Chapter 90 Chapter 90 He backed her up.
Originally, there was no place for offering sacrifices to the tablet of Miss Zhu Yinluan because Mrs. Zhu didn't like it.
After Zhu Yinluan came of age, she saved some money and secretly asked someone to carve a token for her, which she placed in the courtyard for secret worship.
Later, this matter was discovered by Mrs. Zhu's servant, who scolded her for doing something ominous secretly at home and slapped her on the palm.
Lord Zhu was also present that day. When he learned about this matter, he also felt it was unlucky. He then thought of his beautiful but timid daughter, who he thought might be useful in the future, so he said something and asked Madam Zhu to handle it properly.
That is to allow the tablet of Miss Zhu Yinluan to be worshipped, and also to find a proper place for it.
Mrs. Zhu agreed with a smile on her face, but was very critical behind his back. She said that Zhu Yinluan's mother died early and had a bad fate. Moreover, she was only a concubine and was not included in the family tree, so she was not worthy of being enshrined in the ancestral hall.
It was also from that time that Zhu Yinluan found out that her mother was not even included in the family tree because she could not give birth to a male heir and had a tragic life.
She was very angry at the time. She looked up coldly at Madam Zhu who was slapped in the face by the servant beside her. The old woman used all her strength and Zhu Yinluan's mouth corner was bleeding, but she covered her face and did not cry.
She couldn't reply. If she really had a big fight with Madam Zhu, her mother's tablet would definitely be thrown out.
The maid pressed her head and back and made her kneel in front of Madam Zhu, saying that she was committing a crime of disobedience and shouldn't look at her mother like that.
At that time, the word "mother" was simply Mrs. Zhu asking the servants to humiliate her.
After she was forced to call it out, Mrs. Zhu said she only had one daughter.
Later...her mother still could not be included in the family tree and was not enshrined in the Zhu family's ancestral hall.
When she went to marry into the Wei family on behalf of her elder sister Zhu Chentan, her father gave her a condition of alms, saying that she had to be obedient. If she was obedient, his mother's tablet would be placed in the Zhu family's ancestral hall. But she was unwilling to do so. If she left, her mother might be bullied.
She secretly took her mother's tablet to the Wei family and took care of it in private. Even in the first two years of being together with Wei Ruzhuo, Wei Ruzhuo never called her mother mother-in-law.
Now, Shen Jingzhan actually called her little mother...mother-in-law just now.
Zhu Yinluan's heart couldn't help but be touched, and she glanced at the man's profile inconspicuously.
When she was confronting her heartless father, he realized how frail and helpless she was and held her hand again.
Zhu Yinluan took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and didn't speak for the time being.
So this is the confidence that comes from having someone backing you up?
"This, this, this..." Lord Zhu was already sweating profusely. He really regretted at this moment that he should not have mentioned Zhu Yinluan's little mother when she came back.
To be fair, he was indeed a bit unkind and disloyal to this concubine, and he didn't give her any benefits even when he was in a good mood.
Unable to find anything to say for a moment, Lord Zhu could only humble himself further, "Luan'er, we are a family after all, and you still have my father's blood flowing in your veins."
"You can't just... stand by and watch someone die." He just made it clear and tried to test the deeper meaning of Zhu Yinluan's visit. What exactly did she want to do?
Is he here to seek revenge, or to help the Zhu family?
If it's the latter, it's fine. But if it's the former, then you're in trouble.
But looking at this concubine's daughter, she is not a hard-hearted person. She has only lived with her mother for a few years. The love between mother and son cannot be considered very deep, right?
But she still secretly offered incense to that concubine for many years, and burned silver coins and gold ingots for that concubine during festivals, even though she herself could not even get enough food and clothes. Doesn't this indirectly show that he, a concubine's daughter, is still affectionate and loyal?
The blood relationship is there after all. Since he can't fool her, he might as well take advantage of it and arouse Zhu Yinluan's father-daughter kinship and let her help him.
Lord Zhu knew very well that he had not lived enough and he did not want to die so soon.
I have already made up my mind how to save face and what to do, but I still have to be cautious in front of Lord Zhu. Mainly because there are some things that are not easy to say in front of Zhu Mingsheng.
So he made an excuse, "The food in the kitchen hasn't been served yet, go and take a look, don't neglect it and let your third sister and brother-in-law get hungry."
Zhu Mingsheng had just been ridiculed and now he was eager to leave.
He finally saw clearly that Zhu Yinluan came here just to vent her anger, but his father had no talent at all, so he just let the other party ridicule him.
He simply couldn't understand that even if he lowered himself to a lower level, his third sister, with whom he had no blood relationship, would never leave the Zhu family.
Instead of doing this, it is better to send the person out as soon as possible, so as to avoid saying the wrong thing just now, and then sweating profusely without knowing how to make up for it. Wouldn't that be very embarrassing?
"Then I'll take my leave first. Father, please accompany Third Sister to talk with Master Shen."
Shen Jingzhan had already spoken for Zhu Yinluan. It would be best for him to leave now. He did not dare to follow Lord Zhu and call Shen Jingzhan his brother-in-law.
After Zhu Mingsheng passed away, Lord Zhu began to wipe away his tears hypocritically again. He said that he had no choice and he knew that he had let down both mother and son back then, but it was not entirely his fault.
He didn't dare to respond to Shen Jingzhan and started to change the subject.
He actually put all the blame on Madam Zhu, "Luan'er, son-in-law, I was also restrained by your stepmother back then."
"I want to be nicer to Luan'er and your mother, but you know your stepmother is a jealous person. I..."
"I have no choice." He acted as if he was forced into a helpless situation, his face full of worry.
"The Zhu family was powerful back then, so I had to take care of her. Otherwise, it would be unknown whether you and your mother could survive."
What is shameless? This is shameless.
Zhu Yinluan couldn't help but sneer after hearing this.
Mrs. Zhu's family was indeed not in decline at the beginning, but compared with the Zhu family, how could it be superior to the Zhu family?
Zhu Yinluan was really enlightened today by describing his cold-heartedness as being forced into a situation.
Sure enough, there is no limit to human shamelessness.
"Master Zhu is really eloquent." Shen Jingzhan said.
His tone was calm, with a half-smile on his face, "How cruel." The words between the lines gave people an endless sense of oppression and ridicule for no reason.
It was quite embarrassing, and Lord Zhu indeed felt embarrassed too.
"I really have my reasons..."
Seeing that impatience had already vaguely appeared on Shen Jingzhan's face, Lord Zhu then remembered the serious matter he wanted to talk about.
He carried the pastries on the table, walked to Zhu Yinluan, and put them in her hands personally.
It’s a pity that Zhu Yinluan didn’t take it at all. With Shen Jingzhan protecting her, Lord Zhu didn’t dare to go in front of her.
He could only hold the cake in his hands and continue to grovel, "Luan'er, father knows that it's not easy for you...but this time, you really can't help but save father."
Dare not mention blood relatives anymore. Lord Zhu said, "I know you feel resentful in your heart. This matter is indeed your father's fault. You can scold me if you want. I will accept it."
"It's just that Luan'er, you should be lenient in this world. Let's put it this way. Father knows that you are not easy to deal with. Just do as the Wei family did and save father. As for your brother and stepmother...it was indeed her fault back then. She should bear the consequences. Father will not stop her."
Zhu Yinluan really wanted Mrs. Zhu to come and hear in person what the man beside her said.
On second thought, he was not surprised anymore. Husband and wife are birds of a feather. They fly away in different directions when disaster strikes. He could "sell" his beloved eldest daughter to such a person. He knew that she was not living a good life and never thought of taking her back. So what about Mrs. Zhu?
Not long ago, Zhu Yinluan heard from Mingya that when she went out to look for medicine, she saw her elder sister Zhu Chentan's maid going to the clinic to buy medicine. Old Prince Guo is a royal relative, but when people in the mansion are sick, they don't go to the imperial physician, but go to the female doctor instead. This means...the injury is very likely not something that can be shown to others.
There was no benefit from the marriage with the palace, and on the contrary, she was dragged down by the Guo Palace. It would be difficult to get out of it.
"You just save my father, or my father can do something for you, for example..." For example, he could follow the example of old master Wei Ji and squeeze out Wei Ruzhuo and Pang Shi, and finally get out of this situation by sacrificing his own relatives for the sake of justice.
Not only did he return to the capital, but he also obtained a good official position in the capital. His reputation was indeed a little bad, but after this incident, Lord Zhu also understood that as long as he could survive and enjoy wealth and glory without worries, reputation and face were not important.
He regretted more than just this one thing. He should not have changed Zhu Yinluan's marriage for the sake of his family's reputation.
Who knew that after Zhu Chentan married into the Luo family, such a thing would happen? Not only could she not marry into the Luo family, but she even became their enemy, asking the Luo family to deal with the Wei family. The Wei family was originally thriving, but after Zhu Yinluan divorced, it also...
It's better not to mention it. It's hard to talk about what happened back then. Who would have known that a little concubine's daughter like him would have such good fortune, not only to catch the eye of Shen Jingzhan, but also to marry into a marquis's family and become the young lady of the prince.
If I had known this earlier, I should have treated her better, raised her as a legitimate daughter and given her good food and drink.
There was no point in saying more. Lord Zhu continued to tell Zhu Yinluan what to do and how to get him out. "I will be a good father in the future. I will do whatever you ask me to do and I will never cause you any trouble."
"By the way, I will promote your mother to be my principal wife in the future, and make you the legitimate daughter of our Zhu family. What do you think?"
These were his terms of negotiation.
Zhu Yinluan sneered and was about to retort when her palm suddenly moved - Shen Jingzhan pinched her. Although she didn't know why Shen Jingzhan pinched her, Zhu Yinluan quickly suppressed her voice.
Then the moment she looked at Shen Jingzhan, the other party smiled and said yes to her father.
"Really?!" Lord Zhu could no longer care about Zhu Yinluan, because the people behind her had said yes, so wasn't that fine?
Mr. Zhu confirmed it again and again, calling him a good and virtuous son-in-law.
Although Zhu Yinluan was puzzled, when she thought that Shen Jingzhan was an old fox, she simply kept silent.
It’s hard to say when she started to feel completely confident in Shen Jingzhan.
"Of course it's true. As long as Lord Zhu keeps his word and takes the initiative to cut off his relationship with the Zhu family, straighten out my mother-in-law's spirit tablet, let her enter the Zhu family's ancestral hall, and then remove Madam Zhu and Zhu Mingsheng and Zhu Chentan's names from the Zhu family's genealogy, then we can discuss the matter."
"Can we really talk?" Lord Zhu was ecstatic.
I thought this matter was difficult to handle, but I didn’t expect Shen Jingzhan to give in?
"Yeah." Shen Jingzhan held Zhu Yinluan's hand and carefully protected her.
Lord Zhu wanted to keep the two of them for dinner, but before he could finish his words, an angry roar was heard from outside.
Zhu Yinluan was startled. When the other party rushed in angrily, Shen Jingzhan pulled her to a safe place in his arms.
It turned out to be Mrs. Zhu. She actually heard what Lord Zhu had just said, so she ran in to make a fuss.
He completely ignored whether there was anyone there.
When Zhu Yinluan heard that Mrs. Zhu was ill, she thought she had a headache or something like that. But when she saw her today, she realized that she was so seriously ill.
She came out wearing a headband, with obvious white hair on her temples. She was wearing loose clothes, which could not hide her thin figure at all. Her complexion was also very bad. Although she hadn't seen her for a few months, Mrs. Zhu seemed to have aged several years.
Could it be that God heard what she was thinking just now and called Madam Zhu over?
Since Madam Zhu was so angry, she immediately pulled Lord Zhu into a fight. Judging from the accusations between the lines of her words, she had been eavesdropping outside for quite some time.
Was it her biological brother who called Madam Zhu over?
Zhu Yinluan always felt that this matter had something to do with Shen Jingzhan.
She glanced at him, and he noticed her gaze, leaned over and asked her if she was hungry.
Zhu Yinluan shook his head.
She watched as her Madam Zhu pulled at Lord Zhu's clothes like a shrew, calling him by his name, calling him Zhu Chang, saying that he had no conscience and had forgotten who had given birth to his children, who had taken care of all the household affairs for him, and who had run around for him and given him gifts over the years.
Now that the Zhu family was in trouble and her most beloved daughter was killed, was he going to put the three of them to death?
Zhu Yinluan watched Mrs. Zhu's hysteria and couldn't help but think of herself long ago.
"......"
Faced with Mrs. Zhu's accusations, Lord Zhu showed no remorse.
He seemed to want to persuade her, but seeing that Madam Zhu was like this, he simply stopped talking and tore his face in front of Zhu Yinluan and Shen Jingzhan, and pushed Madam Zhu away with force, shouting, "Enough!"
Mrs. Zhu was already ill, so she could not withstand his slamming down on her. She fell to the ground with her face wrinkled. What was even more obvious was the expression of great pain and disbelief on her face.
Her headband had fallen off, and the maidservants beside her came to support her, but she threw them away, "Zhu Chang! How dare you... do this to me."
Zhu Yinluan looked at her father coldly, trying to find a trace of heartache on his face, but after looking carefully for a long time, she found none. There was only impatience and irritability.
He straightened his coat, like dusting off dirt, and smoothed out the wrinkles that Mrs. Zhu had touched. "That's it!"
"Why are you crying like that? There are people here!"
Having said that, he immediately asked the maids and old women to pull Madam Zhu away, and then went to Zhu Yinluan and Shen Jingzhan and smiled flatteringly, saying that he would invite them to sit in the flower hall.
Seeing him like this, Madam Zhu rushed over and grabbed him in anger, "Zhu Chang, it's impossible for you to stay out of this. You killed my Tan'er, and now you want to follow the example of the Wei family and abandon us mother and daughter. Don't even think about it!"
During this time, Madam Zhu looked at Zhu Yinluan with resentment, but the moment she looked over, she was scared back by Shen Jingzhan.
"Let go." Lord Zhu was about to leave, but Madam Zhu held him tightly, "If you abandon us, mother and daughter, even if I die, I will definitely take you with me to be buried with me!"
"Are you crazy?! Come on, take this crazy woman away quickly, find a doctor to see her, lock her up, and don't let her out again, or she will be embarrassed."
Zhu Yinluan didn't want to watch anymore, "Let's go." She looked at Shen Jingzhan.
"Okay." The man gathered her cloak and took her away.
Zhu Yinluan came to the Zhu family today mainly to regain her past memories. Even if she couldn't find them back, she wanted to see if there were any familiar objects.
After leaving the main hall, Shen Jingzhan asked her why she was not curious, and how he would agree to Lord Zhu’s request?
Zhu Yinluan just remembered this. Her thoughts had been distracted by Madam Zhu just now.
She followed up by asking Shen Jingzhan why?
The man said that she didn't seem to care. Did she trust him very much?
That’s right. She didn’t know when it started, but she seemed to start to believe in Shen Jingzhan.
It is no longer like a long time ago, when she heard that he was meddling in the Zhu family's affairs, and she looked anxious and even started crying and begging him not to interfere in this matter.
Is this trust?
She felt as if it was.
If not, why was she so relieved?
"No." Zhu Yinluan said one thing and meant another.
The man who saw through her thoughts raised his hand and pinched the tip of her nose, "Luan'er doesn't care, so I won't say anything."
"Go on," she paused and urged him.
Chen Jingzhan couldn't help but touch her cheek again, and Zhu Yinluan saw the scratches of the lock and ring on the man's cold white wrist bone.
It seemed to be the traces left when she struggled yesterday and tried to tear the lock ring apart.
She hadn't noticed it before, it was Shen Jingzhan who raised his hand that she just noticed it.
Shen Jingzhan had some scars on his body from his early battles in the battlefield, but he always appeared flawless and there was no sign of anything wrong with him.
But nowadays, many more places have been added inexplicably.
There were bite marks on his wrists, slap marks on his face, and scars on his wrist bones.
Realizing that she was a little distracted and afraid that Shen Jingzhan would ask her further, Zhu Yinluan quickly withdrew her gaze and left without waiting for him to say anything.
Shen Jingzhan was tall and had long legs, so she walked quickly, but he easily caught up with her, walking in a carefree and relaxed manner, truly strolling in the garden.
Zhu Yinluan glanced at the man's shadow, and a sense of familiarity suddenly flashed through her mind.
She paused suddenly...as if she felt like she had walked this path with Shen Jingzhan before.
But is there?
"What did Luan'er remember?" the old fox who was strolling in the garden asked softly.
Zhu Yinluan said, "I feel a little familiar, just like we used to walk in front of each other like this, but I really can't remember it anymore and can't recall it anymore."
"It used to be like this often." Shen Jingzhan suddenly said.
Zhu Yinluan felt strange, "Are you willing to tell me?"
"It's not that you don't want to talk to me."
Shen Jingzhan chuckled, but didn't say anything more.
Zhu Yinluan waited for his next words but they didn't come. After a while, Shen Jingzhan told her what he had mentioned before.
He asked her if she wanted to see Lord Zhu's efforts in vain.
Almost instantly, Zhu Yinluan understood what Shen Jingzhan was going to do.
He just pretended to agree, and then...turned against it.
This method is indeed a good one, but she can't help but worry, "The Zhu family is now in decline, I'm afraid my father——"
She didn't want to call Zhu Chang "father" anymore, and for a moment she even forgot to change her words.
"I'm afraid he won't be fooled so easily."
Shen Jingzhan didn't care, "Does the Zhu family still have conditions to negotiate with me now?"
Zhu Yinluan paused and said, that’s right.
She didn't say anything.
Because of the shortage of money in the mansion, most of the maids and servants of the Zhu family were sent away. There were still some people serving, and Zhu Yinluan knew most of the people who stayed, and they were all people who had bullied her.
The reason these people were kept was that they were basically old employees of the Zhu family who had been employed for many years and were also Mrs. Zhu's confidants.
At this moment, they didn't dare to come forward. They wished they could stay away from her to avoid Zhu Yinluan causing trouble for them.
But there was also a little maid who bravely walked up to Zhu Yinluan and did not call her the Third Miss, but called her the Young Master and the Young Madam.
Zhu Yinluan looked at her unfamiliar face, her eyes showing intelligence, and did not ask too many questions.
The other party asked her if she wanted to go to her former yard.
Zhu Yinluan said yes.
"Young Madam, you don't know that your former courtyard no longer exists."
"Gone?" Zhu Yinluan asked puzzledly.
The little maid said yes, it was changed into a servant's room by Madam Zhu.
Even though the little maid said so, Zhu Yinluan still went over to take a look. When she really arrived in front of the garden, she saw the courtyard, which was completely different from the past. A sign for servants' room had been hung on it, and she sighed.
"Does Luan'er like it here?" Shen Jingzhan asked gently when he saw her sighing.
"I don't like it, I just want to take a look."
The last time she came was when her eldest sister divorced the Luo family, but no one cared about her at that time, so she naturally did not stay in the Zhu family.
Fortunately, I didn’t stay at that time, otherwise I would have no place to live.
"If you don't like it, then don't worry about it." He raised his hand and touched her hair. "Luan'er deserves the best in the capital."
The best.
She deserves the best in the capital.
No one had ever told her this before. Zhu Yinluan thought of the garden where Shen Jingzhan took her.
It is his house outside, with a quiet environment, elegant courtyard, and scattered eaves in between, which is refreshing.
He told her yesterday that everything he had was hers.
Shen Jingzhan's house is in a better location than the Shen family's, and is very close to the imperial palace.
The places close to the palace are so valuable that every inch of land can only be taken over by someone with great power.
What's more, his house is so spacious and quiet.
No wonder he didn't like going back to the Marquis' Mansion before, it was a quiet place.
"If Luan'er doesn't want to go and see, let's go back?" Seeing her thoughtful expression and worried that she would be saddened by the scene, Shen Jingzhan comforted her.
Zhu Yinluan took one last look at the unrecognizable yard, nodded, turned and left.
I walked around the flower hall and went back to the other side of the corridor. I didn't run into Lord Zhu, but I could still vaguely hear the noisy sounds in the front hall.
It seems that the trouble is still going on.
Zhu Yinluan thought that this trip would be in vain, but when she got on the carriage, she suddenly thought of the cold and high fever she had caught many years ago.
It was her eldest sister who pushed her into the rain, and then she got wet and fell ill.
After that time, she forgot many things.
So, does everything related to her and Shen Jingzhan have to be traced back to before that time?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
