Chapter 2 Children
"you!"
Madam Lu was so angry that her chest ached.
"Are you blaming my Lu family for making you a widow? For not letting you remarry? But if you hadn't killed my son—"
Yun Wan interrupted her: "Mother, it's clear that my husband was killed by you!"
"What did you say?!" Mrs. Lu looked at her in disbelief.
Yun Wan's eyes were filled with tears, and her face was filled with sorrow. "If you hadn't been careless while you were pregnant with me, how could you have let me be born sick and weak?"
"If it weren't for this, how could my husband have died of illness at such a young age? You caused me to lose my husband so early. To be honest, my husband's untimely death is all your fault..."
Speaking of sad things, Yun Wan was heartbroken, tears streaming down her face, and her eyes were full of accusations as she looked at the old lady:
"Mother, you killed my husband and tore us apart, leaving us orphans and widows alone in this world..."
"Mother, if possible, I, your daughter-in-law, also beg you to return my husband to me—"
As she spoke, she covered her chest with her hands, her face turned pale, and she looked heartbroken.
The maid beside her hurried forward to support her: "Third Madam, are you okay?"
Asui panicked: "Mother!"
The old lady, who was sitting upright, was startled by Yun Wan. "You, you, you! Ridiculous!"
She hasn't done anything yet!
Ah Sui turned his head and said tearfully, "Grandma, my mother is not feeling well. Could you please stop scolding her? If you want to scold someone, please scold your grandson."
When she saw him, Mrs. Lu's tense face softened immediately, as if she had completely changed her expression.
She waved to Asui and said in a gentle tone, "Grandma's dear grandson, come here quickly."
Ah Sui took a few steps forward, bowed and clasped his hands, and said politely like a little adult: "Grandson greets grandma. I wish you a long and healthy life."
Madam Lu stood up from the couch and personally pulled him over to her. Her attitude was completely different: "Good boy, hurry up and get up. How could this be your fault? Grandmother was a little hasty just now and wrongly blamed your mother."
She glared at Yun Wan with a sidelong glance and said a few words lightly, ending the previous topic.
Yun Wan covered her chest and breathed for a while, then spoke softly, "Mother, I came here today for another matter, which is about Asui's enrollment."
"A Sui is now four years old, which means he's five. Normally, children would be in school at the age of three, learning to recite classics and composing poetry, but A Sui hasn't even set foot in school yet."
Thinking of the reason, Yun Wan's eyes darkened slightly.
Originally, last year when Asui was three years old, Yun Wan planned to choose a well-qualified school close to his home for his education.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Lu happened to catch a cold and her old illness flared up. She had a strange temper and refused to take medicine to recuperate every day. She disliked everyone and no one could persuade her, except Asui.
Among her grandchildren, Old Madam Lu doted on Asui the most, simply because he was the only bloodline left by Yun Wan's husband, Mr. Lu San, the old madam's youngest son who died young from illness.
The sick old lady had to see Asui every day and would only drink the medicine if he fed her personally. She said that she missed her young son so much that seeing Asui was like seeing her youngest son.
Naturally, others were reluctant to object, so Asui's enrollment was delayed.
A year later, the old lady's illness had long been cured, and she no longer had any reason to be confused.
Yun Wan suppressed the tears from her eyes and continued, "If we delay any longer, my daughter-in-law is worried that it will affect Asui's future studies, so I came here today to discuss with you the matter of choosing a school for Asui."
Although they said they were discussing it, Yun Wan had made up her mind that she would send her son to school this year so that he would not fall behind other children.
It is now March, and soon all the schools in Beijing will hold entrance ceremonies and will no longer accept students. Therefore, Asui's admission to school must not be delayed any longer.
Yun Wan was firm in her attitude.
Old Madam Lu frowned, her lips drooping.
She said in a gruff voice, "A Sui is only four years old. Why are you so anxious? There are many children who start school at the age of five, and ordinary children don't start school until they are seven or eight. As a mother, how can you bear to let your child suffer?"
She was very dissatisfied with Yun Wan's attitude.
Can you bear it?
Naturally, she couldn't bear it, but compared to the old lady's insistence on keeping the child by her side to commemorate her youngest son and her excessive indulgence, Yun Wan would rather send the child to school.
At least there Asui can make friends, learn knowledge, and broaden his horizons, instead of being confined to the backyard.
Yun Wan didn't respond to her question and said, "I know how much my mother loves Ah Sui, but he has always loved studying. Why don't you ask the child what he thinks?"
The mother-in-law didn't like her and allowed Yun Wan to talk nonsense. The old lady thought that she had ulterior motives. Instead of wasting her time trying to convince the old lady, it would be more important to let her know Asui's own thoughts.
Fortunately, Madam Lu was not really senile. She hesitated for a moment with a gloomy face, then lowered her head and asked Ah Sui, "Brother Sui, do you want to go to school?"
Out of sight, Yun Wan winked at his son to show his encouragement.
Asui still remembered his mother's teachings, so he got off the couch, stood up, and nodded seriously.
He had a stern, childish face and said solemnly, "Grandma, I want to go to school to learn knowledge and make friends, just like Brother Changze."
Changze is Asui's cousin, Lu Changze, the illegitimate son of the Lu family's eldest wife. He is five years older than Asui. Now he is the third prince's study companion and is enrolled in Hongwenguan.
Thinking of what Ah-niang had told him last night, Ah-Sui's mind raced wildly, his distinct black and white eyes wetly looking at the old lady:
"Didn't Grandmother say that Father loved studying since he was young, was exceptionally talented, and was often praised by his teachers. But unfortunately, his frail health prevented him from taking the imperial examinations and serving the court, leaving him with a lifelong regret?"
At this point, Asui's little face showed sadness, and his tender voice was slightly choked, which made people feel particularly distressed.
The old lady suddenly realized and looked nostalgic.
Then Ah Sui pursed his lips and said with a resolute expression:
"Grandmother, I also want to be like my father, to read and write, to learn the ways of a gentleman, the philosophy of how to behave in society, and the strategies of governing a country. I want to excel in my studies, be praised by the Master, and in the future pass the imperial examinations, serve the court, and bring honor to our family!"
His expression was firm and his words were resounding. His thin body radiated immense strength. He looked at the old lady with eyes filled with longing: "Grandma, although I will never meet my father in this lifetime, I want to carry on his legacy..."
Mrs. Lu was immediately filled with grief, her eyes moistened as she heard this. She quickly hugged Ah Sui into her arms, her face filled with relief: "Great, great! You are worthy of being a descendant of our Lu family. You are your father's child. You are indeed promising! Just like your father!"
"With a child like you, your father's spirit in heaven must rest in peace."
After saying that, she wiped her eyes, gathered her emotions, and said to Yun Wan, "Since this is the child's wish, how can I, as an elder, obstruct it?"
There was a flash of sarcasm in Yun Wan's eyes. That's not what you said just now.
Madam Lu glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "It's just that Asui's father is not here. Although you are his mother, you are just a woman in the harem, and you are a widow. It is not convenient for you to show up in public, so I need to discuss this with the Duke."
"He is Asui's uncle, an important official in the imperial court, and a thoughtful person. It is most appropriate for him to choose the school for Asui."
Most importantly, she remembered that her eldest son seemed to have mentioned not long ago that the third prince still needed a study companion.
She didn't want to let others take advantage of such a good opportunity.
Yun Wan's eyelids twitched, but this result was better than she had expected. She nodded and said, "Mother, you are right. I will trouble you and the Duke to take care of Asui's enrollment."
Most of their worries were resolved, and they stayed for another quarter of an hour until the old lady began to feel sleepy. Yun Wan took Asui and left Ci Xin Hall.
Passing the corridor, I saw a dark figure walking towards me from afar.
Yun Wan lowered her eyes, took Asui's hand, turned around and chose another path.
While walking on the road, Asui suddenly said:
"Mother, do I look like my father?"
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