On the sixth day of the eighth month, Yu Shu's big house on Baochang Street officially hung a plaque on the door and opened the door to greet guests. This signified that she, the recently popular female disguise master, had finally established her own house from a female fortune teller to a female imperial official, and then to Miaoling Messenger.
In fact, before she hung it on the door, Yu Shu had hesitated about what words to inscribe on the plaque. She wanted to use her surname to establish a foothold, or she could use a fashionable and elegant name for her residence, such as Prince Xiang's Dingbo Residence. However, after she consulted Xue Rui's opinion, she still honestly chose the two words' Yu Residence '. She forced Xue Rui to write the words, so she didn't waste any effort to ask for any famous calligraphy.
On the day of hanging it on the door, people lit firecrackers, burned incense, and prayed to the door god. There were many onlookers on the street, and they surrounded a section of the gate. They all saw an offering table on the doorstep. The table was full of offerings, incense, and candles. A young man wearing a bright green robe with big sleeves was facing the north, and his back was facing the crowd. He was holding three sticks of incense and kowtowing.
There was a lot of discussion in the crowd. Some passersby murmured, "How old is he to become the head of a household and buy such a big house? I really don't know which family spoils him."
This remark was heard by the people next to him, and they laughed. A quick-witted person patted his shoulder and said, "Brother, don't talk nonsense. The owner of the house who is burning incense is not someone you can casually make up. Have you heard of the Miaoling Messenger personally appointed by the emperor? Don't be fooled by her young age. She is a disciple of an immortal family. She can call the wind and rain, and turn beans into soldiers!"
The person said in surprise, "Isn't the Miaoling Messenger a woman? This... "
Looking at the person burning incense in front of the door, he could see that the person's figure was more slender than that of a man. It was indeed a woman.
.....
Yu Shu opened the red carpet in front of the main gate and gave some instructions. Zhou Hu brought a few servants with him to distribute the wedding cakes to the neighbors who were watching the bustle. The fist-sized cakes were filled with bean paste and peanut stuffing, filling up two large baskets. Every bite of the cakes added liveliness to the new house.
On the day of hanging the door, Yu Shu did not intend to invite outsiders. She only sent someone to the Minister's Mansion to inform them. On this day, Xue Rui still came.
It was bustling at the front. The main door was wide open and the voices of people could be heard. The womenfolk stayed in the backyard and did not come out, but He Fangzhi and Pei Jing stayed in the living room at the front to keep them company and talk to Xue Rui.
Yu Shu was now a fifth-rank official, and her rank was not lower than Xue Rui's. So He Fangzhi, a common doctor, and Pei Jing, a businessman, did not have to be reserved when they sat in front of the Minister's Mansion's eldest son. In addition, Xue Rui deliberately lowered his position, and regarded himself as a junior, so the three of them had a lot to talk about.
"At first, when I met Little Yu, I thought that she would be a successful person. Later, when I found out that she was a girl, I felt that it was a pity more than once. Who would have thought that she would be able to live up to expectations. Now, she has a scholarly title and an official position. Even as her uncle, thanks to her, my life has been getting smoother and smoother."
Pei Jing felt honored when he mentioned Yu Shu, and he wasn't stingy in the slightest to fiercely praise this niece of his that he'd picked up for free in front of He Fangzhi and Xue Rui.
Indeed, because Yu Shu got rid of Bi Qing and replaced him as the chief manager of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce, and because Yu Shu provided the unique crystal business, he not only earned a lot of money, but also gained a foothold in the capital's Chamber of Commerce overnight. Even the chief manager of the Tong Ji Chamber of Commerce, which was known as the capital's first, had to smile and call him Mr. Pei.
When Xue Rui heard this, he smiled and turned to look at the figure walking over from the direction of the main door.
Seeing that Yu Shu had arrived, He Fangzhi asked her to entertain Xue Rui and led his brother-in-law to the back to see their son. Earlier, he had asked Zhao Hui to remind Yu Shu about the misunderstandings between men and women. Now that she was an official, she could go in and out of the court, so these small matters were no longer restricted.
After Yu Shu's mansion was completed, this was the first time Xue Rui returned home. The two of them got busy. After not seeing each other for some time, the first thing she did was to take him to the garden.
"It took a lot of effort to merge the two gardens into one and make it look like I wanted. Because of this, it took half a month, otherwise I would have moved here long ago. Last month, I wanted to invite you over to take a look, but I couldn't find you. Let's go, I'll take you to see the scenery."
Xue Rui listened to her boasting, as if her garden was not worse than the Ding Bo Hall that the Emperor gave to the Prince of Xiang. He secretly laughed at her exaggeration, but didn't say it out loud.
As soon as he stepped into the garden, he didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. Instead, the air seemed to be exceptionally fresh. However, after following her for half a circle in the garden, he heard a clear cry. Turning his head, he saw a pair of red-crowned cranes with white feathers standing by a small pond not far away, foraging for food. Finally, he couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.
"How can you raise something like this?"
Cranes were mascots. Not to mention that these things were not easy to get, many rich and powerful people in the capital tried to raise them in captivity. But after the summer, these birds had to migrate for the winter. If they were kept in a cage, they wouldn't eat or drink until they starved to death. If they were released to wander around, they would fly away.
But Yu Shu's pair of birds were left outside, letting them wander around. Their feathers were bright and clean, and they looked like they were in good spirits.
Yu Shu looked at him with a puzzled expression: "Why can't I raise them? Although this pair of white cranes are a bit expensive, they are very docile."
When Xue Rui heard this, his expression became strange: "You just let them outside like this? You don't even lock them in the cage at night? "
"Why would I lock them up? They won't fly around."
Xue Rui asked a few more questions, and then he learned that since she put the birds in the garden half a month ago, they have never been locked up. As long as the keepers put fresh fish and shrimps into the pond every day, they will only walk around in the garden. Occasionally, they will fly over the house and come back to eat. They don't go far at all.
Xue Rui was surprised, but when he saw Yu Shu's expression of "this bird is very easy to raise, what's so strange about it", he swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
Then he began to pay attention to the layout of the garden. He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but he always felt that the trees in her garden were too green, the flowers were too blooming, and everywhere was fresh. It was obviously autumn, but there was no sign of them withering. It felt like there was a wall between them. No matter whether it was winter or summer outside, when they entered the garden, it was spring.
When he thought up to here, Xue Rui couldn't help but smile, and then he looked at Yu Shu who led the way excitedly in front of him, and he said in his heart, I'm thinking too much. How could there possibly be such a miraculous place?
"… Let me tell you, I arranged this garden according to the Qimen Magic Circle taught by my master. I buried several magic circle eyes under the ground, and every flower and tree here is very particular. I dare not say anything else, but the Fengshui of this piece of land can't be better than it in the whole Anling City."
Yu Shu was inspired by the Fengshui Pond that raised crystals, and she applied the Eight Gates Life and Death Tactics taught by Qing Zheng to this chain garden. Only a master like her who became a monk halfway dared to be so bold. Was she not afraid of accidentally destroying the Fengshui and killing people?
The two walked around the garden and chose to sit in a small hall near the pond. Hearing Yu Shu's order, the maid quickly ran to serve tea and snacks.
"What do you think of my garden?" The two sat next to the window railing. Not far away, they saw the pair of red-crowned cranes and a few mandarin ducks swimming in the pond.
"Excellent." Xue Rui could have a lot of praise, but when he said it, he felt that her garden was vulgar.
"There are a lot of empty places, and it lacks a good name." He was in the birds and the fragrance of flowers, and he felt refreshed. He was in a good mood, so he recommended a few names for the scenery in her garden.
Not only was Yu Shu happy, she seized the opportunity when the maidservant came to deliver tea and snacks to ask someone to bring a brush and ink for the study room, and she asked Xue Rui to write quite a few words while he was in high spirits.
Xue Rui's calligraphy was taught by the previous great scholar of the Tao Wen Guan, Song Xiaoxian. He was a famous calligrapher of the present age, but he was not bound by fame. He retired in the ninth year of Zhao Qing.
"I see that your small pond has running water, and there is a square stone by the pond. Later, find a craftsman to chisel the words." Xue Rui picked up the pen and wrote down the two words "Jiu Gao".
Cranes cry in Jiu Gao, sound heard in the wild.
"I just passed by a corridor, and the sound of birds under the corridor filled my ears. There was a pair of canaries, very beautiful." Xue Rui picked up the pen again and wrote down the two words "Shi Wen".
In the green forest and wild house, the setting sun is clear, when you take off your scarf and walk alone, you can hear the birds.
Then, in one breath, Xue Rui named the attic in the garden, the pavilion, the cave door, the mountain rock, and the small hall they were sitting in. Yu Shu, who was illiterate, couldn't tell good from bad, but she knew that the names were very meaningful.
"Thank you, Eldest Brother." Yu Shu joyfully counted the stack of words that Xue Rui wrote for her, then she blew the ink dry before neatly stacking them on a wooden tray. After that, she asked Lin 'er to take it to her study room and put it away.
"Tomorrow, I will ask someone to find a craftsman. After the words are hung, I will invite you to come."
Xue Rui was carrying the gold-stamped invitation for her banquet. She had personally given it to him when he came today. Counting the days, there were only a few days left, so he thought for a while and said,
"There will be a lot of people coming that day. In order to prevent those careless people from casually barging in and spoiling the flowers and plants in your garden, and frightening the birds and beasts, I'm afraid that you won't have enough people. How about I assign a few people to guard the garden for you?"
He was very clear about the situation of the new Yu Residence. A few days ago, Liu Jiong had mentioned to him that she had generously bought people from the Concubine's Courtyard. It was a worry-free method.
However, the people who came from the Concubine's Courtyard were well-behaved, but they were not powerful enough. If they met people who pestered endlessly, they might not be able to deal with them.
She had already shown him the guest list for her banquet. There were all kinds of people coming. He came today to give her a reminder.
Yu Shu, on the other hand, was worried that there were villains mixed among the guests, and if they knew some unusual tricks, they would do something to her garden and ruin her Fengshui, so when she heard Xue Rui was willing to help, she didn't think too much before agreeing.
"That's for the best. I was worried that there would be a lack of people to order around."
At this point, Yu Shu stopped playing around and thought about serious matters. She looked at the maidservant who was walking away and turned to ask Xue Rui,
"How is the investigation of the Taishi Library case going? Is there any news?"
Cao Youling died and Zhan Xueyuan died. The murderer was suspected to be the same person, but he was hiding it well.
Xue Rui had a smile on his face just now, but now he restrained the corners of his mouth. He looked at her and said quietly,
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