Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 381: Short Separation and New Marriage

"Just give me your orders, sir." The old servant waved his hand in refusal. "No need to pay."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I won't take advantage of you." Lu Jianxing held the rope and weighed it lightly a few times. The copper coins collided with each other, making a pleasant sound.

The old servant refused firmly, "You're really embarrassing me. How can this be considered taking advantage? Last month, you weren't around much, but you still paid me according to the usual practice. If I really calculated it, I would have to give you a few cents."

"Hey, why are you saying such petty things!" Lu Jianxing said in feigned anger. "Just take it."

"Then I'll treat you to a meal!" The old servant still refused. "That's just a gentleman's way of saying it."

"Old man Xiao, is today a New Year or a festival? Why are you treating me?" Lu Jianxing said.

Old Man Xiao chuckled and said, "For me, your safe return is a great event."

"That's a nice thing to say." The old servant's implicit joy in his compliment touched Lu Jianxing slightly. He put away the copper coins, and a sense of ease and fatigue washed over him. "Just give me a treat."

"I'd like to ask a question," Old Man Xiao asked, "Do you want to cook for Mr. Shen?"

"You're talking nonsense." Lu Jianxing walked towards his house. "How can we drink for two people and eat for just one?"

Old Man Xiao immediately followed. "But Mr. Shen didn't come back yesterday. If he doesn't come back today, wouldn't it be a waste?"

"Let's make it first. If he doesn't come back, I'll save it for breakfast." Earlier, when he was at the yamen, Lu Jianxing had read the records of personnel assignments and secondments submitted to Lu Wenzhao, and knew that Shen Lian had been sent by Liu Chengxi to investigate the White Cloud Temple robbery case. Now, hearing that Shen Lian hadn't returned from his business trip, he didn't find it surprising.

Lu Jianxing kept walking. He wanted to lie down on the bed and have a good sleep, but when he walked to the door and took out the key to open the door, he found that the lock that should have been there was gone. At the same time, he smelled a fragrance that should not have been there.

Lu Jianxing paused for a moment, his right hand instinctively reaching for the sword at his waist. "Has anyone been in this yard?"

"Don't you know yet?" Old man Xiao just turned around to prepare some wine and snacks, but when he heard Lu Jianxing's voice, he turned his face back.

"What should I know?" Lu Jianxing's palm fell on the hilt of the knife.

"Mr. Shen is now raising a good-looking..." Old Man Xiao originally wanted to say "seductive", but halfway through, he felt that it was inappropriate, so he changed his words and said: "Where is the Shuiling girl?"

"Huh?" Lu Jianxing was stunned. "When did it happen?"

"How would I remember this?" Old Man Xiao shook his head and said, "It's been a while."

At this moment, Zhou Miaotong, who was alone in her empty room, also heard the noise. She put down the book she was reading and walked quickly to the door, but did not open it immediately. "Who's outside?"

"Who are you?" Lu Jianxing let go of the knife handle and took a step back.

"Are you Brother Lu?" Zhou Miaotong was quick-witted and vaguely guessed the other person's identity. However, out of caution, she still did not open the door.

"I'm Lu Jianxing. Who are you?" Lu Jianxing felt that the voice was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't remember it for a while.

"I am Mr. Shen's concubine, my last name is Zhou." Zhou Miaotong took off the bolt and opened the door. At this time, Old Man Xiao also went back silently.

"You" Lu Jianxing opened his mouth slightly in surprise.

Zhou Miaotong gestured for an invitation. "Brother Lu, please come in and sit down." This was not only Shen Lian's house, but also Lu Jianxing's residence.

"Why are you here?" Lu Jianxing not only did not go in, but took a step back.

"It was Master Xiao Luo who sent me here." Zhou Miaotong replied.

"Young Master Luo." Lu Jianxing pondered for a moment and asked, "Are you talking about Luo Jingli, Young Master Luo?"

"That's right." Although Shen Lian really liked Zhou Miaotong, he never told her about what happened in the government office. So until now, Zhou Miaotong knew that the man who sent her here was named Luo and was the son of the head of the Jinyiwei.

In an instant, countless questions popped up in Lu Jianxing's mind. He opened his mouth, but closed it again without asking the last question. "Sister-in-law, have a good rest. Goodbye." Lu Jianxing bowed and turned away.

"Brother Lu!" Zhou Miaotong called out to Lu Jianxing.

"Sister-in-law, is there anything else I can say?" Lu Jianxing stopped but did not look back.

"Do you know where Shen Lang went?" Zhou Miaotong said, "He didn't come back last night."

"He's on errands." Lu Jianxing laughed dumbly, "In our line of work, it's common for us to be away from home at night."

After that, Lu Jianxing went straight to Old Man Xiao. "Old Man Xiao, you don't have to cook. I'm going out to eat."

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After dismissing his subordinates on business trips, Lu Wenzhao did not return home immediately. Instead, he stayed in the East Office and completed the process of reimbursing the travel expenses.

Generally speaking, the Jinyiwei's badges were more powerful than meal tickets, practically granting them free food, drink, and even free sex. Furthermore, if they so desired, they could certainly amass a wealth of benefits. However, these shady dealings were, after all, not something that could be publicly exposed, and the palace would not deprive the Jinyiwei of their rations. Otherwise, it would be blatant encouragement for the Jinyiwei to engage in corruption under the emperor's guise.

Therefore, for each overseas mission, the Imperial Uniform Guard would provide the necessary funds and subsidies, based on the distance of the mission and the number of personnel assigned, and allow them to use post stations within their authority. Upon their return, the officials would turn in the remaining funds. Afterward, the Imperial Uniform Guard would report the final expenses to the palace, completing the entire reimbursement process.

Lu Wenzhao was different from the other Jinyiwei. With the exception of the meal in Tianjin, neither he nor the men he led had eaten a single meal at the government offices along the way. Lu Wenzhao diligently spent the budget given to him by the government office, rather than relying on locals along the way. He then divided the budget among himself and, as was customary, returned a small portion to the government office when submitting the final bill to demonstrate his frugality.

Lu Wenzhao received two rations for this mission. The first was when he left Beijing, but since he was only going to Tianjin to fetch people, he didn't receive much. The second was when he received the order in Tianjin to go south to Hangzhou. Since the mission location was updated to the starting point of the Grand Canal, thousands of miles away, the amount of rations for this second mission was much higher than the first.

After such a long business trip, I won’t go back empty-handed.

Before returning home, Lu Wenzhao stopped by a bright, beautifully decorated silk shop and bought a few pieces of the colorful silk that the shop had highly recommended. He then visited a jewelry store that also sold rouge and powder. By the time Lu Wenzhao returned home with the silk, jewelry, and rouge, the bell signaling the end of court hours had already rung.

Lu Wenzhao stood at the door, grasping the handle and gently knocking on it. Not long after, Hai Rou's maid, Ajiu, came to answer the door. "Who is it?" Out of caution, Ajiu didn't open the door immediately.

"It's me." Lu Wenzhao's voice was very recognizable.

"Master! Master is back!" Ah Jiu turned around and called out twice before lifting the latch. When the door opened, Hai Rou, who had come out to greet him upon hearing the voice, had already walked into the yard.

Hai Rou's face was originally filled with unconcealable joy, but when the courtyard door opened wide and Lu Wenzhao's figure fully appeared before her, Hai Rou deliberately suppressed her slightly anxious joy and hurriedly stopped. "Oh. Master Lu is back." "Here." Lu Wenzhao stuffed the things in his hand into Ajiu's hand, then quickly walked to Hai Rou and hugged her tightly. "Did you miss me?"

"Oh, let go." Hai Rou punched Lu Wenzhao's chest lightly with her pink fist. "The door is still open."

"Yes, sir." Lu Wenzhao let go of his hand and took a step back.

"Well, you..." Hai Rou pouted. When Lu Wenzhao really let her go, she felt empty in her heart again.

"Why, Madam Lu, do you have any other instructions?" Lu Wenzhao lowered his head and looked down at Hai Rou with a smile.

"Hmph." Hai Rou snorted softly, turning her head to look at Ajiu who was walking into the house with the gift in his arms after closing the door. "Ajiu, you didn't cook for Master Lu today, did you?"

Ah Jiu blinked. "Madam, I can eat later." During Lu Wenzhao's business trip, Ah Jiu had been dining at the same table with Hai Rou.

"I..." Ah Jiu's slowness made Hai Rou a little angry. "Mu Tou, go and do your thing."

"Oh." Jiu lowered his head and smiled gently.

"Mrs. Lu, don't be stubborn." Lu Wenzhao put his arms around Hai Rou's slender waist again and buried her head in his chest.

Hai Rou still struggled slightly. But this time, instead of gently pushing or punching Lu Wenzhao's chest, she put her arms around his waist. "You're so bad." Listening to Lu Wenzhao's strong heartbeat, Hai Rou felt relieved.

Lu Wenzhao quietly felt the softness in his arms. He also enjoyed this feeling. The days when he had to rack his brains for a long time to think about every word he said were really too depressing and too uncomfortable.

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After serving the last side dish, Jiu returned to the kitchen. She knelt before the only cupboard and carefully removed a long-unopened jar of wine from the bottom compartment. As she lifted the lid, the aroma of rice-scented wine immediately wafted out, turning Jiu's cheeks slightly red.

Ajiu used a bamboo wine spoon to scoop some wine into the porcelain pot. Her hands were very steady, and even when the porcelain pot was full, not a drop spilled on the ground.

The sound of the door being pushed open disturbed the harmony in the room. Hai Rou immediately looked at A Jiu, but Lu Wen Zhao was still busy eating.

"Master, please have some wine." Ajiu placed a half-filled porcelain wine glass in front of Lu Wenzhao.

Lu Wenzhao found this a bit strange. He wasn't a big drinker and never drank alone at meals. The wine he kept at home was for guests. Ah Jiu had been with Hai Rou for quite a while, so it was impossible for him to forget about this just because of a business trip.

At first, Lu Wenzhao thought that Hai Rou wanted to have a drink with him, but Ajiu did not put another wine glass in front of Hai Rou.

Lu Wenzhao could only cast a questioning look at Ah Jiu, but Ah Jiu only smiled faintly in response. As the head of the household, Lu Wenzhao naturally wouldn't follow the servant's wishes. He pressed the stem of the glass and gently pushed it away from him, indicating that he didn't want to drink.

But Ah Jiu didn't seem to appreciate Lu Wenzhao's kindness. She neither put away the wine glass nor left, but just stood there with her head bowed. Just when Lu Wenzhao was about to make a statement, Hai Rou picked up the glass of wine and handed it to Lu Wenzhao.

"Husband, please have some." Hai Rou's smile looked a little strange.

"What are you doing?" Lu Wenzhao waved his hand and said, "Just say it if you have something to say. We don't play with this at home."

"Oh!" Hai Rou was a little discouraged. "Why are you so smart?" She put down her wine glass and asked directly, "Husband, what do you think of Ah Jiu?"

"Very good." Lu Wenzhao looked at Ah Jiu who was standing beside him. Ah Jiu lowered her head, so Lu Wenzhao couldn't see her face clearly. "Just a little dull."

"There's nothing wrong with being a little stupid." Hai Rou complained, "If everyone were as smart as you, there would be no peace in this world."

"." Lu Wenzhao chuckled and did not respond.

"Husband." Hai Rou said simply. "You should take Ah Jiu in as well."

Lu Wenzhao frowned, but still didn't respond.

"Do you think Jiu is a bad person?" Hai Rou asked.

"Very good." Those two words again.

"That's settled then." Hai Rou said.

"Why?" Lu Wenzhao instinctively frowned, but the next moment, he lowered his guard. "I just got back, can you let me rest for a while?"

Hai Rou didn't answer why, but simply said, "My husband can rest as long as he wants. But let's settle this matter first, okay?"

"Where's Ah Jiu?" Lu Wenzhao straightened himself and faced Ah Jiu. "What do you think?"

"I'll listen to the master and the mistress." Ajiu blushed and didn't dare to look at Lu Wenzhao.

Lu Wenzhao took the glass of wine and drank it all. "Then let Ah Jiu accompany me tonight."

"Okay." Hai Rou frowned. "Ajiu accompanies my husband, which means I accompany my husband."

"Okay! In that case." Lu Wenzhao took out a rouge box from his arms. "Ajiu, take this and dress yourself up."

Hai Rou's eyes flashed.

Ah Jiu was stunned for a moment, not daring to answer. She looked at Hai Rou timidly and called softly, "Madam?"

"Take it. It was given to you by me at that time." Hai Rou nodded with satisfaction.

Ah Jiu looked up at Lu Wenzhao. The blush on her face had faded a lot. "Master."

"Since my wife said so, then take it." Lu Wenzhao smiled inexplicably.

"Thank you, sir." Ah Jiu took the rouge box from Lu Wenzhao's hand and heard Lu Wenzhao say, "There is also a silver hairpin over there, also bought for you. I originally wanted to let my wife give it to you, but since that's the case, you can take it yourself."

"Yes." A fiery color gradually burned on Jiu's face again.

(End of this chapter)