Embroidery could indeed earn silver, but Xie Linlang was extremely greedy when it came to money. Over a dozen years of life in the Xie family had taught her one profound lesson: rather than pinning hopes on a man’s sincerity, genuine gold and silver were far more reliable.
Yet, there were countless women in the world with exceptional embroidery skills. She feared she would have to stitch her eyes blind to earn enough silver for a house and dozens of acres of land.
This matter truly couldn’t be dwelled upon too deeply. Xie Linlang gazed at the clear summer sky and let out a deep sigh.
…
At the end of the seventh month, a major incident occurred in the capital.
The Sage suddenly fainted in Consort Zhao’s bedchamber upon waking in the morning. Consort Zhao was so frightened that she momentarily lost her senses. Once she regained her composure, fearing it might cause chaos, she initially intended to cover up the matter and quietly summon an imperial physician for proper treatment. This approach was indeed wise, as the Sage’s health was related to the stability of the court and should not be widely publicized.
But as luck would have it, the Emperor’s personal eunuch hurriedly heading to the Imperial Hospital happened to run into a palace servant fetching Nourishing Glory Pills for Virtuous Consort. While not every servant in the palace was familiar with the Sage’s attendants, it would be untrue to claim that any servant from the three palaces and six courtyards did not recognize them.
The servant took note and reported back to the palace. Virtuous Consort immediately became restless and sent someone to inquire, only to learn that His Majesty had not left Consort Zhao’s Palace of Eternal Blessings all morning.
This immediately aroused Virtuous Consort’s suspicions. After all, His Majesty was diligent; even on days when he did not hold morning court, he would go to the Imperial Study early to review memorials.
An anomaly often signaled trouble. Virtuous Consort lifted her skirts and hurried to Consort De’s palace.
In the end, the matter escalated. Consort Zhao was temporarily placed under house arrest, and His Majesty was moved back to his own Living Quarters Hall, where he was cared for jointly by Consorts Shu, De, and Xian.
The Emperor regained consciousness after a day of unconsciousness, but the matter did not end with the Sage’s recovery. Instead, the entire palace grew tense and fearful.
Commoners like Xie Linlang naturally wouldn’t know the exact cause and details of the Sage’s sudden collapse, but the incident was like the gentle flap of a butterfly’s wings, its impact on the entire court immense.
Xiao Ji hurried home after finishing his shift in the evening. Packing his clothes into a bundle, he anxiously instructed Xie Linlang, “The capital may be unsettled these days. Be sure to lock the courtyard gate tightly at night. If anything urgent happens, go to Han Daren’s residence and seek help from Han Furen.”
Seeing his serious expression, Xie Linlang suddenly felt a pang of panic. She wanted to ask what exactly had happened but didn’t know where to begin. In the end, to avoid worrying Xiao Ji, she suppressed her unease and assured him:
“Go to your duties with peace of mind. I’ll be fine at home. If anything happens, the neighbors on both sides will surely help.”
Although West City was a commoners’ district, it was still under the Emperor’s feet. No petty thief would dare cause trouble here.
Seeing her pale face, Xiao Ji knew she was frightened and quickly added, “Court affairs won’t involve us. I’m just worried about leaving you alone at home at night.”
Xiao Ji spoke the truth. After all, the Sage was now fine, and the tightened city gates weren’t targeting ordinary citizens. Rather than worrying about court matters affecting the Xiao family in West City, Xiao Ji was more concerned that Xie Linlang might encounter troubles she couldn’t handle alone at home.
But his superior’s orders had come too suddenly, leaving Xiao Ji no time to make other arrangements. He could only urge Xie Linlang to seek help from the Han family if anything happened.
Even though he told himself nothing would happen, Xiao Ji was still filled with worry.
Returning to the Guard Station, he stood atop the high city wall. Everyone around him wore solemn expressions, except for Qian San, who looked completely at ease—even delighted at the prospect of temporarily not having to go home.
Seeing this, Xiao Ji cursed him silently as a coward, his eyes fixed firmly on the base of the city wall.
The situation had come so suddenly that Xie Linlang was completely unprepared.
After Xiao Ji left, she bolted the courtyard gate. After a moment’s thought, she also moved the long bench from under the eaves and propped it against the gate, which finally eased her mind a little.
When Xiao Ji was usually at home, she never felt anything amiss, but now that he was suddenly not returning, Xie Linlang found the courtyard terrifyingly empty. Even the eaves hidden in the darkness seemed to conceal man-eating monsters.
Fortunately, the summer sky was clear and bright, dotted with stars at night. The tireless chirping of cicadas made the evening feel lively.
Sitting inside the house and working on some shoes for a while, Xie Linlang’s fear had already subsided by half. Listening to the barking of dogs from households at the end of the alley, she thought she would go out during the day to ask around and see if any family had newborn puppies. She could bring one home to keep her company.
Just as she was about to spread out the bedding and rest, Sister-in-law Qiao’s voice sounded outside the main gate.
Xie Linlang hurried to open the door, but upon reaching it, she heard Sister-in-law Qiao lower her voice and say, “No, don’t open it. Your Xiao Ji came by my house earlier. If you need any help these next few days, just come to my home.”
Hearing this, a warm feeling surged in Xie Linlang’s heart—not only because Xiao Ji was always thinking of her, but also because of the simple kindness of her neighbors.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law, for coming all this way so late at night.”
The two of them spoke through the door panel. Afraid that Xie Linlang might worry, Sister-in-law Qiao reassured her, “You’ve just married into the family, so you might not know. When they’re on duty at the Guard Station, it’s like this. A few times a year, they have to stay and eat at the Guard Station for several days. It’s nothing serious.”
After repeatedly urging Xie Linlang to come to the Qiao family if she needed anything, Sister-in-law Qiao finally returned home, reassured.
After all this commotion, Xie Linlang went back inside, lay down on the bed, and quickly fell into a deep sleep. The next day, she opened her eyes at the first crow of the rooster.
Usually at this time, Xiao Ji would already be up and preparing to go on duty, but since he wasn’t home today, Xie Linlang didn’t need to get up early to prepare breakfast.
Lying in bed, she thought to herself that she hadn’t asked Xiao Ji whether the Guard Station provided meals. During times like these, did they eat out, or did they buy food together and bring it back?
At the same time, Xiao Ji and his squad had just come down from the city wall. During the day when they weren’t on duty, they would rest at the Guard Station, ensuring they could reach the city gate at a moment’s notice if any emergencies arose.
Eating the breakfast delivered to the barracks in large mouthfuls—a piece of unleavened flatbread paired with rice porridge—Xiao Ji watched as everyone around him slurped their food noisily. Though he appeared to be eating heartily, inwardly he was weeping.
He couldn’t help but wonder what Xie Linlang would have for breakfast. If it were flatbread, Xie Linlang’s cooking was a hundred times better than what the barracks cook made. Even this rice porridge couldn’t compare to what she prepared.
But then another thought crossed his mind, filling him with worry. Xie Linlang always had a poor appetite in the morning. Since they had married, she had started eating only a few bites each day before feeling full. It had taken her a while to get used to eating a little more, and now that he wasn’t home, she might slip back into her old habits.
Xie Linlang had no idea that Xiao Ji was worrying about her not eating properly at home.
In fact, after waking up, she went back to sleep for a while, only getting up leisurely once the sky was fully bright.
She started boiling chicken soup on the newly built small stove, and after washing up, she leisurely began kneading the dough. Once the soup was ready, she fished out the chicken meat and added finely cut noodles, along with a few fresh and tender bok choy leaves. A delicious bowl of chicken noodle soup was thus prepared.