Chapter 94: The Zhong Family (Two Chapters in One)
It was Xiao Zhen who suggested that they pretend to be brother and sister.
Zhao Shiqing retorted: "Why lie upon lie? We can pretend to be uncle and nephew, right, uncle?"
Xiao Zhen: "I don't want others to focus on our relationship."
After all, the uncle and niece are of similar age, which is bound to make people think about it.
This uncle must have been born from a second marriage. They are an old man and a young wife, and the situation is very different. If the old man of the Zhen family has a seizure, can this young master Zhen compete with his brothers?
Or, this uncle is most likely a bastard's son, and he dares to bring his niece to visit. This shows how morals are deteriorating.
Zhao Shiqing rolled her eyes. In fact, she really wanted to be Xiao Zhen's niece. That way, she could eat and drink his food with a clear conscience, and even stay in the inn without having to pay for it herself. She could even get extra New Year's money. How great.
However, Zhao Shiqing has never been a person who likes to go against others. Since Xiao Zhen suggested pretending to be brother and sister, then they should be brother and sister. Zhao Shiqing is such an understanding and kind person.
On the way to the Zhong family, Xiao Zhen told Zhao Shiqing that Queen Zhong's father had served as the president of the Hanlin Academy. Queen Zhong grew up in the capital since childhood. When she was waiting to be married, she was a famous talented woman in the capital. When the retired emperor was still in his residence, she was the principal wife. Later, when the retired emperor sat on the throne, she became the master of the harem.
Unfortunately, not long after she married into the royal family, Dean Zhong passed away.
After the retired emperor ascended the throne, he bestowed favors on the empress's family and conferred the title of Earl of Cheng'en on Empress Zhong's eldest brother, Master Zhong.
The title of Earl Cheng'en was only for one generation and was not hereditary. Therefore, after Earl Cheng'en passed away, the title of the Zhong family was taken back.
Currently, there are four people in the Zhong family who hold official positions. The highest-ranking one is only a fifth-rank Tongzhi, and the other three are of even lower ranks. Moreover, among these four, the youngest is already forty-five years old.
This generation’s career has come to an end, but the younger generation has not excelled.
This is the current situation of the Zhong family.
Although the Zhong family has a large population and is well-known in the local area, it has actually declined.
"Zhong Ziyang's father, Master Zhong San, is the current head of the Zhong family. Master Zhong San is the cousin of Queen Zhong, and his father is Queen Zhong's great uncle.
Since the death of Empress Zhong, the Zhong family rarely came to Beijing.
The last time Zhong Ziyang came to the capital was when my mother got married. He came to celebrate as a representative of the Zhong family. Since then, Zhong Ziyang has never been to the capital again. In other words, I have never met him until now.
However, I have met his son Zhong Zhanbo, who is eight years older than me and has the title of Juren.
That year he went to Beijing to take the imperial examination and came to the princess's residence to meet my mother. When I met him, I suddenly discovered that he was about 60% similar to the cousin I saw in my dream.
Therefore, I decided to come to Baifeng City to see my cousin in person. Unfortunately, I arrived at an inopportune time. Uncle Zhong took his family to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday, and I didn't wait for him to return. Someone from the mansion forcibly took me back to the capital."
Zhao Shiqing nodded repeatedly, envious of the dream Xiao Zhen described.
She had to use all her strength to barely remember things from her childhood, and that was only limited to the time before and after the accident. But Xiao Zhen could predict the future while lying down to sleep. Yes, he could dream that his cousin brought people to beat him. If this wasn't premonition, what was it?
As for rebirth, as a girl born and raised in the feudal dynasty of Dayong, Zhao Shiqing had never even thought about it.
Rebirth? It must be something that those people who stayed up all night writing storybooks came up with while half asleep and half awake. Who in their right mind would think about it in this way? Ha!
Of course, Xiao Zhen would not tell the truth in this regard. He was convinced that if he said that he was reborn and was an old monster who was several dozen years older than his two lives combined, Zhao Shiqing would definitely curse at him and then call a bunch of birds and beasts to study him.
He is not stupid, so why should he look for trouble and cause himself trouble?
Therefore, in the matter of his cousin, he said to keep half and half. Even if he was found to be able to predict the future, he could just attribute it to dreaming. If dreaming was not enough, he would add a white-bearded old immortal. Anything that he could not dream of was what the old immortal told him.
In this life, before he was eighteen, he only knew from dreams that Zhong Ziyang would bring people to kill him.
After escaping death at Shiji Mountain at the age of eighteen, he remembered his past life completely. In his past life, those Jinyiwei were indeed brought by Zhong Ziyang, and in his past life, it was Xiao Yue who blocked the knife for him.
These two were people he trusted, one betrayed him, and the other died for him.
This time, even if Zhen Wuduo did not drag him to Wu to find his daughter, Xiao Zhen would still come to Wu after the affairs in the capital were settled.
At that time, he came to Wu with only one purpose, which was to kill Zhong Ziyang.
Now he is here, but he came a little early, and there are some things he has not yet figured out. But it doesn’t matter, sooner or later, Zhong Ziyang will die.
Xiao Zhen did not tell Zhao Shiqing that he wanted to kill Zhong Ziyang.
But who is Zhao Shiqing? Although she is young, she has already walked on the edge of a knife once. Even if Xiao Zhen did not admit it, Zhao Shiqing knew that this trip to Baifeng City would most likely result in bloodshed.
At this time, the two "brother and sister" were already sitting in the gatehouse of the Zhong Mansion which was used to temporarily receive guests.
After a while, a steward came out and invited them in.
The Zhen brothers and sisters came from the capital. They had business dealings with the Princess's Mansion. Of course, those who knew would understand that these brothers and sisters or their family were making money for the Princess.
The so-called not competing with the people for profit is only on the surface. Those powerful families all have merchants who make money for them. Some of these merchants are wealthy businessmen, while others are servants entrusted with important tasks. They are rich masters outside, but they are still humble servants when they return home.
The reason why the Zhen brothers and sisters came to the Zhong Mansion was that they were entrusted by Princess Jiayi to pay their respects to the elders of the Zhong family while they were doing business in Wu.
This kind of thing had happened before. The princes and princesses wanted to keep their in-laws in their hands, but they didn't want to lower their status to them. Therefore, during festivals, they would send some respectable stewards to pay their respects on their behalf and give them some small gifts, which they might receive in return as a generous gift.
The last time Princess Jiayi sent people to Baifeng City was during the Chinese New Year. The Zhong family sent people to the capital to deliver New Year gifts, and the people from the Princess's Mansion went back with them, one to deliver gifts, and the other to wish the elders a happy new year.
It's not the New Year now, but it's understandable that the Zhen brothers and sisters came here on their way.
Although the Zhen brothers and sisters brought twenty-four kinds of generous gifts, these were definitely purchased in Baifeng City, not brought from the capital. Although they were not attentive, they were respectful enough.
Given the current situation of the Zhong family, the elders of the Zhong family feel very comfortable that they can still receive such respect from the eldest princess.
After all, the only connection between the Zhong family and the royal family now is Princess Jiayi.
Although the two princesses left by Emperor Xiaokang were also related by blood to the Zhong family, they were separated by a generation, and they were helpless and had nothing but the title of princess. They might need financial support from the Zhong family in the future, so the elders of the Zhong family automatically ignored them.
But Princess Jiayi is different. She has fiefdoms and is a top lady in the aristocratic circle of the capital. She is not only the younger sister of the current emperor, but also the eldest daughter-in-law of the Qingquan Xiao family.
Although the Qingquan Xiao family is a military family, it has a profound foundation and many old disciples. The Xiao family has a very high reputation in the entire Dayong Dynasty, which is far beyond the reach of the Zhong family.
Even without the royal relationship, the Xiao family is still a good relative for the current Zhong family.
Therefore, although the Zhen brothers and sisters were just two unknown teenagers, the current head of the Zhong family, Master Zhong San, still met them with his son Zhong Ziyang and eldest grandson Zhong Zhanbo.
The maid spread out a brocade mat, and the Zhen brothers and sisters knelt down and kowtowed respectfully to Master Zhong San, on behalf of Princess Jiayi.
Of course, even if Princess Jiayi was present at this moment, she would not kowtow in person.
However, Master Zhong San was already very satisfied. Empress Zhong and Emperor Xiaokang had been dead for many years, and it was very rare that Princess Jiayi still remembered that she had relatives in the Zhong family.
After a few pleasantries, Master Zhong San started talking about the deceased Xiao Zhen. Although he was far away in Baifeng City, Master Zhong San had also heard about Xiao Zhen's story, and he couldn't help feeling sad when he talked about it.
Master Zhen, Zhen Gui, said words of comfort, but his attention was on Zhong Ziyang.
In this life, Xiao Zhen met Zhong Ziyang three years earlier than in the previous life. At this time, Zhong Ziyang was much younger than in the dream. He was ten years older than Princess Jiayi. He was well maintained and looked only about thirty-five or thirty-six years old. He was elegant, handsome, gentle and polite.
Xiao Zhen knew that this was only the side that Zhong Ziyang wanted people to see, he had another side.
Zhong Ziyang knows martial arts, but not many people know this.
Zhong Ziyang suffered a serious illness when he was young. After he recovered from the illness, his injuries were never fully recovered. So Mr. Zhong San found a martial arts master for him and sent him to the martial arts school run by the master to learn martial arts. It was not until eight years later, when Zhong Ziyang was thirteen years old, that he returned home.
The Zhong family was a scholarly family and did not want anyone to know about this, so they announced to the public that Zhong Ziyang had gone to recuperate. Therefore, even the other branches of the Zhong family did not know that Zhong Ziyang knew martial arts.
Seeing that the Zhong family was almost heartbroken, Zhen Gui started talking about the happy event in the Princess's Mansion: Princess Jiayi was pregnant!
Good news never spreads as fast as bad news. Although everyone in the capital knows that Princess Jiayi gave birth to a child, the Zhong family is still unaware of it.
Sure enough, when the news came out, Master Zhong San was overjoyed.
Little girl Zhen Bao kept silent and just observed. At this moment, she saw that the three generations of the Zhong family, grandparents and grandchildren, all had smiles in their eyes. It was obvious that this was not fake, they were really happy.
Zhen Bao took advantage of everyone's happiness and proposed to pay his respects to the lady-in-waiting and to convey the matter.
Zhong Ziyang quickly called a housekeeper and asked her to take Zhen Bao to the back house.
After leaving the reception area, the housekeeper couldn't help but secretly scrutinize Zhen Bao. She might be a young lady, but she didn't even have a maid by her side. When she went out, she only wore two pearl hairpins and a pearl flower on her head. Yet, if she were a servant, she was calm and composed, with a grace and elegance not seen in the other young ladies of the Zhong family.
The housekeeper's eyesight is far sharper than that of Master Zhong San and Zhong Ziyang. There's no way around it. She has been in the backyard for a long time and has gradually developed a good eye.
There are now two people with the highest seniority in the Zhong family. One is the third old lady, who is Zhong Ziyang’s mother, and she is the one who is in charge of the back house now.
The other is the Second Lady who holds an imperial decree. Among the four descendants of the Zhong family who hold official positions, two are her sons.
However, the Second Lady was a widow, and she usually ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist scriptures, not caring about worldly affairs. But she still wanted to meet the person sent by the eldest princess.
After Miss Zhen Bao followed the housekeeper in, she repeated the previous process.
She kowtowed first, then watched the old lady and the ladies cry for Xiao Zhen, and then she reported the good news. The old lady, the ladies and the ladies were surprised and happy.
What was different from the previous process was that the female relatives cried with joy.
Miss Zhen Bao accompanied them, crying and laughing at times, and when she left, she received a red envelope containing a ten-liang silver note.
It was the housekeeper who brought Miss Zhen Bao back to the front.
As I was walking, I heard a voice behind me: "Miss Zhen, please stay (Advertisement: I also wrote this book, please move on if you haven't read it)."
Zhen Bao turned around and saw a young girl with a maid. This girl was there just now, but they were only introduced to each other by the elders. The younger generation was not introduced, so Zhen Bao didn't know who this was.
It was the housekeeper who introduced, "Miss Zhen, this is the fifth lady from the second house."
Zhen Bao bowed, "Hello, Madam Zhong Wu."
Madam Zhong Wu returned the greeting and smiled before she spoke: "Miss Zhen, do you have time to come and sit with me?"
The original purpose of coming here today was to find out the truth, and now that someone has invited him, Zhen Bao is of course willing.
The embroidery building of Lady Zhong Wu was not far from here. The housekeeper told Zhen Bao that there were eight young ladies in the Zhong family in this generation, and now the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth were still in the boudoir. Among them, Lady Seven was only six years old, and Lady Eight was still in her infancy.
Now only the Fifth Lady and the Sixth Lady live in this embroidery building.
However, Zhen Bao did not see Liu Niangzi.
Madam Zhong Wu asked the maid to serve tea and snacks. Zhen Bao did not refuse. He drank tea and ate snacks so that they could chat for a while longer.
Madam Zhong Wu quickly got to the point. She said to Zhen Bao, "Miss Zhen is from the capital. I wonder if you've met Princesses Huixin and Huiming?"
Zhao Shiqing only learned about the existence of these two people during his last trip to the capital.
They were the daughters of Emperor Xiaokang, also known as Crown Prince Xian, and not the biological daughters of Crown Princess Meng. Their biological mother was Consort Sun.
The current emperor posthumously honored Crown Prince Xian as Emperor Xiaokang and Crown Princess Meng as Empress Xiaokang, and also conferred titles of princess on Huiming and Huixin, but did not posthumously honor anyone else in the Eastern Palace. In other words, the biological mother of these two princesses was still only a selected concubine.
Moreover, for some unknown reason, Princess Jiayi was not close to these two nieces. Instead, she preferred the fourth princess born to the current emperor and the queen.
As a result, the situation of the two princesses Huiming and Huixin became even more embarrassing.
Zhen Bao didn't expect that Lady Zhong Wu's pursuit of her was actually related to these two princesses.
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