nucmednet Chapter 90 Seeking refuge
Chapter 90 Seeking refuge
For Yu Han's sake, her uncle has never agreed to remarry. He is afraid that a second wife will harm Yu Han, so he told her grandmother that they should wait until Yu Han is ten years old and has the ability to protect herself before considering remarriage.
Otherwise, if the stepmother is a woman with a sweet exterior but a bitter heart, even if Yu Han lives in Wuliping, she would have plenty of ways to harm Yu Han if she wanted to. For example, she could bribe the people in Wuliping or Xiaoshitan, or she could take advantage of visiting her grandmother and Yu Han to harm the child.
Grandma found his reasoning reasonable and had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Her son and grandson are both her own flesh and blood; they're equally dear to her. However, she feels more heartache for her young grandson, and she's willing to sacrifice anything for his safe upbringing. But this leaves her son in a precarious position!
Grandma felt sorry for Uncle, and Zisu felt the same way about him.
A grown man, without a single caring relative by his side, with no one to comfort him when he has a minor ailment. Maids and servants are outsiders, they can't replace family. Therefore, every time she comes to the capital, Zisu personally cooks some of her signature dishes for her uncle, bringing him the care and warmth of family.
Every time Zisu personally cooks for Yu Zhe, Yu Zhe feels a warm glow in his heart. The loneliness, sorrow, and exhaustion of struggling alone in Beijing are almost completely dispelled by a few dishes and snacks!
Today, the weather is clear and the moonlight is bright.
After dinner, the uncle and nephew went for a stroll in the street, and when they returned, they sat in the pavilion in the courtyard to enjoy the moon and chat.
Fragrant pears were served with a plate of pastries and a jar of jam.
"What is this?" Yu Zhe asked curiously, pointing at the jar.
Zisu: "Uncle, this is jam I made myself. It tastes especially good when you put it in desserts! Come on, let me show you how."
As she spoke, she picked up a pastry, scooped out a small spoonful of jam, spread it on the pastry, then picked up another pastry and combined it with the jam-covered pastry to make a jam-filled pastry, which she then handed to Yu Zhe: "Uncle, please have a taste!"
Yu Zhe took it, took only one bite, and couldn't help but praise, "Mmm, it tastes excellent, very good!"
Zisu: "This time, I brought thirty jars. I'll leave five jars for my uncle, and I plan to sell the rest to the Good Days Restaurant! Twenty-five jars of jam, plus the secret recipe, should fetch a thousand taels of silver!"
Yu Zhe: "Zisu, don't blame your uncle for being nosy, but don't you and Madam Jiang not get along? In the future, you should keep your distance from Good Days Restaurant. You can sell your jam to other places! The best pastry shop in the capital is called Zhenguofang. I've met the owner once before, and I can introduce you to him!"
Zisu: "Uncle, Good Days Restaurant doesn't belong to Madam Jiang the Second. The owner is the Eldest Princess. Besides, in the entire Jiang family, the only one I don't get along with is Madam Jiang the Second, so she's nothing to be afraid of. The Eldest Princess and I get along quite well, and the Little Princess is also very close to me. It's best to try to maintain these relationships. With the Eldest Princess as my backer, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you'll have a powerful figure willing to lend a hand!"
Indeed, even after being humiliated by the Second Madam, Zisu still insisted on doing business with the Good Days Restaurant primarily because she didn't want to give up the powerful backing of the Eldest Princess. Her uncle had finally gained a foothold in the Dali Temple, and if he severed ties with the Good Days Restaurant, some unscrupulous people might try to make things difficult for him.
Especially Shangguan Zhihua; this woman is a potential danger, and she might bite her uncle at any time, so it's something we really have to be wary of. The Eldest Princess, on the other hand, is Zisu's biggest bargaining chip. Without the Eldest Princess as her backer, how can she possibly fight against Shangguan Zhihua?
Shangguan Zhihua won't give up like this. She will definitely retaliate against Qian Shi and try every means to win Xiao Fan's love and affection. Perhaps, besides being the Crown Prince's wife, she has even greater ambitions.
Yu Zhe sighed deeply: "Alas, it's all my fault. I've become a burden to you. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to suffer like this. You could have cut ties with the Jiang family."
Zisu: "Uncle, you are my own uncle and my support after marriage. It's only natural for us to rely on and help each other. Besides, if the Princess and Uncle Jiang weren't worth associating with, I wouldn't bother to maintain contact with them. So, Uncle, you don't need to feel guilty. It has nothing to do with you."
Yu Zhe: "Good boy, your uncle will work harder and strive to be more successful so that I can become a source of strength for you in the future!"
Zisu: "Okay, then I'll work hard to earn money, and Uncle will work hard to improve himself! Let's work together, and life will definitely get better day by day!"
Yu Zhe: "Yes, Zisu is a good child! Our future will definitely get better day by day! Zisu, don't work too hard. Your uncle is no longer in Yi County, so I don't need so much money. My uncle's salary is enough!"
Zisu: "Uncle, you shouldn't be so frugal. You should make more friends with like-minded colleagues. The more friends you have, the more opportunities you have! Who knows, we might need to ask someone for help someday! Leave the money from selling the jam to you, Uncle. Don't refuse! Otherwise, I'll get angry and never come here again!"
"Alright, Uncle will accept it!" Yu Zhe reluctantly agreed, but he was determined to help Zisu save the money so that he could buy her land and shops as a dowry in the future.
Sigh, this child is so sensible, so sensible that it breaks his heart.
If only my brother-in-law were still here! This child deserves to be loved and protected by her parents.
Brother-in-law! Where are you? Are you still alive? If you are, please show yourself! Zisu has shouldered all the responsibilities of the family!
This child is so pitiful!
Thousands of miles away, in a secluded valley.
Shangguan Mufeng lay on his sickbed, his eyelids twitching inexplicably. Who was talking about him? Was it his wife, or his daughter? Or perhaps, an enemy?
His greatest enemy is Shangguan Chengfeng!
That's right. The reason he fell into the abyss wasn't because of the enemy, nor was it due to his own carelessness; he was forced onto the cliff by the assassin. In the instant he fell, the assassin said, "When you get to hell, don't come after me. I was only hired by your sister-in-law to kill you! The real murderers are you and your sister-in-law!"
Sister-in-law! If it was you who did it, then you must be implicated as well! Otherwise, how could a woman like you hire such a skilled assassin? Hiring such an assassin would cost at least ten thousand taels of silver, wouldn't it?
If he hadn't been saved by the miracle doctor, he would have turned into a pile of dust long ago!
The old doctor walked in: "How are you? How are you feeling today?"
Shangguan Mufeng: "Much better, I can feel my legs again."
The old doctor said, "That's good. As long as you have consciousness, you can stand up."
Hope! Continue to focus on your recovery and don't overthink things, because being anxious won't help and will only hinder your healing!
Shangguan Mufeng: "I understand, thank you, benefactor!"
Many years have passed since then, and he doesn't even know if his wife and daughter are still alive. Knowing his elder brother and sister-in-law's character, they would probably make things difficult for them. He should be grateful if they are given a way to survive!
Zisu arranged to meet Jiang Shichang and his second wife. The three of them met in a private room at the Good Days Restaurant.
When Zisu arrived at the Good Days Restaurant, Jiang Shichang and his second wife were already waiting in the private room for quite some time. Upon seeing Zisu, the second wife said impatiently, "What do you want? Speak quickly and concisely. I don't have time for idle chatter!"
Jiang Shichang was furious and was about to reprimand her when Zisu quickly interjected, "I asked to meet you because Hua'er asked me to persuade Uncle not to hold a grudge against Madam anymore!"
The second wife was annoyed: "Since Hua'er asked you to find her father, why did you call me here too?"
Zisu: "I invited you here, Madam, just to say a few words to you: In this life, whether I am poor or rich, I will never set foot in the Jiang family! Even if all the men in this world were to die, I would not marry Jiang Chun, nor would I covet the status of a daughter-in-law of the Jiang family! Madam, you don't need to hold a grudge against Uncle Jiang for my sake; that would be unfair to Hua'er!"
She's just a little girl, and she cries every day because of her parents' discord! If you truly love your child, then make up quickly; there's no need to keep fighting! I've said my piece. Uncle and Madam, please think it over carefully. I'll take my leave now!
After saying that, he actually got up, left his seat, pushed open the door, and left.
Jiang Shichang and his wife looked at each other in bewilderment.
At this time, the northwestern border was engulfed in war.
Prince Duan, Xiao Hao, as Grand Marshal, personally led 50,000 elite troops deep into the desert to destroy the enemy's stronghold. Originally, everything was arranged perfectly, but unexpectedly, the marching route map was leaked by an internal traitor. On the way back, Prince Duan and his 50,000 elite troops were surrounded by 150,000 enemy soldiers and almost the entire army was wiped out.
Prince Duan's fate is unknown, and his whereabouts are unclear.
When the news reached the capital, the emperor was so angry that he suffered a stroke!
It's important to know that Prince Duan was the Emperor's most beloved nephew, and also the posthumous son of his own brother. Years ago, when he was being hunted down, his younger brother sacrificed his life to take a blow for him. From then on, he treated his brother's eldest son as his own, carefully nurturing and raising him.
More than a decade has passed. The little boy from back then is now a prince in his early twenties, a majestic general, a pillar of the Western Liang Kingdom, and his most trusted right-hand man. Now, he has vanished without a trace, his fate unknown!
This devastating news was too much for the emperor to bear.
Upon learning this, the Empress was so enraged that she fainted. She subsequently fell seriously ill and remained bedridden, on the verge of death.
Consort Mei has suddenly become the person with the highest status in the palace who can manage affairs! At present, no crown prince has been appointed. Consort Mei's eldest son, Prince Qi, is already twenty years old, thirteen years older than the empress's son.
The Empress's eldest son is only seven years old now; he's still a toddler!
Among all the princes, Prince Qi was the one with the highest status!
Consort Mei's maternal family, the Song family, was one of the ten most powerful families in the Western Liang Dynasty. They were wealthy, influential, and powerful, with dozens of members holding official positions in the court. They were Consort Mei's strongest backer. Furthermore, Consort Mei had a younger brother, Song Qiang, who was a fourth-rank general in the Northwest Army.
With Prince Duan's whereabouts unknown, Song Qiang held the highest position in the entire Northwest Army. Song Qiang gained control of the Northwest Army with minimal effort, becoming the provisional Grand Marshal.
Jiang Chun, under Song Qiang's orders, led a hundred elite soldiers deep into the heart of the desert to search for the whereabouts of Prince Duan.
“General, I think Song Qiang is determined to kill you. Otherwise, why would he give such an order?” Jiang Chun’s deputy said with dissatisfaction.
"Forget it, try to think more positively. Otherwise, how can we disobey orders? Everyone, be smart and don't throw your lives away easily. I hope that every one of us can make it back alive!" Jiang Chun said helplessly.
Admittedly, the deputy general's words made a lot of sense. Song Qiang clearly intended to kill him. Sending a hundred men into the heart of the desert was tantamount to suicide. Moreover, in the vast desert, finding out the whereabouts of Prince Duan was like finding a needle in a haystack!
However, Prince Duan was someone he admired, and he was willing to pay the price of his life to find him. He wouldn't hesitate to face anything, even the most arduous journeys, let alone the vast desert.