The voice was slightly muffled, but the words were clear and there were no roundabout words: "I mistakenly thought that something happened to my father's brother and A Yuan. At this juncture, I should have done my best to help A Zhang deal with the family affairs and stabilize the family situation - but
Even though I helped Azhang on the surface, I never really had a clear conscience."
After a brief pause, he said: "I was not unaware of the second brother's change of personnel and private use of the family master's seal, but because of my obsession, I chose to turn a blind eye and just pretended to know nothing."
At that time, he did not know that his second brother had committed patricide, but he realized that his second brother wanted to replace A Zhang——
But he did nothing.
Nothing is done, everything is done.
"Master, you..." Mrs. Jiang's face turned pale. She didn't know there was such a thing.
Wu Jingyi never raised his head, and his tone was filled with shame: "After I became aware of my second brother's ambition, and because I saw that A Zhang was young, I had some evil thoughts that I shouldn't have... I actually wanted to stand by and watch, and then do anything about it afterwards.
The mentality of a villain who just reaps the benefits... is really unbearable. Not only is he unworthy of his trust in his father, he is unworthy of the cultivation of the Wu family, and he is even more unworthy of being an uncle!"
Thoughts occur in a flash, but it is extremely difficult to control them afterwards.
It's because he failed to keep the bottom line in his heart.
The hall was extremely silent for a moment, and the atmosphere was tense.
King Dingnan asked: "Does this thought still exist now?"
This question sounds redundant and no one would answer it.
Wu Jingyi raised his head, his eyes slightly red: "My son will never have such delusions again——"
"You are not wrong because you have delusions." King Dingnan said: "It is impossible to completely eradicate the six desires of human beings. Even if you have the desire to go to higher places, it is understandable. The Wu family is so big that it is not just the head of the family.
The position is open to you to use your fists and kicks. Whatever you want, you can fight for it openly and honestly. In the end, your ability will speak for itself - and you must not endanger your family by doing so, let alone blame your own family!"
Wu Jingyi kowtowed again: "Yes, my son already understands."
Then he said in a hoarse voice: "In the past, when my father and brother A Yuan were here, I never had such thoughts. I just thought that I had no selfish intentions... But these days when I see A Zhang Yijie as a child, I still have other thoughts.
, it turns out that the so-called lack of selfishness is just seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, bullying the weak and fearing the hard..."
There was guilt and self-dislike in the words.
After hearing this, Wu Chao felt discerned and calmed down.
When the third uncle said this, he was not just admitting his mistake. He had the courage to say these words, and he could be called a true gentleman.
A gentleman also has moments of vacillation, and it is not a bad thing to use this test to catch a glimpse of his own faults in time.
You know where the edge of the cliff is, and the feeling of abandoning your conscience is not what you want. Now that you have this incident as a warning, the bottom line will be drawn clearly, and you will remember that it cannot be crossed in the future.
Of course, Third Uncle's behavior today may be due to his suspicion that he could not hide the matter after he knew it, so he took the initiative to admit his mistake and ask for forgiveness. This is called playing tricks——
But even so, it is not important. It is not a heinous fault for a smart person to have scheming intentions. The most important thing is whether the third uncle sincerely regrets.
This point depends on the present and the future.
"My daughter-in-law is also at fault." Ms. Jiang came to her senses and knelt down to salute: "Since my daughter-in-law has joined the Wu family, she also has the responsibility of keeping the family home stable. The master had this in mind this time, but my daughter-in-law failed to notice and persuade her in time.
It is a big mistake, please punish me father."
Wu Jingyi looked at the person beside him blankly, his eyes red: "Madam..."
Mrs. Jiang also looked at him.
Husband and wife are one, if the master makes mistakes, so does she.
But she knew her master. Even if he was confused for a moment, he could not do anything to really harm his family. Even if her father did not return home that day, she was sure that he would definitely turn around and never go that far.
But these words cannot be said at this time.
Saying so is tantamount to defending her husband. It is a fact that her husband is wrong, and he should be punished if he is wrong. And since he stands up and admits it, he feels guilty, and it is not her turn to explain to him by being smart.
And this is her husband. Since she trusts him, she is naturally willing to advance and retreat with him.
The two children also knelt down.
The third young master is already thirteen years old and can already distinguish right from wrong.
Xiaowu, who had just turned five years old, was being dragged to his knees by his elder brother, and he couldn't quite tell what was going on.
After taking a look at his children, grandchildren and daughter-in-law kneeling there, King Dingnan looked at Wu Chao.
Wu Chao understood, but looked at the boy beside him: "A Zhang, you can make the final decision on this matter."
A Zhang is the real head of the Wu family in the future.
Teaching alone is not enough. It would be better to ask A Zhang to make his own choice. After making the choice, he can see the result himself.
Wu Ran did not expect that his second brother would leave this matter to him to decide.
Is it because the second brother thinks this matter has something to do with him?
The boy said "yes" and looked at his third uncle who was kneeling there.
When the second brother said wait, it turns out he meant this.
Sure enough, he still didn't know his third uncle well enough, and he had never thought of the possibility that his third uncle would take the initiative to admit his mistake.
But now that the second uncle recognized it, he felt relieved.
This was the best situation and outcome he could think of.
The boy thought for a while, but did not hesitate for too long, nor did he look at his grandfather. The look in his father's and second brother's eyes said that he would make the decision, so he only had to listen to himself——
"I will punish my third uncle to copy the family rules a hundred times."
Wu Jingyi was stunned when he heard this.
Immediately, he turned to look at the boy and forced a smile: "A Zhang, this is not the punishment."
This is an insignificant punishment that only children can say.
"But Third Uncle didn't do anything. Even according to the law, he has to see the consequences before he can punish someone. If he just thinks about it in his mind, he won't be arrested and sent to the government." Wu Ran's tone was very serious.
Wu Jingyi shook his head slightly.
How can this be the same?
"If the third uncle pointed out that the second uncle invited me to go there that day, and the third uncle did not stop me, then there would be no reason to punish the third uncle." Wu Ran said: "That day, I came out of Songqingyuan with my grandfather and father.
Then I saw Third Uncle waiting outside. Afterwards, I asked Manager Yin when Third Uncle came. Manager Yin said that Grandfather had just entered the courtyard for a few moments before Third Uncle arrived——"
At that time, the news of my grandfather's return had not even had time to spread.
Therefore, the reason why Third Uncle came here was not because he heard the news about Grandfather’s return——
Third uncle, I came here for him.
"..." Wu Jingyi was almost stunned.
So, everyone knows A Zhang?
Whether it was his thoughts of sitting on the sidelines before, or why he rushed to Songqingyuan later...
During the few days when he was thinking about it, he felt as if he was possessed by a demon. That day when he learned that A Zhang was going to Songqingyuan, he did not stop him or remind him, and he even falsely convinced himself that nothing would happen to him as a way of doing it.
A lucky mentality appeases one's conscience——
But when he and others finished handling the matters at hand and returned to the front of the residence, he suddenly came to his senses and looked ahead again, only to realize that he was already on the edge of a cliff.
He didn't dare to go any further.
He seemed to suddenly wake up, turned around suddenly, and walked quickly towards Songqingyuan.
But there was no time.
It's not that he didn't have time to stop his second brother from doing anything to A Yuan, it's that he didn't have time to do anything.
Father is back!
My brother and A Yuan are both safe and sound!
The joy of finding his family made him extremely happy.
But this also made him feel a knot in his heart. He was unable to personally stop his second brother and bring A Zhang back...
Although the current result could not be better, for him, it was equivalent to failing to correct his own mistakes with his own hands.
If the mistake has not been corrected, it is as if there is still no way to turn back from the wrong road.
But now, Azhang says he knows everything...
Punishing him to copy the house rules is not childish, but taking everything into consideration!
In vain, he thought that A Zhang was a child who didn't understand anything, but in fact, all his thoughts were clearly seen by this child!
Tears welled up in Wu Jingyi's eyes.
No matter what the outcome was, once A Zhang knew it, he finally turned around!
"It's not easy to copy the family rules hundreds of times. I'm afraid I won't be able to copy them all in a few months." Wu Jingming looked at his younger brother and said: "Furthermore, the Wu family rules have been revised for hundreds of years, and they have their own inscriptions. If the third brother copies them carefully,
, you will definitely gain a lot.”
Wu Jingyi raised his hand and saluted his brother again, his voice trembled slightly due to the turmoil in his chest but was firm: "Yes, Jingyi remembers it."
"The punishment has been decided, let's all get up." King Dingnan said, his face showing no change from beginning to end.
The old lady glanced at him.
The old man is wise now and leaves everything to his children and grandchildren, no, his son is useless - everything is left to his grandchildren to handle.
As you get older, you should really listen to your children more.
I have to say that when the old man came back from his trip to the capital, he seemed to be thinking a lot - could it be that he was scolded by the Duke of Zhen again?
Swearing is also good.
Every time he was scolded by the governor, the old man would look sullen on the surface, but in reality he would always listen to it.
Maybe this is what is called not scolding.
But no one in the world dared to scold him except the Duke of Zhen. He was like his destined nemesis that day, so if anything happened, he would have to go to the Duke of Zhen.
And when they become in-laws in the future, it will be even easier to scold them.
Thinking of this, the old lady couldn't help but look happy and comfortable - it's great, she no longer has to worry about her husband scolding her.
After the matter was settled, the old man took the third child to the study to talk.
On the way back, Wu Chao asked the boy in a casual tone: "Since I leave it to you to deal with, why don't we punish him harsher?"
The maid held the lantern, and the family walked slowly. Xu and Wu Jingming also looked at the second son.
"I remember that my second brother once told me that except for myself, everyone else is using it instead of placing all hope on it. If I don't notice the strangeness of my second uncle, I will just wait for my third uncle to remind me.
, Even if I was reminded this time, what about the next time?" Wu Ran said seriously: "I have never placed any hope on Third Uncle, so even though Third Uncle is watching, I don't have much resentment."
Moreover, the third uncle and the second uncle are completely different in nature.
"Secondly, the third uncle didn't really make a big mistake. On the way to look for the second uncle that day, I clearly noticed the third uncle's wavering... and he went to look for me again afterwards, and obviously turned around. I thought afterwards
However, why did the third uncle go back? At that time, he did not know that his grandfather and father were still alive, so he could have continued his own plan, and the reason why he turned back in time was nothing more than conscience and family affection."
"It is conscience and family affection that allow Third Uncle to keep the bottom line. If I use this to severely punish Third Uncle without any mercy, will Third Uncle feel that the family affection he has maintained is meaningless? In this case, I am afraid that it will be the opposite.
It chills people's hearts. If it becomes a knot in one's heart over time, wouldn't it be easy to cause trouble again?"
After saying this, he turned around and asked the young man beside him with some uncertainty: "Second brother, did I do something wrong?"
"If it is just because of a soft heart, it is indeed wrong." Wu Chao said: "Since it is based on such considerations, then there is nothing wrong."
After receiving his brother's confirmation, Wu Ran grinned and said: "But don't worry, second brother, since the matter of the third uncle has been exposed, it can also serve as a warning to me. I will pay more attention to such things in the future. I will definitely do my best."
Learn the skills and help the second brother guard the house."
Wu Chao smiled noncommittally.
Xu and Wu Jingming looked at each other and smiled.
This silly boy is still thinking of helping his second brother keep the house safe.
Little did he know, it was clearly his second brother who was helping him.
It seems that I have to find a suitable opportunity to talk things over with the stupid boy.
But in the eyes of the couple, this is not a big deal.
Regardless of whether he is a second brother or a cousin, they are still a family.
"Is there any letter in the past two days in Linyuan? I wonder what the situation is?" Mrs. Xu asked Wu Chao.
"Don't worry, mother, the situation in Linyuan is quite stable." Wu Chao knew very well what his mother was most concerned about, so he specifically added: "Everything is fine in Zhaozhao too."
Mrs. Xu smiled and nodded, then asked about other things.
Wu Ran secretly listened, turning his head frequently to look at his second brother.
Mentioning that girl Zhaozhao, the smile on the second brother's face never disappeared. Do all people who want to marry a wife look like this?
The family was chatting about their daily affairs while walking, and Prince Wu listened quietly without interrupting - if he said something wrong, he would definitely be pinched, and the two children were still here, so he couldn't humiliate himself.
Seeing the Prince's Courtyard right in front of them, Wu Chao and Wu Ran were about to bow to their parents and leave when they suddenly saw De Suijiang walking quickly.
After bowing, Sui Jiang's voice sounded extremely solemn in the dim night: "Sir, something happened at Songqingyuan."
The surroundings suddenly became silent, as if even the sound of the wind had stopped.
When Wu Chao and others arrived at Songqingyuan, the courtyard was already brightly lit.
They were the first to arrive.
"Where are the people?" Wu Jingming's voice was a little hoarse.
One of the followers replied: "We don't dare to touch anything in the garden."
Due to the owner's preference, the most indispensable thing in Songqing Courtyard is the plants, flowers and trees, which either bloom in season or are rare and hard to find. There are nearly twenty gardeners responsible for their care and care, all of whom are from heaven.
Skilled craftsmen found from the south and north——
This garden has always been a place that feels like spring all year round.
Wu Chao saw Wu Jingling lying on a wicker chair outside a pavilion in the garden.
The man wore a wide moon-white gown, with gold threads embroidering the auspicious clouds chasing the moon. His black hair was half tied up with a white jade crown, combed very neatly, and the other half was hung loosely behind his head. Even though there was no moon tonight, there was no trace of blood in his hair.
There is brilliance.
Behind me, the green waves of the spring water are in full bloom, two weeping crabapples are bearing fruit, and a clump of orchids is blooming quietly at my feet, which is elegant and quiet.
The breeze blows, and the fragrance floats - it is the incense fragrance of the person sitting on the wicker chair.
