Chapter 9 Human Life
Come back in the evening, what are you going to do
Jiang Shu was confused for a while, and her face turned red when she understood.
"Madam, we have to prepare well. It's a great event to consummate the marriage with the Marquis tonight." Tan Yu was excited, even more excited than Jiang Shu.
Chu Yu pinched the soft flesh on her waist and said unhappily: "If you shout louder, the whole Marquis' Mansion will hear it."
"Ahhh... I'm wrong, I'm wrong." Tan Yu begged for mercy in pain.
"Puchi——" Jiang Shu was amused by the two of them, and his nervous heart eased a little.
Shen Changze returned to the Suoyun Courtyard, looking at the open door and his steps were inexplicably heavy.
"Daddy." Yan Yang, who was playing in the yard, saw him.
"What are you doing?" Shen Changze walked over and found the brother and sister squatting under the tree to pick ants.
"Daddy, look, there are so many ants." Yan Yang excitedly dug the ant hole with a branch, causing the ants to scurry around like headless flies.
After staring dumbfounded for a long time, Shen Changze suddenly realized that he should find something for Yan Yang to do.
The eldest son of a marquis's mansion cannot be raised to be an idle playboy.
Thinking of this, Shen Changze walked into the house.
Cheng Jinchu was wiping her red rifle, and when she heard the sound, she did not stand up to greet him as usual.
"Why are you wiping the gun suddenly?" Shen Changze poured himself a cup of tea.
Cheng Jinchu stared at the shiny gun tip with a bit of sadness, and said with a bit of sadness: "I miss the time when we were at the border."
Shen Changze, who was drinking water, was stunned: "But I am tired these days. If you are tired, just take a rest for two days. There is no rush for the affairs in the mansion."
Cheng Jinchu said nothing.
Shen Changze said: "I have something to discuss with you."
"Yan Yang is already five years old. It's time for him to go to school. I plan to send him to the clan school in a few days."
Speaking of children, Cheng Jinchu was quite concerned: "But he just arrived in Shangjing and is unfamiliar with the place..."
"He is the eldest son of the Marquis's Mansion. He must not be raised to be mediocre and incompetent. You have seen the poverty and cruelty of the border with your own eyes. I don't want him to take this dangerous road. I want him to enter the officialdom." Shen Changze looked solemn.
To become an official, one must study hard from a young age. Ten years of hard study is not just talk.
Cheng Jinchu bit her lip: "But it's not that easy to get a good score on the imperial examination. What if Yan Yang is not a good student?"
She hoped that Yan Yang would have a good future, but she felt a little distressed to see him go to school at such a young age.
"Whether it is right or not, you will know after a few years of study. In the end, you must be literate and sensible." Shen Changze insisted.
The Jiang family has a huge fortune, and Jiang Ning has to go to the academy to study, so how can Yan Yang be lazy?
It is not easy to support the Marquis's Mansion, but it is very easy to ruin it. You just need to do nothing.
"If you really want to do good for Yan Yang, you should give him advice instead of spoiling him. A loving mother often spoils her child, you know that."
Cheng Jinchu looked at Yan Yang digging a hole with his butt sticking out in the yard, and recalled her father's tragic death, and finally nodded.
Her husband was right, she couldn't let Yan Yang go their way. Studying hard is nothing compared to dying on the battlefield.
At night, after taking a bath, Shen Changze was pestered by the two children to tell stories. After
telling stories absent-mindedly for half an hour, Shen Changze finally got up after coaxing the children to sleep.
"It's so late, where are you going, husband?" Cheng Jinchu looked at him puzzled.
Shen Changze cleared his throat and said, "I'll stay at Tingzhu Tower tonight, you should go to bed early."
Cheng Jinchu stared at him as he left, her heart aching.
From the beginning, she knew that Shen Changze didn't belong to her alone, but when the day came when she had to share him with someone, she still couldn't accept it.
Tonight, she was destined to be sleepless.
Jiang Shu leaned on the beauty couch, reading a book so intently that she didn't hear anyone enter the room.
"What book are you reading?"
Jiang Shu raised her head from the book in astonishment and saw the handsome and tall Shen Changze walking slowly towards her.
"Xiao Chuang You Ji." Her hands were shaking as she held the scroll, and her heart was beating wildly.
Shen Changze didn't notice anything strange about her, so he sat down by the couch and praised: "It's a good book."
When he saw the book, he thought of Yan Yang, so he gossiped: "I plan to send Yan Yang to study in the clan in a few days."
Thinking of Yan Yang's age, Jiang Shu nodded: "It's time for enlightenment."
Even if the children of aristocratic families do not seek fame, they should cultivate themselves wisely.
The two chatted for a while, Jiang Shu relaxed, and Shen Changze felt his blood surge all over his body as he looked at her beautiful face.
Beautiful scenery on a good day, a moment of spring night.
Just when Shen Changze was about to make a move, Tan Yu suddenly knocked on the door: "Master Marquis, Madam, something happened!"
Jiang Shu and Shen Changze were startled at the same time.
Awkwardly, Jiang Shu turned away, took the coat, put it on, and opened the door: "What happened?"
Tan Yu said in a hurry: "Go to the courtyard, Mrs. Liu hanged herself."
What happened?
Shen Changze's eyes dimmed and he walked downstairs quickly, followed by Jiang Shu.
When passing by the front of the Tuyun Courtyard, he happened to meet Cheng Jinchu coming out from inside.
"Husband." Cheng Jinchu was shocked, and her voice was a little trembling.
"Go and see what's going on." Shen Changze stepped forward, held her hand, and walked away.
Jiang Shu, who was a step behind, clenched his palms and followed silently.
"As long as she is here, the marquis seems to be unable to see the lady." Tan Yu, holding the lantern, muttered in dissatisfaction.
Chu Yu scolded in a low voice: "Enough, it's time now, don't upset Madam."
Jiang Shu pursed his lips and said nothing, but his heart was in a knot.
Not long after they arrived at the servants' courtyard, Shen's mother also rushed over.
Mrs. Liu was lying on the ground, no longer making a sound.
"How could someone die out of the blue?" Shen's mother was anxious and angry.
A servant who knew the situation reported back: "Madam, Mrs. Liu said that she had no husband and no children and nowhere to go, so she... hanged herself."
Hearing the cause of death of Mrs. Liu, Cheng Jinchu swayed unsteadily.
Shen Changze glanced at her and saw that her face was pale, knowing that this matter was related to her.
"Alas, Mrs. Liu is alone and helpless. She doesn't know where she will die after leaving the Marquis' Mansion. It's better this way, at least the Marquis' Mansion will collect her body."
"Poor..."
The servants sighed in a low voice, for Mrs. Liu and for themselves.
"What do you mean by nowhere to go?" Jiang Shu was confused.
The housekeeper glanced at Cheng Jinchu and Shen Changze, and said bravely: "Today, Madam Jin summoned all the servants in the mansion, saying that there were too many people in the mansion, and I returned my indentures and dismissed some of them, including Mrs. Liu."
Jiang Shu understood instantly.
Mrs. Liu has been a slave in the mansion for decades and is nearly seventy years old. After a bout of illness a few years ago, she is no longer in good health and half of her eyes are blind. She can only do chores like making fire and washing dishes.
To her, being dismissed from the mansion is tantamount to forcing her to die.
"I just want to let her go home and be raised in glory because she is old. I didn't know she had no family." Cheng Jinchu explained in panic.
Shen Changze frowned and didn't know what to do for a moment.
He knew that Cheng Jinchu was doing it for the mansion, but now someone has died. If it is not handled properly, the mansion will surely have a reputation for being harsh to servants and taking human lives lightly.