Eighteen-year-old Zhou Chujin almost fainted when he heard this.
Although Cheng Xu, the ancestor of the Cheng family, retired due to illness ten years ago, his students and old friends are all over the court and the country, and his influence is still there; the eldest master of the eldest house, Cheng Jing, is one of the nine ministers, and he is only one step away from being appointed as prime minister; Cheng Xu of the eldest house, Cheng Shi of the second house, Cheng Zheng of the third house, Cheng Gao of the fourth house... are all seeds of learning, some passed the examination to become a scholar, and some were on the list of top scholars. Which one of them is not a hero of the time? How can there be a saying that the family was confiscated and the family was exterminated
She was so frightened that she had to force herself not to cover her sister's mouth tightly.
Could it be that he fell by the lake
Otherwise, why would my sister, who has always been well-behaved and docile, start talking nonsense
Zhou Chujin's heart was pounding with fear, but she didn't dare to show it on her face. Not only that, she also tried to comfort her sister softly: "It's okay, it's okay, you just had a nightmare!"
Zhou Shaojin was confused.
Her sister, with whom she depended on for everything and was very close to her, didn't believe her... and even told her with a smile that she was just having a nightmare!
How could dreams be so real
Zhou Shaojin didn't believe it.
She hurriedly talked to her sister about the details of life, but her sister held her hand with red eyes and said painfully: "I know, I know. You are right. It's just that it's late, and you should rest. Wait until tomorrow morning, and I will listen to you again, okay?"
The perfunctory and appeasing taste is so obvious.
Zhou Shaojin's heart sank.
She didn't know how to face such a sister, so she could only look out the window as if escaping.
It was dusk, and the sunset dyed the yard a warm orange. Several maids, still in their prime, were playing shuttlecock in the yard, and their laughter echoed in the yard like silver bells. Mrs. Du, who worked in the kitchen, smiled and walked through the middle of the yard with a food box in her hand. The maids almost bumped into her. Mrs. Zhao, who was sweeping the floor, came out from somewhere, rolled up her sleeves, and shouted at the maids. The maids were so scared that they nodded and bent over, begging for mercy. Mrs. Du was a good person, standing in front of the maids and speaking well of them.
The grape vines have grown tender leaves, the roses in the corner are in full bloom, and the magnolia flowers, as big as bowls, are as white as jade and hang scattered on the tall magnolia trees.
If this is an illusion, then who am I
Zhou Shaojin felt a chill in his heart.
Was it my fault
Looking at his sister who seemed anxious but still calm, Zhou Shaojin suddenly wasn't sure whether he had had a nightmare as his sister said or he had lived his life again as he thought.
Zhou Chujin personally helped her sister adjust the pillow, helped Zhou Shaojin lie down, and said, "Be good, sister is here with you. Close your eyes and take a nap, and everything will be fine when you wake up."
After all, I still don't believe her.
Zhou Shaojin was in mixed mood.
Maybe my sister is right!
She comforted herself and closed her eyes.
In the middle of the night, she was awakened by a nightmare.
The elder sister who was sleeping beside her immediately got up, hugged her tightly in her arms, patted her back gently, and said softly: "Baby, it's okay, it's okay. Sister is here with you!"
Zhou Shaojin was sweating all over and wanted to say something to his sister, but when he raised his eyes, he found a trace of fear in his sister's eyes.
The elder sister was only an eighteen-year-old girl. She lived alone with her younger sister in another family’s home. She also had times when she was panicked, worried and scared!
Zhou Shaojin was stunned. For the first time, he realized that the omnipotent and indestructible sister in his mind was just an ordinary girl who also needed protection and support from others.
The corners of her mouth twitched, and finally she pursed them tightly together and said nothing.
The next morning, Zhou Chujin left Zhou Shaojin in the house and went to her grandmother, Old Lady Guan.
Soon, news of Zhou Shaojin's illness spread from the upper room. Madam Zhou, who treated the women of the Cheng family, was invited into the mansion. The smell of herbs began to waft from Wanxiangju. Ma Fushan's wife, the housekeeper of the Zhou family's inner courtyard, also rushed over. After whispering with Zhou Chujin for a while, she quietly went to several famous Zen temples and Taoist temples in Jinling City, and not only asked for talisman water but also divine incense and yellow paper for Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Chujin let Ma Fushan's family stay in the yard overnight.
In the middle of the night, they got up and burned yellow paper.
Zhou Shaojin, who was awakened by a nightmare, stood in front of the window, quietly watching the flames grow from bright to silently extinguished, then turned over, went to bed and closed his eyes.
That's it
Why bother arguing with your sister over such a thing, making her worry and scared, and ruining the sisterhood
But every time she was awakened by a nightmare in the dead of night, she could not help but think: If what she experienced was true, then the Cheng family would be ransacked and exterminated, and her grandmother, uncle, cousin, and even the maids and old women who had served her, the servants and stewards who had worked for her, every member of the Cheng family she knew, would die!
Could it be that she is also pretending to know nothing
Could it be that she would just throw them all away and ignore the kindness of her grandmother in raising her, the love of her sister, the righteous words of her uncle, and the kindness of her aunt, cousin Gao, and cousin Yi
Zhou Shaojin felt panic-stricken and horrified just thinking about it. He was so scared that he couldn't close his eyes anymore.
She decided to find out the truth of the matter, so she took the opportunity to look around without turning her sister's back.
But she didn't expect that her silence did not bring peace of mind to her sister. Her sister actually went to the Zen temple alone to pray for her without telling her grandmother. She was moved and sad, but more of a relief.
Fortunately, she did not insist on saying in front of her sister that she was reborn, otherwise her sister, who would have thought that she was possessed by an evil spirit, would have been so sad, distressed and desperate.
She couldn't help but sigh softly, and suddenly an idea came to her.
Since she didn't want to conflict with her sister and was afraid of losing the chance to save the Cheng family, why not secretly find out whether she had a nightmare or lived a new life
If everything she knew happened one by one, wouldn't it prove that she had lived a new life? On the contrary, if nothing she knew happened, wouldn't it prove that she just had a nightmare
Zhou Shaojin's eyes suddenly lit up.
She is twelve now... So what happened when she was twelve
Zhou Shaojin fell into deep thought.
In June, it seemed that Cheng Lu would pass the academy examination with the sixth place and obtain the qualification of a student... In August, my father was suddenly promoted to the prefect of Baoding. Although they were both fourth-rank officials and prefects, Baoding Prefecture belonged to Northern Zhili and was the only way for the capital to go south. As long as he did not make any mistakes, promotion was just around the corner. My uncle Mien and my grandmother were very happy... Later, when my grandmother celebrated her 56th birthday, Cheng Lu's mother Dong came to pay her respects. In front of several old ladies in the Cheng family, she held her hand and praised her for being gentle and respectful, and suitable for a family. Cheng Ji also teased herself about this, saying that he was younger than her, but more anxious than her, and was thinking about getting married at a young age...
Thinking of Cheng Ji, a face flashed through her mind, and Zhou Shaojin suddenly sat up in shock.
How could she forget such a person and such a thing
On April 12 of this year, it was the 80th birthday of Cheng Xu, the ancestor of the second branch of the Cheng family. The Cheng family held a grand celebration for this. Not only did they invite relatives and friends of the Cheng family, but they also invited some students and old friends. Even Yuan Weichang, the chief minister of the cabinet, the university of Wenyuan Palace, and the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who was far away in Kyoto, sent his eldest son to send birthday gifts.
The first time Wu Baozhang appeared in the Cheng family was on the eve of the ancestor’s birthday!
Zhou Shaojin's face was as gloomy as water, and his hands were clenched tightly together.
Wu Baozhang's father, Wu Xiu, was appointed as the prefect of Jinling in September of the 17th year of Zhide. However, Jinling has long been known as "the beautiful land of Jiangnan, the imperial island of Jinling", and its geographical location is very important. Wu Xiu was born in a humble family. Apart from his uncle who worked as a secretary in the Ministry of Works, he had no strong support in the court. It was only by chance that he got the post of prefect of Jinling. As the parent official of Jinling, he had the hereditary Duke of the State who guarded Jinling above him, and the family that had produced frontier officials or great scholars and was prominent for a time. He also had to deal with his subordinate Liu Mingju, the county magistrate of Jiangning County, who had a rather complicated background and was obsessed with his post as prefect.
He dared not offend any of them, and he could not afford to offend any of them.
The situation is very difficult.
In order to keep their post as prefect, after the Spring Festival, the Wu couple began to frequently visit the wealthy families in Jinling. In order to enter the Cheng family, Wu Baozhang's stepmother Guan, after finding out that Old Lady Guan had the same surname as her, even claimed Old Lady Guan as her "aunt" and began to associate with the fourth branch of the Cheng family.
When Mrs. Wu brought Wu Baozhang to visit the house, her grandmother asked her and her sister to meet the guests.
Counting the days, it should be during this period.
Zhou Shaojin bit his lip and shouted loudly, "Shixiang".
Shi Xiang had not slept for most of the night before. She was dozing off against the doorpost of the living room. When she heard the shouting, she immediately ran in.
"Second Miss, you're awake!" She smiled and rolled up the curtains, saying, "Shall I help you wash up? The kitchen has made your favorite crystal cake and assorted tofu soup today. Shall I ask the maids to bring up breakfast?"
Zhou Shaojin ignored him and asked, "What day is today?"
Shi Xiang was slightly stunned, and said quickly: "Today is March 24th."
In other words, there are still twenty days until the ancestor's birthday.
But Zhou Shaojin had no idea when Wu Baozhang came to visit his home.
She only remembered that Wu Baozhang was of medium build, with a round face, fair skin, big eyes, willow-shaped eyebrows, and a cinnabar mole the size of a grain of rice between her eyebrows. She was very reserved when she smiled, but her eyes flickered when she looked at people, which made people feel that she was not the kind of person who only knew how to follow the rules and did not know how to adapt.
It was the first time in Zhou Shaojin's life that she saw someone with a cinnabar mole between his eyebrows. She was very curious. When the elders were talking, she opened her eyes wide and looked at Wu Baozhang from time to time.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Wu Baozhang turned around and smiled at her, speaking to her in a gentle tone. On the Dragon Boat Festival, he also sent her and her sister rice dumplings that he had wrapped himself and embroidered five-poison scent sachets as festival gifts.
Gradually, they began to move.
She thought Wu Baozhang was pretty good, so she introduced him to Cheng Ji.
After that, Wu Baozhang began to visit the third wife and won the favor of the second wife’s grandmother, Zheng. He gained a reputation as a virtuous and kind person and established a firm foothold in the circle of ladies in Jinling...
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In order to match the chapter content, the chapter names and other things have been adjusted... ~~~~(>_