Chapter 73 It's Not Easy to Marry
When Huasheng heard the news, he immediately told Liu Mingyue about it. The two of them had no idea that this was the work of their master, and Huasheng was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat: "Madam, is this true?"
"Whether it is true or not, we have no say. It depends on whether Your Majesty thinks it is true." Liu Mingyue looked cold and acted as if it had nothing to do with Zhou Junyuan's possible treason.
"Treason is no trivial matter. If this is true, the Zhou Mansion is finished." Guihua frowned. Now Aunt Liu is still in that mansion, which is not good news.
Osmanthus and Peanut were both worried, but their master was acting out of character, reading and drinking tea, and it was obvious that he didn't take the matter to heart at all.
Liu Mingyue flipped through the pages of the storybook, but she didn't actually read a single word. In her previous life, Zhou Junyuan was suspected of treason, but the incident didn't get out of hand. The emperor secretly sent someone to investigate, but they couldn't find all the people.
Even though there was no solid evidence, the Zhou family was still implicated. Now that the matter had become known to everyone, the emperor would never be kind to the Zhou family, and the Zhou family would only decline faster.
After Zhou Junyuan's coffin was brought back to the Zhou Mansion, the whole Zhou Mansion was shrouded in a depressing atmosphere. From the old lady to the servants in the mansion, everyone was busy preparing for Zhou Junyuan's funeral.
"Madam, something bad has happened." Zhao Yinlian was in the mourning hall, watching the servants hanging white silk and ordering people to buy paper money and prepare things to entertain guests. She was so busy that she had no time to rest. Suddenly, she heard the old woman say something bad and looked over with displeasure.
"What's the matter?" Zhao Yinlian was in charge of the affairs of the mansion. She had been busy since early morning and was a little dry-mouthed.
Seeing this, the servant served tea first and then told Zhao Yinlian what had happened outside.
"For some reason, rumors started to spread that the master had rebellious intentions. When his body was found, he was wearing a dragon robe. But for the sake of the overall situation, the matter was not made public."
"Bang", the tea bowl in Zhao Yinlian's hand fell to the ground and shattered.
The already haggard face of the woman widened her eyes in panic: "Nonsense! The master died for the country, how could he be a traitor!"
That being said, rumors were rife outside, so Zhao Yinlian hurried to the old lady to ask.
Old Madam Zhou had also heard about this and her face was not looking good.
"Mother, I see that my husband's funeral preparations are more than halfway through, but I know that His Majesty's decree has not yet come down."
As Zhao Yinlian spoke, her face turned even paler, because there were some clues behind this.
Everyone in the Zhou Mansion is now waiting for the emperor's favor. Considering that Zhou Junyuan died for the country, the Zhou Mansion will be able to gain a lot of benefits.
But now Zhou Junyuan's body has been returned to Beijing, and the funeral preparations have not been held yet. However, the emperor has no intention of issuing an edict to provide relief. There was only the oral message of condolences conveyed at the beginning, nothing else.
With all those rumors going around, how could the people in Zhou Mansion not be alarmed? Seeing that the old lady remained silent, Zhao Yinlian swallowed her saliva and said hesitantly, "But there is no conclusion yet. It's just a rumor, so it must be false?"
Zhao Yinlian still held on to her luck. She naturally hoped that this was true, otherwise, for the Zhou family, this news would be tantamount to a catastrophe. If the charge of treason was made, not to mention Enchang, even her life could not be saved.
Madam Zhou's slightly closed eyes slowly opened, and her once bright pupils became cloudy and lost their former spirit.
The old lady tightened her grip on her cane and shook her head weakly, "The fact that the master wore a dragon robe before his death is probably not just a rumor. His Majesty has not issued an imperial decree to provide relief to the widow for such a long time. It seems that the messenger brought back more news than we know when he returned to the capital."
Whether Zhou Junyuan had the intention of rebellion is another matter, but it is clear that he was wearing a dragon robe before his death.
"Then...what should we do? Treason is..." Zhao Yinlian swallowed the rest of the words and dared not say them out loud.
Treason is a capital crime punishable by the death of nine generations of the clan. Once the charges are confirmed, no one in the Zhou family will be able to escape.
"As the mistress of the Zhou Mansion, you should at least not panic and make a fool of yourself. The imperial decree has not been issued yet, but His Majesty has not issued an order to punish me, right? That means that although there are doubts, the evidence is by no means conclusive."
Madam Zhou glanced at Zhao Yinlian with dissatisfaction, and pinched her brows with a headache. That being said...
The matter of the dragon robe is true, and it is believed to be true even without solid evidence. After all, Zhou Junyuan has fought for Your Majesty at the border for many years. Without solid evidence, Your Majesty can only pretend to trust Zhou Junyuan on the surface.
Old Madam Zhou had a clear understanding of the interests involved here, but even so, she knew that the Zhou family was finished.
Emperors have always been suspicious. The old lady has not forgotten how the emperor dealt with the Rong family. The Rong family, the mother's family of the queen, has suffered a miserable end. How can the Zhou family be any better?
There is only one male child in the Zhou family who is less than five years old. This is the first time that Old Madam Zhou feels fortunate.
"Mother is right. My daughter-in-law was too impatient and panicked." Zhao Yinlian lowered her head, a hint of bitterness flashing in her eyes.
After being scolded by Old Madam Zhou, Zhao Yinlian managed to calm herself down, but she couldn't help feeling worried.
The rumors outside reached the mansion, and everyone in the Zhou mansion, whether master or servant, was worried, fearing that a disaster might happen at any time. If it weren't for the indentures held by the master, the servants would have run away.
"A few days ago, my mother told my daughter-in-law to arrange the marriages of the young ladies in the mansion as soon as possible. My daughter-in-law asked a matchmaker to go to the mansion of a good family to propose marriage, but after a few days, the results were not good."
Zhao Yinlian hesitated and told the old lady about this matter. Since it concerned the girls' marriages, she could not hide it.
"After the master passed away, all the children of the Zhou family had to observe a three-year mourning period. Hongniang went to various prefectures to propose marriages, but those families were not willing to wait three years before getting married."
This was even the case when Zhao Yinlian hired the best matchmaker in the capital, which showed that she had talked her mouth off.
Although a few families were hesitant, they thought three years was neither too long nor too short, so none of them agreed.
"We, the Zhou family, still have some assets. Let's show some sincerity and then ask Hongniang to talk to her." Old Madam Zhou's heart sank to the bottom. It was not a good time to spread the rumor.
While His Majesty has not issued an edict to punish me, and things are still uncertain, perhaps the marriage can be settled.
Old Madam Zhou thought too simply, and reality soon gave her a loud slap in the face.
When everything was calm, Hongniang went to various mansions to propose marriage, and at least she could get a visit. But now that there were rumors that General Zhou had rebellious intentions, when the various mansions heard that she was there to propose marriage for the Zhou family, they avoided her like a flood or a beast.
His Majesty in the palace did not issue an edict to punish the Zhou family, but General Zhou died at the border and the emperor had no intention of providing any relief, so his attitude was very clear.
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