My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 29

Chapter 29: History

Song Changxu cleared his throat and didn’t tease Xu Zhizhou anymore, just put his arm around his waist. Xu Zhizhou struggled symbolically for a moment, then gave in to Song Changxu. He mumbled a few words, and his breathing became steady.

The night was deep, and the moonlight was hazy. Song Changxu’s palm was hot, and it felt warm on his waist. In a daze, Xu Zhizhou felt his neck was wet, and long hair fell on his shoulder.

He pushed him away, turned over, and continued to sleep.

In the darkness, someone was panting, and there was the rustling of clothes. Song Changxu moved over, lay on his side, and put his arm around Xu Zhizhou’s waist, settling down.

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After the autumn harvest, Scholar Li had finished teaching the Four Books and Five Classics. Song Changxu closed his book and rubbed the space between his eyebrows.

Scholar Li, wearing a long robe, came out and said, “We’ve made sweet dumplings at home today. Before you go back, come and have a bowl.”

The classmates cheered and went to the kitchen to get the dumplings. The ones made at Scholar Li’s were very large, with five in a bowl. Song Changxu’s were filled with peanuts and had fermented rice in them, which tasted very good.

Feng Xin’ou quickly finished his and took his bowl and chopsticks to the kitchen. He had borrowed some commentaries from Scholar Li. Seeing that Song Changxu was also about to finish, he said, “Let’s walk together.”

Song Changxu nodded.

There were more people in Lingshui Village now. After the busy autumn harvest, they all had free time. Some of the young men who wanted to earn more money would go to town to do odd jobs, while others would go up the mountain to chop firewood to take to town to sell in the winter.

The autumn wind had turned the wheat stalks yellow, and the leaves had also turned yellow. The soft leaves fell to the ground, trampled under the feet of the passersby.

Feng Xin’ou said, “Next year in the second month, we’ll go to Jinhe County for the exam. The two of us can go together and look out for each other.”

Song Changxu naturally agreed. “Brother Feng is absolutely right.”

He hadn’t expected to have spent a whole spring and autumn in this strange world. He had walked this road many times, and the scenery around him was already familiar. In a blink of an eye, the green mountains and the stream were still the same.

Feng Xin’ou gave a bitter smile. “I’m still not confident about passing the exam to become a xiucai. After all, Jinhe County is so big. I don’t know how many scholars there are.”

Song Changxu smiled. “Do your best and have no regrets. That’s enough.”

Feng Xin’ou’s brow relaxed. “Brother Song is absolutely right.”

Lin Pu secretly looked at the two of them and said carelessly, “Whether we pass or not, life goes on.”

The three of them walked away, talking and laughing.

When Song Changxu returned home, there was no one there. The Song family’s grain had been harvested, but the Xu family’s had not. In the past, there was still Xu Zhizhou at home. Now that one person was gone, it was bound to have an effect.

He took a sickle and went to the Xu family to help. On the field ridge, some of the villagers had not yet finished harvesting their grain. Seeing Song Changxu, they asked, “Song boy, are you here to help your father-in-law’s family with the harvest? It seems this marriage was a good one. You young couple have both come back to help. The Xu family has gained a son with this marriage.”

Song Changxu exchanged a few pleasantries, took the sickle, and climbed up. He saw Xu Sunzheng and Cao Qin still harvesting rice. He called out, “Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, I’m here to help.”

Today, Song Mingyan had to set up his stall, and Liang Su had gone with him. Song Ye had gone to sell the grain. Only Xu Zhizhou was left at home. After feeding the chickens and ducks, he had taken Xu Cheng to the Xu family’s to play.

Xu Zhici and Xu Zhizhou were both helping in the fields. Song Changxu, wearing a short coarse robe with his trousers rolled up, waded into the field to harvest the rice.

Xu Zhizhou was very happy to see Song Changxu, but he still maintained a composed expression on the surface. He bent down and harvested the rice with his elder brother.

When it was time to carry the grain back home, Song Changxu and Xu Sunzheng went together. With two more people, the Xu family’s harvesting speed increased significantly. In the evening, just as Xu Zhizhou was about to go back to the Song family’s, Song Changxu stopped him.

“My parents were already back when I returned. I’ve already told them that I’ll be having dinner at my in-laws’ tonight before going back.”

Xu Zhizhou: “Then I’ll go home first and cook for you.”

Song Changxu wiped the sweat from his face. “Alright.”

Xu Zhizhou looked left and right. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he reached out, held Song Changxu’s face, stood on his tiptoes, and kissed his lips.

“I’m very happy that you could come today,” Xu Zhizhou said, and left after the kiss.

Song Changxu touched the corner of his lips and smiled. He lowered his head to hide it and continued to harvest the rice. Xu Sunzheng glanced at him and nodded with satisfaction.

During dinner, Xu Zhizhou took out the cured meat from home and made a few more dishes. His cooking was good, and since everyone had exerted a lot of energy, they could eat many bowls in one go.

Even Xu Zhici ate three bowls of rice. In another two or three busy days, they should be able to finish harvesting the grain.

Xu Sunzheng took a sip of yellow wine. There was also a wine cup by Song Changxu’s hand. It was customary for a father-in-law and son-in-law to have a drink together. Xu Sunzheng clinked his cup with Song Changxu’s, and Song Changxu drank it all in one gulp.

The alcohol in ancient times was not as pure, so he had no problem drinking it.

Seeing Song Changxu drink a few cups, Xu Zhizhou said, “Father, he still has to go to Lingshui Village to study tomorrow. You should give him less to drink. It wouldn’t be good if it affects his studies.”

Xu Zhizhou was completely worried that Song Changxu wouldn’t be able to study.

Song Changxu: “…”

Xu Sunzheng put down his wine cup. “That’s right. We can’t let our second son-in-law drink anymore. He’s going to be an official in the future.”

Hearing this, Cao Qin served Xu Sunzheng some food and said, “I think you’ve had too much to drink. Changxu, just study hard. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

Song Changxu: “Thank you for your understanding, Mother-in-law.”

“You’ve exerted a lot of energy today. Eat more,” Cao Qin said warmly.

Since her son-in-law had come to help, they had to treat him well.

Xu Zhizhou saw that Song Changxu’s bowl was piled high with food. He’s forgotten his son for his son-in-law. I’ve also worked hard today.

Xu Zhici understood Xu Zhizhou and served him a piece of cured meat. “Zhizhou has also worked hard. Eat more meat.”

Xu Zhizhou snorted softly. “Elder Brother is still the best to me.”

Xu Sunzheng and Cao Qin both laughed. The family was harmonious and happy. Seeing this, Song Changxu served Xu Zhizhou some vegetables.

Xu Zhizhou glared at Song Changxu and reluctantly lowered his head to eat the vegetables.

After dinner, they went back. Cao Qin watched the young couple’s backs and sighed. “It seems that Changxu is good to Zhizhou. They’re both good children.”

Xu Sunzheng smiled and said, “When I came back from the fields just now, the villagers asked me if my son-in-law had come to help me with the work. I was quite happy.”

The Xu family only had two ge’ers. The villagers all said they could try to have another child, but with their family’s situation, it didn’t make much sense. Besides, Cao Qin’s health had been damaged when she had given birth to Xu Zhizhou, so they had given up. The villagers wouldn’t say anything to their faces, but behind their backs, they all said that the Xu family had no male heir, and that after they died, there would be no one to perform the rituals and carry on the family line.

Xu Sunzheng was quite open-minded. He still had a few brothers. The most successful one was a yamen runner in Jinhe County. He had a good relationship with his two children and with Cao Qin. Why should he worry so much?

It seemed that the second son-in-law they had chosen was a good person. The first son-in-law was still in the army, and he didn’t know when he would be back.

Xu Sunzheng’s thoughts then turned to the three pigs they were raising. These three pigs were treasures.

On the other side, Song Changxu and Xu Zhizhou returned home. The house was filled with a festive atmosphere. Xu Cheng had run home in the afternoon and was now eating a piece of candy.

He saw Song Changxu and Xu Zhizhou and said, “Grandpa and Grandma bought a lot of delicious things.”

Song Ye had sold the grain for six taels of silver today. Liang Su had helped Song Mingyan sell the skewers and had earned another one qian and fifty copper coins.

As autumn arrived, the mint tea was not selling well, so they had made less. In the winter, there would be no more mint leaves, so they had to think of a new drink.

The three of them were busy until noon. They ate the leftover skewers and then went to a noodle stall for a meal. They went to the market to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, as well as three catties of pork, and also some fruits and pastries.

Seeing the two of them come back, Liang Su said, “It’s good that you’re back. Have some dried fruits.”

The grain had finally been harvested. The family had worked very hard, and it was time for a good reward.

Song Changxu said he was going to help the Xu family. The two elders in the family also understood. Song Changxu enjoyed the breeze in the courtyard for a while, then washed up and went to sleep.

He usually went to bed very early after working.

At first, he was not used to sleeping in the same bed with Xu Zhizhou, but now he was.

Xu Zhizhou naturally did not wake him up.

After all the villagers had harvested their grain, the village head brought the yamen runners to collect the taxes. After paying the taxes, the villagers all breathed a sigh of relief. The prime minister of the Ningxing Dynasty, Liu Wangsheng, had proposed a unified measuring tool for grain, which had benefited many of the common people.

With a unified tool, the yamen runners would not deliberately make things difficult for the people, deliberately weighing more grain and causing them to suffer losses. The extra grain would go into the yamen runners’ pockets and be exchanged for silver. Otherwise, these yamen runners would not leave the leisure of the yamen to come to the countryside to get involved in this muddy water. It was all for profit.

After the grain in Qishan Village was collected, the village head respectfully sent the yamen runners away. The yamen runners’ faces were sour, and they did not give the village head a good look.

“This time, we’re unlucky to have to come to the countryside to collect taxes. Those who are related to the officials in the yamen are enjoying themselves there. We’re the ones who have to suffer.”

“What bad luck. Let’s go. If we go back early, we can still go to the tavern for a drink.”

The yamen runners left Qishan Village as they spoke.

After paying the taxes, the villagers were relieved. Otherwise, they would have been anxious all the time. Now, they would dry the straw from the fields and carry it home to use as firewood.

“Now we can go to town to find other work.”

“That’s right. We can go and carry sandbags.”

Someone asked Liang Su, “I haven’t seen you recently. Now that you’re not busy, we should embroider purses together.”

Liang Su smiled and said, “I won’t be going. I’m going to help Mingyan sell food.”

Song Mingyan didn’t hide the fact that he was selling food from the villagers. Anyone who paid attention would have noticed. Song Mingyan basically had to take the ox-cart to town every day. Now that the Song family had their own ox, it was very convenient for the family to go to town with a cart, which saved a lot of money on transportation.

It seemed that the Song family’s life was getting better and better.

Fortunately, the Song family’s son was still studying, which would cost a lot of money in the future. Who didn’t want to become a xiucai? But it was too difficult. They were still villagers, not comparable to the people in the city.

Their own sons were down-to-earth and didn’t think about other things. It was good to be so content. Life couldn’t withstand too much turmoil, and it was also taboo to be arrogant.

Thinking of this, their hearts were at peace.

Liang Su and Song Ye didn’t like to talk about their family’s affairs in the village. They never revealed what good things they had or how much money they had saved.

.

Song Family

“I can finally rest,” Xu Zhizhou said, lying down on the bed as soon as he got home. He was extremely clean. After lying down for a while, he first went to the mud house to take a bath, then changed the bedsheets and bedding. The clean, fresh scent of soapberries was also very pleasant.

Of course, he secretly used the soap he had bought in town to wash his own clothes, which had a faint osmanthus fragrance.

“Of course clothes should have a fragrance. That way, they smell nice,” Xu Zhizhou thought as a matter of course.

He had spent all his money on himself. When he got married, besides the silver his parents had given him, he didn’t have a single copper coin of his own.

“But I sold the purses and earned sixty copper coins myself. Sixty copper coins is not even enough to buy a box of fragrant balm. It would be so good if Song Changxu could suddenly become a rich man,” Xu Zhizhou said, propping his chin in his hands and fantasizing, dying of his own beauty.

“No, no, I don’t want Song Changxu to be rich. It’s better if I’m rich. I have confidence in myself. Even if I become rich, I won’t abandon this poor husband of mine. After all, I’m not a heartless ge’er who only cares about looks.”

In that case, he had so many good qualities. How could there be such a good ge’er like him in the Ningxing Dynasty?

Xu Zhizhou took his scraps of cloth and colored thread and went to find Song Mingyan for advice on his stitching.

He wanted to embroider a few more purses to sell for money to supplement the family’s income. Spending it on himself was also supplementing the family’s income. Wasn’t he a part of this family?

Xu Zhizhou went out excitedly.

On the other side, Song Changxu had been reading all day. He came home with his book box. The sunset glow cast a lingering light behind him. He was thirsty halfway and took a sip of water from his flask. He saw an old man pushing a cart up a slope and went to help him.

“It’s the Song family’s boy. Thank you for this.”

Song Changxu said, “It’s nothing, uncle.”

The village roads were all mud paths. After it rained, they would turn into mud. One step would create a hole, and when the weather cleared, the hole would remain.

This time, helping the old man push the cart up the slope was very bumpy.

Song Changxu suppressed his thoughts. When he got home, he put down his book box and rubbed his shoulders. He had borrowed another book from Scholar Li to read. This time, it was about the history of the Ningxing Dynasty.

The questions in the imperial examinations, in the end, were usually related to the dynasty’s current affairs and problems, which required tracing back to the source.

Of course, after reading so much history, one would gradually discover that the tragedies of history were always similar, and history was already a fact that could not be avoided.

Even if one learned from history, one would still repeat the same mistakes in the end.

Song Changxu began to read.

The founding emperor of the Ningxing Dynasty was a general on horseback. Because the monarch was incompetent and almost lost the country, he rose up in rebellion and successfully ascended the throne. The first emperor was generally diligent and had great talent and ambition. Under his rule, the people rested and recuperated.

The second, third, and fourth emperors all adopted the policy of letting the people rest and recuperate, waiting for the dynasty to regain its former vitality.

Among the later emperors, there were muddle-headed, mediocre, and rejuvenating ones. The further down the line, the greater the emperor’s power, the greater the power of the aristocratic families, and the greater the power of the eunuchs.

Now it was the ninth emperor of the Ningxing Dynasty, Emperor Pingjing, who was the same age as him.

“Husband, come and eat,” Xu Zhizhou called out.

Song Changxu answered. He hadn’t expected to have been reading for so long. When he came to the dinner table, the family was having meat patties, which smelled delicious.

He hadn’t had meat patties in a long time. This time, he took a bite, and his eyes lit up. The fragrance of the meat and the softness of the patty combined together. It was a bit hot, but after one bite, he wanted more.

Xu Zhizhou smiled. “Is it good? Elder Brother and I made it together.”

Although he had only been a helper.

Song Changxu praised him to give him face. “This is the most delicious meat patty I’ve ever eaten.”

He had only eaten meat patties once in ancient times.

“The meat patties are still a bit dry, so I also made a dough drop soup,” Song Mingyan said with a smile.

After a full meal, the whole family was very satisfied. After eating, Xu Cheng helped to clean up the bowls and chopsticks.

“Cheng Ge’er, come to Grandma,” Liang Su said, patting Xu Cheng’s head and putting a piece of candy in his hand.

“Someone gave it to me when I was visiting. I heard it’s orange-flavored.”

Xu Cheng squinted his eyes happily.

Song Changxu continued to read. This time, he had reached the sixth emperor.

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Imperial Palace, Panlong Hall

The light yellow curtains swayed slightly in the wind. The bedroom was quiet. A bright yellow quilt covered the body.

Emperor Pingjing was still of a young age. He should have taken over the government, but the court was in turmoil. A minister had brought up the matter of him taking over, but it had been blocked by General Xiao and Empress Dowager Xiao. He had ascended the throne as a young ruler. Even after being emperor for more than ten years, he was still under the control of his maternal relatives, just a puppet emperor.

“Liang Cai, I have a headache.”

Author’s Note:

Little Song: Study hard and be deceived every day.

Little Xu: I want to become a rich person. [Pats head]