Although he asked Su Nansheng to find the sachet for him, He Xun still took her to have dinner first.
After washing up, Su Nansheng sat on the edge of the bed, took out the sachet from under the pillow, and handed it to He Xun.
The sachet was made of Shu brocade, soft and smooth to the touch. A pair of lotus flowers was embroidered on it with gold and silver threads. The stitches were fine and the flowers looked vivid.
A faint fragrance of storax wafted out of the sachet, refreshing one's mind.
He Xun stroked the pair of lotus flowers on it, then handed the sachet back to Su Nansheng.
"Help me tie it on."
Because someone had been rather attentive in serving her food at the dinner table just now, and since she was well - fed and satisfied, Su Nansheng was in a good mood. She reached out to take the sachet and lowered her head to tie it on He Xun's belt.
He Xun looked down at Su Nansheng's slender white fingers deftly tying the knot, with the corners of his lips slightly curving.
"The embroidery is very good. I thought you couldn't do it."
After Su Nansheng tied the sachet on and examined it for a while, she looked up and said,
"I've been learning poetry, rituals, female handicrafts, and music since I was a child. How could I not be able to do it?"
Her eyes reflected the candlelight, like flickering light spots on the water surface, clear and bright.
Her thick eyelashes fluttered like the feathers of a fan, making He Xun's throat go dry.
He Xun swallowed hard, shifted his gaze upwards, and pulled out the red jade hairpin from the top of Su Nansheng's head.
"Because I feel your memory is not very good."
Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall onto her shoulders, and a few strands fell on He Xun's chest. He could feel a tickling sensation even through his clothes.
"I've always worn this jade hairpin as I said I would. When was my memory bad?"
Su Nansheng frowned and snatched the hairpin back, trying to put up her hair again. But as she moved, the front of her clothes opened slightly, revealing the red marks on her neck.
The memories of last night rushed into He Xun's mind, making him parched.
His phoenix - like eyes darkened. He grabbed Su Nansheng's hand that was still arranging her hair and pushed her onto the bed.
"Let's not talk about this for now."
The familiar burning sensation on her body made Su Nansheng blush. "Can you be more restrained?"
He Xun buried his head in Su Nansheng's neck and said in a muffled voice, "Your husband has been very restrained."
At this moment, the candle in the corner popped a lampwick with a "pop" sound.
Su Nansheng immediately propped up He Xun's chest and tried to get up. "There's a sound outside."
But He Xun covered Su Nansheng's ears with his hand and continued to lower his head.
...
Su Hele sat pale - faced, wiping her tears under the lamp.
"Husband, it's okay that the mistress doesn't appreciate our elegant tastes, but she humiliated me like this. How can I face the servants in the mansion from now on?"
As she said this, Su Hele cried even more bitterly, as if she could hardly catch her breath.
He Jin sat there sullenly, his face as dark as ink.
When he returned home yesterday and saw Su Hele kneeling in public, he was furious. He immediately went to argue with Concubine Li.
But it was Chen Wanrong, the mistress of the marquis's mansion, who had punished her.
Different from Concubine Li, Chen Wanrong had always been decisive and unyielding.
He couldn't afford to offend her.
Not to mention that she had been in charge of the household for many years and was deeply trusted by his father. Just considering He Xun's current momentum, he didn't dare to provoke Chen Wanrong.
Thinking of He Xun, He Jin became even more angry.
He could have been a good censor, but instead, he went to suppress bandits just to gain popularity.
And that Zhao Bing, everyone knew he was corrupt. Did it need He Xun to impeach him? He just wanted to gain a good reputation.
As he thought about it, He Jin clenched his fists tightly.
Seeing that he didn't say a word, Su Hele wiped her tears and continued,
"The garden was my painstaking effort, but it was destroyed like this. And the 'Nanshan Residence' was demolished without even asking. How can you enjoy the pleasure of Mr. Dongli in the future, husband? The mistress clearly doesn't put you in her eyes at all."
"You should be patient for the time being. When I inherit the title of the marquis's mansion one day, you'll have your chance to take revenge."
He Jin didn't want to listen to Su Hele anymore because every word she said reminded him of his incompetence. He couldn't even protect his own wife.
"I never thought about revenge. I'm just indignant for you, husband."
Su Hele sobbed softly.
Although the window was open, the room was still a bit stuffy. The lamp shadows flickered, and combined with Su Hele's pale face, He Jin felt inexplicably irritable. He suddenly stood up.
"Alright, you're still injured. Take good care of yourself first."
He had to calm down and think of a way to deal with He Xun. This was really not a good place.
...
The next day, Su Nansheng was still in her dream when she felt a hand sliding up and down her back. Her body stiffened involuntarily.
"Awake?"
He Xun's voice came from above her head.
Su Nansheng relaxed and silently turned her back to him.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
Although they were already very intimate, Su Nansheng still felt a bit embarrassed.
"Your husband is afraid of being scolded if he leaves too early."
He Xun's slightly teasing voice sounded behind Su Nansheng.
Hearing this, Su Nansheng quietly moved a bit further inside. There were spies in the mansion!
But He Xun chuckled and flipped her over.
"Wasn't it you who said you wanted to have an heir as soon as possible?"
"Clang!" It was a direct hit. Su Nansheng stood there in a daze.
But He Xun didn't seem to care much. He rubbed her cheek and said,
"I should go to work. It's still early. You can sleep a bit more."
Actually, he didn't want to disturb Su Nansheng's rest either, but he didn't want Su Nansheng to wake up and not find him.
...
In the pavilion of Bitao Garden, Su Hele was holding a brush to paint, but she held the brush in the air for a long time without putting it down.
At this moment, there came a slight sound of footsteps. So she sighed deeply and put the brush back on the pen rack.
The mood was ruined. It was better not to paint today.
"Madam, Doctor Liu said you have to pay silver for the medicine you get from him."
Su Mo shrank back, her voice a bit low.
These days, no matter where she went, she was looked down upon. She felt really sad.
Su Hele obviously didn't understand her words. She frowned and looked at her. "Speak clearly."
Su Mo lowered her head even more.
"Doctor Liu said there's no more silver in our courtyard's account. If you want to get medicine again, you have to pay in cash."
"Nonsense!"
It was okay that they couldn't withdraw three hundred taels of silver, but how could they not even have the money for a few taels of medicine? It was impossible!
"It's true. Not only from Doctor Liu, but the public kitchen also won't make supplements for us anymore. They said we have to bring our own ingredients or pay with silver. Anyway, they won't subsidize us anymore..."
By the end, Su Mo's voice was so low that it was almost inaudible.
But Su Hele's voice suddenly rose. "How dare they!"
She had only been away from home for a few days, and these lowly servants immediately bullied her.
Allowing the servants to bully the master, was this how Chen Wanrong managed the household?
Su Hele stood up and wanted to go to argue with Chen Wanrong, but just as she stood up, she stopped, her eyes wandering.
Then she saw Su Mo shaking her head.
"I asked. It was Concubine Su who said there's no more money in our courtyard this month and we can't use the public funds anymore."
Su Hele secretly let out a sigh of relief, and her expression became haughty again.
"I knew it was her taking revenge out of personal grudges. Come on, let's go find her."
She was going to see how the silver in her courtyard had disappeared. If she found out that Su Nansheng had embezzled it, Su Hele would surely teach her a lesson.