When Yu Shu walked out of Taixi Tower, a cold wind blew against her face. She stopped and looked up. The sky was full of flying catkins that were falling with the wind. The Nine Zigzag Bridge was dyed silver. It was snowing.
"Snow." Jing Chen walked to her side. A paper umbrella appeared in his hand, and he opened it above her head.
Yu Shu exhaled a cloud of white mist. Her nervous mood suddenly relaxed. She tightened the collar around her neck. "Let's go." Two lines of footprints appeared on the Nine Zigzag Bridge. They spread and disappeared in the snow. The sound of the wind covered the human voice.
"When we get the fake Chun Jun Sword, we're going to see my father, right?"
"Yes. We're going to lure Da Tidian to send people to capture Yun Hua and deliver the fake Book of Xuan Nyu to him. "
"What if … I mean, what if my father is caught by them? What should we do?"
"There's no 'what if'. If you don't believe me, you should believe in Yun Hua Yi Zi. Twenty years ago, he could escape unscathed. Twenty years later, no one can do anything to him. "
This was a big risk. Not only Yun Hua, but also her, Xue Rui, and Jing Chen. Their enemy was the imperial power of Da An that had stood for three hundred years.
They could only succeed, not fail.
.....
After Da Tidian took the bait, Yu Shu didn't go to see Xue Rui on purpose. From the moment she laid all her cards on the table with Da Tidian, every single one of her actions could possibly affect their plans. In order to ensure that she didn't give herself away, she couldn't make any actions that would cause a misunderstanding.
She stayed in Kun Ling Bureau until the afternoon as usual to deal with the business that piled up a while ago. Although the emperor went to Huazhen Garden to recuperate and Kun Ling stopped, there was no peace in the bureau.
Once the news of Emperor Zhao Qing's serious illness spread, the officials' families had to worry about their children's marriages. They were afraid that Emperor Zhao Qing would suddenly die. Three years of mourning would delay the wedding, so the number of marriage letters waiting to be examined in Kun Ling Bureau doubled overnight.
They were all squeezed together. There were only so many people in the Kunling Bureau, and there was always a first come, first served rule. Who didn't want to set the wedding date before the beginning of spring? Therefore, it was necessary to open the back door with gifts.
Yu Shu's mind was not on this matter. Moreover, the people who sent gifts to her residence had never stopped, so she did not care about it. However, even if she did not care, it did not mean that others did not care.
There was something wrong with Wen Shaoan today. He was in a daze for half of the afternoon. Yu Shu noticed it early in the morning, but she didn't point it out. It was not until the snow stopped and she was ready to go home that she put down her brush and asked him.
"I say, what are you thinking about in such a daze? Could it be that you've fallen for some girl and are lovesick? "
Wen Shao'an blushed when he heard her teasing, "Don't make fun of me. I'm not thinking about that." Since Yu Shu asked, he had nothing to hide, so he told her everything.
"Yesterday, someone sent gifts to the place where I live. He said that it was a gift for the New Year. There was a large amount of cloth and fur. However, I am just a small official, so how can I accept a gift for the New Year? This morning, when I came to the bureau, Xie Daren gave me two silver notes, which were two hundred taels. He did not allow me to refuse, so he took a few marriage certificates to be approved and asked me to put them on the top for you to see first. Only then did I understand that it was a bribe. "
Different from the Book of the Universe, the last procedure of the official marriage certificate was the seal of Yu Shu. If she didn't approve it, no one could bypass her. Therefore, Wen Shaoan, who was the closest to her, became the most popular.
Yu Shu nodded. Seeing Wen Shaoan's confused face, she asked, "Did you accept the bribe and help him?"
Wen Shaoan shook his head quickly, "I didn't dare to put the marriage certificates on your table. I will return the silver notes to him later."
Yu Shu smiled and stood up to take the cloak on the hanger. She asked Lu Hong to come in to pack up and said to Wen Shaoan, "It's too late today. Put the marriage certificates on the table tomorrow morning, and I will approve them for you."
"Ah?" Wen Shaoan was stunned.
"What? If someone gives you money in the future, you should keep it first. Remember to tell me. If I ask you to take it, you can take it boldly. The New Year is coming. You should save some money and buy some sweaters. Just take it as a benefit from me. "
Yu Shu fastened her belt and walked out, leaving Wen Shaoan standing there in a daze. After a long time, he came back to his senses and slowly showed a happy expression.
It should be known that as an eighth-ranked official, his monthly salary was only a few dozen taels. What could he do in the capital? It wasn't even enough for a meal. Since he came to the capital, he didn't save anything. He usually used whatever money he had. If the Celestial Commissioner didn't give him two sets of official robes every quarter, it would be difficult for him to find clothes to wear when he went out.
Wen Shaoan had a strong self-esteem. If Yu Shu subsidized him in private, he would be embarrassed to accept it. But it was different if someone showed filial piety to him. Although it was a bribe, it was not a bad thing that violated the law. He could get more income with a little effort. Since he got Yu Shu's approval, he was happy to do it.
.....
When Yu Shu returned to the mansion, she called Zhou Hu after dinner. After asking, she found out that there were more people coming to give gifts these days. But because there was a rule in the mansion that strangers were not allowed to enter and gifts were not accepted on New Year's Day, those who gave gifts were closed at the door.
Zhou Hu was smart. When he saw Yu Shu asked, he took the initiative and said, "Milord, it's the end of the year. There are several groups of people coming to give gifts every day. It's not a good idea to always stop them. Can we open the door to accept gifts?"
It was the 20th of the twelfth lunar month. In a few days, it would be the New Year. She didn't hear that there were many people who closed the door to send gifts. Only Yu Shu was a maverick and didn't like to interact with others.
Yu Shu said, "No hurry. Let's wait for two more days. We will open the door on the day of the sacrifice. You should be strict and don't let the doorman let in all the fragrant and smelly gifts. Tomorrow, I will ask Xin 'er to make a list. You should take a look at it. Don't let any famous family in. If something goes wrong, I will hold you responsible. "
Zhou Hu promised.
After he left, Zhao Hui sent someone to invite her. It was also about the New Year's gifts. Yu Shu couldn't be idle during the day. After Zhao Hui arranged everything, she called her to look at the list of gifts.
The He family originally didn't have many relatives or friends in Jing, but He Fangzhi's medical shop had been open for almost a year. He needed to make some friends and social interactions couldn't be avoided.
On Yu Shu's side, there were several superiors that needed to be filial to. Not including Jing Chen, there were four or five daren above her. It was fine if she neglected it usually, but this New Year's gifts must be given.
Luckily, she was rich and imposing now. It was not difficult to prepare a few generous gifts. In addition, there were a few peers that she was on good terms with. Whether it was Xin Liu or Xia Jiangmin, Xin Fu had to give an extra gift. Jing Wang Fu also had to give an extra gift. In addition, there were also the scholars that taught her at Taishi Shu Garden, Fang Zi Jing and Sima Kui.
Finally, there were those that had to be given even if they were unwilling, such as Ning Wang Fu.
Half a month ago, she had handed the money to Zhao Hui and appointed Lin 'er to come over to help her. She had already made a list of gifts and was fully prepared.
Just on Yu Shu's end, she had spent more than five thousand taels. This didn't even include the ones that she had pulled out from her little storeroom. Zhao Hui's heart ached for her.
"It's fortunate that you have some income elsewhere. Otherwise, where would you find the money to send gifts? Your annual salary is only one thousand and eight hundred taels. Usually, you have to eat and drink."
Yu Shu comforted her: "It's all money to spend, so you can't be stingy. It's fortunate that I have a place to send gifts. You don't know how many people fight to send gifts but can't find a way. You smile. In a few days, when the doors of our family open, there will be even more people coming to send gifts. At that time, you can take a look. You can choose the good ones first. "
Zhao Hui couldn't hold back her smile. She lightly patted her and said in annoyance: "How can I be greedy for your things?" She brushed it off and started to talk about the new clothes for the beginning of spring.
"Last time, you didn't choose the furs that your jiujiu sent over. So I took the liberty to leave two pieces of fox fur for you to make a blanket. One is fiery red and the other is silver grey. It's good to match the clothes. As for the remaining pieces of dyed fur, I personally sewed a jacket for you. It can be worn when the weather is warmer. After a few days, you must try it on. If it doesn't fit, there is still time to change it."
The blanket was similar to a shawl. It was short and did not have sleeves. The front and back of the shawl were made with pearls. It was fastened in front of the chest with gemstones or jade rings. It was made with fur to keep warm and show off the waist. All the madams and young ladies in the capital loved to wear it this way. If they didn't have two pieces of fur, they would be embarrassed to go out and meet guests.
After talking about clothes, she moved on to jewellery: "You don't like to wear those bits and pieces, so I didn't buy more. Last month, Eldest Young Master Xue sent over two boxes of pearls and gemstones. I saw that the color was very good, so I asked your jiujiu to find a goldsmith to make two sets of jewellery for you. One set is pearl and the other is jade. The design is simple and elegant. Don't not wear them and leave them to collect dust."
As she said this, she asked a maidservant to enter the room and bring out two similar lacquer boxes. She handed them to her with both hands.
Yu Shu was puzzled. She pulled them out and looked at them. Her eyes were filled with flowing colors. The jade was translucent and the pearls were colorful. With one look, she knew that they were rare and good things.
"When did my eldest brother send these? Why didn't I know?"
Zhao Hui was also stunned. She then patted her forehead, "I was so busy that I forgot to tell you. Just a month ago, there was a rumor in the capital that Eldest Young Master Xue went to avoid trouble. Later, he didn't come back, but not long after he came back, he sent someone to send them here. I still remember what the errand boy looked like. He had big eyes and looked cunning."
Xue Rui asked someone to send the box directly to Zhao Hui. He said that it was a gift to show filial respect to Zhao Hui, an elder. But after he left, Zhao Hui opened the box and took a look. She immediately guessed that he was just being polite. Those pink beads that were as thick as a thumb, silver beads, and colorful gemstone pendants were not meant for an elderly woman like her.
It was probably because Xue Rui and Yu Shu acted so well in front of others that Zhao Hui did not suspect that the two of them had an affair. She only thought of them as sworn siblings.
"I'll keep the rest for you first," Zhao Hui glared at her. "It's useless for you to keep them. When spring comes, I'll think of some other designs for you. You can slowly save up for your dowry."
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