Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 437 Shen Zhui
When Lu Jia's daughter turned 100 days old, Shen Zhui presented her with a heavy gold lock, which no one would see. Inside the lock, a poem was engraved:

"A purple aura leads the way for the green ox before the carriage, and a newborn phoenix sings in the sky."

This is a poem by his grandfather.

That upright official who was murdered in prison by Yan Song many years ago.

The poem was written by my grandfather and given to a close friend, expressing his best wishes.

Shen Zhui couldn't write such good poetry himself, so he could only borrow his grandfather's pen. He also hoped his little niece would be blessed by heaven and have a happy and fulfilling life.

The reason he engraved it inside the gold lock was because no one knew that he had already learned about his origins.

After the Yan family fell, the world was in turmoil for a while.

Shen Zhui originally thought these were matters of the imperial court and had nothing to do with him.

Unexpectedly, on that day, my father and Uncle Lu worked together to overturn the Yang family's case from many years ago.

It was precisely because Shen Zhui was a free man that he had the time to pay attention to these things.

From the case details released by the imperial court, he learned that the Yang family was both admirable and pitiful.

They were clearly just gentle civil officials, but they also possessed unyielding integrity.

So when his father led him to kneel and pay respects at Yang Gong's tomb, he obediently went and sincerely addressed him as "Grandfather".

Even the biggest storms eventually subside.

A few months later, the Yang family's case was gradually replaced by new topics.

But on that day, as he passed by the small garden, he saw his father, elder brother, and Lu Jia sitting in the pavilion drinking tea.

They all looked very serious.

This was common before the Yan family fell from power, but it is now rarely seen.

So, on a whim, he quietly hid in the flower bushes under the pavilion.

Then he learned about his own background.

"In the letter Yang Gong left me before his death, he emphasized that he wanted me to raise him well and ensure he could live a peaceful life. His mother said the same thing..."

Shen Zhui was completely stunned at that moment.

Even if he was stupid, he could guess what the Yang family had to do with him.

His inner impulse almost made him rush out to find out what was going on, but at this moment his brother spoke up: "Having entered the Shen family and even bowed to the lady of the Shen family as your mother, you are a member of the Shen family."

His voice was as calm as ever.

But the heat made Shen Zhui's nose sting.

He never received his brother's approval, and he thought he would never see that day.

He stopped walking.

That day, he hid in a flower bush as tall as a person for an entire afternoon.

Later, when his father and brothers devoted all their energy to assisting the crown prince in reforming the court, he picked up all the details of the Yang family's past.

He spent half a year collecting all the poems and writings left by his grandfather.

With those old words, the interrupted family memories finally began to take shape in my mind.

It is truly sad that he is not a member of the revered Shen family.

But he also has a proud and unyielding grandfather, which is something to be proud of.

Three days after his niece's 100-day celebration, he came to see the little one again.

After three months of training, he is now very skilled at holding a baby.

"Sister Lu, I need some money."

Lu Jia looked at him curiously: "Okay, how much do you want? What are you going to use it for?"

"I asked General Qin for an official position and was appointed as a centurion in the Northwest for one year."

“But haven’t you been studying hard lately? You’ve already passed the county-level exam. Mr. Zhang said you’re getting into the swing of things, and given time, even if you don’t pass the imperial exam, you’ll definitely become a junior scholar.”

Shen Zhui looked into his little niece's bright, round eyes and poked her dimples: "I'll go for a year, and when I come back, I'll study hard. I just miss it there."

He missed his mother.

Although it left no impression at all.

After a moment of silence, Lu Jia decisively said, "Okay."

Three days later, he set off for the Northwest.

After reporting for duty, he immediately went to his mother's grave.

A tombstone has been erected on the grave, inscribed with "Tomb of Lady Li of the Yang Family." The tomb has been renovated according to the standards for a posthumously conferred third-rank imperial title after her rehabilitation.

These must have all been done by someone secretly arranged by the father.

My mother was born into a military family. After marrying my father, who was the second son in the Yang family, my maternal grandfather died in battle on the border.

That year, when the imperial edict was issued, Yan Shu personally oversaw the case. My grandmother and aunt were tortured to death, while my mother survived until she was thrown into the moat, thanks to her ability to protect herself.

It was fate that she was destined to die. After the servants of the Yang family, who had been following the Yan family, left, they immediately rescued her. With that last breath, she survived her injuries and, with the help of these loyal servants, finally arrived in the Northwest.

She faced numerous life-threatening situations along the way and only managed to hold on until delivery after she had exhausted all her strength.

He was born just as his mother was dying.

While inquiring about these things, he heard from the people who were with his father that before her death, his mother thought about how General Shen, his wife, and their young son were suffering in the capital, while she had to teach him to raise her infant child. She asked his father to write a letter to his wife to explain the situation, but his father was targeted as soon as the letter was sent.

Fearing that the news would leak out, the letter was never written again.

When the news of his wife's tragic death reached the Northwest, this man, who had never yielded in the face of thousands of enemy troops, knelt in the yellow sand and wept.

He probably will never be able to forgive himself.
Shen Zhui thought that he had benefited greatly, his mother had exhausted herself for him and died prematurely, and his adoptive father had hurt his wife and elder brother for his sake. He had no right to judge his elders.

All he could do was dedicate his life to protecting the Shen family and repaying this kindness on behalf of the Yang family. If his grandfather were still alive, he would surely feel gratified and wouldn't be so concerned about what his surname was.

After kneeling and bowing, he covered his mother's grave with a handful of soil he had brought from his father's grave in the capital.

This stretch of yellow sand was also my maternal grandfather's final resting place.

My mother, who has always admired her maternal grandfather, will find comfort in being here with him and her father.

Having accomplished all this, he felt much more at peace.

After that, I would come to pay my respects whenever I had free time.

As he visited more often, people from the nearby villages gradually came to know him.

Knowing that he was the son of Grand Commandant Shen and a descendant of Lord Yang, they would take the initiative to prepare wine for him or prepare tributes for him in advance.

Shen Zhui had no intention of taking advantage of them. Seeing that most of them, who lived on the border year-round, were illiterate, he simply built a simple private school, gathered children of the right age, and taught them to read and recognize characters.

On the Double Ninth Festival of that year, just as he was carrying his books and planning to return to the military camp, he met Mei Yingxue here.

He never expected that after being scared by Sister Lu with a brick that year, he would be beaten up by this fierce woman again.

Mei Yingxue was the daughter of Mei Cong, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Surprised?
A young lady from a scholarly family actually ran away to the border.

A young lady from a scholarly family who had run away to the border region beat him up because he stepped on a cat's tail.

Many years later, when Shen Zhui woke up in the middle of the night and remembered this incident, he would wake up his bedmate and immediately give him a good scolding.

The story needs to be told from the beginning.

That day, there was only one month left before I was to return to Beijing.

Father has already had Mr. Yi write the thirty-third letter, asking the matchmaker if he is willing to be introduced to any of the girls in the letter. Does he have any thoughts on this?

He had no thoughts at all. Every time he thought about how his older brother would glare at any bird that came within three zhang of them when he was with his sister-in-law, Shen Zhui thought it was too neurotic.

Romantic relationships are probably not for him.

But he also knew that settling down and starting a family was the right thing to do.

One cannot disobey one's parents' orders.

So the marriage still has to happen.

But in his letter, Mr. Yi listed at least a dozen women, each with an excellent family background, and all of them appeared to be intelligent and beautiful.

Which one should I choose?

Shen Zhui felt that the choice should definitely be someone approved by his father and sister-in-law.

Which one will the father and sister-in-law approve of?

As he was engrossed in his thoughts, he suddenly heard a scream beside him.

He was startled.

Then came an even more terrifying scream.

"Mimi!"

A person suddenly appeared from the side and pounced like a monkey towards a certain spot in front.

By the time Shen Zhui realized it was a person, and a rather pretty girl who seemed to come from a well-off family, the girl was holding a meowing cat in her left arm and had already punched his arm with her right fist.

"You're such a big person, and this is such a small cat, and it's injured. You stepped on it once and then stepped on it twice. You're inhuman!"

Shen Zhui was punched for no reason and protested, "When did I step on it? Don't make false accusations!"

The girl pointed aggressively at the ground beneath his feet: "You still say you didn't step on it? Look for yourself!"

There was a smear of blood on his shoe, and it had come down from the sole of his foot.

He was filled with panic: "I didn't see it!"

"You're still trying to deny it!" The brat punched him in the back several times, then stomped on his instep and pushed him down: "Does it hurt when I step on you? Does it hurt when I step on you?"

It didn't hurt at all.

Whether you hit him or step on him, it's like tickling him.

But Shen Zhui could not bear such humiliation.

It's just a cat.

He stepped on it, so why doesn't he just take it home and get it treated by a vet?
So he snatched the cat away and stormed off.

Qin Qian is now a border general who has been transferred here. After bandaging the kitten at night, he invited Shen Zhui to his general's mansion for dinner.

"General Tong's niece has arrived. I'm an old acquaintance of theirs, and the Grand Commandant is also quite familiar with them. So I've prepared a small banquet so we can all get to know each other later."

Whenever there's a social event, Brother Qin always invites him along; this is quite common.

Today, however, she gave him another instruction: "The young lady who has come is a pampered young lady from the capital. She comes from a very good family and is a scholarly family. Ah Zhui, you must be gentle with her."

Shen Zhui agreed.

When the guests arrived, Qin Qian led him to greet them.

As soon as he stepped onto the porch, he and the delicate young lady stared at each other in disbelief. Then, with reddened eyes, she exclaimed, "So it's you! You cold-blooded bastard!"

Faced with the two generals who were looking at him with curiosity, Shen Zhui was speechless.

Worse still, she started crying: "Uncle, he's the one who hurt my kitten and took it away! Now the kitten is nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead!"

General Tong coughed: "A-Zhui..."

Ah-Zhui jumped up: "What do you mean, 'dead without a trace'? I'll take you to see him right now!"

She burst into tears: "He really killed it!"

Shen Zhui stared in disbelief at her, who was crying her eyes out.

Wasn't she said to come from a prestigious family?

Wasn't it supposed to be a family of scholars?
Wasn't she supposed to be a pampered young lady?
This is no more ferocious than a wolf, so where is the cuteness?

Of course, Shen Zhui couldn't resist Miss Jiao Jiao's hoarse voice, so he took her to see the kitten holding up a leg wrapped up like a clasp, burying its head in gnawing on meat.

Later, Qin Qian told him that the girl's name was Mei Yingxue, and that she had come with her maternal grandfather and cousin to visit her uncle.

Shen Zhui found the name somewhat familiar, and upon returning, he opened the letter Mr. Yi had given him and found the name on the first line of the list!

He thought Qin Qian's evaluation of this brat was already outrageous enough, but the description of her in the letter was ten times more outrageous!
He said this girl is gentle and quiet, virtuous and kind, well-read, kind and honest. But do you think this is acceptable?
This is written like a storyteller!
He admitted he wasn't well-educated and wasn't so easily fooled. He acknowledged his kindness and integrity, but where was his gentleness and quietness? Where was his virtue and gentleness?
Shen Zhui was angry for three days.

Then I replied to Mr. Yi.

The letter contained only one sentence: Anyone but Mei Yingxue will do.

Just as I finished writing, the limping kitten strolled over, its little paws stepping across the inkstone and landing on the last character, "行" (xing).

The servant packed the letter and sent it out. Upon receiving it, Grand Commandant Shen and Lu Jia and their entourage unanimously agreed: "Although the last words were blurred, doesn't he mean that he will marry no one but you?"

"Hmm, this kid is a bit slow-witted, but he has good taste! Miss Mei and he are a match made in heaven!"

"Alright! Let's get the wedding arrangements started!"

Meanwhile, Shen Zhui was still hiding from that fierce woman in the camp every day.

The kitten stayed with him for three days before being taken back.

Who knew it would start running this way every day? Shen couldn't chase it away no matter what. Reluctantly, he had no choice but to buy it a food bowl and a water bowl, and go to the desert every day to find sand for it to play with.

The tablecloth in the room was torn into strips. At first, Shen Zhui tried to scare it, but it didn't work. Later, he could only pretend he didn't see it.

None of this matters.

He could tolerate all of that. But he couldn't tolerate Mei Yingxue coming over every day to look for the cat.

At first, she seemed normal, always wearing a grumpy face. But when he added food and water bowls, she ran over to check; when he added sand, she ran over to check again.

Later, he specially pasted some burlap on the wall for the kitten to scratch, and she silently squatted next to the burlap for a long time.

That day, she curiously asked him his age, and then curiously followed him to the camp to watch horseback riding. Later, even her voice sounded like a kitten's!

This isn't normal, is it?

Even stranger!
Later, she even started sending him homemade snacks!
One day, she even awkwardly tossed him a brand new pair of insoles! Then she ran away as if fleeing.

Has she seen a ghost?
Ah-Zhui was terrified.

This girl was scary enough even before she went crazy.

If she goes crazy, what will happen?

Shen Zhui didn't sleep for three days.

With only three days left before returning to the capital, he packed his bags in advance, ready to make his escape as soon as the time came!
It's safest to go home. There's my kind father, my capable brother, my gentle sister Lu, and my adorable little niece!
He returned to the mansion as quickly as possible.

On the day he arrived home, his father and brothers went to the Imperial Observatory to ask for an auspicious day to propose marriage.

Upon hearing the words "marriage proposal," a figure suddenly flashed through his mind, piercing him like a knife.

He leaned closer and asked cautiously, "Who is the bride?"

Lu Jia tapped his arm with her fan: "Have you gone mad from staying at the border? Didn't you choose this person yourself?"

"Who is it?"

"The second young lady of the Mei family, her maiden name is Yingxue!"

"..."