The last day of every month is the day when nobles in the palace receive their wives. As a countess, Mrs. Shi naturally has to attend.
Whenever this time comes, it is the best opportunity for the royal wife and the nobles in the palace to communicate their feelings.
There are many married women, so how to win the attention of noble people depends on the ability of the married woman and the status of her husband's family.
As one of the few remaining founders of the country, Wuchang Bofu should have been treated with courtesy by the nobles in the palace and the ladies of the palace, but the fact is completely the opposite.
Because the Tokifu was implicated in the Prince Regent's case, although the late emperor did not deprive the Tokifu of his title, he directly ignored the existence of the Tokifu.
Following the example, everyone saw that the late emperor did not like the Shi family, so they all chose to alienate the Shi family.
There was no emperor to care about him, no relatives or friends to help him. Twenty or thirty years later, the government had long been far away from the circle of nobles, and now it was getting worse and worse.
However, even though she would receive a cold reception every time she made a pilgrimage to the nobles, Mrs. Shi still came to attend without fail.
There was no way, this was one of the few opportunities for Shifu to show her face among the nobles and make her presence felt. She couldn't let people in the capital completely forget about the existence of Wuchang Bofu.
As usual, Mrs. Shi followed everyone to pay homage to the Queen Mother, the Empress, the Concubine and others. After kowtowing, she waited in the side hall.
Next, the Queen Mother and the Empress will summon some of their wives to speak.
At this time, you can see the favor of each family.
Those who are valued by the emperor and those who are in the eyes of the nobles will be called to speak. Depending on the degree of esteem, they will either be left to speak, or receive some rewards, or they will be kept in the palace for lunch.
Mrs. Shi was one of those who were treated coldly. She was not summoned as usual and could only leave the palace and return home with a gloomy expression.
Wuchang Earl's Mansion.
When the Shi family saw that Mrs. Shi had returned so early, they immediately guessed what happened to her in the palace.
Mrs. Shi felt a little heavy. She originally thought that the suppression of the Shi family would end after the previous emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne. However, she did not expect that the situation had not changed at all.
The title of the Shi family ended with the father-in-law. Now the Shi family still has the title of uncle, but after a hundred years from the father-in-law, the Shi family may be completely in decline.
"Thank you for your hard work, mother!"
Mrs. Shi did not dare to show her emotions on her face, and eagerly stepped forward to help Mrs. Shi.
Speaking of her mother-in-law, she admired her from the bottom of her heart.
Entering the palace to meet the nobles sounded like a great honor, but the Shi family was ignored by the superiors. She could imagine how embarrassing her mother-in-law would be after entering the palace.
But the mother-in-law never failed, and she never lost her temper with them because of the cold treatment they received in the palace after returning home. This kind of broad-mindedness and endurance are something she will never be able to achieve.
Madam Shi, who had already calmed down, smiled and shook her head: "You prepared enough ice cubes on the carriage, as well as tea and cakes. I'm not hungry or warm, so why bother?"
Mrs. Shi caressed Mrs. Shi and returned to Yixiang Courtyard. After serving hot tea to Mrs. Shi with her own hands, she smiled and said, "This morning a letter was sent from the concierge. It was written by my second uncle.
It’s a very thick letter.”
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Shi ignored her tea and said quickly: "Bring the letter quickly. The eldest brother usually writes letters home. The second brother hasn't written to me for many years. Something happened.
Alright?"
Mrs. Shi quickly took the bulging envelope from the maid's hand and handed it to Mrs. Shi with both hands: "Mom, don't think too much. If something really happens, it will be a letter from my uncle or aunt. My second uncle wrote a letter. He probably misses my mother."
.”
Speaking of Jiang Anbang, Mrs. Shi raised the corners of her mouth and said with a smile while opening the letter: "Your uncle is a serious person. When I was young, whenever I got into trouble, my uncle would scold me severely. But your second uncle is different.
He will protect me unconditionally every time, just like an old hen protecting her chicks."
Mrs. Shi smiled and said, "That's because my second uncle loves you."
Mrs. Shi quickly read the letter, with a smile on her lips at first, but slowly her smile solidified.
Mrs. Shi watched Mrs. Shi's eyes open wider and wider, and the shock on her face became more and more intense. Finally, the hand holding the letter started to shake, and her heart suddenly trembled.
Could it be that something really happened to the Jiang family?
"Mom, what did the second uncle say?"
Mrs. Shi ignored Mrs. Shi and quickly looked through the letter. Reading it once was not enough, so she started reading it again and read it several times. Her face was full of disbelief and difficulty in accepting it.
"Mother......"
Seeing Mrs. Shi lose her composure like this, Mrs. Shi was a little frightened.
Could it be that my uncle is gone?!
Mrs. Shi suppressed the huge shock in her heart and quickly stepped forward to comfort Mrs. Shi: "Mother, don't be anxious. No matter what happens, you have to hold on."
Mrs. Shi's voice made Mrs. Shi, who was extremely helpless, come back to her senses from the shock, looked at Mrs. Shi blankly, and then leaned weakly on the chair.
His face turned pale, his lips trembled slightly, and his eyes were out of focus, as if he had suffered a huge blow.
Mrs. Shi's face also turned pale: "Mom, my uncle..."
Mrs. Shi was a little lost. It took her a while to understand what Mrs. Shi meant. She shook her head and reached out to support her swollen and dizzy head, but she accidentally knocked over the hot tea on the table.
The hot tea in the tea bowl spilled onto Mrs. Shi's hand, and instantly, the back of her hand turned red.
"Mother!"
Mrs. Shi was startled, and she quickly stepped forward to wipe Mrs. Shi's hands with a handkerchief, and quickly ordered the maid to bring cold water.
When the maid brought cold water, the old lady put her burning hands into the cold water and then she said: "Zhihan, go and do your business. I have nothing to do here."
Mrs. Shi was worried: "Mother, I'd better stay with you."
Mrs. Shi shook her head: "It's really okay. Your eldest uncle and the others are also fine. It's just that your second uncle said something. I have to... I have to slow down."
Mrs. Shi glanced at the letter that Mrs. Shi held tightly in her hand. She hesitated for a moment, then asked the maids in the room to take good care of her, then nodded and left.
As soon as she left, Mrs. Shi picked up the letter with trembling hands and read it again with tears in her eyes.
How can it be?
Zhengkun is not her son!
Mrs. Shi couldn't help but recall the scene in her mind when she returned to Rongcheng for a funeral and was attacked by Beiyan. She was frightened and had to give birth in a ruined temple on the roadside.
Not long after she had the attack, a couple came outside the ruined temple to ask for help. The woman was also pregnant and was frightened and was about to give birth.
She and her husband felt compassion, so they let the woman enter the ruined temple and gave birth with her...
How could it be possible to hold the wrong child?
Even though she fell asleep after giving birth, there were still so many maids around her, mother-in-law!
Mrs. Shi really couldn't accept it, but she also knew her brother. If they didn't investigate clearly, they would not write to her.
Zhengkun......
Mrs. Shi's heart ached when she thought that the child she had raised was not her son.
When she saw that Li Changsen suffered a lot of harsh treatment in the Li family mentioned in Jiang Anbang's letter, tears burst out of Mrs. Shi's eyes.
Military households, battlefields...
When she thought about her child growing up in such dangerous conditions and almost dying several times, Mrs. Shi felt a little breathless.