Cheng Gao listened and pondered for a long while, then said helplessly: "This is the only way. Uncle Bai died early, and Mrs. Bai is a person who doesn't care about things. All family affairs are decided by the prime minister. Now he has a reputation and is a scholar, and is also respected as "master" outside. We go to him to argue, but firstly, we have no evidence, and secondly, it may not be useful. Asking the elders of the family to come forward, we are the direct branch, and they are the side branch. If it gets out, it will inevitably be suspected of bullying the weak. The best way is to ask the clan to come forward. But, can we go and tell Madam Yuan? It always feels like a complaint!"
Cheng Gao was taught by his grandmother and father since he was a child to solve his own problems.
"What's wrong with that?" Zhou Shaojin gritted her teeth and said, "Do we have to clean up the mess they caused? But," she whispered to Cheng Gao, "Go talk to cousin Xu again and tell him all the seriousness of the matter. If he still doesn't care, come and tell me. I have no choice but to ask Madam Yuan to come forward."
Cheng Gao nodded and went to the clan school.
Zhou Shaojin returned to Jiashu Hall.
Cheng Ji was holding onto Old Lady Guan's arm and acting coquettishly, "... Shao Jin is your granddaughter, so I am not your granddaughter? Just go and tell my mother! My mother respects you the most, and she will think about what you say again and again. I really don't want to marry that Liangguogong prince as a second wife, not to mention that his family is so ruthless to their daughter-in-law."
Old Lady Guan felt dizzy from her shaking of her head, and she began to feel pity for Cheng Ji. She said, "Isn't it still a long time since we've decided to get married? When your mother is really determined to marry you off, I'll go and help you speak up."
"By the time my mother makes a decision," Cheng Ji was about to burst into tears, "I'm afraid it will be too late by then!"
"Not too late, not too late." Old Madam Guan said with a smile, "There is also the Fourth Master Chi from the eldest house! Since the Duke of Liang's Mansion wants to marry into the Cheng family, it would be unreasonable not to inform the Fourth Master Chi."
Cheng Ji's eyes rolled around, and he asked absentmindedly, "Really? Just having Fourth Master Chi will do?"
"Would I lie to you?" Old Lady Guan said with a smile, "It's a marriage between two families. Don't worry."
Cheng Ji smiled sweetly and took the teacup from Mrs. Guan's hand: "Grandma, I'll serve you tea."
Old Mrs. Guan said angrily, "It's just a mouth!" But she still happily took the teacup.
Cheng Ji ran behind Old Lady Guan and massaged her shoulders.
Old Madam Guan laughed and said, "Alright, alright, go play with Shaojin! If you hit me a few more times like this, my old bones will fall apart."
Cheng Ji giggled, knelt down to greet Old Lady Guan, and left the upper room with sisters Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin.
Zhou Chujin told them a few words like "don't play too much" and "pay attention to safety" and went to Hanqiu Pavilion. Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Ji returned to Wanxiangju.
Cheng Ji was lying on the bed reading a book and eating fruits, while Zhou Shaojin, Shi Xiang and others were making clothes for Zhou Zhen and his wife.
Someone from the third room came over and said, "The eldest lady asked the eldest daughter to go back quickly. Aunt is waiting to teach her the rules!"
Cheng Ji threw away the apple core and said, "Go back and tell the first wife that the second young lady has invited me to have lunch here. I will go back after lunch."
The old woman didn't dare to force it and said goodbye with a wry smile.
While Zhou Shaojin was heating the iron, he said to her, "You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever. You'd better go back and talk to Aunt Lu."
Cheng Ji disagreed and said, "It's hard to explain anyway. This way, at least she knows my determination."
Zhou Shaojin had never been willful in her two lives. She let Cheng Ji do whatever he wanted and did her own thing.
When it was almost time for lunch, Jiang came over personally to "pick up" Cheng Ji.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and sent Cheng Ji away. After having lunch, he went to Hanbi Mountain House to copy scriptures.
Two days later, Cheng Gao came to see Zhou Shaojin with a sullen face and told her: "You should find a way to tell Madam Yuan! I've talked so hard, but he actually thinks I'm making it up... Really..."
He was so angry that he walked back and forth in the room twice before he calmed down.
Zhou Shaojin was very annoyed. After thinking about it, he went to Yunzhen Hall.
But she did not go in, but wandered around for a while, then turned back to Wanxiangju, and in the afternoon, she went to Hanbishanfang to copy scriptures as usual. But when she was halfway through copying the scriptures, there was movement in the yard.
Xiao Tan told her: "Madam is here to visit the old lady."
Zhou Shaojin nodded and continued copying the scriptures calmly.
After a while, Yuan came in with a maid holding something, smiling.
"Shaojin, are you copying scriptures?" She greeted Zhou Shaojin enthusiastically.
Zhou Shaojin stood up respectfully, called "Madam", and asked Shi Xiang to serve tea.
Yuan didn't bother to be polite with her and sat down.
The maid who came in with her placed the two paper boxes tied with red silk on the coffee table next to her.
Yuan pointed at the paper box and said with a smile, "I went to the Liu family for a wedding banquet a few days ago and happened to pass by Qi Fang Zhai. I saw that their new assorted dim sum was very good, so I brought back a few boxes. This is for you and your sister. How do you taste?"
Zhou Shaojin thanked him with a smile.
The maid brought by Yuan winked at Xiao Tan and Shi Xiang and retreated.
Xiao Tan hesitated for a moment and then retreated.
Shi Xiang, however, acted as if she saw nothing and continued serving in the room.
Yuan looked at him with a hint of appreciation in her eyes, and said with a smile: "Shao Jin, I heard from the old woman that you went to Yun Zhen Hall yesterday, but what happened? Why didn't you go in?"
Zhou Shaojin tightly gripped the teacup, looking very flustered, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Yuan's expression softened.
She smiled and said, "What is it that you don't even want to tell your aunt? How about I go ask your sister?"
"No, don't ask my sister." Zhou Shaojin's nails turned white as he pinched the teacup, and his expression became even more panicked.
"Shaojin," Yuan pulled Zhou Shaojin's hand and said softly, "There's no one else here, just tell me if you have anything to say."
Zhou Shaojin's eyes turned red, as if he had suffered a great injustice and finally had someone to talk to. He choked up and let Shi Xiang retreat, tears falling down, saying: "I, I don't know what to say?"
Yuan's face turned cold, then quickly became warm again, and she smiled and said, "Is it your cousin Xu..."
"No, no." Zhou Shaojin hurriedly shook his head and said, "Yes, it's cousin Lu."
"Minister Cheng?" Yuan was stunned.
What does this have to do with her
She thought that Cheng Xu was trying to find a way to pester Zhou Shaojin, and Zhou Shaojin had no other choice but to come to her for help but didn't dare to say anything. That's why she found an excuse to have a private conversation with Zhou Shaojin.
Yuan asked, "What's wrong with him?" There was a hint of boredom in her voice.
Zhou Shaojin seemed unaware and murmured, "He, he said that Cousin Xu made things difficult for him because of me..."
When Yuan heard this, she flew into a rage, her hair standing on end: "Did he really say that? Who told you that?"
Zhou Shaojin said: "Yes, it was my cousin Gao who told me. He told me to never care about my cousin Xu and cousin Lu again... He also said that cousin Xu knew about it but didn't stop me... I want you to talk to cousin Xu... Cousin Xu is the first in the case, and cousin Lu will definitely listen to him..."
Yuan felt that her liver was aching.
But now is not the time to lose your temper.
Zhou Shaojin is like glass, which will break if you are not careful.
She took a deep breath, tried to make her voice gentler, and said, "Shaojin, you did the right thing - your cousin Xu made a mistake, you should have come to tell me. I will tell on your cousin Xu. Don't be afraid. Cheng Xiangqing will definitely never say that again in the future."
Zhou Shaojin nodded, looking relieved, and his voice became cheerful, saying: "I, I dare not tell anyone, for fear that others will believe what cousin Lu said and say that cousin Xu bullied him... Cousin Xu is so knowledgeable, how could he do such a thing?"
"That's right." Yuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Your cousin Xu is so well-educated that he would never do such a thing."
After hearing this, Zhou Shaojin showed a faint smile on his face.
Yuan's heart skipped a beat as she watched.
This Zhou Shaojin looks exactly like Zhuang, both are too beautiful to be real. I wonder if her fate will be the same as Zhuang's, and she will die of illness early...
She suddenly felt a little sympathetic, and her voice became softer. She said, "Just concentrate on copying the scriptures. If you have any troubles in the future, don't tell your grandmother and sister. Come to your aunt and she will take care of it for you."
Zhou Shaojin smiled shyly and thanked her.
Yuan spoke to her for a few more words before leaving the Buddhist temple.
Zhou Shaojin let out a long sigh and slumped down in the armchair.
Shi Xiang asked worriedly, "What did Madam Yuan tell you?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Zhou Shaojin answered irrelevantly, murmuring tiredly as if he had just survived a disaster, "It turns out that Madam Yuan is not an iron-clad person. As long as you use the right method, she is still easy to talk to."
Shi Xiang didn't hear clearly.
Zhou Shaojin smiled and sat up, saying loudly: "Okay, let's finish copying the scriptures quickly so that I can copy my own "Amitabha Sutra" and then follow the old lady to Putuo Mountain."
Shi Xiang giggled.
Only then did Zhou Shaojin realize that his vest was wet.
She hurriedly called Shi Xiang to fetch some water and help her change her clothes.
Yuan returned to Yunzhen Hall, sweating all over. Before she could even stand still, she was already furious and yelled at the maid beside her: "Go, call that little bastard here! He has really read the books of sages in vain! I treated him like the apple of my eye, but he was willing to let others abuse him. With this kind of person, he still wants to leave his name in history? I think it would be lucky for him to walk out of the Hanlin Academy..."
The maids and old women all looked at each other, and no one dared to say a word.
Yuan's teacup fell on the bluestone floor. "Why, you don't even understand what I'm saying?"
The maids trembled.
Yuan's wet nurse, Li, stepped forward cautiously and said softly, "I'll go and call you master right away," and then retreated quietly.
Only then did Yuan's personal maid dare to make another cup of tea and bring it over.
As Yuan drank her tea, her mood gradually calmed down.
A tree will not grow straight if it is not pruned.
It looks like she has to stretch out her hand.
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Sisters, what are you doing
Writing days, Christmas, Spring Festival, Valentine's Day... they have nothing to do with me. I only update twice a week or once a week... Woohoo...
※(To be continued)