The British government closed its doors and thanked visitors.
It didn't cause much discussion outside. After all, the British Duke was unconscious before, and people from all the capital cities came to visit him. Now that they heard that he was seeking medical treatment outside, they all thought it was normal.
Mrs. Tai did not expect that Zhang Fu would stay in the temple. She had not had time to discuss the matter of the first house with him, and now the two people involved in the first house were not here.
After sending someone to ask him, he asked someone to call Huo Xi.
The ancestral hall is solemn and solemn. The huge altar table is filled with tablets of ancestors of the Zhang family.
Huo Xi stared at her mother's tablet for a long time, then glanced at her grandfather's tablet in another row, took incense and burned it, and bowed respectfully.
The lady watched her quietly until she completed all the actions.
When Huo Xi sat down on the futon opposite her, he looked at her and said, "Do you hate me very much?"
"Shouldn't I hate you?"
The madam was silent, "You should hate me."
"I know what I did was wrong. I'm sorry for your mother. I made you and Nian'er suffer outside for ten years. I could have used other ways to settle your mother, but I chose such an extreme way."
"But if you ask me if I don't regret it... I don't regret it."
After saying that, he turned his eyes to the altar table and looked at the rows of memorial tablets in front of him.
"Look at this altar table. Which one of your grandfather, your great-grandfather, and your uncles has not shed blood and lost his life for the family? Look at the big families who served as officials in the previous dynasty with your grandfather, great-grandfather, and
How many are here?"
"You have the Zhang family's blood. The family gave you birth and raised you, gave you glory and wealth, and even when it was time for you to die, you were not allowed to refuse. I don't know if you understand, but I still want to tell you, no matter you
Wherever you are in the future, and which family you marry into, you must remember that your surname is Zhang and the blood of the Zhang family flows in your body."
Huo Xi was silent. She understood, but she was not the madam, and she could not understand what the madam was doing now.
"I know that my sins are serious, and no matter how much I recite scriptures, I can't change your mother. But Sister Ning, without a family, you wouldn't be there. Ten years ago, our family was just a small ordinary official family in the capital, and we were honored everywhere.
Our family is nothing in the capital. But within three months after your mother passed away, your father was first made an earl, then a marquis, and then a duke. In ten years, our family became a first-class duke.
No one dares to underestimate this mansion anymore."
Huo Xi's eyes were cold: "What do you mean, if my mother doesn't die, my father, the earl, won't get it?"
"Your father has made great achievements in war, and no one can erase his achievements."
"But Sister Ning, when there was a river of blood in the capital, and many families in the capital were destroyed, if our family had no attitude and tried to please both sides, based on our family's status as a surrender and our in-laws being from the old emperor, your father would definitely win.
If he is not reused, if he is not reused and cannot lead troops, he will not be able to accumulate these achievements."
"So, you sacrificed my mother to get all this?"
The madam was silent.
"I want to discuss it with your father and indicate on the genealogy that your mother was willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of the family..."
"unnecessary!"
Huo Xi interrupted coldly, "You don't need to whitewash it. How my mother died will be written down in the family tree by my brother himself in the future. Whether she was willing to die or killed by you, it won't erase her.
What a contribution to this family.”
"Yes, grandma knows. As long as I am here, no one can shake Nian'er's position as the heir apparent. I promise you that Nian'er will definitely be allowed to ascend to the throne in the future."
Huo Xi doesn't need Madam Tai's guarantee.
"We don't care about this title. If my father can earn this title, so will Nian'er in the future. It's not like there is no double title in the capital. But according to what you just said, my father's title was obtained at the expense of my mother. Then
It should belong to Nian'er! Whoever dares to come up and snatch it, I will take care of him for Nian'er!"
"Your father won't let anyone hold his hand." The madam assured her, trying to make up for something.
But Huo Xi didn't intend to listen anymore.
Seeing that Huo Xi was about to leave, Mrs. Tai stopped her again and said, "Now I live in the ancestral hall. You can help your two aunts take care of the place at Zhongfu."
"I'm not interested and I don't have time."
Mrs. Tai said sincerely: "Your father is already looking for a family for you. You are the eldest daughter of the Duke of the country. You will not be able to marry into a lower-ranking family in the future. Learn some skills in managing a family, which will be of great use in the future."
"I'm not interested, let the second and third aunts handle it."
The madam sighed, "Then you have to take charge of the general affairs of the big house, right? Your father is not here now, and he is impatient to deal with the internal affairs. Besides, I'm afraid your father will not marry again. When Nian'er gets married,
It will take several years for his wife to take charge of the family..."
Huo Xi did not respond and left the ancestral hall.
I talked to Grandma Ma about the business.
Mother Ma thought for a while and said: "Girl, if you don't want to be in the palm of your hand, just don't do it, but you still have to learn what you need to learn. You don't care about the middle child in the house, but you have to take over the middle child in the big house."
First, it would be unreasonable to let the second and third concubines take charge of the eldest brother-in-law's internal affairs. Secondly, it would not be appropriate to let the two concubines, Xiao Wang and Liu, take charge of the house.
Huo Xi thought for a while: "Let someone call Mrs. Liu."
"Girl, do you want Aunt Liu to help?"
Huo Xi nodded. Little Wang is the wife's mother-in-law, and her two daughters have reached the age of proposing marriage, so she is worried that she will be unfair. And Liu's daughter, Bigui, is only eight years old, so it is still too early for them to propose marriage.
Mother Ma also figured out Huo Xi's intention, "But if you leave out the little Wang family, are you not afraid that she will have any objections?"
"I don't care what she thinks as a concubine. Since she has chosen to be a concubine, of course she will do whatever the master says."
After a while, Mrs. Liu was called over. "The eldest lady has called for my concubine. What are your instructions?"
Huo Xi looked at Mrs. Liu and saw that she was elegantly and elegantly dressed. Then he thought of Mrs. Wang and felt that his father's two concubines were different from other concubines who dressed up in a coquettish way and competed for favors.
There have been no reports of jealousy between wives and concubines in Dafang in recent years, which can be considered a blessing.
Huo Xi conveyed his intention to her.
"The eldest lady wants my concubine to assist in the affairs of the eldest house?" Ms. Liu was very surprised.
Madam was not here, and she was afraid that she would not come back in the future. She actually knew that. But she never thought that the affairs of the head of the family would fall on her. Little Wang entered the family much earlier than she did.
"What, you can't handle it?"
Mrs. Liu swallowed her saliva: "Yeah, it's not like we can't handle it. Then Sister Wang..."
"She has to take care of Bizhu and Biyue, and is busy socializing and looking for families for them. She is afraid that she will not have time to manage the affairs of the big house."
Mrs. Liu pursed her lips. She didn't know why the eldest lady chose her instead of Xiao Wang. She was very happy in her heart, "Since the eldest lady trusts me, I will try to take care of it."
"Well, I'll ask Aunt Ma and Aunt An to stay with you. If there's anything you can't handle, come back to me."
"Yes, don't worry, eldest lady, I will take good care of the affairs of the eldest house."