Who Cares

Who Cares – Chapter 118

Chapter 118 Probing

 

The married woman’s hair bun was changed into a hanging bun, the gold and silver bead hairpins were removed, and only inserted a pink rose that was freshly cut on the temple. Guan Suyi led Mu Mu to the main house to greet her mother.

Seeing her daughter dressed in an unmarried girl’s style, Zhong shi was stunned for a while, until Mu Mu stepped forward and shouted “grandmother” in a milky voice.

“Good boy, come over and let your grandmother take a look.” There were not many children in the family, so Zhong shi naturally loved Mu Mu very much. Since the first day, she regard him as her precious darling, throwing her daughter behind. Guan Suyi smiled at the two of them and slowly made tea.

“Mom is also very good. As soon as I said that grandmother was going to whip her, she immediately got up.” Mu Mu did not forget to help out his adoptive mother.

“I know what kind of virtue she is. When she is diligent, she sleeps later than the dog and wakes up earlier than the chicken; when she is lazy, she can lie down all day, even eat, drink, poop and pee all on the bed. This time returning home after reconcile, she is so free, grandmother expected that she would sleep until the sun hit three pole before she woke up.” Zhong shi pointed out the window, “Look, if Mu Mu hadn’t called you up in time, the old man and your father would have already return from to court, and when they saw that you’re still asleep, they will give you a round of thrashing.”

Guan Suyi quickly clenched her palms and said bashfully, “Mother, how can you expose my unsavory past in front of my son? How can I teach him in the future?”

“It’s good to know that you can’t teach, but you should lead by example.” Zhong shi poked her daughter’s forehead with eyes full of smile.

Seeing this scene, Minglan was used to it, but Jinzi couldn’t recover for a long time. It turned out that the mature and prudent, shrewd and resolute Madam behave like this when she return to her parents’ home. She would also be lazy, stay in bed, act like a spoiled child, and pretend to feel wronged. After all, she was just an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, with beautiful youth and a prime years waiting for her.

Like a flower that had withered before it bloomed and returned to the soil where it took root, it quickly became vivid and bright. Jinzi sighed at Madam’s transformation, why wouldn’t Zhong shi not be happy? Holding Mu Mu in one hand and holding her daughter in the other, she was reluctant to let go.

After chatting for about a quarter of an hour, a report came from outside, saying that the old master and the master were back, then Zhong shi asked someone to deliver the lunch, not forgetting to tease, “Sleep until lunch time, among all women in Yanjing, afraid you’re the only one left. Mu Mu, don’t learn from your mom!”

“Mom is too tired recently. She has to recite the scriptures for the late Empress Dowager for nine, nine, eighty-one days. Only sleep for one day is not enough, still need to sleep for a few more days.” Mu Mu explained seriously, provoking Zhong shi’s great love, she put her arms around him and called him her baby.

Guan Suyi grabbed his chubby hand and kissed him hard, and laughed, “Mom didn’t love you in vain. In the future, our Mu Mu will be the most filial and outstanding child in Yanjing.”

“No way!” The old man walked in with a laugh, and while taking off his official hat, he rolled his sleeves and said, “This time I will teach him personally, no one is allowed to interfere! In this lifetime, I must cultivate a great Confucian scholar of the whole generation, and fulfill the mantle of my Confucianism.”

Guan Father followed closely with a helpless expression. Didn’t the old man’s words imply that he taught Yiyi badly? What’s the big deal? Did he have talk about it all the time?

The family chatted happily for a while, and then sat down to eat when the food was ready. Adhering to the rule of eating without talking, sleeping without talking, the hall was extremely quiet, and after eating the servants immediately cleaned up the leftovers. When the old man and the others dispersed, Guan Father seemed to inadvertently inquire, “The last time you were harassed by the female official, was it the emperor who helped you out?”

“Yes.” Guan Suyi brought it up in one breath.

“Today I’m going to put Mu Mu in the household register, but the household official said that Chief Bai had already done it yesterday, and even handed over the documents to you. Is there such thing?”

“Yes.”

“The emperor also smoothed out the matter of cutting open the stomach for you, you actually basked in the light of imperial power.”

“That’s not it.” Guan Suyi’s expression was calm, “Power is really a good thing, it can build momentum, it can suppress people, and it can also save lives. If it weren’t for you and grandfather in high positions and have real power, afraid it will not be so easy to reconcile this time. Just imagine, if our family was still in the same situation as the first time we enter Yanjing, no matter how badly I was wronged in the Zhao family, I could only swallow my anger and accept compromise. Because by offending his family, it would implicate you. Even if you are full of pride, it will be destroyed.”

Noticing that her words were full of resentment, as if her pride had really been destroyed, Guan Father couldn’t help but point out, “Why bother thinking about things that never happened, even more, unlikely to happen? A nobleman loves money and takes it from the Tao, then how about when nobleman takes power?”

Guan Suyi didn’t even think about being authentic, “Zi Lu* said: ‘The Monarch of the State of Wei wants you to govern the country. What do you plan to do first?‘ Confucius said: ‘First of all, you must rectify your name’, A nobleman always takes a skeptical attitude towards things he doesn’t know. If his name is not right, his speech is not fair and reasonable, if his speech is not fair and reasonable, things will not be done… Therefore, how the nobleman involve in politic and takes power, he should rectify his name.” <Note>

Guan Father nodded in relief, “Very good. This is a warning to the world, and it is also the way to live in the world. ‘Name’ is the law of ethics*, and ‘rectify the name’ is consider conforming to the law, not against ethics. Monarchs, ministers, fathers, sons, each has its own position, performs its own duties, and must not overstep it. If the name is not correct, the words will not go well, even if you climb up the ranks step by step, reach great power and high prestige, you will eventually be eaten back by it, and you will not end well.” After the words fell he looked at her daughter with sharp eyes.

Guan Suyi lowered her eyes and smiled, “Father doesn’t have to discuss the words of the Sage with me, daughter will soon return to Jiaozhou to accompany maternal grandfather to farm the fields. If you see me in the future, perhaps I no longer a scholar holding a brush, but a peasant girl carrying a hoe.”

Guan Father stared at her for a long time, then he stroked his beard and smiled. Guan Suyi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took her leave, saying that she was going to visit the senior brother in the eastern suburbs. Mu Mu was taken to the study by the old man, and he was practicing calligraphy at the moment. There was a drop of ink on his nose, and he looked very cute. She stood by the window and watched for a long time, unable to bear to disturb the grandparent and the grandchild pair, so she had no choice but to go by herself.

Minglan had just returned and was busy contacting her little sisters everywhere, only Jinzi was following her master. The two arrived at the village school in a carriage, and before they could enter, they heard a woman’s scolding voice, “You bastard! I asked you to go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion so they can recommend you to become an official, but you don’t want to go, saying you want to participate in some imperial examination. What’s the use of reading these books all day long? Can you earn a few taels more with that? Your good junior sister has made all your students run away. Without the tutor’s salary, what should we eat and drink? Hurry up and get dressed, go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion and borrow some money. No matter what, it’s their family who harmed you, can’t you get any compensation at all?”

Sister-in-law Song, it’s been a long time! In an instant, Guan Suyi’s thoughts went back from the present to the past. In her previous life, she could have cleared up those slanders, but she didn’t expect this good sister-in-law to suddenly retort, saying with certainty that she had seen her hanging out with her senior brother with her own eyes. After she was sent to Cangzhou, she learned through Zhao Wangshu’s confession that the other person had sold the senior brother for only a thousand taels of silver, because senior brother had been stripped off his scholarly honor because of his personal moral loss, and she was afraid to continue to suffer with him.

In this world, not only women afraid of marrying the wrong man, but the man was afraid of marrying the wrong woman, because the price would be very tragic.

Guan Suyi pushed open the door and went in, cupped her hand in salute while saying, “Senior brother, for causing you the trouble you a few days ago, junior sister feel really uncomfortable, so came here to apologize to you. You don’t have to worry about that Mr. Lu’s matter. Within two months, we will see who is right and who is wrong.”

The scholarly man in winter clothes and holding a scroll in his hand hurriedly returned the salute, “Junior sister is very polite. It’s noisy here, let’s go in and talk.” He didn’t even look at his wife Song shi, and led his junior sister into the house.

Although Song shi was arrogant at home, she was a master at bullying the soft and fearing the hard. In front of the Miss of the Guan family, who was wearing a magnificent dress and had a graceful demeanor, she couldn’t raise her head at all. How could she dare to say half a word? She hurriedly ran to the kitchen to boil water to make tea, hoping that the other person could give them some silver.

Guan Suyi put a box of books in her hand on the table and smiled, “Seeing that the imperial examination is imminent, I put together a collection of classics and histories and sent it to senior brother. Hope senior brother can pass brilliantly this time, and show off your talents. How many people slander you now is how many people will envy you in the future.”

“Borrowing junior sister’s auspicious words. You don’t need to pay attention to Song shi, just take her words as autumn wind passing the ear*, don’t listen to her. I have no disciples here, so it’s quiet and peaceful to study and prepare for the imperial examination. Junior sister’s book happened to be delivered to my heart, just like sending charcoal in the snow, it relieve people in distress, and refusing would be impolite.”

“Senior brother is too polite. If you need anything in the future, feel free to go to the Emperor Teacher Mansion to find me or father…” Guan Suyi had a long talk with him for more than half an hour, and the topics revolved around this imperial examination. Although she remembered the imperial examination questions of this year, she would never tell anyone. Whether or not people could pass the exam, it was up to their ability. In the previous life, the senior brother could pass brilliantly as the top of the list, and this life would not be too bad. And now that the political situation had changed drastically, the test questions might also change, who can say for sure?

After leaving the village school, she vaguely heard Song shi’s frantic voice coming from across the fence, “Did she give some money? Ah, why only giving away a few books? That miss of Guan family is so stingy! Bah!”

Jinzi said indignantly, “In order to take care of your senior brother’s face, we deliberately stuffed the silver under the box, why did we get scolded? Compared with your open-minded senior brother, Song shi is really unbearable!”

“That’s why in this world, there are mostly clever wife with dull husband or good husband with vicious wife. It’s hard to have the best of both worlds.” Guan Suyi had already been indifferent to it since long ago.

Jinzi thought she was insinuating His Majesty, so she didn’t dare to say more, and held back for a long time before saying, “If Madam’s senior brother could not passed the imperial examination, will he be able to continue open the village school in the future? With that Mr. Lu’s article at the front, afraid he can’t recruit disciples anymore, and it will be very difficult to live in the future.”

Guan Suyi sneered, “What kind of this generation’s great scholar, with brilliant reputation? It’s just to deceive the world. He’s an alcoholic, and the alcohol poison had long been soaked into his liver and guts. In a while, he may have to worry about his life. Why should we care about a dying person?”

“As soon as you said it, Madam, this servant remember that his complexion was red and black, his eyes were yellow and solidified. It’s a sign that the liver and guts were failing. I didn’t expect Madam to be proficient in medicine.” Jinzi was greatly admired.

Guan Suyi was indeed proficient in medical theory, but it was not because of the symptoms that she predicted that Mr. Lu will die, but through the memory of her previous life. In the last life, she dismissed Mr. Lu, who became more and more indulgent, and even wrote many articles to slander her. In the end, he died drunk on the side of the road, but was misinterpreted by the people that he died from excessive anger at her, adding another bad debt to her already black reputation.

In this life, whether he would die or not, it’s all up to Heaven’s will.

Thinking like this, Guan Suyi suddenly reprimanded, “You call me Madam this, Madam that, do you still think I’ll marry your former master? Change the name to Miss in the future, or your salary will be deducted for three years.”

Jinzi choked, and had to change her way of addressing.

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3 thoughts on “Who Cares – Chapter 118

  1. Many thanks
    Lol at the end. Also.. wasn’t he hr inital guy she was offered to marry all the way in the beginning? How’d he get with a miserly woman?

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