Gao Fenglin visited Madam Hu and Old Madam Hu and then went to find Song Que. The sadness on his face was exactly the same as Song Que.
Song Que asked him to sit down, and Cheng Bi went to bring a pot of hot tea.
Gao Fenglin couldn’t help but sigh.
Song Que poured him a cup of tea, its color clear and translucent, with a hint of faint bitterness.
Gao Fenglin took a sip, his facial features were slightly wrinkled by the bitterness, and he said with some dissatisfaction: “Zishao, why don’t you ask me why I sigh?”
Song Que felt something move under his feet, so he lowered his head to look and met three pairs of frightened eyes. He paused, then stood up as if nothing had happened, and said to Gao Fenglin: “You went to Madam Hu to tell the truth, right?”
Gao Fenglin nodded and said, “Madam Hu seems to have collapsed. She can’t stop crying. It’s hard for me, an outsider, to watch.”
Song Que said: “It is a comfort to know the truth. At least she knows that her husband really wants to turn back. It might cause her more pain in the short term, especially since she was the one who persuaded Hu Er to turn back. But in the long run, it might be a comfort.”
This was what made Gao Fenglin uncomfortable. He felt that the news he brought made things worse. The two women who seemed to have already dispelled their sadness, were now plunged back into grief, as if they were holding on to driftwood. Gao Fenglin quickly asked: “What do you mean?”
Song Que said: “It was better than letting her husband and her son die with a bad reputation, the sadness now is temporary. They will eventually come to terms with it. That’s how solving a case is, you never know the truth you uncover will make things better or worse?”
Gao Fenglin sighed: “That’s why you don’t go.”
Song Que smiled bitterly and said: “Although I understand, I’m still not good at it. Human emotions are the hardest to bear.”
Gao Fenglin was silent for a while and then said: “As the new county magistrate, I’m struggling to find my footing in many aspects, so I’m just tackling a few matters here and there. Although Master Ge, the chief clerk, is diligent and hardworking, he seems clueless when it comes to crucial matters. County Lieutenant Wang is old and has given up on promotion. Now he is dawdling all day long. I can’t trust him with handling cases. I really want to ask you for help, but the only position I can offer is a private adviser. You don’t have to worry about me. If you want to concentrate on studying, you don’t need to accept this proposal for my sake.”
[主簿 (zhu bu) is an ancient Chinese term for an official responsible for the recording and management of paperwork in a local administrative organization, which is equivalent to the position of supervisor of paperwork in modern administration]
[县尉 (xian wei) An official just below the head of the county, responsible for managing the security and military affairs of a county]
Song Que clearly felt some movement under his feet. He nodded to Gao Fenglin and said, “I will consider it carefully, don’t worry.”
Gao Fenglin finished the tea and prepared to get up, he thought of something, coughed and said, “There is one more thing. It’s from your sister-in-law. Don’t take offense, she just wanted me to remind you.”
Song Que was a little surprised, cupped his hands, and said, “Brother Wutong, please speak.”
Gao Fenglin was really embarrassed to say it, and his face turned red. If it weren’t for the fact that Song Que didn’t have a wife, he wouldn’t have been the one to deliver such a message. What kind of man would he be if he intervened in someone else’s household affairs?
“My wife wants me to remind you, in this world there are five types of man who should not marry. You should make plans early even for the sake of your children.”
[五不娶 (wu bu qu) The five no-marriage rules originated from the restrictions on marriage in the pre-Qin period, serving as blueprints for ancient marriage laws. The Five Unmarriageable Types include: those who rebel against their families, those who disrupt their families, those who have been sentenced to punishment, those afflicted with severe illnesses, and those who marry widows with grown-up sons.]
Song Que had truly forgotten about this matter, and this served as his wake up call. He quickly expressed his gratitude: “It’s hard for me to get advice from my elders now, and I really couldn’t think of this for a moment. I would like to get more advice from Brother Wutong and Sister-in-law. ”
Gao Fenglin was very embarrassed and waved his hands indicating he was leaving, Song Que sent him out and then walked back to the study room to ponder about this matter.
It was impossible for Song Que to remarry because of this matter. There was no reason to ruin another girl’s life just to make his life smoother. For the same reason, it was even more impossible to let his father who was lying on the bed to get another wife. But the upbringing of the Song family’s daughters was indeed a problem. He can teach poetry, literature, and moral principles, but he cannot replace a female elder to impart intimate knowledge specific to women. Although there were maids in the family, they cannot replace the proper female elders.
When Song Que returned to the study room, the three people who had been hiding under the table were already standing in front of the table. When they saw him coming back, they lowered their heads.
Song Que was amused and asked, “What were you three doing under the table?”
Song Shu looked at Song Yi, Song Yi looked at Ji Qiong, Ji Qiong had no choice but to answer Song Que: “Sir, we came to find a book.”
Song Yi didn’t let Ji Qiong take all the responsibility alone, feeling somewhat uneasy and said: “Brother, you said that we can also come to the study to look for books.”
After Madma Qian was executed, the servants in the household murmured for a while, but after Song Que discovered it, no one dared to mention it again. However, Song Yi still knew that things were different now. The words Qian spoke had left him with some psychological burden.
Song Que didn’t get close to them often. He only saw them briefly during morning and evening sessions, occasionally checking on their studies. But Song Shu and Ji Qiong were both very close to Song Que, and even Song Yi felt some admiration in his heart, but he didn’t dare to get too close for fear of being pushed away.
Song Shu stepped forward, pulled Song Que’s sleeve, and asked timidly: “Brother, did we do something wrong?”
Song Que touched Song Shu’s head. Song Yi and Ji Qiong couldn’t help but look at the hand Song Que put on Song Shu’s head.
“You can use the books in the study, just remember to tell Cheng Bi. But next time, don’t do something sneaky like hiding under the table. It’s not proper behavior?”
His words were a little harsh, but his expression was very gentle. Preventing the children from actually crying. After admonishing the elder one and two younger ones. Song Que went to see his little daughter again before going out.
Song Que explored the situation of the Song family relative and found an excellent candidate. Master Song had a cousin who lost her husband and had only a daughter who had not come to age. If this cousin was brought into the family to support, having a female elder would greatly improve the upbringing of Song Shu and Song Yue, at least in the eyes of outsiders.
Song Que first discussed the matter with Master Song. Master Song was reluctant at first when mentioning about Song Shu. But when Song Que moved his daughter out, Master Song couldn’t object. Master Song was currently unable to speak and feel very insecure. Although Song Que rarely disobeys him directly, Master Song did not want to openly confront Song Que.
With Master Song’s permission, Song Que went to invite his cousin. The two families didn’t have much contact with each other, Song Que first went through all the etiquette and then went straight to the point and explained his intention.
Speaking of which, it’s actually a mutually beneficial arrangement. Song Que’s family lacked a female elder to preside over matters. His aunt and her daughter depended on each other but lacked a safe enough place to settle. His cousin Su Xiuxiu was about to reach marriage age, and having Song Que, a scholar as a support would be excellent for her.
Song Que had a very good attitude without any condescending sense of charity. Even though he saw through the needs of the mother and daughter, he made the request in a straightforward and respectful manner.
Aunt Song did not hesitate for too long. After looking at her daughter’s beautiful face and her simple clothes, she finally agreed to Song Que’s proposal. She saw Song Que’s clear gaze and found his reasons very genuine. She also thought that she really had nothing worth plotting, so she might as well take a gamble.
Aunt Song needed three days to pack her belongings. When the time came, Song Que personally came to escort the two of them to the mansion. As soon as Aunt Song and Su Xiuxiu entered the hall, they saw Master Song sitting at the top, with a group of children sitting below him.
Song Que explained softly: “My father is ill, it’s not meant to be disrespectful.”
Aunt Song had heard Song Que mention it before, and at this moment, she didn’t show too much surprise either.
Song Que took Aunt Song and Su Xiuxiu to meet Master Song first, and then started to introduce a few children. Song Yi stood in the front, Song Shu stood in the middle, and Cheng Zhu held Song Yuerong in her arms and stood at the end. Seeing that all of them had received the greetings, Song Que asked, “Where is brother Qiong?”
Cheng Zhu said: “Brother Ji said he had to go out for something but didn’t say what it was.”
Ji Qiong has always been meticulous., and would clearly explain his whereabouts when he left the mansion, but he didn’t say anything this time. He was obviously just looking for an excuse to leave the mansion, fearing that he would not be suitable for this occasion.
Song Que sighed inwardly, knowing that Ji Qiong was accustomed to living with anxiety, always worried about this and that. He understood that it wouldn’t be easy for him to shake off the feeling of dependence in a short time. He explained to Aunt Song and Su Xiuxiu: “Brother Ji Qiong had done me a favor, and now he lives in the mansion. His father was the youngest scholar in our area. Ji Qiong is like his father, talented and bright. He undoubtedly has a promising future.. He happens to be out on business today, you’ll see for yourselves in the future.”
When Song Que said this, the two of them knew that this brother Ji Qiong had considerable weight in his heart, and naturally they knew what attitude to adopt.
Song Que had already cleaned up a yard for Aunt Song and Su Xiuxiu. They had met the necessary people and exchanged proper courtesies, so he asked someone to help Aunt Song pack their luggage.
Song Que wouldn’t dismiss the existing servants, not wanting to cut off their livelihoods. However, he had always felt that his father’s household was overly extravagant and had no intention of adding more servants. The four maids on Master Song’s side could not be reassigned. Song Que originally wanted to move Cheng Zhu and Cheng Bi for other duties, but neither of them was willing. They were so panicked that it seemed that he was not making personnel changes, but was going to fire them. Song Que was helpless, and finally had to turn over the little maid who was originally taking care of Yuerong and let Cheng Zhu take care of Yuerong.
Ji Qiong counted the time to return to the mansion. He ran into Cheng Bi on his way to see Song Que. Cheng Bi held a plate of snacks that Song Que asked her to leave for Ji Qiong. When she saw him, she smiled: “You’ve come back at just the right time. This is what the young master left for you, come and try it.”
Ji Qiong has a sweet mouth, and the maids in the mansion all like him. Even the usually reserved Cheng Bi would crack a joke when she saw him. Ji Qiong was not as reserved as when he first came to the mansion. He picked up a piece of pastry and ate it before asking, “Is sir in the study?”
Cheng Bi nodded and narrated the afternoon’s scene in a low voice, saying, “The young master did not treat you as an outsider. Why would you hurt his feelings like this?.”
Ji Qiong rubbed his palms, pursed his lips and remained silent. Seeing him like this, Cheng Bi said, “Okay, okay, go see the young master quickly. Should I deliver this snack to your room, or should I deliver it to the young master’s study room so you can eat it while chatting?”
Ji Qiong said: “Sister Cheng Bi, let me do it.”
He took the pastry plate and walked quickly towards Song Que’s study room.
He knew that Song Que was good to him, but he often felt anxious and couldn’t comfortably accept it. Ji Qiong stood in front of the door and hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say to Song Que.
However, Song Que found Ji Qiong standing outside the door and said, “Brother Qiong, what are you doing standing there? Come in.”
Ji Qiong walked up to Song Que step by step, Song Que didn’t mention anything about what happened during the day. Instead, he asked, “Are you afraid of corpses?”
Ji Qiong was stunned for a moment and shook his head blankly.
Song Que smiled and said, “Then tomorrow, come with me to help Wutong Brother out, be my little assistant. How about it?”
Ji Qiong didn’t react for a while before understanding the meaning of Song Que’s words. He nodded quickly and couldn’t help but bring a smile to his face.
He likes reading, but reading with an unsettled heart didn’t bring him as much joy as being by Song Que’s side.
