Luo Yunniang told a completely opposite story.
She was born in Dongsang County a thousand years ago.
My father was a scholar who made a living by teaching, and my mother was an embroiderer with superb skills. Our family was wealthy and had no shortage of food or clothing.
Her mother had a difficult childbirth and could not have children again. Her father did not take a concubine, and the family only had one girl.
His relatives mocked him, saying, "Scholar Luo has no descendants."
Father still smiled every day, saying, "My daughter is also my bloodline. At worst, we can find a husband for Yunniang when she grows up."
Coincidentally, at this time, Xu Shisheng's father died, and the widow and her children were driven out by their uncles and elders in the clan. With nowhere to go, they wandered the streets.
Seeing that the two were pitiful, their father gave them some money.
Xu Shisheng immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Scholar Luo, you are my great benefactor. I will never forget this kindness."
"I hope you will grant me a few more days so that I can bury my father properly. Then I will come to the Luo family and serve them like a slave to repay your kindness."
Touched by his filial piety, his father asked, "Can you read?"
Xu Shisheng answered truthfully, "My family was too poor to afford school. I listened to lectures outside the school a few times and also learned some characters on my own."
His father tested his son's knowledge of poetry and literature and found that the boy was not only intelligent but also respectful, and that he was sure to achieve great things in the future.
He arranged for Xu Shisheng to copy books every day to temper his character.
Despite his young age, Xu Shisheng had excellent handwriting, which his father greatly admired, and he took him to school every day.
Three to five years passed, and the father became increasingly satisfied. He asked, half-jokingly, "Yunniang, how about Xu Shisheng as your husband?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Yunniang blushed with embarrassment.
When they first met, Xu Shisheng, dressed in white, was incredibly handsome and charming, and she instantly fell in love with him.
Her father was keen to arrange the marriage, and Luo Yunniang wholeheartedly agreed. She liked Xu Shisheng, and marrying him would be the best thing for her.
That night, Luo Yunniang confessed her feelings, "Sheng-ge, Father wants us to get married, are you willing?"
"Of course I'm willing, I've loved you for many years." Xu Shisheng said a lot of sweet words and raised his hand to swear repeatedly, "Yunniang, I promise that I will only love you in this life and will never take a concubine."
Luo Yunniang nodded, blushing. She and he had grown up together, childhood sweethearts, and liked each other.
When she came of age, her father held a wedding banquet, and the two were married. Xu Shisheng became her husband.
Unfortunately, fate is unpredictable. Not long after the marriage, my father suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away.
The mother was heartbroken and subsequently passed away.
Luo Yunniang was pregnant with Xu Shisheng's first child when she heard the devastating news. Overwhelmed with grief, she miscarried.
Xu Shisheng comforted her, "Yunniang, your parents have unfortunately passed away. I will take care of you. Don't be too sad. You will have children in the future."
Luo Yunniang looked at the man beside her, her vision blurred with tears.
Even though her parents are gone, she still has Sheng-ge. She must pull herself together.
Time heals all wounds, and Luo Yunniang gradually recovered.
With his parents suddenly passing away and the family having no income, the remaining savings had to be used to pay for Sheng Ge's private school tuition.
Xu Shisheng was a learned man; she believed that if he studied diligently and participated in the imperial examinations, he would surely pass with flying colors—this was her only hope.
The family's money was dwindling day by day, and Luo Yunniang was worried.
Xu Shisheng was focused on his studies, so the burden of earning money to support the family naturally fell on her shoulders.
Fortunately, she learned embroidery from her mother from a young age. Although her embroidery was not as exquisite as her mother's, it was enough to supplement the family income.
Luo Yunniang embroidered every day to earn money, unaware that she was pregnant again.
As a result, the child was lost again.
"My child, my child..."
Xu Shisheng hugged her tightly, "Yunniang, I will definitely pass the imperial examination this time, so that you will not suffer again."
Luo Yunniang was deeply moved. "Sheng-ge, you can focus on your studies. Don't worry about the money. I'll take care of it."
Sheng Ge is about to go to the capital to take the imperial examination, but he doesn't have enough money for the journey.
After resting for a few days, Luo Yunniang picked up her needle and thread again to continue embroidering.
She managed the household expenses while also taking care of her mother-in-law.
Since her parents passed away, her mother-in-law's attitude has changed drastically. She always orders her to do some vulgar things, such as washing her feet, changing her clothes, combing her hair, and so on.
Luo Yunniang didn't care about these trivial matters; she couldn't bear to lose any more family members.
She stayed up countless nights, even ruining her eyes, and finally scraped together enough money for her journey.
Xu Shisheng lived up to expectations and became the top scholar in the imperial examination.
Luo Yunniang was overjoyed, "I have become the wife of the top scholar!"
Before heading to the capital, Luo Yunniang knelt at her parents' graves, saying, "Father, Mother, Sheng-ge is successful now, and I'm going to go to the capital with him to enjoy a good life. You can rest assured and don't need to worry about me."
She looked at the man beside her and said, "Brother Sheng, kowtow three times to our parents. We don't come back often and rarely see them."
Xu Shisheng urged impatiently, "Time's up."
Luo Yunniang was too happy at the time, and her eyes were blurry, so she couldn't see the expression clearly and didn't realize that Sheng Ge's attitude had changed.
The three of them went to the capital. Xu Shisheng left early and returned late, and he was still very good to her, bringing her delicious food and fun things.
Her mother-in-law became even more demanding and bossy, and was sarcastic and unpleasant all the time.
“Luo Yunniang, you and my son have been married for almost five years, and you have no children. The laws of the Lin Kingdom state that it is a serious crime to have no children for five years.”
“Now that my son has become the top scholar in the imperial examination, his status is completely different. Countless daughters of officials are eager to become his concubines.”
"You're just occupying the toilet without doing your business. If I were you, I would have been too ashamed to live. I would have just found a rope and hanged myself. Hurry up and go down and join your long-dead parents."
Each word was deeply hurtful, and Luo Yunniang was also anxious.
Having a child has always been a source of worry for her; she had miscarried twice before, and getting pregnant was even more difficult.
Xu Shisheng comforted her instead, "Yunniang, don't worry, what's meant to happen will happen. Even if we don't have children, we won't be separated."
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