Chapter 589: Lord Zhou’s Benevolence and Righteousness

In the afternoon, several horse-drawn carriages stopped in front of Zhou's mansion in Jinzhou. Dong stood at the door and looked at the carriages. Her eyes were fixed on the last one carrying luggage. She felt sad because these were all that was left of her eldest sister's dowry.

When the Jiang family moved to Beijing, the eldest sister's dowry furniture and other items were dealt with. Looking at the small amount of dowry, Dong felt complicated.

Dong Yiyi got off the carriage in a daze. Looking at her sister, her uneasy heart settled down. God knows if her sister hadn't sent anyone, her family would have been eaten by the tribe members.

Dong Yiyi staggered forward, choking with sobs, "Sister."

Mrs. Dong supported her sister, her eyes also reddened. Her sister's life was really hard. "Sister, it's safe now. It's all over. Let's go into the mansion."

Dong Yiyi nodded and looked at the carriage behind him, "Your brother-in-law."

Mrs. Dong resented her brother-in-law. He was an official when he was still honest, but now his sister has to go back to her parents' home and his nephews and nieces have an uncertain future. "I have already hired a doctor, don't worry, sister."

But no matter how angry she was, she had to show her brother-in-law her legs. As long as her brother-in-law was alive, she would not be a widow. Besides, her brother-in-law still had his knowledge and could teach his nephew.

Dong Yiyi wiped her tears and held a child in one hand, "I'll go thank your mother-in-law."

Mrs. Dong looked at her frightened nephew and niece and said, "I'll let the maid look after the children. They are tired too."

Dong Yiyi felt sorry for her son and daughter, and held back her tears, "Alright."

In the main courtyard, Zhulan heard footsteps and saw Dong Yiyi, "I'm glad you're safe."

Dong Yiyi's tears fell again, "You are right, I am very lucky to be safe."

After saying this, he was about to kneel down to express his gratitude, but Zhulan quickly winked at Dong, who held him back.

Zhulan sighed, "The Zhou family didn't help much, you don't have to be so polite."

Dong Yiyi wiped her tears and said, "You have been very kind by taking us in. We have no way to repay you."

If she didn't come to Zhou Mansion to occupy it, if there were no people from Zhou Mansion, she didn't know what to do.

Zhulan sighed in her heart. Dong's sister had such a hard life. "You have been frightened for a few days. Now you are relieved. The children need you too. You should go back and rest first."

Dong Yiyi didn't dare to stay any longer. The Jiang Mansion was unlucky now. "Yes."

The Dong sisters left, and Mrs. Song came back. Zhulan asked, "Find out what happened in the capital?"

Mrs. Song said, "I found out that the Third Madam's maid arrived at a coincidence time, when the elder of the Jiang family had just arrived. Because of the people from Zhou's house, the Jiang family's plan failed, and they left in disgrace without gaining any benefits. However, Jiang Ming was expelled from the Jiang family."

Zhulan guessed it, and seeing that Mrs. Song had more to say, "Anything else?"

Mrs. Song continued, "The Jiang family wanted to arrange a marriage for Miss Jiang. If there were no one from the Zhou Mansion, Miss Jiang would have stayed in the Jiang family and been raised there."

Zhu Lan was silent. The Jiang family was not optimistic about Jiang Muchen, but was optimistic about Jiang Mulan's value. "This is really a thorough calculation."

Mrs. Song whispered, "The only hope of the Jiang family is Jiang Ming. They have taken advantage of Jiang Ming for a lot of years. Every year, people from the family come to ask for money. Now that the Jiang family is in trouble, it would be fine if they just stayed away, but they are also adding insult to injury. I heard from the servant that there is a doctor in the Jiang family, but they didn't even bother to check Jiang Ming's leg."

Zhu Lan said quietly, "No wonder the Jiang family has fallen into decline. Their roots are evil."

Mrs. Song was disdainful in her heart, "Someone even mentioned the dowry of Mrs. Dong, saying that Jiang Ming had implicated the Jiang family and needed to pay compensation!"

Zhulan was speechless, "The way you eat is so ugly."

Mrs. Song has seen many families. Some families are very united and supportive, while some families are very realistic. "Mrs. Dong's dowry is not much, only a carriage can be packed."

Zhu Lan paused for a moment, "Go and tell the sewing room to make a set of clothes for the four members of the Jiang family. By the way, where is Jiang Ming's concubine?"

She remembered that Jiang Ming later took in two concubines. In total, Jiang Ming had quite a few concubines.

Mrs. Song, "When the disaster came, they flew away. Several concubines begged Mrs. Dong, and Mrs. Dong wrote a document to release the concubines. Jiang Ming signed it and they were all released."

Zhulan stopped asking questions and signaled Mrs. Song to make the arrangements.

In the evening, Zhou Shuren came back and asked, "How is Jiang Ming?"

Zhulan was still worried. "My right leg was broken at the knee. The doctor said there is no chance of recovery."

Zhou Shuren, "He traded his leg for his life. Living with a disability is more difficult for Jiang Ming than dying easily."

Zhu Lan said, "Yes, Jiang Ming was an official in Pingzhou. The difference between the situation before and after he returned was huge. Jiang Ming was in great pain."

Zhu Lan added: "I thought you wouldn't agree to Jiang Ming and his family staying at Zhou's house temporarily!"

Zhou Shuren changed his clothes and said, "What a good teaching material. It would be a waste if it is not used more. Chang Lian and Chang Zhi should have a deeper understanding of the cruelty of the officialdom this time. Lest they take me as a standard, they think that the officialdom is all about the elders taking care of the younger ones, which is very loving!"

Zhulan laughed out loud, "I think your educational goal has been achieved."

Zhou Shuren's educational goal was indeed achieved, and several sons of the Zhou family went to see Jiang Ming.

The eldest and the second oldest are better off; they have no contact with officialdom and the intrigues of officialdom are too far away from them.

Chang Lian was upset. Everyone has ambition. He saw cruelty in his brother-in-law, especially his legs. This was the price of his ambition. "I asked the doctor again. The doctor said that my brother-in-law's legs were not just hit once, but several times."

Dong Chuchu clutched the handkerchief tightly, "You must be cautious when you enter the officialdom in the future. Your brother-in-law is a lesson for you."

Chang Lian held his wife's hand and said, "I will be careful."

He found that even with his father's protection, if someone really wanted to take revenge on him, disfigure him, and break his limbs, it would be easy, as long as he wasn't dead.

In the fourth room, Chang Zhi was absent-minded. Su Xuan came over and said, "It's been a long time, and you haven't read a single page of the book. You put the book down when you were thinking about something."

Changzhi put down the book and took a deep breath, "Dad always asked me to analyze historical allusions. The more I analyzed, the more I understood the officialdom. But when I really met Jiang Ming, I found that talking about military affairs on paper is far less direct than reality."

Su Xuan was happy. She was glad that Chang Zhi was thinking carefully. Her husband was not stupid, but he was not attentive to everything. This was also a growth. "Dad watched you learn. That's because Dad loves you. Look, apart from Mingyun, who else has Dad been so strict with."

Changzhi reflected on himself and said, "You are right. I will study hard in the future."

Su Xuan was happy, she thought she could give some jewelry to the girl from the Jiang family.

The next day, Zhou Shuren went to the yamen, and Lord Wang said, "Lord, you are kind and righteous."

Zhou Shuren blinked his eyes and said cheekily, "After all, we are all relatives."

Lord Wang admired him even more.

(End of this chapter)