Chapter 99 Persuasion
Jiang Jiu also understood Zhao Zhuoxi's concerns.
The emperor was under the control of the empress and was always wavering on whether to kill or not.
If he didn't kill Zhao Zhuoxi, he was afraid that one day Zhao Zhuoxi would become powerful and seize his throne.
If he kills him, he is afraid of his brothers and sisters. People all over the world will say that he is heartless and cannot tolerate even his own brothers.
However, Jiang Jiu quickly summarized the contradictions, which were mainly between Zhao Zhuoxi and the Queen.
Because it was the Queen who wanted to kill Zhao Zhuoxi.
But she didn't know the Empress, but she knew that her family was a powerful aristocratic family with complicated power in the capital, so it would not be easy to get rid of her.
No wonder Zhao Zhuoxi didn't want to go to Beijing.
Once you enter Beijing, you are putting your life in the hands of others.
A gentleman takes revenge, and since someone avenged her, Jiang Jiu didn't say anything.
The group continued heading north, and after two or three days they arrived at the canal.
The fastest way to get to Beijing is by water.
However, all the ships heading north have been booked by the Ninth Prince.
Jiang Jiu asked Zhao Li to find a small boat shop to find a solution, and finally, he got a bigger boat.
One boat is loaded with luggage and the other boat is loaded with people.
The group was forced to split into two groups.
Jiang Jiu was not used to enslaving others, so he asked Nanny Qian, Xia Zhi and others to sit on the luggage boat and look after the luggage.
She and Zhao Li took a big boat.
Zhao Zhuoxi asked Nichang and Lu Ming to take the luggage boat while he himself took the big boat.
Lu Ming refused to agree no matter what, but somehow Zhao Zhuoxi persuaded him.
As a result, only Jiang Jiu, Zhao Zhuoxi, and Zhao Li were on the big boat.
The ship had three floors, with several families staying together. Jiang Jiu chose a room at the edge of the third floor, which was also the most expensive room on the entire ship.
This is a suite with two rooms, perfect for the three of them.
After the servant on the boat had made all the arrangements for them, he did not leave but asked for reward money with a smile.
"You have come at a good time, my friends. This ship was originally intended for the Ninth Prince, but he became ill again and had to wait three days before boarding. You know, our ship is big and can accommodate so many people, so we dare not delay even a single day."
It looks like Jiang Jiu didn't contribute much, Zhao Zhuoxi greeted them more often.
The Ninth Prince needed a boat to go to the capital, so naturally many boatmen came to contact him. However, the Ninth Prince was a money-grubber, so the money he gave was not much.
So, we couldn't reach an agreement.
The Ninth Prince is not very wealthy, unlike the Sixth Prince who has his own boat whenever he travels.
The boatman abandoned the Ninth Prince and took the guests directly to the capital.
There are only two rooms on the third floor, which house two families.
Jiang Jiu's family also has a scholar named Sun.
He lives in Qiantang. After passing the imperial examination this year, he plans to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination next spring.
The wife's maternal ancestors were from the capital, and she went to live with them.
It seems that their family environment is good. Sun Ju not only has a wife, but also two maids. Although they are maids, they look more like concubines.
During the conversation, Sun Juren seemed dissatisfied with his wife. Later, Jiang Jiu found out that Sun Juren's wife was infertile.
No wonder she always looks sad. Even if she fully supports her husband, she still can't please him.
In addition to two guest rooms, there is also a large pavilion on the third floor of the cabin with several tables, chairs and benches. It is very comfortable to enjoy the breeze and the scenery.
Usually there are guests from the second floor who come to the third floor to get some fresh air.
Jiang Jiu naturally didn't need it. There was a platform at one end of their room, which was very comfortable for enjoying the breeze and drinking tea.
Hearing that Madam Sun was from the capital, Jiang Jiu still wanted to find out.
For some unknown reason, Sun Ju and his wife had a big quarrel that day. Sun Ju was so angry that he slammed the door and left, while his wife cried in the house.
Neither of the two maids stayed in the room to persuade her, but followed Sun Ju away.
Soon, Jiang Jiu saw the three of them drinking and flirting on the pavilion.
Mrs. Sun's face was still covered with tears.
Jiang Jiu stood at the door for a while, but couldn't bear to listen any more, so he picked up a pot of wine and knocked on her door.
"It's cold, drink a pot of hot wine. I have the best peach wine here."
Mrs. Sun glanced at Jiang Jiu aggrievedly, stood up and opened the door, intending to invite Jiang Jiu in, but saw Jiang Jiu pointing at the platform in her room.
"Where shall we go for a drink?"
When Mrs. Sun sat on the platform, she found that the view here was wider and she could take in the beautiful scenery on both sides of the river.
"I'm sorry that our quarrel disturbed your rest."
Jiang Jiu smiled nonchalantly: "It's windy and rough outside, I can't hear it, but I just saw that you were sad, so I invited you to have a drink together."
Mrs. Sun sighed deeply: "Yes, it's very sad. Sometimes I feel like I can't go on with my life..."
As she spoke, Mrs. Sun's eyes turned red again.
Jiang Jiu poured her a glass of wine and advised: "Can you tell me about it? Maybe I can give you some advice. I heard that when you are happy, share your happiness with others, and your happiness will be doubled. When you are sad, share your sorrow with others, and your sorrow will be half gone."
Madam Sun looked at Jiang Jiu in confusion: "Why is this so?"
"Why not give it a try." Jiang Jiu raised his glass again, tilted his head, smiled cutely, and encouraged her.
Mrs. Sun finally gave a bitter smile, clinked glasses with Jiang Jiu, took a sip, and looked into the distance with a blank look.
The scenery on both sides of the strait is completely different.
On one side are high mountains with peaks upon peaks, and on the other side are endless fields and plains.
After a long time, Mrs. Sun let out a long breath and drank the glass of wine in one gulp.
She continued, "I am the daughter of a merchant. My mother is the legitimate daughter of Zhou Hengzhi, the Minister of Personnel in the capital. Because my mother died young, my grandfather married a second wife. When my mother reached the age of marriage, he married her off to a merchant family in Yangzhou."
"My mother was depressed at first, but my father was a considerate person who treated her very well. Two years later, I was born. More than ten years later, my grandfather wrote to her and said that my stepmother had passed away and asked her to go back."
"My mother was determined not to return, and my grandfather knew that he had wronged her, so he said he could take me back to Beijing to stay for a while."
"My mother's health gradually deteriorated and she didn't want to go back and forth any more. It happened that my husband passed the imperial examination, so my mother wrote to my grandfather and told him that I would take my husband with me."
The Minister of Personnel was a high-ranking official in the capital, and by joining him, it was equivalent to Mrs. Sun's mother finding a good backer for her son-in-law.
Even if he failed the exam, he would be given a good job in the capital because of his in-laws' relationship. So this time, Mrs. Sun's mother brought her a lot of things and asked her to take them back to the capital, probably because she didn't want her to go back to Yangzhou.
Jiang Jiu listened carefully and said, "This is a good thing. Logically, everything depends on your grandfather. Your husband should respect you more. Why did you quarrel?"
Madam Sun sighed again, "It's because of Chunfen that she got pregnant. My grandfather is a wealthy family with many rules. I was afraid that when I go to my grandfather's house, people would know that the mistress hasn't gotten pregnant yet, but the maid is pregnant. It will be bad for your reputation, so I advised you to abort Chunfen's child."
Jiang Jiu raised his eyebrows: "He probably misunderstood you and thought you couldn't tolerate the pregnant maid."
Mrs. Sun nodded and said, "I suggested this with good intentions, but my husband thought I was jealous of her, and we had a big fight. What do you think we should do?"