The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 69: The Revival of All Things

After Zhu Jingcheng returned, he picked a day when Du Yunse was off duty, sent an invitation in advance, and invited their family for a small gathering at the Zhu residence.

The previous times had been too rushed; now that they were permanently residing in the city, it was indeed time to pay a proper visit.

Finally, on a day off, the Yun family couple had many things to talk about, so Qiu Huanian let them stay home and enjoy their time together. He and Du Yunse brought along Jiujiu and Chunsheng, took a box of assorted homemade fruits as a light gift, and drove to the Zhu residence.

The main branch of the Zhu family lived in a courtyard on the side of the main estate. It was quite large, with three courtyards in depth, and richly decorated. After marrying Su Xinbai, Zhu Jingcheng moved to a slightly smaller courtyard nearby.

The small banquet was set up in the courtyard where Zhu Jingcheng lived, but before going there, they first had to visit the mother of Zhu Jingcheng and Zhu Jingwei in the main branch’s courtyard.

The main madam of the house was surnamed Sheng. After marrying the father of the Zhu brothers, she bore two sons. Her husband had passed away several years ago, and most of the concubines had been dismissed—only one concubine who had given birth to a young miss remained.

Madam Sheng had wanted to meet Qiu Huanian since last year. Today, she could finally see him and had made preparations early.

She knew her eldest son greatly valued Du Yunse, and also knew that the changes in her younger son were thanks to Qiu Huanian, so she naturally wouldn’t stand in the way.

Since the illegitimate daughter was about eleven or twelve years old—about the same age as Jiujiu—Madam Sheng had the concubine and her daughter come out to greet the guests as well.

The young girl was named Zhu Xian. She took after her mother in appearance, with a full face and well-defined features—a very dignified look.

From the conversation among the adults, Qiu Huanian learned that Concubine Feng had originally been Madam Sheng’s dowry maid, and the two got along very well. Madam Sheng also treated the only daughter in the family, Zhu Xian, very well.

Although the Zhu family were merchants, they placed great emphasis on family traditions and the education of their descendants. Zhu Xian, though young, had already begun studying.

Madam Sheng asked what Jiujiu had studied and learned, and Jiujiu answered each question one by one. Madam Sheng smiled and said, “As expected of the Examination Top Scholar’s sister—she’s learned much more than our Xian’er.”

Concubine Feng chimed in teasingly, “In the future, we must have Xian’er follow Miss Du’s example.”

Madam Sheng hoped to encourage a friendship between Jiujiu and Zhu Xian. Qiu Huanian noticed that since coming to the city, Jiujiu hadn’t made any close friends. Seeing that Zhu Xian had a gentle and poised personality, he had no objections.

Madam Sheng gifted Jiujiu a pair of filigree gold bracelets and a set of brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, then had the maids take the two young ladies out to play.

Jiujiu and Zhu Xian had only spoken a little but already had a good impression of each other. With Qiu Huanian’s permission, they went out hand in hand.

Seeing his sister go out, Chunsheng became restless too. Madam Sheng ordered several maids to take him out for a stroll as well. Zhu Jingwei, unwilling to stay indoors, also went along.

“My younger brother is mischievous, sorry to trouble you, Madam.”

“Not at all. Boys at this age are always like this. Don’t be fooled by how steady Jingcheng is now—he was quite clingy when he was little too.”

“I’ve reached an age now where I spend all day at home, so I like to see the liveliness of children.”

As she said this, the smile on Madam Sheng’s face briefly faded, but soon returned to normal.

Zhu Jingcheng remained silent, not picking up on his mother’s words.

Just then, a maid came in quickly to report that the eldest young master(Xinbai) had returned.

Madam Sheng straightened up a little, and Concubine Feng quickly adjusted her dress.

Before long, Su Xinbai entered from the doorway. He first greeted Madam Sheng politely and then said apologetically, “I should have stayed home to receive our guests, but something suddenly came up at the Su residence this morning and I had to return. Sorry for the delay.”

Madam Sheng did not make things difficult for Su Xinbai. “Matters from your maternal home are more important. Nothing major happened here.”

Zhu Jingcheng asked Su Xinbai, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Su Xinbai lowered his gaze. “It’s already resolved.”

The two of them didn’t speak further. Su Xinbai sat down in the chair beside Zhu Jingcheng and did not interact with him.

Madam Sheng furrowed her brows slightly, and Concubine Feng kept her eyes down, saying nothing.

Madam Sheng chatted with Qiu Huanian for a while, thanked him for helping her second son find proper work, and invited him to visit the Zhu residence whenever he had free time. Then she said she felt tired and wanted to rest, leaving Zhu Jingcheng and Su Xinbai to entertain the guests.

Zhu Jingcheng had already arranged a full banquet table in the corridor of his courtyard. He ate and chatted with Qiu Huanian’s family, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.

The servants brought Jiujiu and Chunsheng back safe and sound. Chunsheng had received a bunch of toys, all bought by Zhu Jingwei.

Seeing Zhu Jingcheng about to scold him, Zhu Jingwei quickly raised his hand in surrender. “Big brother, everyone says I’ve matured over the past six months—don’t scold me in front of the guests.”

Zhu Jingcheng shook his head helplessly. “You’re at the age to be getting engaged. If you keep playing around like this, Mother won’t be able to find you a wife. Try to be more steady.”

Zhu Jingwei shrugged. “That kind of thing is about fate. I’m the youngest son, I don’t have to manage the family business. I just want to find someone I like. I can’t end up like—”

Zhu Jingcheng put down his wine cup, making a distinct sound on the table. Zhu Jingwei immediately shut his mouth.

Su Xinbai picked up a small bite of food and ate it naturally, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Qiu Huanian glanced around, exchanged a look with Du Yunse, and wisely chose not to intervene.

Zhu Jingcheng had some political news that was not suitable for too many ears, so after dinner, he found an excuse to invite Du Yunse to the study for a private chat.

Zhu Jingwei took the children to play. Chunsheng still had a few toys he didn’t understand how to use and clung tightly to Zhu Jingwei.

It was already dark outside and a bit cold. Su Xinbai invited Qiu Huanian to sit in his room.

Su Xinbai naturally lived in the main rooms of the small courtyard. When Qiu Huanian entered, he found that the three main rooms were filled with bookshelves and desks, tastefully decorated and faintly scented with wood. The shelves were lined with the books Su Xinbai liked to read.

“I don’t usually receive guests here, so there aren’t many places to sit. Let’s not stand here. Come with me to the lounge bed in the inner room.”

Behind the jade-colored silk curtain in the inner room, besides a small heated platform, there was a lounge bed carved with auspicious elephant patterns from purple catalpa wood. In front of the bed was a brazier burning silver wood charcoal. On it was a jacquard mat in lilac satin, topped with pure white lambskin and several soft pillows in vermilion with bird-and-flower patterns. It looked both luxurious and comfortable.

Qiu Huanian noticed that Su Xinbai’s clothing and the decor of this house shared a similar contrast—there were both plain and elegant touches as well as ornate and opulent elements.

This contrast wasn’t unpleasant. On the contrary, it made his temperament seem even more mysterious and noble.

Qiu Huanian sat on the soft lounge bed, stretched lazily with a smile, and joked in the warm room, “This lounge bed is much more comfortable than a chair. Xinbai, you really know how to enjoy life.”

Su Xinbai didn’t respond.

An old maid nearby chuckled. “This was arranged by the Young Master.”

So it was arranged by Zhu Jingcheng. No wonder Su Xinbai didn’t say anything. Qiu Huanian didn’t know what to say either. His eyes swept around the room and he noticed something out of place.

On the small heated brick bed in the inner room, there was only one set of bedding showing signs of use. On the purple copper carved clothes rack, there were only clothes that Su Xinbai usually wore.

It seemed that only Su Xinbai was living in this inner room.

Qiu Huanian furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly. The relationship between Zhu Jingcheng and Su Xinbai as a married couple was even more strained than he had imagined.

In Qiu Huanian’s view, both of them were decent in character, and their personalities and interests matched well. How had things come to this point?

He wondered what had happened back then that led to a marriage between two such mismatched families and resulted in the current situation.

It wasn’t until Su Xinbai called him that Qiu Huanian snapped out of his thoughts.

“Xinbai, what did you just say?”

“On the twelfth of the second month, during the Flower Festival, the noble ladies of Xiangping Prefecture are going for an outing to Xiuyan Mountain. I was asking if you want to bring Jiujiu along.”

“Are you going?”

“I’ll probably be taking Xian’er and a cousin from my maternal family. The reason I was called home this time was mainly because of this.”

“Su Xinyue?” Qiu Huanian remembered the Su family lady they met while buying a cat.

Su Xinbai was slightly surprised. “Not her. But how do you know her?”

Qiu Huanian vaguely said, “Ran into her while strolling around before.”

Looking at Qiu Huanian’s expression, Su Xinbai had already guessed most of it.

“Seems like she offended you.”

“It was someone else who clashed with her. I was just a bystander,” Qiu Huanian spoke frankly. “Your sister’s personality is really nothing like yours.”

Su Xinbai shook his head. “She was raised by a concubine. Her stepmother barely cared about her, so she just grew up that way. Her stepmother knows her temperament and doesn’t trust her to take the younger sister out, so she entrusted the task to me.”

“You people from noble families, with all the wives and concubines and a houseful of children—your relationships are really hard to keep track of.”

Su Xinbai sighed softly. At this moment, only the servants who had grown up with him were in the room, so he could speak more freely.

“My father’s inner residence was already considered clean—just one wife and one concubine at a time, plus two concubines in total. You should know, even some minor seventh- or eighth-rank officials keep over a dozen wives and concubines.”

“Even in the Zhu family, in the other branches, it’s common to have over ten concubines or women who are half like a mistress.”

“People say that this is a sign of a prosperous family with many offspring,” Su Xinbai paused slightly, “Let’s just pretend it’s a good thing.”

Dianmo, the young servant who grew up with Su Xinbai, curled his lips. “Why would Young Master say that? You obviously don’t believe it in your heart.”

Su Xinbai was about to scold Dianmo for being rude, but Qiu Huanian laughed and said, “Dianmo is right. There’s no one else here, why bother pretending? If you keep bottling everything up without saying what you really think, over time you’ll get sick.”

Su Xinbai fell silent, but didn’t object either. Qiu Huanian knew that Su Xinbai’s personality could be stubbornly reserved. Rather than expecting him to talk, it was better to just talk to Dianmo.

“You tell me—what does your Young Master really think?”

Over the years, Su Xinbai had been stuck in this situation. Dianmo could only worry but was helpless. Now, finally, someone like Qiu Huanian came along whom Su Xinbai would actually listen to. Dianmo seized the chance.

“I can’t speak about other things, but just take concubinage as an example. Today, when Young Master went back home, the Madam brought it up. She said that although the Zhu family respects our Su family, it’s been several years since Young Master married over, and there’s been no news. The Zhu family’s eldest son, the eldest grandson of the Zhu family, isn’t young anymore. The Zhu family must be getting anxious.”

“If it really comes to it, maybe Young Master should personally select a few good ones to bring into the household and have a child or two first. That way, outsiders won’t gossip or say that Young Master is jealous and barren.”

“Master Qiu, you don’t know, but our Young Master’s expression changed immediately. If there hadn’t been others around at the time, I’m sure he would’ve—”

“Dianmo!” Su Xinbai interrupted.

Dianmo stuck out his tongue. “Don’t blame me for being talkative. This isn’t something you can avoid. Before it turns into a bigger issue, you should discuss it with Master Qiu and see if he can help you come up with a plan.”

“……”

“No wonder you started talking about how large households have so many people just from a passing comment—I see, something really did come up.” Qiu Huanian took hold of Su Xinbai’s cold hand.

Even in the room with the charcoal fire burning, Su Xinbai’s body was still cold, while Qiu Huanian, a chronic patient, was warmer than him.

Qiu Huanian could feel that, although Su Xinbai always appeared calm and composed, his fingertips and eyelashes were faintly trembling.

“If you care about this, why not have a good talk with the eldest son of the Zhu family?”

“With Jingcheng’s character, once you speak, he will certainly respect your wishes, and the Zhu family won’t force you. Moreover, it’s clear that Jingcheng cares about you. The furnishings in this room, aside from the hu bed, should have been added by him, right?”

Dianmo nodded from the side. “Spring, summer, autumn, and winter—everything to eat, drink, use, and play with, Young Master has never missed a thing. He personally picked everything according to Master Qiu’s preferences, and all of it is priceless, top-quality stuff.”

“Originally, when Master was planning to marry Young Master off to the Zhu family, I was really upset. But after seeing it year after year, the eldest son of the Zhu family, the son-in-law, really is quite excellent. His appearance, character, and talent are all top-notch. What’s more important is how he cares for Young Master. There’s nothing untoward. It’s just that Young Master still…”

Su Xinbai furrowed his brows slightly and exhaled. “You don’t understand.”

Qiu Huanian and Dianmo waited for him to continue.

He remained silent for quite some time before reluctantly opening his mouth. Every word seemed to require tremendous effort.

“When I first came to the Zhu family, I was full of pride, too arrogant. Things between him and me… were already beyond repair.”

“He treats me well now, but like everyone else in the Zhu family, it’s all for the sake of the Su family’s reputation. I… don’t want to force this.”

Su Xinbai seemed to have exhausted all the energy he had for speaking. He turned his head slightly, indicating that he didn’t want to talk any further.

“Once he personally tells me he wants to take a concubine, I’ll agree. It’s nothing serious.”

In the dim light, the side profile of Su Xinbai’s clear and flawless face was illuminated. His long eyelashes were slightly glistening, and the corners of his eyes had a tinge of redness, resembling a stroke of cinnabar on the vast expanse of snow.

……

Qiu Huanian knew that this knot in his heart wasn’t something that could be undone quickly. He decided not to push it further and hoped to persuade him later when the opportunity arose.

This year’s Flower Festival outing would be held at Xiuyan Mountain, where Qingfeng Academy was also located. It was said that the dean of the academy, Min Shanchang, had already agreed, and the noble ladies would be allowed to enter the academy to visit and rest.

Qiu Huanian planned to visit Qingfeng Academy to see the environment where Du Yunse usually studied, and he agreed to bring Jiujiu along.

He didn’t need to worry about securing spots or invitations for the outing; with Su Xinbai’s connections, adding a few more people would be effortless.

……

Time passed quickly. After the second of February, the Dragon Head Day, and the arrival of the Rainwater solar term, the earth began to thaw, and everything began to recover.

A light drizzle of early spring rain marked the beginning of the new planting season.

Qiu Huanian had arranged to meet Su Xinbai to go to the countryside and check on the situation at the manor.

Early in the morning, Su Xinbai arrived at Qiu Huanian’s house to meet him. When he entered, Qiu Huanian was bitterly drinking medicine. It took several sips to finish the small bowl of black medicinal concoction. As soon as he set the bowl down, he immediately reached for the candied fruit.

“Your body really is hard to take care of,” Su Xinbai said, still surprised that someone had to drink medicine every day of the year.

Qiu Huanian gave a bitter smile. “I don’t know when it will get better. The medicine is almost gone again.”

Every day, the money seemed to vanish like flowing water, spent on medicine.

Su Xinbai said, “If you’re missing any ingredients, let me know, and I’ll have someone find them for you.”

Qiu Huanian relaxed his furrowed brows. “I plan to finish the remaining medicine and then go see Old Doctor Gu for a follow-up. If there’s a new prescription, I’ll get the medicine according to the new formula.”

“Is it the Gu Shengshou who once served in the palace?”

“Should be him. Yunse said that Old Doctor Gu was a court physician who came from the palace.”

Su Xinbai nodded. “After Gu Shengshou returned to his hometown, he has been living in seclusion. He usually only lets his son see patients. It’s hard to invite him, but if he’s the one taking your pulse, I’ll feel at ease.”

Qiu Huanian was curious. “Since Old Doctor Gu is such a skilled doctor, why did he return to his hometown? If you can tell me, please do. If not, then forget it.”

After getting to know Su Xinbai, Qiu Huanian’s “gossip” circle expanded again. Su Xinbai’s background and upbringing had taught him many things that ordinary people could never know in their lifetime.

Su Xinbai sat across from Qiu Huanian, and Qiu Huanian offered him some candied fruit. Su Xinbai hesitated for a moment before putting one into his mouth.

“I only know what’s been circulating outside. This matter is related to the Crown Prince.”

“The Crown Prince?” Qiu Huanian thought of Shiliu and wondered how the silent and enigmatic young man was doing recently.

“People say that the current Emperor had a deep bond with the late Emperor, who followed the Emperor in battle and suffered from poor health. After the Emperor ascended the throne, the late Emperor passed away within two years, leaving behind only one child—the current Crown Prince—who also suddenly fell ill.”

“The Emperor called for all the famous doctors in the country to treat the Crown Prince, but no one could find the cause of his illness. Only Gu Shengshou, after studying numerous ancient texts, declared that the Crown Prince wasn’t ill but poisoned, and that the poison had been in his body since birth.”

“The Emperor, angry and upset, accused Gu Shengshou of trying to deceive the Emperor and planned to punish him. But it was Scholar Wen Huiyang, who was still in the Hanlin Academy at the time, who stood up and saved Gu Shengshou.”

“Afterward, Gu Shengshou retired to his hometown and no longer worked as a court physician.”

These past events were recounted plainly, but Qiu Huanian could still sense the tension and danger of that time. He was astonished. “So, what was the Crown Prince’s illness…?”

Su Xinbai shook his head. “That’s the secret that no one knows. Whether it was an illness or poison remains undetermined. In any case, the Crown Prince lived to be over twenty, though his condition has always relapsed. That’s why, even though the Second Prince has been married for years, the Crown Prince still hasn’t married.”

“We can discuss these things privately, but don’t talk about them in front of others. It wouldn’t be good if someone accused us of slandering the heir.”

Qiu Huanian nodded, feeling a bit heavy-hearted.

Du Yunse, Wu Shen, and the Crown Prince were all closely related. Shiliu was even the Crown Prince’s personal shadow guard. If something were to happen to the Crown Prince, he wondered how those people who cared about him would react.

No matter how the dark clouds stirred in the distance, they couldn’t stop the green shoots from breaking through the soil.

Qiu Huanian and Su Xinbai took the carriage out of the city. On the barren black land of the countryside, they could already see a layer of green grass, like a veil of green mist. As they got closer, it faded and disappeared.

Qiu Huanian’s house was located in the southern part of the city, not far from the South City Gate. The carriage traveled for less than an hour before they reached the manor they had chosen earlier.

Old Deng had received the letter in advance and had brought all the tenants to the manor to greet them. He made sure to put on a grand display.

“Master, Master Qiu, the tenants at the manor, except for one new refugee who is unwell and unable to get up, are all here. Please have a look.”

Qiu Huanian gave Su Xinbai a look, signaling him to see how Old Deng would introduce things this time.

There were a total of thirteen households on the estate, ranging from large families with dozens of members to those who had come from fleeing disasters, with only one or two people per household.

There were twenty-eight adults in their prime, seven children under twelve, and eleven elderly people over fifty, making a total of forty-six people.

Planting thirty acres of land didn’t require that many people. The manpower was mainly for taking care of the five acres of plum tree forest. Picking plums during the summer was a major task, and sometimes when they couldn’t finish, they had to hire extra workers from outside.

Su Xinbai’s family business was large, so he didn’t manage the estate strictly. The tenants were living well, not thin or ragged.

Qiu Huanian calculated that with two people working on three acres of cotton land, the workforce would just about be enough. They’d figure out the rest during the plum picking.

“Old Deng, how’s the new account book coming along?”

“It’s all done, just waiting for Young Master Qiu to inspect it!”

Old Deng presented the new account book. Qiu Huanian told him to leave it for now and to give a detailed introduction as they went.

After some nudging from Qiu Huanian, the new account book now included two more acres of vegetable land, five sheep, six pigs, one dairy cow, and a flock of chickens, ducks, and geese.

Every time Qiu Huanian checked something, he would ask the other tenants some related questions, and everything could be cross-verified.

Old Deng’s heart was racing, thankful he hadn’t tried to pull any tricks this time, as it was very likely that this estate wouldn’t last if he had.

After being subtly nudged a few times, Old Deng wouldn’t dare try anything out of line for at least a few years.

Once he confirmed there were no issues with the estate, Qiu Huanian told them not to rush into plowing the land, but to first start with cotton seedling cultivation.

This time, he didn’t dictate verbally, but brought his farming book, specifically the seedling cultivation chapter, and copied it. He divided the tenants into two groups: those who could read and those who couldn’t, and had them learn from the book, while he stood by watching.

The group who could read, led by Old Deng, learned quickly. The ones who couldn’t read, only able to understand through pictures, made some mistakes. Qiu Huanian noted the issues and planned to improve the illustrations after returning.

Although the tenants were surprised and confused about using the estate for cotton cultivation, no one raised objections.

After all, Su Xinbai had already said that no matter how the crops turned out, they would receive the same amount of grain as last year. They were just tenants, and as long as they worked, they didn’t care about the details.

By the afternoon, Qiu Huanian was a little tired. Su Xinbai had already asked someone to clean up the house on the estate and asked if he wanted to take a dip in the hot spring.

Qiu Huanian became interested and smiled, agreeing.

There was a warm pavilion built in the backyard of the house, with a small stone pool fed by the hot spring water. In the water, it reached just below his chest, while for Du Yunse, it would probably only reach his waist.

The hot spring water had already been prepared. The mist from the water blurred Qiu Huanian’s vision. The servants set up a screen in the center of the hot spring, and Qiu Huanian couldn’t see Su Xinbai on the other side but could hear his voice.

Qiu Huanian curled up in the warm, slightly hot water and let out a comfortable sigh, splashing the water with his hands as he played.

“Can the hot spring here cook eggs? Have you ever tried it?”

Su Xinbai’s cool voice was slightly muffled by the mist. “…Cook eggs? I’ve never been here before, would you like to try?”

“Forget it, I don’t feel like going out. We’ll try next time. The estate isn’t going anywhere.”

Qiu Huanian stared at the mist for a while and then softly asked Su Xinbai, “Xinbai, it’s just the two of us here, can you tell me what exactly you think of Jingcheng?”

“Lifelong husband and husband, what else is there to think?”

Qiu Huanian chuckled lightly, “You’re too stubborn with your words. Don’t blame me for asking something so blunt.”

“Just answer directly. Would you be willing to see him have children with someone else? Would you be willing to have children with him?”

“…”

On the other side of the screen, even the faint sound of water seemed to disappear.

Qiu Huanian waited for a long time, thinking that he wouldn’t get an answer today. Just as he thought it was another failed attempt, Su Xinbai’s voice, faint and melancholic, finally came through the mist.

“…Well, if he wants to have children with me, then yes.”