The Eldest Daughter-in-Law [Reborn] - Chapter 53

In Xia An’s opinion, although His Royal Highness Prince Xin had an extremely aggressive face, he was actually a very gentle person.

On the other hand, Wang Shuhuai never showed any displeasure and was always humble and polite. Xia An always felt intimidated by him and found it difficult to approach him.

Prince Xin smiled and nodded at the little maid, then fixed his eyes on a corner of the carriage curtain.

“Yun Chu, I just came back from the border yesterday. I went to the palace for a banquet today. I didn’t expect to see your carriage. It’s been a long time since we last met. How have you been these years?” His voice was always a little hoarse, and Xie Yunchu got goosebumps when she heard it.

Seeing that she could not escape, Xie Yunchu stepped out of the carriage and stood on the shaft to salute Prince Xin, “It turns out to be His Highness Prince Xin. I heard that you have made another contribution at the border. Your Highness, I would like to congratulate you.” She did not respond to his question.

That face was too aggressive, and Xie Yunchu didn’t dare to look him in the face. This was also the reason why Xie Yunchu was afraid to meet Prince Xin, even though the two were neighbors.

Prince Xin was quite gentle towards her, at least that was what he thought.

“You are my little sister who grew up under my watch. You are different from others. I met the Teacher last night and mentioned you to him. He said you were not feeling well.”

Xie Yunchu smiled, saying, “No, I’m fine. My father just blamed me for being lazy and unwilling to take care of the household expenses, so I made an excuse to evade him.”

Prince Xin smiled and asked, “Does Wang Shuhuai treat you well?”

This question gave Xie Yunchu a headache.

At 3 p.m., Wang Shuhuai left the yamen early, planning to visit his father-in-law at the Xie Mansion. However, he was dragged out for tea by his immediate superior, the Doctor of Jiangnan Qinglisi.

Xiao Youran’s husband, Zhu Shizi, also worked in the Ministry of Revenue, but he was different from Wang Shuhuai. Wang Shuhuai had taken the Imperial Examination, while Zhu Shizi had secured his position through a recommendation. It was more difficult for a recommended official to be promoted than for someone who passed the Imperial Examination, so Zhu Shizi didn’t have much real ability and spent all his energy on entertaining people.

When Zhu Shizi heard that Doctor Wen was taking Wang Shuhuai out for tea, he invited the two to join him, and they went to the teahouse opposite the yamen.

It was still early, not even time for dinner, but the teahouse was packed.

Doctor Wen said with some envy, “I don’t know who opened this teahouse, but it does pretty good business. The location is also excellent. The people who come here on weekdays are all officials. They care about their reputation, so they won’t default on payments or cause any trouble.”

Master Zhu said, “You have to understand that to open a teahouse and restaurant right under the Emperor’s nose, the person behind it must be extraordinary.”

Wang Shuhuai was still mulling over the details and numbers related to the peace talks between the two countries, so he didn’t pay much attention to their conversation.

Doctor Wen raised his eyebrows and looked at the smiling Master Zhu. “Mister Zhu, do you know who opened this teahouse?”

Master Zhu whispered, “It’s His Royal Highness, Prince Xin.”

Doctor Wen nodded in understanding. “I see.”

When Wang Shuhuai heard the name “Prince Xin”, his eyes flickered slightly.

The group sat down to drink tea, and Doctor Wen asked Master Zhu with a smile, “You seem to know Prince Xin quite well.”

Master Zhu said, “Not really. His Highness Prince Xin lives next door to my father-in-law’s house, and I’ve met him several times. Oh, by the way, Yunzhi, you and Prince Xin were classmates, right? You were both taught by Teacher Xie when you were young, and Prince Xin’s mansion is next door to the Xie Mansion. My wife often says that Prince Xin values courtesy and always sends gifts to his neighbors during festivals. He doesn’t act like a typical prince.”

Wang Shuhuai shook his head thoughtfully. “I’m not familiar with him.”

Every prince in the capital had tried to win him over, openly or secretly, except Prince Xin, who hadn’t made any move. Wang Shuhuai had no idea how deep that person was, but two years ago, before Prince Xin left the capital, the two of them exchanged glances outside Fengtian Hall, and that glance was not friendly.

Since the Prince was involved, the court officials were both excited and cautious. They feared getting into trouble by talking too much, but they couldn’t resist asking a few more questions.

Doctor Wen asked Master Zhu, “I heard that Prince Xin has only two concubines and no principal wife. Why is that? Prince Xin is over twenty years old, and logically, he should have chosen a wife by now.”

What Doctor Wen actually wanted to point out was that other princes were vying for the position of Crown Prince and using marriage to consolidate their power, while Prince Xin, apart from concentrating on leading troops in battle, was almost invisible in the capital.

Master Zhu laughed and poured a cup of tea for Doctor Wen. “Don’t ask me. I’m afraid even His Majesty doesn’t know the answer. You’d have to ask Prince Xin himself.”

Doctor Wen wasn’t foolish enough to ask such a question directly. His eyes immediately fell on Wang Shuhuai, and he naturally shifted the conversation to Wang Shuhuai’s recent achievements.

“My wife happened to be sitting opposite the Wang family’s brocade pavilion that day. When she came back, she praised your wife highly. She said that when Meng Luchuan spoke out of turn, your wife remained calm. Such poise is truly worthy of being Shu Huai’s wife.”

That one sentence praised both the husband and wife.

Wang Shuhuai raised his cup to the doctor and said, “You’re too kind.” But he thought to himself that Madam Xie was indeed calm and prudent in her actions.

Master Zhu also praised, “To be honest, Yunzhi, your wife’s talent is secondary. The most valuable thing is her character. Has she ever complained to you about the affairs of the mansion? You had some disputes with the Princess, and she turned around and made a box of blood-replenishing cakes and personally sent it to the palace. I heard that the Emperor and Empress praised this. You married a virtuous wife. You, Wang Shuhuai, are really lucky.”

“Look at my wife, she’s always noisy and gets angry easily. She always tells me why I hang out in teahouses and wine alleys all day long. Isn’t it because I don’t want to go back and listen to her nagging?”

Speaking of that, Wen Langzhong also got excited. Not only did women like to complain about their husbands when they get together, but men were also like that.

The doctor changed his usual mild manner, blew his nose, and glared, “Yours is still good, but the one in my family is a tigress. Whenever I drink a little wine, she kicks me off the bed. I have to drink tea instead of wine all day.”

It was all bitter tears; Doctor Wen almost cried, “She is domineering, but she is also incompetent. She only listens to her mother’s instigation every day and takes my salary to support her brother.”