Spring in Nanjing

Chapter 86: Maybe

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Where did I say something wrong

Zhou Shaojin looked at Ah Zhu and Miss Seventeen with a confused look on his face.

Ah Zhu laughed even harder.

Miss Seventeen was afraid that Zhou Shaojin would be embarrassed, so she quickly pulled Ah Zhu's sleeve and said, "Why do you laugh so much? Sister Shaojin doesn't go out very often. It's impossible for someone from the Cheng family to praise herself. How could she know about Fourth Uncle Cheng?"

Ah Zhu nodded, finally stopping her laughter. She wiped the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief and said, "I heard from my mother that your uncle was very filial and courageous when he was young. Once, Zhang Tianshi from Longhu Mountain was summoned to Beijing. The old man of your eldest house was still alive at that time, but he was already terminally ill. Your uncle asked someone to lead the way to the Sanqing Temple where Zhang Tianshi stayed. But is it possible to see Zhang Tianshi casually? Your uncle used a half-copy of "Laozi Xianger Zhu" which was said to be copied by Zhang Daoling, the founder of the Tianyi Sect, to ask Zhang Tianshi to treat the old man of the Cheng family. The old man of the Cheng family lived for another half a year.

"Later, he took over the general affairs of the Cheng family. The governor of the river, Gu Jingyu, was ordered to manage the Huai River. As a result, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works had a quarrel and the money could not be allocated. As the spring plowing season was approaching, the river workers had to go back to farming. Gu Jingyu was very anxious. Your uncle had just established Yutai Bank at that time, and he dared to lend money to Gu Jingyu. Gu Jingyu borrowed money from Yutai. The next year, he wrote to the court, and the emperor asked the Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy to help the river repay the money. For two whole years, all the salt permits in Lianghuai were given to your uncle... That's how Yutai Bank built its business."

So awesome!

Zhou Shaojin's forehead was covered with sweat.

Ah Zhu lowered her voice and said, "However, my brother said that the reason why the emperor asked the Lianghuai Salt Transport Envoy to help Hedao pay back the silver was because your uncle followed Wan Tong's path."

Zhou Shaojin was very surprised.

According to Ah Zhu, Uncle Chi has known Wan Tong for a long time.

Could it be because of this reason that Uncle Chi gave Wan Tong 100,000 taels of silver

She hurriedly asked, "Could you be mistaken? Isn't Uncle Jing an official in the capital? Maybe it was Uncle Jing who helped!"

Ah Zhu chuckled and said, "When the eldest master of your family's eldest branch competed with Huang Li for the position of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Huang Li's great-grandfather and grandfather were both cabinet ministers, but your eldest master kicked them out. What was his basis? It was because your uncle was good friends with Wan Tong, and Wan Tong personally helped your eldest master to speak in front of the Minister of Personnel and Wenyuan Pavilion Grand Secretary Shen Minzhi. Shen Minzhi had no choice, and your eldest master happened to have enough experience, so Shen Minzhi had to let Huang Li go to the Ministry of Public Administration... Until today, Huang Li has not spoken to your eldest master..."

Zhou Shaojin hurriedly said, "Wan Tong has been demoted to Jinling, and Liu Yong has been appointed as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department. If Uncle Chi had a close personal relationship with Wan Tong in his early years, he would have accompanied your father and brother to the capital this time, and it would have been good if he had not been hated by Liu Yong. How could he have helped your father and brother?"

Seeing that she had something to say, Ah Zhu immediately felt that she had met a soulmate - she was very interested in these matters of the court and the public, but whether it was her doting father, her obedient mother, or her romantic brother, they all disliked her paying too much attention to these matters. Unexpectedly, when she came to visit the Gu family, she actually made a like-minded friend!

She giggled and said, "You don't know this, right? Wan Tong was the emperor's great companion when he was in the palace, so isn't Liu Yong one? Since your uncle has a good relationship with Wan Tong, he must have an equally good relationship with Liu Yong. That's why my father and brothers admire your uncle and say that he has the ability of Zhu and Tao and is a man who can accomplish great things. My father even hopes that my brother can learn some of your uncle's methods and manage the Duke of Liang's Mansion in a flourishing and bustling manner!"

Have the best of both worlds

Having the best of both worlds

Could it be that the reason why the Cheng family was ransacked was because Uncle Chi’s two relationships capsized

Zhou Shaojin felt that the more he knew, the more confused he seemed.

Seeing that she was still confused, Ah Zhu said with a smile, "Don't think too much. Your Uncle Chi is very capable. If you ask him for anything, he will definitely help you, no matter what happens." At this point, she sighed and said, "But he is like Zhang Tianshi. It is harder than climbing to the sky to get a promise from him!"

Uncle Chi is so awesome!

So in the previous life, when the Cheng family was raided, he ran away, and finally asked the outlaws to rob the execution ground... What did she do in her previous life? How come she has no memory of such a resourceful uncle? If she had known earlier, would her fate in the previous life have been different

Thinking of this, Zhou Shaojin smiled self-deprecatingly.

Even if she knew about this uncle in her previous life, what would she do? She would just stay away from him. What does it have to do with the future of the Cheng family

The thought flashed through his mind and Zhou Shaojin was stunned.

Why didn't she think of it

Since he has a say in front of Master Jing and I have the opportunity to meet him, isn't there Cheng Chi

If Cheng Chi was really like Ah Zhu said, as long as he got a promise from him, even if he doubted himself, he could still pass the news to Master Jing, and Master Jing might even misunderstand that this was the news obtained by Cheng Chi... That would be perfect!

As for what happens next, even if Uncle Chi wants to kill or chop her up, she has done what she should do and has a clear conscience, so let him do whatever he wants!

Zhou Shaojin thought of Cheng Chi's gentle eyes, and felt that even if he lost his temper, he would not do anything particularly violent... He did not feel afraid.

But how could she talk to Uncle Chi

On the way home, she kept thinking about this question.

Her sister Zhou Chujin asked her with concern: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Or did someone say something you didn't like?"

"No!" Zhou Shaojin said, remembering that when they were about to leave after the game, Gu's old lady An held Zhou Chujin's hand and kept praising her for being a good child, and told her to visit the Gu family more often when she had nothing to do in the future. She couldn't help laughing and asked her sister quietly, "How much money did you lose?"

"Mr. An didn't play much cards," Zhou Chujin said with a smile, "but he only lost seven or eight hundred coins."

Zhou Shaojin was afraid that her sister would worry, so she told her sister that Ah Zhu had invited her to go to the temple fair together on July 15th: "… She said that if we couldn't tell the elders, she would ask her mother to send us an invitation." She didn't mention a word about Cheng Chi.

"So do you want to go?" Zhou Chujin asked softly.

"I don't want to go." Zhou Shaojin is afraid of noisy and bustling environments. "I'm worried about how to refuse Ah Zhu - I don't want to make her sad."

"I'll reply to Ah Zhu's letter!" Zhou Chujin said with a smile, "Just tell her that we may have to go back to the Zhou family's ancestral home to worship our ancestors during the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, and we won't be able to go to the temple fair with her."

Zhou Shaojin nodded with a smile.

Leaving these matters to my sister was indeed the right decision.

Back at Jiuru Lane, Yuan asked Zhou Chujin, "Why did Mrs. An suddenly think of calling you two sisters to play cards with her? There are many girls in the Gu family, and she always likes to play cards with them."

Perhaps because of the entanglements with Yuan in the previous life, Zhou Shaojin could never get rid of his grudges against her. When Yuan said this, she felt that Yuan's tone was unfriendly, as if she suspected that she and her sister had used some means to win the favor of Mr. An from the Gu family.

She couldn't help but say: "Maybe this matter has something to do with Uncle Chi!"

Yuan was a little surprised.

Zhou Shaojin is the typical younger sister. As long as her elder sister is present, she rarely speaks or expresses her wishes.

She raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Shaojin smiled and said, "I heard from Lao An that Uncle Chi arranged a ghost marriage for Gu's Nineteenth Lady..." She recounted the whole story and said, "Didn't Aunt Jing meet Uncle Chi? When we went over there, Lao An said that Uncle Chi had just left a while ago?"

Yuan was stunned and said, "I didn't meet Fourth Uncle... maybe he just went there for this matter." Then she changed the subject and said to Mrs. Mian, "If we have decided to add boxes of things for Miss Sixteen, we will copy a gift list for you. You just need to prepare it. You don't have to do the same as us. The Gu and Guo families have been friends for generations, so it's natural that they will be different from others."

He looked like he didn't want to talk more.

Mrs. Miao smiled and said, "I understand. We will go to Plum Blossom Lane together then."

Yuan smiled and nodded, and they parted ways at Tingyuxuan, one going forward and the other heading northwest.

The next day, Zhou Shaojin went to Hanbi Mountain House to copy scriptures.

Mrs. Guo asked her, "Is the Gu family fun?"

"It's fun." Zhou Shaojin said obediently, "I also met the seventeenth aunt of the Gu family and Miss Azhu of the Duke of Liang's mansion."

Madam Guo laughed and said, "I heard that your uncle Chi arranged a ghost marriage for Lady Nineteen of the Gu family? Which family's son was the other party from? How did he die? How old was he when he died? Are your parents still in charge of the family affairs?"

The questions were very detailed, just like those of an ordinary family getting married.

Zhou Shaojin was secretly puzzled.

Yuan was the daughter-in-law of the eldest son, and she should have known what her mother-in-law would care about. Why didn't she ask her carefully when she heard that Cheng Chi had arranged a ghost marriage for Gu's Nineteenth Mother

Zhou Shaojin told Mrs. Guo everything he knew.

Mrs. Guo looked very pleased after hearing this and said, "It can be considered a good match."

Does this also require a match made in heaven

Zhou Shaojin was sweating.

Old Madam Guo sighed, "This is a worry for Old An. Now that Si Lang can help Old An get rid of this worry, Old An must be very happy. I am very happy that Si Lang can show filial piety to Old An on our behalf." Then Old Madam Guo and Zhou Shaojin talked about the past of the Gu family: "... There is a reason why Old An loves Nineteenth Mother so much... Not only because she is smart, she is also very filial... She can think of things that others can't think of, and we are talking about Old An's nephew from her mother's family..."

Zhou Shaojin listened quietly.

Feicui came in and said, "Madam, the fourth master is here!"

Sisters, I’m almost catching up with the pink ticket again!

O(∩_∩)O~

Today’s extra update… The update is still at the old time!

※(To be continued)