Chapter 145, Side Story 2 (3): Tongjia Shi endured year after year, each year falling into a state of near unconsciousness, yet she always pulled through. ...
Tongjia endured year after year, each year falling into a state of near unconsciousness, yet she always pulled through. Each time she emerged from this ordeal, her condition would worsen, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.
Shen Wanqing even went to the temple twice for this, praying to the Bodhisattva that if there would be a next time, it would be better to just take the person away quickly, as it was really pitiful to keep dragging it out like this.
Some things are hard to say. When you're young, you don't think there's anything wrong with what you do. If you were given the chance to choose again, Shen Wanqing's choice would still be the same.
But as the years went by, perhaps she really was getting old? Shen Wanqing would occasionally recall the words she had used to scare Tong Jia Shi that year: she had to live, otherwise her son He Yi would have to go home for mourning, and her future would be ruined.
Looking back now, those words probably really terrified the old lady, which is why she's still clinging to life and hasn't dared to die.
Even though Lady Tongjia was selfish, she still wanted everyone in her family to be well. It's just that she prioritized what she wanted, with Fuxuan always being the first to come to mind.
"The snow has stopped, let's get someone to hitch up the car and head back now."
Stopping Yu Lang from calling for the horses to be prepared, Shen Wanqing first instructed her maid to tell the stables to prepare the carriage, saying, "If I don't go back with you, what will I do if you prepare the horses?"
In this kind of weather, if Yulang were ten years younger, she would let him go. But now he's forty and his legs still hurt. What if he falls off his horse on the way back to the capital?
Moreover, the old lady had been seriously ill more than once or twice, and the imperial physicians whom the family had been hiring were quite familiar with Tongjia's condition. The fact that Yi'an was sent to the estate to pick her up at this time meant that they were serious about it.
Now that things have come to this point, Shen Wanqing felt that it wouldn't make much difference whether she went back by carriage or on horseback.
If the old lady could hold on for two hours, she could most likely hold on for two and a half hours. If she couldn't hold on, Tongjia might have already passed away when Yi'an left.
Shen Wanqing knew how selfish she was. Between Yulang and the Tongjia clan, ten Tongjia clans stacked together couldn't compare to half of Yulang. But there was nothing she could do; people's hearts were just so irrationally biased.
"Father, don't worry. I already asked Uncle Changlu to borrow a pass from the Five Cities Military Command before I left. We can drive back whenever we arrive in the city. Let's listen to Mother and hitch up the carriage to go back."
"Let's go, let's go. You two have already discussed it. If I keep arguing, wouldn't I seem a little unreasonable?"
Yu Lang steadied himself and didn't insist anymore. He knew that going back wouldn't change anything. To put it bluntly, even if he went back and met the old lady, she wouldn't recognize him anymore.
The carriage was prepared quickly. Yi An helped Yu Lang and Shen Wanqing into the carriage, and then rode around to the back of the carriage to follow.
In this freezing weather, with darkness fast approaching, even with servants and attendants surrounding the carriage, it was hard to feel at ease. Yi'an had to personally oversee the situation.
After boarding the carriage, Yulang lifted the curtain and glanced at his son riding on horseback. The words of advice he was about to say were swallowed back down. His son was grown up; nagging him too much would only annoy him.
“Yulang, if you’re upset, just tell me. You can say whatever you want. Don’t keep it inside and feel bad.”
The son rode his horse behind the carriage, unaware that his father was curled up and lying on his wife's lap inside. As the carriage began to move, Yu Lang remained in that position, and Shen Wanqing was truly at her wits' end with him.
“When my father was alive, my grandmother doted on me the most. She always gave me the best of everything in the mansion. My father said she spoiled me too much, but she didn’t care. The next day she would still give me the best. She was much better than my grandmother later treated Yi’an.”
"Later... after my father died, the old lady slowly changed. But she was always good to me; I was at most ranked after my aunt and second uncle."
Yu Lang is a soft-hearted person. The successive deaths of Shuai Yanbao and Erhe were a huge blow to him. However, as the eldest grandson of the eldest son's family, he had to suppress his emotions and not let them show.
Some emotions, once suppressed for too long, become a habit, so habitual that it's as if they never existed. But Shen Wanqing could always inadvertently discover Yulang's soft heart and attachment to his family, even if he himself might not have expressed it.
So, there was another unspoken reason why she threatened Tongjia Shi back then, telling her not to use life and death to threaten people: Yulang would be sad if she died. However, at the time, Yulang was a very low priority in Tongjia Shi's mind as her grandson, so she didn't dare to bring it up.
“A few years ago, when the old lady still knew me, I went to the main courtyard to pay my respects several times. I was thinking to myself, maybe I should just give up. I can find an excuse to have Dong E Decheng come to the capital and bring my aunt back with me.”
"Why wasn't it done after that?"
With his current status and position, everyone in the court says that Yu Lang is even more prestigious than Suo'etu was back then. After all, although the Shi family is powerful, they still can't compare to Yu Lang in terms of closeness to the emperor.
Yinreng seemed to have a subtle, inexplicable trust in Yulang. At least Yulang was forty years old and hadn't yet been viewed with suspicion or wariness by the current emperor, who was in his prime. The emperor's lack of suspicion was a signal to the court officials—a signal that Yulang could still wield immense power for a long time to come.
With his abilities, Yu Lang could easily not only transfer Dong E Decheng back to the capital, but he could even bring the entire Dong E family to the capital. In fact, if he just hinted at this idea, someone would take care of everything for him from start to finish.
"I secretly wrote a letter to my aunt."
"What did you write that you're hiding from me?"
"I don't need to hide what I write from you, but I do need to keep my little thoughts from you."
Yulang wrote a letter to Fuxuan, hoping she could come back and stay for a while under the guise of visiting relatives. After all, the old lady was getting more and more confused, and she was still the one she talked about the most.
Yu Lang's plan was that as long as Fu Xuan could stay with the old lady for a year or two and not cause any more trouble, he would take the opportunity to find De Cheng a job in the capital. That way, everyone would be happy. Maybe if the old lady knew, she would be even more clear-headed.
Of course, things didn't go as planned. After years of confrontation with Decheng's concubines and the entire Dong'e family, Fuxuan still managed to have a child with Decheng thanks to her beauty and Yulang's increasingly prominent position in the capital.
After all, everyone knows that even if Fu Xuan tolerates De Cheng's illegitimate children, these children are nothing to the Hesheli family.
Every year, the gifts sent by the Hesheli family to Jingzhou for festivals and New Year's celebrations never included those children. If Fuxuan couldn't give birth to one of her children, then after Fuxuan died in a few years, this marriage alliance would be completely severed.
So after weighing the pros and cons, Dong E Decheng adjusted his mindset and returned to Fu Xuan's courtyard.
At the time, their son was five years old, and Fuxuan said she was afraid the child wouldn't be able to withstand the long journey and wouldn't come back. After receiving the reply, Yulang naturally gave up on the idea. As long as Fuxuan felt that she was doing well now, then so be it.
"Actually, this is for the best. Haven't you heard the saying 'familiarity breeds contempt'? With Auntie not around, the old lady only remembers her good points. It's hard to say what will happen when she really comes back."
Back then, Fu Xuan was able to cause such a fuss with her family over De Cheng and the small dowry she herself had lost. Now that she has a son, given her protective nature and her belief that she deserves everything, if she really takes her son back to the capital, she might just drive Tong Jia Shi to her death one day.
After getting the man to talk, the two chatted about their childhood on the way back to the city. Yu Lang did most of the talking while Shen Wanqing listened, since Shen Wanqing could never tell him about her childhood adventures with the river boy.
The carriage stopped at the gate of the mansion. Shen Wanqing moved faster than Yu Lang. She lifted the carriage curtain and looked up, only to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw that the white banners hadn't been hung at the gate yet.
The group quickly walked to the main courtyard gate. In addition to Tu Nan and his wife, who had already arrived, the three great-aunts, Fang Yi, Fang Zhi, and Fang Ling, had also arrived.
Upon seeing Yu Lang, Fang Yi immediately stepped forward and grabbed her brother's sleeve. Over the years, Yu Lang had been the pillar of the Hesheli family. When he wasn't back, no matter how well the servants in the mansion tried to manage things, everyone was still anxious. Now that he was back, everyone felt at ease.
"How is the old lady?"
"Brother, go in and take a look first. The imperial physician said that the old lady is just hanging on by a thread and is definitely waiting for you to come back."
As people age, they develop a certain odor. Tongjia Shi was also becoming confused, and even though the maids and servants around her were taking the best care of her, there was still a faint, indescribable smell of decay in the side room.
It wasn't that it smelled bad or not, but as soon as Shen Wanqing entered the room, she roughly understood that Tongjia Shi wouldn't make it this time.
The old man lying in bed was pitifully thin. The quilt covered him so much that it was almost impossible to see his chest rising and falling with his breath. Only his half-open mouth, which was visible outside the quilt, was still moving as he exhaled, barely proving that he was still alive.
Niohuru, who had been eccentric and left-leaning her whole life, was now sitting on the edge of the bed with a rare look of panic on her face. She held Tongjia's dry, bark-like hand in one hand, and slowly fiddled with the prayer beads in the other, muttering what appeared to be Buddhist scriptures.
Regardless of how sincere she was at this moment, Shen Wanqing genuinely felt that she had truly developed a Buddhist heart and nature at this very moment, after a lifetime of chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha.
"Grandma, grandma?"
Seeing Yulang approach, Niohuru stood up and made room for her son. Yulang sat down by the bed and called out "Old Madam" twice. When the person on the bed did not respond, he carefully took Tongjia's hand.
"Don't worry, Grandma, I've taken care of everything at home. Now that Second Uncle is back, I won't let him go out again. The family business in Fuzhou will be managed by Huizhong and Pusabao. They've both made a name for themselves now, so they won't cause any trouble outside."
"I heard that my eldest aunt is going to be a grandmother in two months. She does a great job in business in Shenyang, Liaodong. Our own caravan can't even compete with her."
"My aunt is also good. I heard that she has started her son Xiaobao's early education this year. In the letter she sent before, she asked me to find her a good teacher and send him to Jingzhou."
“I didn’t agree to this. How can you hire such a good teacher for a child who is only a few years old? We should make sure he gets a solid foundation in his early education first.”
“I think she’ll be angry with me again because of this, but don’t worry, I know what’s going on with my aunt. Besides, when my second uncle comes back, if I’m really angry, I’ll just push my aunt’s affairs onto him. What do you think?”
Yu Lang spoke in great detail and comprehensively, mentioning the entire family. Tong Jia Shi on the bed remained the same, barely breathing and just enduring it, unsure whether it was because the time hadn't come yet, or because Yu Lang's words hadn't resonated with her.
There's always an end to everything. After Yulang explained how he planned to deal with the litter of puppies born this winter, and seeing that Tongjia was still the same, only her breathing was becoming more difficult, he had no other choice.
"Jiyun, should we have the imperial physician come in and take another look? Is he alright again?"
Everything that needed to be said had been said. The Hesheli family was currently at a prominent but not overly ostentatious stage. They could enjoy a stable and wealthy life for at least two more generations. After that, Yulang and Shen Wanqing could neither see nor predict what would happen. So what was Tongjia Shi worried about at this moment?
"I'd like to say a few words to the old lady."
Shen Wanqing pulled Yu Lang up and sat down on the edge of the bed herself. It was the first time Shen Wanqing had been so close to a dying person, and she felt a little scared.
She originally thought she wouldn't have anything to say. After all these years, Shen Wanqing had always felt that apart from Yulang and the two children, she was separated from everyone else in this world by an inexplicable veil, and she viewed them from a somewhat outsider's perspective.
But after sitting down and holding Tongjia's thin, cold hand, her nose suddenly stung with tears.
"Grandma, don't worry about Yulang, I'll be watching over him. He's a kind-hearted and good person. I've spent half my life with him, and I won't bully him even if I spend the other half."
"As long as I am here, I will never let him suffer any injustice or hardship. This is my promise to you as your granddaughter-in-law. Once I say it, I will never change it."
Everyone in the family mentioned Yu Lang, but they forgot about himself. Shen Wanqing also made up for Yu Lang's future for Tong Jia Shi, and the old lady's already weak breathing immediately became more and more short and shallow, and the ashen look on her face became more and more obvious.
Shen Wanqing was a little scared and called out Yulang's name several times. But before Yulang could speak again, Tongjia Shi on the bed breathed her last and passed away.
Now that the person is gone, Urgun had already prepared everything for the funeral in the mansion, and the old women in charge knew exactly what to do.
By daybreak, the mourning hall in the main courtyard had been set up, and the families who were supposed to send people to announce the death had all been dispatched.
It was still early, and the entire Hesheli family was relatively quiet. Yulang, as the grandson and the officiant of the funeral, was sitting in the main courtyard's side room, looking through the half-open door at the tent that had already been set up in the yard, a strange sense of bewilderment on his face.
"Want to lean on me for a while?"
"I never expected that the old lady would be so worried about me in the end."
"The old lady isn't really senile, she's just..."
It's just that five fingers are not all the same length, and in that situation, she simply favored Fu Xuan and the second wife. But she also noticed Yu Lang, her eldest grandson. Since Yu Lang married Shen Wanqing, has he ever had a single day of real leisure?
Even when he went to the estate to recuperate from his old injuries, muttering that he would close the door and not care about anything, finally it was his turn to rest, but he still brought along the memorial to pay his respects to the emperor.
Everyone envies Yu Lang, but only those who have actually embarked on this path know that once you're on it, there's no stopping. Unless he dies or the emperor dies, you have to be on edge every day, always on guard against something happening.
This kind of exhaustion is something Yu Lang understands, Shen Wanqing understands, but not everyone in this family understands it. Even Yi An is still eager to embark on this path as soon as possible. If there is anyone who understands, it is only the old lady who was once the wife of a high-ranking official.
Before Shen Wanqing could finish speaking, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard. The newcomers were Urgun, Yinzhen and Yinyou, and several officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department.
The palace already knew of Consort Tongjia's death. In addition to bestowing funeral expenses and gifts such as a Buddhist sutra blanket, she was posthumously granted the title of a first-rank noblewoman and a eulogy written by the Empress herself. In terms of posthumous honors, Consort Tongjia's dignified manner was unparalleled in recent years.
"The Emperor said he knows that you and your wife are the only ones in charge of your household, and you must be too busy. He has specially assigned people from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department to help with the arrangements. Just tell them what to do, and take care of your legs and body."
Before the group entered the house, Yinzhen turned around and looked at the servants inside and outside the courtyard to make sure that everyone was in an orderly manner before pulling Yulang aside and whispering instructions to him.
"His Majesty said that there are no major events in the court these past few years, and since you are the great-grandson of the old lady, you will not be allowed to interrupt your mourning period. You should observe the mourning period properly so that you can enter the cabinet as a Grand Secretary in the future."
The first thing Yinreng did after learning of Tongjia's death was to summon Yinzhen, Yinyou, and the others to discuss how Yulang should observe the mourning period and who should do so.
If it had been a few years earlier, Yinreng would definitely not have hesitated and would have made Yulang skip the mourning period. With so many things to do in the Ministry of Revenue and the court, it wouldn't have been his turn to observe mourning.
But these past few years have been a period of stability for the court, and it's a good thing for Yulang to honestly complete his mourning period. At least no censor will be tempted to find ways to impeach him because of this.
However, the Hesheli family couldn't be without anyone in the court for several years. Fortunately, Yi'an's transfer order came before this. As long as Yinreng didn't withdraw the transfer order, Yi'an could leave the capital to take up his post without any problem. He just needed to be careful not to have a child with Jingshao in the next two years.
"I understand, Your Highness. I know what to do when I go back and tell the Emperor. I will go to the palace to thank the Emperor after things are settled here."
Yinzhen had to return to the palace to report back, so he went to the mourning hall to offer incense and then left. Yinyou stayed behind to accompany Yulang. The two stood under the corridor watching the people from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department leave with Urgun to negotiate how to allocate the work. For a moment, no one spoke.
Whether it was the two of them or Shen Wanqing, they all understood that the death of Tongjia was not just a funeral; from this day forward, the power shift in the Hesheli family would begin quietly.
————————
There are two more daily life side stories after the "what if" route. [Let me see][Let me see][Let me see]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com