Chapter 92: Food and Sex are Human Nature

What Chang Yuan said matched exactly what Granny Ba said. This means that the second half of the story is accurate.

As for the first half, Su Zhenzhen made an assumption.

If Emperor Chang had listened to a fortune teller and forcibly taken Chang Yuan's mother as his concubine back then...

After Chang Yuan's mother died, he saw that the family was so poor that they couldn't even afford to go to school. He didn't know whether Emperor Chang believed that she was a noblewoman or not.

After all, sometimes you can say the opposite of what you mean, and the opposite of what you mean.

After all, she was a woman who brought good fortune to her husband and family, so how could she suddenly pass away?

But from another perspective, isn't it precisely because the noblewoman died that this family became so poor that they couldn't even afford to go to school?

No matter how you look at it, the bottom line is that this noblewoman failed to give birth to a benevolent ruler for Emperor Chang.

Emperor Chang, who was eager to restore the entire dynasty, had no choice but to continue searching for noble ladies.

The imperial advisor back then didn't say what the noble lady looked like or how old she was.

"May your son and husband prosper, and may your home be suitable and harmonious"—these eight characters undoubtedly pointed the way for Emperor Chang.

Looking at the dynasties of that time, which woman could be described as "bringing good fortune to her son and husband, and being a good wife and mother"?

Without a doubt, it was only General Huo's grandmother.

After all, her husband had risen from a lowly soldier to the rank of general, and her son had also distinguished himself on the battlefield. Like father, like son; the son, with his military talent, was able to succeed his father as general after his death.

A woman of humble origins was able to help her husband, who also came from a humble background, build up the beginnings of a military family.

How could Emperor Chang not be tempted? How could Emperor Chang not be on guard?

If General Huo's father had been a little more arrogant at this time, and if General Huo had shown a talent for leading troops from a young age...

According to the imperial advisor's prophecy, this family would be a major concern for Emperor Chang.

This explains why Miss Huo fled to the front lines; she wanted to warn her half-brother to be careful of the royal family, and it's very likely that Madam Huo had already met with misfortune at that time.

Having figured this out, Su Zhenzhen asked again, "Do you know how Mrs. Huo, who lived next door, died back then?"

If Mrs. Huo's death is suspicious, then all the previous suspicions and inferences can be established.

After all, her husband and son were both generals, and the royal family had to take care of them to some extent. Even if they had a minor illness, the emperor would have to pay more attention than others.

After all, both of the family's breadwinners are fighting on the front lines. We can't let the families of these heroes feel disheartened. If they come back during their time off, a whispered word from their wives could be more powerful than a thousand troops.

Su Zhenzhen discovered another point: if Emperor Chang failed to humiliate Madam Huo, he would definitely kill her to silence her. Otherwise, if these sordid affairs got out, what would the people think of their emperor? Would the Huo father and son harbor resentment? Would they develop other intentions?

Therefore, under the circumstances, Madam Huo was certain to die, but Huo Erniang was allowed to escape under the guise of a maid, which matched the little eunuch's testimony.

Mrs. Huo was quite a bit older than Chang Yuan, and at this moment, he racked his brains but couldn't recall what the adults had said when he was a child.

“I’ve never heard the adults mention it. Maybe they mentioned it by chance, but I’ve forgotten. As for my mother, she’s not from here and doesn’t know much about the old stories of these neighbors. You can go to the corner of the alley. There’s an old lady there. She’s lived a long time and knows all the little things better than anyone else.”

Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but think of how Granny Ba had gossiped about Chang Yuan and Aunt Ge, "It seems like she only talks behind closed doors, and I don't know if it's true or not."

Chang Yuan looked puzzled. "Even so, everything she says is the truth. She won't say anything unless she saw it with her own eyes."

Su Zhenzhen looked horrified upon hearing this, "Do you know that she also talked about you and your mother?"

"A true man is born between heaven and earth, why should he be afraid of what others say about what he has done? Besides, as the sages say, 'A gentleman is open and magnanimous.'" Chang Yuan said calmly.

No, is that how "君子坦荡荡" is used?

Su Zhenzhen's understanding of Chang Yuan reached a new level. Objectively speaking, this man had received an education in his childhood, putting him far ahead of many ordinary people. Later, when his family fell into poverty and they couldn't even afford to eat, he put aside his pride as a scholar and became a night watchman. Even though he had some ambiguous relationship with his stepmother, he openly admitted it without hiding it, truly demonstrating his courage and integrity.

Wait, an idea flashed through my mind.

Have you ever regretted not finishing a book?

Chang Yuan's expression softened, and the causal threads wrapped around him emitted a slight buzzing sound.

"Break it off quickly, break it off quickly!" Su Zhenzhen silently chanted in her heart.

But this causal thread is particularly stubborn; although it keeps vibrating, it shows no sign of trying to untie itself.

“What good would it do to finish the book?” Chang Yuan’s tone held a hint of regret. “My father was very learned, but he only passed the lowest level of the imperial examination. He said that the family didn’t have the money to support him to take the exams. But if he had passed every exam, we wouldn’t have squandered the family fortune.”

It seems there are still regrets, but these regrets have to be bowed to in the face of making a living.

Su Zhenzhen reached out and patted Chang Yuan lightly on the back. "You've done very well. After your father and grandmother passed away one after another, you were still able to support this family. After all, your mother didn't seem like a laborer."

Seeing that Su Zhenzhen had misunderstood Aunt Ge, Chang Yuan hurriedly explained, "My mother isn't that kind of person. When my father passed away, she could have remarried, after all, she... had some reputation outside."

Su Zhenzhen understood almost instantly that this so-called reputation was just Ge Da Niang's well-known flirtatiousness. Back then, wasn't it precisely because of this that Old Madam Chang thought she could keep her son in check that she arranged for Ge Da Niang to marry into the family?

Then other elderly women and men in their prime must have the same idea.

“My mother kept me here because I was still under the age of 18 and our family’s circumstances made it difficult for me to get married,” Chang Yuan continued. “When I first started working as a night watchman, I encountered some local thugs. They didn’t want money, and of course they knew I had no money. They just wanted to see how a former scholar was reduced to a pathetic state, and they verbally abused me a lot. At that time, I was young and impetuous and didn’t understand many things. It was my mother who helped me get rid of these thugs.”

Chang Yuan spoke cryptically, but Su Zhenzhen understood at that moment.

With no money in the family, what could Aunt Ge use to settle the matter? Nothing more than her own body.

Chang Yuan continued, "Some people prioritize their appetites, while others value reputation highly; it's all just personal preference. My mother simply enjoys sexual matters, which is her preference. Since it's a preference, there shouldn't be any distinction between high and low. As the sages said, food and sex are human nature."