Chapter 56 Write a letter to Shen Rongzhi to come home!
Central Hall.
Gu Xian waved his hand, and servants filed in behind him, arranging the vermilion lacquered gift boxes one by one on the table.
A model of a salt boat made of pure silver, with the words "Smooth Sailing" engraved on the sail, a sandalwood frame, an abacus with the character "沉" (chen) engraved in gold beads, ten bolts of Shu brocade, and a Japanese lacquer abacus box...
These things together are worth at least 1,500 strings of cash.
Zhang's heart pounded as she looked at the valuable items, her eyes practically glued to them.
She thought to herself, "This is a generous gift of over a thousand strings of cash. Could it be that the Gu family has already gotten wind of this and knows that the Shen family will definitely get a share of the new emperor's rewards?"
Shen Qingshu looked away from the gifts, cupped his hands and said, "I am unworthy of Master Gu's generous gift."
He feigned hesitation: "I just don't know why it suddenly happened today..."
Zhang, unable to contain herself any longer, rushed to ask, "Is it because of the 'Edict Rewarding Loyal Merchants of Three Dynasties' issued after the new emperor's ancestral temple visit? Has Master Gu received some news?"
Gu Xian bowed respectfully: "Uncle Shen, please allow me to speak. My father works in the Ministry of Revenue and happened to see the name of the Shen family of Jizhou on the register. He thought it must be our ancestor. So, having just returned to Jizhou City, I specially prepared some small gifts to congratulate you."
"really?"
Zhang's voice became a few decibels higher, "Father Gu, have you seen clearly? Is it indeed our Shen family?"
Gu Xian said with certainty, "Absolutely true."
Zhang was overjoyed, her face crinkling into a deep wrinkle.
There's no doubt about it!
Why bother going to the prefectural government office to verify any records? With our son not home right now, we can't let that outsider daughter-in-law, Madam Lu, get the upper hand. We need to quickly write a letter and ask our son to bring his new wife back to receive the reward. That's the proper thing to do.
This is an immense fortune!
From now on, the Shen family will be one of the most prominent families in Jizhou City!
Shen Qingshu smiled broadly upon hearing this: "That's right, that's right. Our ancestor did indeed contribute military funds to Emperor Taizu back then."
Gu Xian immediately bowed deeply: "Congratulations, Elder Shen! Congratulations to the Shen family! This is a truly glorious and joyous occasion!"
Lu Zhaoruo stood silently to the side.
Zhang was overjoyed, but the thought of this outsider enjoying the good fortune for free made her unhappy, so she scolded, "You blind fool, hurry up and serve tea to Master Gu!"
Lu Zhaoruo lowered her head and approached to pour tea. When her eyes met Gu Xian's, the two exchanged a subtle glance.
Gu Xian took a sip of tea and said casually, "This matter should be handled sooner rather than later. Would you like to choose an auspicious day to go to the prefectural government office to verify the records, Elder Shen?"
After a brief pause, she added, "Although your son has not yet returned home, as the principal wife, it is perfectly reasonable for Madam Lu to verify the records and receive the reward on behalf of her husband, but..."
He looked regretful. "If the admission quota for the Imperial Academy is not claimed by the deadline, it may be forfeited."
Upon hearing this, Zhang immediately raised her voice: "She'll go and collect it? This is the dignity that my Shen family earned through generations!"
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Qingshu coughed heavily and swept his sharp eyes over.
Zhang then realized her rudeness and hurriedly fell silent.
Shen Qingshu quickly smiled apologetically, "Master Gu, you flatter me. My son has been traveling overseas for the past three years, braving wind and rain. I was just about to write a letter to invite him back to receive his reward. This reward... should naturally be received by him in person."
Gu Xian sighed softly, "This reward is only valid for three months. Old Master Shen, you'd better hurry. It will take more than a month to write the letter, and another month to return. If there are any further delays on the way..."
Madam Zhang wrung her hands anxiously, saying, "Master, why don't we do it now..."
Shen Qingshu quickly gave him a wink to interrupt.
The guests haven't been seen off yet.
Gu Xian understood, stood up, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "In that case, I will take my leave first. I only hope that when the Shen family prospers in the future, they will not forget me, and I hope they will give me more help in business in the future."
Shen Qingshu nodded repeatedly: "Of course, of course."
As soon as Gu Xian left, Madam Zhang sneered, "So that's why you were so eager to please me! You were just trying to curry favor with me! You were hoping to benefit from the Shen family's influence in the future."
Shen Qingshu glared at her: "What a stupid woman! He's the owner of a silk shop, and he's from the capital. Didn't you hear him say that his father is the Vice Minister of Revenue? He might be of high status. Why would he need to curry favor with us?"
He added, "Unless, he is an illegitimate son who cannot be favored."
"Cough cough..."
Lu Zhaoruo coughed lightly beside her.
Zhang glanced sideways, remembering that her daughter-in-law still refused to adopt her own granddaughter, leaving the child to suffer in the orphanage, and her hatred intensified.
Now that the Shen family's fortunes have turned around, her son and new bride are about to return home, and she no longer needs to be their slave...
This Lu family cannot be allowed to live.
After all, her body, already defiled by thieves, was hardly worthy of being a daughter-in-law of the Shen family. Not to mention, she was a barren hen.
"Cough cough cough..."
Lu Zhaoruo coughed violently again, her frail body swaying precariously.
Zhang frowned in disgust and shoved her away, saying, "What's with this sickly look on such a joyous day? It's really bad luck."
Lu Zhaoruo fell down with the force of the fall...
Using her sleeve as a cover, she quickly applied the prepared cinnabar honey pill to her lips and then gently wiped it with a silk handkerchief.
"How did he collapse?"
Zhang was initially startled, but when she saw the bloodstains on the handkerchief Lu Zhaoruo was holding, her face changed drastically: "Blood... so much blood..."
Lu Zhaoruo called out weakly, "Aunt... I..."
Shen Qingshu said urgently, "Quickly, fetch a doctor!"
"Why bother calling a doctor!"
Zhang interrupted sharply, "Send her back to the courtyard and raise her yourself."
Granny Zhou and Greenie came in from outside, and the two of them carried Lu Zhaoruo out.
Watching them leave, Zhang said angrily, "Today is such a joyous day, yet blood has been spilled. What bad luck!"
She turned to Shen Qingshu and whispered, "My lord, Rongzhi and his new bride are coming back soon. What's the point of keeping her around?"
Shen Qingshu understood: "You mean..."
A glint of malice flashed in Zhang's eyes: "Since she's so ill, we might as well let her fend for herself. If we don't do anything, we won't have any leverage against her later. Even if she manages to outlive Rongzhi and return..."
She sneered, "He's a sickly man; we can just find some excuse to divorce him."
Shen Qingshu was still hesitating.
Madam Zhang continued, "Now that the new emperor has bestowed gifts upon us, our Shen family is a prominent and wealthy household. Why would we need her? Don't we already have a new bride to serve us? Besides, I don't want her to stay in the Shen family and enjoy our respectability and good fortune for nothing."
Zhang's words grew increasingly harsh, her eyes filled with disgust: "If Rongzhi hadn't been going to sea to do business and worried about who would take care of his parents, why would he have married such a lowly woman?"
She flicked her handkerchief and sneered, "She's already been blessed with good fortune for the past three years, eating and wearing clothes from the Shen family!"
Shen Qingshu said, "Then I'll do as you say. I'll go write a letter to Rongzhi now and tell him to come home as soon as possible."
The two old people looked at each other and smiled, their eyes filled with undisguised joy.
With the new emperor's rewards approaching and his beloved son about to return home, the Shen family's good days are just around the corner!
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