Chapter 30: Plum Blossoms in the Snow
Ling'er thought to herself, "If something bad happened to our aunt, it was all your fault. How can you blame me?" But she dared not say anything and hurried forward to help aunt Zhang up.
Mengxi saw that the concubines all stood up and stood on both sides, and then he said:
"Everyone is tired today, so let's go home first. You don't have to come over to serve lunch and dinner." He waved his hand to let everyone go, and then said to Hong Xing who was standing aside:
"Go and tell them that it's late tonight, so the girls don't need to come over to pay their respects."
Hong Xing responded and went out to tell the maid to pass on the message.
Mengxi felt really tired, so she sent everyone away. Then she leaned her stiff body against the back of the chair and closed her eyes.
…
What made Mengxi headache was that it was not a pleasant thing for two such awkward people to be tied together for half a month. She didn't want to wake up every morning with half of her body stiff. She must find a way to move out.
After lunch, she held Hongzhu's hand and brought two maids to the east wing, thinking that she would take a look first and then find a reason to move here later.
The east wing also has three large rooms. After entering the door and turning around a large screen, there is the hall. It would be nice to have the concubines come here to pay their respects every day, Mengxi thought as she walked into the north room. This is a bedroom. The tables, desks and chairs inside are much simpler than her new home. After all, it is a noble family. Although it is simple, it is a thousand times better than that of an ordinary family. Standing in front of the window of the north room, you can just see a large garden at the back, with pavilions and water pavilions, which is unique and a good place for quiet and elegance. Mengxi fell in love with this place at once and wanted to move in immediately. However, it was only three days after the wedding, so she couldn't make it too conspicuous. She cleaned it up first.
"Does the Second Master come to this room on weekdays?" After walking around the north room, Mengxi casually asked Hongzhu who was following beside her.
"When the Second Master returns to the courtyard, he spends most of his time in the inner study. The side rooms on both sides have always been empty, so there is no furniture in them."
Mengxi looked at the pottery and antiques collected on the shelves on both sides, all of which exuded luxury.
Damn! This is also called not pressing any furniture.
"Where is my trousseau?"
We just talked about this house, and now you're asking about the dowry? This grandmother's mind is jumping too fast. Hongzhu looked at the second grandmother strangely and replied:
"I put them all in the west room upstairs, waiting for my second grandmother to check them out when she has time, and then decide how to put them."
"Okay, send a few people to clean this place, and move all the dowry to the south room of the east wing. Remove these small benches and incense tables, and keep those murals. Put a desk here for practicing calligraphy and reading. Find some study tools and send them here. Oh, and put a soft couch by the window. Don't use bright red bedding. Yes, use pink..."
"Is Second Madam going to move here?" Hongzhu asked hurriedly after hearing Second Madam's arrangement.
"I thought it would be nice to come here occasionally to write or read after I've cleaned up."
"Second Madam needs to write. There is a special study room in this courtyard, or you can simply set up one in the south room. There is no rule to put the desk in the bedroom."
"Rules, are they the Xiao family's rules?"
Hongzhu was stunned when she heard what she said. She just wanted to put a desk in the bedroom so that when she was tired of reading or practicing calligraphy, she could just lie on the bed and rest. This was her life in the modern world, but she didn't think about whether it was in accordance with the rules. When Hongzhu mentioned it, she broke out in a cold sweat. She had been using the rules to pressure the concubines these two days. She knew how terrible the rules were in this deep mansion, so she was always cautious and asked nervously. If it was really against the rules, she would put the desk in the south room. She must study the house rules of the Xiao Mansion carefully when she has time.
Hongzhu thought to herself, why is this so sarcastic? She was also kindly reminding Second Mistress. She glanced at Second Mistress and answered cautiously:
"It's not the Xiao family's house rules, it's the norm. Ordinary families don't usually arrange it this way. Only poor families, because there are too few houses, set up study rooms in the bedrooms."
"It's fine if it's not a house rule, just do as I say."
"The furniture in this room is too simple, and some have been moved out. Would you like to ask Second Master to fill in some more furniture?"
"No, that's fine. Move the shelf and the decorations on it to the storage room."
“Then there’s nothing left in this house.”
"I like it this way, it's spacious and bright. By the way, don't tell the Second Master about this house. I'll tell him in person some other day."
Hongzhu didn't dare to say anything more in front of the Second Mistress. She wished she didn't have to tell Second Master Xu about this. Second Master wouldn't step into this room anyway. This Mistress could do whatever she wanted. It would be better if she could hide it from Second Master, otherwise it would only bring trouble to her. So she nodded:
"Don't worry, Madam. I know what to do."
Coming out of the north room, Mengxi came to the south room. The south room was a small living room, smaller than the north room. There was a small partition outside the north room for the maids who kept watch at night to live in, but there was no partition in the south room. Mengxi couldn't think of what the south room could be used for, so he didn't ask anyone to clean it up, but just asked someone to sweep it. Turning around and looking up, he saw a mural hanging on the wall facing the window, which was a lonely plum blossom proudly standing in the snow. He couldn't help but think of himself, just like this plum blossom, a lonely ghost, came to this strange ancient time, alone in this Xiao Mansion, just wanting to live a good life, how did he get involved in the dispute between wives and concubines? Thinking of this, he recited:
Outside the post station, beside the broken bridge, a lonely flower blooms without an owner
It's already dusk, I'm alone and worried about the wind and rain
I have no intention of struggling for spring, I just let the flowers be jealous
Falling into mud and turning into dust, only the fragrance remains
"Second Madam is so talented in writing, and the red plum blossoms bloom proudly in the snow. What a beautiful artistic conception." Hongzhu was mesmerized after hearing this.
Mengxi looked back at Hongzhu and said, "Haven't you heard this poem before?"
"Isn't this something that Second Grandma did?"
"This was written by a predecessor," Mengxi remembered that this poem was written by Lu You of the Southern Song Dynasty, so he said casually.
"Who did this before? I have read most of the poems by our ancestors, but I have never heard of this?" Hongzhu asked again.
Mengxi remembered that she knew nothing about the history of Da Qi, but she was sure that this was definitely not a dynasty in the history of her time and space. It seemed that this Da Qi should have deviated from the historical trajectory she knew before the Tang and Song dynasties. Thinking of this, she said nothing more, only :
"I just think this poem is a good match for this painting. Why not find someone to write a bitch and put it next to the painting? The poem is like the painting, and the painting follows the poem."
Hongzhu looked at the Second Mistress strangely. She clearly wrote it herself, but she refused to admit it. She thought to herself, she is afraid that the Second Master will know the taboo. In fact, the Second Master is different from ordinary people. He is not so pedantic as to think that a woman’s virtue lies in her lack of talent. What the Second Master really likes are women with talent. Just look at the maids that the Second Master has chosen to be around him. Which one of them is not good at writing and composing lyrics? The reason why Aunt Li is so favored is because she can write two short poems, right?
He opened his mouth and thought about it, but decided not to. He nodded in response. He thought to himself, why ask someone to write? It seems that this second wife really doesn't know the reputation of her master in Pingyang City. The second master is as famous as Li Zan, the current prince's aide, Ouyang Zhu, the eldest son of the Ouyang family, and Tao Jundong, the poet. They are called the four great talents. The second master is best at calligraphy and painting. This painting was made by the second master when he was young. The second master's calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, with dragons and phoenixes flying and dancing. When the second master is in better health, I will ask him to write it. This second wife's poem, matched with the second master's calligraphy and painting, is hung here. It is really a perfect match.
