The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 481 - 448: You Have Opinions About This Marriage?
Zhao Xi came to the Divine Soldier Bureau just to oversee as a monitor and, by the way, mimic the mechanical beast’s design ideas to create the crawling mechanism suggested by Yuanbao, without needing to do other work, so compared to Old Marquis Lu and Song Wei, Zhao Xi was much more relaxed.
He took Yuanbao to the warehouse for a look, then Zhao Xi returned to the office Song Wei had prepared for him, and while spreading paper and grinding ink, he didn’t forget Song Wei’s reminder when he had just entered, "Do you want to marry Ye Ling?"
Yuanbao was standing beside the antique shelf, studying the antiques on it, when he suddenly heard Zhao Xi say such a thing.
He was startled for a moment, then turned around, "Did my dad say that?"
He had only brought it up last night when he went home, and Zhao Xi knew about it this morning, so apart from his dad, no one else had the opportunity to say anything.
Zhao Xi didn’t answer his question but directly concluded, "Such a decision is too reckless, whether for you or for her."
Yuanbao raised his eyebrows, lost interest in looking at the antiques, and walked over to sit not far from Zhao Xi, lounging casually as if boneless, "Do you have an opinion on this marriage proposal?"
Zhao Xi felt that whatever needed to be said, Song Wei, as the father, should have said it, so it was useless for him to say more. He stopped grinding ink, looked up at him, "If you don’t believe me, go with me to the Minister’s Mansion in a few days."
Yuanbao didn’t know what Zhao Xi was up to, but seeing the other party unwilling to speak plainly, he didn’t ask.
The diagram of the mechanical beast had been in Song Wei’s hands before, and now that Zhao Xi had taken over, he was the one to keep it.
After studying the design for half an hour, Zhao Xi still couldn’t find inspiration for the crawling mechanism. Seeing Yuanbao leisurely eating cheese beside him, he simply pushed the diagram to him for a thorough study, making an excuse to walk out of the office.
Today, Eunuch Sanbao was accompanying him, and he was outside explaining the defensive arrangements for the new government office to the guards. When he saw the young master coming out, he hurried to greet him, "Your Highness, are you going back to the palace?"
Zhao Xi didn’t stop walking, "I’m going to the Minister’s Mansion, you don’t need to follow."
Eunuch Sanbao was anxious, "No, Your Highness, the Emperor ordered that this servant must stay by your side at all times."
Zhao Xi originally intended to refuse but heard Eunuch Sanbao say, "Your Highness, don’t forget how dangerous the last assassination was. If Chief Xue hadn’t stepped forward..."
Zhao Xi turned his head to look at him, his gaze not cold but indifferent, lacking any emotion, inexplicably making people feel uneasy.
Eunuch Sanbao was drenched in cold sweat.
After a while, Zhao Xi spoke, "If you’re going, prepare another horse."
Eunuch Sanbao felt relieved, responding while wiping his sweat with his sleeve.
The Minister’s Mansion was three blocks away from the Divine Soldier Bureau.
Zhao Xi and his servant arrived at the Minister’s Mansion, nearing noon as the household started preparing meals.
Today, Xue Yinhuan had her menstrual period and felt some discomfort, lying in her room to rest. Hearing from her maid that His Highness had arrived, she reluctantly got up to meet the guest.
Zhao Xi stood outside the courtyard, next to a cluster of lush slender bamboos, below which lay a large water tank. He was staring blankly at the water lilies in the tank.
The silver cloud-patterned brocade robe and black cloak accentuated his tall figure.
Hearing light footsteps, Zhao Xi turned his head, his gaze falling on Xue Yinhuan’s face, "I heard from Lady Xue earlier in the front hall that you weren’t feeling well. Are you okay?"
Xue Yinhuan shook her head, "What brings Your Highness here?"
"There’s a favor I wish to ask," Zhao Xi stated his purpose directly, "In ten days, could you invite your friend Miss Ye to the Minister’s Mansion as a guest?"
Xue Yinhuan was puzzled, "What does Your Highness mean by this?"
"I’d like to see her about a personal matter, but it’s inconvenient for me to go to the Cloud General Mansion."
Zhao Xi didn’t make it clear that it was arranged for Yuanbao.
Having her fiancé arrange for another girl to visit her own house in her presence?
And that girl being her friend?
Xue Yinhuan frowned, "Your Highness, you..."
Meeting Zhao Xi’s gaze, her voice abruptly stopped, and silence spread between them.
After an indeterminate time, Xue Yinhuan seemed to accept the originally unacceptable reality, looking at Zhao Xi with an expression so calm that it revealed no flaw, "Why ten days? If I wanted, I could invite her to the Minister’s Mansion anytime."
"Just ten days." Zhao Xi’s voice was steadfast.
He couldn’t keep visiting the Minister’s Mansion frequently.
More importantly, ten days would be enough to dissipate Yuanbao’s enthusiasm for Ye Ling. By then, Yuanbao’s childish and ridiculous "affection" might just disappear, saving Zhao Xi the effort to break up the pair and avoiding unnecessary enmity.
"Alright." Xue Yinhuan replied with a single word, offering no further elaboration.
In matters of love, Zhao Xi was particularly oblivious, sensing that Xue Yinhuan seemed angry, though her face didn’t show it.
Strangely, Zhao Xi recalled that day in the carriage when, before she jumped off, she turned back to tell him he didn’t know how to please and cherish people.
He pulled back his thoughts and asked aloud, "Where do you feel unwell? Have you asked the household doctor to take a look? If it’s not improving, have your grandfather apply for someone from the Imperial Hospital to check on it, don’t let it drag on."
Xue Yinhuan didn’t look at him any longer, her eyelashes drooping as she gently nodded.
Actually, it’s just that her monthly cycle had made her a bit anemic, not serious enough to disturb the Imperial Physician.
"Then I’ll be off."
After Zhao Xi spoke his last words, he turned around.
"Your Highness..." Xue Yinhuan blurted out in a moment of urgency.
Zhao Xi tilted his head, "Is there anything else?"
"No, just wanted to remind you to be careful on the road."
...
To prevent people from mistakenly thinking they were secretly meeting, Zhao Xi didn’t shy away from saying those words in front of Xue Yinhuan’s close maid, Qiuci.
Watching the Eldest Prince walk away, Qiuci looked worriedly at her lady, "His Highness suddenly wants to see Miss Ye, could it be that he fancies..."
Halfway through, she quickly covered her mouth.
Xue Yinhuan already understood the maid’s implication. She walked to the stone bench upfront and sat down, appearing somewhat burdened by her troubles.
The Eldest Prince will inevitably have a main wife, she was well aware. But this main wife, anyone can be, except it mustn’t be Ye Ling.
Ye Ling was her close friend, she couldn’t accept nor could she endure sharing a husband with her best friend.
"Miss, what should we do now?" Qiuci was utterly anxious. The lady had painstakingly secured a good marriage, hoping from that point onwards to have support, but it turned out to be unreliable.
If the Eldest Prince truly fancied Miss Ye and wanted her as his main wife, then her lady might as well marry a commoner; at least lower-class people wouldn’t have large numbers of wives and concubines.
"Let’s wait for now and see." Although some bad speculations lingered in her heart, Xue Yinhuan was still reluctant to draw subjective conclusions.
After all, Zhao Xi never gave her the impression of being that kind of person.
——
Zhao Xi returned to the Divine Soldier Bureau, where Yuanbao was bent over the table playing with his drawing of a snake. Hearing footsteps, he didn’t need to look up to know who it was, "Yo," he exclaimed, "Is His Highness sneaking out to clandestinely meet beauties during office hours?"
Yuanbao actually had no idea where Zhao Xi had gone, just guessing casually by chance, only to guess correctly.
Zhao Xi gave him a deep look and asked, "How goes your research?"
Completely deflecting the question.
Yuanbao was accustomed to this conversation style, lifted his eyelids to glance at him, then showed him the snake he was drawing, "How about it, isn’t it lifelike?"
Zhao Xi only took a glance before averting his gaze, "I told you to study the mechanisms, not to compose poetry or paint."
Yuanbao flopped back in his seat, tossed the brush into the ink wash, and lazily leaned against the backrest, "Then I’m clueless. I’ve never encountered mechanical structures; you want me to paint them, that’s like forcing a rooster to lay eggs, beyond my capability, ain’t it?"
Zhao Xi walked over, picked a small wolf’s hair brush from the brush stand, drenched it in ink, hesitant for quite some time, but still couldn’t bring the brush down.
He could imagine the external form, but to make the internal structure achieve an interactive dynamic like the mechanical beast, where mechanisms constrain each other to generate movement, was too difficult. Moreover, this required rapidly crawling, theoretically almost an impossible feat.
Yuanbao smirked at the sight, "I’m just talking nonsense, failing to make it is failing; we’ve got enough mechanical beasts, not worried about losing battles. As for the mechanisms able to climb and drill, even if Grandpa Lu Ban were present, it’d challenge him, I reckon."
Zhao Xi glanced at him indifferently, "That’s your ancestor."
"All’s the same." Yuanbao spread his hands.
In any case, he wouldn’t recognize Lu Ban even if standing right in front of him.
...
For lunch, Zhao Xi did not eat at the government office but took Yuanbao back to the palace.
Yuanbao happened to have someone send the silver notes he exchanged out of the palace to Wen Wan, along with a letter.
The letter stated that instead of lending the 500 taels to the Xie Family, it would be invested as shares, with the Song family earning annual dividends.
After seeing the letter, Wen Wan didn’t make an immediate decision but went to seek advice from her mother-in-law.
Granny Song pondered for a while and felt it was feasible, "My eldest grandson is indeed clever; lending out the 500 taels, uncertain when it’ll be repaid, and it’s awkward to charge them interest among relatives. Investing as shares is just right, there’s a bit to look forward to each year. Once the 500 taels are fully recouped, any money afterwards is virtually free."
Wen Wan worriedly replied, "We’ve thought it through nicely, but will the Xie Family agree to it?"
"I’m lending 500 taels, not 50; Xie Tao’s wife can’t refuse, can she? Once invested as shares, whether the Xie Family profits or loses, we’ll accept. If they truly profit, their family doesn’t lose anything; if they lose, then the 500 taels are as good as gifted away. If she can’t grasp even this simple matter, then this old lady might just be unwilling to lend them!"
