Chapter 110 Must Live to a Hundred Years Old (Part 2): The old lady's illness is no joke. Not to mention that once she's gone, the whole family will fall completely into Shen Wanqing's hands...

The old lady's illness is no joke. Not to mention that once she leaves, the whole family will fall completely into Shen Wanqing's hands, the mere fact that she is in mourning is enough to cause a lot of worry.

As a captain, Yu Lang's affairs and connections in the Plain Yellow Banner were just getting on track. He needed to take a few steps back, but definitely not in this way.

Yulang's father and grandfather are both dead. As the eldest grandson of the first branch of the family who has inherited the position of Zuo Ling, he would have to observe three years of mourning as the eldest grandson if the old lady really died.

The mourning period is actually twenty-seven months. It is currently the thirty-fourth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and in three years it will be the thirty-seventh year.

Galdan's early capture has triggered a series of chain reactions that are still unfolding, and no one can say for sure which direction the situation will take in the future.

One of the most important things was that His Majesty began to select sites for the princes, intending to bestow titles upon them so that they could all leave the palace and build their own residences.

After all, even the Seventh Prince Yinyou married a Fujin this year. The Fifth Palace in Gandong is such a small place, and five princes from the eldest to the seventh have already started their own families. Next year, Yinsi will also marry into the Guoluo family. If we don't find a way to separate these sons, it will be a bit unreasonable.

As the saying goes, "A large tree branches out, so too does a large family." It's impossible for the princes to simply leave the palace naked. Galdan's sons all went on campaigns with him. Princes are different from ministers; their presence was a contribution.

Last year's conferment ceremony rewarded all the meritorious officials and generals, but these princes have been kept in the background.

Everyone could see that the Emperor was waiting and also observing. He was waiting for the sites outside the palace to be chosen and the princes' residences to be built, so that he could observe whether these married sons were obedient and capable, and if so, how to use them.

At such a crucial time, Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing could stay away from Yuqing Palace, but they absolutely could not go home to observe three years of mourning and remain indoors. Otherwise, if the Crown Prince really needed Yu Lang and he was still in mourning, all the groundwork laid over the past few years would be wasted.

The privilege of being granted the right to observe mourning for one's parents is reserved for high-ranking officials and ministers whom the emperor cannot do without. Yu Lang certainly cannot obtain this privilege, so it would be best if the old lady did not die at this time, as death would be a real problem.

Inside the carriage, besides Yu Lang, whose face was not very good, and Shen Wanqing, whose mind was in turmoil, there was no one else. The wet nurse and maid were with Yi An in the carriage behind, just in case the child was laughing foolishly without understanding anything and upset Yu Lang again.

"He's definitely fine. Yesterday, when the nanny took Yi'an to the main courtyard, the old lady even took him and let the little guy jump on her lap. The nanny was so scared that she kept trying to take the child back, but the old lady wouldn't let her."

A crawling and walking toddler may look like a tiny, soft, and cuddly ball, but when they put their strength into it, they can exert no effort at all.

One time, Shen Wanqing was tired and didn't want to pay attention to her son who kept babbling baby talk beside her, not knowing what he wanted. So she deliberately pulled the blanket over her head and pretended to be asleep.

Who knew that when the boy couldn't wake his mother, he stuck his bottom out and sat down on Shen Wanqing with a thud. Grandma Shen was so frightened that she scrambled away to avoid him.

If this kid really sat on her bottom, she would either die or be seriously injured. If Shen Wanqing wanted to return to the modern civilized world, there was no need to choose such a tragic way.

When Yi'an saw that his mother was awake, he first sat on the bed and grinned happily at Shen Wanqing. Then he started wailing loudly. He didn't sit on Shen Wanqing, but he sat down on his bottom and hurt himself.

This little brat, who casually tossed himself out like a lump of iron, was happily jumping and bouncing on Tong Jia's legs, using her as a human trampoline. It's only been a day, so it's unlikely that anything serious will happen.

"Really, think about it, if something really happened, would your family have waited until now to call us back? They would have sent someone to look for us in the middle of the night. Emotional problems come and go quickly. As long as nothing serious happens, we can recover slowly."

Yu Lang remained silent, so Shen Wanqing continued her rambling. The carriage was quiet, but the outside was bustling with activity. Along the roadside, besides small business owners selling breakfast, there were many shops preparing to open, with door panels being removed at their entrances in preparation for business.

Listening to the somewhat noisy commotion through the carriage, and turning his head to look at his wife who was still comforting him, Yu Lang reached out and took Shen Wanqing's hand.

“Clear clouds…”

"I'm here."

"Am I a heartless person?"

Why do you say that?

“My aunt and I grew up together. If we don’t consider seniority and only age, she is the closest to me. I know she’s not doing well, but I’m unwilling to lend a hand or support her. Yesterday, she and the old lady must have been hoping I would go over and give them some advice, but I didn’t go.”

“Yesterday I was the one who wanted to go back to the Shen family. If you put it that way, it should be that I was heartless. You just knew I didn’t want to get involved, so you went along with me and came back to the Shen family.”

Am I not smart?

"What?"

"Why did Jiyun treat me like a fool? Jiyun is the smart one. A smart person wouldn't do something that makes them feel bad. If I hadn't made it clear that I didn't want to get involved, why would Jiyun have offered to bring me back?"

“I feel uncomfortable that my aunt is not doing well, but I don’t want to get involved. Once she gets involved with the Dong’e family, she can’t get out of it. She’ll keep bothering me, and you won’t have any peace either.”

The usually imposing and authoritative Lord Yu, who had always been so dignified in public, now slumped over, leaning on his wife's shoulder, and poured out all the things he had been holding back. These were things he couldn't say in public, things that would surely make others think Yu Lang was heartless and cold-blooded.

Yu Lang felt that life in the Hesheli family was dull and uninteresting, but having grown up in that family, his personality and way of dealing with people were naturally influenced by it. He didn't mean to be like that, but when everyone around him was like that, he naturally couldn't help but be like that too.

This isn't without its advantages. At least during these years by the Crown Prince's side, no matter how much the Crown Prince values ​​and favors him, he can always maintain his proper place and will never forget who is the master and who is the servant like Suo'etu, because he is born with a clearer understanding of advantages and disadvantages and the futility of sincerity than others.

"Well, what if... I mean, what if I'm the one in trouble, what if I'm entangled with my family and you have to take care of it? If you don't take care of me, I won't be able to live a good life. Will you take care of me or not?"

"Don't rush, think it through before you speak. I want to hear the truth."

Yu Lang will take care of it, Shen Wanqing is confident of that, but she is still unsure how he will take care of her, or rather, how he will 'save' her.

Shen Wanqing clearly knew that he was different from the other members of the Hesheli family, or rather, he met her early enough. He did not want to become like his mother, uncle, and grandmother, which was why he was so conflicted and conflicted, feeling that he had not done anything wrong but also feeling that he had not done enough.

"Forget it, I'm not feeling bad anymore. Maybe Grandma shouldn't ask anymore?"

"Shall I ask you a different question?"

There's no turning back now. She's been with Yu Lang for five years and they've even had a child. If nothing unexpected happens, they'll be together for the rest of their lives. How could Shen Wanqing let him continue to be awkward about this?

Besides, he didn't know what the situation was with Tongjia Shi at home. He had to take advantage of this last window of opportunity to relieve Yulang of his psychological burden. Otherwise, if something really happened to Tongjia Shi, he might have to carry the burden of the Hesheli family for the rest of his life.

"Do you think there will be a next time you stand up for your aunt? Or, given how anxious the old lady was yesterday, urging me to go over again and again, what kind of handling of this matter does she want me to do?"

"Divorce? If it's just a divorce, we don't need to say anything. As long as my aunt is really ruthless, she can find a way to divorce Dong E Decheng on her own. As long as she's willing to go all out, the Dong E family can't force her to stay."

"If we don't divorce, then they're trying to use our power to suppress Decheng and even the Dong'e family. Can we suppress them?"

"What happens after we suppress him? Decheng isn't dead; we can't just suppress him like this forever. Besides, what right do we have to suppress him forever? Because he took a concubine? But it's not illegal for men to take concubines. If we really intervene, in everyone's eyes, that's not upholding justice, that's bullying."

“It’s one thing to bully others by taking advantage of one’s power, but if my aunt can really live a good and happy life from now on, then so be it. Isn’t life all about either bullying others or being bullied?”

"But I dare to bet with the old man that not only does my aunt not want a divorce, but if we really go along with her wishes and help her suppress Dong E Decheng, she will turn around and say that we have gone too far. In that case, they will still be husband and wife, and we will become the villains."

“Even if we become the bad guys, she won’t have a better life. She’ll just make new mistakes and have new conflicts. No one can clean up her messes forever, not even an old lady.”

"Grandma has a point."

Yu Lang leaned on Shen Wanqing's shoulder without moving. Shen Wanqing couldn't see the expression on Yu Lang's face, but she knew that he had taken her words to heart.

Shen Wanqing is really good at comforting people. When Yu Lang feels that he is selfish and heartless, Shen Wanqing will never say anything nonsense about how she thinks he is not selfish or heartless.

She would only act more rational and colder than him to tell him it's okay. She might not know how others are in this world, but at least there's someone more selfish than him, and coincidentally, that selfish person happens to be his wife.

"That's just how it is. They're willing to use you and me because the power they want to rely on isn't something they earned themselves. We're reluctant to let them use our connections because only you and I know how hard it's been for us to get to this point over the past few years."

Or rather, the reason why the Hesheri family is so selfish, with their emotions always suppressed by the pros and cons, is because their good days came too easily.

The First-Class Duke's Mansion sent at least two more daughters to the palace. After Empress Yuan died, Consort Ping lived like a shadow in the palace for many years.

Even if the First-Class Duke's Mansion and the Guarjia Clan only occasionally thought of their two daughters, they would remember what they had paid for their current glory. Only those who have paid the price truly understand that everything they have gained is stained with blood and tears, and the thought of it always brings pain to their hearts.

The Hesheli family was certainly once prominent, but that was all in the past. In the years after Shuaiyanbao and Erhe passed away, and before Yulang was able to support the entire family, their power and privileges were maintained by the meager privileges that the 'Yuanhou clan' held as maternal relatives.

Living for too long in this kind of pampered life, where you're neither starving nor overfed, can indeed easily make you numb and selfish. Is it painful? Yes, it is. Is it sad? Yes, it is.

However, what lies beneath this is the idea that as long as one is ruthless enough and willing to abandon others, one can maintain a comfortable life. So, as long as misfortune doesn't befall them, they naturally won't feel the pain.

However, there's no need to tell Yu Lang the rest of what she said. After all, Shen Wanqing herself said that she was more selfish, cold-hearted, and ruthless than him. It's better not to do something that would be too humiliating. You also need to protect yourself.

Shen Wanqing hit the nail on the head. Only Yu Lang himself knew how difficult it was to balance the various forces while he was by the Crown Prince's side these past few years. There were many things he didn't even tell Shen Wanqing when he returned from his years as a guard in Yuqing Palace.

It's not that I don't want to talk about it, but that I simply don't know where to begin. Like the beasts of burden in the workplace, the hardships and frustrations I endure every day are enough to make me want to die of anger, but when I get home and see my friends, most of the time all I can do is sigh and say nothing more.

"Has Madam already decided how to handle this matter?"

"I've thought it through."

"If the old lady is alright, then this matter is up to her. She is Aunt Fu's biological mother, so we, as the younger generation, should just follow her orders."

“If anything happens to the old lady, we’ll ask Aunt Fu and Uncle what terrible thing happened that they couldn’t handle behind closed doors and had to come to my house and cause this trouble. Then we’ll kick them out along with the mess.”

Fu Xuan always felt that no matter what she did, the Hesheli family would always have her back, and indeed, over the years, someone had taken good care of her. Even when her wedding ended in a rather undignified manner, she received everything she was entitled to, and she didn't suffer any real loss.

Since that's the case, Shen Wanqing felt it was necessary to let her truly experience what it's like to suffer losses and injustices. Only by making her understand that she essentially has no backing and that she has a long road ahead to walk on her own can she possibly turn her life around.

Otherwise, even if De Cheng is gone, there is still the Dong E family. Even if she doesn't have this mistress, there are other concubines and maids. Even if she leaves Dong E and never remarries, she will still have to deal with all sorts of people to live out her life. It's not like Yu Lang and I can take care of her for the rest of her life, right?

As Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing's carriage headed back, Shu Mulu stood with her hands on her hips, blocking He Yi's way at the west courtyard gate with a cold face.

"What are you doing? What business is it of the Second Master at this time?"

“Fu Xuan is my sister, how can this have nothing to do with me?”

"Now you know she's your sister, but why didn't you try your best when Fuxuan was still young and could choose a husband in the capital? It's too late to get involved now. Do you think she'll remember your kindness?"

"Don't say such harsh things. Just because you have a good relationship with the East Courtyard now doesn't mean you can blurt out anything. We are husband and wife, Second Madam, don't get confused."

"It's precisely because we're husband and wife that I stopped you. Fu Xuan's matter is, after all, someone else's family affair. No matter how unreasonable Dong E De Cheng is, does it make sense for your sister to beat someone so badly that she lost her child?"

Everyone in this household says I, the second wife, am shrewd and capable. But even if I am capable, have I ever harmed your two concubines, your second and third maids?

"It's fine if she's a bit shrewish, but she's still a woman confined to the inner quarters. I'd admire her if she had the guts to beat Dong E De Cheng to death, but what's the point of taking her anger out on a concubine who has no status and is pregnant?"

Shumulu disliked He Yi's two concubines, but that was all. Conflicts between wives and concubines are never just about one man. If the two concubines were to have sons in the future, when the family property was divided, they would be taking all the real money from her and her sons. Only a madwoman would like that.

Even if you don't like someone, you shouldn't mistreat them. Just like when Shumulu and Heyi had such a big fight, the two concubines were so scared that they didn't dare to breathe loudly with their daughters. But that was all. After the incident, they still went back to their lives as usual. The second and third daughters are now starting school and learning to read and write, and Shumulu hasn't mistreated them at all.

"Anyway, the Second Master has thought it through. Once you get involved in this matter, it will be difficult for you to extricate yourself. You will have to bear any trouble yourself. I definitely won't interfere."

He Yi has only been in office for a few years, which is the time when he should be making achievements but not acting recklessly. The hardest thing about being a good official is not how to be a good official, but whether you have the family background to be a good official.

He Yi was selfish but also had his own ambitions; he would stay in the capital as long as he wanted to make money. Therefore, he was very restrained in his actions as the grain transport commissioner. This restraint forced him to ask the Shumulu clan, who remained in the capital, for money. Money can drive even heroes to their deaths, let alone He Yi, who was hardly a hero.

Originally, Shumulu didn't have much silver, but later the Crown Prince instructed Yulang to keep an eye on Mingzhu's faction to raise grain.

Procuring provisions for war is never something that can be accomplished by a single region or prefecture; it's no exaggeration to say that a single action can have far-reaching consequences. The southeastern coastal areas were also assigned the task of procuring provisions, and Yu Lang needed He Yi's help for this purpose.

If it's needed, we absolutely can't let him mess things up at that crucial time of procuring grain. It's just about money, isn't it? Shen Wanqing personally went to the West Courtyard and gave one share of the caravan's stock to Shumulu, instructing her to use the dividends from that share to cover He Yi's expenses.

The caravan business was ultimately about serving the Crown Prince. The job of supervising the grain transport was inextricably linked to the Shen and Shi families. With the Crown Prince and his faction on both sides, plus the support from Shen Wanqing, He Yi had done a lot for Yu Lang in the past two years.

The financial power of the West Courtyard still ended up in the hands of the Shumulu clan. Whenever He Yi needed money, he still had to go through the Shumulu clan.

Having left the capital and shed the aura of being a "family member of the Empress Yuan" and a "son of a noble family of the Upper Three Banners," He Yi suffered many losses at the hands of local officials, both openly and secretly. Having learned his lesson, He Yi, seeing his wife's attitude, could no longer be as assertive and domineering as before.

"I don't care, I'll just go and see, and while I'm at it, ask the old lady about her situation and see what she wants to do. That should be fine, right?"

“I’ll go with you, so that the Second Master won’t be confused again.”

Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing encountered Shu Mulu and He Yi at the main gate of the courtyard. The two sides, who had torn each other apart over the right to manage the household years ago, had now reached a consensus on Fu Xuan's matter without discussing it or even meeting. It was quite a tacit understanding.

"I've already sent Old Wu to the Imperial Hospital with Lang Ge'er's nameplate to fetch the imperial physician. The old lady's accident happened in the middle of the night. All I know is that Aunt Fu didn't sleep at night and went to the old lady's side."

"She cried when she got to the old lady, saying that the marriage was not arranged well and that life in Jingzhou was too difficult to endure. In just three years, her dowry had been reduced by more than half. Not only did Decheng not care, but he also stood by and made sarcastic remarks, saying that it was all her fault for messing things up and losing so much money."

Poverty-stricken couples face endless sorrows. Even though Fuxuan and Decheng were by no means poor, it was no surprise that they would quarrel no matter how much money or interests were involved.

At her age, how could Lady Tongjia withstand Fuxuan's antics in the middle of the night? After finally enduring her headache and listening to her daughter's tearful complaints, Lady Tongjia asked her what she wanted to do. If she really couldn't go on like this, she should just get a divorce.

Upon hearing this, Fu Xuan cried even harder, shaking her head and refusing to divorce. When Tong Jia asked her what she wanted, she wouldn't say. Only after repeated questioning did she finally reveal her expectations.

They don't want a divorce, nor do they want Yu Lang to use his power to intimidate them. They just want Yu Lang to use the Crown Prince's influence to bring De Cheng to the capital.

In this way, he definitely couldn't bring that concubine along, and secondly, she could use this opportunity to put pressure on Decheng, letting him know that he was able to get from Jingzhou to the capital thanks to her. From now on, it would be clear who would listen to whom in this family.

Fu Xuan spoke these words with such confidence that the old lady couldn't catch her breath and suffered a stroke.

Fortunately, the stroke wasn't severe. Apart from my mouth being slightly tilted to the left and my left hand and leg feeling weak, I was otherwise alright. The doctor who came in the middle of the night said that if I take good care of myself, get acupuncture and massage every day, and avoid getting angry, I have a chance to recover and fully heal.

Shen Wanqing was helpless upon hearing this. She had just entered the house and saw that her sixtieth birthday was less than half a year away. Who knew that Tongjia Shi, who was now pale and sallow with a crooked mouth and eyes, would be like this? For the first time, she felt that she had to speak more tactfully and pleasantly.

Unexpectedly, when she stepped forward and opened her mouth, she stunned Tongjia Shi, who was about to cry and complain to Yulang. She hiccuped and swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

"Grandma, if anything happens to you, the Second Master won't even be able to return to Fuzhou. You must take good care of yourself. Only if you live to be a hundred years old can our family prosper."