Did the third place winner regret it today?

Chapter 58

Kui'er sneaked into the side room.
Because when Yin Shi got married, he told the three of them not to get close to Shen Ti. If Shen Ti needed him, he would let Shen Ti's maid serve him.
Yin Shi herself had changed a lot after getting married. When she was with Shen Ti, no one was allowed in the room. If the two of them were in the inner room, the maids would retreat to the side room. If the two of them were in the side room, the maids would retreat to the main room.
The two of them were talking and didn't want the maids to hear them.
Kui Er actually thought that this was a good thing, because Yin Shi and Shen Ti could spend time together without being disturbed and become closer.

Kui'er came in while Shen Ti was in the courtyard and Yin Shi was the only one in the side room.
Yin Shi raised his eyes and saw her: "What are you doing? Why do you look so bad?"
Kui'er looked very unhappy. She walked quickly to Yin Shi, leaned close to her, and whispered, "Hanlin exempted Aunt Feng from paying respects."

Yin Shi was pleased with Yu Kui'er's loyalty and told her, "I know. We just discussed it. He wanted me to go and ask me to do a favor for Feng Shi so that Feng Shi would be grateful to me. I told him I didn't need it, so I let him go."

Kui'er stopped talking, her eyes widened.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Yin Shi was overjoyed and finally stopped laughing: "I've told you many times that Aunt Feng's matter is a different matter."
Hearing some noise in the yard, he whispered, "Get out quickly. Otherwise, when he comes back and sees you here, he'll know you're here to complain."
Kui'er stamped her feet twice and went out.

Sure enough, Shen Ti came in. He looked very happy.
"I told her that she would not have to pay her respects in the future." He said, "But Luo Niang said that etiquette cannot be abolished, and she said she had to come. Luo Niang has been studying since she was young, and she is a person who knows books and etiquette. I thought about it and asked her to pay her respects to you every fifth or tenth day. She agreed."

So that's why. No wonder he is in such a good mood.
A wife is one who is magnanimous and tolerant.
A concubine is one who is well-educated, well-mannered and knows the general situation.
This is what men’s dream of a house is like.
It’s a dream come true, right?

Yin Shi smiled and said, "Okay, that's it. She and I can also see each other regularly so we won't become strangers."
Shen Ti had a feeling that there must be something behind Yin Shi's smile. But he was not sure what she was teasing. In his opinion, this matter was a compromise reached by her, him and her. It was not a win-win situation, but no one lost.
Isn't this basically the goal that he and Yin Shi agreed to pursue?
What are you laughing at?

Yin Shi noticed the vigilance in Shen Ti's eyes, and quickly restrained himself. He called the maid to come in and clean up the dishes. While getting off the bed, he looked around and said, "I'm going to my aunt's place. Do you want to go?"
Because men have external affairs, especially those who have entered officialdom like Shen Ti, they do not need to visit their mothers every day to greet them.

Shen Ti took the mouthwash tea and rinsed her mouth, then said, "I won't go. I have an appointment with my uncles today. Time is a bit tight, and I have to deal with this first."
Yin Shi also rinsed his mouth and pressed the corner of his mouth with his handkerchief: "Which one?"
Shen Ti picked up a box from beside her and shook it.

When did the box appear there? Yin Shi never saw it because it was blocked by the couch.
She looked at the box and was about to ask what it was, but her gaze moved to Shen Ti's face and met his eyes. Seeing his dim eyes, she suddenly realized.
"that?"
"Ah."

The maid who took the mouthwash tea away overheard what was going on and wondered, what is that? Which one is that? Hanlin and the young lady have only been married for a few days, and they have such a tacit understanding? It was like a riddle, and outsiders couldn't understand it at all.
He walked out with the tray.
There was no one in the second room again.

Some words said in the dark, some things done in the dark, are ultimately different from being exposed in broad daylight.
Yin Shi and Shen Ti stared at each other across the couch.
Men and women are sometimes like hunter and prey.
You cannot show weakness at this moment. Whoever has a weak aura will become the prey.

You could hear a pin drop in the second room.
Yin Shi didn't avoid his gaze at all.
Usually in this kind of situation, men have an innate advantage. But Yin Shi had taken the position of "sister" since the beginning of their marriage, seized the high ground of etiquette and law, and had been quietly disciplining Shen Ti through blood for several days.
Shen Ti has already accepted that an older sister can be more unrestrained and assertive in front of her younger brother.

Finally, Shen Ti looked away.
He got off the couch and brushed his clothes: "Then I'll go."
"Go ahead." Yin Shi said, "clean it up."
It's best to burn this kind of thing, there's no need to keep it. It's really inconvenient for her to be here. If she asks someone to bring a brazier, it will make too much noise. A piece of clothing has a lot of fabric, and if the flames are seen by the maids, they will definitely scream and shout.
It is much easier for men to do this.

Yin Shi was really helpless about the fact that there was no privacy in the inner courtyard of ancient mansions.
At this point, I can especially understand why some older girls and confidantes are so valued and appreciated.
I wonder how many of the master's secrets he holds in his hands and how many of his master's secrets he swallows.

Shen Ti was about to step out of the lattice door when Yin Shi called him again: "Jiyun."
He called him “Jiyun” in front of others, but why did you dare to call him “Shen Ti” last night?
Shen Ti turned around.
Yin Shi said softly, "You don't have to go back here today, just go there directly."

She could no longer treat him as a boy. She realized last night that Shen Ti was already a man.
There is no turning back once you start eating meat.
How long she and he could last in this state in the future was a matter of the future. But it was definitely not possible at the moment. She had not yet completely established herself. Once the two of them had sex, her good start would be in vain, and she would be in a lower position in an instant.
That won't work.

So last night, she deliberately slept close to the bed. Yesterday was the worst night she had slept since she got married.
Eating, wearing, and sleeping are her most basic demands for this time and space. She has never thought about love or status, power, etc. She only asks for the most basic things, and she can't fail to do even this.
Send Shen Ti to Feng Luoyi's place, she wants to have the big bed all to herself.

"Does Aunt Feng have any spare clothes for you? If not, ask the maids to send some over so it will be convenient for you in the future." She acted like a truly generous wife.
For his own comfort, even his voice was a little softer than usual.

Shen Ti stared at her smiling face.
"You don't have to worry, I'll ask them to arrange it." He said and looked at her again.
Just pretend. He saw clearly that she had deceived her family and her aunt, his mother, by pretending, and won her favor.

However, her sharpness, rebelliousness and daring were hidden only in his and her inner room, and only he knew about it, which was also... quite interesting.
Shen Ti took the box and turned away, with a smile on her lips that she wasn't even aware of.

He left Jingrongyuan and went to the inner study.
The outer study was where he received guests, while the inner study was his absolute territory in the inner house.
For couples whose relationship is not good, if the husband does not want to sleep with his wife or concubine, he will sleep in the inner study.

Changchuan followed him into the inner house.
He was still a child, and although he had grown taller this year, the tip of his bun only reached Shen Ti's chest, so he could walk in the inner house. Changchuan had short legs, so even if Shen Ti walked steadily, he still had to jog.
"Hanlin, let me get it." Although he was small, he was smart and had good sense.
The Hanlin was holding a box, which he should have held. At most, the Hanlin was holding a fan or a horse whip.
I don’t know why Hanlin didn’t offer it today, and even refused: “No, I’ll take it myself.”

Shen Ti took the box all the way to his inner study.
After sending away the maid and Changchuan from the study, he sat alone at the desk looking at the box.
Before last night, when Ruo and Yin Shi talked about their future, the first thought that came to his mind was "care".
He was going to take care of Yin Shi for the rest of his life.

But last night, when he got the blood-stained shirt, he suddenly realized that, to put it another way, Yin Shi's life belonged to him.
This level of affiliation has always been suppressed by the sibling relationship.
He ignored it.

His hand rested on the box.
What should we do with it? Should we burn it?
It's hard to make a decision.
I also felt a burning sensation where my fingertips touched, a scalding sensation.

Finally, Shen Ti made a decision.
He resisted the urge to open the box, opened the small cabinet under the table, reached in and felt around inside, and when he felt the mechanism, he applied a little force and the secret compartment opened.
Shen Ti put the box into the secret compartment.
He stood up and called Changchuan: "Let's go to our uncles."
During his ten-day wedding leave, he had nothing to do except accompany his uncles to tour the capital.
"By the way, call Ping Mo."

Yin Shi went to pay his respects to Madam Shen.
You can't go to pay respects to your mother-in-law too early, because you have to avoid your father-in-law. It's good, and it doesn't affect your sleep.

"Don't talk nonsense about Aunt Feng's greetings. I will do it myself." On the way, she told Pu'er, "If you talk about it once in a while, Mother Qin will think you are simple-minded. You are the one who talks about my courtyard every time. The housekeeper has a smile on her face, but in her heart, you are no longer a person who can be reused and cannot be trusted."

Pu'er had never thought of this and her face turned pale.
"I emphasize again that we are not in our own home now," Yin Shi said.
Kui'er and Pu'er both lowered their heads and said, "Yes."

When we arrived at Mrs. Shen's place, she was making tea.
"Come here, your uncle brought back some good tea." She smiled, "You can take some back later."
Yin Shi also walked over with a smile.
It seems that the method of brewing tea is slightly different from Huaixi's, so I would like to ask for your advice.
Mrs. Shen seemed to see herself back then, and she became more energetic and told her the story in detail.

They are not only mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but also aunt and nephew.
But in fact, in ancient society, not every aunt or uncle would treat their nephew/niece well.
Yin Shi knew that he was lucky, but he also knew that the relationship between aunt and nephew also needed to be managed.

"Aunt, Aunt Feng came to pay her respects today." Yin Shi took the initiative to report.
"Oh?" Sure enough, Mrs. Shen's attention shifted from the tea.
"Mrs. Feng is very polite." Yin Shi first praised Feng Luoyi, then said, "But Jiyun and I both think that our family is generous and blessed, so it is really unnecessary. Jiyun and I discussed and exempted Mrs. Feng from paying respects."

Mrs. Shen never thought that it was actually Yin Shi who proposed this. The one who really didn't care about "paying respects" was Yin Shi.
Mrs. Shen immediately concluded that although Yin Shi kept saying "Jiyun and I", it must be Shen Ti's intention to exempt Feng Luoyi from paying his respects.
Shen Ti feels sorry for Feng Luoyi, is there any need to explain this?

Mrs. Shen felt a little guilty about her son's behavior.
But her years in the back house were not lived in vain. She blamed her son in her heart, but she did not show it on her face. She only asked, "Then let's forget it?"

"That's what we both wanted," Yin Shi said, "but Aunt Feng is educated, so she refused. Finally, it was Jiyun who suggested that she come to pay respects every five or ten days. Only then did Aunt Feng agree. Although she is young, she is a sensible girl."
She even spoke well of Feng Luoyi. In this matter, it was clearly her son who was violating her rights as the legal wife.
Madam Shen said, "This is Jiyun's fault. I'll tell him off later. I'm sorry for wronging you."

Yin Shi laughed: "Look at what aunt said. I knew everything before I got married. I said at that time that I would live with aunt. I have enough food and clothes. Jiyun can be taken care of by aunt. I don't have to worry about anything."

Mrs. Shen was very touched, relieved and amused: "You."
She shared the tea and sighed, "Feng is really pitiful, no wonder Jiyun pities her. But don't worry, you are Jiyun's principal wife in this family, she can't surpass you."

When she said "Feng is pitiful", Yin Shi knew that Mrs. Shen's attitude towards Feng Luoyi must be different from that of an ordinary mother-in-law towards her son's concubine.
According to Shen Ti, people in the capital get engaged early, and they were probably engaged when they were around thirteen years old.
What could Shen Ti Shisan understand? Although he was not as bad as San Lang who peed and played with mud, how deep could he think about love?
Lord Shen cannot go to see the daughter in person.
Feng Luoyi was actually the one chosen personally by Mrs. Shen among many girls.
It must be the girl she likes.

She couldn't be naive just because Mrs. Shen and she were blood aunt and niece.
Mrs. Shen traveled all the way to Huaixi to select a daughter-in-law. Was it to support her family of merchants who lived thousands of miles away? Or was it because she felt sorry for her nieces whose names she didn't know and whom she had only met a few times?
No, Mrs. Shen did it for her son, who was the third place in the imperial examination.

Of course, Mrs. Shen herself is a gentle and generous person, and she has no evil in her heart. So all we need to do is find out what her interests are.
What does she want?
Of course, a son can get respect and love from his wife, and he can get liberation and satisfaction from his concubine.
What she wanted was for her son, his wives and concubines to live in harmony and enjoy the happiness of having many wives.

Besides, it is only convenient to give this "benefit" to my mother's family without letting outsiders know about it.
He lent a helping hand and took care of the daughter-in-law he was once very satisfied with. Yin Shi didn't know how long and how deep this compassion could last.
But to raise, train and care for his own blood niece - this needed Yin Shi's management.
In ancient marriages, the husband was actually not as important as the mother-in-law.

(End of this chapter)