After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 777 Coldness
Wu Ke recovered from his illness after half a month of treatment.

His physical condition was weak, but he had been well cared for by the Duke of Zhenguo in recent years. He also rode horses and practiced archery on weekdays, and was no longer as thin as he was in the palace. He had a minor cold, but it didn't keep him bedridden for a long time.

However, the rumors about him falling into the water have not died down. He did not mention it, and the Zhou family did not mention it, but the famous scholar family that hosted the literary gathering and the guests who attended the gathering would not shut up for him. Even if he said that his falling into the water was just an accident, most people would be willing to accept that it was just an accident, but it could not stop the fact that the orphan of the Wu family almost lost his life from becoming a topic of discussion among the literary circles in the city.

The scholarly family that hosted the literary gathering could also take the opportunity to publicize it, saying that they had made very thoughtful arrangements, but they did not expect that the drunk Wu Ke would run to the remote and deserted lotus pond alone.

The literati and scholars present at the banquet naturally took the opportunity to express their feelings. They were really innocent and had been chatting with friends at the banquet. No one left, and they had nothing to do with Wu Ke falling into the water.

No one mentioned the two foreign scholars who were brought in for a free meal, and no one suspected them. Everyone tried to distance themselves from the matter, gossiping about the tragic fate of the Wu family, and wondering if their family would one day be extinct.
During the winter break before the New Year, the chances of families visiting each other increased significantly, and more people talked about this matter.

In such an environment of public opinion, how could Wu Ke dare to run around? He rarely saw outsiders, and just kept claiming that his illness had not been cured, closed the door to visitors, and took the opportunity to hide away.

Now he is taken care of by his cousin Wu Qiong and a capable housekeeper, and the Zhenguo Mansion sends people to visit him from time to time to show concern. The three teachers Xie, Cao and Lu are also always concerned about his schoolwork. They will send Jin Jiashu or Geng Tianyou to convey the content of the new courses to him and bring him new homework for him to study on his own... He has everything he needs and has something to do every day. He lives a fulfilling life in his own small house.

So he simply let himself be "sick" until the New Year's Eve.

After that, he could no longer be "sick". Only he and his cousin Wu Qiong were left in the Wu family. Even if they were living under someone else's roof, they still needed to offer sacrifices to their ancestors, worship their ancestors, and send greetings and gifts to their relatives and friends. There were still many things to do before and after the New Year. He had obviously recovered from his illness for a long time, and he could no longer push all the trivial matters onto his cousin, while he hid in his room and enjoyed his leisure time.

Wu Ke began to reappear in public, but he was no longer the focus of discussion in Chang'an. He finally breathed a sigh of relief. While busy, he was able to take time to visit his teachers more often, and meet and chat with his good friends Jin Jiashu and Geng Tianyou in his spare time.

The content of their conversation was later passed on to Haitang by Jin Jiashu, who learned that Wu Ke had given up the marriage with the Xin family.

He did not express his opinion, but he fell seriously ill after falling into the water. Prefect Xin only sent his servants to greet him, and then there was no movement. This is not the courtesy that people who are seeing each other should have. The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo complained about this and her attitude towards Madam Xin became much colder. However, the Xin family did not seem to be in a hurry at all, but seemed to be relieved.

Ma Shangyi found out that the day after Wu Ke fell into the water, there was a guest at Xin Zhifu's house. It seemed that he was from the capital. He looked quite capable and tough. His gestures were very much like those of the imperial guards. It was guessed that someone from the palace had sent a message to Xin Zhifu. Perhaps the emperor was not fooled by Xin Zhifu's explanation and still did not like the Xin family to marry the orphan of the Wu family, so Xin Zhifu backed off? The visitor left in a hurry and did not stay at Xin's house for long, but Xin Zhifu's family did become colder towards Wu Ke afterwards. They did not say that they would no longer see each other, but they always found excuses to refuse everything. They also said that their daughter could not stand the bitter cold in Chang'an and fell ill. Then the members of the Xin family mentioned it many times in front of outsiders, fearing that the eldest daughter would not be used to the climate here if she married in Chang'an, which would affect her lifespan.

With such an obvious attitude, there was no need to discuss this marriage any further. But the Xin family refused to give up, so the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo could not find another daughter for Wu Ke. At present, the relationship between the Duke of Zhenguo and the emperor was quite harmonious, and the prefect Xin was the latter's confidant. If there was a conflict between the Zhou and Xin families, it would be detrimental to the overall situation. The Duke of Zhenguo and his wife felt constrained and depressed. Wu Ke was relatively calm and took the initiative to appease the two elders and persuade them not to worry.

He didn't need to rush to get married. He had originally planned to arrange marriage after returning to Beijing. By then, the Wu family had gotten out of trouble, the family property had been returned, and the title had been obtained. Was he still worried about not being able to marry a lady from a well-known family who was a good match for him?

Wu Ke's desire for fame and fortune has faded a lot now. The Wu family owes so much debt, how can they revive the family without paying off the debt? If he hopes that the Xin family's marriage can help him, then he must be prepared that the Xin family is also using him. If he can't accept the Xin family's way of doing things, how can he shamelessly do the same thing?

It didn't matter if the marriage was blocked, since he had never planned to get married so early. Now that his cousin had moved out of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and lived with him, the brother and sister had established their own family in disguise and lived in their own "home". His cousin's wish had come true, and there was no need to rush into his cousin's marriage. Wu Ke simply let the Xin family delay, because he knew that many people from the two families were discussing marriage, and if the marriage failed in the future, he would not be the one to take the blame.

The last time the daughter of the Xin family saw someone, it took more than a year to get anything done. If the man was at fault the last time, and now she is seeing someone again and it has taken a long time, whose fault is that?
In Chang'an, under the eyes of the Zhou family, Wu Ke didn't worry about being smeared. As long as he wasn't busy getting married, he was calm and had the leisure to write a note to Jin Jiashu, asking him to go to the street to watch the lanterns together during the Lantern Festival.

Jin Jiashu received the invitation and went to look for Haitang: "Sister Hai, do you want to go to see the lanterns with me? There will be many people coming that day, including the young ladies of the Zhou family and Miss Wu, so you don't have to worry about being alone. I heard that the Zhenguo Mansion will also send male and female guards to accompany you, so that you don't run into any blind people who will ruin your fun."

Haitang smiled and said, "Did you receive the invitation too? Miss Xuejun and Miss Huajun from the Zhou family also sent me invitations, and cousin Yijun and Miss Wu also wrote to persuade me to go together. I have already told my grandparents that I will take Xiao Shitou with me on the night of the Lantern Festival. Xiao Shitou just asked me if I should invite you, but I didn't expect you to ask me first."

Jin Jiashu blinked and touched his nose a little embarrassedly: "Wu Ke said that those who go there will be brothers and sisters who are familiar with each other. Traveling together will save us from being alone and bored. The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has also booked a few private rooms in the restaurant next to the Lantern Festival, so that we can rest when we are tired. I think it should be quite interesting. If I wasn't worried that Grandpa Hai and Grandma Hai would not be used to being with young people like us, I would have wanted to invite them to travel together!"

Alas! There is no need to tell such lies. Which old man would be invited to a gathering of young people and spoil the mood?

Haitang glanced at Jin Jiashu and said with a smile, "My grandpa and grandma have other plans, so you don't have to worry about them. You and I are neighbors, so let's go together when the time comes, so we can be companions on the road. After the Lantern Festival, I will go find my sisters to play with, you just go meet your friends, I wish you have fun!"

(End of this chapter)