Concubine Yu's narration was simple and clear, and Zhang Shou understood it without much effort.
At that time, when the current emperor had just taken power and was still young, he liked to go out incognito with Zhu Jing, Duke of Zhao, who was much older than him but was considered his cousin. When Concubine Yu and Lady Zhao were both pregnant, the two of them were even more excited to accompany them to worship - even though the Zhu family already had two sons and the emperor had a son and a daughter.
Unfortunately, someone took the opportunity to rebel. The two women resolutely left all their guards to the men, and escaped together. Then they met his biological mother, Widow Zhang, who was also very tough. It was not known whether the large number of people attracted the attention of the rebel army, the three women were too powerful, or the rebel army was too useless, but the three women managed to escape successfully.
The three of them hid in the widow Zhang's house, and widow Zhang also found a midwife next door. In the chaos, the three of them gave birth to children. Concubine Yu and Zhu Ying's mother gave birth to daughters one after another, but his mother, widow Zhang, gave birth to the child at all costs due to premature birth and dystocia, and eventually died.
Zhang Shou recalled the past with mixed feelings, a little dazed, but his mood suddenly relaxed.
Born with both parents dead, this kind of life experience would be considered by some people as a hard fate that brought bad luck to both parents, but he didn't care at all. He would go to pay tribute to his poor scholar father, to pay tribute to his respectable widow mother, and to take good care of Wu, who raised him and whom he always regarded as his mother. To be honest, as long as he knew that there was no hidden danger behind his life experience, he would be satisfied.
"Ah Shou?"
Awakened by the sudden voice, Zhang Shou raised his head. Seeing that Concubine Yu was looking at him cautiously, he smiled and said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I just couldn't help but think back to that thrilling scene. My mother is very tough and strong. However, such a mother puts a lot of pressure on me as a son. I am afraid that I am not worthy of the life she exchanged for her life."
If it was her real son, she might be indignant and demand justice, commendation, or even a memorial archway, but he was different. What the mother wanted was probably that her son lived in peace and happiness. So let's leave those for later.
Concubine Yu was stunned when she heard the words. Not only her, but even Ge Yong beside her couldn't help but pull his beard lightly.
"When I learned that Duke Zhao had been raising my son and me all these years, I felt very strange and asked Yingying about it, but unfortunately she didn't know either. Now I finally have the answer. These years, I have lived a peaceful and happy life, just like the old soldiers in the village who were taken care of by Duke Zhao. I am very content. Of course, I am not without regrets."
At this point, Zhang Shou paused for a moment, then looked at Ge Yong: "I can read and have been educated. It is impossible for me to live a monotonous life like those villagers. I have always wanted to leave the village, but unfortunately my mother won't let me, and the villagers are also staring at me, so I can only teach the children so that their horizons will not be limited to the fields. But I have always wanted to walk around and take a look."
"Now, this wish is coming true. Concubine Yu, teacher, I am not worthy of such a beautiful position as the Imperial College Doctor. I don't care about other people's criticism, but I am not interested in it. Moreover, in addition to the classics and mathematics that my teacher taught me, I have come into contact with many unorthodox things by chance. If I teach them all, the Imperial College will definitely be in chaos in the future."