A good omen for a good person

  When the madam returned, those people outside the courtyard had already left. It was clear that they didn't necessarily need to search the courtyard, after all, they hadn't brought any soldiers or warrants. However, the way the person outside the door spoke and their tone of voice somehow lingered in Xianyi's mind, making her feel more and more that it wasn't a normal person. And Madam, who usually didn't like to suffer losses, unexpectedly only scolded for a while at the beginning, but after Chen's nanny went out and came back, she suddenly calmed down, and even Xianyi saw a faint worry on her face.

  Miss Xianyi, due to taking care of the first wife, had always been in the main house. Although she had doubts about her clothes, it wasn't convenient for her to ask, so she could only bring the other maids to the shared bathroom to wash up casually. Although the first wife had Chen Ayi serving her, the side room still needed a maid on night watch. Miss Xianyi usually slept the earliest, but this year she was already a second-class maid and there wasn't a first-class maid with her, so she could only muster up her energy, drank a mouthful of strong tea, leaned against the soft couch outside to keep watch. Lü Shuang and Xue Shuang had long fallen asleep, Yun Shuang accompanied Miss Xianyi for a while before also going back inside to sleep.

  Leaning on the soft couch, Xian Yi wouldn't be like Qiu Jing and the others who kept watch at night, sometimes fearing that she would fall asleep in a daze. She had even taken up her needlework under the oil lamp to keep herself awake. She was still young and didn't want to lose her eyesight before her time. In fact, the second-class maid on night duty wasn't entirely forbidden from sleeping, but as soon as the master or mistress called out for someone, they would have to get up immediately. And tonight's night watch just happened to be her own mother, so she had to muster a bit more energy.

  It was already the second half of the night when Xian Yi was suddenly awakened by a gust of cold wind. She sprang up with a start, only to find that the ventilation window on the left side of the room had not been closed. The person sleeping inside was fine, but she was outside the partition and couldn't help being blown awake. Moreover, her quilt wasn't thick enough, so it was no wonder she couldn't bear the cold and woke up. Xian Yi patted her face, then poured herself a cup of hot water to drink, before getting dressed and standing up to close the window. The room immediately warmed up, the wind died down, and the dim lamp on the table stopped flickering. After some thought, Xian Yi put on her clothes, opened the door, and went to the small kitchen where the stove was still lit. She was worried that the night watchman's wife would be lazy and wait until the real mistress wanted water before making a mistake, which would lead to trouble.

  At this time, the night was already deep, and the guards were still patrolling outside. Inside, it was quiet, and most of the women had gone to sleep. The cold rain had stopped at some point, leaving only small puddles on the stairs. Xianyi held a lantern and lifted her skirt as she headed towards the small kitchen. The dry leaves rustled in the windless night air, making a soft whispering sound that was somewhat eerie. The wind outside was strong, so Xianyi quickened her pace. The small kitchen was just across from the side house, and if she ran quickly, she would arrive soon. Only when Xianyi walked into the brightly lit kitchen did she let out a sigh of relief.

  Fortunately, the woman in the kitchen hadn't gone to sleep yet. Although she and another person were yawning, they chatted idly, and when Xianyi came in, they didn't think it was strange. They even kindly asked if Xianyi was hungry, and Xianyi took advantage of the situation to ask for a bowl of leftover hot soup from dinner, warming up before coming out. However, as soon as she walked out of the small kitchen, the lantern in her hand suddenly went out with a "pa" sound, and Xianyi was startled. She raised her hand to find that the lantern wasn't broken, but the candle inside had been extinguished by something. After that, the night wind outside grew stronger, and Xianyi unconsciously looked up, vaguely feeling that someone was standing on the rooftop not far away. A figure in white clothes stood out in the dark night, but their face was blurry and couldn't be seen clearly.

  Xian Yi took a deep breath, barely suppressing a scream, and retreated several steps, almost falling to the ground. However, as someone who had already died once, she steadied herself by pressing her hand against her chest. When she tried to look up again to get a clearer view, she found that the rooftop was now empty, as if Xian Yi's earlier sighting had been just an illusion. A chill ran down her spine, freezing all the warmth that had risen from drinking hot soup. The familiar feeling of cold dread swept over Xian Yi's nerves, causing her lips to tremble. She mechanically held onto the lantern and walked towards the side house with a steady pace, until she reached the door. Then, Xian Yi suddenly grabbed her skirt and rushed inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

  Due to the tension and cold, every muscle in Xianyi's body was aching, she put down the lantern, took off her outer clothes, and got into bed, but didn't dare close her eyes, so she stared at the beam above with wide open eyes until dawn.

  The weather improved on the second day at dawn, and it wasn't a continuous heavy rain anyway, so it didn't have much impact on the suburbs of Beijing. Although Mrs. Chen was exhausted the previous day, she still got up early and went to the front hall with Chen Qiang. From today on, Mrs. Chen would start listening to Buddhist scriptures and praying for blessings. Xianyi and others did not need to follow her, and the Taoist temple would naturally make arrangements for lunch. So after Mrs. Chen and Chen Qiang left, Xianyi casually ate something and lay back in bed, making up for lost sleep.

  Another night passed, and the watch was changed to Yun Shuang. Nothing happened, and Madame Chen led Chen Nian and others who had obtained talismans onto the return carriage after the Dharma meeting ended. Fortunately, the journey back was smooth, without any obstacles, and it wasn't long before noon that they returned to the Jin Mansion. Xian Yi didn't truly breathe a sigh of relief until she returned home. After that, she became busy with many things and gradually forgot about that night's events.

  After returning, the days were as usual, but it seemed that Yu Shuang made mistakes more easily than before, and the time she spent staring blankly into space was also slowly increasing. Sometimes, she didn't even know where to go, and even Yu Shuang became more silent, almost losing her sense of presence. On the other hand, Yun Shuang performed well during the trip to the Taoist temple, and her relationships with others in the main courtyard were good. Gradually, Madame began to look at her more favorably, and she was invited to the main house more frequently.

  As winter approached, fortunately, Chen Ajiao and the old lady were far-sighted, and each house was not short of charcoal fire. After Madame Han returned from the Taoist temple, her body had been good for a while, but also miraculously recovered during the winter. Sometimes, when Xianyi went to run errands in the old lady's courtyard, she could occasionally meet one or two times. However, she had never seen the third young master who was born by Madame Han. It seemed that the young masters were slowly growing up, and it was rare for them to come to the backyard. As winter arrived, what the old lady and Chen Ajiao needed to busy themselves with was the New Year's gift and comforting the lower people. More importantly, every time this year, there would be several families who had gained face and given birth to children, and they would move into new houses before the New Year. This was also a way for the lord and lady to show their care for them. On the other hand, if some families were unlucky this year, or died, or offended the superior, then they might not be able to keep their current house, and could only move to a lower-grade dormitory to make do. Of course, Xianyi's family still lived there, as long as Chen Ajiao was still around, they would not move.

  On this day, the old master who had been busy for a year unexpectedly returned early, and with a joyful expression entered the main house. Xian Yi happened to be serving in the main house, and upon seeing the old master arrive, she stepped aside along with Autumn Scenery and Winter Scenery without going forward. This was the rule set by the main house's madam; the old master's outer garments were always personally taken care of by her, not even allowing the eldest daughter to approach, only having the qualification to hang clothes.

  The old master is nearly forty this year, and it's just the right time for him to be in his prime. With his fair skin and no beard, he looks even more elegant and refined. The eldest daughter and third young master followed the old master, and their appearance was naturally extraordinary. No wonder that even though the old master had remarried, the madam had taken a liking to him at first sight. Even now, although there are several concubines, she would still get jealous from time to time.

  After Madam changed Master's clothes, she looked at him with a smile and couldn't help but ask: "Master, did you encounter something delightful?"

  The old master sat down and took over the fragrant tea handed over by the big lady, with a pleased expression: "Someone upstairs has intentionally mentioned me."

  The madam naturally knew this news early, but still couldn't help but excitedly say: "But did the Shanglang reveal the bottom?"

  At present, the left servant of the Ministry of Punishment is a good friend of the father of the great lady, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. It was also through this relationship that the old master was able to enter the Ministry of Punishment in the first place, so it seems that only he will privately remind the old master this time.

  As expected, the old master nodded and put down his tea cup, laughing: "The Servant Lang's intention is that this year there is a Lang Zhong who wants to retire and return to his hometown. It just so happens that there is a vacancy, and I am originally in the Ministry of Punishment, and this process is more familiar than outsiders. In addition, next year when spring begins, it will be busy, and we can't lack someone on hand. The Shangshu gentleman has a heart to mention me going up, and this matter has already been reported. I'm afraid that at the beginning of next year, I will take office."

  "This is really a good thing!" The madam clapped her hands with a handkerchief, but then frowned and said: "Is there something big happening in the Ministry of Justice next year?"

  "It doesn't matter, it's just a few vagrant ringleaders who have gone mad and run to the capital to cause trouble. If you ask me, just behead them with some random crime and be done with it. Why bother mobilizing troops and making such a big deal out of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys? Are those unruly commoners not going to behave themselves?" The old master said nonchalantly, waving his hand in dismissal.

  "Could there be some hidden meaning here?" As the wife of a high-ranking official, she was naturally more cautious and thoughtful in her words and actions, especially after the unpleasant incident at the Taoist temple last time. This couldn't help but make her think twice, wondering if there might be even deeper complications involved.

  "Where did you come from, what kind of door? Women's homes are just fond of thinking too much." As he spoke, the old master got up and walked into the inner room. The madam hurriedly followed him in, while Xianyi and the other two didn't dare to move, they could only wait.

  A moment later, the old master came out from inside, having obviously changed into a new set of clothes. The madam followed behind him, her face also sinking down.

  "I'm just going to meet a few friends, since this matter has been settled, of course I won't hide it." The old master raised his head and shook his sleeves, the suppressed smile strangely hooked at the corner of his mouth. The big madam was furious, and it was precisely the old master's habit of showing off that made her not dare to mention many things to him, especially some unfounded rumors that hadn't been confirmed yet. In recent years, if it weren't for the Minister of Revenue's father-in-law covering for him, he would have gotten into trouble long ago.

  "Ah, right, the mistress has sent a letter saying that she'll be spending Chinese New Year with us this year, so get ready." The old master paused for a moment at the door and left these words behind, leaving the dark-faced madam standing alone.