Chapter 89: The Burial Ground

Chapter 89: The Burial Ground

Upon seeing Fu Jiaze, the joy Lin Baozhen felt from being doted on instantly faded.

Xie Yuan smiled at her, and Lin Baozhen felt a constriction in her chest, not knowing why she had an urge to vomit.

Not wanting to see Xie Yuan anymore, she turned her face away and said to him, "I'm feeling a bit unwell."

Chang Yan supported her, and Lin Baozhen turned her head. Xie Yuan tried to approach again, but Lin Baozhen closed her eyes, not wanting to see him at all, and said directly, "There's a smell of alcohol, it makes me feel sick."

Xie Yuan could see Lin Baozhen's pale face and immediately took a step back. He was now extremely concerned about the child in Lin Baozhen's belly, prioritizing his wife's health above everything else.

As Lin Baozhen moved away from Xie Yuan, she felt much better in her chest and looked up towards Fu Jiaze.

Fu Jiaze laughed, and he must have also had a little to drink. His smile reached his eyes a bit later, and when they were full of mirth, he had already reached out to smooth Lin Yingxue's hair.

He quickly withdrew his hand and answered Lin Yingxue's question, "After I got home, the gatekeeper told me you had returned to your parents' house, so I came to pick you up."

Lin Yingxue looked worriedly at Fu Jiaze's horse, "How did you ride here? It won't be good to go back like this?"

Lin Baozhen quickly thought that they could share a horse.

Fu Jiaze had taught Lin Yingxue how to ride, but she had no talent for it. She always felt afraid sitting on a tall horse, holding tightly onto the reins and instinctively squeezing the horse's sides with her legs.

Riding like this, even the most spirited horse would inevitably become restless, which only made Lin Yingxue more frightened.

Fu Jiaze had not planned to share a horse with Lin Yingxue. Instead, he said, "It's fine. I came out first, and the gatekeeper will send a carriage over quickly. We can walk for a while, enjoy the breeze, and wait for the carriage."

Lin Yingxue nodded, as she was tired of listening to their small talk. She had eaten quite a lot at the banquet and thought that walking would help digest her meal.

Lin Yi coughed, and Fu Jiaze turned around, bowing to Lin Yi, "Jinyuan greets Father-in-Law and Mother-in-Law."

Then he approached Wei Wuhou and Lady Wei, "Greetings, Lord Wei and Lady Wei."

"I've come to take Yingxue home," Fu Jiaze said with a smile.

Lady Wang said, "Look, Master, as expected, newlyweds cannot be apart. Lord Wei has come to take our Baozhen, and the top scholar has come to take our second daughter. They can't bear to be separated for a moment."

Lin Yi understood Lady Wang's intention, coughed, and said to Fu Jiaze, "Your appointment outside the capital is now certain. I wanted to mention that your teacher has ulterior motives. As the top scholar, you should have entered the Hanlin Academy, the proper path for scholars entering government service. But he sent you to such a harsh place."

Fu Jiaze clasped his hands and replied, "Before the Spring Examination, I had already been to the Hanlin Academy. I didn't want to go there again, so I chose to serve outside the capital. Wuxian County is fertile and blessed with talented people. It has declined due to past wars, making it a suitable place for me to demonstrate my abilities."

"You're too naive. No matter how well a county magistrate performs, can you significantly increase grain production or double the population? You'll likely be stuck in that position for years. If you hadn't gone to the Hanlin Academy, the Ministry of Revenue would have been the best choice," Lin Yi said. "Your teacher is a Deputy Minister of Revenue. Wouldn't it have been perfect for you to work under him?"

Wei Wuhou slowly spoke, "If Minister Pei is unwilling, I can find a position for my brother-in-law in the Ministry of Justice. Unfortunately, the imperial decree has already been issued. Brother-in-Law, you've had a difficult time, and meeting such a teacher is truly unfortunate."

Fu Jiaze remained silent, smiling faintly but with slightly lowered brows.

Seeing his expression, Lin Baozhen pursed her lips. In her dreams, whenever she spoke, Fu Jiaze often showed this look—impatience, reluctantly listening but not intending to follow.

Fu Jiaze seemed to let things go in one ear and out the other. Seeing Lin Yingxue, the impatience in his eyes finally disappeared.

Lin Baozhen felt a pang of jealousy, thinking of her last days in Wuxian County, and then said, "The imperial decree has been issued. My brother-in-law is a seventh-rank magistrate, and it cannot be changed."

Lin Yingxue interjected, "It's not seventh rank, it's sixth rank."

Lin Baozhen frowned and muttered softly, "I remember it being sixth rank."

Only Lady Wang and Lin Yingxue understood the meaning behind Lin Baozhen's words.

Lady Wang hurriedly said, "Perhaps you remembered incorrectly."

Lady Wang thought her daughter might have been careless, possibly remembering wrong.

Lin Baozhen shook her head, "No, I wouldn't forget."

She clearly remembered the difference between sixth and seventh rank, as she had often been mocked for being the wife of a mere seventh-rank official.

Hearing Lin Yingxue correct the rank from seventh to sixth, Xie Yuan found it amusing. He was already the Minister of Justice and had the support of Concubine Chen. If not for his lack of financial expertise, the Minister of Revenue would never have been someone else's position.

Xie Yuan hugged his wife and couldn't help but laugh, "My brother-in-law's rank is what matters most to Second Sister and her husband. Why do you care, Bao'er?"

Xie Yuan suddenly leaned in close, and the smell of alcohol on his breath made Lin Baozhen want to vomit. She retched and vomited directly onto her husband's boots.

"Oh dear, why are you vomiting?"

"Bao'er, where does it hurt?"

"Miss! Miss!"

Amidst the chaos, Fu Jiaze took Lin Yingxue away, the horse following behind them.

Lin Baozhen looked pale and weak, genuinely feeling unwell. Xie Yuan, not daring to delay, immediately left with his people, leaving Lin Yi and Lady Wang standing at the door.

At this moment, they realized that Fu Jiaze and Lin Yingxue had already left.

"I still wanted to give some advice to my second son-in-law," Lin Yi felt he hadn't stirred up enough trouble, hadn't hinted enough about the teacher's ulterior motives. If the teacher and his student's mother-in-law succeeded, it wouldn't be a pleasant story.

"What advice is there to give? Are you going to leave a will?" Lady Wang treated Fu Jiaze as if he were already dead.

Lin Yi thought about his poem and decided to spread it the next day.

The poem was filled with deep emotion, perfect for singing in the pleasure quarters. Then everyone would know that Wen Hui and he, Lin Yi, once had solemn vows and passionate love. This would make it impossible for Wen Hui to find another match in the capital, and she would likely cry and go with her daughter to Wuxian County.

Lin Yi, who had been frowning, now relaxed, "Madam is right. What is there to say to a mere seventh-rank magistrate? He once boasted about obtaining a noble title, but a seventh-rank noble title?"

Lady Wang covered her mouth with a handkerchief and couldn't help but giggle, "Just now, your second daughter said it was sixth rank, not seventh."

Lin Yi also found it amusing that Lin Yingxue corrected the rank from seventh to sixth. A minor official, what was there to correct?

"Since I will be posted out soon anyway, out of sight, out of mind; there’s no need to pay them any attention."

Mrs. Wang nodded, "That is indeed the case."

The next time we hear from them, it will likely be about Fu Jiaze's death in Tongwu County, and they will write to offer their condolences.

Mrs. Wang couldn’t help but think that her husband no longer favored Lin Yingxue, and after Lin Yingxue became a widow, she would not return to the Lin residence.

It would be best if Fu Jiaze died a few years later, so Lin Yingxue would have even less reason to return to the Lin residence.

/

Lin Yingxue raised her eyes to look at Fu Jiaze, who was taking a drink from a water pouch he had retrieved from the side of his horse.

Noticing Lin Yingxue’s gaze, Fu Jiaze shook the water pouch, "Would you like some?"

Lin Yingxue shook her head.

Every time he drank wine, Fu Jiaze always drank more water afterward. As the pouch of water went down, the alcohol that had resurfaced from the ride gradually subsided, and the redness on his face began to fade.

Holding the water pouch with one hand, Fu Jiaze looked at Lin Yingxue’s cheeks; she seemed lost in thought.

Was she thinking about the ridicule from earlier?

Originally, when he won the imperial examination, the parade that day brought her great glory. But now, with his impending posting, did it make her a laughingstock?

"Does my posting out bother you?" If he hadn’t been drinking, Fu Jiaze wouldn’t have spoken so directly. After saying it, he felt a bit regretful. If he hadn’t been posted yet, it might have been different, but now that it was a done deal, even if Lin Yingxue was bothered, he could only try to make up for it in other ways.

"Why do you say that? I knew about your posting early on, why would I be bothered?" Lin Yingxue countered, then suddenly remembered the argument about the sixth and seventh ranks, and couldn’t help but laugh as she said, "Because I corrected my elder sister’s statement? She said you were a seventh-rank official, and I said you were a sixth-rank official?"

Fu Jiaze placed the water pouch back in the carriage and responded softly, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of the hooves.

But Lin Yingxue still heard him.

It was almost curfew, and the streets were nearly empty. Lin Yingxue took the initiative to hold Fu Jiaze’s hand, their cloaks and wide sleeves covering their clasped hands.

The warmth from her hand spread through him, and Fu Jiaze instinctively looked down at Lin Yingxue. Her beautiful face was adorned with a gentle smile.

Feeling a sudden sense of relief, Fu Jiaze knew that his wife understood his aspirations and wasn’t bothered by the posting. He let go of his burden and returned her grip.

They drew closer, almost tripping over each other’s feet.

Lin Yingxue continued, "Because my elder sister is not ordinary, I wanted to confirm if anything has changed."

"Not ordinary?" Fu Jiaze’s eye twitched, thinking that Lin Baozhen was indeed extraordinary, acting as she pleased.

"Yes," Lin Yingxue said, "Actually, when you mentioned being posted to Tongwu County, I was a bit afraid."

After all, at first, Fu Jiaze had always told Lin Yingxue that he would choose Niushou County, but when the imperial decree came, it turned out to be Tongwu County, which made Lin Yingxue constantly think of her elder sister’s prophetic dream.

Tonight, her words were somewhat strange. One moment she was saying Lin Baozhen was not ordinary, and the next, she was talking about fear.

However, Fu Jiaze still spoke gently.

"Afraid of what?" Fu Jiaze’s voice was soft, "Afraid I won’t be promoted again? Afraid I can’t return to the capital?"

Lin Yingxue shook her head, "I’m afraid you’ll die here."

Fu Jiaze laughed, "Do you think it’s dangerous near the border? General Jian He has already returned to the border to take command, so there won’t be much danger. When I am posted here, I will bring troops with me."

"I mentioned my elder sister is not ordinary because she once had a dream. In the dream, she married you, and the place where you ultimately died was Tongwu County."