Chapter 1446: Chapter 1446: Calamity and Bliss Go Hand in Hand
Zhou Shuren first saw Rongchuan, who was asleep in a side hall of the government hall. The Retired Emperor felt pain for his son, and the Emperor felt pain for his brother, so he stayed in the government hall.
When Rongchuan left, he had a healthy and rosy complexion, not too fat nor too thin, and his body was very sturdy. Now, Rongchuan had lost a lot of weight, and his inner garments were quite loose.
Zhou Shuren felt uncomfortable inside, "Ever since Rongchuan was brought to my home, the child has never been this thin."
The Retired Emperor had been keeping watch over his son and felt distressed upon hearing this, "He, he has returned to the Royal family, he is Prince Qin."
Zhou Shuren picked up Rongchuan’s hand, "This scar is too deep, if it were any more forceful, would half of the hand have been cut off?"
The Retired Emperor’s lips shivered, Rongchuan was the Emperor’s blood brother, which meant danger.
The Crown Prince, who was listening, glanced sideways. Lord Zhou’s words were like a knife stabbing into the grandfather’s heart.
Zhou Shuren was very measured and only spoke a few words before stopping. The Retired Emperor was in a moment of pain, and it was fine for him who had raised Rongchuan to say a few words. If he said too much, the Retired Emperor might not say anything, but the Emperor would have hard feelings.
It was a pity that he couldn’t see his daughter. She was in the harem, and he, as an external official, couldn’t enter. All he knew was that his daughter and his son-in-law were just like him, not sleeping well and were sound asleep.
The Crown Prince and Zhou Shuren left the palace together, arranging for the transportation of grain and forage. Most of the time, the Crown Prince was learning from Zhou Shuren.
As they walked, the Crown Prince said, "What hurts the grandfather most is that the uncle is injured."
Zhou Shuren, "Your servant knows."
The Crown Prince wanted to say that you know yet you still pierced the grandfather’s heart.
At the Qi Prince Residence, Prince Chu came in and asked, "I saw Prince Liang Residence’s carriage?"
"The mother of ’fourth brother’ has come to talk to my mother," replied the occupant.
Prince Chu curled his lips, "She came to cry to mother of our ’second brother’."
In front of Prince Qi were five or six fans, all carefully handpicked by him. His gaze shifted away from the fans, "You sound quite sour."
Prince Chu indeed felt sour, "Fourth brother is gravely injured and comatose, and I didn’t see father the Emperor being anxious. Fourth brother’s mother went to the palace to beg and was sent back. Look at fifth brother, when he was assassinated, father the Emperor sent personal soldiers to pick him up. Even when the Emperor needed people for his service, he dispatched a large number of loyal guards for the escort. His heart is really biased."
After pausing, Prince Chu continued, "Father the Emperor stays by fifth brother’s side, and he’s not hiding it at all. Father the Emperor is getting old, heh, a legitimate son is indeed different."
Prince Qi was also uncomfortable, but having reached this age, he was able to see things more openly. Picking up a fan, "Children born to the woman one loves and those born to political marriages are naturally different, not to mention that fifth brother is a son who was lost and then found again."
Prince Chu rolled his eyes, "The true love of the Royal family."
Prince Qi, "Don’t be resentful, father the Emperor indeed truly loves the legitimate mother."
He had seen more than once how father the Emperor acted like an ordinary old man to please the legitimate mother.
The heart of this person was biased; he was partial to his legitimate offspring, and he would be happy whatever the legitimate son did, so he understood.
Prince Chu was just here to air grievances; their current situation was actually not bad.
Prince Qi added, "This time, fifth brother’s situation is very dangerous. He has enjoyed benefits but must also bear the risks."
Prince Chu stopped talking; they had never encountered an assassination.
At the Zhou family residence, Zhulan received news from Shuren and finally felt at ease.
Lady Li said, "Mother, I told you that my younger sister would be safe and sound."
Princess Qin, envied by many, the sole mistress of the Qin Prince Residence, blessed with both a son and a daughter, good marital relations, and valued by the Royal family—I’ve never seen anyone more fortunate than my younger sister, thought Lady Li.
Zhao’s interjected, "Once my younger sister can leave the palace, she will definitely come to see you."
Zhulan smiled and said, "I know that they are fine, so I am not worried."
At that moment, Qing Xue came in with a letter, "A letter from the Northwest."
Zhulan quickly took it and opened the letter. It was written by her eldest brother, telling her that everything in Prefecture City of Lizhou Province was fine, had returned to normal, and she need not worry. It also mentioned that both Wu Chun and Wu He had not been dispatched to pursue, but were instead ordered to defend the city.
Zhulan said to Lady Zhao, "Everything is fine in Prefecture City of Lizhou Province."
Lady Zhao had complex feelings towards her younger brother; they had frequent interactions these past few years, and she was also concerned about him. She had asked their mother to ensure their uncle would take care of him. Now that everything was fine, she could finally feel at ease.
"I just hope the war can end soon," said Su Xuan.
Zhulan knew that the Emperor hoped to end the war before winter, as fighting would be disadvantageous once winter arrived, "It will."
In Zhou Village, Jiang Miu gestured for Jiang Li to sit, "How come you are here?"
Several of her uncles did not come to see her upon their return but went directly back to the village; Jiang Li was the first to visit her.
Jiang Li came with confidence. At that time, she was resentful that she did not leave with her husband; it was her father’s change of mind that prevented her from leaving. Unexpectedly, not leaving turned out to be the right decision—who could have anticipated the war would change so quickly.
Her father had come to her, even bringing Silver; when she married into the County Magistrate’s household, the dowry had been brought with her, but there wasn’t much else in the way of accompanying gifts, and they said the wedding was arranged in haste and preparations were inadequate—it was essentially a reluctance to give more for the dowry.
Her husband did not allow her to intervene in her family affairs; she knew in her heart that she could only rely on her natal family. If her natal family truly became estranged from her younger uncle’s family, she would not have good days in her marital home.
Jiang Li said, "There are no overnight resentments among family. Big Uncle and my father indeed acted shamefully, but one cannot write two ’Jiang’ characters with a single stroke. We are still flesh and blood tied by kinship. Please don’t hold grudges and be the bigger person."
Jiang Miu laughed, "I’m not holding any grudges."
The ones who truly held grudges were her parents.
Jiang Li choked on her following words, observing Jiang Miu’s expression closely; it wasn’t false, yet it left her unsure how to proceed.
Jiang Miu asked in return, "This escape must have cost a lot of Silver, right?"
Jiang Li made a sound of acknowledgment, "Hmm, quite a bit was spent."
Jiang Miu said indifferently, "It’s not easy for a farming family to save Silver, but Big Uncle probably didn’t break the bank."
Jiang Li looked at Jiang Miu, knowing that he intentionally drew her attention, yet she had to continue asking, "Why is that?"
"You don’t know? Grandma secretly gave Big Uncle some Silver back then."
Jiang Li narrowed her eyes; she wasn’t married yet when Grandma divided the Silver, and she knew how much each branch received, fifty taels per branch, "How much Silver did Grandma give to Big Uncle?"
"That I don’t know."
Jiang Li did not stay long before leaving; Jiang Miu hooked the corner of his mouth but then thought it all rather pointless.
In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed. Xue Han and her husband had lived in the palace for seven days before they took their child and left the palace to head straight for the Zhou Residence.
Zhulan finally saw her daughter, holding her hand without letting go, "Mother has been thinking of you; are you and the child really alright?"
Xue Han had rested in the palace for seven days before daring to see her mother, fearing her mother couldn’t bear the worry, "The child and I are fine; now we’re home, we can recuperate properly. Mother, don’t worry."
Zhulan’s tears today seemed harder to control, and they fell as she spoke, "How can you be alright? Look how thin you’ve gotten."
Xue Han, "Mother, please don’t cry. I’m fortunate to have returned safely, and like you’ve always said, life is full of hurdles. I’ve always had an easy time of it, and now that I’ve gotten over this hurdle, only good fortune awaits me."
Zhulan stopped crying, feeling like her daughter had indeed always had a smooth path, "You’re right, it’s better once the hurdle is past."
Zhou Shuren knew Rongchuan was returning today and had taken special leave, "You did very well."
Rongchuan grinned, "Father, I have not let you down."
Holding his wife in his charge, he was determined to protect her for a lifetime.
Zhou Shuren inquired, "Did the Emperor suggest that you lead troops?"
"No, Imperial Brother has instructed me to properly recuperate in the capital."
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "That’s good too. Sometimes you need to keep a low profile; excessive merit can also be harmful."
Disaster and fortune are intertwined; Rongchuan didn’t lead troops this time. Although he lost the opportunity to gain military merit, it turned out to be beneficial for the future.