Chapter 266 - 274: A Field of Study

“What is this?” Su Wenyue asked, looking at the large boxes that Han Yu had his men bring in.

This morning, Han Yu had left early and by this time he had returned, bringing in several large boxes with an air of mystery. She wondered what was inside them. Could they be spoils from the recent attack on the stronghold? Su Wenyue thought about what she had heard from other officers’ wives: typically, their men would only turn over a fraction of the loot to the Imperial Court while the majority would be divided in private. Without these extra shares, even with their monthly army provisions, most in their position would struggle to make ends meet, not everyone had the wealth of a dowry from their mother’s family like hers.

Su Wenyue had only heard about it before, and although Han Yu had gone on missions, albeit infrequently, he had never brought any loot home. She wondered whether the tasks assigned to him had no benefits worth mentioning, or there was some other reason.

“These are spoils from the stronghold. A small portion has been submitted to the Imperial Court, and the rest we’ve kept and divided. This is my share; I picked out some useful items to bring back, and I’ve placed the rest in a proper place. It’s surprising that these bandits, despite not being settled for long, had accumulated quite a trove of good things. It just goes to show how ruthless they were; they deserved their fate,” Han Yu explained, seemingly feeling that such a bloody topic was too inappropriate for his daughter-in-law.

“Take a look at these items; if there’s anything you can use, keep it. If not, you can give it away as gifts during the New Year. It would save us the expense of buying new ones,” Han Yu continued, fully aware of the cost of the yearly festivities, even with his wife’s extreme frugality and their saving in other areas. Sometimes, in order to network with colleagues or superiors, one couldn’t appear too stingy.

“Alright, you can put them there; I’ll take a look later,” Su Wenyue thought, correctly guessing what they were, but her interest in items looted from a bandit’s den wasn’t significant.

Even if she wasn’t fond of goods from a bandit’s den, what needed to be kept had to be kept. Using them as gifts was an excellent use. Su Wenyue never had any pretense of high-mindedness—this was an unspoken rule within the military camp, and if Han Yu were the only one not to indulge, he would appear out of step, possibly even harboring ulterior motives, making him a target of isolation and wariness by everyone. Indeed, being an official involved knowing certain arts; one couldn’t succeed simply through hard work and earnestness. The world of officialdom had its shades of gray.

“Fine, you can take your time going through them. I’ve left everything to your discretion.”

These words from Han Yu weren’t taken to heart by Su Wenyue. With the experience from her past lives, she had seen plenty of fine things; what could items from the bandits’ hideout amount to? While they might be valuable, they couldn’t truly be considered good things. Her tastes were rather high, but upon opening the boxes to sort their contents later, she was surprised to find that the bandits indeed had many excellent items, and Han Yu hadn’t deceived her.

Inside the large boxes were not only silks and satins but also pearls, jade, and a collection of antiques, such as books and paintings. The most exciting find for Su Wenyue was an ancient book on the inheritance of embroidery techniques. Compared to the sewing methods used in this era, this book recorded a type of needlework she had never seen before, with both technique and the final effect being superior. If she mastered it, her embroidery skills would surely reach a higher level.

Seeing Su Wenyue’s eyes glued to the ancient book on embroidery, Han Yu realized that his wife really did have a fondness for needlework. Ever since he learned that she had tirelessly worked on embroidery pieces to earn silver, he had been reluctant to allow her to engage in such work. However, if she truly enjoyed it, he wouldn’t stop her, as long as she took care of her health and didn’t strain her eyes.

Su Wenyue was so engrossed in the book that she sat on the floor, forgetting about her image. Her attention was completely captured, reminiscent of how Han Yu behaved when he first got ahold of a military book. She had started by squatting to rummage through the items but eventually sat down as her legs went numb. Han Yu took the book from her hands and picked her up.

“Look at the state you’re in! Everything has to be done in moderation. Who sits directly on the ground like this? It’s so cold, and the floor is freezing. How can you be so careless with your health?” Han Yu wasn’t exactly concerned with decorum; he just couldn’t stand to see Su Wenyue neglecting her health. Though it was a small issue, he still chided her.

“Hehe, I just forgot, and I’m dressed warmly, so I don’t feel cold,” Su Wenyue laughed off, her mind still on the passage explaining needlework techniques. But she didn’t dare ask Han Yu for the book again, or she would face another long lecture.

It took nearly two hours for Su Wenyue and Aunt Li, along with a few other old women, to organize the contents of the several boxes. By that time, Han Yu had already been called away on some urgent matter. Su Wenyue saw that he didn’t look troubled, so she didn’t concern herself with it.

The sisters, Lan Xin and Lan Fang, had worked hard these past days, so Su Wenyue picked out a few items suitable for young girls. The clothes made for Lan Xin and Lan Fang were ready: exquisite and lovely, so much that Su Wenyue herself admired them. Aunt Li and Grandma Chen praised them too, “Madam’s embroidery skills have truly improved. Look at the flowers on the clothes; they look so real.”

“Yes, such beautiful clothes. I’m afraid that Miss Lan Xin and Miss Lan Fang will be too fond of them to wear,” they remarked.

Su Wenyue smiled, pleased to hear compliments about her work. Accompanying the clothes were some matching embroidered handkerchiefs and shoes—she had embroidered the handkerchiefs, while the shoes were made by the embroiderers following her instructions. The ensemble was indeed lovely, and Su Wenyue promptly sent them to the sisters, along with some items from the boxes. Lan Xin and Lan Fang were genuinely delighted, especially with the outfits Su Wenyue had personally crafted. They cherished them in their hands.

As a concubine’s daughters, Lan Xin and Lan Fang’s clothing and food were provided for in accordance with their status: not too shabby but not too splendid either. They had only seen such delicate and beautiful clothes on the pampered legitimate daughters of other families while attending banquets with their queen mother. Which girl doesn’t appreciate beauty? They had envied those girls dearly, never imagining that they themselves would one day possess such gorgeous clothes. These were even prettier than the dresses made by Chang’an City’s most famous Neon Pavilion. The sisters immediately tried on their new outfits.

“They fit well. I was worried that my measurements might be off, but the sizes are just right,” Su Wenyue complimented, feeling something was still missing. On closer inspection, she realized that the hair ornaments Lan Xin and Lan Fang were wearing did not match their new attire.