Chapter 541: Domestic Turmoil [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Xu Jie knew his senior sister was a strong-willed and opinionated person, and given Shen Jun's temperament, the two would most likely get along well. However, Xu Jie never expected that Senior Sister Ning would really never return! The caravan returned, but Ning Yan and the other two were nowhere to be seen.
Xu Jie asked his trusted subordinates who had returned to report.
Grasping the handle of the table, he raised his voice incredulously: "What? You mean Senior Sister Ning and the others stayed at Longwu?"
The subordinate nodded emphatically.
He handed over a letter written in Ning Yan's own hand.
Xu Jie's fingers trembled as he took the letter—he hadn't forgotten the premise that Ning Yan stayed in Longwu County. Could that Shen Jun really be a woman? It took him a while to tear off the sealing wax, take out the letter inside, and read it quickly.
After reading it, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He muttered to himself, "I knew Shen Jun couldn't possibly be a woman... I was really misled by that rascal Wen Shi. What a false alarm."
In this letter, Ning Yan clearly states the real reason why she stayed in Longwu County. Her deceased husband, Yan Xingning, had vanished in the form of "nothingness" at Yonggu Pass. She lost Yan An and could not even collect his remains. So she thought of staying in Longwu County for a few years, firstly to raise her daughter Nannan in peace, and secondly to let Nannan grow up in the place closest to her father, so that time could heal the pain of losing her husband and father.
Under Shen Jun's rule, Longwu County was in dire need of reconstruction, but the city was relatively safe, so the mother and daughter did not need to worry about the war while they were temporarily staying there.
As for Shen Jun's female identity...
Ning Yan did not mention it at all.
Xu Jie was able to "justify his own explanation".
He carefully put the letter away, smoothed out the creases, and placed it in a wooden box on the side of his desk. He said to his subordinate, "In a few days, make another trip to Longwu County and send some money there. My senior sister has a strong personality and doesn't like receiving favors or sympathy from others, but after all, she is raising two children alone, and there are bound to be inconveniences in her life. If she has some extra money, she won't be in too much trouble."
Why a few days later?
The letter also requested Xu Jie's help in finding several female tutors with solid knowledge, preferably those of good character, gentle temperament, and no family burdens. Xu Jie didn't know much about female tutors; the tutors in his household were chosen by his wife herself.
Finding a suitable candidate takes time.
Xu Jie told his wife about it that day. His wife asked in confusion, "I heard that Madam Yan studied under a famous teacher when she was young. Isn't her background and cultivation better than the female tutors who teach young girls? If it's just to teach the girls in the family to get an early education, one female tutor is enough."
"Senior sister didn't explain why..."
The lady couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
"She didn't explain, and you helped her without asking why?"
Xu Jie said, "Without asking, one can guess the reason. She and Xingning once had the desire to establish an academy and inherit the Yan family's learning. However, the situation did not allow it... It is a good thing that she wants to find something to do to distract herself and temporarily forget the pain of losing her husband."
Seeing that Xu's explanation was so logical and reasonable, the lady couldn't help but ask again, "Founding an academy? Then why hire female teachers?"
Xu Jie guessed: "Because the students of the academy are girls?"
This is not impossible.
Ning Yan has always been very opinionated.
Even Yan Xingning couldn't resist her.
"If she can do something like dressing up as a man to become a student, it's not surprising that she would build an academy that only admits girls."
Xu Jie's tone carried a hint of helplessness.
The lady couldn't help but scoff: "Rich girls only learn to read and write so they can manage the household in the future. Longwu County is so poor and remote, there isn't even a decent house... How many students could you possibly attract if you set up an academy there? There are plenty of girls from commoner families, but what use would these skills be to them? They'd be much more useful if they learned how to farm and weave..."
"Isn't Madam Yan misleading young people by doing this? A commoner's daughter has learned a little, and her ambitions have become too high. How can she still tolerate toiling in the fields? Isn't she harming people? Besides, she may not accept charity, but establishing an academy requires money from all sources."
"Where did this money come from?"
Xu Jie didn't reply, but just looked at her calmly. The latter was keenly aware of her husband's emotions, pursed her lips, and softened her expression.
He asked, "And who else is gossiping about you?"
Those few simple words ignited a raging fire in the lady's heart: "What gossip? Couldn't it be that I'm the one thinking this?"
“If you said that in other situations or to other people, I wouldn’t say anything to you.” Xu Jie understood what the other person was worried about, but at the same time he didn’t understand why she was worried. “But Senior Sister Ning is a fellow disciple and a benefactor. I respect and admire her. Judging our relationship by worldly standards of men and women would be to belittle Senior Sister Ning and completely disgrace Xu Wenzhu.”
Xu Jie did not fly into a rage, and even his tone was calm, but his wife could see a hint of dissatisfaction in his expression.
Embarrassed and annoyed, she turned her head away and said sadly, "Speculation? Worldly men and women? Yes, she has lofty ambitions, surpassing me, a mere sparrow, in every way. You and Ning Tunan had a heart-to-heart talk, you share the same interests and appreciate each other, while I am just a woman in the inner courtyard, only knowing the trivial matters of household management, unlike you who both have lofty ambitions! How could I not want to share the same ideals as my master?"
Having said that, he covered his face and left.
Xu Jie was left standing there, stunned.
After a while, he summoned his confidant to inquire.
"Who has Madam been spending more time with lately?"
Because of spring planting, Xu Jie hadn't been home for more than half a month and didn't know who his wife was close to. Besides, the inner courtyard was always the mistress's territory. If he, as her husband, asked too many questions, it would be seen by everyone in the household as a questioning of his wife's abilities.
The steward explained everything one by one.
Xu Jie's face darkened further.
"It's those same companies from Tianhai again... They still won't give up!"
Xu Jie is a rebellious person at heart.
The more you pressure him into doing something, the less he wants to do it. Several families in Tianhai all want to get their hands on Heyin County, eyeing its fertile fields that have yielded two consecutive years of bumper harvests, as well as its rich mineral veins. In these times, food is more expensive than gold, and no one thinks they have too much grain.
But Xu Jie blocked them all.
Unexpectedly, they started their attack from his backyard.
I wanted to cause trouble for his family, but I was too busy to deal with it all.
The methods used were disgusting.
Having just had a disagreement with his wife, Xu Jie didn't want to trouble her with finding a female tutor, so after much thought, he decided to handle it himself and took the opportunity to visit Tianhai. Xu Jie, of course, didn't cause trouble for those families; instead, he had a meal with his lord, Wu Xian.
To subtly convey one's stance.
Discord among subordinates is a major taboo. He didn't want to fall out with his colleagues, as it would be embarrassing for everyone and put Wu Xian, his lord, in a difficult position. It was best to warn them to give up before the conflict became public.
Wu Xian laughed it off, but didn't give a definite answer.
The meal helped relieve my pent-up anger.
He hurriedly took his leave and ran into Zhao Feng, who also looked unfriendly. Xu Jie had heard about Zhao Feng's situation. Zhao Feng had returned to Wu Xian's camp a month ago, but had been absent for two years and had become estranged from his former colleagues. The latter had been intentionally or unintentionally excluding those who were not from the Tianhai faction, and now this was even more obvious.
They also suggested that Zhao Feng lead his troops to cultivate land elsewhere.
They euphemistically call it: practice makes perfect.
No one knows this job better than Zhao Feng.
He served Shen Tang like a slave, so there's no reason for him to start acting like a general when he returns to his proper lord, right? Zhao Feng had a few smiles for the first few days, but kept a straight face the rest of the time.
I've been idle at home for over a month, picking my toes.
When Xu Jie saw him, he immediately felt a sense of kinship.
\(￣︶￣*\))
Goodnight everyone. There's a post about monthly votes in the comments section. Remember to reply to the post before voting.
(End of this chapter)
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