"You finally know to come back?" Old Master Zhu glared at his eldest son and daughter-in-law walking side-by-side, his anger boiling.
"Yes, we're back. It seems you couldn't solve the problem alone. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, before we returned, we went to the Grand Tutor's mansion and handed Zhu Chenxing over to the Grand Tutor for handling."
"How could you hand him over to the Grand Tutor? If he falls into his hands, will Chenxing still be alive? He's your brother, how could you send him to his death?"
Master Zhu watched his son speak with an air of indifference, his words almost making him leap three feet in the air. Although he also resented his son's foolishness, that was still his son, someone he had once placed great hope in.
"Oh, then go to the Grand Tutor's mansion and ask for him back. Pack your things and return to your ancestral home. Hide in the deep mountains for a lifetime, perhaps the Grand Tutor won't find you, and you can preserve your life." Zhu Yuxuan paid no attention to his father's fury. Since his father resented him for ruining his plans, he could deal with it himself.
"You... what do you mean? Do you think you could live a life with servants galore without the Zhu family?" Old Master Zhu angrily extended his hand, trembling as he pointed at his son, feeling his eldest son was becoming increasingly disobedient and beyond his control.
"Are you trying to kick me out of the Zhu family? Fine, quickly get the genealogy book, strike my name out, and then we'll go to the county yamen to write a letter of severance. From now on, we'll go our separate ways." Zhu Yuxuan couldn't wait to sever ties with him. Anyway, this father was dispensable to the original host. The original host had been seriously ill before, and not only had he not noticed anything strange, but he probably knew and turned a blind eye.
"If you don't drive me away, I'll take charge of this household? I can't live as well as you and your wife. You need to think clearly. You're not old, and I heard one of the concubines in your chambers is pregnant. She might give you a big healthy boy, and you can start nurturing him from a young age." Zhu Yuxuan incited.
"What nonsense are you speaking? Go back to your room and rest." Honestly, Old Master Zhu was tempted. Looking at his eldest son's disobedient demeanor, he felt he had no one to rely on in his old age. It was still not too late to nurture another.
Zhu Yuxuan sneered, pulled Wu Caiwei's hand, and turned to leave. Only the two mistresses remained in the mansion. Madam Zhu was already bedridden, and her illness was worsening, making it impossible for her to manage affairs. The management power could only fall to Wu Caiwei.
The first thing Wu Caiwei did after obtaining the account book was to move Madam Zhu to the most remote courtyard in the back, assigning only one maid to attend her.
Madam Zhu never expected that in her old age, she would end up in such a predicament. Lying on the worn-out bed, feeling the cold wind whistling in from all sides, sorrow welled up within her. Especially when she heard the maid say that her own son had killed his sister-in-law and was captured by the Grand Tutor's mansion. She wanted to see her husband, but he wouldn't see her. Thinking of the despair of waiting for help from her son, her heart ached unbearably.
That was her son, whom she carried for ten months and had searched for for over a decade! He couldn't just disappear.
Don't blame her for being heartless. She pulled out a few hairpins and stuffed them into the maid's embrace, enticing her, "If you help me with one thing, all of these will be yours. Give this jade pendant to your master and tell him that if he doesn't come to see me, I will spread the word about all the good deeds he has done."
The maid hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Although it was risky for the madam to ask her to deliver a message, the thought of receiving so much money made her smile in her dreams. After all, she came from a poor family and was sold because her family was in dire straits. If she could take this money back to improve her family's life, perhaps there would even be money to redeem herself after the madam passed away.
Otherwise, as a newly arrived maid with no deep roots, after the madam's death, she would likely be relegated to the lowest-ranking cleaning maids, and might even become an object of ostracism by others because she had served the madam. She had to consider her own future.
When Old Master Zhu heard this, he looked at her with a dark expression, "Are there any other instructions?"
The maid, seeing her master's ferocious gaze, was startled and unconsciously took a few steps back, stammering, "No... no."
Old Master Zhu waved her away and let her go. After a moment of silence, he slowly walked towards the small courtyard from his memory.
The further he walked, the colder his heart became. No wonder the madam was desperate. If Wu Caiwei treated the madam this way just after gaining control of the household, would she treat him the same way in a few days? At this moment, Old Master Zhu felt a chill.
He also recalled Zhu Yuxuan's words, perhaps he could really nurture another son. However, this matter would have to wait.
Pushing open the dilapidated courtyard gate, he saw the grass had grown to a person's height. Entering the house, he didn't feel any warmer. No matter how much he resented Madam Zhu, he still had feelings for her, otherwise, would they have been entangled for so many years?
She was suffering such hardship while he was still alive. His resentment towards her instantly lessened, and he felt she had no choice but to threaten him.
When he reached her bedside, he could speak to her calmly, "I know what you want to say, nothing more than for me to save someone. Let alone 'a life for a life,' the Zhu family is like an egg hitting a rock when facing the Grand Tutor's family. If they let the Zhu family off, it would be good enough, how could they possibly let Chenxing go?"
"But he is my only son in this life. We don't want any future, any wealth, we just want him to be safe. Please help me." As she spoke, Madam Zhu couldn't help but shed tears. She knew her own health; her time was running out. She just wanted him to live well. Su Dan Novel Network.
"It's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that I can't. By the way, don't tell Yuxuan about those things either. I plan to expel him from the mansion tomorrow and sever father-son ties. From now on, I will manage the mansion again. I will move you back to the main courtyard tomorrow." In Old Master Zhu's mind, his wife was much more reliable than his eldest son. He shared this idea with her first.
Madam Zhu's heart turned to ashes. What good was a better condition? It wouldn't cure her illness.
After Old Master Zhu left, she thought for a moment and then instructed the little maid to invite Wu Caiwei over, saying she had something important to tell her, something related to Zhu Yuxuan's mother.
Wu Caiwei soon arrived and stood by the bed, quietly observing her. Madam Zhu looked at her luxurious attire, and a hint of jealousy gradually appeared in her eyes. She never expected this country woman to win in the end.
"If you don't say it soon, I'm leaving." Even if she didn't say it, Wu Caiwei could guess that Zhu Yuxuan's mother's death was related to Old Master Zhu. But Madam Zhu scrutinized her from head to toe with a malicious gaze, making Wu Caiwei feel uncomfortable and unwilling to entangle with her further.