Zhu Jing never thought that there would be a day when he would be isolated and helpless in this family, with everyone opposing him. If his family members were greedy for the power of the position of Minister of War, then he could at least put down a bunch of righteous reasons. However, starting with his wife Jiu Niang who was the first to express opposition, everyone's reasons were very convincing.
Jiu Niang objected because she felt that the Madam always put the big things first, and the doctor didn't say there was any danger to your life. You stay at home and hang around in front of people every day, but you are not the type to talk and make people happy. Over time, the Madam, as a mother, will not think it is good to have a son to take care of her, but will definitely find it too annoying to have you around every day.
Zhang Shou opposed it because he felt that even though the lady was a patient, she still needed dignity. If you, as her son, resigned from your post and returned home to take care of her, it would remind her of her old age and weakness all the time, which would be detrimental to her recovery. This reason was also strongly supported by Zhu Ying.
Zhu Tingfang opposed it because he felt that the emperor appointed Zhu Jing as the Minister of War in order to check and balance certain officials in the court. If he just resigned like that, unless Duke of Chu Zhang Rui could take over immediately, someone else might not meet the emperor's wishes.
Even if Zhu Jing wholeheartedly recommends the Duke of Chu for your sake, the feud between the two families is well-known in the capital. Even if the Duke of Chu accepts your favor, those other civil servants who covet the position of Minister of War will not say that the Zhu family does not avoid enemies when recommending someone from outside the family. Instead, they will spread rumors and make trouble, gloating over other people's misfortunes. Not only will the emperor and the Duke of Chu be embarrassed, but if the news reaches the ears of the lady, it will be detrimental to her well-being.
As for his daughters-in-law Zhang and Zhu Er, one was naturally a follower of the husband, and the other was a yes-man for Zhang Shou and Zhu Ying. As a result, Zhu Jing, the master of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, was left alone and without anyone to respond. After staring at the crowd in front of him for a long time, he finally left without saying a word.
When he left, except for Zhu Er who felt a little uneasy, everyone else looked normal. Zhang asked, "We were discussing something just now, but the Madam didn't keep anyone. Should I go and take care of the patient first?"
Knowing that Zhang wanted to leave the place for them to talk about business, Jiu Niang shook her head and said, "Your father-in-law was opposed by all of us. I think he must have gone to Qing'an Hall to tell his grievances. Let him go to accompany them first. Old people are bound to have disasters and misfortunes. Just like Ah Shou said, we must first stabilize ourselves and not treat it as if the sky has fallen."
"Let's see if Mother can get better in the next few days and if she can get out of bed. If she is really bedridden, it would be reasonable for him to resign or ask for leave. But now that New Year's Day is approaching, he is both a Duke and the Minister of War. If he resigns, it would be like throwing the mess to someone else."
At this point, Jiu Niang looked at the others and said, "Da Lang, you can go to the government office and do your work. Your wife, Er Lang, and Yingying, we can take turns to take care of him. There are so many people in the family, no one eats for free, how can we let the mother in Qing'an Hall suffer? As for Yingying, you are going to the girls' school, and Er Lang has things to do as the emperor asks, so you can go."
"As for Ah Shou, you just need to come often. Mother likes you as her grandson-in-law very much. It's better for you to spend more time with her and talk to her."