When they came out of Jingsi Hall, it was still early. Seeing Chen Hao acting as if nothing were amiss and preparing to follow them back to the Xuanji Courtyard, Chen Ting stopped walking. “I have nothing to do today. I’ll take you to the academy.”
The boy looked at him in disbelief. “Big Brother! You only got married yesterday—how can you have nothing to do? You should be accompanying Sister-in-law. Why are you watching me instead?”
Damn it. He had thought he could openly skip a whole day of classes today! He had already made plans with Wei Zhi’ang to ditch school and go play by the river… How had Big Brother suddenly set his sights on him?
Chen Ting was completely unmoved and said indifferently, “You know very well that it was I who got married yesterday, not you.”
“Get up!” he barked in a low voice.
Chen Hao, who had been rolling around on the ground throwing a tantrum, jumped in fright and immediately stood straight.
“Big Brother, just let me off today…” Chen Hao pleaded. “I’m not feeling well. I can’t go to the academy.” He had always had countless tricks to avoid going to school, which worked especially well on his aunt. Even skipping just one morning would be good.
“Oh?” Chen Ting narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Where exactly do you feel unwell?”
The boy’s eyes darted around. Putting on a show, he clutched his head. “My head hurts, Big Brother. I must have caught a chill last night! Ouch, it hurts so badly—I can’t go to the academy. I have to rest for a day.”
Chen Ting looked completely indifferent, a faint anger suppressed in his eyes. Chen Hao immediately shifted his gaze to Shen Wangshu, who was standing nearby watching the scene unfold.
Sister-in-law looked gentle and approachable, and she spoke softly. Big Brother had even held her hand while walking earlier—he must like this newly married sister-in-law very much…
What if he asked her to speak up for him?
Sister-in-law would surely be easier to persuade than his iron-hearted Big Brother!
Thinking this, Chen Hao quickly turned his head and looked at Shen Wangshu pitifully. “Sister-in-law, I really don’t feel well. Please help me persuade Big Brother…”
A red-lipped, white-toothed boy acting spoiled was indeed hard to resist. No wonder the Duchess had indulged him so thoroughly. But would Shen Wangshu be so easily fooled?
“Brother Hao isn’t feeling well? What a coincidence.” Shen Wangshu smiled and said, “Your sister-in-law knows a little medicine, and your brother knows a bit of martial arts. How would Brother Hao like to be treated?”
The expression on Chen Hao’s face changed from pitiful to shocked.
What was his gentle, approachable sister-in-law saying? What was she smiling as she said?
This was clearly a blatant threat—completely different from what he had imagined!
Chen Hao’s expression amused Chen Ting so much that he could not help curling his lips slightly, while also feeling somewhat surprised.
The young madam looked soft and gentle. He had thought she would be easily coaxed by this brat, but instead she gave such a soft yet sharp reply.
Behind Chen Hao, his book attendant Wen Mo covered his mouth and snickered, watching as his young master was finally obediently escorted onto the carriage to the academy.
With a simple lift under the child’s arm, Chen Ting easily stuffed him into the carriage. Shen Wangshu inexplicably had the feeling that she herself could be lifted just as easily.
The child struggled and stuck his face out of the carriage, shooting his sister-in-law a resentful look, which Chen Ting quickly pulled back in.
Meeting the man’s calm gaze, Shen Wangshu smiled and waved at him. “Husband, have a safe journey.”
Her smile was gentle and beautiful. Even after the carriage had been gone for quite some time, Chen Ting only then came back to his senses, thinking that the Duke’s residence was less than a quarter of an hour round trip from Xiaoshan Academy. Could anything really happen in that short time? What was there to wish safety for?
Though he thought so, the slight curve of his lips still betrayed someone’s good mood.
Seeing his big brother’s hopelessly pleased expression, Chen Hao pouted. “It was just one sentence. Big Brother, is it really worth being this happy? I’ve said ‘have a safe journey’ to you plenty of times before.”
Chen Ting’s lips immediately pressed down, returning to his usual dignified, indifferent expression. “When I came back half a year ago, Teacher Liang told me that your calligraphy looked like ghostly scribbles—worse than the students in the beginner class. Today I’ll go hear his assessment again.”
Chen Hao shrank back. He had not expected that on the first day of his big brother’s marriage leave, instead of accompanying his new wife, he would be inspecting his younger brother’s studies.
Big Brother clearly looked like he had already been bewitched by beauty—so why was he still paying attention to him?
The young master felt as if the sky were falling.
With both brothers gone to the academy, Shen Wangshu returned to the Xuanji Courtyard with Taohong and Lülü.
When she had married yesterday, she had entered with her head fully covered and had no idea what the place she would live in would be like. Only today did she have time to walk around and take a look.
On the way back from Jingsi Hall earlier, she had seen that the Duke’s residence was filled everywhere with carved beams and painted rafters, elegant pavilions and towers, rockeries and ponds, rare flowers and exotic plants—so much that it dazzled the eye.
As courtyards went, the Xuanji Courtyard was many times larger than the Falling Cherry Courtyard. One could wander inside for an entire day and still not finish exploring it. No wonder people in ancient times could meet their exercise needs without ever leaving the house.
Shen Wangshu turned back and instructed, “Nanny Liang, have people prepare the young master’s living quarters.”
The young master’s matters could not be handled perfunctorily, lest it give others something to gossip about later.
“Prepare everything according to the standards of his residence at Heming Pavilion. Make sure it is arranged exactly the same. If anything is uncertain, send people to ask more questions.”
“Yes.” Nanny Liang accepted the order and went to carry it out. Shen Wangshu did not wander much longer before returning to the main hall.
With a mistress now in the Xuanji Courtyard, the former steward nanny and all the maids came to pay their respects. In truth, there were not many of them. Normally, Chen Hao did not live here, and Chen Ting was seldom at home. Even when he was, he did not like servants following him closely, so only a few cleaning maids and an old nanny were kept to maintain cleanliness.
But now things were different. Last night, the Duchess had assigned a large number of maids and servants to attend to the new madam. With Nanny Liang absent, the elderly Nanny Zhang of the Xuanji Courtyard stepped forward on her own. “Greetings, Madam. This servant’s surname is Zhang. I have been in charge of all matters of the Xuanji Courtyard for many years. If Madam wishes to know anything, you may ask me.”
The Duchess had sent quite a few maids over—some with delicate features, some glamorous and alluring. It seemed they were for her to choose from, and at the same time a test of the new madam’s temperament.
After consulting Nanny Zhang, Shen Wangshu kept eight who were efficient and clever.
Among the maids standing with their heads lowered were two who were particularly good-looking. One was named Mei Xue—tall and slender, with fox-like alluring eyes. It was said she was especially skilled at dressing hair, so Shen Wangshu kept her by her side.
The other, named Wutong, looked poised and dignified. She could read and do calculations and had originally been a second-rank maid under the Duchess, about to be promoted to first rank, before being sent over.
Shen Wangshu currently had only Taohong and Lülü, two maids who had not been properly trained, and she was in need of such experienced and capable people. Without hesitation, she promoted both of them to serve at her side, placing the others in suitable positions as well.
Having just arrived, Shen Wangshu did not rush to take over authority. She continued to let Nanny Zhang manage the Xuanji Courtyard and asked her, “How well do you know the general? Are you aware of any taboos he has?”
Nanny Zhang smiled. “Madam may slowly explore the general’s preferences in the future. However, there is one place in the Xuanji Courtyard that is indeed forbidden ground. Except for the general himself, no one is allowed to set foot there. Madam must remember this.”
Shen Wangshu straightened and asked, “Where is it?”
“Behind the bamboo grove, there is an unmarked room. That place must not be entered.”