CH 49

Chapter Forty-Nine:

yesterday once more

The next morning, Shaoshang woke up early and instructed the guards to wake up Lou Yao before dawn. She quickly set off to return to Hua County. Lou Yao originally wanted to spend time alone with the male god, but decided against it when he saw his fiancé glaring at him.

Master Huangfu sighed with tears all night, while Yuan Shen remained by the side to serve. According to what Lou Yao heard, he had only been sad for half a night, but Yuan Shen didn’t know whether he wanted to motivate his mentor or his habitual poisonous tongue. It was he who was taking a nap beside the teacher’s bed at the moment.

In the chilly morning, the carriage and horses of the Lou-Cheng family quietly touched the gate of the residence. Shaoshang had planned to leave without saying goodbye and had to spend some time talking with the soldiers in charge of the gatehouse. However, the gatekeeper informed her that Ling Buyi had already left in the middle of the night with the Black Armored Army. Before leaving, he instructed them to let them leave if Shaoshang and Lou Yao wanted to.

Lou Yao’s face was full of disappointment, and he had originally planned for the male god to take a rest here. He could always come from the county town to visit him. Shaoshang, however, felt a sense of consternation, like she was so excited that she got up early to memorize vocabulary before dawn, but the student next door woke up in the middle of the night to study hard.

Then the gatekeeper respectfully pulled out Shaoshang’s small carriage, only to see a tall and shiny horse with black fur tied to the crankshaft of the carriage cage. “What about my yellow-haired pony?” Shaoshang exclaimed.

The gatekeeper smiled. “Master Ling changed it for the young mistress before he left. He said that there was a way to use horses for driving. If you are only leisurely in the city, you can use a small horse with the same size as the carriage seat, but if you want to go for an outing outside the city, the size of the horse should be between the umbrella cover and car seat, otherwise it would be laborious and bumpy.”

Shaoshang was grateful in her heart and turned to Lou Yao, “After returning to the capital, you will have to thank Brother Zisheng for me.”

Lou Yao, however, was unwilling to leave his fiancé and said wryly, “When we return to the capital, we will go and thank him together.”

He had grown up so much, whether at home or outside, he had never had such a congenial partner as Shaoshang. Although she was a woman, she had an open mind and was brave enough to take the lead. If she were living in the same humble and shabby house, if she were an ordinary lady, she would probably either frown in displeasure, or patiently wait for the situation to gradually improve. But, Shaoshang couldn’t bear to wait. She would draw blueprints with great interest to find a craftsman, how to lay the floor that can isolate moisture, how to repair the roof and strengthen the beams, and so on.

A girl once said, “Only when you are full of desolation can you show your skills and achieve great things. If you are full of prosperity, what are you going to do? Open a few more brocade shops?” In the era when she came, if you were passionate about pioneering and courageously advancing, you might be able to rank in the top three for thousands of years.

Lou Yao felt that this statement was a combination of courage and boldness, so he wrote it into his uncle and father’s book as an important argument to praise his fiancé for being such a great person. The couple talked about the world every day, read and laughed, and got along happily. In front of this new fiancé, Lou Yao no longer felt inferior and timid, and even began to think specifically about what to do in the future and how to do it.

Shaoshang had heard of it and was right to think about it. To express gratitude with sincerity, it was better to prepare the gift in person.

After the horse change, the small carriage was truly reborn. This pitch-black horse was well trained and had a calm temperament. When it heard the sound of the whip, it lifted its steps and pulled the carriage on its own. The speed was not slow or urgent, and was stable and powerful. It was very comfortable for Shaoshang to sit on.

As soon as she returned to the county government office, Shaoshang wanted to immediately go find Madam Sang. However, when she met with Cheng Zhi, who was just about to go out to inspect the city defense, he immediately took on the demeanor of an elder and made Lou Yao stand outside. He grabbed his niece and pulled her to the side to scold her.

Unfortunately, it was too late for him to show his authority. Before he could say a few words, Shaoshang opened her mouth and said, “Uncle, how lucky are you? If it weren’t for Master Huangfu and his arrogance, where would it be your turn to marry Aunt?”

Cheng Zhi immediately became discouraged. “I knew that Master Huangfu didn’t have good intentions to keep you and A’Yao,” he said angrily. “What’s there to say about the past? It’s not that I pried into his corner. It’s Shun Hua who proposed marriage to me!”

“Aunt proposed marriage to you?” Shaoshang was so surprised she whispered. “You’re talking nonsense.”

“Your aunt is very kind. She suggested marriage to me in private at the time,” Cheng Zhi said with a stern face. “She said that if I didn’t want to, no one would know about it, so that I wouldn’t have trouble meeting the master of the mountain and Senior Brother Sang because I refused to marry.”

“Uncle, did you marry her because she proposed marriage? Don’t you like her?”

Cheng Zhi blushed and awkwardly stroked his beard, saying, “Well, that… naturally…”

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll tell my aunt!” Shaoshang turned around and was about to file a complaint. Cheng Zhi was so scared that he quickly grabbed the little ancestor and cursed himself for thinking he could reprimand the niece who didn’t sleep at night. He needed his wife for this kind of dignified work. It was the craft of the Sang family ancestors to put on airs and make trouble!

“Okay, Okay, I’ll tell you!” Cheng Zhi stretched his neck and looked outside, seeing no one around. “When I went up to Bailu Mountain, Master Huangfu had already fled to Jianghu. When I first met your aunt, I didn’t take her seriously. To be honest, I wore more women’s clothing than her.”

“Uncle is so bold! Just go and say that to Aunt in person!” Shaoshang refused to let Madam Sang suffer, and she didn’t hesitate to blame her uncle.

“If you’re so picky again, I won’t say anything!” Cheng Zhi pretended to leave.

Shaoshang sighed and had to compromise.

“Later on,” Cheng Zhi continued, “I saw that she was a weak woman who was willing to shoulder the punishment and gossip of her elders. There was a lot of help here and there, and sometimes she couldn’t even straighten up when she was tired. I really admired her in my heart.”

“What is this gossip? Aunt is so kind and righteous, and someone else speaks ill of her!”

Cheng Zhi said in a muffled voice, “Why not? Those ladies in the city dare not wait for Master Huangfu themselves, but they criticize your aunt, saying that she is an ordinary looking woman who rarely marries a person like Master Huangfu. Naturally, she would be struggling…”

“Pah!” Shaoshang spat. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t there, otherwise I’d tear their mouths one by one!”

“But so far, I just pity my good feelings. Later on, when Emperor Li was defeated, the people of the Huangfu family no longer had to be in hiding. Although Master Huangfu had not returned yet, who knew he would have a bright future. But, at this moment, your aunt suddenly wanted to withdraw.”

Cheng Zhi pounded the gatepost hard and continued, “Everyone thinks that it was a small matter for Master Huangfu to miss the birthday banquet. They all advised your aunt to forget it. Your aunt refused to comply and despite everyone’s scolding, she still withdrew from the marriage. Alas, my heart was sore at the time. I knew that she was not greedy for his fame and talent, nor for any fame, wealth or other reasons. What she wanted was just genuine intention… Unfortunately, I didn’t have a career or was from a wealthy family, so I didn’t feel embarrassed to open my mouth.”

“I see,” Shaoshang nodded.

Cheng Zhi glanced at his niece angrily, not only failing to lecture her successfully, but also tricked into saying many old things. So powerful! No wonder Sister Yuan Yi couldn’t even subdue her! Seeing that it was getting late, he could only go out angrily.

Shaoshang picked up Lou Yao waiting outside and quickly walked towards the back. Sitting in the back room, Madam Sang saw that niece and future nephew, who had not returned all night, and didn’t ask anything. She first pressed the two of them to use a bowl of hot soup cakes in her room. Shaoshang swallowed her last bite and quickly encouraged Lou Yao to go to the martial arts arena to practice swords, spears, staves, and halberds, so that he could show off next time he saw the male god.

Lou Yao glared. “You don’t need to support me. I’ll leave on my own. Why did you say such a fake excuse?” He was clever enough that he immediately knew that his fiancé was going to whisper to Madam Sang.

“That’s good,” Shaoshang said. “Could you please avoid it first? My aunt and I have something to talk about.”

“… You still use excuses to appear more rounded,” Lou Yao said.

Madam Sang kept smiling as she waited for Shaoshang to leave Lou Yao and held back her maid before saying, “Alright, come on. What did Master Huangfu tell you?” She didn’t even know the virtue of her ex-fiancé?!

Shaoshang quickly gave a brief account of what had been said last night, and then said, “Aunt, what he said is true and he didn’t deceive me, right?”

After listening to her words carefully, Madam Sang’s mouth lit up with a hint of mockery. “He is a great filial son. He told such a winding story, but missed the most important thing.”

Shaoshang had an ‘as expected’ expression on her face and patted the table. “I know,” she said. “It’s that orphan girl. Master Huangfu must have missed out on many things about her?!”

“Did your ears stop working? I said, ‘great filial son!’” Madam Sang poked her niece’s forehead and sneered. “Qi Shi is not worth mentioning. She acted like a lonely and helpless person, thinking she could deceive everyone. Later on, she fulfilled her wish and entered the room to become Huangfu’s wife. Isn’t she happy?”

Shaoshang was stunned. “Ah, so she still married…” If Uncle Zhi was a big pig’s foot, then Master Huangfu was a pig foot’s hair! What he said last night was so sincere and pitiful, ‘What if that orphan girl wasn’t as good as my fiancé?’ So he turned around and married her?!

Madam Sang saw that her niece was about to explode and smiled. “Don’t worry, believe your aunt. Qi Shi married him and that’s the biggest punishment for her. Over the years, she’s probably not much better than the prisoners in a cell.”

Shaoshang calmed down, feeling thoughtful.

“What Master Huangfu missed was his mother, Madam Dou,” Madam Sang said.

Shaoshang clicked her tongue. Come on. Fortunately, her aunt escaped quickly, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to distribute dog food with her uncle all day long, regardless of whether others could bear it or not.

“What’s wrong with Madam Dou? Didn’t you say that later on, you would take care of all the widows and children of the Huangfu family, eating what you had and using what you had?”

“She didn’t use mine,” Madam Sang said. “She remarried after Uncle Huangfu passed away, and Master Huangfu was less than five years old at the time. But… she remarried twice and it didn’t go well…”

“Remarried twice?” Shaoshang was inexplicably envious. “Madam Dou is quite capable…”

Madam Sang snorted. “Madam Dou was very beautiful and has a good heart. Unfortunately, she couldn’t even get married three times. Uncle Huangfu was talented and capable, but unfortunately passed away. The second husband was mediocre, and she angrily refused to marry. When she also gave up on the future of her third husband, she realized that her and her ex-husband’s son had risen to fame. At that time, Huangfu was only fourteen years old, so she quickly returned to put on the airs of Old Madam!”

Shaoshang suddenly felt contempt in her heart.

“When Master Huangfu was young, Madam Dou was busy running for her own career and never even looked at him a few times. He made a name for himself, and so many noble ladies who admired him were rushing to flatter and fawn him. She wasn’t happy.”

“Aunt, did Madam Dou embarrass you?” Shaoshang asked.

Madam Sang snorted coldly. “It’s all about making trouble for me. I’ve never taken her words lightly. ‘My son is talented and beautiful, you should cherish your blessings,’ ‘engagement was too hasty back then, marriage is about life, I think we need to consider long-term solutions’… Hmph, if you had the ability to go find the elders of the Huangfu family to withdraw from the marriage, I’d have suffered seven years less. She could make trouble for my mother!”

“Later on, what happened to the Huangfu family?” Shaoshang was filled with smugness, “Did she run away?”

Madam Sang looked at the girl with great approval. “Not only did she run away, but she was also very clear! She was hiding at her husband’s house and didn’t dare to come out. The censor came to ask, and she hurriedly pulled at her two sons born to her husband, saying, ‘I only have these two sons!’”

“That’s it. Later on, when Huangfu and his son rose up again, how could she still want to come out again?” With such a thick face, Shaoshang didn’t know whether to admire or despise him.

“They told me that she had grievances!” Madam Sang said sarcastically. “Once the situation eased, she couldn’t wait to use the Qi family to oppress me. She kept talking to me all day long about how gentle and weak the Qi family was, how thoughtful she was in taking care of Huangfu, and how much better she was than me. Later, Master Huangfu finally succeeded them. They really became mother and daughter-in-law…” She laughed out loud as she spoke, “I have to say Huangfu, well done!”

Shaoshang vented her anger. “Madam Dou doesn’t really like the Qi family. She’s just using them to sever your engagement and waiting to find a better bride in the future!”

Madam Sang smiled lightly. “You don’t know,” she said. “Madam Dou, like you, will never be satisfied with any bride. If she could, she’d marry her own promising son on her own!”

Shaoshang almost choked on her saliva and laughed in surprise. She approached Madam Sang’s arm and rubbed the fine cloth sleeve with her face. She liked this type of sharp and straightforward sarcasm!

Madam Sang stroked her face. “You believe in me,” she said softly. “Master Huangfu married the Qi family, which was the greatest punishment for the Qi family. He resigned and went into hiding, which is the great punishment for his mother. In fact, later on, he understood everything but it’s useless to talk about.”

“If my aunt can let go of this, so can I,” Shaoshang said with interest.

Madam Sang smiled and turned her head to recall. “It would have been deceitful to say that we didn’t feel sad when we parted ways. I had no intention of remarriage, but my parents, brothers, and sisters sighed and cried every day. I thought I might as well get married.”

However, she was not a self-deprecating person. Even if she wanted to get married, she had to marry well. If she couldn’t be affectionate and loving, at least she should be respectful and polite. “In fact, although I missed my flowering period and had a bad reputation, relying on my father and brother’s family background, no one wanted me. Among the handful of gentle and kind unmarried men in the mountain, I ultimately chose your uncle. Firstly, he often secretly looked at me and thought I didn’t notice. Secondly,” she laughed and tapped the table, “it isn’t that I boast. Even if we counted the two county towns at the foot of the entire Bailu Mountain, you couldn’t find a second young gentleman who was more handsome and beautiful than your uncle.”

“Aunt, are you good at judging people by their appearance like that?” Shaoshang wanted to laugh, but her face was calm.

Madam Sang covered her mouth with her sleeve. “So, I no longer hate Master Huangfu for disliking my appearance! Even if it wasn’t pleasing before, it still gave me a good life in front of your uncle’s face!”

Looking at the girl across from her with a stern expression, she smiled happily for a while before saying, “Okay, I’m not joking anymore… Well, when we first got married, your uncle and I were both tied up and didn’t know how to get along. What he was thinking at the time was that after marrying him, my food and clothing was not as good as those as my parents, which made me unhappy. What I was thinking was to do my best to help your uncle while being a good wife to the Cheng family, but later… later…”

Madam Sang smiled slightly as she returned to her former days. Under the questioning of Shaoshang, she had no choice but to continue. “One day, your uncle took me on a hiking trip when the sky was clear and the air was fresh. He didn’t know what to say to me, so he pulled me running all over the mountains and fields. We were out of breath as we ran. Then, he made a big wreath out of wild flowers in the mountains and put it on my head. The wreath was too big, and it slipped onto my neck. I couldn’t breathe I was laughing so hard, and his face turned red like a child who had done something wrong. At that time, I thought, I could marry him and it would be great. I want to live well with your uncle.”

Shaoshang was happy for her uncle and aunt in her heart, but she said on her lips, “Yes. Since then, whenever you have free time, you go hiking and playing everywhere! That’s what Grandmother says!” Sometimes those two would even bring the county magistrate and his family for an outing or picnic.

Madam Sang wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and sighed regretfully. “Oh, I grew up with Master Huangfu. In fact, upon closer examination we are quite similar. I don’t love playing the qin, I love playing the flute, but he also loved playing the flute. I had to endure not liking to learn the qin. Later, when I married your uncle, he loved to play the qin. We studied new scores together, and when we were free, we played a piece together. Your grandfather once said, this was called marriage and why we should settle for it.”

Holding Shaoshang in her arms, she gently stroked her soft, black hair. “Master Huangfu isn’t a bad person, he’s just…” She sighed wistfully. “He just didn’t understand.”

Shaoshang didn’t really understand either, and reluctantly nodded.

Two days later, everyone in the Cheng family had dinner, while Cheng Wei went to school as usual. The twins were driven to bed early, leaving only Cheng Zhi, Lou Yao, and Shaoshang chatting in the courtyard. Seeing the moonlight as bright as jade, Shaoshang begged her uncle and aunt to play a piece together.

Cheng Zhi adjusted the strings and proudly exclaimed, “Done! Tonight, I’ll give you a feast! I’ve been practicing this piece for two months before I made your aunt laugh!”

Madam Sang blinked and smiled.

Cheng Zhi raised his hand and made a clear sound like a spinning pearl, followed by Madam Sang’s gentle whistling sound. Shaoshang immediately recognized the song “Zheng Feng: Leaving the East Gate” that her aunt and uncle often loved to play together, and smiled.

The melody expressed emotions, melodious and gentle. Madam Sang’s heart turned as she blew into the flute.

She had been determined since childhood, but no one knew, and in fact, she herself wasn’t sure what kind of emotion she wanted. Was it enough for Master Huangfu to put down his lofty airs and be gentle with her as soft as jade in the beginning?

It wasn’t until Cheng Zhi played this piece of music to her that she understood: she could endure hardship, endure cold words, but what she wanted was a steadfast affection like in a poem.

Madam Sang turned to look at her husband, her eyes filled with sincere affection – ‘Thank you for giving me what I wanted the most when I had already given up myself.’

Shaoshang saw the look Madam Sang gave Cheng Zhi was rippling like waves, and her face was flushed with joy as if it was about to overflow from around her. Her ordinary face was reflected by this, and her expression shone brightly. Shaoshang secretly thought that she should have called that old man Huangfu to take a look, so he could give up.

Who knew that people could not bear to think about it. Just as Shaoshang had this idea, outside the high walls of the county government mansion, suddenly came an old and vigorous male singing voice, singing exactly this song…

“Out of its east gate, there are women like clouds. Although they are like clouds, I think about banditry. Clothes and scarves, chat with me…”

Everyone in the courtyard was stunned and recognized whose voice it was, but looked at each other silently. Only Lou Yao exclaimed in surprise, “It’s Master Huangfu!”

At this moment, Cheng Zhi and Madam Sang both stopped playing, while Master Huangfu outside the wall still sang freely: “Out of the temple, there are women like tea. Although they are like tea, I think of banditry. In the temple, chatting and entertaining…”

The song was loud and deep, with a hint of dullness, as if coming from afar. Rough stones were pounding on the ice, tugging at the pain of the vocal cords and realizing the regret and pain after all – Shaoshang didn’t speak sarcastically, but listened quietly. This was the first time she held a peaceful and neutral attitude towards her aunt’s former fiancé, without any contempt or ridicule.

She now understood what her aunt meant by saying Master Huangfu wasn’t a bad person, he just didn’t understand.

The past few days, she listened to Lou Yao talk about the experience of Master Huangfu and learned that he not only had profound knowledge, but also had the courage to take on tasks, just like Sun Qin and Zhang Yi, who had ruled over the seven kingdoms in ancient times, who lobbied among the feudal lords as a scholar and eliminated many military disasters. How could a current hero, who was not just a small belly and chicken intestines, have been concerned about Madam Sang for more than a decade just because he was so unwilling in his youth?

Master Huangfu not only failed to understand what his fiancé had been thinking, but also failed to understand his own thoughts.

However, the situation could be remembered, but it was already lost.

Master Huangfu sang “Zheng Feng: Leaving the East Gate” three times outside the wall, and then the sound of a copper bell on a carriage rang, getting further and further away. After a moment, the servant outside came in to report, “Master Huangfu left a message with the front gatekeeper that he has a holiday given by His Majesty. He will leave the city gate tonight and then go into seclusion in the mountains. After a few years, everything will be clear, and he may come back to disturb his old friend.”

Cheng Zhi nodded and turned to shake his wife’s hand. Madam Sang shook it back with tears in her eyes. “It’ll be good if he can see it through. After all this time, I hope he can have a happier life. Don’t dwell on the past.”

After a long silence in the courtyard, Lou Yao, who was not in a very good state, chuckled twice. “So… what Master Huangfu sang was good, I’ve never heard of it before in the capital.”

Cheng Zhi and his wife were initially disheartened, but upon hearing the young man’s foolish words, they couldn’t help but shake their heads and burst into laughter.

As the night darkened, everyone stood up and walked out of the courtyard.

Lou Yao strode ahead, and Cheng Zhi caught up with him and patted the young man’s shoulder. He said he wanted to be kind to his niece. Madam Sang slowed down and turned to ask Shaoshang lightly, “What do you think?”

Shaoshang curled her lips. “Master Huangfu is really good. He is so good at studying and entering politics, but he is confused about such things. It’s all because he is too arrogant, otherwise, how can anyone in this world not figure out who they like in their hearts?”

Madam Sang stumbled under her feet. “… You’re right,” she said after taking a deep breath.

Then silently watching the beautiful girl like a trembling bough, she quickly caught up with her husband and fiancé, shouting, “Uncle, have you bullied A’Yao again?”

…

BOOM! I am back! I cannot thank you guys enough for all the support and kind messages this past week. I’ll slowly be going through everything from the past few weeks.

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