NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
This servant following Liang Jue knew that his master had never experienced such frustration before. Although Shen Li was not of noble birth, his mind was narrow, and he truly thought that his master was easy to manipulate.
Liang Jue sat back in his seat and meticulously adjusted his makeup: “Rumors are just rumors. The truth inside needs to be observed for some time before reaching a conclusion. As for why I respect him, he holds the title as the mistress’s stepfather. As the legitimate husband of the mistress, I should show respect to him publicly to avoid gossip.”
His father had investigated thoroughly for him. Shen Meng’s mother was a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites, although her position was not very high, she held real power. Shen Li had a slightly higher background and a domineering personality. After giving birth to two legitimate daughters and one legitimate son for Shen Meng’s mother, he held even more sway in the mansion. He was not someone to be easily bullied, but for Shen Meng’s sake, enduring some frustration like this was not a big deal.
The servant stood behind him, picking up a peach wood comb to tidy up his black hair and said, “Master is so considerate to the mistress, mistress is truly fortunate.”
The man in the mirror showed a hint of smile, then all of a sudden, it disappeared. “Did the mistress mentioned where she went this morning?”
He paused and added, “From now on, it’s better for you to call her Young Madam, and spread the word that those who came with me should not call her as mistress anymore.”
Although there wasn’t a big issue with this name, he just didn’t like it, and others following him to call Liang Jue as mistress wasn’t to his liking either.
The servant quickly responded, “Understood. I will pass on your words exactly as you said. You can trust me completely.”
The servant hesitated for a moment and added, “The Mistress, no, Young Madam left the mansion early this morning, perhaps she went to attend the morning court. Doesn’t Young Madam hold an official position? It seems she’s in the Hanlin Academy, you know, the Hanlin Academy is very busy.”
Liang Jue shook his head. “It shouldn’t be.”
Although Shen Meng held an official position, it wasn’t the kind of idle position. According to the custom of this dynasty, when marrying a legitimate husband, she could rest for seven consecutive days. This was a holiday given by the court, and she wouldn’t go to work during this time.
The servant, called Ai Ye, combed Liang Jue’s hair into an exceptionally beautiful bun while doing the final touches. He comforted, “Perhaps she went to read. I heard Young Madam is very upright, and there haven’t been any bad rumors about her. You can rest assured.”
As a man, he didn’t want his wife to have anyone else beside him, Ai Ye rarely understood this feeling, and he couldn’t dampen his spirits at his big wedding. He could only say something pleasant.
Liang Jue sighed, “Let’s hope so.” Perhaps because he had sought this marriage himself, he was especially worried.
After Liang Jue was tidied up, Ai Ye took the clothes he changed out of and went out. Just as he stepped out, he bumped into someone. Looking up, he immediately turned his head back, calling out to Liang Jue with a pleasantly surprised expression, “Young Master, look who’s back?”
“Hush…” The newcomer was about to stop him from speaking, but Liang Jue peeked out from behind the screen and rushed over with a surprised expression, “You’re back.”
Shen Meng casually placed the book in her arms aside. “I had to go out for something. Why didn’t you rest a little longer?”
“I’ve already slept enough. If I sleep any longer, I’ll turn into a pig,” Liang Jue said with a hint of annoyance.
They teased each other here, while Ai Ye, behind Shen Meng, squeezed his eyebrows at Liang Jue and then closed the door to the newlywed couple’s room very thoughtfully.
Facing Shen Li and the servant, Liang Jue remained poised and maintained his demeanor as the young master of the family. However, when facing Shen Meng, his face quickly turned red, not knowing where to put his hands and feet. It wasn’t until Shen Meng took off her outer clothes and sat down that he stuttered, “Can I ask, where did mistress go earlier?”
“Don’t call me mistress,” Shen Meng’s words turned Liang Jue’s face from red to snow white.
Seeing him lose color, Shen Meng quickly added, “Don’t misunderstand, what I mean is we don’t need to be so formal. You can just call me by my name. There’s no need for this kind of formal politeness between us. You are my legitimate husband, and no one is more qualified than you.”
The blood returned to Liang Jue’s face, even redder than before. “I feel calling you mistress is more intimate.”
He didn’t really want to call Shen Meng by her name, and her title was also used by others. Only the title of mistress was unique and belonged to him.
Shen Meng tugged at the corner of her mouth, trying to make her expression look more gentle. “It’s not a big deal. Call me whatever makes you comfortable.”
In their previous life, they didn’t start off like this. Seeing Liang Jue like this, Shen Meng couldn’t help but feel emotional, but she didn’t forget to answer Liang Jue’s previous question, “I had a question I’ve been pondering for a long time and wanted to look it up in books. Luckily, I had some free time these past few days, so I went to find some books.”
When Liang Jue faced Shen Li and the servant, Shen Meng really went to the Imperial City and stayed in the library of the Hanlin Academy. She didn’t do it to show how diligent she was, but for the matter of her rebirth. After consulting a large amount of information, she finally found several relevant books.
Originally, according to her personality, she could have spent a day in the library. It just happened that a colleague asked her about her recent marriage, and she remembered that there was a new husband at home who needed comfort.
In her past life, she might have left Liang Jue at home, but she remembered the scene before her rebirth and found herself walking back home unconsciously. By the time she realized it, she was already sitting in the carriage back home with her book.
Liang Jue glanced at the books Shen Meng had placed aside. From the titles and covers, they were all miscellaneous essays and unofficial histories, which made him curious, “Does mistress also enjoy reading these kinds of books?”
Shen Meng was a genuine scholar, and Liang Jue’s understanding of her was only superficial, mostly based on distant observations and information obtained from his parents. These kinds of books were often looked down upon by literati, and even young men in the family would be criticized for using them to pass the time. He didn’t expect Shen Meng to read this type of book.
“It’s fine, it’s just something I needed to look up. Let’s not talk about it for now,” Shen Meng paused for a moment, “I heard that father has already visited just now.”
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¹”Young Madam (少夫人)”: It’s a title used to address the wife of a lower-ranking official or a younger woman of status. It’s relatively less formal compared to just “Mistress” and may imply a slightly lower social status or age.
²”Mistress (夫人)”: is a general term for addressing a married woman of high social standing or respect, often the wife of a high-ranking official or a person of authority.