Chapter 2 Is there no money in this general’s mansion?
When they said this, they had already arrived at the room prepared for Bu Ruo. This was the only room that was acceptable after all they had walked through.
But it's just a makeshift one.
Bu Ruo sat on a relatively clean chair and pointed to the side: "Uncle housekeeper, you have worked hard. Your legs are not good. Sit down and talk slowly."
Zhang Tiancheng had a lot to say, but he didn't say anything polite. After sitting down, he looked at Bu Ruo with memories in his eyes.
"The young lady is the general's late-born child. When she was born, it was still an old servant who accompanied the general on his journeys day and night, and returned to guard the lady's door."
"When the young lady was born...she wasn't in good health. The general sent her to Nameless Mountain just after she was one month old. I remember clearly that the young lady's eyes were swollen from crying, and the general locked himself in his study, drinking for several days. Even the two young masters had lost their usual smiles."
"So, Miss, it's not that the General and his wife don't want you. This... is all for your own good."
Bu Ruo looked at the expectation in Zhang Tiancheng's eyes and nodded slightly: "Although I have no memory of my parents and brothers, I have lived a good life in Wuming Mountain since I was a child, and I don't hate anyone."
"So you can just tell me without worry."
As Bu Ruo listened to him continue talking, she made gestures with her hands that others could not understand. She looked... no different from the fortune-telling charlatans setting up stalls on the street.
"After you left, small wars broke out among the three kingdoms. Five years ago, the Southern Xia Kingdom launched a massive attack on the border of our Great Zhou. The general and the young master were ordered to go to war. I remember that before the general left, he told Madam Huan that he would do his best to end the war before you came of age, and then the whole family would go to Wuming Mountain to bring you back."
"But I never expected... Nanxia would secretly ally with Beining. Even though our Great Zhou was powerful, this war lasted for three full years."
"Two years ago in the autumn, the Madam and the Second Young Master were suddenly summoned to the palace. The Emperor informed them that the General and the Eldest Young Master had died in battle. To avoid public panic, the news had to be temporarily concealed."
"But Madam clearly received a letter from the general a few months ago, saying he would be back by the end of the year at the latest."
"Madam also comes from a family of military commanders. When she was young, she followed your grandfather into the battlefield. The second young master is also very proficient in military tactics. He immediately begged the emperor to let him go to the border."
"The Emperor initially disagreed, but he couldn't stand the fact that Madam and the Second Young Master knelt outside the Imperial Study and refused to leave. In the end... the Emperor had no choice but to nod."
"The next time I received news was three months after Madam left. Madam and the Second Young Master used a trick to win the battle, and Nanxia and Beining surrendered. However... like the General and the Eldest Young Master, they died on the border, and their bodies were never found."
"Our State Guarding General's Mansion has been the pillar of our Great Zhou since your grandfather's generation, and has guarded the borders for generations."
"The Bu family's relatives were able to move from their hometown to Kyoto thanks to the general's blessing."
"But I didn't expect that after learning that the general's wife and the young master had died in battle, those bastards would come and take over the general's mansion. They said that since the mansion was empty, the things in it should be divided among the clan."
"Especially the second branch. They brought their people to move in, but were chased out by the old slave and several others with kitchen knives."
"I was originally a lieutenant to the general. During a battle, I accidentally injured my leg. If the general hadn't rescued me in time, I would have died long ago."
"Madam is kind-hearted. She has taken me and several other childless and injured veterans in her house and has been doing what she can. How can I stand by and watch those people occupy the general's house?"
When Zhang Tiancheng said this, tears streamed down his face, his nose and tears were streaming.
"It's not like we're completely deserted in the General's Mansion. We still have our young lady, but Madam once said that she can't leave the mountain until she's fifteen. I was afraid she'd be upset if she knew, so I've been delaying it for the past two years."
"It wasn't until you turned fifteen last month that I wrote to Wumingshan to inform him of this matter. I hope you will return soon."
"Otherwise... I'm afraid I won't be able to defend this general's mansion."
Bu Ruo stopped gesturing and said, "Doesn't this general's mansion have any money? It's only been two years, how could it become so dilapidated?"
Zhang Tiancheng sighed, "How could there be no money? The general and the two young masters have been fighting for years. In addition to the master's salary, the emperor also gave them a lot of rewards."
"But the silver and money were almost all taken away by those people in the clan. The old servant said that there was a young lady in the general's mansion, but they said that the young lady was not at home and was still young, so they kept it for her first."
"I am incompetent, and in the end I can only guard this general's mansion and prevent them from occupying it, but they... still won't give up."
"In the past two years, the servants in the mansion have left one after another because they are afraid that they will not be able to pay their monthly wages due to lack of income."
"This old slave and a few others decided that it would be better to let those people go rather than keep them around and wait for them to be bribed by their clansmen. So now only we, the old soldiers with illnesses, are left in the mansion. The mansion is too big, and there are some things we can't take care of."
"But don't worry, the madam and the two young masters' rooms, as well as the general's study and the ancestral hall, are cleaned every day. They are exactly the same as before, without a speck of dust."
"This room was reserved for you by your wife before you were born. It has the best location and environment. She said she would decorate it herself when you returned, but..."
Before Bu Ruo could say anything, Bi'er stamped her feet in anger: "What a shameless person to keep for me. This is simply robbery."
"Uncle Steward, how much money did they take? Do you have any records?"
Hearing Bu Ruo's words, Zhang Tiancheng's eyes lit up and he immediately raised his hand to wipe away his tears: "Yes, all of them. The accountant in our mansion is also a veteran. He is very good at keeping accounts. Every copper coin they took was recorded, and there are receipts."
"Very good." Bu Ruo narrowed her eyes. "I came back today. I believe they have received the news. They will probably come to our house in a few days."
"Uncle housekeeper, how many people are left in our house?"
Zhang Tiancheng gritted his teeth and said, "Originally, there were still many, but when those people saw that they couldn't occupy the General's Mansion, they set their sights on the manor and the shop, so the others went to guard the manor and the shop."
"There are three people working in the kitchen, three cleaning staff, plus the old servant and the accountant, a total of eight people."
After listening to this, Bu Ruo admired them from the bottom of his heart. Eight people... guarded the general's mansion for two whole years. They must have done it by threatening their own lives.
"What about the Emperor? Doesn't he know? After all, the people in this general's mansion have sacrificed their lives for the country. Is he really so cruel?"
Bi'er was indignant.
"Alas, young lady, you don't know. The Emperor's health has been declining for several years. Until the news came that the generals and their wives had all died in battle, he fell ill and could not get up. Now... the Crown Prince is handling state affairs on his behalf."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
