take in
Soon, a maid took the two children away to change their clothes. It was the dead of winter, and the two were dressed far too lightly.
Lin Xu planned to settle Haiping and Yumei in the side room for the next few days, until after New Year's Eve, but she was having some trouble figuring out what to do with the two children afterward.
Are we going to make them stay in the manor to work? Although the two children come from ordinary families, they are still good citizens from Jiangzhou, not of low social status. They are still young, and even if they stay, they can only learn to do manual labor. They will probably be slaves for generations to come...
Lin Xu frowned, feeling troubled, when he saw Luo Shilan hesitate, but still speak softly:
“If Madam trusts me, the two children can come and live with me at the bookstore. I don’t have much to do there; I can manage on my own during the day. The children can attend school in town during the day and come back at night. It’s better than them being homeless and destitute. However, it’s not as comfortable as life in the manor, and it will inevitably be more tiring. I don’t know if they would be willing…”
Upon hearing this, Lin Xu thought it might not be a bad idea. She had previously arranged for Haiping to study at the school in the alley, but he stopped going there to protect Yumei. The people who frequented the bookstore were mostly scholars and candidates for the imperial examinations, so the relationships were simple, which might not be bad for the child.
She nodded and said, "That's a good idea. But you've come to Mujing all alone, and you'll have to take care of two children. It must be quite tiring."
Luo Shilan was very happy. Although she loved children very much, she had been a widow for many years and had no children of her own. Now that she could take care of the lonely children, she could say that her wish had been fulfilled.
After Haiping and Yumei finished cleaning up, Lin Xu had Zhuling lead them to eat a large bowl of fennel and minced meat noodles each. Neither of them had been full for a long time, and they quickly finished the bowl of noodles, which was bigger than their faces. Yumei, who used to be a picky eater and spoiled, was now quiet and much more obedient.
After Lin Xu briefly explained her intention to take them to the bookstore, Hai Ping listened, then solemnly lifted the robe he had just changed into and kowtowed deeply to her.
"Thank you, Madam Zhao'en. When I grow up, I will do my utmost to repay your life-saving grace."
Lin Xu was deeply moved. She didn't ask for any reward; she only hoped that the two children would grow up safely. There was no need for these innocent children to be implicated in the grudges of their past lives.
.
After a lively New Year's Eve celebration, the weather gradually improved. Lin Xu, who had been cooped up in her room all day, felt increasingly uncomfortable and often took walks in the garden under the watchful eyes of Zhu Ling and the guards. Now that she was further along in her pregnancy, she needed to support her belly with both hands to feel a little better each day.
Dou Yanxun was extremely anxious. He not only asked Rongwei to keep a close eye on Xuetuan to prevent her from accidentally injuring Lin Xu while playing, but also invited Princess Kunrou to the mansion every few days to keep Lin Xu company and relieve his boredom. Dou Zhen, besides attending various banquets at Bai Shi's urging, was also busy taking care of Lin Xu every day.
The previous dynasty was not exactly peaceful either.
With the victory in the southwest campaign, Yunji's nine tribes, having lost their new leader and most of their generals, dared not invade again and retreated directly to the southwest of Sishui. However, the pro-war faction, including Prince Mao, wanted to take advantage of this momentum and annex most of the southwest, but this was strongly opposed by Zhao Xiang and others who advocated for a ceasefire.
The two groups argued incessantly in the court. Zhao Xiang, citing the empty national treasury and the years of war that had exhausted the people and wasted resources, not only demanded that Yao Qijiang, who had been stationed in Cizhou for many years, return to the capital on a chosen date, but also submitted a memorial to Emperor Su, requesting an investigation into corruption in the court.
Thus, the trial of several ministers who had been imprisoned for corruption and whose cases had been put on hold for a long time due to the war has now been put back on the agenda.
The first to be affected was Dou Yanzhou's former superior, Yu Shi, the former Director of the Water Conservancy Bureau.
The Dou family's political career, which had soared three years ago, was now filled with apprehension as their eldest son was suspected of being implicated.
It is said that the Director of the Water Conservancy Bureau embezzled public funds during his tenure, not only illegally occupying land but also using substandard materials in the repair and maintenance of dikes and embankments, which led to the continuous flooding and disasters along the Weilong River. Emperor Su attached great importance to this matter, and the censor ordered to investigate the Yu Shi case happened to be Jiang Heng, the current head of the Censorate.
Ever since Dou Zhen came of age, Madam Bai had been trying to win over the Jiang family. She was even more delighted to hear that Dou Zhen and Jiang Heng had already developed feelings for each other. However, several months have passed and the Jiang family has not shown any intention of proposing marriage. Now that they know that Dou Yanzhou may be involved in the case, Madam Jiang has stopped coming to the Dou residence for tea.
Bai was anxious day and night, and even developed several blisters on the corners of his mouth.
After much deliberation, she decided to have her daughter personally take charge and win over the coveted suitors of Jiang Heng's many noble ladies. After all, once Dou Zhen and the Jiang family were married, wouldn't her eldest son's immediate crisis be resolved? And why would the Jiang family dare to bring down their own brother-in-law?
After much pleading and cajoling from Bai, Dou Zhen finally gave in and agreed. Still worried, she went to Lin Xu for his opinion.
Lin Xu looked at Dou Zhen, who seemed rather hesitant, and couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Zhen'er, now that there's no one else around, tell me in detail what exactly happened between you and Lord Jiang?"
Dou Zhen was wearing a light peach-patterned jacket today, with two pieces of lustrous jade tied around her waist, and a white jade hairpin slanted into her hair. Her skin was as white as snow, and upon hearing the words, her cheeks flushed slightly. "Sister-in-law."
A look of worry instantly clouded her clear eyes, and Dou Zhen's voice was as soft as a feather, "Actually... I don't know what this really means..."
Dou Zhen took a sip of the warm osmanthus oolong tea before continuing, "I didn't know him before. He came to talk to me himself, saying that he had heard of my poems and had always wanted to meet me. More than a year ago, I met Lord Jiang at the Princess's residence. My sister-in-law was there at the time."
Lin Xu nodded. It was back then that she felt there was something more to Jiang Heng's gaze towards Dou Zhen. But now that so much time had passed and Dou Zhen had come of age, if he truly loved her, why didn't he come forward to propose marriage?
Seeing Lin Xu's puzzled expression, Dou Zhen's eyes suddenly reddened. She hurriedly wiped away her tears, her voice filled with grievance.
"I don't understand either. We met a few times at the teahouse, and each time we only exchanged a few words of pleasantries before he started asking about my family's trivial matters. Whenever I wanted to talk to him about something else, he would always make excuses about being busy with official business. Moreover, he said that our secret meetings would damage my reputation and that I must keep it a secret..."
Lin Xu was taken aback, feeling something was very strange, but then he saw that Dou Zhen had already placed her hands on his palms, her eyes brimming with tears:
“Sister-in-law, what if he grew tired of me after we got to know each other, or maybe he never had any feelings for me from the beginning? Am I overthinking this…”
Lin Xu suppressed her hesitation and asked softly, "What did he ask you?"
"But it wasn't anything special. He just asked what my father liked, what his hobbies were in his spare time, and who he was close to... He even asked my second brother and sister-in-law about you... I thought he wanted to know more about my family background so he could get to know me better in the future..."
Lin Xu interrupted Dou Zhen, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. "What did he ask me about Dou Yanxun and me?"
Perhaps her serious expression startled Dou Zhen, who hesitated for a long time before saying, "It's nothing important, just asking if my sister-in-law is from Mujing, and why my second brother didn't grow up in Mujing, and why he was once sent to the northern frontier..."
Lin Xu felt her heart sink. She had been so careless, always assuming that Dou Zhen and Jiang Heng were in love, so she hadn't paid much attention. She even felt very friendly when she saw Jiang Heng. She never imagined that he had ulterior motives for approaching Dou Zhen from the beginning!
Dou Zhen was an extremely intelligent woman. Even though she was deeply immersed in matters of the heart, she gradually sensed something from Lin Xu's reaction, and her voice began to tremble. "Sister-in-law... is he using me? Is he... trying to find out something about the family through me?"
Lin Xu's face was already extremely gloomy. Jiang Heng's political career was shining brightly, and even though he had been growing closer to the Crown Prince recently, everyone knew that he was loyal to Emperor Su. Could it be that the Emperor had suspected the Dou family from the very beginning? And wanted to use Jiang Heng as a pawn to secretly find out something?
But why is Jiang Heng interfering with his relationship with Dou Yanxun?
Lin Xu shook his head, feeling a jumble of thoughts in his mind, his mind in complete disarray.
She knew that things were not so simple, so she asked Dou Zhen to drink another cup of tea and slowly recall what Jiang Heng had said to her over the past year and whether there were any particularly strange things.
Dou Zhen, no longer able to sob, became tense and tried hard to recall.
However, the two didn't actually interact much. Every time she saw him, her heart would flutter, and she couldn't quite remember what they were seeing. Seeing Dou Zhen's guilty expression, Lin Xu sighed softly and comforted her, "It's alright. Think carefully again. When was the last time you met?"
“It was a few months after my coming-of-age ceremony. I missed him then, so I deliberately lingered at the teahouse I frequented. Unexpectedly, I ran into him. He seemed quite surprised at the time. Now that I think about it, he probably didn't want to see me there at all... How could I have been so foolish…”
Dou Zhen shook her head, concealing the desolation in her eyes, and then pondered:
"But at that time, he didn't ask anything else. He just asked if my sister-in-law was pregnant. He also said that he had heard that my sister-in-law's cousin had disappeared, causing a great uproar in the city. He felt very sorry about it and asked me to persuade my sister-in-law, saying, 'The people of Hecheng are unparalleled in their integrity. The Liang family has been heroes for generations, unyielding and indomitable. They will surely be alright...'"
Lin Xu slowly closed his eyes.
The Liang family... Hecheng...
Jiang Heng did indeed find out something. Judging from this, it seems that his initial purpose in approaching Dou Zhen was not related to the Dou family.
It was her. It was her maternal grandparents' family, far away in Hecheng. It was a family that, for so many years, despite their past military exploits, had always kept a low profile and never gotten involved in any trouble.
But what exactly was Jiang Heng's purpose in doing all this...?
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