Union

Chapter 47 Second Master's Birthday
While Ruizhu was "covering up the sky" in the backyard of the county government, there were many new developments in the case concerning smuggled salt.

First, the salt fields that sold smuggled salt were brought under control from top to bottom. Then, the villagers of Lingqu Village, who extracted well salt from the entire village to supply smuggled salt, were all imprisoned.

Because of this major case, the county was in an uproar. Even the entrance to the county government office was bustling with people and vehicles every day.

Furthermore, although the source of the smuggled salt was brought under control, the masterminds behind the smuggling, County Magistrate Fan and Wu Shixun, as well as Jiao Niang, the owner of the local Red Mansion Xinfenglou, had been on the run with a large sum of money and had not been arrested until half a month later.

And the buyer who was arrested that time, who came to buy smuggled salt, although it is not yet certain whose instructions he was acting on, the person behind the scenes was undoubtedly a big shot in the canal transport.

Since the incident, Chen Yanzhou has received countless tips and requests for him to release the people, all of which he has refused outright.

But he was adamant, and those people weren't pushovers either. Unable to get the people out of prison openly, they even came up with a plan to break them out... If Second Master hadn't been prepared and had his men keep a close watch, those people would have been snatched away in the blink of an eye.

For various reasons, the Second Master was so busy that he had no time to spare. Since the day he returned to the manor to bathe and change, and had Yunying help him treat his wounds, although he had returned to the manor several times, he always left early and returned late, and ordinary people rarely saw him.

That day, Aunt Ding got up early and waited at the door of Second Master's house. When Second Master was about to go out, she stopped him.

What Aunt Ding wanted to talk about was naturally the birthday celebration for Second Master.

Unfortunately, the Second Master had no interest in this matter and simply told Aunt Ding not to worry about it.

How could Aunt Ding possibly agree to that?

In her opinion, it was already pitiful enough that Second Master was demoted to Yungui County, but on top of that, he encountered such a big case and had to bear such great pressure. How miserable Second Master must be.

She wanted to celebrate the Second Master's birthday, wasn't she just trying to let him relax a bit?
Next, I'd like to remind you, Second Master, that you should give me a clear answer. Since you treat Yunying differently, do you need to have Yunying move to your courtyard to serve you?
Unfortunately, Aunt Ding didn't dare to say it too bluntly. She could only gently advise the Second Master to at least set aside some time in the evening to relax with some food and wine.

Aunt Ding's words were so earnest that Chen Yanzhou, seeing the pleading in her eyes, finally softened and agreed.

With Second Master's approval, Aunt Ding got busy.

She asked Ruizhu to invite the best chef in Yungui County to prepare several banquets at the mansion. She also personally cooked several dishes that the Second Master had loved since childhood.

Once everything was ready, Aunt Ding sent someone to invite a few young ladies over.

Yunying and the others knew about Chen Yanzhou's birthday. Aunt Ding had told them a few days earlier, the implication being that they should decide for themselves whether to prepare some thoughtful gifts for the Second Master to please him.

These past few days, Qiu Ning has been busy making clothes, shoes, and socks for the Second Master, and she even asked Yun Ying for advice. After all, although Yun Ying's needlework skills are not up to par, she has a keen eye for color matching.

For example, the outer garment that Yunying made for the Second Master last time was tattered and really embarrassing, but just looking at the color scheme, it was very noble and elegant, which added a few points.

Qiu Ning also mentioned that he had never accepted the clothes, shoes, and socks she had made for the Second Master before. But this time it was the Second Master's birthday, and she didn't believe that he would be so heartless as to refuse their gifts.

When Aunt Ding's maid came looking for the two of them, Qiu Ning was whispering with Yun Ying, asking her if she knew what birthday gifts Mu Jin and Rui Zhu had prepared for the Second Master.

Where would Yunying go?
She didn't specifically inquire about it; she spent the last few days at home reading through the books she had prepared for the Second Master.

Indeed, the birthday gift Yunying prepared for the Second Master was very simple and straightforward: a book that she obtained by chance.

It was quite a coincidence that Yunying had specifically asked Aunt Ding for permission to go out that day, with the aim of finding business opportunities and earning a large sum of money to redeem herself.

Instead of finding a business opportunity, they saw a man on the outskirts of the city running out of town with an old doctor who had lost one shoe and was carrying him out of town.

This must be a matter of life and death.

Yunying didn't have time to think it over, so she quickly told the coachman to follow them and see the man and the old doctor off.

The incident truly turned out to be a matter of life and death—the man's daughter-in-law was having a difficult childbirth, but fortunately the old doctor arrived in time and saved her life. In the end, both mother and child were safe.

When Yunying returned to the city, the man rummaged through his belongings and found a thread-bound handwritten book, which he gave to Yunying, saying that it was the most cherished thing of his father, who had been sentenced to exile.

The words "sentenced to exile" immediately caught Yunying's attention. She paused in her action of pushing the book away, and finally shamelessly accepted it.

Of course, she didn't take things for nothing; she gave all her possessions, which was ten taels of silver, to the middle-aged man.

In other words, she spent ten taels of silver to buy a thread-bound book for the Second Master as a birthday gift.

Although the money was absolutely well spent, this birthday gift turned her from a young woman with some savings into a penniless pauper...

This is truly a story that brings tears to the eyes of those who hear it and saddens those who witness it.

Just as Yunying was wallowing in self-pity, Qiuning whispered in her ear, "You don't know what birthday gift Mujin prepared for the Second Master, but I know it all. Tsk tsk, Mujin is really going all out this time to win the Second Master's favor."

Yunying's curiosity was piqued, and she turned her head to ask her, "What do you mean by that?"

Qiu Ning had an expression that said, "When it really matters, you still have to rely on me," and then she started rambling on and on.

It turned out that Mu Jin was known for her calligraphy and painting skills—although she was also quite good at needlework, it was clear that the clothes and embroidered purses she had made before were not valued by the Second Master. As a result, after suffering several setbacks, Mu Jin finally changed her approach.

This time, she brought out her best skills: calligraphy and painting.

I heard that Mulan even inquired about buying some rosewood to make fan ribs. But as you can imagine, things like rosewood, chicken wing wood, sandalwood, ebony, ivory, and white jade are all too expensive, far beyond their means. After making some inquiries, Mulan had no choice but to reluctantly buy Xiangfei bamboo and Meilu bamboo instead.

These days, bamboo shavings are frequently swept out of her room. In addition, she has been buying silk cloth, paints, and gold and silver threads. Therefore, even though we haven't seen what her birthday gift looks like yet, it is definitely a luxurious and expensive folding fan.

Qiu Ning clicked her tongue, "Mu Jin has really brought out all her skills this time. She's an expert in calligraphy and painting, and she can also embroider. Just imagine, when she presents that folding fan with the pendant to the Second Master, it will be hard for him not to look at her differently."

Yunying thought Qiu Ning's words made a lot of sense, but, but, all the facts had to be based on the premise that the Second Master intended to take a concubine.

Does Second Master have such thoughts?

Obviously not.

He's so busy he's practically a dog, always on official business and doesn't even have time to come home. When he does come back, he only gets to rest for an hour or two before rushing off to new official duties.

The four beauties in the backyard were ignored by the Second Master, who treated them as if they were invisible.

In this situation, can one really expect a small birthday gift to win the favor of the Second Master?
That's probably not just daydreaming!
After all, the Second Master is the pride of the Duke's mansion, raised with the utmost care and privilege since childhood. What good things hasn't he seen? Why would he treat them differently just because of their meager kindness?

That's just overthinking it.

Qiu Ning then brought up the birthday gift that Rui Zhu had prepared.

"I don't know the specifics, but I heard from the people below that Ruizhu went to Yaocun several times a few days ago. I'm afraid she's going to make something for Second Master."

Yunying nodded slightly, thinking it was possible.

As far as she knew, there were kiln villages in Yungui County that were particularly skilled at firing celadon. Although this "skill" only referred to the area within Yungui County, the fact that they had made a name for themselves meant they must have some talent.

As the two were chatting, Aunt Ding's maid came over.

When Qiu Ning saw that it was getting late, she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear! I haven't changed my clothes yet!"

As she spoke, she ran out of Yunying's room to redo her makeup and dress. Meanwhile, Yunying changed her clothes again, had He Sui bring a box to pack the books, and then carried it to the flower hall.

He Sui held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help it. She whispered to Yun Ying, "You should find a better box. This box looks so perfunctory."

Yun Ying thought to herself, it's not just the box that's perfunctory, even the thought she put into preparing the birthday gift is perfunctory, isn't it?

If she hadn't stumbled upon this "Notes of an Exiled Official," she would have simply bought a purse or handkerchief as a gift for the Second Master.

By sheer coincidence, she stumbled upon this wonderful book. She didn't care how expensive the box was; as long as the gift was valuable, that was enough.

But that's not how it should be said, so Yunying said, "Now that Ruizhu is in charge, we should try to have as little contact with her as possible."

This sounded a bit awkward, but He Sui immediately understood what Yun Ying meant.

Thinking of Ruizhu's behavior recently, He Sui couldn't help but sigh, and she looked down on Ruizhu.

Miss Ruizhu was quite aloof before, but overall she acted with grace and propriety. She was meticulous, fair and just in managing the affairs of the inner quarters, making it difficult for people to gossip about her.

But ever since the young lady served the second master during his bath, Miss Ruizhu has made things difficult for her young lady.

The young lady's room was out of the mosquito-repelling incense she needed, so she went to ask Miss Ruizhu for some new ones. Miss Ruizhu made an excuse that she had other things to attend to and made her wait outside for almost an hour. When she finally got the incense, it had already become damp. Forced to their wits' end, they had to borrow some mugwort from the cleaning maid to repel the mosquitoes.

Lately, the meals given to the girl have always been heavy on oil and meat. Don't be fooled by this seemingly generous treatment; it's not really what you're doing.

Nowadays, most cooking uses lard. Eating too much animal fat will inevitably make you fat sooner or later. Not to mention, if you eat a lot of meat every day, that girl's figure will inevitably go out of shape.

The girl didn't like greasy food, so they specifically asked her to go to the kitchen to ask for some vegetarian dishes. But when they got there, the cooks were making excuses, and only then did they belatedly realize something was wrong.

Furthermore, the fabric allocated to the girls this month was the leftovers from the other three, and the rouge and face powder were of extremely poor quality; moreover, the tea in the girl's room had run out, and when she went to ask for her allotted tea, she was given only tea dust...

It's impossible for anyone not to notice that Ruizhu is deliberately targeting the girl.

It's just that the girl is good-natured and too lazy to argue with Ruizhu; otherwise, if she had reported the matter to Aunt Ding, Ruizhu, the manager, would have been severely punished.

He Sui's resentment towards Rui Zhu gradually accumulated until it reached the point of hatred.

Upon hearing that getting the box meant dealing with Ruizhu again, He Sui frowned deeply, her cheeks scrunching up like a bun.

Seeing her gloomy expression, Yunying found it amusing but also worried that Ruizhu's actions might have upset the girl. She gently comforted her, saying, "What goes around comes around. Just you wait and see, her retribution is coming."

“I’m not arguing with her because I’m afraid of her, but because I really don’t think it’s worth wasting time with her. She’s learned all the underhanded tricks of aristocratic families to the bone. If you try to reason with her, she’ll have plenty of excuses to deal with you. Take it easy and stop looking so sullen. Today is Second Master’s special day. If Aunt Ding sees you looking so unhappy, you’re probably going to get a scolding.”

Perhaps coaxed by Yunying's words, or perhaps frightened by Aunt Ding, He Sui quickly put on a smiling face and stopped thinking about the troublesome Ruizhu.

But as soon as they entered the flower hall, they saw Ruizhu again.

Ruizhu wore a rose-purple brocade jacket with gold intertwined floral patterns, and a long, light blue satin skirt with a dark floral chrysanthemum design. Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with pearl jewelry, revealing her fair neck and snow-white, smiling face.

She had dressed up carefully today, her makeup was just right, and it complemented the color of her clothes and her smiling demeanor, making her truly elegant and poised. Even though her features were only delicate, she was still undeniably a beauty in this light.

For some reason, Yunying felt something was off about Ruizhu's appearance.

At this moment, Ruizhu was talking to Aunt Ding about her recent experiences in managing the household. She spoke earnestly, pointing out her own shortcomings, and subtly praising Aunt Ding, which made Aunt Ding feel comfortable. The two chatted happily.

Seeing Yunying approach, Ruizhu's gaze swept over her, and her expression stiffened slightly. But she was a woman of experience, and she quickly recovered, giving Yunying a reserved nod in greeting, as if the animosity between them had never existed.

Aunt Ding also saw Yunying, and she smiled and waved for Yunying to come closer.

She wanted to say something to Yunying, but Qiuning arrived shortly after, and Mujin also arrived late.

All the women had arrived, except for the Second Master, who was still nowhere to be seen.

As darkness fell and the lanterns were lit, Aunt Ding grew anxious. She wanted to send her maid to check if the Second Master was held up by something, but then she thought that if he simply didn't want to come, the maid probably wouldn't dare to persuade him. In that case, she would have to go herself.

Aunt Ding was extremely worried about the Second Master. After casually giving a few instructions to a few people, she took her maid and went to the front yard.

As soon as Aunt Ding left, Ruizhu got up as well.

She smiled and told Yunying and the other two that she was going to check on the banquet preparations. Now that she was in charge, she had to pay extra attention. Moreover, today was the Second Master's special day, and she dared not make any mistakes that might spoil his mood.

Ruizhu walked away with her maid. Watching her go, Qiu Ning leaned over and whispered to Yun Ying, "Judging from her appearance, anyone who didn't know better would think she was the legal wife."

Yunying patted her, indicating that Mujin was still sitting in the flower hall, but Qiu Ning didn't care at all. She clicked her tongue lightly, implying to Yunying, "Do you think Mujin can stand Ruizhu acting like a first wife? Ha, Mujin definitely can't stand it, she just doesn't say it."

Qiu Ning whispered again, "Don't blame me for saying this, but she's really acting like she's someone important lately. Look at her arrogant demeanor, and look at her clothes and appearance. Even the mistress of an ordinary wealthy family wouldn't act so presumptuous."

Yunying agreed with this, and she also felt that Ruizhu's outfit today was a bit over the top.

Those brocade-embroidered clothes were hardly something a maid like them could wear. Not to mention how expensive they were, their monthly allowance as maids wouldn't have been enough to buy them even after several years. Besides, according to the imperial law, such attire was already beyond the bounds.

However, Aunt Ding didn't lecture Ruizhu just now. It's unclear whether she didn't see it or felt that given Ruizhu's current status, wearing such clothes wasn't inappropriate. In any case, since Aunt Ding didn't say anything, they'd better say as little as possible.

After receiving a signal from Yun Ying, Qiu Ning stopped talking. But there was one point she felt it was very necessary to mention.

Qiu Ning said, "Didn't you notice that Ruizhu's clothes, mannerisms, and even her speech and behavior today are quite similar to yours? Especially that smiling face of hers, my goodness, when I came in just now, I almost mistook it for you."

Upon hearing Qiu Ning's explanation, Yun Ying finally understood.

She said that when she saw Ruizhu today, she felt that something was wrong. Now that she thought about it, she realized that Ruizhu's clothes, appearance, and behavior were different from usual.

But she couldn't say that Ruizhu had copied her, after all, no one could say that only she could match clothes like that and smile so lightly with pursed lips, right?

But because of Qiu Ning's words, Yun Ying's animosity towards Rui Zhu deepened even further.

So much so that after Ruizhu inspected today's banquet and returned to the flower hall, Yunying didn't say much to her, but simply sat in her chair and slowly sipped her tea.

After a long while, just as Yunying was wondering if Second Master had changed his mind and decided not to celebrate Aunt Ding's birthday today, she heard several light footsteps coming from afar.

Everyone in the flower hall became excited. Ruizhu even stood up, gently tidied the stray hairs at her temples, and then took the lead in going out to greet them.

As soon as she moved, Qiu Ning rolled her eyes at her, and then went out the door with Mu Jin and Yun Ying.

They stopped at the entrance of the flower hall and saw Second Master and Aunt Ding walking towards the flower hall, having turned past the hibiscus tree in full bloom.

Tonight, the sky is full of stars, but the moon is nowhere to be seen.

Bright red lanterns hung under the eaves, radiating a hazy glow that made the approaching man seem as if he were riding the wind.

He was elegant and refined, with a noble and graceful bearing, yet also aloof and indifferent. He was like a god devoid of emotion and desire descending to earth, inspiring awe but deterring anyone from approaching him.

(End of this chapter)