Shi Zhengkun checked his duty, declined the banquet invited by his colleagues, and went directly back to the uncle's house.
The atmosphere at home has been a little weird recently, which makes him feel a little uneasy.
He went to Yixiang Hall to pay his respects, but his mother never saw him once. Although there were reasonable reasons every time, he could feel that it was his mother who didn't want to see him.
But why?
There was also his father. In the past, when his father saw him, he would always give him a few words of encouragement. But now, when he saw him, he would walk away after saying a few words. Once, he even found that his father was deliberately avoiding him.
The eldest brother is also very strange. He looks at him with complicated eyes and sighs every time.
Shi Zhengkun returned to a room in Yiwenyuan worriedly. When he saw Zeng Yuwei, he asked: "Have you found out what happened at home?"
Zeng Yuwei shook her head: "You know how tight-lipped my sister-in-law is. If she doesn't want to speak, I don't have the ability to make her speak."
As he said that, he paused.
"Ms. sir, are you overthinking it? I see everything is normal at home."
Shi Zhengkun walked around the house irritably: "No, something must have happened, and it's related to me." After walking around for two times, he said directly, "No, I have to ask my parents to find out."
Seeing Shi Zhengkun walking out quickly, Zeng Yuwei quickly followed.
The two of them went straight to Yixiang Hall, but unfortunately, they were stopped again at the entrance of the courtyard.
"The Fourth Master, the Fourth Madam, the old master and the old lady have something to say, and they have ordered that no one be allowed in to disturb them."
Zeng Yuwei said quickly: "The fourth master has not paid a visit to the old lady for some days. The old lady has sent you greetings. I came back early today on purpose. Since my father and mother are both here, it is better for us to go in."
With that said, he was about to step into the yard.
Before her steps even hit the ground, she saw two ladies guarding the door blocking her.
When the conversation reached this point, the servants still dared to stop me. Zeng Yuwei immediately became angry: "You are so brave, even the Fourth Master and I dare to stop you!"
At this time, Aunt An, who was beside Mrs. Shi, came over.
Aunt An, like Aunt Xu, was Mrs. Shi's dowry. As soon as Shi Zhengkun saw her, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Mommy, I want to go in and pay my respects to my father and mother. Could you please pass the message?"
Aunt An smiled and said: "Fourth Master, the old lady is indeed feeling a little unwell during this period. When she recovers, she will naturally see you. You and Fourth Madam should go back first."
Zeng Yuwei wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Shi Zhengkun.
"Okay, since mother wants to rest, we won't disturb her. I'd like to ask mama to say hello to my father and mother for me."
After saying that, he took Zeng Yuwei and left.
As soon as the two of them reached the fork in the road, they saw Shi Zhengmao and Mrs. Shi walking towards them.
Zeng Yuwei wanted to come forward and say hello, but Shi Zhengkun took him and hid under the shade of a nearby tree.
"Ms. sir, what are you doing?"
Shi Zhengkun did not answer, but looked at Shi Zhengmao and Mrs. Shi silently. When he saw the two of them entering the Yixiang Hall, his expression changed instantly.
"Something must have happened, otherwise my parents would not miss me."
Shi Zhengkun looked at Zeng Yuwei: "I have been busy some time ago and have no time to take care of my family. Think about it carefully, has anything strange happened at home?"
Zeng Yuwei thought for a while and shook her head: "No, it's strange. Last time my mother suddenly came to see you in our courtyard, does it count?"
Shi Zhengkun remembered that it seemed that his mother had stopped seeing him since then: "Forget it, let someone go find out and ask what happened at home that day?"
His mother would not ignore him for no reason. There must be something going on that he doesn't know about.
Zeng Yuwei's father was a fourth-rank Marble Shaoqing. Although his rank was not very high, he was a truly powerful official. His natal family was powerful, so many servants in the government were close to her.
She is still very well-informed about the news in the house.
Not long after Zeng Yuwei and Shi Zhengkun returned to Yi Wen Yuan, the accompanying maid found out the news.
"What? A letter came from the second uncle of the Jiang family on the day my mother came to our yard?"
"Did something happen to the Jiang family?"
"No, if something happens to the Jiang family, why doesn't mother see me?"
Shi Zhengkun was really confused. The Jiang family was far away in the northwest border, and he really couldn't imagine what the Jiang family's letter could have to do with him.
Zeng Yuwei added: "By the way, there was another letter from the Jiang family today. I heard that after my mother read the letter, she immediately sent someone to invite my father to Yixiang Hall. The two of them stayed in the house for a long time without coming out."
"We went to pay our respects and didn't stop outside the hospital, but the eldest brother and sister-in-law went in. Could it be that something really happened to the Jiang family and we asked the eldest brother and sister-in-law to discuss it?"
"You shouldn't. There's no need to hide this from us, right?"
Both husband and wife were very confused and were silent for a while. Shi Zhengkun suddenly stood up and walked out: "I went to the second sister's place. My father and mother refused to see me. I can't even see the second sister."
Zeng Yuwei nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, the second sister has the best relationship with our family. If she comes forward, she will definitely find out what happened."
...
Yixiang Hall.
Mrs. Shi and Mrs. Shi were sitting on the kang near the window, and Mrs. Shi Zhengmao and Mrs. Shi were sitting on the chairs below them.
Shi Zhengmao and Mrs. Shi were reading letters. This time they received a total of four letters.
One was written by Mrs. Jiang, one was written by Jiang Anbang, and the other two were written by Shi Nian and Aunt Xu.
Because Mrs. Jiang was contradicted many times in the Li family, and she was influenced by Jiang Antai, many of the contents in her letter expressed her dissatisfaction with the Li Changsen family.
Jiang Anbang mostly spoke from the perspective of Li Changsen's family, and revealed that he liked the four children of the Li family very much.
Shi Nian and Aunt Xu did not dare to express their opinions in the letter, so they described the entire conversation between them and Li Changsen's family that day relatively fairly.
Through the letters written by four people, Mrs. Shi and the four of them were able to roughly reconstruct the scene of the meeting that day.
In the room, the four people had different reactions.
Mrs. Shi sat on the kang calmly and calmly, adding incense powder to the incense burner. Mrs. Shi, who was opposite the kang table, pursed her lips and said nothing.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! After Shi Zhengmao read the letter, his brows were knitted into knots, while Mrs. Shi's eyebrows were raised, with an obvious look of surprise on her face.
Li Changsen's family was unwilling to return to Shi's home, which really surprised everyone!
No, it can't be said that they are unwilling to return to Shi's home. They want to come back in good faith...
When he comes back in good faith, he will have to announce to the public that the child was carried by the wrong child. By then, Shi Zhengkun will inevitably be affected, and maybe there will be a quarrel with the Shi family because of this.
Thinking of this, Shi Zhengmao became a little annoyed: "This Li Changsen..."
"What Li Changsen? That's your brother. His surname is Shi, not Li." Mrs. Shi glanced sideways at Shi Zhengmao.
Shi Zhengmao choked: "Then I call him Shi Changsen?"
Mrs. Shi said nothing and continued tinkering with the incense burner.
Tokimasagi was silent: "Changmori...Changmori, isn't he making it difficult for us?"
When Mrs. Shi saw that neither Mrs. Shi nor Mr. Shi said anything, she thought for a while and said, "The Changmori family is out here. I think no one has taught me many things. It's understandable that we don't understand the difficulties at home."
"The fourth brother has now joined the Hanlin Academy. The Hanlin Academy is a place that the emperor and all civil and military officials attach great importance to. If it is revealed that the fourth brother is not the son of the Shi family, it will have a great impact on him."
"Father, mother, if you don't want your eldest aunt and second aunt to go over and have a good talk with Changsen, I think their family will understand the difficulties at home."
Mrs. Shi didn't even raise her head: "How can he still not understand?"
Mrs. Shi was stunned for a moment, a little unsure of her mother-in-law's attitude. She looked at her husband and said nothing.
Shi Zhengmao asked directly: "Father, mother, what do you think? Do you really want everyone to know that the fourth brother is not your biological child? How much harm will this cause to him?"
"You have refused to see him these days, and he has no intention of doing his job. He always comes to me and asks me if you are feeling unwell, and his words are very concerned."
"The fourth brother has always been strong since he was a child. How will he deal with himself if he knows that he is not the son of the Shi family?"
"There's nothing wrong with taking him back to Changsen, but it's not worth the loss if he separates our fourth brother from us."
Mrs. Shi looked at Shi Zhengmao: "Then tell me, what should we do about this matter?"
Shi Zhengmao: "That's what I meant too. Let uncle and the others come forward to talk to Changsen Haosheng."
Mrs. Shi asked again: "If it doesn't make sense, why don't you admit it?"
Shi Zhengmao choked: "That's not what I meant. If uncle and the others can't explain it, then I will go to Rongcheng myself."
Mrs. Shi smiled and shook her head: "If your uncle can't help even if he comes forward, it will be in vain if you go. Okay, you can go down."
Before he heard his parents' decision, Shi Zhengmao didn't want to leave just like that. He wanted to say something, but he was stopped by Mrs. Shi who got up and walked to his side.
"Ms. sir, let's go back first."
Shi Zhengmao reluctantly followed Mrs. Shi out of Yixiang Hall: "What's the matter with you? I also want to ask my father and mother what they think."
Mrs. Shi Da: "Haven't you seen it yet? I'm afraid my father and mother have made a decision a long time ago."
Shi Zhengmao was stunned: "What decision? I didn't see it."
Mrs. Shi sighed: "Didn't you notice that mother is very calm this time? People will not be upset only when they have made up their minds. Mother, you have already made a decision."
Shi Zhengmao: "Then what is their decision?"
Mrs. Shi shook her head. Although she had been married into the Shi family for almost twenty years, it was still difficult for her to guess what her mother-in-law was thinking.
It is certain that she should recognize her own son, and it is what a mother should do. She has no doubt about this.
But the difficulty lies in the fact that the fourth brother is involved.
The fourth brother was trained by the Shi family with great efforts. It would be fine to recognize Li Changsen, but if it affects his future, it would be a loss for him and the Shi family.
Let’s not talk about the Shi family for now, but if his fourth brother is affected by taking back Li Changsen, it’s probably hard for him not to feel uncomfortable.
One is an adopted son who has been raised carefully and has a good future. Although the other is a biological son, he grew up in a military family and probably has little ability to help the Shi family.
It depends on what the mother chooses?
...
"Have you really thought about it?"
After the eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law left, Mr. Shi, who had been silent, spoke.
Mrs. Shi nodded: "Everyone has to take responsibility for their own mistakes. We failed to protect our children and let them be dumped. It was a mistake as parents and a big mistake. We have to face the difficulties today."
"Since you made a mistake, you can't make it again and again!"
"I didn't think carefully before. I shouldn't have sent Shi Nian and Aunt Xu to Rongcheng before deciding how to arrange Zhengkun."
"The child cannot be brought back without any clear answer. Because of us, the child has been in trouble for more than 30 years. Now we cannot let him continue to be wronged."
Mr. Shi hesitated: "But Zhengkun's side..."
Mrs. Shi sighed, but her expression was firm: "It stands to reason that he is innocent, but he took away the life that belonged to Changsen. It was right and wrong. He had to pay the price for his parents' greed. He will bear the price."
All the criticism he received was caused by his parents, not us."
Mr. Shi sighed again: "The issue of holding the wrong child has been brought to light. Zhengkun is afraid that he will be separated from us."...
Mrs. Shi was very open-minded about this: "There is nothing we can do about it. No matter how close our son is, there is no guarantee that he will always be close to his parents."
"We have a clear conscience about Zhengkun. When he was our son, we raised him with all our heart. He is no longer our son, but he is also an adopted son. If he has the intention to stay close to us, we welcome him. If he alienates us, it is okay.
So weird."
Mr. Shi let out a long sigh: "The Shi family is really going to decline in my hands."
As a family of military commanders, they either always have real power in the military, or someone in the family can read and rely on poems and books to pass down the family.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Because of the suppression from the superiors in the past few years, the family spent a lot of effort to get the eldest son to find a position as a fifth-rank Yuanwai Lang in the Ministry of War.
Now that he was still alive, there was still an earl supporting him in the mansion. Once he passed away, without the name of the earl, he could not imagine how the Shi family would decline.
After finally raising a Hanlin bachelor, he was not his biological son...
Mrs. Shi lowered her eyes and said, "Some things are hard to explain. Even if a Hanlin scholar gets into the eyes of the emperor, he still has to start as a low-level official. Many people will just be editors throughout their lives."
"You and I can't predict what will happen in the future. All we can control is the present. The child must be taken back. If he is left at the border and meets his ancestors in the future, you won't be able to explain it."
The old man was not talking.
Mrs. Shi suddenly laughed: "Don't tell me, the Changsen family really surprised me. I thought that growing up in the border area and lacking education, the Changsen family would have little knowledge, but I didn't expect that they gave me a surprise."
The old man Shi raised his eyes and looked at his old wife: "Why is this a surprise?"
Mrs. Shi asked back: "Why isn't this a surprise? If our family came to our door to recognize our relatives, they would follow us back obediently. Of course they are obedient, but don't you feel that something is missing?"
He said and smiled.
"I know that sister-in-law, she has a lot of principles. The few children in Changsen didn't get involved by her, and they dared to go against her. This temper should be in my blood."
"My second brother said that Changmori's little daughter looks very much like me. I can't wait to meet them."
Mr. Shi was not as forgiving as Mrs. Shi. When he thought about the future of the Shi family, he had a severe headache: "Should you talk to Zhengkun, or should I talk to him?"
Mrs. Shi was silent: "The Zeng family wanted to force their way in today. I think they will come here in the next two days. Let me tell you."
Early the next morning, Mrs. Shi and Mrs. Shi had just finished breakfast when they heard from the maid that their daughter Shi Yuhua was back.
Mrs. Shi raised her eyebrows and looked at Mr. Shi: "I thought Zhengkun would come here by himself, but I didn't expect that Yuhua would be moved back. It's okay. This is a major event for the Shi family and everyone in the family should know about it.