CHAPTER 141: CHAPTER 141 DIGNIFIED

Dignified?

Did she just say the word dignified?

Xie Jingchen was a bit skeptical, wondering if he heard wrong.

He looked at Su Jin.

Su Jin wondered if there was something on her face.

"Do you even have the word ’dignified’ in your Qingyun Mountain dictionary?" Xie Jingchen asked seriously.

"..."

Su Jin looked at Xie Jingchen.

She blinked and smiled, "You’re not looking to borrow our dictionary, are you? I won’t lend you the dictionary, but if you don’t know, I can teach you to write it."

Su Jin looked as if she was saying, "Don’t be polite with me."

Xie Jingchen stood up with a face full of exasperation.

His front foot stepped out the door, and the next moment, a burst of unrestrained laughter exploded.

The laughter was so loud that it scared the maids in the courtyard into dropping the copper basins they were holding.

The maids and elderly ladies all looked toward the inner room.

The exasperation on their faces practically dripping down.

Was the Eldest Young Madam laughing this hard because she had gone mad?

Did the Eldest Young Master come out because he couldn’t take it anymore?

Xie Jingchen stood under the veranda, looking up at a 45-degree angle.

Is there anyone in this world more "dignified" than his wife?

Inside the room.

Su Jin was rolling around on the small couch, laughing.

Xingxing was smiling from ear to ear and said, "Miss, we should laugh a bit more dignifiedly."

Su Jin, "..."

"Do you know what a dignified laugh is?" Su Jin asked.

"Of course I know. Madam said a proper lady doesn’t show her teeth when she smiles," Xingxing replied.

"A smile can’t express my joy," Su Jin said.

"When something is this funny, it’s hard not to laugh, but if Madam finds out, she’ll definitely scold you. I just saw your molars; you were wise to send your husband out," Xingxing flashed her pearly whites.

"..."

Why is this maid so deserving of a beating?

Was her laugh really that unrestrained?

Xingxing leaned in and said, "Are we going to the palace to treat the Emperor’s illness?"

"No," Su Jin decisively said.

"Huh? Really not going? The Emperor is quite nice," Xingxing said guiltily.

She didn’t even dare claim the Emperor was nice at this point.

The Emperor is so nice, how could she be heartless enough to let him be stung by a wasp?

Su Jin smiled, "The Emperor is nice, but chasing after something isn’t a trade. Besides, if this matter blows up, it benefits and harms the Emperor equally."

The Empress Dowager had someone put poison in the ointment that Xingxing gave to Eunuch Fu. Whether it was intentional or not, the Emperor suffered.

You can’t say that just because your intention wasn’t to kill someone, you’re not responsible for their death.

Poisoning the Emperor, on a small scale, is an accident. But on a large scale, it’s regicide—a crime punishable by the execution of one’s entire family.

Of course, with Duke Chong practically running the government, it’s unlikely they would kill the Empress Dowager, not to mention the Emperor has to preserve the Royal Family’s reputation.

Also, for his own reputation—being stung on the backside by a wasp... If this got out, who knows how many would laugh themselves silly.

For his own dignity and for the Royal Family’s reputation, the Emperor would suppress this matter.

But after being in pain for a few days, there’s no way the Emperor wouldn’t hold a grudge, so he’s taking this chance to take action against Duke Chong.

The Empress Dowager made a mistake; Duke Chong knows the Emperor is threatening them, but they have no choice but to endure it.

At this point, Duke Chong doesn’t dare defy the Emperor, but he can threaten the court officials. Anyone attempting to file a complaint to the Emperor now is opposing him.

Even with the Emperor’s protection, if Duke Chong wanted to kill someone, they could try and see if they could escape.

No one dared to take that gamble.

Without anyone filing a complaint, the Emperor couldn’t force officials to impeach Duke Chong and his faction, so that’s where the matter ended.

Knowing it’s the Empress Dowager who poisoned, but unable to reduce the swelling for her, Su Jin guessed that the poison she used had some reaction with her ointment, changing the toxicity, making the antidote ineffective.

Xie Jingchen said she could earn merit, meaning that today the Imperial Physician would come to ask her where the ointment came from, thereby figuring out its formula.

She would wait quietly.

The sound of laughter disappeared, and Xie Jingchen turned back to the room. Seeing Su Jin leaning on the small couch, he suppressed a smile and said, "Your dignity is a bit crooked."

Su Jin, "..."

Silently, Su Jin straightened herself a bit.

When Xie Jingchen sat down, she started eating.

Throughout the meal, she chewed slowly, saying nothing, making Xie Jingchen look at her several times and say, "Isn’t it tiring to carry dignity on yourself like this?"

"Have some pity on me and carry it for a while?" Su Jin gave a smiling face.

"..."

Xingxing looked at Xie Jingchen.

She couldn’t imagine what a dignified husband would be like.

Xie Jingchen, exasperated, said, "Let the maid carry it for you."

Xingxing shook her head like a rattle drum.

She didn’t want to be dignified.

When Madam was teaching Miss to be dignified, she was there. Eat slowly, don’t speak loudly, don’t expose your embroidered shoes when walking, can’t run or jump, and even when quarreling, you can’t put your hands on your hips or glare at people—

Those days, Miss was almost driven ill.

The Marquis protected Miss, nearly arguing with Madam.

Luckily, Madam eventually listened to the Marquis.

Su Jin chewed on her chopsticks, looking at Xingxing, said, "Xingxing, how about you carry it? A dignified bandit maid would certainly make people drop their jaws in astonishment."

Xingxing, "..."

"I’m not eating now; can I not carry it?" Xingxing said pitifully.

"..."

"Go eat," Su Jin chuckled.

Xingxing’s mouth cracked a smile, but then Su Jin added, "Eat well to have the strength to carry it."

Xingxing, "..."

Seeing her aggrieved look, Su Jin said, "Just teasing you, go eat."

Xingxing glanced back three times, confirming Su Jin was serious before happily going to eat breakfast.

Just a moment ago, she was so scared she needed to eat a couple of extra meat buns.

After breakfast, Su Jin and Xingxing went to the small courtyard to teach the maids to massage shoulders and back.

After a few days of training, the maids basically got the hang of it.

But that’s not enough.

The most important part was foot massage.

There are many acupuncture points on the feet, and massaging them can also help people relax.

Mrs. Wang arrived early and greeted, "Eldest Young Madam."

"Go wash your feet first," Su Jin instructed.

"..."

Mrs. Wang’s face flushed red. She glanced at her own feet, then silently followed Xingxing.

Soon after, Xingxing came back rubbing her eyes.

Su Jin saw it and asked, "What’s up with your eyes, got sand in them?"

Xingxing shook her head, "No sand, but Mrs. Wang’s feet are eye-watering, so I couldn’t stand it and came back."

Su Jin, "..."

The maids, "..."

Su Jin scanned the maids’ feet, horrified by Xingxing’s words into a mental shadow.

"Go call your master," Su Jin ordered.

"Right away," Xingxing replied.

Inside the bamboo house, Xie Jingchen was reading.

Xingxing hurriedly entered and said, "Master, Miss wants you to come over."

Xie Jingchen furrowed his brow, "Weren’t you teaching the maids to massage shoulders and back, what do you want with me?"

"No more shoulder and back massage; Miss is teaching them foot massage, but Mrs. Wang’s feet stink," Xingxing stated honestly.

"..."

Xie Jingchen was full of exasperation.

Being an Eldest Young Madam, massaging shoulders and backs was already outrageous enough, and now foot massage?

Does she not care at all what others think of her?

"Master, hurry up," Xingxing urged when he didn’t move.

"..."

Xie Jingchen went to the small courtyard.

The little maids’ eyes seemed glued to him, following wherever he went.

Xingxing glared them back.

The little maids, fearing Xingxing’s ferocity, quietly shifted their gaze to Su Jin.

Su Jin dragged Xie Jingchen to lie on the small couch.

With a few deft moves, she took off his shoes.

Then she taught the maids foot massage.

A pair of white hands pressed on the acupoints, tickling slightly.

And not just the foot, but also the heart.