Chapter 69

Chapter 69

A man who had just started indulging in carnal activities was like a cat that had just seen a dried fish; he simply didn’t understand moderation.

Moreover, in the ancient countryside, there weren’t many entertainment activities. Lighting was mainly provided by oil lamps, but the light was too dim for Song Shian to even copy books.

As for candles, they cost a full ten wen each and weren’t durable. The amount of copying you could get from burning one candle wasn’t even enough to cover the cost of the candle itself.

So, apart from lying on the kang making babies, the young couple had nothing else to do.

Jiang He originally thought that with the way they were making babies, he would soon be holding his grandchild. But from winter to summer, there was no sign of pregnancy from his daughter-in-law.

He held it in for many days, until June 18th, which was his son-in-law’s birthday. When his daughter encouraged her husband to make a wish before eating his longevity noodles, Jiang He couldn’t help but say, “Son-in-law, make a wish for Chunniang to get pregnant soon.”

Jiang Chun said helplessly, “Dad, I’m only nineteen this year. I’m still young; there’s no need to rush into pregnancy and having babies.”

Jiang He gave her a white eye. “You’re not in a hurry, but your father is.”

Jiang Chun muttered under her breath, “You being in a hurry won’t help.”

Song Shiying glanced sideways at Song Shian. Her elder brother was always busy “bullying” his sister-in-law. She wondered what he was busy with that turned out to be all for nothing.

Look, even Uncle Jiang, their father-in-law, was getting anxious.

Song Shian, with his good temper, said, “Alright, I’ll listen to Dad.”

After finishing his words, he clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and silently prayed with a pious expression for a moment, then opened his eyes and smiled, “Wish made.”

Jiang Chun twitched the corner of her mouth.

She didn’t spoil the mood by saying things like “a wish won’t come true if you say it out loud,” after all, this so-called wishing was just a way to pacify Jiang He.

In a few months, they would have to head to the Imperial City. She certainly didn’t want to get pregnant at this time.

Song Shian knew that Jiang Chun wasn’t in a hurry, as she had often told him that she would only start having babies after she turned twenty. But he was a little uncertain in his heart.

Although his body had been nursed back to health and his skills had fully recovered to their previous level, he had still endured half a year of severe torture in the imperial prison.

He had spent plenty of time in the freezing water dungeons too.

Although he could perform his marital duties normally, what if he had been injured at a fundamental level and couldn’t impregnate a woman?

In his previous life, he didn’t care about these things; dying without descendants wasn’t a big deal. But now he had Jiang Chun.

He wanted to have children and grow old with her.

He didn’t want to disappoint her.

After all, she was the stove-keeping daughter of the Jiang family, bearing the responsibility of continuing the Jiang family line.

While Song Shian’s heart was filled with mixed emotions, there was a sudden loud banging on the door outside, accompanied by Zheng Yi’s familiar loud voice, “Chunniang, Chunniang, open the door, it’s me!”

“Uncle?” Jiang Chun was surprised and quickly ran outside.

Opening the door, she said to Zheng Yi, who looked dusty from travel, “Uncle, why have you come at this hour? Is there something urgent?”

At this hour, some households that ate early had already blown out their lights and gone to bed.

Zheng Yi pointed to the red sandalwood box he was carrying with his left hand and whispered, “County Magistrate Lu just sent this birthday gift for my nephew. I was told to deliver it immediately.”

Jiang Chun’s heart stirred. Could it be that Magistrate Lu Zhengheng had heard some rumors and was secretly sending a message to Song Shian under the guise of a birthday gift?

Otherwise, why was the birthday gift delivered so late this year when it had always been sent much earlier in previous years?

It was sneaky, clearly suspicious.

Come to think of it, it was about time that the Fifth Prince should be critically ill and on the verge of death, right?

“Uncle, come in quickly.” Jiang Chun ushered Zheng Yi inside and closed the door again.

Jiang He and the others had already come out to the courtyard to welcome him.

Seeing his brother-in-law, Jiang He said with a smile, “Big brother, why have you come at this hour? Have you eaten? If not, you can join us. We’re still eating.”

“I’ve eaten,” Zheng Yi replied concisely to his brother-in-law’s question, then handed the box to Song Shian. “County Magistrate Lu sent this birthday gift for you and asked that you open it immediately.”

Song Shian took the box and said calmly, “Uncle, please sit inside.”

He had a rough idea of what message Lu Zhengheng was sending him. It was probably just news of the Fifth Prince’s critical condition, trying to curry favor with him.

He didn’t avoid the crowd, sitting down on a stool in the kitchen. He then removed the lock from the top of the box, reached out, and lifted the lid.

On the very top of the box was a letter. Beneath it were a set of the four treasures of the study, two bottles of wine, two jars of tea, four pieces of silk, a small box containing a set of red gold jewelry inlaid with rubies, and a bag of silver ingots, twenty in total, each weighing five taels.

He reached out and picked up the letter, tore open the envelope, and took out the letter inside to unfold it. By the dim light of the oil lamp, he quickly skimmed the contents.

He then held the letter and the envelope close to the oil lamp, setting them on fire and letting them slowly burn to ashes.

He then looked up and said to the crowd with a faint expression, "There’s been some trouble in the court, but it has nothing to do with us common folks."

Zheng Yi breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest in relief. "The messenger was in such a hurry, I thought something major had happened. I was almost scared to death."

Jiang Chun said with a grin, "Uncle, how can court affairs not be considered major?"

Zheng Yi was both amused and exasperated. "You’re such a troublemaker."

Song Shian took a bottle of wine and a jar of tea from the box and handed them to Zheng Yi, a faint smile on his lips. "This fine wine and tea are to calm you down, Uncle."

Zheng Yi quickly took the items, as if afraid Song Shian would change his mind. He said with a laugh, "Oh, with such fine wine and tea to calm me, my panic is gone."

Song Shian's lips twitched. People said that a nephew resembled his uncle, and it was indeed true. Zheng Yi's deliberate antics reminded him so much of Jiang Chun.

"It’s late, I need to head back now, or else your aunt will worry again for nothing." Zheng Yi didn’t stay long. After a few more casual words, he got up to leave.

After seeing him off, Jiang He asked Song Shian with a serious expression, "Is it really nothing?"

Jiang He wasn’t foolish. If it were just court matters that had nothing to do with his son-in-law, the county magistrate wouldn’t have sent his brother-in-law in such a hurry to deliver a letter.

Song Shian chuckled lightly. "Don’t worry, Father. It’s really nothing, and even if it is, it’s good news."

Jiang He didn’t understand court affairs, so he didn’t press further. He just patted Song Shian on the shoulder. "It’s good as long as it’s nothing."

After Jiang He went into the east room, Song Shiying came up to Song Shian and asked in a low voice, "Brother, what court matter was so important that Young Master Lu specially sent someone to deliver the letter?"

Song Shian gave her a sideways glance and said coolly, "Why are you asking so much? Go rest early."

Song Shiying grumbled unhappily. "Hmph, you just want to send me to bed so you can have a private chat with Sister-in-law, right?"

Song Shian snorted coldly. "If you want to have a private chat, that’s fine too. I’ll have your sister-in-law find you a match in the village, and then you can chat as much as you like."

Song Shiying stomped her foot angrily. "Brother, you’re such a bully, threatening me again!"

She immediately darted to Jiang Chun, hugging her arm and shaking it. "Sister-in-law, you need to rein in Brother. My fragile heart can’t take his scares."

Jiang Chun patted her hand and said with a smile, "Don’t pay him any mind. It’s not him who’ll be getting married anyway. Now, it’s late. Go to bed early and wake up early to cook porridge tomorrow."

"Sister-in-law, you’re the best to me." Song Shiying lifted her chin triumphantly at Song Shian and obediently went to the west wing room.

Song Shian: "..."

This silly girl was being sold by Jiang Chun and still helping her count the money.

Jiang Chun moved the wooden basin into the west room, scooped a few ladles of cold water into it, and then added a few ladles of hot water from the large pot.

She brought two stools, one for herself and one for Song Shian, and they sat down together to soak their feet.

Jiang Chun gave him a sideways glance. "Are you going to confess willingly? Or should I beat it out of you?"

Song Shian lifted his cool, clear phoenix eyes and looked at her with a half-smile. "Would you really beat me?"

Jiang Chun hummed lightly. "It depends. If you deliberately hide something from me and I find out the truth, you’ll be in for a beating."

"Hiss..." Song Shian drew in a cold breath inwardly.

He had been keeping the big secret of his rebirth from her. He hoped she would never discover any clues in this lifetime, or else the beating he’d receive would be unavoidable.

What? Wasn’t there something she was hiding from him too?

The logic was there, but Jiang Chun wasn’t someone who followed logic. If he tried to reason with her, it would only make things worse.

But that was a concern for the future. For now, he had to deal with the immediate crisis.

He immediately said, "Lu Zhengheng wrote to say that the Fifth Prince has contracted malaria, and the Imperial Medical Office is at a loss. He may not have much time left."

Jiang Chun pretended to be clueless. "But what does that have to do with you? Why would the county magistrate specially write to tell you about this?"

Since she knows her own future, she must be fully aware of her background and origins.

In the worst case, even if she knew nothing about it, with Song Shiying, her foolish and unsuspecting cousin, around, they would have already pried all the family secrets out of her.

But he didn’t dare to expose her, or else she might get angry and refuse to sleep in the same bed as him, and he would be the one to suffer.

He put on a guilty expression and said weakly, "Because I am from the Duckweed Song family of the Imperial City, my elder sister by the same father married Prince Yan. They are currently under house arrest at the Imperial Mausoleum's villa."

Pausing for a moment, he added, "Prince Yan is versatile in both literature and martial arts, quick-witted, and compassionate. He is the most outstanding among all the princes and the undisputed choice for Crown Prince by the court officials."

Jiang Chun acted shocked, her apricot eyes wide open, her mouth gaping enough to fit an egg.

After a long while, she suddenly slapped her thigh, howled, "Oh!" and exclaimed, "If you're Prince Yan's brother-in-law, then I'm Prince Yan's sister-in-law... Does that mean I've become royalty?

Good heavens, am I about to ascend and become a phoenix!"

She jumped up, stepped out of the wooden basin, and walked barefoot on the ground, pacing around. She alternated between holding her head and cupping her face, occasionally howling.

It was a perfect portrayal of "Fan Jin passing the imperial examination."

Song Shian: "..."

She's overacting. Anyone would think she's lost her mind.

He said helplessly, "Calm down. That was in the past. Now the Song family has been confiscated and sold, Prince Yan has been stripped of his title, demoted to a commoner, and the whole family has been sent to guard the imperial mausoleum."

Jiang Chun seemed to come to her senses, hissing as she exclaimed, "It's cold," and ran back to sit down, dipping her dusty feet into the basin.

Song Shian lifted his foot and gently rubbed her feet with his fair and slender foot.

Jiang Chun elbowed him and said with a grin, "If the fifth prince is gone, will our brother-in-law have a chance to make a comeback?"

Song Shian twitched at the corner of his mouth. She was really good at climbing up the ladder. Now it's "our brother-in-law."

He ambiguously said, "Who knows, maybe."

When the fifth prince died, Consort Liu was so traumatized that she became deranged, grabbing the old emperor's collar every few days, demanding her son back.

Exhausted by this, the old emperor had no choice but to have Consort Liu locked up, but she hanged herself that very night.

With his beloved concubine and son gone, the old emperor lost the desire to hold power for another twenty years.

Looking back at his other princes, it turned out that Prince Yan was indeed the most capable and most like him (?).

So, the day after Consort Liu's death, he issued an edict naming Prince Yan as Crown Prince, ordering Crown Princess Song Shiying to oversee Consort Liu's funeral arrangements with the Ministry of Rites.

Consort Liu passed away on the Ghost Festival, and the edict naming the Crown Prince was issued on the following day. By the time Prince Yan's people reached Hongye Town, it would likely be late July or early August.

If they were lucky, they might be able to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival in the capital this year.

Indeed, one day in early August, after Jiang Chun finished selling meat and returned to the village, a villager shouted at her, "Chunniang, you have guests at home! Several gentlemen on horseback wearing silk have arrived!"

*

"Thank you, Auntie," Jiang Chun replied, flicking the mule with her whip and rushing home.

As she arrived at her gate, she saw several tall horses tied to the trees, their saddles and stirrups uniform.

Jiang Chun guessed they were probably Prince Yan's guards.

She pushed the door open, and several sturdy men seated in the yard immediately stood up and knelt on one knee, saluting her in unison, "We, your subordinates, greet Madame Song."

Jiang Chun, unfamiliar with such a scene, was startled and took a step back.

Realizing what had happened, she quickly raised her hand and said, "Please, no need for such formalities. Rise."

Song Shian walked out holding a tea tray. One of the guards immediately stood up, took the tray, and said nervously, "I should be the one to do this. How can I trouble Master Song?"

"It's fine," Song Shian replied, walking up to Jiang Chun and explaining, "These eight are Brother-in-law's personal guards. He sent them to escort us back to the capital."

Jiang Chun exclaimed, "We're going to the capital?"

With outsiders present, he couldn't explain further and just squeezed her hand, saying, "I'll explain later."

"Alright," Jiang Chun said "understandingly" and went about unloading the cart, leading the mule to the backyard and throwing it some grass that Jiang He had cut.

Song Shian asked the guards some questions about the capital and then told them to find a hotel in Hongye County to stay in. They would set off once he had everything sorted.

The Jiang family's place was small and couldn't accommodate them.

Even if there were space, he wouldn't let them stay at the Jiang family's home. Otherwise, Jiang Chun and her cousin would be exhausted just from preparing meals for all of them. How would they have time to pack their belongings?

The group accepted the order and left.

As soon as they were gone, Jiang Chun immediately asked, "What's really going on?"

Song Shian didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly, "My brother-in-law has been named the Crown Prince, and the Song family has been rehabilitated. I have also been reinstated and need to return to the Imperial City to fulfill my duties."

After saying that, he reached out and held her hand, a worried expression on his face. "Would you be willing to go to the Imperial City with me?"

Jiang Chun was certainly willing. She had endured humiliation and worked hard to take care of him, all for this day.

But she played coy, "What would I do there? I'm just a countryside butcher girl who can't read or understand the rules of your noble families. If I go to the Imperial City, won't I be laughed at to death?"

Song Shian snorted, "You are my wife, the brother-in-law of the Crown Prince. When my brother-in-law ascends the throne, you will be the wife of the Imperial Uncle. Who would dare to laugh at you?"

Jiang Chun sneered, "That's easy to say, but Lady Zhong Wenjin is also the wife of the Imperial Uncle. In the original story, after she entered the Imperial City, she was ridiculed by those noble ladies quite a bit."

Like the daughter-in-law of the Grand Princess, the most beloved granddaughter of an old prince, the younger sister of an iron-cap prince's wife, and the eldest daughter of a hereditary duke's family.

Each of them had significant backgrounds, and in the petty disputes among the women, would the new emperor and Empress Song really come out to scold them for such trivial matters?

Jiang Chun gave him a sideways glance, "Stop trying to fool me. I've heard many things about high-ranking officials and nobles from storytellers. I heard that some powerful aristocratic families don't even care about the emperor, let alone me, a royal relative.

If I were bullied, I'd just have to swallow my bitterness. I wouldn't have any way to deal with them."

Song Shian's mouth twitched. She made herself sound like a weak pushover who could only be bullied, but he knew her well.

It was more likely that she would bully others; who could possibly bully her?

But he couldn't contradict her and could only soothe her, "Don't worry, my love. If anyone bullies you, just tell me. I'll find someone to impeach their husbands, so they won't have the leisure to bother you again."

Jiang Chun took the opportunity to smile brightly, "With you protecting me like this, I have nothing to fear."

Song Shian secretly sighed in relief.

Although with her greedy nature, it was impossible for her not to go to the Imperial City with him, but what if?

He needed to hear her agree out loud before he could feel at ease.

However, just as Jiang Chun agreed, Jiang He and Song Shiying returned from cutting grass. Upon hearing that the whole family was going to the Imperial City, Jiang He firmly opposed, "Son-in-law, you can take Chunniang and Ayin to the Imperial City, but I won't go."

Song Shian hurriedly tried to persuade Jiang He, "Father, Chunniang only has you as her family. If you don't go and stay in our hometown, how can she feel at ease following me to the Imperial City?"

Jiang He laughed, "What is there to worry about? I'm only in my thirties, not even forty yet. I can run, jump, and earn money by butchering pigs. Can't I take care of myself?"

Jiang Chun was speechless, "Dad, you don't even know how to light a fire, let alone cook. If you stay home, are you planning to live on the wind?"

Jiang He gave her a sideways glance, "Can a living person be killed by urine? I can buy food from the town's eateries. If not, I can always eat out at restaurants.

I earn over a hundred wen a day butchering pigs and selling meat. Now that I don't have to save money for you guys, I can live a good life eating delicious food."

Jiang Chun, "..."

He made a good point, and she couldn't refute it.

She resorted to being unreasonable, "If you don't go, then I won't go either. I'll stay behind to take care of you."

Song Shian gave her a stern look, she was really trying to stir up trouble.

Song Shiying interjected, "Uncle Jiang, you need to go to the Imperial City."

Jiang He looked at Song Shiying, curious to hear her reasoning.

Song Shiying put on a serious face and said, "Uncle Jiang, you don't know this, but my elder brother is very popular among the young ladies in the capital. Hundreds of young ladies chase after him, wanting to marry him. Now that he's married to Sister-in-law, those young ladies will definitely be unhappy. In the future, when they see Sister-in-law, they might bully her.

Moreover, my elder brother was previously betrothed to someone else. Although that family broke off the engagement after our family's misfortune, who knows if they might cause trouble?

What if his family looks down on Sister-in-law's background and wants to arrange a higher-status marriage for him, forcing him to get rid of her?

Or what if they secretly harm her without my brother knowing?

You see, all these things are very unfavorable for Sister-in-law. How can there be no stabilizing force like you to watch over her?"

Jiang He was shocked, "This isn't the Imperial City; it's a den of dangers!"

Song Shiying nodded in agreement, "Exactly!"

Jiang He immediately changed his mind, "Originally, I thought, as a father-in-law, how could I impose by living in my son-in-law's home? It would be embarrassing."

"I might as well stay at home then.

But after hearing Ayin say that, I must go to the Imperial City. If I, as her father, am not there, what will happen if others bully my daughter? There wouldn’t be anyone to stand up for her."

Jiang Chun pouted and said pitifully, “Exactly, Father. If you’re not here, I have no backbone, and my heart feels uneasy like never before.”

Song Shian reassured Jiang He, “Father, if you don’t want to move into the Song family estate, you can let your wife buy another house near the Song residence. She has saved around two thousand taels of silver, enough to purchase a small house with seven or eight rooms.”

The Liu family compensated her with a five hundred tael bank note, and she gave the fifty taels of gold that Lu Zhengheng gave her. The remaining nine hundred taels from redeeming her cousin and Pan Xing are also in her possession.

Adding the one hundred tael that Lu Zhengheng sent for her birthday, it totals exactly two thousand taels.

Jiang Chun suddenly turned her head and looked at Song Shian in surprise.

How did he know she planned to use these two thousand taels to buy a small house near the Song family for Jiang He?

Was he some kind of mind-reading worm that had become a demon?

Jiang He knew full well that out of these two thousand taels, only five hundred belonged to his daughter; the remaining one thousand five hundred taels were earned by his son-in-law.

But he didn’t refuse out of false politeness.

For the sake of his daughter’s dignity, he certainly couldn’t move into the Song family estate and become one of those poor relatives sponging off them.

It would be good to buy a house so that when his daughter returns to her parents' home, she would have a place to stay.

They could rent a house, but if people found out that the eldest young master of the prestigious Song family, the brother-in-law of the crown prince, had a father-in-law renting a house, it would be embarrassing for his son-in-law, even if it didn’t bother him.

He nodded, “Alright, then buy a small house for me.”

Upon hearing this, both Song Shian and Jiang Chun breathed a sigh of relief.

After finally convincing Jiang He, Song Shiying started causing trouble again.

Sniffling, she said that after returning to the capital, she would definitely be ridiculed and it would be better not to return.

Jiang Chun shut her up with one sentence, “Then don’t go back. Tomorrow, I’ll find a matchmaker to arrange a ‘good marriage’ for you in the nearby villages!”

Song Shiying: “……”

She stopped pretending to cry and really started crying, out of anger, “Everyone else has someone to comfort them, but no one comforts me. I am so pitiful!”

Jiang Chun brought over a large box, placed it on the ground, and said, “Stop being dramatic and pack your things quickly. Once you’re done with yours, come help me with mine.”

“Oh.” Song Shiying immediately forgot her crying and fuss, stood up, and promptly started working."