Zhen Shu grabbed Su Shi's hand and pulled it inside, saying angrily, "Why don't you put it away properly for him!"
Su shook off Zhenshu's hand and stuffed the chamber pot into it herself, saying, "I thought I would have a good life after coming to the capital with you, but who knew that I would have to live like this."
After saying this, he burst into tears, but in the end, he managed to urinate.
Ultimately, the responsibility of caring for Song Anrong fell to Madam Su, and nearly ten years later, she moved in with Song Anrong. As October approached, Zhenxiu suddenly disappeared without a trace. Zhenshu dared not disturb Madam Su, fearing that her sudden outburst would further upset Song Anrong. She and Zhao He searched everywhere, trying to see if anyone had seen Zhenxiu.
Fortunately, she returned late at night. Zhenshu was waiting outside the small building when she saw a carriage approaching. It was Zhenxiu who got out. She went over to greet her and asked, "Where did you go? Why are you so late?"
Zhenxiu rolled her eyes at Zhenshu and said, "You often come back late at night too. Have I asked you where you went?"
After saying this, he pushed open the door and went to the second floor of the mounting shop. There was a room on the second floor where Song Anrong lived. Since he was now ill, he had moved his writing desk downstairs, and the second floor was only for him and his wife to live in.
Zhenxiu ran to Madam Su and knelt down, smiling sweetly, "Mother, I'm getting married."
Su Shi had been feeling dizzy and lightheaded these past few days, but upon hearing this, she immediately perked up with joy and hugged Zhenxiu, asking, "Good child, who do you want to marry?"
Zhenxiu said, "Tong Qisheng."
Zhenshu exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't you say he was going to marry the daughter of the Privy Councilor Wang?"
Zhenxiu laughed and said, "The Privy Councilor is a very important official, but Tong Qisheng is just putting on a show at that house. He usually comes back to live with me."
Su sensed something was amiss and quickly asked, "He wouldn't be thinking of having a mistress for you outside, would he?"
Zhenxiu said, "That's not true. I am also a proper wife. He only pretends to be a wife in that mansion. He still lives with me in his daily life."
Madam Su firmly refused, saying, "That won't do. I brought you all out of Huixian County, not to have you become someone's mistresses. Besides, Tong Qisheng is from the same village as us. If word gets back, how will I face them?"
Zhenxiu said, "Caijia Temple is long gone, the people are gone, and the village is gone too. Just give up."
When Zhenxiu recalled the words Tong Qisheng had said when she went to the Drunken World to ask for a bellyband, she couldn't help but feel disgusted with Tong Qisheng. She also advised Zhenxiu, "He's not a good person. You finally broke up with him. Wouldn't it be better to ask Aunt Su to find you someone else suitable?"
Zhenxiu countered, "If he's not a good person, why have you been associating with him for so long? And if you think Aunt Su found someone good, why don't you ask her to find one for you?"
Zhen Shu stomped her foot angrily and said, "Don't blame me for not advising you when you regret it in the future."
Zhenxiu retorted, "I will not go back on my word, just don't be envious in the future."
She was quite stubborn; the next morning, she packed her bags and moved out with Tong Qisheng. Seeing that Tong Qisheng now hired a grand carriage to pick her up, and not wanting to be bothered with him, Zhenshu went upstairs and called to Madam Su, "Mother, aren't you going to do something about it?"
While Su was rummaging through the handkerchiefs outside, afraid that Zhenshu would wake Song Anrong, she whispered, "What do I care? Can I control you or her? I can't control either of you, so just let it be."
Zhen Shu went downstairs again and saw Tong Qisheng still standing at the door. Just as she was about to turn back, she heard Tong Qisheng ask with a smile, "Weren't you going to marry Yu Yichen? Why are you still living at home now?"
Zhenshu couldn't help but retort, "What's it to you?"
Tong Qisheng lowered his voice and leaned closer, saying, "I've now secured a position as a physician in the Ministry of Justice. My first task upon taking office is to thoroughly investigate this eunuch, Yu Yichen."
Zhenshu ignored him and slammed the door shut, seeing how arrogant he was even before taking office.
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Because of a series of misfortunes at home, Zhenyuan couldn't help but entrust her child to Liu Wensi. She hired a carriage and came to the capital herself. She had gained a little weight after giving birth, but her complexion was still very beautiful. When Su Shi and Zhenshu asked about the child, they learned that she had entrusted the child to Liu Wensi. Zhenshu exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Liu, how can a man take care of a child?"
Zhenyuan said, "The one she brought is better than the one I brought."
Hearing this, Zhenshu felt that the two of them seemed to be living together. However, Madam Su had never met Liu Wensi and did not know who they were talking about, so she asked Zhenyuan, "Did you write a letter to Zhang Rui before you came?"
Jung-won retorted, "How would I know where he is, or where he would send a letter?"
Su said to herself, "He hasn't come to see me in a long time."
Suddenly, Zhenshu had a thought and asked, "When was the last time he came?"
After thinking for a long time, Su said, "Around the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Madam Su then asked Zhenyuan, "Now that you've given birth, shouldn't you prepare for the wedding ceremony so that your father will be happy? Maybe he'll recover from this?"
Zhenyuan shook her head and said, "If Zhang Rui doesn't come looking for me, let's just let this matter go. I don't want to marry him."
Su said angrily, "You already have a child, who else would you marry if not him?"
Zhenyuan recalled Zhang Rui's drunken days in Liujiazhuang and how he and Dou Wu bullied Zhenshu. Feeling disgusted and angry, she said, "I would rather live on my own than marry him."
As the group was talking, they suddenly heard footsteps downstairs. Xing'er came up and shouted, "Young manager, a lot of people have surrounded us here!"
When Zhenshu came downstairs, she saw Zhenyu standing in the shop, wearing a gray mink wool robe, with a kingfisher feather phoenix hairpin gently swaying in her hair, and her face fair and rosy. When she saw Zhenshu come downstairs, she hurriedly came up to her and said, "Good sister, you were sick when I came last time, are you better now?"
When she last came to hold her daughter, Zhenshu was sick and she didn't see her.
Zhen Shu said, "I'm fine. What brings you here?"
Zhenyu picked up a chair and sat down, saying, "Now that the Marquis is dead and his title has been revoked, the remaining brothers in the Marquis's mansion have also divided the family property. Fortunately, my dowry is all gone, and Dou Wu and I have found a small courtyard to live in, which is quite peaceful. Although we have suffered a great calamity, we have managed to get through it safely."
Zhenshu poured her some tea and said, "It's a blessing that you've made it through. Taking care of your granddaughter is the most important thing from now on."
Zhenyu nodded in agreement, then asked Zhenshu, "I heard that when we were locked up awaiting sentencing, you made a scene about wanting to marry Yu Yichen, is that true?"
Zhenshu nodded and said, "That is true. Just consider it a moment of madness on my part. Everything is fine now."
Zhenyu glared at him and said, "So you only got to bring Nannan out of the house because of him?"
The implication is that since they've already brought Nannan out, why not bring her out too?
Zhen Shu found it difficult to explain, but she shook her head and said, "No, I paid money to get it done."
Zhenyu handed Zhenshu a silver note from somewhere, saying softly, "No matter how much you spent, this is just enough to compensate you."
Seeing that Zhenshu now possessed an inexplicable arrogance reminiscent of her days at the Song residence, Zhenshu felt increasingly uncomfortable and lowered her head, refusing to speak. Zhenyu, seeing that Zhenshu had accepted the silver, sneered, "What belongs to someone else belongs to them. I haven't wronged anyone. I'll remember to repay anyone who showed me kindness when I was down on my luck. And if someone steals a needle from me, I'll remember to get it back."
After saying that, he waved his hand and called to the people behind him, "Search them all."
Zhen Shuteng stood up and asked, "What are you here to search?"
Zhenyu also stood up and looked around, saying, "What are you searching for? The Dowager Consort was afraid that she was going to die, so she asked someone to take out a portion of her personal belongings to the Old Ancestor. However, the Old Ancestor was also confused and did not know who had kept it. Now that the Emperor and Prince Ping have reconciled, the Dowager Consort can naturally see me. Since she asked me to investigate where this money went, I will certainly investigate it thoroughly for her."
Zhenshu saw one group of people going up to the small building, and another group going up to the second floor. A moment later, Su's scream came from over there, and Zhenyi came running down, her hair disheveled. She angrily asked, "How much silver is it?"
Zhenyu held up two fingers and waved them, saying, "Two hundred thousand taels."
Zhen Shu said, "Such a large amount would probably require many banknotes. If it were deposited in a bank, we could find out whose seal it was made in by asking the manager."
Zhenyu said, "I already checked. They said it's a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, fair-skinned and plump, short in stature. She started withdrawing the money in cash last month. Do you think the person the money shop manager is talking about is Zhenxiu?"
Therefore, what Zhenxiu stole from Zhong was not just tens of thousands of taels of silver notes, but a full two hundred thousand taels of silver.
Zhenshu was somewhat skeptical, but Zhenxiu was always very secretive and he couldn't really judge for himself, so he explained, "Zhenxiu is married and has moved out. If you want to search for her, go search for her. Why are you making a scene here?"
Zhenyu sat calmly and smiled, "Although she got married, she still left from here. A year and a half has passed since the old ancestor passed away. Why did she choose to marry him earlier or later, right around the time Du Yu returned to the capital? Besides, with 200,000 taels of silver to be divided among many carts, it would take a lot of money. How could she handle such a big matter by herself?"
Zhen Shu said, "Whether you believe it or not, none of my family knows about this."
Zhenyuan and Zhenyi nodded hurriedly. Zhenyu still didn't believe it and remained silent, just sitting and waiting. After a long while, the servants all came downstairs, except for two who were carrying a cabinet. They put the cabinet down and bowed, saying, "Madam, there isn't much silver in the house, but this cabinet is made of iron and locked. We can't pry it open, and it's heavy inside, as if there's something inside."
When Zhenshu saw that they had even brought out the cabinet where she kept her silver, she angrily pointed at Zhenyu and cursed, "That's the money that earns interest in my shop. It has nothing to do with you. I'd like to see if you dare to take it away."
Seeing that Zhenshu was anxious, Zhenyu stood up and advised, "Third sister, why are you in such a hurry? I only came here for the sake of the Empress Dowager. If there really is no money for the Empress Dowager inside, I will naturally leave the cabinet behind."
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Smash the lock for me."
Seeing that someone had brought a heavy hammer, Zhen Shu went over to block it and said, "Wait, I can drive it myself."
She took the key off her neck and opened the iron cabinet. Inside, a box contained loose silver and copper coins, and another iron box was locked. Zhenshu took it out, used another key to open it, and found that this was the little working capital the shop had accumulated over the past two years. Zhenyu personally came over and examined each piece, counting from beginning to end, and found that it amounted to no more than fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver. She figured it didn't belong to the Dowager Consort. However, she was secretly astonished that such a small shop could generate such a large amount of money in addition to providing for the second wife's family.
Then she suddenly realized and laughed, "No wonder you're so insistent on marrying a eunuch; he's quite good at making money for you."
After saying this, she tossed the silver note aside, beckoned the servants, and strode away. Zhenyi pouted and said, "Back when she was in the Marquis's mansion, she was so affectionate and loving when we visited. How come she's acting like she was before she was married in the Song mansion today, so arrogant and looking down on everyone?"
Zhenshu sneered, "Why? Because her backer has risen again, and she's got a strong backbone now. She won't have to rely on us poor relatives anymore."
Jung-won still didn't believe it: "I don't believe Jung-soo could have taken so much money. She didn't show it at all."
Although Zhenshu didn't say it aloud, he was somewhat convinced. It took at least ten years of experience to climb the ranks to become a junior official in the Ministry of Justice. How could Tong Qisheng, a mere second-class graduate, have risen to such a position at such a young age? It was highly suspicious. But if he had a large sum of money, perhaps this matter could be accomplished.
But where did Zhenxiu hide all those silver notes? And why didn't she take them until Du Yu returned to the capital? She suddenly remembered that last year when Zhenyu was pregnant, Zhenxiu asked her to take some handmade clothes, shoes and hats to Zhenyu's child, and also specifically asked Zhenyu to send some fans to the Dowager Consort in the palace.
If she truly took the 200,000 taels of silver, she might have been present when the palace messengers delivered the silver. Knowing the Dowager Consort's predicament, she might have thought the Dowager Consort was near death and needed to entrust her affairs, so she secretly hid the silver. Later, she secretly kept it and deliberately disturbed Zhenyu, making Zhenyu believe that Zhong was still healthy. Only at the last moment, when Zhong could no longer speak, did she inform Zhenyu. Zhong was unable to tell Zhenyu about the silver being sent from the palace. Zhenyu thought the loss was no more than 40,000 taels of silver, and conducted a thorough search and interrogated Zhenxiu. However, if Zhenxiu had already been in contact with Tong Qisheng at that time, she could have easily asked Tong Qisheng to sell the silver first.
So naturally, Zhenyu found nothing when she searched. No wonder Tong Qisheng's house was burned down, yet he could still indulge in a life of debauchery in the capital, hiring servants and staying at the Drunken World. He had plenty of silver given to him by Zhenxiu, so he could certainly live a dissolute life. But a few tens of thousands of taels of silver would be one thing, but two hundred thousand taels of silver, given to Tong Qisheng by Zhenxiu, and he didn't keep it for himself or take any for himself, instead waiting until Du Yu returned to the capital before hastily withdrawing it—this is highly suspicious.
Did they always believe that the Empress Dowager was doomed to die, so they kept the silver notes in their hands without worry? And when they heard that Du Yu had come, they were afraid that the Empress Dowager would come forward to investigate, so they hurriedly went to get them.
No matter how you calculate it, there are always some things that are unclear.
The sisters sat in the inner room with worried expressions. Madam Su came down from the second floor and sighed, "I think your father is not doing well. What are we going to do now?"
Zhenshu said, "You, Mother, should make the decision yourself."
Madam Su pointed to the ceiling and said, "If he really wants to leave, he can't leave in this cramped and narrow shop. He has no children in his life and cannot be buried in the ancestral grave after death. How can I be at peace if he passes away in this desolate and rootless place?"
Therefore, it is still necessary to rent a courtyard so that he can live in a house in a stable and secure manner.
Zhenshu quickly calculated the silver notes before saying, "If it's a more remote area outside the city, renting a courtyard can be arranged."
Madam Su pointed to her cheeks and said, “I see that the dark circles under his eyes have spread to his cheeks. You need to find a courtyard to rent as soon as possible so we can move there. I need to send someone to inform his two brothers so that they can come and take turns looking after him for a while. They are brothers, so when else can we help them?”
After saying that, he went upstairs.
That afternoon, Zhenshu went out to inquire about the courtyard house on East Street. She was a shameless celebrity, and everyone who saw her liked to chat with her. Word spread quickly, and the whole street was busy asking around for the courtyard house on her behalf.
That afternoon, Song Angu, the fourth uncle of the Song family, came and asked as soon as he entered the shop, "I heard that you are looking for a place to rent a house. Is that true?"
Zhao He nodded and invited him to sit in the inner room. Song An said, "Although I take care of the courtyard left by our ancestor, it still belongs to us brothers. Now that the places the old lady used are empty and the place is so big, why not just move in instead of looking for a place to live?"
Mrs. Su was overjoyed to hear this and came downstairs, saying gently, "We were just afraid that you would dislike him because he is about to die, and besides, the old master left the house to you, how could we..."
Song An said, "Brotherhood is about these matters of life and death. If you can't even help each other with these things, what kind of brotherhood are you?"
He went upstairs to check on Song Anrong, then took over the tasks of washing and feeding him from Madam Su, telling her to rest well for half a day in the small building in the backyard. That night, just before curfew, Song Anyuan also arrived. The two brothers kept watch all night, and the next day they summoned a group of friends and relatives, hired a large carriage, and in a grand procession, brought Song Anrong back to the Song residence.
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Zhenshu and Zhenyuan followed behind, carrying various changes of clothes and belongings. Zhenshu had been searching for a house for two days, and her feet were covered in large blisters, making it difficult for her to walk steadily. She sighed, "Such an important matter really needs these uncles to make the decisions. If it weren't for them by our side, I don't know how miserable Father would be if we were left to fend for him."
Jung-won also sighed, "They are usually indifferent to each other, and they live far apart, seemingly never to see each other again. But now that something big has happened, they all came at the drop of a hat, which shows that they do care about each other."
In fact, the so-called brothers and sisters, the relatives in the world who are connected by blood and flesh, are just like this. They may not have any contact with each other in ordinary days, but when it comes to life and death, they will definitely do their best to help each other. There is nothing else but blood ties and kinship.
After moving to the Song residence, doctors were consulted, and even the Imperial Concubine personally sent a royal physician to examine Song Anrong several times. Ultimately, however, Song Anrong's health deteriorated further; he gradually lost his voice and could no longer eat. At most, he would moisten his lips with a little water. At this point, it was time to count down the days.