"I'm afraid there's something wrong with this matter." Zhou Zhen considered.
Zhou Shaojin opened his eyes wide: "What's wrong?"
Now his daughter is helping Madam Guo from the eldest house to copy scriptures, and he also wants to improve his daughter's status through Madam Guo. Compared with the second and third houses, Zhou Zhen naturally prefers the eldest house.
You can ask your daughter to help pass a message to the eldest son’s family!
Zhou Zhen made up his mind and said seriously, "No matter how prominent a family is, its financial, material and personal connections are limited. Only the most outstanding children of this family can get the full support of the family. But even so, because of the saying 'Man proposes, God disposes', the family will not give up on other outstanding children. I have only met Mr. Chi Si of the eldest house twice before, and we have never spoken. But this time..." He frowned, "Let's not talk about his fame. Just look at his behavior. He is steady but flexible, meticulous but cheerful. He is a very considerate and thorough person. He is better than many of his peers I have met, and even those who are much older than him. How can the Cheng family let him take care of the family affairs instead of becoming an official? Isn't this a waste?"
You know, it is not easy for a family to produce a Jinshi.
"Father thinks so too?" Zhou Shaojin's eyes lit up as he listened. "I find it strange too. But I heard from people in Jiuru Lane that it's because the eldest and second masters of the eldest house are both serving as officials outside, and there's no one to take care of the household affairs."
"Isn't there still a Cheng Jiashan?"
"But Cheng Jiashan is the first in the case!" Zhou Shaojin muttered carefully.
Zhou Zhen disagreed and said, "He is only the first in the case until now, but Master Chi Si has already gained real fame."
yes!
Instead of waiting for Cheng Jiashan to pass the imperial examinations and become a Jinshi, which would take who knows how many years, Cheng Chi has already prepared everything except the east wind.
It must be that Yuan thought of a way to keep Cheng Chi at home for the sake of her son.
Zhou Shaojin made some malicious guesses, but he still spoke with conscience: "Cheng Jiashan is the grandson of the eldest son. He has to take care of the affairs. Who will support the eldest son's family when Uncle Jing and his family retire?"
Zhou Zhen laughed and said, "If you say so, then our Zhou family will be left with nothing."
Zhou Shaojin was speechless.
In the Zhou family, their father was an official working away from home, and the two daughters were fostered in their grandmother's home. All the family affairs, big and small, depended on Ma Fushan. Not only did he not lack food and clothing for the sisters, but the family assets increased year by year. By the time the elder sister got married, their father was able to buy her 300 acres of paddy fields in Huzhou as a dowry.
You have to know that the south is different from the north. There are more people and less land. A family with seven or eight acres of land is already a wealthy family. Three hundred acres of paddy fields are equivalent to several acres of large farms in the north.
Zhou Zhen said: "Cheng Chi is only 25 years old this year. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be at least 30 years before he retires. Maybe it will be 40 years later. By then, Cheng Jiashan may have grandchildren, right? Even if you think Cheng Jiashan is a good student and don't want to delay his future, doesn't the second master Wei have a son? Why not send him back to his hometown to learn to manage the affairs with the fourth master Chi? With a capable steward at home and Madam Guo assisting, even if he is a piece of mud, he can fool around for a few years. What's more, the fundamentals of an official family don't lie in this. As long as the three brothers of the eldest house have a long career, the affairs of the Cheng family will not fail. I understand this truth. The ancestor of the second house of the Cheng family and Madam Guo cannot be unaware of it!"
As he spoke, he stood up with a heavy heart, walked back and forth in the room twice before he stood still and asked Zhou Shaojin: "Do Madam Guo and Madam Yuan know that Master Chi Si did not attend today's banquet? What is their reaction?"
Zhou Shaojin looked at his father in surprise and said, "Don't you know? Madam Guo didn't show up at all. Madam Yuan came over and sat for a while before leaving. It was Madam Li from the second house who brought Aunt Lu and others to accompany the lady."
Madam Guo had stopped seeing guests many years ago, citing her widowhood as an excuse. That was why those who came to visit the Cheng family were proud to see Madam Guo. The last time they visited the eldest house, everyone thought that seeing Madam Yuan was the end of it. Unexpectedly, Madam Guo actually entertained Li personally. That was why Zhou Zhen said that they were all benefiting from Zhou Shaojin.
"I see!" Zhou Zhen listened and said thoughtfully, "There is one thing that I'm afraid you don't know. After the lunch banquet, Master Ze called me to his study and formally introduced your cousin Cheng Youyi to me. He also asked him to serve by the side and played a few rounds of chess with me. He not only mentioned some of his students and old friends in the capital, but also mentioned people from the Hong family and the Huang family..."
What does this mean
Win over father
Is it because of this that Cheng Xu personally came out to entertain his father and used such a high standard, inviting all the men at home in Jiuru Lane to accompany him
But my father was only transferred to Baoding as prefect, which was far from the position of Nine Ministers... By doing this, isn't Cheng Xu afraid of losing more than gaining the advantage
"Well, what do you say?" Zhou Shaojin said dryly.
Cheng Xu had a good man named Cheng Chi but he didn't use him, but he was anxious to do favors for his grandson who only had the title of scholar!
Isn't Mrs. Guo a woman who is as brave as a man? Why don't you do anything about it!
Cheng Chi is such an arrogant person, he certainly would not bother to fight for these things for himself. But if he doesn't fight, with Cheng Xu in front of him and Cheng Shi behind him, and Cheng Xu next to him, he will have to stay in the Cheng family and take care of the chores for the rest of his life.
So what’s the point of working so hard to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi
No wonder she had no impression of Uncle Chi in her previous life!
In the end, the Cheng family was confiscated and exterminated. Uncle Chi escaped, but he turned around and robbed the execution ground... It must be because Cheng Xu was the eldest grandson of the Cheng family. Otherwise, he would have lived a peaceful life hiding his identity, and why would he be hunted down by the court? Cheng Lu said that Cheng Xu had a broken arm, so Uncle Chi might have been injured... I only regret that I didn't know who Uncle Chi was at that time, and I didn't ask...
Zhou Shaojin thought about it and felt very sorry for Cheng Chi. He pouted unconsciously and said, "Dad, don't be fooled by the second house ancestor. He is Lu Buwei's 'rare goods'! When the next imperial examination comes, if you are still the prefect of Baoding, do you think the second house ancestor will still value you so much?"
"Nonsense." Zhou Zhen laughed and scolded Zhou Shaojin, "Is this how 'Rare Goods Can Be Used' is used?"
Zhou Shaojin pouted at his father.
Zhou Zhen couldn't help but find it a little funny.
It seems that this little girl is just as I guessed. Among the several branches of the Cheng family, except for the fourth branch, she is quite inclined to the eldest branch.
"Silly girl," Zhou Zhen smiled and touched her head, saying, "Some things can only be understood but not expressed in words. Elder Ze can't say in front of me that this is my great-grandson. If you promise to take better care of him in the future, I will ask my relatives, friends, students and old acquaintances to take better care of you and make your career smoother. I can't say don't worry, as long as I have that day, I will definitely take care of your great-grandson... It's too early to do anything. However," he said, his tone paused slightly, and his expression became solemn, "the Cheng family has been in chaos. You and your sister should be careful in the future and don't get involved."
Has the Cheng family been in chaos so early
My brother-in-law once said that everything starts to rot from the inside. Once the inside is rotten, people outside can usually break in easily.
Is it because of this reason that the Cheng family could not escape the fate of being destroyed and exterminated
Zhou Shaojin said: "Dad, I have something to tell you!"
Zhou Zhen raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Shaojin told his father that he had discovered that the first and second branches seemed to be working together to suppress the third branch: "… It seems to have started a long time ago. Do you think Cheng Ze has done something to let down Cheng Bei and Cheng Xu?"
Zhou Zhen was very surprised. He thought about it carefully and said, "Maybe you are right. If Cheng Ze from the third house really did something to offend the first and second houses, it makes sense for the first and second houses to suppress him. As long as the third house does not produce a Jinshi or Shujishi to support the family, the third house will have to rely on the people from the first and second houses to make a living, and will have to worry day and night about being suppressed and retaliated by the first and second houses."
But in the end, the third room won.
If someone told Zhou Shaojin now that her murder in her previous life had nothing to do with the third room, she would never believe it even if she was beaten to death!
Zhou Shaojin was silent.
Zhou Zhen thought that Zhou Shaojin was just worried about the Cheng family, and said with a smile: "Don't think so much, kid. There are still your uncles Jing and Wei to deal with the Cheng family's affairs. If all else fails, just go back to the Zhou family. Your father will keep you safe anyway."
Zhou Shaojin believed it.
She nodded, pulled her father's sleeve, and said, "Dad, if you find out anything about Cheng Lu, please tell me. Cheng Lu is a very cunning person. Although he was sent to Yuelu Academy by Aunt Jing, who knows if he will have any more conspiracies. We have to be careful of him."
"Okay!" Zhou Zhen said with a smile, "I'll tell you if there's any news." Although his tone was concerned, it lacked importance, and it was obvious that he didn't take Zhou Shaojin's warning to heart.
Zhou Shaojin sighed secretly in his heart.
She knew it would be like this.
No one really believed her.
It would be nice if Uncle Chi were here.
He would definitely listen carefully to what she said.
Thinking of this, Zhou Shaojin suddenly realized that Cheng Chi seemed particularly... cautious.
Pay attention to small things and details.
Does this mean that if she can gain Cheng Chi's trust, she can save the Cheng family
It seems that I should spend more time in front of Uncle Chi.
At least I can become familiar to you!
Otherwise, why would Uncle Chi believe in himself
Zhou Shaojin had an idea in mind, and he no longer worried about his father not taking him to his new post. Instead, he started to care about his father: "Are you going out tomorrow? What are you going to do?"
"A classmate who came back to observe the mourning period invited me to eat vegetarian food at the temple," Zhou Zhen said. Thinking of his little daughter's rare trip, he said, "Would you and your sister like to go with me?"
Zhou Shaojin shook his head like a rattle and said, "I'm not going. You take my sister with you!"
She went to Mochou Lake during the Ghost Festival and caused a lot of trouble. She should just stay at home and do needlework.
※
Sisters, today's extra update.
I corrected the typos, but there are always some that slip through, so I will ask my friends to read it a second time.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)