Transmigrated Genius: Fragile Heiress Reigns Supreme-Chapter 655 - 657: New Mansion (Part 4)

No wonder Fourth Master Xiao has some doubts; seeing such a sleeping posture, she couldn’t help but wonder how Master Pang managed to sleep at night.

No longer sleepy, with nowhere to lie down, she walked to the treasure cabinet and opened the chest. Chunliu hadn’t yet tidied up the room’s contents. She opened a box, which contained four identical boxes. One box held the hairpin that Fourth Master Xiao first gave her; another contained the jewelry brought to her on the night he proposed. Yet another was from when he took her to the bride’s house, passing by Hongyan Building for a meal, and in the backyard, he gave her a box of silver notes and a deed for five hundred mu of land, still inside it. After a year of use, not only had the silver notes not decreased, but they had increased; part was from the profits of the medical hall, and part was later supplemented by Fourth Master Xiao. There was another box she received on her birthday, with a hairpin exactly the same...

She laughed softly, carefully putting the boxes back in place, wondering how many such boxes she could collect in her lifetime. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

She looked up again at the room where she had lived for nearly a year. She had never meticulously decorated it. Everything had stayed where it was when she first arrived, only adding her belongings to one side. It was the same in the yard; she only cultivated a patch of Panax notoginseng in the back and didn’t do any other superfluous tasks. When managing household affairs, she only delegated tasks, never feeling a sense of gain or loss with silver coins or the warehouse key. Even in disciplining unruly servant women, she’d only kind of guide them...

Now she suddenly realized, perhaps subconsciously, she always knew she would eventually have to move out, which is why she didn’t want to expend unnecessary energy.

What is this feeling called, a lack of belonging?

Xiqiu turned with a sigh and sat down on the chair, taking up the needle and thread from the basket. The small clothes she was making for Madam Xia were not finished yet. She sat under the lamp, stitching. Time passed slowly, quietly, just like at this moment, Fourth Master Xiao was sitting under a lamp, approving documents that didn’t require urgency...

Xiao Yanzheng woke up startled in the middle of the night, looking for Xiqiu, only to find her at the table. She got up awkwardly: "Fourth Sister-in-law, I’m sorry, I slept too deeply just then."

"It’s fine!" Xiqiu smiled and said, "I slept a lot during the day, so I can’t fall asleep at night."

Xiao Yanzheng still felt a bit embarrassed, and with a smile, said, "I’ve been like this since I was a child. The girls in my room have to stay by my bed at night, for fear that I might roll off and hurt myself. Yet I am unaware, and sleep very soundly!"

Xiqiu chuckled, "My fourth elder sister from my parents’ home also sleeps like that, tossing and turning with legs sprawling everywhere..." She paused and teased Xiao Yanzheng, "But not as much as you."

"Fourth Sister-in-law!" Xiao Yanzheng wished she could crawl into a hole. Seeing Xiqiu laughing, she understood Xiqiu was poking fun at her, and with a raised eyebrow, retorted, "Then this time I’ll sit next to you, waiting to see your sleeping posture."

Neither of them would yield, yet they laughed together. Xiao Yanzheng assisted Xiqiu, saying, "I’ll wrap myself in the quilt, and now you can rest assured, right?"

She indeed wrapped herself up, lying properly on the outside, promising, "Rest assured, if I’m cautious, I definitely won’t sleep so soundly again!" She leaned closer to Xiqiu’s ear and whispered, "My husband can testify."

Xiqiu found it hilarious, feeling that Xiao Yanzheng was very adorable—forthright and sincere, kind-hearted yet not entirely without wit.

So, the two laid down separately, and sure enough, as she said, she didn’t move for the rest of the night.

Early the next morning, Chunliu and the others had packed the remaining items onto the carriage. Xiqiu and Fourth Master Xiao, holding Min’s hand, went together to the Grand Dowager’s room. Everyone silently escorted them to the Yimen; Xiqiu, holding Min’s hand, stood in front of the carriage and noticed the Grand Dowager’s eyes had grown red.

Xiao Yanzheng stood aside crying, while the First Madam’s face also had a faint mourning expression. Min released Xiqiu’s hand and threw himself into the Grand Dowager’s embrace. The family cried at the door for quite some time. Xiqiu boarded the carriage, which slowly drove out of the Xuanning Marquis Mansion. Some servant girls and women peeked their heads out from the doorway, but didn’t joke or mock as they did on regular days.

When the carriage reached the door, it brushed past the Tang family’s carriage; perhaps the First Young Madam Tang was there to visit the First Madam.

"Mother, I’ve made up my mind!" Min looked at Xiqiu and then lowered his head, saying, "I want to come back here to listen to Mr. Song’s lectures in the future."

Xiqiu had anticipated this and wasn’t surprised, nodding in agreement: "In the future, Tiancheng and Erquan will escort you back and forth daily, though it’s a bit of hardship for you." Min shook his head vigorously, responding, "It’s fine, I’m not afraid of the hardship."

Xiqiu nodded.

Min then tilted his head up, asking, "Mother, is the new mansion big?" Xiqiu hadn’t been there before and uncertainly said, "It shouldn’t be too small."

"Then can we leave a courtyard for Brother Xing and Brother Sheng and Grandmother, so it’ll be convenient for them to stay over in the future?" Min tilted his head, somewhat uncertainly looking at Xiqiu.

Xiqiu raised her eyebrows slightly, naturally responding, "Of course, once we reach the new mansion, you can pick out a couple of rooms for them, and later invite Brother Xing and Grandmother to stay for a while, would that be good?"

Min looked quite happy, the sadness of departure considerably lightened, smiling as he said, "Thank you, Mother!"

Xiqiu gave a gentle smile.

The current Great Governor Mansion, which was the former Sixth Prince Mansion, is located on Lin An Street. According to Nanny Cen, besides the two mountains in the backyard, the yard covers about eighty acres. Originally, the garden was not the residence of the Sixth Prince but of the famed General Meng Zuohu of the previous dynasty. Emperor Gaozong of the previous dynasty ordered the construction of the garden. Initially, the garden wasn’t as large as it is now. When the late Emperor gifted it to the Sixth Prince, he expanded it by incorporating the two forests in the backyard and the vacant General Mansion next door, forming its current size.

The carriage paused in front of the main gate. Fourth Master Xiao was mounted outside the carriage. Xiqiu understood his intention, lifting a corner of the curtain, her gaze sweeping across the grand gate. The vermilion-painted main gate had three doors, densely studded with brass bolts. Xiqiu didn’t have time to count as her gaze was drawn to a large plaque above the gate, silver background with red letters, inscribed with three gilded characters: Governor Mansion.

Outside the gate stood two stone lions, grand and imposing, with mouths agape, holding a round pearl, guarding the towering entrance of the mansion, exuding a sense of awe and intimidation.

Min marveled and turned to ask Xiqiu, "Mother, is this the new mansion?" Even the maid accompanying the carriage couldn’t help expressing exclamations.

Xiqiu nodded, and Min sighed, "The gate looks like the Marquis Mansion’s gate, but even newer."

Xiqiu noticed Fourth Master Xiao’s eyebrow twitch.

She was hesitant to continue holding up the curtain, so she let it fall, laughing. Outside, they heard Fourth Master Xiao’s soft voice saying, "There are east and west corner gates on both sides. The usual comings and goings will be through the east side."

Xiqiu assented as the carriage started moving again, passing around the main gate and entering through the East Corner Gate. Upon entering, there was a path paved with uniform bluestone slabs. The sides of the path were lined with green plants, leading to a screen wall at the end, featuring a bold ink landscape painting exuding majestic vigor. The carriage passed the screen wall to see a row of side rooms, with three attendants standing with heads bowed in front of each. Xiqiu understood this was the tea room and gatehouse. Further ahead from the tea room were two rows of twelve exterior study rooms. Further ahead was a small pond, extending leftward to what they initially saw as the main gate.