Chapter 252: The truth about Jinling

Yang family ship.

After making sure that all the bandits had been captured, Chang Qing had his personal guards take them to the bow of the ship. He instructed the maid to tidy up the messy room that had just been ransacked by the bandits, and then went into the inner room of the cabin.

"Ma'am, it's settled!"

Changqing lowered his head and walked into the house, and began to report:

"All the pirates on the opposite boat were killed. Another thirteen pirates took advantage of the chaos to swim aboard. They have all been tied to the bow and are awaiting their fate."

After hearing Chang Qing's report and the sound of maids moving around outside, everyone in the room finally put their uneasy hearts at ease.

"It's all right once it's resolved."

Hua Lan nodded, and then asked if there were any casualties among the personal guards. She felt relieved after confirming that only a few people suffered minor injuries.

At the same time, he thought to himself that his grandmother was indeed very experienced and was not at all panicked.

Unexpectedly, at this time, Mrs. Sheng was also wondering.

"How could the pirates be so powerful? Or are the guards of Pingyang Marquis's Mansion so elite?"

But Mrs. Sheng didn't dare to ask.

Since the master didn't ask, Changqing was willing not to say anything. After all, the methods he used seemed a bit cruel in the eyes of others, not to mention the women in the room who had never seen blood.

Although the lady has a kind heart, a ruthless chief of the marquis's personal guards is definitely not as friendly as a carriage driver.

Hua Lan suddenly thought of the mother and daughter on the boat, so she asked:
"Are the mother and daughter safe?"

Chang Qing nodded immediately and replied:
"After finding out the intentions of the pirates, we let them go back to their original house to hide. Now we heard the noise and they came out and are now..."

Chang Qing hesitated, paused, and then said:

"He was holding his deceased husband in the bow of the boat..."

At this point, Chang Qing casually told what he had just seen and heard, and also told the news from the tortured bandits, that the woman's son had been carried away by a door panel and had drifted to an unknown place, his life or death unknown.

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Sheng nodded and sighed:
"He is a rare good man. It is his duty to help examine the body."

"It's autumn now, and the nights are dark and the dew is heavy. The water is very cold. If I leave her alone on the bow, she might get hurt by crying, not to mention taking care of a child."

Hua Lan and Old Lady Sheng looked at each other and immediately ordered:
"You can bring her to the ship's palace to talk later."

Chang Qing responded:
"Yes!"

Now it seems that the woman is also a victim of pirates. Even if she kept yelling when she first got on the boat and had the intention of deceiving people, now everything is over and there is no threat.

He was a man in a very miserable situation. His husband and son were both dead, and he was left alone with his baby. Anyway, he had not suffered any losses, so it was not a good idea to just abandon him at the dock.

Inside the ship palace.

Hualan and Old Madam Sheng sat at the top, while Minglan and Rulan had been sent to their rooms to sleep.

After a while.

Chang Qing walked in with the woman who was crying bitterly and had red and swollen eyes. The baby in her arms was held by Mother Li and was waiting outside the door. The baby was sleeping soundly, obviously tired from crying all night, and did not cry because he was held by a stranger.

The woman entered the room, and with her brows lowered, she glanced at Hua Lan and Old Madam Sheng who were sitting on the Luohan chair. She immediately knelt down with a "thump", bowed her head and said in gratitude:
"I am Li Xu, a humble lady. Thank you for saving my life!"

In front of outsiders, it is naturally the elder, Mrs. Sheng, who speaks.

"You have had a seizure this evening, so there is no need to perform this great ceremony."

Although she said this, Old Lady Sheng did not ask anyone to help her. After An Ran accepted the greeting, she asked Li Xu to sit aside first.

Li Xu knew that she could no longer hide her seductive thoughts when she first came on board, so she knelt for a long time, trying to express her apology. However, she caught a glimpse of Mrs. Sheng frowning out of the corner of her eye, and her heart skipped a beat. She had no choice but to bury her head and fall half of her butt on the seat.

But he kept crying as he said:

"Thank you for your kindness and generosity, for letting bygones be bygones and still keeping us, mother and daughter..."

"okay!"

Old people have less energy, not to mention that they are frightened. Old Madam Sheng does not want to listen to the woman's argument, otherwise she might cry until tomorrow morning. She immediately said directly:

"Since your family has suffered such a great disaster, I don't want to hold you accountable for your mistakes. You don't need to beg for mercy anymore."

After a pause, when Li Xu's expression had eased and she was able to calm down and think, Old Lady Sheng continued:
"And considering your husband's bravery and his willingness to help his family, I decided to show some kindness.

What are your plans when daybreak comes?
If you want to get off the boat now and go find your son, we will give you some money and drop you off at the next pier.

If you want to go home, we still have to wait for the government to come here, and then we will ask for their permission to arrange for you to return home."

After suddenly encountering bandits and clearing them out, they naturally had to inform the local government. At the same time, they could also use the imperial post station to write a letter to Yang Wenyuan, explaining the whole story and letting him feel at ease.

Being able to help arrange Li Xu's stay or departure is already a kind act.

Li Xu also understood the reason.

As soon as she entered the door, she kowtowed and cried and begged for forgiveness. This was the idea in her mind.

She also understood that she was just a weak woman, carrying a baby in her arms, and could do nothing to save her son, so she did not hesitate and immediately lowered her head and said:

"I want to take my daughter back to the family first, and then ask the elders to send someone to look for Tong'er!"

Old Madam Sheng was not surprised either, and immediately nodded and asked:
"Where do you live then?"

"Jinling!" Li Xu said hurriedly.

"Jinling?"

Old Madam Sheng was stunned for a moment.

Hualan, who was standing next to her, also heard the voice and glanced at her grandmother.

Jinling.

This place name is both familiar and unfamiliar to the children of the Sheng family.

The reason for their familiarity is that the children of the Sheng family have known their grandmother's background since childhood: she was the only daughter of the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion - and Jinling is the current location of the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion.

The reason why it feels strange is that although the word Jinling is familiar, the Sheng family has only ever mentioned it in their minds. They rarely mention their grandmother's maternal family, with whom they have never had any contact.

Hearing it suddenly now, I couldn't help but be stunned.

Seeing that the two nobles above did not speak for a while and instead looked at each other in confusion, Li Xu did not know that Hualan and Old Lady Sheng's destination was Yuyang. She just thought that the two nobles disliked that Jinling was a little far away and it was not worth spending too much favor on them.

The waterway they are currently sailing on is heading south, heading towards Huainan West Road, Huangzhou territory, while Jinling is not far from Youyang, in the east.

At first glance, it is indeed an irrelevant location.

The right thing to do now is to go home quickly. Li Xu was afraid of being rejected, so she said quickly:

"My two nobles, there is no need to bother you to ask for favors. I just hope that you can lend me some money and find a car dealer to take me back to Jinling. If I am lucky enough to know your origin, I will definitely repay you for saving my life in the future!"

"Who do you think I am? Do you think I'm going to go back on my word?"

Old Madam Sheng glared at Li Xu in anger. She was just stunned for a moment, and she was misunderstood as a stingy person. How could she justify this?

However, Old Madam Sheng didn't care about Li Xu's little thoughts. It was good that this woman could come up with a plan when she encountered such a sudden disaster.

and many more……

Mrs. Sheng suddenly had an idea in her mind, her eyes suddenly fixed, and she asked Li Xu uncertainly:

"Is your mother's family name Xu?"

Li Xu didn't know why Mrs. Sheng suddenly asked this, but she had already mentioned the name "Li Xu" at the beginning, so she didn't hesitate and nodded in agreement immediately.

Old Madam Sheng's eyes began to become uncertain.

The Yongyi Marquis Mansion is surnamed Xu, the Xu family of Jinling!
At first, when the merchant's wife said she was "Li Xu", she didn't care at all, but now when she heard that she was from Jinling, she immediately made the connection.

Hua Lan also reacted at this time.

Could this woman be related to my grandmother’s maternal family, the Xu family of the Yongyi Marquisate in Jinling?
A declining branch of the clan beyond the fifth generation?
Or a home-born child?
Hualan didn't think much about the fact that this girl was from the Xu family. After all, although the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion had fallen into decline, it was impossible for them to marry a girl to a merchant.

Just as the people of Bian Jing looked down on people from other places, the nobles of Bian Jing also looked down on the nobles from other places. The powerful and noble in Bian Jing needed to consider their face, but they would naturally make fun of the "country bumpkins" from other places at will.

If it really existed, it would have spread throughout the city of Bianjing long ago.

Since the matter concerned the Yongyi Marquis' Mansion, Old Madam Sheng and the others were about to fall out with each other. No matter what they thought in their hearts, they couldn't ask it out loud. However, it was not a problem for Hualan, a junior.

Therefore, after Mrs. Sheng remained silent, Hua Lan immediately asked:
"Your mother's surname is Xu? But is it related to the Yongyi Marquis Mansion in Jinling?"

As soon as Li Xu heard this, she knew that the nobleman on the ship was probably related to the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion. She was delighted, but she did not dare to use her master's family as a banner, so she replied honestly:
"In reply to your words, my family has been a family of marquis since my great-grandfather. Because my great-grandfather served as the old marquis' personal guard in the early years and made great contributions, he was given the surname Xu by the master."

I only heard Li Xu continue:

"My husband was originally the manager of the Chamber of Commerce under the Marquis's Mansion. Because he did his job well, he earned a lot of money. Finally, he was favored by the master and was promised to him."

"This time, I received instructions from the master to go south to look after the business."

After Li Xu finished explaining her background and the whole story, she lowered her head and said nothing.

She suddenly heard the news about the Xu family, and it was such a coincidence. Although she was only facing a son from a lowly family, it had already evoked memories of the past in Mrs. Sheng's heart, and she couldn't help but look melancholy.

"Okay, I've asked you all the questions. You can leave now! We will make proper arrangements for your return to Jinling."

"Yes!"

Li Xu was about to bow and leave, but when she retreated to the door, she suddenly remembered that this nobleman had a past relationship with the host family, and for some reason she said:

"Would you like to leave your surname? If the master asks, I can give you an answer."

Hua Landai frowned slightly, and seeing that her grandmother seemed not to have heard her, she immediately gave a compromise answer:

"Yang family!"

Li Xu left, and the sound of the door closing gently was barely perceptible, but Old Madam Sheng seemed to have heard it, as if she had just woken up and said:
"That person left?"

"Let's go. When the government comes, I will ask them to escort the mother and daughter back."

Old Madam Sheng's expression remained unchanged, as if she had forgotten her previous feeling of loss. She nodded and said:

"This is good. We are being attacked by pirates here, so we can at least hold the local officials accountable. If we don't ask for anything, they will be worried that we will report them in court. Now is the perfect solution for both of us."

"It was late at night and grandma was tired, so she went back to her room."

After saying that, Old Lady Sheng asked Fang Mama to help her back to her room.

But before leaving, Hua Lan's voice came from behind:

"Grandmother, after arriving in Huangzhou, we will have to stay in Youyang for at least a month. Jinling and Youyang are very close..."

close at hand?

Old Mrs. Sheng sighed softly.

Haven’t you heard that the world is so close yet so far away?
Old Mrs. Sheng no longer remembers the messy things of the past.

Was it my fault or the fault of the Yongyi Marquis' Mansion?

When Sheng Hong was getting married and had not yet decided on Wang Ruofu, the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion proposed a marriage between the two families.

I couldn't help but be happy, thinking that this would help strengthen the relationship between the two families.

After all, because of me, the relationship between the two families was rarely cold and stiff, and there was not the slightest sign of in-laws.

Moreover, letting Sheng Hong marry the daughter of the Xu family would undoubtedly strengthen the emotional bond between the two sides and strengthen his relationship with Sheng Hong and the Xu family.

At the same time, the future generations of the Sheng family will have his blood flowing in them, which can make up for his regrets a little.

As a result, when he took a look at the list of girls sent by the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion, he found that they were either concubines' daughters or girls from side branches.

What's good about a girl of this status?
The vision of the young old lady Sheng back then is still there, and she still retains the arrogance of the only daughter of a marquisate.

Although Sheng Hong was not Madam Sheng's biological son, Madam Sheng raised him under her name and treated him as her own legitimate son. Naturally, she was not happy about this marriage.

The people at the Yongyi Marquis' Mansion were also unhappy.

I am the Xu family, the dignified Marquis of Yongyi. Our first generation's legitimate daughter and only daughter have both married into the Sheng family. Now you want me to send another legitimate daughter over there?
How can the Sheng family be so confident?
Besides, at that time, there were only orphans and widows in the Sheng family's officialdom, and they all looked helpless and frail.

Besides, Sheng Hong is not Mrs. Sheng’s biological son.

Sending a daughter from the family to marry Sheng Hong will definitely benefit Old Madam Sheng and the Sheng family more. Shouldn't Old Madam Sheng make some concessions?
But Mrs. Sheng was firm in her attitude and refused to give in!
One is that they feel their self-esteem has been challenged.

One of them was already somewhat dissatisfied with the fact that Old Madam Sheng disregarded the family's reputation and connections and married into the family without hesitation. He was also quite dissatisfied with the sky-high dowry that Old Madam Sheng took away. Now he wanted to help out his former legitimate daughter, but ended up being met with a cold shoulder (from the perspective of the Xu family).

Then let’s just part ways!
For decades since then, the two families have had no contact.

Over the years, as she grew older and handed over power to Sheng Hong, staying in her own small world at Shou'an Hall, Old Lady Sheng would occasionally think of this matter.

If I had stood in my position when I was young, I would have felt that those people in the Xu family deliberately sent these girls from the side branches, hoping to use this opportunity to completely break up with me and sever all ties with me.

But what if we were in their shoes?
Two generations of legitimate daughters married into the same family, or the Sheng family was like this...

Not to mention the past, even now that the Sheng family has Sheng Hong, a fifth-rank official, they are still hesitant about the marriage between Changbai and Yang Ruijin because of Yang Wenyuan and Hua Lan, not to mention the past when the situation was far worse.

The gap is probably even greater.

It is possible that they decided from the beginning to distance themselves from me.

It is also possible that he had good intentions at the beginning, but seeing that his daughter from the Xu family was greedy and did not care about the interests of the Xu family at all from getting married to her children's marriages, he simply decided to do it to the end and have no further connection with the family.

Thinking of this, Old Lady Sheng smiled bitterly in her heart:
"Maybe in their hearts, I am the heartless and ungrateful one!"

"Grandma?" Seeing that Mrs. Sheng did not respond, Hua Lan tentatively asked in a low voice.

Old Mrs. Sheng did not turn around, nor was she in the mood to talk. She just sighed deeply and walked out of the door with the help of Mrs. Fang.

(End of this chapter)