nycdaug Chapter 144 General's Mansion 15
Chapter 144 General's Mansion 15
During the national mourning period, the whole of Daliang seemed to be quiet. There were fewer vendors selling things on the street, and Song Shuyi began her daily life of making clothes.
When she pricked her hand for the third time today, she finally put down her needle and thread. She just sat there, thinking of nothing, staring at the chrysanthemums outside the yard.
This was the scene Zhou Leping saw when he brought some snacks.
"Sister, isn't it said that women are never happier after they get married? Why are you so worried about the postponement of the wedding date?"
Song Shuyi sighed softly: "I just feel that this journey has been too bumpy."
She was about to get married and had embroidered most of the wedding dress, but unexpectedly there would be a national mourning.
"Le Ping, I'm actually a little worried. Will this marriage also be full of twists and turns like the first one? After all, the Gu family was not very happy about it from the beginning."
Zhou Leping didn’t quite understand what her sister was thinking. Her sister used to be very clear-headed, so why was she now so in love?
"Sister, do you like Gu Dalang so much?"
Song Shuyi lowered her head slightly: "Not really, it doesn't matter who I marry, but Dalang from the Gu family is the most ideal man I can get in touch with. I can't help but get married, so instead of letting my marriage become someone else's bargaining chip, it's better to get married early and break off relations with the Song family early."
Zhou Leping knew that it must be his uncle who wrote to his sister again.
"Sister, it's okay. Even if you never get married, our family can still support you."
Song Shuyi smiled after hearing what her brother said, but shook her head: "Fool, who doesn't get married? You will be laughed at by others. If I never get married, I'm afraid I can only live with the Buddha in the future."
This is how it is in this era! Women are subject to too many shackles and too many rumors.
It was not until Zhou Leping heard gossip about his sister on the street that he realized what his parents were worried about.
"Have you heard about the eldest daughter of the Song family? She's the one who broke off the first engagement and postponed the second marriage."
"Yes, it's her. The master said that this woman has bad luck in her life and is destined to be lonely."
"No wonder her marriage is so unsuccessful. So why did her marriage with the Gu family fail?"
"It's definitely wrong. The Gu family is a royal family. How could they allow their son to marry such a woman? This woman has a very bad fate. I heard that her mother died a few days after she was born. My father sent her to the general's mansion, and only then did the whole family live in peace."
"But I think General Zhou's family is doing fine. Nothing has happened."
"Hey, General Zhou killed enemies on the battlefield, so she is naturally tough. Only this family of generals can defend against her! As for the Gu family, I don't think it will be easy."
Zhou Leping looked at the bowl of wontons in front of him, but he couldn't eat it. He wanted to beat up the gossipers, but he held back.
The rumor has already reached his ears, so there must be a lot of people who have heard it. If he beats these people up, not only will he be punished, but it will also add to the rumor, which is not worth it.
Feeling upset, Zhou Leping went home angrily. As soon as he got home, he saw his mother wiping tears.
"Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Mother Zhou looked at her son, her face showing even more sadness: "Your father was injured by a criminal while on patrol today."
"what?"
Zhou Leping was shocked: "Where's my father? I want to see him."
Zhou's mother shook her head and grabbed her son, "Don't worry, my son, your life is not in danger. It's just a leg injury."
"Injured your leg?"
When talking about this, Zhou's mother burst into tears again: "The imperial physician has seen him and said... he will be disabled and will probably not be able to fight in the battlefield in the future."
Zhou Leping took two steps back and stared at his mother blankly: "So how is father now?"
"This time he was really hit hard. He locked himself in the room and even refused to see me."
How did this happen? It turned out that there were remnants of the eldest prince's party running rampant in the capital recently, so the emperor ordered General Zhou to find these people.
General Zhou learned about the clues and went to the suburbs. But when he arrived, he was ambushed by the traitors. Although he killed some of them, some of them still escaped.
These thieves were quite capable. They got a large number of small and portable crossbows from somewhere, and shot sharp arrows loaded with knockout drugs at General Zhou who was chasing them. Although General Zhou fought hard, he still couldn't escape the fate of falling into a coma. After he woke up, one of his tendons was cut off and one of his legs was disabled. He would probably have to rely on a cane to walk from now on.
Zhou Leping sat at the door of his father's room, tearing off the fallen leaves from the trees, while he was replaying these events over and over again in his mind.
Who are those bandits? Who sent them? Did they make people unconscious but not kill them just to prevent General Zhou from going to the battlefield? What was his purpose?
The more I think about it, the more I feel that this group of people do not seem to be the eldest prince's men. Instead, they seem to be specifically targeting the Zhou family.
Who did the Zhou family offend and who committed the brutal act?
Zhou Leping just sat at his father's door. When it was time for dinner, Zhou's mother came over again and saw through the open window that her son and husband were sitting across the door from each other. She felt sad.
But fortunately, General Zhou was finally willing to open the door.
When he saw Zhou Leping again, although he was seriously injured, General Zhou still smiled at his son and said, "Father is fine."
Zhou's mother put out the food: "Eat something. You haven't eaten for a whole day."
General Zhou's hand holding the chopsticks did not move to pick up the food. He looked at Zhou Leping and asked, "How are the people who went out with me?"
"They are all fine, they were just drugged, and no one was injured."
Hearing this, the heavy expression on General Zhou's face relaxed a lot: "At least I didn't harm my brothers. It seems that they were really coming for me."
Zhou Leping added: "The people who harmed you were captured by the Imperial Guards this afternoon. It is said that no one was left alive."
This news made both parents frown.
The Imperial Guards were involved, leaving no one alive. So there was no need for a trial. It was needless to say who the Imperial Guards were. Since they dared to leave no one alive, they must have been instructed. It seemed that they had angered the emperor at some point!
"Well, that's fine, that's fine. I don't have to fight anymore, it's actually good to be a leisurely rich man at home. I was injured while performing official duties, the court will not ignore me. From now on, I will have free time."
Zhou's mother smiled and said, "In the future, I will buy you a good piece of land and let you plant trees and grow crops, and be a rich man."
Hearing his wife say this, General Zhou was very happy: "Okay, although I have been in the army for many years, I have not forgotten the skills of farming. If you give me a piece of land, I will definitely take good care of it for you."
At this point, General Zhou suddenly sighed again: "I just pity Shuyi, this poor child. Without me to support her, how will she live in the Gu family?"
Mother Zhou smiled and said, "It is a period of national mourning now. It will take more than two years for Shuyi to get married. Let's wait and see."
The news of General Zhou being stabbed and injured spread quickly throughout the capital, as if someone had done it on purpose. Along with it, the marriage of Song Shuyi, which had already been hotly discussed, was also publicized.
"Even the murderous General Zhou couldn't stand the evil spirit of Song Shuyi, how could the Gu family bear it? General Zhou is really pitiful. He suffered such revenge for no reason."
"Have you heard? The head of the Gu family has already planned to cancel this marriage. If it weren't for the fact that the eldest son of the Gu family has a deep affection for Miss Song, he might have come to cancel the engagement yesterday."
"Alas, we can't say that the Gu family is disloyal. The status of Miss Song is really quite different from that of Gu Dalang. Not to mention that Miss Song's biological father is a local official, let's just say her uncle who raised her was a general before, but I heard that he can't go to the battlefield anymore. Who can support her? I'm afraid it won't be easy for her to marry into the Gu family. It's better to cancel the engagement."
"Yes, the Zhou family is now in decline, and the identities of the two people are indeed somewhat inconsistent. It's really pitiful that Gu Dalang is so infatuated."
Zhou Leping, who was standing in the corner and heard all these words, was about to crush the cup in his hand. His family was not in decline. His father was injured, and the Zhou family still had him! He could also protect the entire family! And the Gu family was just a family that developed through marriages. How could they compare with them who fought their way up through military merits? The two families were very different. But the one that was looked down upon was definitely the Gu family!
Putting the teacup in his hand heavily on the table, Zhou Leping walked straight towards the general's mansion.
"What? You want to join the army too!" Zhou's mother was shocked. Jing Zhuo had just left, and her son was already clamoring to join the army. "You're not even sixteen yet, why are you making such a fuss now? I think this vacation is too long, and it's giving you some other ideas. Go to school tomorrow!"
Zhou Leping was very serious: "Mom, I will be sixteen next month. I am old enough to join the army. Please let me go to the battlefield!"
"Why are you going to the battlefield at such a young age? You don't know that swords and knives are invisible! Even if you want to go, you have to wait until you are an adult."
"Mom, I don't want to hear people outside say that our general's mansion has collapsed, and I don't want to hear them say bad things about Sister Shuyi. Since Dad can't go to the battlefield in the future, let me go. I will carry our Zhou family's military flag! I want to tell everyone that our Zhou family will always stand up straight in Daliang."
General Zhou, who was standing at the back, finally couldn't help but step forward when he heard his son's words: "Okay, well said. Now that I am stepping down, it's natural for my son to take over! How can our Zhou family let others laugh at us! It's not like we don't have good men in our family! Go, go to the battlefield and win everyone's respect with your own strength, and become the Zhou family and Shuyi's backer with your strength."
Zhou Leping knelt heavily on the ground: "My son obeys your command!"