Chapter 271: Cause and Effect

The kitten was placed next to Jing Wan. Jing Wan used her hand to stroke its fur from head to tail, strangely having a kind of ‘stroking a certain someone’s fur’ feeling.

“Looking at this cat, does wangfei like?” The old woman carried a bit of cautious and reservation, also having that indescribable excitement of meeting a noble personage, very much fitting an ordinary married woman’s status.

Jing Wan nodded, saying with a smile, “Auntie, what is your surname?” Very much having the intention of idly chatting with the old woman.

“This commoner’s husband’s surname is Zhou.” The old woman also had the intention of continuing to chat with Jing Wan. “My old husband has already left, that old thing was that heartless, actually having the eldest son also taken away with him, never mind letting this old woman live as a widow, but to actually also let one send off one’s child……..” As she spoke, her eyes uncontrollably reddened.

“Please ease your grief.” Aside from this, Jing Wan also didn’t know what to say.

The old woman wiped the corner of her eyes, “It’s already been several years, letting wangfei see something shameful. This commoner originally had four sons and a daughter. The one that ran into wangfei earlier was the third son’s eldest daughter, and also the eldest granddaughter. And that woman was the eldest daughter-in-law. Speaking of which, she is also a pitiful person. When eldest son was alive, they didn’t leave behind a single child. In her maiden family, there’s just her older brother and sister-in-law, all harsh people, so one can’t bear to let her go back to suffer hardships either. Originally wanted to let her remarry, but she was unwilling, and all these years, she has served this commoner without compliant nor regret. Old three actually is still well, and with his wife, has a son and daughter, can be considered perfect. Old four’s wife is also about to marry in, just that daughter of mine, that daughter…………..”

Jing Wan inwardly thought, here it comes, this should be the reason.

“………….Wangfei, there’s something you don’t know, our family’s five children, only the daughter is given birth to by this commoner and one’s husband. The four sons are all adopted.

This commoner had been married to him for many years, yet all without a child. Don’t know how many medicine one has eaten, and how many buddhas one has prayed to, but there weren’t any results. He was a docile and filial person, yet unexpectedly shouldered his parent’s pressure and didn’t have this commoner divorced, and it’s also a great fortune that he’s the youngest son. And it was due to this that the sense of guilt in this commoner’s heart wasn’t that heavy.

After the two elders passed away, the brothers divided the family. The other brothers all with the excuse of him not being filial, practically had the two of us kicked out with nothing. We moved away from where we originally lived.

My husband said, it’s also fine if we don’t have children, we can just adopt one, and thus there was our eldest son, who was originally a beggar. Having this start, it just didn’t end. Old two was a child that was kidnapped by kidnappers, and after running away himself, encountered us. Just, at the time, he’d fallen ill, and after waking up, didn’t remember his original home anymore.

Old three was an orphan, and had been met with his paternal uncle and aunt’s harsh treatment and disdain. As for old four, he originally was just a posthumous child. His mother, when giving birth to him, died from a difficult birth.

Dragging along this many children, although tiring, one was still happy from the bottom of one’s heart. Just, never thought that three years later, this commoner would actually get pregnant. This commoner was too happy, and towards the child in one’s stomach, one was extremely careful and attentive, and naturally just neglected the other children. However, they were all very sensible, the older ones looking after the younger ones, and the housework, never once letting this commoner worry about. In fact, for the sake of letting this commoner be able to eat a little better, the eldest one and old two secretly went out to work. At the time, they were just thirteen and eleven. This commoner felt, having these children, even if not one’s own, this lifetime was also worth it.”

Recalling the past, the old woman was somewhat unable to contain her feelings……….

“One time, when my husband was out working, he saved back a person, yet unexpectedly, just that coincidentally, it was old two’s birth father. For old two to be able to return home, we naturally were also happy for him. In order to fondly remember our family’s kindness, after going back, old two just changed his surname, and didn’t change back to his original name. Old two’s family, although wasn’t some high official or noble family, but for us, they were already too high to reach. However, their family were kind and honest people.

We were unwilling to move into their city, but every year, they would all send many things over. Unfortunately, one year, we suddenly lost contact. We were worried so just let eldest one go look, yet what we found out was that something bad had happened to their family, the entire family all dead, and the specifics unclear.

During that period of time, our family was very low-spirited, and afterwards, also encountered human disaster, my husband having gotten beaten by someone. Eldest one went to argue, yet in the end, got beaten to death alive, practically just the heavens collapsing. Old three got schemed against, owing debt, and immediately after, it was meeting with natural disaster, clearly not giving one a way to survive.

And that daughter of mine, her name Ke Xin, very charming and pretty, she got eyed by a bad person, insisting on snatching her away. She was just eleven, practically just devoid of conscience.

Just when the entire family was in utter despair, old two found his way back. He was a perfectly fine child, yet he was like as if he’d turned into another person, taciturn with few words. He immediately went to have that daughter of mine saved back, and although the final outcome wasn’t the worst, we were still a step too late. From that point onward, Ke Xin was just very scared of men. Aside from old two that had saved her, the rest, including her other brothers and father, all unable to come near her. At the time, her father was still lying on the bed, and moreover, his situation increasingly worse, seemingly about to not make it.

And right at this time, old two nevertheless promised, he would wait for Ke Xin to grow up and take her as his wife, just don’t disdain his lonely star[1] fate.

Speaking of which, how can we disdain him, and what lonely star nonsense, just don’t know what exactly happened for him to have become like this.

He originally had a fiancee, but right before the wedding, the bride’s side suddenly had to observe mourning, and so the marriage was postponed. When asked about his fiancee, he just said the engagement was withdrawn.”

Jing Wan quietly listened. This can also be considered to have solved the mystery of why the Great Commander of the Imperial Guards was almost thirty, yet still haven’t married.

“My husband eventually left the mortal realm, and old two, because his family’s matter was still unclear, and fearing he would implicate us, just very rarely contacted us, and every time, it was all very secretive. These last few years, he climbed increasingly higher, but towards us, and towards Ke Xin, he was the same as always. A year ago, we just came to the capital, and originally wanted to have them married, but the current state of affairs wasn’t optimistic. The position old two resided in was special, and he worried that by having us placed on the surface, it would be dangerous. His idea was to wait another year or two, once everything becomes set in stone. We all believed in him, and Ke Xin was also happily waiting to become her second big brother’s wife the whole time, but, but…………..”

(T/N: Kinda interesting that they came to the capital around the same time as Jing Wan.)

Speaking to here, the old woman could no longer hold back, uncontrollably crying.

Encountering this kind of thing, any kind of consoling was all very powerless. Especially when facing a stranger that one was meeting for the first time, one further had no way of consoling. Of course, this was considered a special circumstance.

“Ke Xin just went to the embroidery house once, that’s all, and on normal days, had also frequently gone, so there was nothing to be worry about, but a few days ago, she just went and never came back. By the time we found her, it was already two days later. My daughter, she died so miserably, all over her body, not a single piece of flesh was good. Prior to dying, her two eyes were staring wide open, she died with grievance, died with grievance…………Those animals, animals………..” The old woman covered her face and cried, her entire body shaking.

Jing Wan didn’t say anything, just letting someone go draw water, and once she finishes violently venting out her feelings, let her clean her face.

After calming down, the old woman carried a bit of an apology as she looked to Jing Wan, “To have let wangfei see something shameful.”

“Auntie, no need to mind, this is human nature.”

In a person’s life, the most tragic was losing one’s parent at childhood, losing one’s husband at middle age, and losing one’s child at old age. Jing Wan wasn’t sure whether or not she occupied the first case, but the latter two were also the portrayal of her misery.

“Wangfei was merciful, thus allowed for this commoner to ramble on. Wangfei should understand this commoner’s meaning, right?” The old woman carried eagerness as she spoke.

Jing Wan didn’t pretend to be stupid, directly nodding her head. “There aren’t many that know our wangye’s actual circumstances, and moreover, this kind of person, for the most part, all work for wangye. Let me guess, your family’s old two that you speak of, is he the current Commander of the Imperial Guards, Sir Yu?” Although most likely the case, it was still better to confirm.

Don’t have it where in the end, it was actually a big mistake, each saying words that each assumed the other party understood, but in actuality, nothing more than the cow’s head not matching the horse’s mouth. That will be interesting.

Although the possibility was very low, but still need to guard against the unexpected.

It’s not like cases, where because of some insignificant reasons, it caused the entire plan to crash, didn’t exist.

The old woman nodded her head, “Yes.”

“The people of the capital for the most part all know that Sir Yu doesn’t have a family, just according to his name, know that he’s probably the second oldest in the family, yet turns out there’s actually such a story inside.”

(T/N: In Yu Zhong Qing’s name, 于仲擎, the character ‘仲’ means second among brothers, or second month of a season.)

“Old two is the second oldest in our family, but in his Yu family, he’s the eldest di son. However, for the sake of conforming with his name, the Yu family put out news that in front of him, there was an older brother that died young.”

“So it’s like this, the Yu family is a rather loyal and upright family. However, to be able to raise someone like Sir Yu, this kind of upright and dignified person. Your Zhou family’s contributions similarly cannot go unnoticed.”

“Wangfei over praises.” One’s own child getting praised, leading to one’s own family also getting acknowledged, one naturally was happy inside.

“Although very presumptuous, but, can you tell me, do you know who the other party was?”

Jing Wan although said it relatively tactfully, the old woman still understood, “Old two is limited by his status, so some things, it’s not convenient to investigate, but there is one person’s identity that is certain, and that’s Rui Qinwang’s younger brother-in-law.” Speaking to the end, she carried an endless hatred. If the person was before her, perhaps she would have the other party skinned and torn apart.

Speaking of Rui Qinwang’s younger brother-in-law, Jing Wan just recalled the flower battle last year at the flower market’s Hundred Flower Building. Don’t know if the two were the same person?

(T/N: I really enjoy it when small background characters get pulled out again in unexpected ways, he also had a very short scene meeting with Rui Qinwang at the time.)

If it is, then can only say, this kind of person already surpassed the scope of an ordinary wastrel. Causing the death of an ordinary family’s daughter wasn’t something that can just be swept under by just having money and power, playing around all day, and ignoring one’s proper duties. His father was a cabinet minister of the inner cabinet, busy with vying for power and seizing influence, yet he failed to pay attention to his descendants’ upbringing. Even if he scales the heavens, the Liu family still wouldn’t be able to stand for long on the clouds.

Jing Wan stroked the kitten, and shortly after, had it picked up and handed back to the old woman, “For now, just have this little guy taken back. Presumably that little granddaughter of yours is awfully fond of it, so I won’t take away someone else’s love.”

“Wangfei, you, you, this………..” The old woman’s complexion suddenly changed.

“Don’t misunderstand. On wangye’s side, I will still go talk, and moreover, Sir Yu, as the Commander of the Imperial Guards, how many people all want to fight over for. Now, for him to offer himself up to serve wangye, there’s no reason for wangye to refuse. I myself also can’t bear to see that kind of evildoer either, so this is a win-win situation, and I will certainly fully facilitate.”

“Many thanks wangfei, many thanks wangfei………….” The old woman shed tears of gratitude as she kneeled down to kowtow.

“Quickly get up.” Jing Wan hurriedly reached out to support her.

“This commoner has a presumptuous request, don’t know if one can ask wangye to help have the others all dug out?”

“Okay.”

[1] 天煞孤星 – In the legends, there’s a star called the ‘Heaven’s End star’ or ‘Heavenly Demon star’ (天煞星), translation works either way, ‘煞’ is a weird word. It’s an evil star that brings about disaster, so people with the fate of the ‘Heaven’s End Lonely star’ fate are destined to be alone, because they bring disaster to the people around them. It’s a cursed fate.