Chapter 344 Zhou Congxian's Side Story 3 (Previous Life)
He looked at her, his throat so dry he couldn't make a sound.
After a long while, he finally found his voice, hoarse but unusually firm.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
She froze, looking at him with teary eyes.
He spoke clearly, word by word.
"I will take you as a concubine and give you a proper status."
This was the only way he could make amends.
That was also his truest thought.
He thought he could make the decision himself.
But he forgot that his mother and grandmother were also in this house.
When he reported this to the Zhao family, he was met with a storm of rebukes.
"You bastard!"
Zhao was so angry that she trembled and smashed the teacup in her hand to the ground.
"Zhou Congxian, you've really grown up!"
"My eldest son, the heir of the Duke of Yingguo's mansion, is about to take a lowly concubine into the family before he has even married!"
"You've completely disgraced our British Duke's mansion!"
Old Madam Zhou, who had always been at odds with Zhao, stood on the same side as her daughter-in-law this time.
She leaned on her dragon-headed cane and pounded it heavily on the ground.
"That shameless vixen must have seduced her master to do such a despicable thing!"
"This scourge must not be allowed to live!"
"Guards, drag that vile maid out and sell her off!"
"Who dares!"
Zhou Congxian suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented ferocity and determination.
This was the first time he had ever used such a strong attitude to defy his mother and grandmother.
“It was Zhou Congyu who drugged her first; she has nothing to do with this matter.”
"I was the one who touched the person."
"If you must punish someone, punish me."
"If you dare to lay a finger on her, I will go to the death row in the Yanwei Camp myself and end my life!"
"You!" Zhao pointed at him, too angry to speak.
She knew that her son always kept his word.
This standoff ultimately ended in Zhou Congxian's victory.
He kept Jiang Shiyao in his courtyard and wouldn't allow anyone to approach her.
The atmosphere in the mansion plummeted to freezing point.
For two whole months, neither Zhao nor the old lady spoke a single word to him.
Two months later.
The imperial physician Zhang, whom the manor had invited, came out of his courtyard, bowing to him with a beaming smile.
"Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Your Highness!"
“Miss Jiang…is already more than a month pregnant.”
With a loud "boom".
Zhou Congxian felt that his mind was completely blank.
He stood there for a long time before slowly turning his gaze toward the bedroom door.
Inside the door was his woman.
And his children.
That evening, Zhao summoned him to her main room.
Her face was still pale, but there was a hint of compromise in her eyes.
"Never mind."
She waved wearily.
"Since she is already carrying the child of our Zhou family."
"Then carry it inside."
"However, it's just a concubine, so there's no need for a grand ceremony. Just have her carried in through the side door tomorrow, give her a bowl of tea, and that will suffice."
Jiang Shiyao became his concubine.
A concubine who was not recognized by the mistress and the old lady, and who only existed in his courtyard.
Zhou Congxian didn't care about these things.
He sheltered her under his wing, giving her all the dignity he could.
He hired the best midwife for her, and personally supervised the servants to prepare and deliver her daily herbal medicine and tonics.
When she was suffering from morning sickness, he would helplessly pat her back.
Those days were the most peaceful and warmest time of his more than twenty years.
Ten months of pregnancy, one day of childbirth.
When the midwife came out carrying a swaddled baby and congratulated him, his legs went weak and he almost couldn't stand up.
"Congratulations, Your Highness, it's a daughter."
He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and his voice was hoarse and barely audible.
"Shi Yao, you've worked hard."
She smiled weakly at him, her almond-shaped eyes still as clear as a spring.
His daughter.
She was so small and so soft.
When her eyes are closed, her eyebrows and eyes resemble his.
When she opened her eyes, those dark, grape-like eyes looked just like her mother's.
He reached out his finger and carefully touched her little face.
She seemed to sense something, and smacked her lips twice.
At that moment, Zhou Congxian felt that his heart, which had been frozen in the snow and ice for so long, had completely melted.
He named her Zhou Jiafu.
Her nickname is Fu'er.
With Fu'er around, the once quiet and desolate courtyard finally came alive with a vibrant, lively atmosphere.
He felt that this was the life he wanted.
Even though the road ahead is still bleak, as long as he returns to this little courtyard and sees the mother and daughter, he feels that everything is worthwhile.
However, peaceful days are always as fleeting as a dream.
Fu'er gradually grew up.
He never married or took a concubine; she was the only one by his side.
Old Mrs. Zhou would often inadvertently bring up some old stories.
"Congxian, do you still remember Yun'er, who stayed at our house when you were little? You used to play together a lot when you were children."
“It’s my grandmother’s direct granddaughter, Song Jiyun.”
Zhou Congxian's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Song Jiyun.
Of course he remembers.
When she first came to the Duke's mansion, he took pity on her and took the initiative to play with her.
He witnessed her smash the golden hairpin that her eldest sister treasured as a coming-of-age gift to the ground and stomp on it until it was deformed.
He questioned her.
She raised her tear-stained face and yelled at him defiantly.
"Why does she have it and I don't!"
"It's just a hairpin. My mother said I'll have many more and better ones in the future!"
From that moment on, he never paid any attention to that girl again.
He felt that beneath that seemingly pitiful exterior lay a disgusting greed and jealousy.
Seeing that he remained silent, the old lady continued.
"Yun'er has grown into a beautiful young woman. I heard that the young men in the capital who want to marry her are practically wearing down the threshold of the Song family."
"You and her, you could say you grew up together..."
Zhou Congxian interrupted her, his tone distant and cold.
"Grandmother, I have official business to attend to, please excuse me."
He thought that as long as he ignored it and didn't take it to heart, the matter would simply fade away.
He received a secret imperial edict.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"Get up," His Majesty waved his hand wearily. "Look at these."
He pointed to the mountain of memorials piled up on the dragon's desk.
Zhou Congxian stepped forward and casually flipped through a few books.
"Your Majesty, I report that the Jiangnan region has abundant rainfall, and the people live in peace and prosperity. This is due to Your Majesty's virtue and the Empress Dowager's blessing."
"Your Majesty, I report that the northern border is blessed with favorable weather and abundant harvests. I hope Your Majesty will take good care of your health."
"Your Majesty, I report..."
Each one of them is a song of praise and a whitewash of peace.
Zhou Congxian's heart sank.
"Your Majesty, this..."
"Oh."
His Majesty let out a desolate, cold laugh. "This is what I see every day."
“All truly important military and national affairs, such as border battle reports and the appointment and removal of officials, must first go through Empress Dowager Su.”
"All that's sent to me is this worthless paper!"
"They treat me like a complete puppet!"
His Majesty swept the memorial to the ground, his eyes blazing with anger and resentment.
"Congxian, you are the only one left by my side."
"The only person I can trust is you."
His Majesty is weak and powerless, while Empress Dowager Su's influence has long been deeply entrenched and entrenched in the court.
Trying to shake it is like throwing an egg against a rock.
unless……
Unless someone can infiltrate Empress Dowager Su's core power and become a sharp knife that His Majesty plunges into the heart of the enemy.
His Majesty seemed to see through his thoughts, and lowered his voice to a very low level.
"The people Empress Dowager Su relied on most, besides her own family, were Song Yitang."
Song Yitang.
Song Jiyun's older brother.
So when his grandmother summoned him to Fushou Hall again and bluntly proposed to strengthen the ties between him and the Song family through marriage...
He hesitated.
He hesitated for only a moment.
In my mind, there is the peaceful sleeping face of Shi Yao and her daughter.
On the other side were the emperor's eyes, filled with both hope and despair.
Finally, he slowly nodded.
"Grandson, follow your grandmother's instructions."
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