The carriage drove out slowly, and nothing happened along the way that Qingdai was worried about needing to meet the prince. Fu Xuzhi rode over and said hello to Fu Qionghua, his aunt, and then came to her side and asked through the curtains of the carriage: "The carriage is bumping. Can my cousin still bear it after recovering from a serious illness?"
Xie Shu replied through the curtain: "Thank you very much, Cousin Xu, for caring about me. Everything is fine with me."
Fu Xuzhi nodded and left on horseback without saying another word.
Qingdai glanced at her girl's face and asked tentatively with some caution: "Is the girl a little afraid of my cousin?"
Xie Shu shook his head: "No, why do you ask that?"
Qingdai explained: "You see, Mrs. Cai and the eldest lady have been talking to the cousin for a long time through the curtain. When it comes to the girl, the girl is really too polite."
Xie Shu thought of those things in her previous life and felt that she and Fu Xuzhi were relatively speechless when they finally parted. Now that she was reborn, she would not blame Fu Xuzhi for taking her identity. After all, he was forced to marry her in his previous life, and He didn't criticize her harshly.
But even so, she felt that she should not have too much involvement with Fu Xuzhi in this life, and just treat her as polite cousins.
She couldn't explain to Qingdai, so she just changed the topic.
Qing Dai, a maid, naturally took whatever the girl said and didn't think too much about it, so she started talking about other things.
...
Fu Xuzhi rode to the front, and the young boy Qingmo who was accompanying him also followed on horseback. He couldn't help but said: "Master, although the eldest cousin girl and the second cousin girl are from the same mother, their temperaments are quite different. The second cousin girl seems to be honest." She's quieter and doesn't look like a little sister at all."
Fu Xuzhi also remembered Xie Shu's polite words just now through the curtain. In fact, he felt strange in his heart.
His aunt had no sons, only two daughters. He had met the eldest girl Xie Yan five years ago in the capital. Even though they were five years apart, she was still lively and laughing. She followed her aunt as soon as he saw her. The time is flamboyant and casual without any grievance. As for this cousin, he has never seen her before. He had to run errands with His Highness early in the morning, so he only sent someone to his aunt. But just now, through the curtain, he could only hear her gentle and respectful voice. He thought she had an extremely temperament. She is gentle and quiet, which is really not like her aunt.
He recalled the rumors in the palace five years ago when his aunt only brought her eldest daughter Xie Yan to Beijing. It was said that her aunt was injured while giving birth to her second daughter and could no longer be pregnant. As a result, she had not been able to give birth to a child for the Xie family all these years. Boy, that's why my aunt didn't like her second daughter, so she didn't bring him to the capital together. Any poor health was just an excuse.
It was related to his aunt's family affairs, so even if Fu Xuzhi heard some gossip, he didn't take it to heart. After all, he and his aunt were not very close, and the girls from the Xie family had nothing to do with him, the young master of Duke Anguo.
But now, seeing clearly the different temperaments of his cousin Xie Yan and his cousin Xie Shu, Fu Xuzhi felt a little pity for his cousin Xie Shu.
He and Xie Shu were born on the same day. He was loved and valued by his mother since he was a child. However, his cousin Xie Shu was angered by his aunt because her aunt was injured and could no longer be pregnant. Thinking about it, Xie Shu did not show up for dinner that day. The same reason was that Xie Shu was ill and not suitable for seeing guests. Fu Xu immediately felt a little unhappy with Fu Qionghua, his aunt.
From Fu Qionghua's position and standpoint, he could understand why she did this, but a mother should be kind and responsible. It was too narrow-minded and selfish to anger an innocent child like this, who was still his own flesh and blood.
Fu Xuzhi sighed softly, but continued to ride towards the prince's car ahead.
...
Duke Anguo's Mansion
Mrs. Wei had been waiting early in the morning, and it was late in the evening.
The second wife, Mrs. Wei, is the niece of the old lady. She usually makes the old lady happy. She just smiled and said: "This aunt is coming back, and my mother can't wait to go out of Beijing to pick her up. Now, Lian Xuzhi, the grandson My son will be ranked behind my aunt."
They had received a letter from Fu Xuzhi yesterday, and they knew that this time Fu Qionghua and his two cousins had met the prince who was escorting Enshi's coffin back to the capital. Fu Xuzhi was accompanying the prince, so they wanted to come back together. The old lady was overjoyed when she received the news, and the people around her even flattered her, saying that she was a lucky aunt. Otherwise, how could it be that the prince was staying at Fu'an Temple, coaxing the old lady to smile.
Mrs. Wei smiled and pointed at Mrs. Wei: "You, no one in the whole house can say anything better than you. Qionghua is my biological daughter and I can't love her too much. Xuzhi is a junior and a man, so... Will he compete with his aunt for this little favor?"
When the old lady said this, all the maids and women in the room laughed.
Mrs. Zhou also sat aside, covering the smile at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and said to the old lady: "Mom, don't be anxious, the journey is not far, I can get there no matter what."
As they were talking, a woman from outside hurried in and said with a smile on her face: "Old madam, we're here, my aunt and the young master are back, and the carriage is stopping at the door."
When Mrs. Wei heard this, she suddenly stood up from her seat and started to walk outside.
The second lady, Mrs. Wei, smiled and stopped Mrs. Wei: "It's cold outside. Mother doesn't dare to go out and catch the cold. My sister-in-law and I will go to the door to pick up people." After saying that, he looked at the eldest lady Zhou who also stood up. Shi.
Mrs. Zhou smiled and nodded: "That's the rule." After saying that, she told the maid Tortoiseshell next to her: "Go and call some girls and young masters to the old lady and tell them that my aunt and two cousins have arrived. "
Mrs. Zhou said, blessing herself slightly to Mrs. Wei who was sitting on the couch, and went out with the second Mrs. Wei.
The carriage stopped, Xie Shu helped Qingdai's hand get out of the carriage, and when he looked up, he saw Fu Xuzhi standing next to Fu Qionghua.
Just like in her memory, Fu Xuzhi was still gentle and elegant, full of aura of nobility. Just standing there, he looked like a noble young man with a long body, a dragon, a phoenix, and a body.
In her previous life, she had never looked at Fu Xuzhi and Fu Qionghua together. Now, Fu Xuzhi's eyebrows and eyes looked a bit like Fu Qionghua's, but others didn't care. After all, no one thought much about her nephew Xiao Gu. In particular, Fu Xuzhi has a gentle temperament and does not have the willfulness of Fu Qionghua. Therefore, even at this moment, she feels that Fu Xuzhi really does not look like Fu Qionghua's son in terms of temperament.
Xie Shu had all kinds of thoughts in her mind, but she took a step forward, walked forward slowly, kneaded at Fu Qionghua and Fu Xuzhi, and called out: "Mother, Cousin Xu." After saying that, he turned to the eldest girl standing beside him. Xie Yan and Liang Heng said, "Sister, cousin Liang."
She was well-mannered and well-behaved. Perhaps her face was slightly tired from the long ride, but she was exceptionally well-born, and her temperament was different from that of ordinary girls. She was obviously He is a gentle and gentle person, but for some reason, there is a sense of coldness in his bones. Standing there and saluting, it makes people unable to take their eyes away.
Fu Qionghua felt unhappy when he saw her like this, but she was so well-behaved and polite that she couldn't find anything wrong. What's more, in the eyes of outsiders, Xie Shu was still her biological daughter, so she smiled. Suddenly, he said to Mr. Xie: "Well, you must be tired from the journey. Come in with your mother quickly. Your grandmother may be anxious."
Xie Shu nodded and followed Fu Qionghua.
Everyone entered through the corner gate and headed all the way to the Fanlan Courtyard where Mrs. Wei lived.
This was not the first time that Xie Shu came back to Anguo Duke's Mansion. In her previous life, she had been the prince's wife in this mansion for four years and was very familiar with the scenery of the Duke's Mansion. Therefore, she only followed Fu Qionghua along the way and did not look around curiously. . On the other hand, the eldest girl Xie Yan, although she came here five years ago, after all, five years have passed and her memory is always a little blurry. Moreover, she always feels in her heart that the Anguo Duke's mansion is different from the Xie family. It belongs to a high-ranking family. He is very prominent, so his eyebrows can't help but reveal his fondness and consideration.
As for Liang Heng, who was following the two of them, he just felt like he couldn't see enough at this moment. He used to listen to his great-aunt privately talk about how prominent Anguo's mansion was, so the Xie family swallowed their anger and supported Fu Qionghua as their daughter-in-law. But listening is just listening. Now that he saw it with his own eyes, he realized that his imagination was not enough. The scenery he saw from the gate to the entrance of Duke Anguo's Mansion was clearly something he never dared to dream about.
Liang Heng pinched himself secretly, and his eyes were even more joyful under the pain. His great-aunt loved him so much that she actually sent him to the Duke Anguo's mansion. He is not bad looking, and there is no doubt that he will be as lucky as his uncle. If he wants a girl from the Duke's palace as his wife, and then relies on the dowry from this wife, what else do he have to worry about?
Although Fu Xuzhi was talking beside his aunt Fu Qionghua, he turned back several times inadvertently and took in the expressions and behavior of the three of them.
For Liang Heng, he only had contempt in his heart.
As for his cousin Xie Yan, he thought she was just more lively, and he thought she would be liked by his grandmother.
He just felt that Xie Shu's cousin was a little different from others. The little girl was just a little old and had just grown hair. She should have been as arrogant and lively as her eldest sister, but she had developed a calm and unique temperament. She looked gentle and spoke softly. She is also submissive and gentle, but he has seen many people. How can she hide the coldness and alienation in her bones from others?
Thinking about it, she must have had a bad life in the Xie family these years, otherwise, it wouldn't be like this.
Xie Shu noticed Youdao looking at her, subconsciously raised her head, and met Fu Xuzhi's somewhat scrutinizing gaze.
Her heart tightened slightly, her mouth curved, she nodded to Fu Xuzhi with a smile, and then looked away.
Fu Xuzhi felt funny in his heart, and had a strange feeling in his heart. Was Xie Shu, his cousin, just trying to make fun of him? This feeling is really hard to describe, but it is also the first time in my life.
When they arrived at the Chuihua Gate, the eldest lady Zhou and the second lady Wei were already waiting there.
Seeing Fu Qionghua's sister-in-law, the two of them hurriedly greeted her with a smile.
Several people greeted each other, and Fu Qionghua introduced Xie Shu and Liang Heng to Zhou and Wei.
Seeing Xie Shusheng's good looks, the two of them smiled and praised him a few times, but they didn't like Liang Heng's arrival that much.
This young lady is really shameless. She just takes her two daughters back to live with her parents. Why does she even bring her mother-in-law's niece and nephew to Beijing with her?
There were many thoughts in their hearts, but they didn't express them. They just followed Fu Qionghua to Xilanyuan.
After a while, everyone arrived at Fanlan Courtyard. The maid and woman standing in the corridor had been waiting for a long time. When they saw the eldest wife and the second wife leading their aunt back, they quickly opened the curtain and reported the news inside.
A few people went in. When Mrs. Wei saw her daughter whom she had not seen for a long time, she started to cry close to her. After a while, she came around with Mrs. Wei's comfort.
Xie Yan and Xie Shu came forward to see the ceremony.
Mrs. Wei had never seen Mr. Xie before. When she saw her this time, she called her to her and looked at her carefully before sighing: "Last time, your mother said you were sick." After a long journey, I didn’t take you to Beijing. Grandma felt regretful in her heart, thinking about what our mistress should look like. Your mother was also careless. You were not a good person to come to Beijing, so why didn’t you ask someone to draw a portrait? Call me My grandma also wants to meet you. Now that I have met you, I realize that our mistress is so beautiful. Look at her features and temperament. She looks like a fairy who walked out of a painting. But she is called It hurts.”
As Mrs. Wei spoke, she took off a mutton-fat jade bracelet from her wrist and said lovingly: "This is a greeting gift from your grandmother, keep it."
The jade bracelet worn by the old lady was extremely valuable at first glance. Xie Shu did not dare to accept it, so he subconsciously looked at Fu Qionghua who was sitting in front of the old lady.
Fu Qionghua knew that the old lady's bracelet was very valuable, so he stopped her with a smile and said, "How can a child like her afford such a valuable thing? Don't waste it."
She usually treats Mr. Xie casually, but now she said these words without thinking. She didn't know what happened, but Mrs. Zhou, Mrs. Wei and Mrs. Wei in the room were all stunned, and they all thought of the five years ago. There were all these gossips a few years ago because Fu Qionghua didn't bring Xie Shu to the capital.
Because of those gossips, Mrs. Wei got so angry that she even got angry with several women. At that time, she only thought that the servants were speculating on the master, so she said these words.
But now after hearing her daughter's words, Mrs. Wei's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously looked towards Xie Shu standing next to her.
The little girl's eyes were calm, her brows were smiling, and she was calm and generous, as if she was not worried at all about Fu Qionghua's mother's words.
Mrs. Wei's heart ached. Before Fu Qionghua could speak, she took Xie Shu's hand and put the bracelet on Xie Shu's hand with her own hands.
The little girl's skin is delicate, her wrists are like white lotus roots, and the mutton-fat jade bracelet makes her look even more elegant when she wears it, without feeling overwhelming at all.
Mrs. Wei smiled and said: "Sister Xi is so beautiful, no matter how precious it is, she is worthy of it."
Everyone flattered him again and praised Xie Shu in different ways.
Xie Yan stood aside, feeling sour in her heart.
When she came to Beijing five years ago, her grandmother gave her a gold-plated hairpin with a butterfly pattern inlaid with jewels. Although she liked it very much at the time, now she looked at the mutton-fat jade bracelet on Xie Shu's wrist, and she couldn't describe the feeling in her heart. alright.
Why? Isn't it just because she is prettier than her that she coaxes her grandmother to love her so much when she sees her?
To her, what this scene looked like was that Mr. Xie had robbed her of her grandmother, Mrs. Wei's love.
Xie Yan was jealous in her heart, but she didn't dare to show it on her face. She just clutched the handkerchief tightly. But after all, she was still young and the city was not deep, so she still couldn't contain all her jealousy. When it fell into the eyes of everyone, they felt that she, as a sister, was inevitably stingy.
