging from both ends, filled with well water that cost a few coins per bucket.

As the weather grew hotter, the business of selling cool well water became increasingly booming.

When passing through a gate with a lantern bearing the character "盛" (prosperity),

The man carrying water glanced to the side.
Just then, I saw someone carrying a wooden basin walking back and forth inside the doorway.
Many water carriers have passed through the gates of various households in the capital, and one can tell at a glance that they are gatekeepers or servants of wealthy families.

A servant boy of about ten years old was carrying a basin and walking around, sprinkling water on the ground.

Water was sprinkled inside the door, partly to suppress dust and partly to cool the surrounding area.

Those who can use water in this way obviously have a well at home.

The servant who was watering inside the Sheng family gate turned his gaze away from the water-delivering man passing by the gate.

Just as she was about to continue watering, she suddenly stopped and then smiled, "Sister Danju, it's so hot, are you still going out?"

Danju, who was walking over with a frown and carrying a bamboo basket, forced a smile and nodded: "Yes."

Seeing the water stains in front of the door, Danju slightly lifted the hem of her skirt with both hands.

After taking a few steps out of the gate, Danju looked to both sides and then turned back to ask, "Did your gatekeeper receive any news that the inner courtyard needs a carriage?"

The servant put down the wooden basin, looking somewhat bewildered, and shook his head, saying, "Sister Danju, I don't know anything about this. Should I go to the stables and ask?"

Danju peeked outside again, then waved her hand and said, "Thank you! But there's no need to go, the carriage is here."

"Yes!" The servant nodded and watched Danju board the carriage.

The inner courtyard of the Sheng family,

In the side room that had been converted into Granny Kong's classroom,
The house is made of very good materials.

There is also a porch outside that blocks the direct sunlight.

Therefore, even without an ice chest and a rotating fan, the room still felt noticeably cool after being sprinkled with water.

inside the house,

Four desks were arranged in a row.

Granny Kong was not present.
Only the four women from the two branches of the Sheng family stayed inside, some sitting and some standing.

Mo Lan's personal maid, Yun Zai, looked at Xiao Tao with a look of apology in her eyes.

Xiao Tao, however, seemed completely oblivious as she looked at Minglan.

aside,
Rulan raised her chin and looked at Molan, saying:

"I say, Fourth Sister, you really know how to manage your maids! They don't even look where they're going."

"You knocked over Sixth Sister's colorful ink box, and you, as the host, didn't even apologize."

Mo Lan pouted, looking aggrieved, as if she was about to cry at any moment, and said, "Yun Zai was just a little anxious and made a mistake."

"It's just an ink cartridge, I'll compensate my sixth sister."

Rulan said disdainfully, "It's just an inkwell? Fourth Sister, have you never been to the Sibaozhai shop? Don't you know how much this booklet and inkwell are worth?"

Pinlan glanced at Rulan and Molan, who were bickering, and walked to Minglan's side to ask with concern, "Sixth Sister, are you alright?"

Minglan lowered her head and shook her head, saying, "Sister Pinlan, I'm fine."

As she spoke, Minglan carefully wiped the booklet on the table in front of her with her delicate handkerchief.

It seemed that this handkerchief, which was worth two or three taels of silver outside, was not as precious as the booklet in front of him.

Xiao Tao, standing behind Minglan, looked at Minglan with eyes full of heartache.

Upon hearing this, Pinlan looked at Minglan with concern, nodded, and said, "That's good."

"Mmm!" Minglan replied.

The booklet in front of Minglan was different from the booklets commonly found on the market.

The booklet had a genuine leather cover and was about the size of modern printing paper, but slightly thicker than a flat palm.

But by this time it had been stained with ink of various colors, and its clean and beautiful appearance was gone.

Seeing this, Pinlan said, "Sixth sister, if all else fails, ask cousin Xu Jiajing where he ordered this booklet. If this one we received as a gift is unusable, we can just buy another one ourselves."

Minglan looked up at Pinlan and said, "Sister Pinlan, it's alright! Only a few pages are stained with ink, the rest are still usable."

“Alright,” Pinlan nodded.

Minglan forced a smile.

in fact,

In Minglan's heart, she would never exchange this booklet that Xu Zaijing gave to the four Lans, no matter what.

Minglan still remembers the joy she felt when she received the booklet from Qingcao.

Although all four orchids were present, the fact that Xu Zaijing personally commissioned them from a shop to be custom-made did not diminish Minglan's appreciation for them even more.

In the beginning,
The first page of this booklet has a drawing showing many of the things used for making tea.

There are also straight lines leading out from the side, with the name marked.

Looking at this interesting picture, Minglan seemed to have an epiphany and instantly understood how to quickly take notes during Aunt Kong's lessons.

After all, drawing a simple picture and adding a few words from time to time while Grandma Kong explains it is much faster than writing each character one by one.

Especially her three older sisters would ask a few more questions from time to time, which naturally made Minglan's notes become more and more detailed.

Minglan's inksticks of different colors have visibly shrunk, and there are very few left today.

Of course, not everyone is like Minglan.

Just as Rulan ignored the pictures in the booklet, Molan turned the booklet into her own new collection of poems, and Pinlan cleverly bribed Minglan by promising to play polo with her in the future, often copying Minglan's notes.

Of course, the results were remarkable. Every time Pinlan returned to the main house, the old lady and Madam Li would smile from ear to ear when they saw the 'classroom notes'.

At this time,

"cough!"

The sound of Granny Kong coughing brought immediate silence to the girls' school.

Minglan pursed her lips as she looked at the booklet in front of her.
It seems that this booklet was the last thing she and Xu Zaijing ever did together.

After all, she, the youngest of them all, had already come of age, and her older sisters were all starting to ask for marriage partners.

Thinking about all this, Minglan sighed softly and forced a smile as she looked at Granny Kong who had entered the room.

Xingguofang
The Duke of Qi's Mansion

In the backyard, under the veranda,

Princess Pingning, fanning herself with a round fan, walked slowly with her personal maid and a group of female servants.

She had only taken a few steps when Princess Pingning's gaze sharpened, and she said coldly, "Stop!"

"Crack."

Not far from the group, a maid who was walking quickly immediately stopped.

The head maidservant beside Princess Pingning glanced at the maidservant and noticed that the color of her clothes was no different from that of the other maidservants in the Duke of Qi's mansion.

Judging from the sheen of the clothes, the materials used were clearly much better than those of the other maids, indicating that this maid came from a very well-off family.

Moreover, the waist of the maid's clothes was obviously narrowed to accentuate her waist and hips.

Seeing this, the head housekeeper glanced at the maid's deliberately styled hair, and a wave of memories instantly washed over her.

I vaguely remember that last spring, this maid was reprimanded by Princess Pingning.

However, Princess Pingning described the maid's clothes that time as "a flamboyant and colorful ensemble".

If Xu Zaijing were here, he would definitely be quite surprised.

because,

Princess Pingning did not, as Xu Zaijing remembered, directly step forward and reprimand the maid, saying that the maid was "slicked back," "shameless," and "brothel-like."

Instead, she shook her head slightly and waved to the steward behind her, saying, "Deal with it." Actually, thinking about it, that made sense.

Now that Princess Pingning has a younger brother, her maternal family, the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion, will not fall into the hands of outsiders.

The official, Duke Qi, also held some powerful official positions in the court.

She was the adopted daughter of the Empress and the Emperor, and her adopted brother was the future Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Those who were even closer to the Emperor, Empress, and princes than Princess Pingning were probably members of the imperial family.

This status is arguably even more illustrious and prestigious than that depicted in television dramas.

The Qi family enjoys honor not only now, but also in the future.

The honor and disgrace of the Qi family should not be entirely entrusted to Princess Pingning herself.

Princess Pingning no longer needed to exhaust herself with painstaking planning, so her mood and temperament were naturally different from before.

Even during her menstrual period, seeing such a thing wouldn't make her so angry that she would mock one maid or reprimand the other maids.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the head maid replied, bowing her head.

The maid standing in front of everyone felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, seeing Princess Pingning ignoring her and the expressionless head maid.

"puff."

The maidservants, dressed in the style of brothels, knelt on the ground.

Watching Princess Pingning's departing figure, the maid shuffled a few times on her knees, about to beg for mercy.

"Snapped!"

Upon seeing her mouth movements, the headmistress slapped her across the face.

"Shut up," the head housekeeper said calmly.

The maid covered her cheek, looking at the headmistress with a blank expression.

Subsequently,

Two servants came over.

One person grabbed one side and dragged the maid out.

The head maid turned to look at the group of maids following behind Princess Pingning.

Seeing that no one dared to turn their head to see what was going on,

The headmistress breathed a satisfied sigh of relief.

The maids in the Duke's mansion naturally knew the final fate of this courtesan.

The reason is simple: this supervising mother will announce it personally to set an example for others.

Outside the study,
Princess Pingning, who had arrived nearby, raised her round fan, and the maids and servants behind her all stopped in their tracks.

It was a bit hot at the time.

The study door was left open for ventilation.

Princess Pingning walked slowly into the study, where she saw Qi Heng holding a book and looking away.

After looking at Qi Heng for a while, and seeing that her son was still oblivious, Princess Pingning coughed lightly in exasperation.

"Well?"

Qi Heng, regaining his senses, turned around and saw that it was his mother, Princess Pingning. He immediately stood up, bowed, and greeted her: "Mother."

"What are you thinking about? So entranced?"

Hearing Princess Pingning's question, Qi Heng glanced at the book and then pointed to the map hanging in the study, saying, "Mother, I am looking at the map of our Great Zhou Dynasty, wondering when our dynasty will be able to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."

Princess Pingning waved her round fan, sat down opposite Qi Heng, and said with a smile, "Heng'er, it should be the Fifteen Prefectures of Yanyun."

Qi Heng was taken aback, and quickly said, "Mother, you are right! I forgot that Marquis Yongyi had already recovered a prefecture."

Princess Pingning smiled and said, "Your maternal grandfather and His Majesty will surely be happy to know that you have this intention."

Qi Heng smiled somewhat embarrassedly, then said seriously:
“Mother, I have been studying at the Sheng family home for six or seven years now.”

"We've troubled the Sheng family's matriarch quite a bit over the years. How about this: when you're free, we can prepare some gifts and visit the Sheng family together to express our gratitude?"

Princess Pingning waved her round fan, looked at Qi Heng scrutinizingly, and said, "Heng'er, I am so happy that you are so sensible."

Seeing Princess Pingning's attitude, Qi Heng's smile grew even brighter.

Princess Pingning added, "But, Heng'er, our family is a first-class noble family, so it's perfectly acceptable for you to address the Empress as your maternal grandmother."

"To associate with the Sheng family in this way is already a sign of their humble and subservient relationship."

"Frequent interactions will inevitably give the impression of favoritism! Or people will think that the Sheng family is currying favor with the powerful, which could affect Lord Sheng's career."

Seeing Qi Heng's stunned expression, Princess Pingning continued, "It would be better if the Sheng family didn't have a young lady! Otherwise, those gossipy people might be talking about you behind your back, Heng'er."

"If rumors were to spread that someone wanted to become a concubine in our Duke's mansion, it would do no good for the reputation of the Sheng family's daughters."

Seeing Qi Heng's anxious expression, as if he was about to deny it, Princess Pingning, who had grown up in the palace and was used to seeing all sorts of shrewd people, narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Besides, my face is as yellow as paper in this weather, and I'd just become a laughing stock if I went out."

Hearing Princess Pingning's words, Qi Heng said, "Mother, how can you be so shameless! Your son doesn't think you look like that at all!"

Princess Pingning smiled and said, "What do you know, you're just a child."

As she spoke, Princess Pingning stood up and walked to the door.
He beckoned to the maid carrying the snacks to come in and said:
"Alright, the kitchen in the manor has made some snacks that are suitable for summer. Heng'er, if you are tired from studying, have some."

Seeing Qi Heng's hesitant expression, Princess Pingning smiled and said, "Keep studying hard."

"Yes, mother."

Qi Heng cupped his hands in greeting.

After leaving the study,

Princess Pingning's smile slowly faded, and she said, "Go, let Buwei come into the courtyard. I have something to ask him."

"Yes, ma'am."

About fifteen minutes later
They hurried into the backyard without looking back.

From the moment I was admitted to the hospital,
Even from the corner of my eye, I could see that the closer I got to the main house, the fewer maids there were on both sides.

When Buwei stepped across the threshold into the main hall, there was only Princess Pingning and her personal maid inside.

"This humble servant greets Your Majesty."

They did not kneel down with their hands clasped in respect.

Not because I could see the floor tiles right in front of me, smell the elegant incense in the air, but because I couldn't hear any sound.

The silence inside the room gradually made Buwei feel a deep sense of pressure.

When her knees started to ache slightly, Princess Pingning's voice came softly: "You've studied with your young master for over ten years, do you know where the saying 'too much love can be harmful' comes from, and what it means?"

Qi Heng's education did not begin with the Sheng family; he started reading as a child.

After thinking for a moment, Buwei said without raising his head, "Your Majesty, this sentence comes from the Huainanzi. It is said that during the great war between the State of Chu and the State of Jin, the King of Chu was wounded and took a break from the war. The King's deputy, Zifan, was thirsty and wanted to drink wine, so Zifan's attendants served him fine wine."

"Zifan got drunk and was discovered by the King of Chu, who wanted to fight again. As a result, Zifan was executed by the King of Chu."

“The attendants had no intention of killing Zifan, but their respect and obedience led to Zifan’s death.”

Before he could finish speaking, he continued to kneel obediently, staring at the patterns on the ground in front of him.

After a while,
"Hmm! You've learned well! Get up," Princess Pingning instructed.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Buwei stood up, supporting himself on the ground.

"As Heng'er's close associate, you must constantly advise him not to become a 'follower of Zifan'! Otherwise, when Heng'er is punished, you will only be punished more severely!"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go."

He did not respond again, and retreated out of the main room.

The head maidservant beside Princess Pingning asked, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"

Princess Pingning said calmly, "Heng'er has someone in his heart! It's probably a girl from the Sheng family."

The head housekeeper looked somewhat anxious: "Then should we tell the young master to stop going to the Sheng family?"

Princess Pingning waved her hand: "The imperial examination is only half a year away, so there's no need to do anything to him for now. Anyway, the Sheng family's daughters are all taking classes in the backyard."

(End of this chapter)