Chapter 88: Unwilling

  Although Wang Ying is not exactly an enemy of Xia Er Fang, because he helped Xia Chang Fang escape punishment, he can also be considered an enemy of Xia Er Fang. If Lu Da Shou only stole the master's property and sold it for money, considering the loyalty of Lu Mama and her husband, Zhang Shi Zu Sun could still show leniency. However, if he colluded with Xia Er Fang's enemies, that would be a betrayal from within, which no master could tolerate.

  Lu Changxiu and Lu Mama both knew this clearly.

  Lu's mother fell to the ground with a thud and trembled, saying: "Old lady is wise, that child... even if he was foolish, it's impossible for him to do such a thing. Besides, what kind of person is King Ying? How could he take a liking to him? Perhaps he sold the things to an outside shop, and someone else bought the screen from the shop and gave it to King Ying?"

  Lu Changxiu also knelt silently beside his wife, but straightened his back and lowered his head without speaking.

  Zhao Wei looked at him: "What does Uncle Lu think? Do you also think it's a coincidence?"

  Lu Changxiu's eyes flashed with surprise, and he quickly lowered his head even further: "I don't know... what kind of person is that kid? The people in the Wang estate wouldn't even look at him. Even if we assume he really has a connection to the Wang estate, what could he possibly do? He's been living in the capital for five years and doesn't know anything about family matters. As for the things in Old Lady's storage room, aside from the kang screen, nothing is missing. Could it be that he's trying to curry favor with the Wang estate just to give them a kang screen?"

  Zhao Wei smiled slightly: "Indeed, it can't be said to make sense, but if he wanted to fawn on the small main house instead of the Ying Wang Fu, this statement might not necessarily be nonsense."

  Lu's mother was shocked: "What?!" Lu Changxiu's face turned even paler: "This...this...did that bastard say this?"

  "He wasn't confessing to us, but rather let it slip when talking to his wife in private. She was scared and didn't want to be with him anymore, so she came to me for help. I allowed her to return to her parents' home, and she told me everything he said. Although I don't know when he started being pulled in by Xiaochangfang, Xiaochangfang wanted to give gifts to Princess Ying, and found out that she liked jade stone carvings. However, he was short on money and didn't know where to get them. Since we hadn't returned to the capital in years, he remembered seeing some jade stone carvings in our warehouse during the robbery. He bought off Dasui and stole a screen from us. I heard that Xiaochangfang's gift-giving earned him some face at Princess Ying's residence, and he was overjoyed. He even rewarded Dasui with a high-ranking title and promised that when Xiaochangfang took over the Junnanhou estate again, he would help Dasui get rid of his official slave status and give him a sum of money to settle down."

  Lu's mother's face changed, and she looked at her husband with a surprised and uncertain expression. Lu Changxiu's face was extremely ugly, and he didn't dare to move or make a sound as he lowered his head.

  "Uncle Lu, why would you have such thoughts?! Your family has been with ours for generations, who has wronged you? Your son wants to get rid of his status as a government slave every day, and is willing to betray his master to do so?! It's not like our family turned you into government slaves. Is it not the karma of your ancestors?! When the Qing army entered the capital, if it was just for survival, they would have surrendered and that would be it. After the fact, even the Taizu Emperor wouldn't make things difficult for them, at most they would just be sent back to their hometowns. Only those who helped the enemy and harmed their own people would be demoted to government slaves. You bear this identity, but in the Zhao household you still eat well, dress well, read books, and recognize characters, no one beats or scolds you from dawn till dusk. Your son, except for that year when he was driven out of the mansion by Xiaolongfang and suffered a bit, his food, clothing, and living expenses are not inferior to those of children in ordinary families outside. How much dissatisfaction does he have, that he can forget the hardships he suffered back then, and forget the kindness of his master over the years?!"

  If Lu Dasou was wrong for other reasons, it could be said that he was a young man who lacked parental guidance and made mistakes, but because of his birth, he had a grudge in his heart. As the father, Lu Changxiu had an inescapable responsibility. Moreover, when Lu Dasou whispered to his wife, he boasted about his family's ancestral glory, which was a high-ranking official in the previous dynasty decades ago. Except for their branch being demoted to official slaves due to their grandfather's mistake, other relatives were still doing well as scholars and officials in their hometown, with many passing the imperial examination and becoming officials, some even reaching the rank of fourth-grade official. Lu Dasou had heard his father Lu Changxiu talk about their ancestors' glory since he was young, and the greatest wish for both father and son was to get rid of their status as official slaves and become respectable scholars or at least a family of farmers and readers. That's why he couldn't resist the conditions proposed by Xiao Zhangfang, and even if they were reused in Xiao Erfang, they were still official slaves, far less attractive than the identity of wealthy households.

  Facing Zhao Wei's questioning, Lu Changxiu remained silent, and Lu's mother saw the situation, her body swaying even more. As a couple of over 20 years, even if Lu Changxiu was very careful to conceal himself in front of her before, after their children were born one after another, he had fewer reservations, so she knew very well that her husband really missed the glory of his ancestors and hoped to get rid of his official slave status and revive his family. Therefore, she was very strict with her sons' upbringing, almost as if she were cultivating scholars, requiring them to learn the Four Books and Five Classics from a young age, even if they could only be bookboys for the young master. Sometimes when they quarreled, he would insult her maid status in a moment of anger.

  But all of this is just empty talk!

  Lu's mother was clear in her mind that her husband could never become a good citizen, and when she agreed to marry him, she had already given up the possibility of becoming a good person. But she never thought that he would instill such ideas in their eldest son privately, what about Bi Lian? What about Xiao Man? Did he also teach them like this? Da Shou colluded with Xiao Changfang, was he really unaware?!

  Looking at Lu's mother's reaction, Zhang's mood was also very complicated. She regretted marrying her loyal maid to Lu Changxiu back then. At that time, she saw that Lu Changxiu was literate, intelligent, and had a gentle temperament, with a pretty and elegant appearance. Her loyal maid liked him in her heart and came to ask for his hand in marriage, so she agreed to their union. How could she have known that Lu Changxiu had been harboring such thoughts all along?

  Lu's mother was a peasant girl who sold herself to the Zhang family as a maid. She grew up with her from a young age and accompanied her when she married into the Duke of Nan's mansion, where she became her most trusted confidante. In terms of status and position, Lu Changxiu far surpassed Lu Mama's humble origins as an official slave. When they got married, many people said that Lu Mama was marrying down. Zhang also believed that supporting their union was a great favor to him. But looking back now, it seems that Lu Changxiu may have been from a wealthy family that fell on hard times and was demoted to slavery, perhaps still remembering the luxury of his childhood. Did he ever look down on Lu Mama? After marrying her, he quickly became a minor official in the Duke's mansion and rose through the ranks step by step. Was his pursuit of this marriage also motivated by a desire to use Lu Mama for his own gain?

  Everyone's eyes were focused on Lu Changxiu. He shifted uncomfortably, suddenly bowed his head and knocked his forehead against the ground: "Old madam, Wei Dage. Eldest Miss. This is all my fault. I... have never been able to forget that our ancestors were also from a family of scholars and officials, although I am clear in my heart that it is impossible to shake off this identity as a servant, but there has always been a glimmer of hope in my heart, perhaps one day...". He lifted his sleeve to gently wipe away tears: "I can read and write, do arithmetic, so I was favored by the old madam. For the few children, I have also strictly taught them to be diligent in their studies and learn etiquette. When they couldn't bear it anymore, they would ask me why as a servant I had to learn so many things, I would use our ancestors' stories to teach them, so that they wouldn't bring shame to our ancestors. My intention was only to urge them to make progress, never did I expect that Dashi would take the wrong path..."

  He put down his sleeves, revealing the clear tear marks on his face, and seemed to be holding back his grief: "I dare not deceive you, madam. That year when I was transporting goods to Beijing, Da Shou mentioned that Xiao Changfang was trying to win him over. I scolded him at the time, and he agreed, but I didn't think he would bring it up again... If only I had known, I should have reported this matter to you back then. But because of my momentary selfishness, I hid it, which led to such a result, harming both our master's household and Da Shou..."

  He spoke with a heavy heart, and his words were quite sincere. After listening to him, Zhang Shi and Zhao Wei's faces both eased up a lot, and after careful consideration, they felt that what he said might be true. Lu Changxiu was the son of an official family, so it was normal for him to feel resentful. However, over the years, he had been loyal and dedicated in his position as a small second-in-command. If he were to collude with the small third room, then there would have been no secrets between them by now. For the sake of his son, hiding the truth about what happened back then was also a common human emotion. As long as the couple had not betrayed their master, everything could be easily explained.

  Unlike her grandmother and brother's reaction, Zhao Xuan was shocked from head to toe, but at this time she stared at Lu Changxiu tightly, and then went to see Lu Mama's reaction.

  Lu's mother was also looking at her husband, with an inexplicable expression in her eyes. She seemed to be very sad too, but she didn't refute her husband's words. For some reason, Zhao Xuan always felt that she didn't quite believe what Lu Changxiu said.

  Zhao Xuan slightly furrowed her brow. Both Lu Changxiu and his mother were Zhang Shi's right-hand men. For many years, the second branch of the family had been relying on their help to handle household matters. After her grandmother and brother left for the capital a few months ago, Zhao Xuan took charge of the household, also with their assistance. She still had several plans that required their support to implement, but now it seemed that putting them off for a while would be better.

  Lu's mother is naturally trustworthy, but the other Lu family members are not necessarily so. Lu Dajiu is the first one who can't be trusted, and his wife doesn't even need to be mentioned. Lu Changxiu seems to have her own little thoughts too, Bi Lian and Xiao Man... They are all people around Zhao Wei and Zhao Xun, if they harbor evil intentions, the consequences would be unthinkable. Zhao Xun can understand their desire for freedom as official slaves who don't recognize their fate, but do they need to betray and sell out their good masters in order to regain their freedom? What kind of glory are they talking about restoring, the glory of being a traitor?

  Zhao Xun glanced at Zhang Shi, thinking to herself whether she should advise her grandmother and cultivate a few more loyal and capable housekeepers. At the very least, she couldn't let Lu Changxiu continue to dominate the second house.

  Lu Changxiu admitted his mistake, and Lu's mother was heartbroken again. Zhang Shi took pity on her and softened her stance. She finally agreed to let them take their son back home. As for the daughter-in-law, they might as well divorce her anyway. The matter had blown up to this point, and it was impossible for the couple to be together anymore. Lu Dashi had committed a grave error, so he couldn't be given any more tasks, and his monthly allowance would also be deducted. He should stay at home and reflect on his actions for a year or two before anything else could be said.

  Lu Changxiu and Lu's mother both kowtowed to Zhang's family, thanked them for their kindness, and then led their son back home with trepidation. Lu Dasou had suffered a lot on this journey, losing weight and becoming thinner. When Lu's mother saw him, she felt some heartache, but thinking of what her son had done, she was furious and slapped him: "You've done a great job! You've disgraced your parents!"

  Lu Dajiu saw his parents and heard that he could go home, so he let out a sigh of relief. Just then, he was slapped on the ear and suddenly felt dizzy: "Mother, at least listen to my explanation!"

  "What else can you say for yourself?!" Lu's mother scolded him, "You've done such a shameful thing, and now you're trying to justify it?!"

  "Alright, stop arguing!" Lu Changxiu coldly scolded his wife and children, vigilantly glancing around, "Are you afraid others will laugh at us for being ignorant?!"

  Lu's mother gave him a glance, didn't say a word, grabbed her son's ear and pulled him home. Lu Dashi cried out in pain all the way: "Mother! Mother! Let go quickly, let go quickly! My ears are going to fall off!"

  As soon as they got home and the door was closed, Lu's mother let go of his ear, and Lu Dashou jumped far away: "Mother, talk about reason! If you ruin my ears, I'll become a useless person. Who will support you in the future?" He also asked his father: "Father, help me say something!"

  Lu Changxiu responded with an even louder slap: "You beast, what nonsense are you spouting?!"