In the afternoon, several horse-drawn carriages stopped in front of Zhou's mansion in Jinzhou. Dong stood at the door and looked at the carriages. Her eyes were fixed on the last carriage carrying luggage. She felt sad because these were all that was left of her eldest sister's dowry.
When the Jiang family moved to Beijing, the eldest sister's dowry furniture and other items were dealt with. Looking at the small amount of dowry, Dong felt complicated.
Dong Yiyi got off the carriage in a daze. Looking at her sister, her uneasy heart settled down. God knows if her sister hadn't sent anyone, her family would have been eaten by the tribe members.
Dong Yiyi stumbled forward and choked up, "Sister."
Mrs. Dong supported her sister, her eyes also reddened. Her sister's life was really hard. "Sister, it's safe now. It's all over. Let's go into the mansion."
Dong Yiyi nodded and looked at the carriage behind him, "Your brother-in-law."
Mrs. Dong resented her brother-in-law. He was still an official in his old age, but now his sister has to go back to her parents' home and his nephews and nieces have an uncertain future. "I have already hired a doctor, don't worry, sister."
But no matter how angry she was, she had to see her brother-in-law's legs. As long as her brother-in-law was alive, she would not be a widow. Moreover, her brother-in-law's knowledge was still there and he could teach his nephew.
Dong Yiyi wiped her tears and held a child in one hand, "I'll go thank your mother-in-law."
Mrs. Dong looked at her frightened nephew and niece and said, "I'll let the maid look after the children. They are tired too."
Dong Yiyi felt sorry for her son and daughter, and held back her tears, "That's fine."
In the main courtyard, Zhulan heard footsteps and saw Dong Yiyi, "As long as you are safe."
Dong Yiyi's tears fell again, "You are right, I am very lucky to be safe."
After saying this, he was about to kneel down to express his gratitude, but Zhulan quickly winked at Dong, who supported him.
Zhu Lan sighed, "The Zhou family didn't help much, so you don't have to be so polite."
Dong Yiyi wiped her tears and said, "You have taken us in. It is a great favor. We have no way to repay you."
If she didn't come to Zhou's house to occupy it, if there were no one from Zhou's house, she didn't know what to do.
Zhulan sighed in her heart. Dong's sister had such a hard life. "You have been worried and frightened for a few days. Now you are relieved. The children also need you. You should go back and rest first."
Dong Yiyi didn't dare to stay any longer. The Jiang Mansion was in bad luck right now. "Yes."
The Dong sisters left, and Mrs. Song came back. Zhulan asked, "Find out what happened in the capital?"
Mrs. Song said, "After asking, the Third Madam's maid arrived at a coincidence. The elders of the Jiang family had just arrived. Because of the people from Zhou's house, the Jiang family's plan failed. They left in disgrace without getting any benefits. However, Jiang Ming was expelled from the Jiang family."
Zhulan guessed it, and seeing that Mrs. Song still had something to say, "Anything else?"
Mrs. Song continued, "The Jiang family wanted to arrange a marriage for Miss Jiang. If there is no one from the Zhou Mansion today, Miss Jiang will stay in the Jiang family and be raised."
Zhu Lan was silent. The Jiang family did not think highly of Jiang Muchen, but rather of Jiang Mulan's value. "This is such a thorough calculation."
Mrs. Song whispered, "The only hope of the Jiang family is Jiang Ming. They have taken advantage of Jiang Ming for a lot of things in the past few years. Every year, people from the family come to ask for money. Now that the Jiang family is in trouble, it's fine if they stay away, but they are also adding insult to injury. I heard from the servant that there is a doctor in the Jiang family, but they didn't even bother to check Jiang Ming's leg."
Zhu Lan said quietly, "No wonder the Jiang family has fallen into decline. Their roots are bad."
Mrs. Song was disdainful in her heart, "Someone also mentioned the dowry of Mrs. Dong, saying that Jiang Ming had implicated the Jiang family and needed compensation!"
Zhulan was speechless, "Your eating manners are so ugly."
Mrs. Song has seen many families. Some families are very united and supportive, while some families are very realistic. "Mrs. Dong's dowry is not much. She only has a carriage."
Zhu Lan paused, "Go and tell the sewing room to make a set of clothes for the four members of the Jiang family. Oh, and where is Jiang Ming's concubine?"
She remembered that Jiang Ming later took in two concubines. In total, Jiang Ming had quite a few concubines.
Mrs. Song, "They flew away when disaster struck. Several concubines begged Mrs. Dong, and Mrs. Dong wrote a document to release the concubines. Jiang Ming signed it, and they have all been released."
Zhulan stopped asking and signaled Mrs. Song to make the arrangements.
In the evening, Zhou Shuren came back, "How is Jiang Ming?"
Zhulan was still terrified. "My right leg was broken at the knee. The doctor said there's no chance of it recovering."
Zhou Shuren, "He traded his leg for his life. Living with a disability is more difficult for Jiang Ming than dying easily."
Zhu Lan said, "Yes, Jiang Ming was an official in Pingzhou. When he returned there, the situation was very different. Jiang Ming was in great pain."
Zhu Lan added: "I thought you wouldn't agree to Jiang Ming's family staying in Zhou Mansion temporarily!"
Zhou Shuren changed his clothes and said, "What a good teaching material. It would be a waste if it is not used more. Chang Lian and Chang Zhi, this time you have a deeper understanding of the cruelty of the officialdom. Lest they take me as a standard, thinking that the officialdom is all about seniors taking care of the juniors, and it's full of love!"
Zhulan laughed out loud, "I think your educational goal has been achieved."
Zhou Shuren’s educational goal was indeed achieved, and several sons of the Zhou family went to see Jiang Ming.
The eldest and the second in command are better. They have no contact with officialdom, and the intrigues in officialdom are too far away from them.
Chang Lian was upset. Everyone has ambitions. He saw cruelty in his brother-in-law, especially his legs. This was the price of his ambition. "I asked the doctor again. The doctor said that my brother-in-law's legs were not just hit once, but several times."
Dong Chuchu clutched her handkerchief tightly, "You must be cautious when you enter the officialdom in the future. Your brother-in-law is a lesson for you."
Chang Lian held his wife's hand and said, "I will be careful."
He found that even with his father's protection, if someone really wanted to take revenge on him, disfigure him, or break his limbs, it would still be easy, as long as he wasn't dead.
In the fourth room, Chang Zhi was absent-minded. Su Xuan came over and said, "It's been a long time, and you haven't read a single page of the book. You put the book down because you were thinking about something."
Chang Zhi put down the book and took a deep breath. "Dad always asked me to analyze historical allusions. The more I analyzed, the more I understood officialdom. But when I really met Jiang Ming, I realized that talking about politics on paper is far less direct than reality."
Su Xuan was happy. She was glad that Chang Zhi was thinking carefully. Her husband was not stupid, but he was careless. This was also a growth. "Dad watched you learn. That's because Dad loves you. Look, Dad has never been so strict with anyone except Mingyun."
Changzhi reflected on himself and said, "You are right. I will study hard in the future."
Su Xuan was happy, and she thought she could give some jewelry to the girl from the Jiang family.
The next day, Zhou Shuren went to the government office, and Lord Wang said, "Lord, you are kind and righteous."
Zhou Shuren blinked and said shamelessly: "After all, we are all relatives."
Lord Wang admired him even more.