nycdaug Chapter 131 Joy
Chapter 131 Joy
While playing chess, Shangguan Mufeng chatted with Fang Heng: "I heard you volunteered to be transferred to Yulin County as a minor county magistrate?"
Fang Heng: "Yes."
Shangguan Mufeng: "Why go to such a far place? With your status as the third-ranked scholar and the heir of the Marquis of Zhongxin, you could easily choose a wealthy county in the outskirts of the capital."
Fang Heng: "Because Zisu is the Princess of Yulin, and she plans to make a name for herself in Wuliping, I heard that the magistrate of Zhangshu County was going to retire and return to his hometown, and that Consort Shu's cousin wanted to take the position in Zhangshu County. I was worried that the Song family would be detrimental to Zisu, so I proposed to go to Yulin County."
Oh, I see. This child is very thoughtful.
A smile appeared on Shangguan Mufeng's face: "Then how do you know that you can definitely get this position, instead of being beaten to it by the Song family?"
Fang Heng: "I persuaded my father to intervene and ask the Emperor for his permission."
Shangguan Mufeng was even more puzzled: "You are the eldest son in the family, how could your father agree to your being sent to a post outside the capital?"
Fang Heng: "To my shame, my father wanted to take a sixth concubine, so I made a deal with him. If he helped me get the position of magistrate of Zhangshu County, I would take my mother, sister and children with me to take up the post in Zhangshu County and would never interfere with his taking a concubine."
Shangguan Mufeng couldn't help but sigh: "Lord Zhongxin is good in every way, except he's too lustful. Alas! But no one is perfect, you should try to be more open-minded. It's good to take your mother with you to your post, to let her see the outside world and perhaps broaden her horizons. Take Zisu's mother for example, she used to be so frail, but after living in Wuliping for a few years and experiencing exile, she's completely transformed compared to before!"
Fang Heng: "Uncle is right. That's exactly what I was thinking too. Firstly, it would allow Mother to relax, and secondly, it would temper her personality. Being too weak is never a good thing; anyone can take advantage of her. It really saddens us children to see that. One of the most important reasons I chose to be sent to a post outside the capital is because I wanted to take Mother away from the capital and away from the Marquis of Zhongxin's mansion!"
Shangguan Mufeng's appreciation for him grew even more: "Very good. It's always hard not to like a filial child. No wonder Zisu treats you differently; otherwise, how could you have stepped into the General's Mansion today? Zisu looks down on unfilial children. Of course, if the parents are not kind, that's another story!"
Hearing this, Fang Heng was overjoyed.
It seems that Zisu has a very good impression of me.
That's good. With that, he has a 30% chance of marrying Zisu. No, now that Prince Duan already has a concubine, perhaps he has a 50% chance, which is quite possible.
After playing three games of chess with Fang Heng, it was lunchtime, and Shangguan Mufeng invited him to stay for lunch at the General's Mansion.
Fang Heng was taken aback and naturally agreed.
The dishes were prepared by Zisu herself, at the request of Fang Qiong, who wanted to learn cooking from Zisu. Zisu readily agreed without hesitation.
The food was prepared and divided into two tables. Shangguan Mufeng and Shangguan Yi sat at one table with Fang Heng; Madam Yu and Zisu sat at the other table with Fang Qiong.
Shangguan Yi fell in love with Fang Heng the first time they met.
At the dinner table, Shangguan Mufeng was very pleased to see that Fang Heng didn't pick and choose his food, and ate every dish with relish. Having served in the border military camps, he knew that picky eaters were the least likely to be so, and Shangguan Mufeng was delighted by Fang Heng's behavior.
After lunch and a short rest, Zisu said to Shen Laihui, "Brother Shen, could you please give Fang Heng some pointers on his martial arts? He's about to leave the capital to become a county magistrate, and I hope his martial arts can improve in a short time!"
Shen Laihui: "Okay, young lady, I will give you serious guidance."
Fang Heng spent the entire afternoon learning martial arts from Shen Laihui. Sure enough, Shen Laihui's guidance was like a wake-up call for him, greatly benefiting him.
Fang Heng was very grateful to Shen Laihui and had great respect for him.
A person with both ability and good character deserves respect.
After saying goodbye to Zisu's family, Fang Heng took his younger sister back home. Before leaving, they agreed to meet at Wuliping, which happens to be within the jurisdiction of Zhangshu County.
Zisu was overjoyed. Fang Heng was the magistrate of Zhangshu County, which would be even more advantageous for her to develop Wuliping into an eco-tourism park!
With the support of the county magistrate, the operation will be much more efficient.
The previous magistrate was over fifty years old and a rigid old man. Originally, Zisu was quite troubled, worried that the old man would become a stumbling block to the eco-tourism park. Now, things are much better; the magistrate has been replaced by the young and energetic Fang Heng, who is also an acquaintance of hers.
Having connections in the court makes things much easier! A surge of joy welled up in Zisu's heart, and a happy smile remained on her lips, as if she had found some treasure.
Yu asked doubtfully, "Zisu, is building that eco-tourism park really that good?"
Zisu: "There are three major benefits: First, of course, it can make money; second, it can help the people of Wuliping live a good life without worrying about food and clothing; third, it can help the Shangguan family of Wuliping become powerful."
Shangguan Mufeng: "Madam, Zisu is a person with her own ideas. Don't stop her from doing what she wants to do. Give the child more support! Even if she doesn't succeed, it's okay. I still have a salary and can support the whole family."
The general's mansion had few servants and only a dozen or so courtyards, so the annual maintenance costs were very low. Neither Zisu nor Madam Yu liked to dress extravagantly, saving a considerable amount of money each year on cosmetics and jewelry. Supporting such a wife and children was very easy.
Seeing that her husband had said so, Madam Yu nodded and said, "Alright, if Zisu needs any help from Mother, just let me know!"
Zisu: "Mother, you just need to take care of things at home. Father will handle things outside. From now on, I'll just focus on managing things in Wuliping. Also, Mother, you need to be stricter with my younger brother so he doesn't develop bad habits!"
Madam Yu: "Your younger brother is very well-behaved, and his page, Niba, is also a good one. You don't need to worry about your brother anymore; the affairs of Wuliping are enough to worry you about. Alas, it's all because your mother is incompetent, making you worry so much at such a young age."
If she hadn't wasted her dowry on that ungrateful wretch Shangguan Chengfeng back then, why would her daughter be running around for money now? Back then, it cost a full 30,000 taels of silver to transfer Shangguan Chengfeng back to the capital from the Northeast and secure him the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Most of that 30,000 taels was raised by selling her dowry, something her father had opposed at the time.
It was her own insistence on being good to her husband's elder brother that led to the waste of those 30,000 taels of silver. Furthermore, for so many years, Zisu's uncle's family lived and ate at the Marquis's mansion without contributing a single tael of silver; all their expenses came from the second branch of the family. Over the years, the first branch's family's daily expenses must have been at least 70,000 to 80,000 taels, if not 100,000!
Whenever she thought of this, Madam Yu felt extremely uncomfortable and regretful! Fortunately, she had a good daughter who prevented the eldest son's family from killing her and her son; otherwise, she would have died with her eyes wide open in disbelief.
Fang Heng and Fang Qiong went to the Protector General's Mansion and stayed there for a whole day. Hua'er found out about it within a few days. Because of this, she was very unhappy.
Jiang Yong asked with concern, "Little sister, what's wrong?"
Hua'er sighed with tears in her eyes, "Second Brother, the Third Scholar went to Sister Zisu's house a few days ago and I heard he stayed there all day!"
Jiang Yong: "You're unhappy because of this?"
Hua'er: "The third-ranked scholar is a very good person. Does that mean that Sister Zisu will choose him? Does that mean that Big Brother and Sister Zisu are truly not meant to be?"
Jiang Yong was silent for a moment, then said, "Don't overthink it. The third-ranked scholar comes from a military background, so he's probably going to visit the Protector-General. The person who went to see Zisu must be his sister. I've heard that Zisu once saved the third-ranked scholar's life. It's perfectly normal for the third-ranked scholar to go to the general's mansion. Zisu saved his life, so it's only right that he goes to express his gratitude!"
Hua'er sighed deeply, "Now that Mother is no longer home, if my eldest brother hadn't gone to the border, he might still have had a chance with Sister Zisu. However, with him gone, how can he possibly return in less than two or three years?"
Jiang Yong was also heartbroken. Such a wonderful woman, and his elder brother hadn't been able to hold onto her. Not to mention his brother, even he felt deeply regretful and saddened. Fortunately, Zisu wasn't one to hold grudges, and she still maintained close ties with the Jiang family. Being able to remain friends was already a great blessing for Jiang Yong!
Jiang Yan couldn't help but sigh: "I wonder how Mother is doing now?"
Hua'er: "Don't pay any attention to her. If we do, she'll just yell at us. Anyway, she took three honest and hardworking maids and servants with her. If one of them is sick, the maids and servants will take good care of her!"
Murong's current residence is a bit far from the Jiang family's; it takes about half an hour by carriage. The two-courtyard house is located in a very safe area. Besides the three thousand taels of silver Jiang Shichang gave her, she also took a lot of jewelry with her. In addition, Jiang Chun left behind one thousand taels of silver, which Jiang Yong was to send thirty taels to her each month as living expenses.
Jiang Yong: "Don't worry, she's not one to suffer a loss. As long as she doesn't bully the servants, that's fine. Those three maids and old women are all very honest people; they won't do anything to her."
Hearing what her second brother said, Hua'er and Jiang Yan both stopped talking and quickly changed the subject.
Standing under the pear tree outside the window, Jiang Shichang listened to the children's words and was deeply moved.
She's such a failure as a person!