Wei Zheng was stunned, and Wei Wen was also slightly taken aback. Her original words were just to ask the Wei family to be more frugal in the near future so as not to attract attention again. She did not mean to persuade Wei Zheng to take out his family's savings for disaster relief again.
After all, he had done this once before, and although he gained an official position in return, he also dug a hole for himself, foreshadowing his current misfortune. If Wei Zheng hadn't been given an official position, how could he have been sent to supervise the construction of the dam?
"I'm afraid the Wei family will only make more mistakes and invite trouble if they do too much," Wei Wenshi said disapprovingly.
Wei Zheng also expressed his concerns: "Last time, we were able to assist the government in disaster relief without hesitation because the Wei family was not involved in natural disasters or man-made calamities at that time. But now the Emperor and the officials have determined that I caused this disaster. If I stand up to provide disaster relief again now, I will inevitably be accused of being unable to bear the torment of my conscience and turning back to good."
The thought of this possibility made Wei Zheng feel extremely wronged, like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to express his suffering!
"What was your true intention in providing disaster relief last time, sir?" Sun Lurong stared intently at Wei Zheng and asked him, "Was it to win the Emperor's favor, or to please the officials in the court?"
Wei Zheng gave a bitter smile: "At that time, all I saw was the tragic scene of countless people being displaced. I never thought about those people who lived high in the imperial court. I just wanted those people to have a roof over their heads and three meals a day to fill their stomachs!"
"That's it. As long as the money our Wei family spends can save those poor, homeless people, why should we care what the Emperor and the officials think?"
Sun Lurong's words were like a wake-up call, enlightening Wei Zheng. He suddenly understood, and his eyes gleamed: "What you say is absolutely right, Madam! What you say is absolutely right! I will go and tell the accountant to prepare the cash in a while. No matter what outsiders think, our Wei family will fill the gap in Wu County!"
Seeing that the couple had come up with an idea on their own, Wei Wen couldn't object anymore. After all, all the money in the Wei family now came from their second wife's earnings and had nothing to do with her, this old woman.
However, seeing Wei Zheng get up to explain these matters, Wei Wenshi still couldn't sit still and called out to him, "Zheng'er!"
Wei Zheng turned around blankly, only then realizing that he had not yet bid farewell to his mother. So he stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Wei Wenshi, saying, "Mother, if there is nothing else, I will not disturb you any longer."
"There is one more thing that your mother would like to discuss with you."
Wei Zheng suddenly looked up, roughly guessing what Wei Wen wanted to discuss with him, so he took the initiative and said, "It just so happens that it concerns my elder brother and sister-in-law, and I would also like to discuss it with my mother."
With that, he sat back down comfortably in his chair.
Hearing him mention the Meng family of Weihai, Wei Wen felt a sense of unease, as if he had been waiting for her to speak. She said listlessly, "Then you go first."
"Yes." Wei Zheng didn't hesitate and directly stated the decision he had pondered all night:
“Mother, you have always taught me that harmony in the family brings prosperity, but with the truth coming out about the case of Ah Xiu being harmed twelve years ago, it is difficult for my elder brother and sister-in-law to be without misunderstandings.”
As expected, Lady Wei asked with displeasure, "So you're planning to treat them all as enemies from now on?"
"Mother, you flatter me."
Wei Zheng nodded modestly: "As the old saying goes, 'One should bear the consequences of one's own actions.' It was Wei Chengxu who harmed Axiu, not my elder brother and sister-in-law. I will not regard my elder brother and sister-in-law as enemies. However, now that this matter has been verified, it is inevitable that there will be awkwardness between the two families. If it is only a wedding gathering during the New Year, it will be fine. But living under the same roof like this, seeing each other all the time, is really difficult. I am sure my elder brother and sister-in-law do not want it to be like this."
"Your older brother and sister-in-law..."
Wei Wenshi was about to say that her eldest son and daughter-in-law would not think that way, but when she thought of the heartless words they had said in the hall yesterday, she had no choice but to swallow back the words that were on the tip of her tongue and decided to try to reconcile them from another angle.
Wei Wenshi held her forehead with her hand and rested her elbow on the table, as if she had a terrible headache.
"Mother?"
Wei Zheng and Sun Lurong called out in unison, their voices filled with worry. Wei Wenshi, however, waved her other hand weakly and said:
"Ever since it was revealed that you were not my son, you have sworn that you still only recognize me as your mother. Now that I have come to Shengjing to seek refuge with you, you keep saying that the kindness of raising you is greater than the kindness of giving birth to you, and that you want to repay my kindness of raising you all these years."
"The Wei family has raised you for over twenty years... but now, you can't even tolerate my own flesh and blood! Do you want to just watch us be separated?"
As she spoke, Wei Wen clenched her fist and pounded it heavily on her chest, looking as if she were heartbroken.
Sun Lurong rushed forward to stop him, and Wei Zheng also got up and knelt on the ground: "Mother, please calm down!"
When Sun Lurong stopped Wei Wenshi from hitting herself any further, she finally calmed down, but she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
Sun Lurong glanced at Wei Zheng, who was kneeling on the ground sweating profusely, and knew that he was about to soften and compromise. So she interrupted her husband before he could speak, saying, "Mother!"
She first raised her voice to drown out her husband's, glanced at him sideways, and then slowly said, "Actually, even if our two branches of the family separate, it doesn't mean we'll never see each other again. If my elder brother and sister-in-law still want to stay in Shengjing, our second branch can provide them with a house as a place to stay. That way, Mother can stay wherever she wants, wouldn't that be perfect?"
Although Sun Lurong was unwilling to spend her own money to support the eldest son and his wife, it was still better than her husband completely giving in and agreeing to continue living under the same roof with them.
Sure enough, these words calmed Wei Wen Shi down, and her tears stopped, as if she were weighing the pros and cons of doing so.
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