My wife has a secret

Chapter 1 Five What?
Da Qi, Suzhou City.

Xu Mansion, backyard, lotus pond.

Xu Qing staggered out of the water, holding onto the surrounding rockery and strange rocks, and retched for a long time.

He was soaked to the skin and looked extremely miserable.

"Cough...cough..."

After a short cough, Xu Qing regained some consciousness, and his knees, which had been numbed by the river water, also regained some feeling.

Looking around, the unfamiliar environment made his brain crash and he began to have questions.

"Where am I?"

Xu Qing remembered that he was working overtime in the company. Later, he felt inexplicably sleepy, so he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Sudden death? Time travel? It seems like a standard novel plot.

It's just that this way of dying is a bit frustrating.

Xu Qing shone the light into the water for a long time and finally found some clues.

The surface of the water in the pond was blurry and hazy, and the facial features reflected in it were roughly the same as those in my previous life.

The only thing was that the clothes he was wearing were somewhat different from what he remembered. The original casual and loose modern clothes had been replaced by complicated ancient costume brocade robes.

Just as Xu Qing was in a daze, finding it incredible that he could travel through time, a burst of hurried and chaotic footsteps came from behind him.

"It's right here! I just saw someone fall into the water... Master? Why is it you!"

The thin female voice was suddenly raised, highlighting the person's surprise.

"You, you are going to the school for class today, why are you in this garden..."

Xu Qing turned around and saw a pretty girl in plain clothes and double braids, leading a group of servants of all kinds coming towards him.

Next to her stood a middle-aged man dressed in tight clothes and a square hat.

The man was tall, with a broad face and slightly scattered silver hair at his temples.

"There's no time to worry about that now! Can't you see that the young master is soaked? Quickly light up the heater in the next room, help the young master in to rest, and prepare a set of clean, warm clothes."

The middle-aged man looked anxious and his eyes were red. He seemed to be extremely concerned about Xu Qing falling into the water. He almost frowned and shouted until his voice broke.

The people around him also got busy in response to his words and rushed in all directions.

But Xu Qing's next words made these people stop what they were doing.

"Um, who are you?"

The originally noisy scene became silent.

……

The one who led Xu Qing was the thin little maid who was dressed simply.

She brought Xu Qing to the next yard, walked around a dark gray entrance wall, and opened the main house in the north direction of the yard.

This is a house with elegant decoration and a quiet and pleasant interior environment.

There are several landscape ink paintings hanging at the door, and the inner room is filled with tall bookshelves and potted plants.

There were so many paintings and calligraphy as well as plants that there was no place to stay in the room.

Xu Qing walked past the empty seat vacated by the little maid and sat on the bed at the end.

Holding your breath and concentrating, in addition to the slightly pungent scent of ink, you can also smell a faint fragrance lingering around.

"Where is this?"

The little girl opened her red lips slightly, as if she wanted to say something.

After a moment, she swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth and carefully checked Xu Qing's condition.

"Master, you really don't remember anything?"

Although Xu Qing still has the memory of the 996 work schedule in his previous life, he has no impression of the predecessor of this body.

"Can not remember."

"Young Master, your surname is Xu and your name is Qing. You are the only legitimate son of the Xu family for nine generations."

Nine generations of a single-line succession? Is that so rare?

Xu Qing swallowed calmly and glanced at the maid in front of him.

This was his first encounter with a maidservant in the ancient world.

"Well, what's your name?"

"I am a lowly servant, I don't have a surname or a given name, everyone calls me Xiao Huan."

"Xiao Huan? It sounds nice."

When Xiaohuan heard Xu Qing's casual compliment, her face froze and she stood there in a daze.

Before yesterday, the young master was a feared evil star in the mansion, and everyone tried to avoid him.

When the maids in the mansion heard that they had to take turns on duty in his room, they would often be so scared that they secretly wiped away their tears and became listless.

But the young master now behaves differently from usual. He has an easy-going personality and seems unusually easy to talk to. Could it be that... he really has lost his memory?
"Any other information... well, where my family is from, whether I know anyone, etc."

Xiaohuan withdrew her thoughts, tilted her head and thought for a while, then continued speaking in a low voice.

"The master and his wife passed away early. I have never heard of them or seen them. I only know that your aunt brought you up when you were a child. As the only descendant of the Xu family in Suzhou, you are very favored in the mansion. In addition, there are four young ladies in the mansion now..."

"Wait? Four what? Did you remember it wrong? Am I not the only young master in the Xu Mansion?"

After hearing this, Xu Qing could no longer remain calm and interrupted Xiaohuan's speech.

He wanted to take this opportunity to learn more about this world so that he could adapt to his new identity.

But who would have thought that he would find out something incredible.

Xiaohuan didn't notice Xu Qing's strange expression at all. Instead, she counted again on her fingers.

"Yes, if you count the fifth young lady who has not yet married, then there are five young ladies."

"what?"

The corners of Xu Qing's mouth twitched slightly.

In his previous life, he didn’t even have two girlfriends, let alone getting married and having children.

But when he traveled through time, he suddenly had five wives whom he had never met. How could he stay calm?
He had no objection to inheriting the huge family business of the Xu family, but he couldn't just wear the original owner's old shoes and raise someone else's son, right?
"Xiao Huan, I want to ask you something. Please tell me... I don't look very old, do I?"

Xu cleared his throat and asked the question in his mind.

"Young Master is 29 years old this year, which is the age of becoming a child."

"So I have five wives?"

Xiao Huan opened her eyes wide and choked for a long time before she remembered that wife was a colloquial term used by the common people to refer to their wives. "Yes, Master."

Xu Qing had read some historical documents and ancient novels in his previous life, and knew that although wealthy families in ancient times were allowed to have concubines and maids, they still practiced the most standard monogamy.

Apart from the main wife, the status of a concubine is often very low, not much different from that of an ordinary servant.

Some concubines would even be regarded as gifts and given among relatives and friends, so they were generally not called "young wives".

But looking at how cautious and careful this maid was just now, it seemed that she was very respectful to every wife and concubine in the mansion.

Why is that?
"Master, we are now in the Third Young Madam's inner chamber. According to the Third Young Madam's temperament and rules, you are not allowed to set foot here."

Xu Qing was slightly stunned, not quite understanding the meaning of Xiao Huan's words. Wasn't he the young master of the Xu family? Why couldn't he enter his wife's boudoir?
He remembered that in ancient society, men were superior to women and the husband was the leader of the wife. When could a woman set rules for her husband?
"Master, when we got married, you said that the Third Young Lady was like a puppet, unromantic, and that any actress out there would be more interesting than her... You also said that even if you were to freeze or starve to death in Hongluan Tower, you would never have anything to do with the Third Young Lady, let alone step into this room."

"what?"

Xu Qing's face froze. He never expected that his predecessor had done such a thing. Wasn't this just digging a hole for himself?
However, judging from the intensity of the original owner's words, this third lady must have some flaws in her appearance and personality, which is why the original owner was unwilling to even contact her.

"In fact, it's not just the Third Young Madam. The other Young Madams have also banned you..."

"Cough cough."

Just as Xiaohuan was about to tell her all her heroic deeds, the middle-aged man who had previously commanded the servants in the yard knocked on the door and interrupted her speech with a cough.

Xiaohuan was silent as a cicada and dared not make any sound anymore.

"Master, don't listen to the gossips of the servants in the mansion. You have a very good reputation in our mansion... No, it should be the whole Suzhou City. There are no rules or prohibitions."

The middle-aged man brought in the brazier, placed it in front of Xu Qing, and waited beside him, grinning twice.

Anyone could see that what he just said was against his will.

"Open flames are not allowed in the Third Young Madam's room. I brought this basin of charcoal from the servants' room. Master, please make do with it."

Now that he had the brazier to warm himself, Xu Qing's mental state improved a lot. He asked about the identity of the middle-aged man.

"Your name……"

The man wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead with his wide sleeves, and continued with a stiff face: "Hai Dafu, the chief steward of the Xu Mansion... Master, can you please stop joking? It's just skipping class and falling into the water. Just go to the old lady to pay your respects this afternoon and everything will be fine..."

"I really have amnesia."

Although what Xu Qing said was true, Hai Dafu obviously didn't trust him. This gentleman had made too many mistakes before. If there wasn't another capable head of the family in the capital, the Xu family would have been ruined by Xu Qing long ago.

None of the young ladies in the mansion married into the Xu family out of their own preference for Xu Qing.

"Master, if you continue to make trouble like this, the old lady will probably ask me to invite some famous doctors to lock you up in your room to recuperate. By then, you won't be able to leave the main gate of the Xu Mansion, let alone Hongluan Tower and Zuiyuan Pavilion."

"And I heard that Mingyuxuan recently launched some good wine called Zui Sheng Meng Si. Those who have tasted it will never forget its taste. I will secretly give some of the monthly payment to you, young master. You can gather with the young masters of the Zhu and Zhang families and have a good time."

There was no change in Xu Qing's expression or eyes.

After being in charge of the Xu Mansion for more than twenty years and watching Xu Qing grow up naked, the old butler finally realized that something was wrong.

Under normal circumstances, the young master would have raised the white flag and surrendered long ago.

"Master, are you really not kidding me?"

Xu Qing was too lazy to repeat himself to him. Fortunately, Xiao Huan knew his behavior before and after falling into the water. She took the initiative to lean close to Hai Guanjia's ear and whispered a few words to him.

After hearing Xiaohuan's testimony, Butler Hai's hair stood on end and cold sweat broke out.

Xu Qing is the only son of the Xu family who has been passed down for nine generations. He is extremely precious and is treated as his own son by his master in the capital.

If the other party blames them, they, the servants, will be held responsible and everyone will lose their heads.

Seeing that Manager Hai was stunned and speechless, Xu Qing turned his attention elsewhere and admired the various ink paintings hanging in the room.

In Xu Qing's previous life, ink painting was known as Chinese painting, which used the changes in the thickness of ink to highlight the sense of layering.

Although Xu Qing is not an expert in this field, he can still see some beauty from an ordinary person's perspective.

"The mountains and waters are both clear and bright, and the land is divided into a line. The spring breeze is intoxicated and the sun shines late on the riverside... Such a good painting is really ruined by this poem."

"Master, it's already this late, do you still have time to appreciate paintings and poems? Come with me to the old lady to report your safety and explain the whole story of how you fell into the water."

Chief Steward Hai looked anxious and bitter.

Xiao Huan raised her head and quietly reminded, "Butler, the young master hasn't changed his clothes yet."

Chief Steward Hai slapped his head and nodded rapidly, "Yes, yes, yes, I almost forgot about this! Help the young master change his clothes, I'll be waiting at the door, this matter cannot be delayed for a moment."

Steward Hai strode out of the house. Xiaohuan's eyelids drooped and her cheeks turned slightly red.

"Master, let me help you change your clothes... You got soaked through this time, so you need to change from inside to outside."

……

After the group of grumbling people left the main house, the master and the servant slowly walked out of the side chamber and returned to their own territory.

The woman in the lead was the owner of this courtyard, Lu Wanhe, the third young lady of the Xu family.

She has a slender and graceful figure, and an oval face with delicate features, as beautiful as a painting.

But the most eye-catching thing is the pair of beautiful eyes as clear as autumn water.

Spots of light dotted her pupils, making the Third Young Lady look elegant and refined, like a drop of dew on a green lotus leaf, crystal clear, bright and dazzling.

"Miss, this Xu guy is really too much of a bully! He talked nonsense when we got married, and not only did he go out to have a life of debauchery, but he also sent people to move us to a corner of the backyard, the most shabby yard! If Miss hadn't felt sorry for him falling into the water today, why would she have let him into her bedroom to warm up?"

The maid who followed behind the woman was so angry that her face turned ashen.

In her opinion, Xu Qing bullied them everywhere just because she saw that her young lady was soft-hearted.

The eldest son of the Xu family didn't even dare to utter a word in front of the other young ladies.

"Okay, Ji Xia, he is still my husband in name only, so stop talking."

Lu Wanhe bent down and took down the ink painting of mountains and rivers. His black pearl-like pupils looked deep and bright.

Ji Xia poked her head out, "Is this the painting that the young master just commented on? Doesn't he know that the person who wrote the poem on the young lady's painting is none other than Master Nie, the great literary figure of today?"

Lu Wanhe shook his head.

"There's Master Nie's name stamped on the back. He went to school there, so there's no way he wouldn't recognize it... It seems like my husband has really lost his memory."

Ji Xia opened his mouth slightly, a look of shock appeared on his pretty face.

"Miss, could it be that the young master lost his memory because of that incident... It's over! If they find out, will they blame us?"

Lu Wanhe turned sideways and looked out the window.

The breeze was blowing gently, and the autumn chrysanthemums in the yard fell to the ground and turned into frost.

"If he wants my life, I will pay him back."

　The new book is about to start. Without further ado, I would like to ask for all kinds of support and suggestions from fellow book lovers. I guarantee that the book will be completed.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)