Chapter 209 - 209: Awkward
Mother has a good plan.
What else could Xiao Baoxin say? Madam Xie stood on the moral high ground. Almost every marriage would be locked up in the residence for a few months and put an end to social activities. It was just that Xie Furen’s thoughts were completely different from other people’s mothers.
Of course, she was different from other daughters. It was not that she was boasting, but it was rare to find someone as beautiful as her, and it was hard to find someone who could cause trouble like her.
Xiao Baoxin did not refute Madam Xie’s order. She also wanted to avoid any mishaps and let the wedding pass smoothly.
Xiao Baoshu was beaten up by Sikong Xiao, who had chased him out. He was escorted to General Li’s residence to apologize. General Li was so shocked that he beat up his third son to show fairness.
After that, he was thrown into the manor by Sikong Xiao, who sent someone to watch over Xiao Baoshu 24 hours a day.
They were all the most stable people selected from Sikong Xiao’s guards. They were originally Sikong Xiao’s subordinates and had always respected Sikong Xiao. They did not give or take anything privately. Even the twenty taels of silver that Xiao Baoshu bribed them had been handed over to Sikong Xiao truthfully. As the saying goes, with one heart for the public, the world would be unified.
However, Xiao Baoshu was still the one who suffered physical pain. In less than half a month, Xiao Baoshu hugged Madam Xie’s thigh and wailed. Those who knew that his father was strict in disciplining him would think that someone in the family had been beaten to death.
Perhaps it was because Xiao Baoshu’s ability to stir up trouble had increased year by year, Sikong Xiao could no longer watch him. If he allowed him to continue, he was afraid that even the heavens would poke a hole in him. Finally, he made up his mind to discipline him.
However, Xiao Baoshu was a person who was flexible and flexible. He would change his ways to coax Sikong Xiao every day. He would coax Sikong Xiao until he didn’t dare to meet him, afraid that he would soften his heart and agree to his request.
The days passed peacefully. Xiao Baoxin embroidered every day, and even she herself could not recognize the things she embroidered.
The next time the family went out was on the last day of the first lunar month. Daliang called it the dark day. On that day, they would go to the water’s edge, go rowing, or have a banquet by the water. Some even washed their clothes. It was said that doing so could eliminate disasters and relieve disasters.
In the past, Emperor Yu Heng loved to join in the fun and would bring his officials to go boating on the water every day.
After the death of Noble Consort Liu this year, the Emperor had lost all interest, and the situation of large ships and small boats echoing each other in the past did not appear. The Xin ‘an King’s mother had just passed away. Other than entering the palace to serve the Emperor, he would not come out. On such a dark day, only the Crown Prince came with a crowd and booked five or six boats before they were all filled.
Sikong Xiao’s family rented a small boat in a low-key manner and went around in the water. The total time they spent in the water was less than the time it took to brew a cup of tea. When Xiao Baoshu heard the voice asking them to get off the boat, his mouth opened wide enough to stuff a cooked egg into it.
“Father…Are you kidding me? We just got on the boat, you see-my butt just touched the deck! “Xiao Baoshu wailed.
Madam Xie:” Stop howling. This kind of life is just a formality-”
“Mother, you can’t say that. Our ancestors passed down thousands of years of wisdom. How can you make this sacrifice that can eliminate disasters sound so light? Even though Elder Sister’s marriage was set last year and Elder Brother also returned to the scene and became the prefect, don’t you think that we’re quite unlucky and that we should have a proper sacrifice?”Xiao Baoshu was someone who would go to the temple and worship Buddha whenever he saw one. He believed in it.
Madam Xie:” You two siblings should go home as soon as possible. Then, our family will have no disaster to resolve.””
Alright, he directly equated the two of them with disaster.
Sikong Xiao didn’t care about what Xiao Baoshu was talking about. Although he had never seen the ability of the siblings to cause trouble, the reputation of the Xiao family was destroyed just like that. The power was not small.
Now that the imperial court was in turmoil and personnel were frequently transferred, Sikong Xiao took the opportunity to find many good jobs for his loyal subordinates.
On the other hand, he didn’t plan to stick his head out rashly. He still kept a low profile and didn’t want Xiao Baoxin and his sister to spoil things–especially Xiao Baoshu, the root of trouble.
Boats on the Qinhuai River were only connected end to end, and it was bustling with activity. The riverbanks were crowded with people. Rather than saying that it was to eliminate disasters, these customs had actually been passed down for a long time. Most people treated it as a vacation, and their faces were filled with joy.
The Xiao family walked around and left.
Xiao Baoxin knew what Sikong Xiao was thinking. The court was changing every day, and Sikong Xiao didn’t want to be too eye-catching.
Although she secretly hoped to meet Xie Xian, she also knew that the hope was slim. Usually, this kind of activity was purely for fun for Lil ‘Miss who was not familiar with the world, but for the people of the court, this was an unavoidable social occasion.
Xie Xian was currently in a high position and was in the center of power. No matter how unpopular he was, he would inevitably be fawned on and befriended.
As expected, half of the people who went to win the hearts of the people when they saw the Crown Prince’s battle array were courtiers, not Langjun of the same age.
The battle for the crown prince was clearly white-hot. The Crown Prince and the Wang family had brazenly raised the banner to defend the orthodoxy, and the courtiers had already chosen to stand on the side. If Xie Xian didn’t want to be the focal point, then he definitely wouldn’t appear.
Xiao Baoxin secretly thought that he was probably pretending to be sick again. This was his best skill. He would pretend to be sick at the slightest disagreement.
These days, Xiao Baoxin was locked up in the residence, but she still had Jiankang City’s Bai Xiaosheng, Cai Wei, by her side. If she was released for two hours, the information collection would be updated in real time.
Including Xie Wan’s marriage, it was all found out by Cai Wei.
She was thinking how Emperor Yu Heng would let go of the opportunity to marry into the Xie family this time. There was a Xie Wan of the right age and family background, but this fiance appeared out of nowhere.
In fact, it was the birth of her fiance, her father.
Emperor Yu Heng was overjoyed after being summoned and immediately conferred the title of Zhongsan doctor.
He was just a penniless person. In Kuaiji, he was just a prefect. However, in the blink of an eye, he had arrived in Jiankang and entered the service of the emperor. Even a salted fish had not turned around so vigorously.
It simply caused a sensation in Jiankang City.
Her identity was so sensitive, and she was the in-law of the Xie family.
No one paid attention to how talented this descendant of the Zhuge Clan from the previous dynasty was to be valued by Emperor Yu Heng. They only heard that Xie Xian was nothing more than a private transaction and formed a clique for personal gain.
They were all smart people. Emperor Yu Heng wanted to use this to rope in Xie Xian, support his trusted aides, and attack his dissidents. These so-called dissidents could not sit idly by and instantly counterattacked.
Now, the court was divided into different factions. Other than some undistinguished official positions, the aristocratic families and the high officials of the Humble Class were all fighting.
Among the great clans, other than the Xu Clan, which had a marriage alliance with the Xin ‘an King, the other great clans all stood on the Crown Prince’s side. They did not simply support the Crown Prince. They were defending the orthodoxy. Countless historical experiences had shown that easily deposing the Crown Prince would be a disaster for the country and shake the foundation of the country.
They were protecting the interests of the aristocratic families. Today, she was the queen of the Wang family. Who knew which family would be the queen in the future? They needed a tacit understanding to ensure that the family would not fall.
Among them, the Xie family was the most awkward existence..