Chapter One: Husband and Wife

  Dizzy and confused, happy wind blows through the text, all for a clear and pure dream, thunder points scattered throughout the joyful text, highly recommended and collected.

  Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, is overcast with rain, the water curtain is connected to the sky. Huizhou West Lake is known as 'Xizi of Zhaolu Village' and is famous for its winding paths.

  Not far from Huizhou's West Lake is the Qing dynasty Huizhou Prefecture government office, with red borders standing at the gate. The attendants of the government office come and go, and Huizhou Prefect Shu Mu Lu has been evaluated as excellent by his superiors for three consecutive years. Last year, pirates raided Guangzhou's General Bu's defense, and Prefect Shu calmly commanded the people of Huizhou to resist the enemy together, not allowing the pirates to enter the city. They waited for reinforcements and protected Huizhou. Rumors spread in the streets that Prefect Shu came from a noble family in the imperial capital, was a descendant of a meritorious general who entered the pass with the dragon, and would soon return to Beijing with his family to report on his duties, expecting a high promotion.

  Shu Mu Lu Zhi has been in the position of Huizhou Prefecture for five years, and under his governance, the people of Huizhou do not speak of robbery or theft, and the streets are safe at night. It can be said that they live a peaceful and happy life. The number of cases where men bully women and take advantage of their power to cheat others has decreased significantly. Although there are still some wealthy and powerful families who commit evil deeds, they dare not speak out against the prefect's straightforward and honest words. In order to avoid being lectured by the prefect, they have become more honest. The imperial grain tax collected from Huizhou is always among the top in Guangdong Province. The prefect is always able to obtain benefits from his superiors, such as reduction or exemption of imperial grain taxes and other taxes. In short, Huizhou is a microcosm of the prosperous era of Kangxi.

  Huizhou Governor Shu Mulu Zhiyuan is a legendary governor in Guangdong, he is straightforward to the point of being naive, well-read in classics and history, and can make others speechless with just his book knowledge. Shu Mulu Zhiyuan excels at reasoning, and even eloquent people will be left speechless in front of him. His colleagues secretly gave him the nickname "Mixed Person".

  Shumulunzhifu was not afraid of the Empress Dowager in Beijing, but he would be more honest in front of his wife, Guwalgiya. His wife, Guwalgiya, was a legendary figure in Huizhou. When the pirates were about to attack the city, Guwalgiya shot an arrow that shocked the sky and injured the pirate leader, greatly damaging the morale of the rebel soldiers.

  The delicate and petite woman from the south highlights the boldness of the Manchu noblewoman, Guaerjia. Officials like Shu Mu Lu Zhiyuan prefer gentle and sentimental women. Others might find Guaerjia's forthrightness unbearable, but Shu Mu Lu Zhiyuan takes pride in having her as his wife and has never taken a concubine. He even refused the women offered to him by his superiors and colleagues, making him an anomaly in official circles.

  The only drawback of Shu Mu Lu Zhi Yuan is that he loves to eat, and has a tongue that can taste all the delicacies in the world. In his free time, he would drink a few cups of old wine, and when drunk, he would say, "Without her, there's no me, my wife is the most important person to me, Shu Mu Lu Zhi Yuan."

  Of course, this sentence, Zhiyuan will not admit it after waking up from the wine. In front of outsiders, he still has to maintain his dignity as a husband. Guwalgiya understands the way of being a wife and assists her husband Shumu Lu Zhiyuan in managing household chores, raising their two sons and one daughter, and respecting her husband everywhere outside. However, inside the house, it's a different story, a unique way for them to interact with each other as a family.

  Shu Mu Lu Zhiyuan is about to return to the capital, his wife Guwalgiya is very busy, packing and sending away the servants and maids in the mansion, leaving only the loyal and trustworthy family members. Although Shu Mu Lu Zhiyuan is straightforward, he is not an unworldly person, besides the annual salary, there are some extra benefits to be gained. Zhiyuan is a clean official and will not embezzle, but his wife Guwalgiya is good at managing finances, she has a keen eye for antiques and calligraphy, often turning trash into treasure, making a lot of money.

  The sun sets in the west, and Zhiyuan returns to the back courtyard of the government office. The little maid with two buns, dressed neatly, kneels at the gate, "Master is back." Zhiyuan goes straight to the eastern wing, where they usually have dinner together as a family.

  On the table of Ba Xian, there was a dish of crystal pork knuckle, a dish of sauce duck tongue, a dish of three-threaded melon rolls, and a dish of shrimp and bamboo shoots. Zhiyuan licked his lips and waited for dinner to be served.

  The delicious food in front of him was tempting, and several times he wanted to pick up his chopsticks, but it seemed as if he could hear the sound of his wife, Guajia, moving around. Zhiyuan waited left and right, but his children and wife had not arrived yet. "Someone's coming, go find my wife."

  A young maid standing outside the door lifted the bamboo curtain, and a woman in her late 20s with a round face, curved eyebrows, straight nose, red lips, and sparkling eyes walked into the house. Her clothes were adorned with peony petals on the collar, cuffs, and hem, and a bright red peony bloomed at the buttonhole of her jacket. As she moved, it seemed like a living peony was moving with her. She didn't have many accessories on her body, but her tall and plump figure had an unusual elegance that ordinary women rarely possessed. At first glance, you could tell she wasn't someone to be trifled with.

  "What's wrong?" The woman walked closer and sat down beside Zhiyuan, "Not satisfied with the dishes?"

  Shu Mu Lu Zhi Yuan explained: "Being a husband is looking at you and the child not being there, feeling anxious."

  "Is it your first day as a father? Don't you know the temperaments of these three people? If not for constant urging and inviting, would the young master and miss have come?"

  "Madam, we must all return to the capital. This young master and miss need to make some changes. We are a prominent ducal house, a noble family of high rank, from the dragon's gate..."

  "Alright, you've said this at least 800 times. I remember it was the Duke's Manor, but I don't recall them giving you any special treatment. They must have long forgotten your hardships in distant Huizhou. When festivals come around, they send a letter and some gifts - all useless things that haven't been used for years. And yet we still have to send nice gifts back to the capital. If it's even slightly inferior, their next letter will be full of ridicule and sarcasm. Hmph, Duke's Manor! Just between you and me."

  If she said that in someone else's home, the wife would certainly incur her husband's displeasure. Shu Mu Ruo Zhi pressed down on his wife, "Hui Ya and them are not worth our attention, we've been married and left the capital for so many years, it's nothing to us."

  Shu Mu Lu Zhiyuan is a man with a conscience. A literary man's wife would not stoop to the level of a humble servant, let alone a Manchu noblewoman marrying a low-born son like him. She accompanied Zhiyuan from his early days as a minor official to his current position, never leaving his side, bearing him children, managing household affairs, and helping him navigate relationships with superiors and subordinates. They not only shared their youth together but also weathered hardships as a couple. He deeply loved his wife, Guwalgiya Huaiya, who embodied the spirit of a Manchu lady, handling matters with ease and wisdom, never acting rashly. With her wise assistance, Zhiyuan, who lacked family connections, steadily rose through the ranks to become the Magistrate of Huizhou.

  Shu Mu Lu's respected teacher once said, "Your wife has the elegance of a Tang Dynasty lady, steady and dignified, more intelligent than the average woman. To have such a wife is your good fortune." Zhi Yuan replied, "When marrying, one should marry a Guwalgiya Huiya."

  "You'd better think carefully, this time when we return to the capital, for a while it's not possible to go out, you have to stay in the Duke's mansion. Now your Ama is ill, and those few brothers of yours are fighting over who will inherit the title, trying to curry favor with the old lady, what will you do?"

  "How would you know so clearly, madam?" Zhiyuan was taken aback, taking the teacup handed over by Guajia, and smiled calmly: "As for me, I never expected to inherit the title, the title will likely fall on my third brother who is being raised as the eldest son."

  Gua Lijia raised an eyebrow, a glint of sharpness flashing in her eyes, "You really have such intentions?"

  "Does madam understand for husband?"

  "Anyway, the title of duke is quite prestigious, but it's a hassle to be associated with that family. How much silver does the duke's salary come with? Without the old lady holding things together, the household wouldn't be in good shape. After taking over the title, everything has to be done according to her wishes, where's the freedom and joy of being one's own master?"

  Zhu Mu nodded silently, silver was enough for him, his salary was all handed over to his wife, Zhiyuan had never lacked anything. The Duke's Mansion wasn't just for the few brothers, Zhiyuan's Ma Fa truly was a romantic and charming person, with many wives and concubines, numerous children. It wasn't that Ma Fa was capable, relying solely on the duke's salary, it would be impossible to make ends meet. Later, Ah Ma relied on his wife's help, as the eldest illegitimate son, he inherited the title, although they had divided the family and separated the brothers, the number of people coming to curry favor didn't decrease.

  The old lady was Zhiyuan's aunt, a princess of the imperial family, surnamed Aixinjueluo. It wasn't that she was good at managing the household and finances, but if she didn't take over the power to manage the house from her aunt, the duke's mansion would have been ruined by their relatives long ago. Zhiyuan knew that his aunt liked to control everything in her hands, and she valued wealth more than life itself, so how could she easily let go? It was just an empty title of viscount, which Zhiyuan didn't care about. He couldn't bear the thought of the family property he had built up with his wife being taken away by their greedy brothers and relatives.

  Zhiyuan comforted his wife, "Third brother will inherit the title, and we'll definitely separate households later. Bear with it for now."

  "I won't harm others if they don't harm me, I'm not willing to fight with them. If possible, I'll take a step back and yield, but if they bully me to the extreme, humph, let's see whose skills are better."

  Guarjia is not a good temper, she protects her husband and daughter tightly, apart from this, she doesn't want to argue with others. If you really provoke her, Guarjia can return tenfold, the most fatal thing is that there is no chance of counterattack. Beating someone is not just about knocking them down, but also trampling on them heavily, making it impossible for them to turn over. Seeing her makes people afraid, and eliminates any possibility of revenge from behind.

  Zhiyuan swallowed his saliva, he had experienced the ferocity of his wife. In the past two years, he had been on the verge of collapse when he saw Gualjia, and would tremble all over whenever he saw her, to the point where he no longer dared to appear within five miles of her.

  "Madam, the capital is not Huizhou." Zhiyuan reminded in a low voice. Guajia raised an eyebrow: "Don't worry, sir, the capital is much bigger than Huizhou, I can finally show off." That's right, that's right. Don't let anyone with no eyesight provoke Guajia, Zhiyuan said: "Is Yao'er asleep again? If she continues to be lazy, I'm afraid she won't get married."

  The majestic Gual Jia heard her daughter Shu Yao's name and suddenly lost energy, "How did I raise such a lazy girl?"

  Shu Mu Lu Zhi Yuan was also introspective, not that her daughter wasn't good enough, but rather that her daughter Shu Yao was too lazy. She would sit when she could lie down and lie down when she could sit, being extremely idle. "Madam, I think it's best for the young lady to practice needlework, so she can have something to show for herself in the future when we discuss marriage."

  Gua Lijia looked at Zhiyuan and asked solemnly: "Do you think she can master the feminine needlework?"

  Zhiyuan thought for a long time, patted his head and shook it: "I don't believe that piece of embroidery..." Zhiyuan found it hard to speak, a plum blossom embroidered for half a year, after his daughter finished embroidering, it was actually unrecognizable as the red plum on the pattern.