Chapter 36: A Lesson

Meinang got off the bed, and Cui Si quickly crouched down to help her put on her shoes. Xu Jun Ying had already walked over to the round table. Meinang stepped forward, leading the maids to greet him with a bow. Xu Jun Ying glanced at Cui Xi and said, “I need to speak with the eldest madam for a few moments. You can all leave now.”

Mama Wang led Cui Xi, Cui Si, and Cui Jian out of the room. Cheng’er brought in tea, bowed, and then withdrew.

Meinang looked at Xu Jun Ying with concern and asked, “Have you had dinner, my husband? Would you like me to have some food brought up so I can eat with you?”

“No need, I’ve already eaten,” Xu Jun Ying said, sitting down at the table. He took a tea bowl, uncovered it, and drank. It was sweet flower tea. He frowned, set the cup down, and looked around the room. “Why is it so hot in here?”

Meinang replied, “Though it has been sunny and warm these past few days, it gets quite cold at night. I am afraid of the cold, so I had them bring in two more stoves. If you are uncomfortable, we can move them out.”

Xu Jun Ying looked at her. “I’ll only sit for a moment and leave once we’re done talking.”

“What would you like to say, my husband?”

Xu Jun Ying took a jade bottle from his sleeve and placed it on the table. “This is Li Uhe Pills. Take one a day. They will help you regain your strength.”

Meinang stepped closer, picked up the small bottle, and admired it. “This bottle is lovely! Thank you, my husband, I will take it as you say.”

“It was given by the Daoist priest Ling Xu Zi, who examined your pulse. You should thank him,” Xu Jun Ying said indifferently.

“Yes, I will thank him properly another day,” Meinang smiled. “Are they still staying at the Hou residence or have they returned to Gui Yun Mountain Villa?”

Xu Jun Ying paused. “You know Gui Yun Mountain Villa?”

Meinang smiled. “When you took Mr. Zhang to check on Rulan, I chatted with Daoist Ling Xu Zi. He told me that they are staying at Gui Yun Mountain Villa. He said I can go there to find them in the future.”

Xu Jun Ying asked, “Why do you want to find them?”

“They are skilled doctors,” Meinang replied. “I only want to ask them to see my brother. He has been working too hard with his studies and has developed a lingering cough that won’t go away. I want to ask Daoist Ling Xu Zi to treat him when he returns to the capital.”

Xu Jun Ying’s expression darkened. “They are not ordinary doctors. They have their own matters to attend to. You barely know them, and you are already troubling them. You will only bother them more in the future. Isn’t that tiresome?”

Meinang was unconvinced. “Since they are skilled, they should be happy to help. And they are old friends of yours. It’s better to seek help from someone we know, rather than trusting an unknown doctor. After all, they know what they are doing and won’t deceive us. Look at how well Rulan is now, isn’t it great?”

Xu Jun Ying snapped, “Nonsense! Our family is not like that. When we need medical attention, we go to the Imperial Medical Department, where real doctors are. We are not looking for someone who pretends to know medicine. As for Rulan, fine, but when your brother returns, we will bring in an official physician for him. Do not bother Ling Xu Zi again.”

Meinang glanced at him and turned her face away. “I’ve already arranged with Daoist Ling Xu Zi to bring my brother to visit him.”

Xu Jun Ying’s eyes grew cold. “If you won’t listen to me, then stay in the garden and do nothing. Don’t go anywhere or make any decisions. Tomorrow, I will inform Madam that the management of the Hou residence should be left to Jing Yun and Rulan.”

Meinang froze, staring at Xu Jun Ying. “What are you saying, my husband? I am your wife, the eldest madam of the Hou residence. Shouldn’t I be in charge of the household? You manage the outside affairs, and I manage the inside, as husband and wife working together for a happy home.”

Xu Jun Ying turned his gaze away and spoke coldly, “Did you not learn the proper way of being a wife in your family? As a wife, the most important thing is to follow your husband’s wishes, not to act on your own impulses. You disregard my opinions, doing whatever you feel like without consulting me. How can I trust you to manage the Hou household? Be content with your role as the madam of the house. You no longer need to take care of Heng Ge’er. Just stay in the garden and focus on playing music, chess, reading, and painting. Isn’t that peaceful?”

Meinang bit her lip, her chest tightening with suppressed emotion. She took a long time to calm herself. Her mind raced what had she done to upset Xu Jun Ying? He scolded her for not listening, for being too independent. What had she done?

Had she visited his friend without permission? But hadn’t he been drunk and taken her to meet them? Had she not discussed asking Ling Xu Zi to treat her brother with him? Or oh no! Did he know she hadn’t given all the old ginseng to the elderly lady? But he had never insisted on giving it all to her!

Xu Jun Ying looked at Meinang, her face lowered, sitting upright, with her hands neatly placed in her sleeves on her lap. The skin on her side profile and neck looked tender and fresh, her dark hair shining, and her long, slightly curled eyelashes fluttering like butterflies resting among flowers.

Xu Jun Ying reluctantly thought back to their wedding night. She had been so delicate and vulnerable, so pitiable. He had wanted to hold her close, but before he could, there had been a commotion outside as his old friends came to disrupt the wedding. He had hurried out to stop them, but they had dragged him away to drink, and he got drunk. The next day, he had woken up with a terrible headache, unable to remember anything, while Meinang stood silently in the background, her hands wringing nervously, her face full of fear, with tears in her eyes. He regretted not being able to control his drinking and neglecting his new bride.

On their second wedding night, he had been gentle with her, but she had shyly avoided him, her face flushed with embarrassment as she whispered that her period had arrived. There was nothing more frustrating for him.

On the third day after their wedding, he had left for the battlefield in the north.

When he returned victorious, Meinang had already given birth to a son. He was shocked and angry, and when he confronted her, she had become cold and distant, protecting the child with an air of fear and defiance. She refused to say anything, and he felt deeply betrayed. He had married her despite her humble background, caring for her even in battle, yet she had betrayed him so easily.

Soon, he discovered the truth. His beloved younger brother, Jun Jie, was the father of Heng Ge’er.

As his mother, Zheng Shi, visited Heng Ge’er every day to care for the mother and son, the old lady made arrangements for Heng Ge’er’s full month celebration, inviting distant relatives, friends, and officials from the capital. Even the imperial palace had sent gifts. Xu Jun Ying couldn’t reveal the truth and held back his emotions as he watched people prepare for the event. He could only watch, bitterly, as Jun Jie came to visit Meinang with troubled looks, often casting concerned glances at her residence. When they practiced martial arts, Xu Jun Ying no longer gave advice. He beat Jun Jie mercilessly, making him bleed. He told his brother, “You don’t bleed in practice, you lose your life on the battlefield.”

Unexpectedly, Jun Jie insisted on going to war, and his mother said, “Let him go. Your father had hoped for this, and with you watching over him, he will be fine.”

Xu Jun Ying became the commander, but Jun Jie died in battle. Though Xu Jun Ying had not meant for it to happen, it still tore him apart, knowing that it was his own brother, with whom he had grown up, now lost to him forever.