The anniversary of Hu Shanwei's mother's death is approaching, and his father Hu Rong goes to the grave early in the morning to burn incense and paper money. He takes out a bowl of rice with dried meat in a pot, a bowl of clear fish ball soup, and a stack of greasy salted eggs from the lunch box. These are the home-cooked dishes that his wife loved to eat when she was alive. The Hu family's ancestral home is Jining, and hometown food is most to their taste. However, Hu Rong is now accustomed to the Jiangnan flavor and feels that the dried meat in a pot is greasy.
From their marriage to the birth of their beloved daughter, to the family's migration from north to south, and then to the destruction of the family, Hu Rong and the woman who sleeps forever in the tomb were together for only nine years.
Hu Rong burned a stack of paper money in front of the grave and stared at the tombstone in a daze. He could no longer remember what his first wife looked like.
I vaguely remember that she was a lady from a noble family, gentle and obedient. Hu Rong experienced a life of displacement and the destruction of his family when he was a teenager. He no longer had ambitions to rise to the top, and was willing to become a businessman that his family despised, doing some business to support himself and his daughter, and living a dull life.
The Hu family used to be a prominent family in Jining, but now, those members of the Hu family who had the "four haves" of ideals, morals, talents and perseverance are all dead. Only Hu Rong, a member of the Hu family who has no ideals, no talents, no qualifications and no perseverance, who has the "four haves", is still alive.
The most important thing is to be alive. All ideals and grand plans are empty.
Hu Rong pursued a simple and stable life all his life. But who did his daughter inherit her stubborn temper from? She refused to marry and insisted on being a female official and pursuing a career in government. Obviously, neither her mother nor I have this kind of temper.
Hu Rong sighed in front of the tomb, "The child has grown up and has grown wings. She refused to marry and did not listen to me. She insisted on flying outside. But the sky is very dangerous. There are storms, thunder and lightning, and fierce eagles. Let alone becoming a female official, what would happen if she became a high-ranking official? Our Hu family's ancestors were also prominent, but in the end, I was the only one left alive when the nest was overturned."
Hu Rong took out Hu Shanwei's reply from his bosom and read: "'Everything is fine, don't worry. Take care of yourself, father. Shanwei', listen, I wrote her more than ten pages of letters, and she only replied to me with one sentence, what should I do? I have tried everything, but she just won't marry me."
At this time, an east wind blew up, rolling up the paper money that had not been burned in front of the grave, like burning black butterflies.
Hu Rong was worried about a forest fire, so he quickly chased after it with a kettle, but the paper money fell into a pit.
Hu Rong extinguished the paper money and felt that this place was somewhat familiar. He looked at the tombstones on both sides and suddenly remembered: Isn’t this the grave of his daughter’s deceased fiancé Wang Ning and his mother
When the mother and son were buried together, Hu Rong came here.
How come it was hollowed out
Are there tomb robbers
Hu Rong quickly went to the tomb keeper to report it.
The tomb keeper said, "The day before yesterday, a high-ranking official came here and moved his mother's grave to Zhongshan."
"Zhongshan?" Hu Rong was even more puzzled. "Isn't Zhongshan the place where the ancestors of the nobles are buried?"
The tomb keeper said, "That's right. Her son asked for the title of Grand Lady for her, and the day of the reburial was very grand."
"Her son?" Hu Rong felt like he was dreaming. "Didn't her son die a long time ago?"
The tomb keeper said: "He didn't die, but came back and became a high official."
Hu Rong couldn't believe it. He hastily put away the food in front of his deceased wife's grave, picked up the food box, rode his mule back to the bookstore, then took out the business card given to him by Dr. Tan from the Imperial Hospital from the study, and used the card to find the Imperial Hospital next to the East City Military Commander.
Doctor Tan was tidying up the pharmacy when he heard that a man named Hu was looking for him. He thought that Hu Rong had a sick relative or friend and asked him to treat him.
Ever since that day when they went to the Jiaofangsi to listen to "The Lute Story" together, the two became friends. Hu Rong was a bookseller, and if he came across rare and precious medical books, he would always keep them and give them to Doctor Tan.
Doctor Tan went out with his medicine box on his back, but Hu Rong did not come to see him. He said, "I heard that the Ministry of Public Administration publishes a report every month and sends it to officials, telling them about all the big and small things in the court, including those who were promoted, demoted, and beheaded. I am an ordinary citizen and have no right to read the report. Doctor Tan, can you get me a copy of the latest report?"
Doctor Tan put down his medical box and said, "We in the Imperial Hospital are not keen on government affairs, and few people read the court newspapers. But the Imperial Hospital is next to the Zhanshi Mansion, I will borrow a copy for you. Wait a minute and have a cup of tea."
Doctor Tan soon came back with several recent issues of the court bulletin. Hu Rong picked out the most recent one and flipped through it page by page, finally stopping at the imperial edict by Emperor Hongwu posthumously conferring the title of Marquis of Yongchun’s mother, Lady Wang, on Wang Ning, as the Marquis’ Grand Lady.
Bang!
The official report landed.
Bang!
Hu Rong slapped himself twice.
Just as he was about to pull out another shot, Doctor Tan thought Hu Rong had lost his mind and stopped him, saying, "Brother Hu, we can discuss anything. Don't hurt yourself."
"The letter of breaking off the engagement! I went to the government office to write the letter of breaking off the engagement myself!" Hu Rong wanted to hit his head against the wall and commit suicide. "My daughter was engaged before, but the man died on the battlefield. My daughter refused to remarry and insisted on staying at home as a widow. In order to help my daughter remarry smoothly and prevent others from gossiping, I wrote the letter of breaking off the engagement myself and shamelessly asked Madam Wang to sign it. I also took the letter of breaking off the engagement to the government office to get my way."
"Now that man is back, he's been made an earl, but I've ruined the engagement!"
Hu Rong cried, "My daughter was almost going to be a countess, but I ruined her future with my own hands!"
"Doctor Tan!" Hu Rong held Tan Fu's hand tightly as if grasping a life-saving straw. "You are very knowledgeable. What should I do in this situation? Can my daughter's marriage be saved? Can I file a complaint with the emperor? I can endure such hardships as fishing in a frying pan and rolling on a nail board."
After a long while, Tan Fu finally sorted out the cause and effect of the matter. He pulled Hu Rong into the room, closed the door tightly, and said, "You are a commoner, and the Earl of Yongchun is an official. It is difficult for a commoner to sue an official. This is the first reason. Second, you broke off the engagement yourself. If you really sue in front of the emperor, you will not stand a chance of winning. Third, your daughter insisted on not remarrying before, preferring to stay at home as a widow, and you forced Madam Wang to sign the divorce agreement without telling her. Now your daughter has decided not to marry and is content to be a court lady in the palace, and has been promoted to the sixth rank of Si Yan. If you want her to marry the Earl of Yongchun, she may not be willing. I think it would be best for Brother Hu to ask her what she thinks."
Hu Rong said hurriedly, "Why wouldn't you want to be a countess? A first-rank imperial lady, we ordinary people don't even dare to think about it."
Doctor Tan's mind flashed with the image of Ru Siyao and the heartless words "Don't disturb me while I'm studying". He couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "The female officials are different. Most of them choose not to marry for life. Many of them are famous ladies, talented and ambitious. Marriage is a burden that must be abandoned. If they get married, they will have to give up their positions in the palace and leave. They can't go back."
Hu Rong sighed, "It's true that women can't read too many books. If they read too much, they will forget their duty of bearing children. If all women were like court ladies who didn't get married or have children, the Ming Dynasty would have perished, and so would humanity. Alas, I shouldn't have taught her to read. It would have been enough for her to recognize a few words."
Doctor Tan advised, "Brother Hu, you must not be impulsive. You must be patient. I will find a way to ask someone to tell your daughter about the Yongchun Marquis's affairs and ask her what she thinks. Don't make things worse than they should be like last time. Think about it, if you had let her do what she wanted, she would have stayed at home as a widow. When Yongchun Marquis comes back, will he dare not recognize this marriage? If he does not recognize his wife, he will be the second Chen Shimei, and the emperor will not forgive him."
Hu Rong was naturally unwilling to accept it, but the imperial physician's words were very pertinent and reasonable, so Hu Rong had to hold it in.
Who can I go to for a doctor? Of course, it’s Ru Siyao.
While examining the little princess in the side hall of the Qianqing Palace, Doctor Tan asked, "Can I have a word with you for a moment?"
Ru Siyao was determined to cut off all ties and didn't want to have any further contact, so she cruelly refused again and said, "No."
Doctor Tan was anxious and whispered: "It concerns the future of another female official."
Ru Siyao and Doctor Tan are both kind people.
In a quiet place, Doctor Tan recounted Hu Shanwei's marriage from beginning to end, "… This is what happened. Now he is anxious and regretful, and even wants to file a complaint with the emperor to save the relationship. I persuaded him to stop and ask his daughter's opinion first."
Ru Siyao had never heard such a strange story before, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses. "No wonder Hu Shanwei didn't even have a pair of shoes when he entered the palace, and his hands were covered with frostbite. It turned out that he had a falling out with his family because of his resistance to marriage."
Doctor Tan said, "Brother Hu may be a bit pedantic, but he is not a bad person. Please ask Hu Siyan what she thinks, so that her father won't make things worse and ruin her marriage and her future."
Ru Siyao agreed and returned to the harem to find Hu Shanwei and told him about this.
Unexpectedly, Hu Shanwei's expression was calm. "Thank you for the kind reminder from Doctor Tan and Ru Siyao. I already knew the news of Earl Yongchun's return. He and I... met, and we broke off our relationship. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. The palace cannot send messages outside the palace at will. Ru Siyao, please ask Doctor Tan to tell my father that I will not leave the palace, and I will not marry. I am determined to serve the court. Besides, the letter of withdrawal of engagement has been passed by the government. The so-called complaint to the emperor is just self-humiliation, and it will also bring disaster to the family. My father is timid, and he will not dare to act rashly."
They were all female officials who gave up their marriages for their ideals, so Ru Siyao understood Hu Shanwei's choice. She did not have the idea that being the wife of the Earl of Yongchun had more prospects than being a female civil servant in the palace, as ordinary people would, and she did not persuade Hu Shanwei and Wang Ning to reconcile.
Ru Siyao sighed, "I used to think you were lucky. You were so unstoppable and aggressive. I've been in the palace for ten years, and you've been in the palace for one year. You've become my equal, a female official of the sixth rank. Now it seems that I was shortsighted. You deserve your achievements today."
Hu Shanwei is not an ordinary person as he is disdainful of the wife of the Earl of Yongchun.
After seeing off Ru Siyao, Hu Shanwei immediately went to look for Mu Chun. Mu Chun now commanded the Yulin Youwei, one of the imperial guards. The Yulin Youwei was located in the southeast corner of the palace, near the East Five Office, and was only separated from Hu Shanwei's house by a high palace wall, so it was very convenient for them to meet.
Hu Shanwei told his father about Wang Ning's return, "Before the Dragon Boat Festival, the Empress will give cakes and rice dumplings to the ministers' families. I have a chance to go out of the palace to pass on the imperial decree. You can find a time to arrange a meeting between me and my father. To prevent my father from making a mistake, I must stop him in person. It's no use just asking the imperial physician to pass on the message."
Mu Chun wanted to beat Hu Rong up and asked, "How can you stop it? Your father is so..."
He didn't dare to say the rest of the words because they seemed too nagging.
A day later, Hu Shanwei left the palace to distribute Dragon Boat Festival gifts to the homes of meritorious officials. When passing by Jiming Temple, he used the excuse of going to the temple to burn incense for his deceased mother and add incense money. Mu Chun, who had been waiting here early, led Hu Rong to the quiet room of the temple.
As soon as the father and daughter met, Hu Shanwei held a sharp paper cutter to his throat. Hu Rong immediately forgot the joy of the father-daughter meeting and said, "What are you doing? Put it down!"
Hu Shanwei said coldly, "Father, the last time I did this was four years ago. I drove the official matchmakers out of my house and warned them not to come to my house to matchmake for me. My determination now is the same as it was then. If you make decisions for me again without authorization, as your daughter, I cannot hate you. I can only return my life to you."
Hu Rong finally gave up all his thoughts and knelt down crying, "I promise you, I promise you everything, put the knife down quickly. The Countess is not as important as your life."
Hu Shanwei slowly put down the paper cutter and sat down on the bed. Why were her family members more difficult to deal with than her opponents? Why did her family members almost destroy the future she had worked so hard to build? They were obviously father and daughter, so why did they cause her the most harm
And all this was done in the name of loving her and "for her own good" to hurt her and destroy her!
Why
The author has something to say: Sometimes, family causes more harm to people than opponents and society, and it is also covered with a veil of warmth and affection.
100 red envelopes will be given out tonight. Congratulations to the reader "Young Master" for receiving 100 red envelopes. The answer is Haihun Hou.
[-Collapse] Netizen: Young Master Comment: "Hu Shanwei" Score: 2 Published: 2019-01-01 20:26:33 Reviewed chapter: 71
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[1st floor] Netizen: Young Master Rating: 0 Posted time: 2019-01-01 20:26:51
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