Yan Fusheng and nurse Qin nodded and said, “Fusheng/ Nurse Qin will remember it.” Yan Fusheng continued, “Little Master, please forgive Fusheng for talking too much. You are the master and in the future, the titles of the servants in the family should be distinguished into honorable and subordinate, to distinguish longtime servants and not spoil master’s honor.”

Shao Yunan didn’t understand this kind of concept of dignity as a modern person. Since Jiang Kangning told him about this situation, Jiang Kangning said on his behalf, “The two of you can just take care of it later. Ziyu, Zimu, Uncle Zhou, and Aunt Zhou’s family are not considered servants of the family and should be treated with courtesy.”

Shao Yunan immediately said, “Yes, they are not servants. Um, they are servants, but they are more like family.”

“Fusheng/ Nurse Qin will remember.”

Wang Shijing then said, “You guys go back, you all look very tired today. Tomorrow you will officially take over the chores in the mansion. Ziyu will explain the duties of each person in the house to you.”

“Good.” Wang Shijing stood up. “Big Brother, I will take Yunan to his room to change his clothes. I will leave the children to you.”

“You guys go ahead.” 

Shao Yunan put down Nizi and took Wang Shijing’s outstretched hand to stand up. He then followed Wang Shijing and went into their room together, but as he was walking to the door, he turned around and said, “Big Brother, there’s something I forgot to tell you.”

Jiang Kangning put down Jiang Moxi and got up to come over as Shao Yunan whispered to his ear. “Big brother, that guy said something insulting about the Emperor and Empress… very unpleasant. Don’t personally ask what he said; it’s best to let the Emperor personally interrogate. I also told Commander Dai about this matter.” Jiang Kangning frowned, “Very unpleasant?”

“It’s not ugly, it’s insulting. You’d better not know. Let the Emperor personally ask, absolutely…” Shao Yunan made a beheading motion. On the way back, he thought about this matter and decided it would be better if the Emperor asked about it himself. Otherwise, the Vice Commander will interrogate him and report the truth to the emperor, so that he will not be charged with the crime of ‘listening to bad words about the Empress.”

Jiang Kangning, seeing this no longer asked. Curiosity killed the cat and since it was about the Emperor and Empress, and Shao Yunan didn’t want to tell him… he’d better not ask any more questions. He said, “Brother will handle this matter.”

“Alright.” Shao Yunan signaled Wang Shijing to go and Wang Shijing put his arms around his waist and took him away. Jiang Kangning clenched his fists and turned around. “Brother Qing, Brother Moxi, come here. You all should go back to your room to change your clothes. Xia Chun, Xia Qiu, you take the lady back to her room to change her clothes too.”

“Yes.” Xia Chun and Xia Qiu held Nizi, as Nurse Qin also said, “I will go too.” Jiang Kangning nodded to her and nurse Qin then bent over and hugged Nizi. Yan Fusheng said, “I’ll go to the kitchen to have a look. I’m afraid that the Vice Commander will come over later.” 

“Go.”

Naturally, Wang Shijing didn’t bring Shao Yunan back to their room for him to change clothes. On entering the room, Wang Shijing hugged Shao Yunan, almost breaking his bones. But Shao Yunan hugged his waist and buried himself in his arms and said in a muffled voice, “Shijing, the people of Hengyuan Marquis Mansion bullied me.”

“I’ll teach them a lesson for you!” Wang Shijing was heartbroken. His wife whom he couldn’t even lift a finger against was beaten up. Regardless of the marquis and public opinion, bullying his wife was like bullying him! Even if he was a simple farmer, he would fight them!

“That guy said that the chair under the Emperor’s ass was just an empty position and he would just snatch the Emperor’s money. He also said that the Empress got his position by selling his ass and whether he will be able to live in the next year or two is up to debate.”

Wang Shijing drew a breath and let go of his wife. “He really said that?” Shao Yunan nodded, “I didn’t want to repeat such things.” Wang Shijing… “He’s dead.”

Shao Yunan nodded. “He is absolutely dead! That’s why I told Big Brother to let the Emperor personally interrogate him. Let’s see if he can beat anyone causally anymore.”

Wang Shijing immediately felt distressed again, gently touching his wife’s face. “Why don’t you use spiritual milk to heal it?”

Shao Yunan… “It’s called  evidence. How can I get rid of evidence?” Wang Shijing pulled his wife to sit down. “You take out the spiritual milk, I’ll wipe it on for you.”

“There is no hurry.” Shao Yunan took out a mirror and looked at himself. Then after taking a few breaths… “Damn! If I didn’t have spiritual milk I would definitely be badly hurt. That guy must have used all his strength. I’m not called Shao Yunan if I don’t kill him this time!”

Wang Shijing was very distressed. “I will wipe some for you, looking at this bruise makes me heartbroken.” Shao Yunan put away the mirror and said, “There are two more outsiders in the house now, so it’s better to be more careful. Really, Uncle An had to find us some people from the palace, so from now on we should be more careful.”

Since Shao Yunan said so, Wang Shijing finally remembered. He took out two pieces of paper from his pocket. “These are the deeds of those two people. An Yi said that those two people would belong to our family in the future and if they turn into slaves that would try to bully their master, Uncle An would deal with them. An Yi also said that the Empress personally looked over this matter.”

Shao Yunan was stunned. “It’s too exaggerated. Let’s take a look first. If our small family really can’t accommodate them, we can discuss it with Uncle An and let them become free.” Shao Yunan still had the psychological burden of buying and selling people.

“You make the decisions in our family.” Wang Shijing hugged Shao Yunan to his body and hugged him tightly. “Wife, does it still hurt?”

“It hurts, it hurts like hell. My jaw is broken, but luckily there is spirit milk.”

“Quickly let me look.” Wang Shijing felt distressed when he looked at his wife, so he left the three children to Jiang Kangning. Jiang Kangning has been an official for many years, but it was his first time being the temporary daddy of three children. 

What happened today made the three children terrified, especially what happened to Shao Yunan, who came back with ‘injuries.’ For the children whose living environment has always been very simple, this was not something that could be accepted lightly.

Jiang Kangning didn’t know how to coax the children, so he simply took the three children to the study. Instead of reading boring essays to the children, he told them a story. Journey to the West was a story in one of those books that Shao Yunan took out. 

In the past, Shao Yunan told Wang Qing and Nizi fragments of the Journey to the West. Later when they moved, Shao Yunan got busier and his family also expanded, so he didn’t have time to tell the children any more stories. As soon as they heard it was Journey to the West, Wang Qing and Nizi forgot their sadness for a while, while Jiang Moxi didn’t respond. But when Jiang Kangning finished speaking, after a while Jiang Moxi had already grabbed his sleeve and urged him to continue.

====

Capital city.

After arriving, Elder Cen, Madam Cen, Kang Rui, and Shopkeeper Zeng separated one after another. Kang Rui was going to his father-in-law’s home, while Elder Cen and Madam Cen were going to his son’s house. Shopkeeper Zeng was going to his friend’s house and the next day he would take Shao Yunan’s letter to Eunuch An.

Elder Cen and Madam Cen did not tell their son the specific date of their visit to the capital. They only told their son and daughter that they would come to the capital in a few days. It was already evening, so Elder Cen and Madam Cen rented a carriage and looked at the streets of the capital from the carriage window. Having been away from the capital for ten years, Elder Cen could not help having opinions. “The capital has changed a bit.”

There was less luxury and visible poverty during the late Emperor’s last years. In Elder Cen’s opinion, the capital was now full of vitality. It could be said that Emperor Yongming’s ascension to the throne was, in a sense, what everyone expected. In the past, Elder Cen had deep concerns about this country, since if things continued like before, the country would be destroyed. But now, Elder Cen’s fire of passion that had been extinguished for too long was rekindled.

Madam Cen said, “I’ve been away for ten years, how can there be no changes? It seems like everything in the capital has changed.”

Elder Cen… “Yes or no, that’s not what you and I are here for. Tomorrow you and I will visit Senior Brother.”

“Alright.”

The carriage drove into Guan Chen Lane and stopped in front of the gate of a relatively ordinary mansion. Guan Chen Lane, Qiu Yuan Street, and Yao Bi Lane were the three places in the capital where high officials lived. Elder Cen’s son was a teacher in the Imperial College in charge of a certain subject, starting from the sixth grade. At this time, the teaching content and teaching staff of the Capital’s Imperial College were not yet so carefully divided, unlike the later Ming and Qing dynasties, where the Imperial College was divided into seven major subject categories, each with its own staff arrangements. 

The State Scholarship of the Great State of Yan could only be regarded as a state educational institution at the beginning of its development. Although it was divided into different educational institutions in the capital and local areas, its scale and development was still in its initial stage.

Elder Cen’s son and son-in-law both worked in the Imperial College. Elder Cen’s son inherited his father’s spirit of academic research and was a man who was good at research, but not politics. Elder Cen’s son, Cen Jueyuan, was already a teacher in a management position at the age of 30 and was considered to be very knowledgeable among his peers. Elder Cen’s daughter was married to the son of the head of affairs of the Imperial College, whose position was second only to the dean of the Imperial College.

When Elder Cen got off the carriage, the boy accompanying him immediately went up to knock on the door. The gatekeeper opened the door and as soon as he heard that the parents of his family’s master arrived, he immediately opened the gate to welcome them. Cen Zhiyuan had just returned from the Imperial College and when he learned that his parents had arrived, he hurriedly came out to greet them. When he saw his parents, he was very surprised. “Father and mother, why didn’t you tell this son you would arrive today? I would have picked you up?”

Madam Cen, who was very happy to see her son said, “Your father was not sure when we would arrive, so it was too late to tell you when we arrived. Yunan and Shijing have already arranged the journey all the way and also said that there is no need for you to worry about it. Shijing also arranged a ship for us, so both father and mother could eat well and sleep well on the way, and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way to the capital.”

Cen Zhiyuan was touched by her words and took his parents into the house. He asked, “When will my little brother and his family come to the capital? I’m really sorry that I didn’t get to welcome them to the family during the family recognition banquet.”

Elder Cen spoke, “Yunan and Shijing won’t mind this. Where are your wife and Bihua?”

“I have sent someone to call them. I haven’t told father and mother yet, but my wife is pregnant. Just two months… I only found out yesterday.” When elder Cen and madam heard this, they were overjoyed, “She is pregnant?”

Elder Cen hurriedly said, “Then tell her to rest well. It’s cold outside, don’t ask her to come out.”

“Father, mother.”

“Grandpa, Grandma.”

While they were talking, Cen Jueyuan’s wife Cen Xue and daughter Cen Bihua came out.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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