Chapter 184 A Morally Depraved Couple, Piglet Owes Words
Zong Suyi stayed inside to look after the children, while Zhang Ting went out to greet the guests.
After inviting the guests to take their seats, Zhang Ting said, "I thank Lord Xu for introducing me to such a capable person, thus resolving my beloved daughter's predicament. But may I ask how you knew my daughter was ill?" In truth, what Zhang Ting really wanted to ask was: Wasn't Xu Qiushui in exile? How could she have freely escaped and come to the prefectural city? And why did she bring people with her?
Thinking about it, this matter seems rather strange.
Zhang Ting even began to suspect whether the disaster at Shile was man-made.
Xu Qiushui didn't play games with her. She first greeted him and said, "I am just a criminal, Lord Zhang. There is no need for you to call me 'Lord' anymore. You kindly advised me to get out of here. In any case, Xu Qiushui owes you a favor, and it is my duty to thank you."
Zhang Ting made a gesture to help her up, but said, "No, no. You can just call me 'nephew' as usual." He then asked her to sit down.
Xu Qiushui held her hand, feeling sentimental. Eight years had passed since they last met, and their statuses had reversed dramatically, becoming worlds apart.
But Zhang Ting remains as upright and honest as she was years ago, and is someone extremely worthy of deep friendship.
With her help, Xu Qiushui returned to her original position, rested her hands on her knees, and said crisply, "In that case, this old woman will shamelessly address you as aunt and niece."
Her graying hair swayed gently by her ears. Her face was deeply wrinkled, thin, old, and sallow, with even a few brown age spots.
Eight years of exile did not break her body or crush her spirit; instead, it made her more resilient through hardship.
The moment we met, his imposing and composed demeanor immediately captivated me.
Zhang Ting sincerely admired her. After suffering such great hardships, very few people are able to calm down, bide their time, and hone their minds; most people give up on themselves and never recover.
But she also understands that what drives such people forward is a mission they are determined to complete, even at the cost of their lives.
Xu Qiushui: "Just now, my dear nephew asked me how I knew your daughter was unwell. I will not hide it from you. Although the Crown Princess was deposed, she still cares about His Highness the Duke. Since His Highness gave birth to a son, she has been overjoyed. However, she was afraid that if she were to be associated with you, my dear nephew or His Highness, it would cause trouble for you two, so she has never contacted you."
She sighed, "The Crown Princess... no, the commoner knew that your daughter was seriously ill, and she tossed and turned all night, taking a great risk to send someone out to ask me to find Master Mingguang to treat your daughter."
As Zhang Ting expected, she had never met the deposed Crown Princess, but she had heard many rumors about her. Chen Jue had served as the Crown Princess for over forty years and then as the Crown Princess for several years. She was kind and gentle in her dealings with her subordinates, and the relationship between the emperor and her ministers was harmonious. She had an excellent reputation among the people. When she was the Crown Prince, she once suppressed her half-sisters so much that they could not hold their heads up.
If Emperor Chengtai hadn't feared the Crown Princess's power and cut off her hands and feet, pulled out her fangs, and imprisoned her in the deep garden, she would undoubtedly have become the next emperor.
Zhang Ting doesn't believe that someone who has held a high position for decades would willingly give up power.
"I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's concern," she replied, bowing her head. It wasn't just the situation that suggested the Crown Princess's ambition; the fact that she was imprisoned in Yingzhou Prefecture and yet managed to gather information, relay it, and execute it in just a few days indicated she had many spies planted in secret.
What was the purpose of this move? Was it to recruit him onto the ship?
Xu Qiushui said, "As the commoner once said, she is now just a commoner, so my dear nephew need not feel guilty. Now that you have rescued Lin'er, please forget about this matter."
Finally, she suddenly stood up, bowed to Zhang Ting, and said, "Please give my regards to the Duke. Farewell." With that, she resolutely left.
Zhang Ting was slightly surprised. When she got up, the other person had already gone outside, clearly indicating that they did not want her to see them off.
She stood there, her eyes darkening.
A moment later, "the doctor was invited to take the young lady's pulse."
It is said that the imperial family is the most ruthless, and countless people have cruelly murdered their own siblings. She cannot let her guard down.
Shile's body temperature finally stabilized, and while Zhang Ting felt a huge weight lifted from her heart, a look of worry returned to her eyes.
"Doctor, is there anything unusual happening inside the house?"
After the doctor finished his examination, he bowed and said, "Your Excellency, there is nothing wrong with your daughter's room; everything is as usual."
Zhang Ting frowned deeply upon hearing this. Could it be that she was judging a gentleman by her own petty standards? Was it not the deposed crown princess who did it?
She went inside the tent to see the child. After giving the baby a nickname, the baby's ashen complexion faded, and color returned to her face. The baby then fell into a fragile sleep.
But it was obvious that the illness had indeed subsided.
Zong Suyi knelt by the bed, dappled sunlight falling on his face, and softly called out, "Tuntun, Tuntun, Daddy's little piggy." Your mother is my big piggy.
Zhang Ting half-squatted down and touched the child's pink and tender cheeks, which were warm and soft.
He glanced at Zong Suyi, and in just a short while, the numbness, emptiness, and despair were completely drained from him, and he returned to being that lively and charming young man.
I reached out and touched his face, pinched it, but my hand was slapped away.
He grumbled discontentedly, "What are you doing? In front of the child." He glared at her fiercely, his eyes gleaming with a bright, vibrant light.
Zhang Ting was completely relieved and put her husband in her arms to look after the child together.
"Xiaoyi, shall I give you a nickname as well?"
Zong Suyi's eyes widened, thinking that she had heard his thoughts and was about to be retaliated against.
He felt short of breath, but stubbornly refused to back down, saying defiantly, "Take what? You're not allowed to take it!"
Seeing his reaction, Zhang Ting raised an eyebrow, leaned closer, and said suspiciously, "My lord, something's wrong with you."
"What's wrong? I think you're overestimating yourself."
"If we don't discipline you for a long time, you'll become unruly."
Two people with eyes darker than pandas started bickering while hugging each other.
Shile wrinkled her nose tightly and let out a weak whimper, but no one paid any attention.
In her dream, thousands of bees buzzed around her, and she cried and begged her parents to drive them away, which gave her a terrible headache.
...
As the new year begins, everything is renewed.
Good news came from the senior sister's side: Magistrate Hu of Yinzhou Prefecture has been dismissed and arrested.
Logically speaking, everyone should be happy when corrupt officials are imprisoned.
But the eldest sister got into trouble.
She harbored and protected the husband of a criminal official, and was imprisoned after someone reported her to the prefects of Tongzhou and Yinzhou.
When Zhang Ting first heard the news, he couldn't believe it at all, and even suspected that someone had framed Yang Fuchen.
Her senior sister had been celibate and abstinent for over thirty years, living a solitary life, focusing on her studies, and had never even been with a man. How could she possibly have gotten involved with the husband of a convicted official?
Faced with her incomprehension, Zong Suyi remained much calmer. While tidying up the calligraphy her son had practiced, she said to Zhang Ting, "What's so strange about this? Some women have never even been touched by a young man, yet they still prefer married men."
"Who would be so shameless as to covet another woman's husband?" Her senior sister was upright and honest, and she was not that kind of person.
Zong Suyi gave a soft chuckle and stared at her meaningfully, the deeper meaning of which was self-evident.
Zhang Ting's face flushed with embarrassment as he recalled past events.
Fortunately, she was thick-skinned enough and recovered after a short while. "Ahem, let's stick to the facts."
Zong Suyi remained noncommittal, but he was reluctant to pay attention to other people's affairs. "Why don't you ask your senior sister and you'll know?" In his eyes, Yang Fuchen's actions of imprisoning the convicted official and hiding his family members seemed to imply that he was forcibly taking another man's husband.
He straightened the large characters, picked out the best one, and handed it to her to see, saying, "Our little piggy, she's only three years old and her handwriting is already so good."
Zhang Ting put aside the matter of her senior sister and accepted the Xuan paper with great satisfaction.
Upon closer inspection.
Let's look at it again.
She looked up, annoyed: "Are you sure it's this one?" It's full of crooked caterpillars, not a single one is straight.
Zong Suyi was so excited her heart was almost overflowing. "My wife also thinks that Zai Zai's writing is the best, right?"
Zhang Ting didn't think so.
She criticized Zong Suyi's work attitude, saying that since ancient times, doting fathers have often spoiled their children, and only rigorous and pragmatic methods can produce good talents. Finally, she proposed effective rectification measures.
"Why should you be the loving mother and I be the strict father?"
She sat in the armchair, her legs propped up high, completely relaxed, and was about to reply.
Just then, the child heard voices outside, shrank off the bed, and yawned, still sleepy.
Her dark hair was disheveled, and she stood there blankly.
In a childish voice, she called out, "Daddy, Mommy..." Her little feet came running over, huffing and puffing.
When she saw the large characters her mother had written in her hand, she was horrified, and her little brain was jolted awake.
"Didn't Mom say we wouldn't force you to study? If you don't want to study, then don't." The little one stood barefoot on the carpet, waving his chubby little hands wildly, his eyes full of accusation against the liar.
Zhang Ting glanced at Zong Suyi and said innocently, "It's not that your mother wants you to study, it's that your father insists, and your mother can't go against your father's wishes."
To distort the truth and call a deer a horse!
Zong Suyi wanted to scratch this shameless thing's face until it bled. "Listen to this! Is this how a human being speaks?"
Shile tugged at his father's clothes and pleaded, "Dad, let's not study. I'll play hide-and-seek with you." Dad is the gentlest of all; he'll definitely agree.
While cursing the bastard in his heart, Zong Suyi solemnly told his daughter, "Children are born to study. Daddy has let you play for three years. Tuntun should be content."
Shile's pupils dilated in shockâhow terrifying! Are children really born to study? How many words has she missed learning?
She looked helplessly at her mother, who then struck her hard.
The loving mother said, "Logically speaking, you should have started learning on your own while you were still in your father's belly. You should have read the 'Elementary Learning Collection,' the 'Three Character Classic,' the 'Thousand Character Classic,' the 'Hundred Family Surnames,' the 'Book of Poetry,' the 'Analects,' and so on to you. I have read them all to you. Do you have learned them well, Tun Tun?"
Shile stood there awkwardly, twisting her fingers tightly. "Has my little one learned so much?"
The loving mother returned an affirmative glance.
Shile covered his head in alarm, "My little one's memory is terrible, he doesn't remember anything at all."
The loving mother gently patted her fluffy little head. "You'll be fine if you read more books. Hmm, that's what your father said too."
The strict father stepped forward and gently pinched a soft spot on her waist.
She forced a smile at her daughter: "Tuntun still owes three years' worth of calligraphy lessons. Normally, she should make them up, but since Tuntun is her parents' child, we've reluctantly exempted her from them. So, Tuntun, you have to be a good girl and study hard, okay?"
Shile felt he had gotten a great deal and nodded repeatedly, "Dad, Mom."
Her eyes curved into crescents with happiness. While other children suffered, she was blessed.
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