Ink Burns

Chapter 95: Pledge of Allegiance

There are many interpretations of the word "owl".

For example, the three-eyed owl in the Shan Hai Jing looks like an owl but with three eyes, has ears and makes sounds like a recorder. The three-eyed owl raises its head and opens its mouth to sing while flying swiftly, which shows that it is extremely brave.

He is also known as a brave and heroic person. In the biography of Zhang Liang in the Book of Han, he is described as the most courageous and brave; in the "Yuan Dao" of Huainanzi, he is called the world's bravest person, meaning the most heroic person in the world.

Of course, this is a compliment.

In the vast and long history, this word has more derogatory meanings.

For example, Meng Kang said that owls eat their mothers. In order to provide food for the owls to survive, their mothers run around day and night to feed them. But if the young owls are not full, they will peck at their mothers. The mothers do not move or struggle, so they are unfilial birds.

Similarly, the word "枭" means a bird's head on a tree, which means that after the evil bird was caught, it was beheaded and displayed to the public. The term "枭首" comes from this, which is one of the tortures, hanging the head for public display.

What kind of parents would give their eldest son such an ambiguous word that is both good and evil, both praise and criticism?

Mrs. Zhu's answer was frivolous and casual, revealing contempt and disdain: "When he was born, his mother died, and his uncle's family was destroyed. It can be seen that he is a hard-hearted, unlucky and unfilial bird—"

Madam Zhu raised the corner of her mouth and said, "Before, someone in the capital city called out this name to him, and he whipped him two miles away with a whip."

"Later, everyone stopped calling him that and started calling him by another nickname—"

Madam Zhu and He Wuma covered their lips with handkerchiefs, flirted with their eyebrows, and smiled at each other.

Mad Dog

Shan Yue answered in his heart.

"Mad dog—" Mrs. Zhu suppressed her smile and said the answer out loud.

For some reason, Shan Yue felt a subtle, indistinguishable anger welling up in his chest: Anyone who was named "unfilial bird" by his father in his cradle, anyone who was responsible for the death of his biological mother and the downfall of his uncle's family when he was still a croaking child - it would be hard not to go crazy, right! ?

Shan Yue lowered his head to hide his emotions.

"That mad dog's actions are treacherous and cannot be judged by common sense. Since I have chosen you, I will support you. If he dares to be violent and hurt you, we are both weak women, and we should help each other in the backyard. I will take you to the court to report it. If I don't avenge him and make him lose his official position, we will all be reincarnated as women in vain!"

Madam Zhu used the words "we" and "weak woman" to quickly assign Shanyue to her own camp.

Shan Yue lowered her head and murmured, "Yes, yes. I just don't know what I can do to help Madam."

Madam Zhu curled her lips and smiled: "Don't be in a hurry, let's get married first, and when my Xue family comes to propose marriage, the three letters and six gifts, as well as the matchmaker's betrothal letter are in place, you will know when you marry into my family."

Shan Yue's neck stretched forward and bent, presenting an obedient, slender arc.

The night was deep. Madam Zhu had lived a life of luxury for many years and had not worked hard for a long time. She yawned softly with her slender white fingers covering her lips. "Okay, pack up and go down the mountain tonight. Qiutou has rewarded you. Liu Hezhou just died, and the Liu family may not be able to take care of you. Keeping a caring little girl by your side will save a lot of trouble."

Shanyue hurriedly stood up and said goodbye.

As soon as Shanyue left, He Wuma immediately removed Madam Zhu's makeup and let her hair down in a well-trained manner, and gently removed the red gold peach-shaped hairpin on her peony bun: "You told Mrs. Wen not to pack up and go down the mountain directly, but asked Mrs. Liu to collect the luggage - I am stupid and don't understand what your intention is?"

Madam Zhu squinted her eyes: "What could be her intention? Even if Wen is poor, she still has a decent family background. She can pass herself off as a real person by leaving behind the rags in her bag and dressing up carefully." Madam Zhu's throat uttered sarcasm: "As for Liu, she herself is a big piece of rags."

How many good ones can come out of "Qingfeng"?
In this muddy world, what tricks have they not learned? Some of the girls sent out by other families are even more willing to be lowly than those in brothels!
But this girl sent by the Liu family has no ambition. She is like a lump of dirty dough that can be kneaded or flattened - this is the kind of person she despises the most in her life. Their backs are bent and soft, and they can never stand up straight in their entire lives. They have to rely on others to push them around.

Yeah.

It's better than pairing Wen with that mad dog.

It’s a waste of Wen’s temper.

Madam Zhu thought of herself many years ago, her eyes a little dazed: "Xiao Lian, do you think that Wen Shi and I were somewhat similar when we were young?"

He Wuma, whose name was Xiaolian, spat: "Who is she to compare with you?"

Madam Zhu smiled indifferently: "We can't compare now. In the past, I was worse than her. Her father was a successful candidate in the imperial examination after all. Her family was peaceful and quiet, and both her parents were alive. But I am..."

Madam Zhu was vague about the rest of the story: "If it weren't for Qing Feng, and I had hooked up with Achen's father, I wouldn't know where I would live now."

Maybe he is dead, who knows.

The place she originally lived in was the most torturous. Very few girls could live past the age of 40, and even fewer died of natural causes.
At that time, she had the same temperament as Wen. No matter life or death, good or bad, she always put all her effort into climbing up. The moment she climbed out of the world would count, and the moment she took her last breath would also count.

He Wuma shook Madam Zhu's shoulders and said, "Don't think about it. Don't think about it. We have made it through."

I deliberately picked out some happy things to say: "When Brother Chen passes the imperial examination and marries the younger sister of the Chang family, that mad dog will be driven out of the house completely. Then you can happily become an old feudal lord. By then, you will be surrounded by children and grandchildren, and you will be so happy that you will be at a loss every day!"

Madam Zhu bumped He Wuma's arm and said, "I'm only in my early forties, how can I be an old noble?!"

Thinking of another difficult matter, Madam Zhu changed the subject: "I don't know how Brother Chen's father can persuade that mad dog to agree to marry. If that mad dog gets stubborn and firmly disagrees, all our work will be in vain! This matter needs to be done quickly. The little princess of the Kangning County Prince's family will soon be in mourning. If that mad dog is allowed to marry the Kangning County Prince, the Xue family and our family of three will all be in trouble!"

He Wuma immediately soothed her in a gentle voice: "Master is a down-to-earth person. If he says it's okay, then he must have a back-up plan. He will make that mad dog submit."

Mrs. Zhu smiled and nodded slowly.

Shanyue turned back to her room. Qiutou was packing her bags with her back to her. She was startled by the sound of "clang" on the porch. She turned around and found that it was Shanyue. She breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You are finally back!"

Shan Yue poured himself a large cup of tea, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp. His eyes fell on the empty cabinet and he asked casually, "Are you done cleaning up?"

Qiu Tao wiped her eyes and said, "I don't have that many things to begin with." She picked up the bundle and said, "Yours and mine are all here!"

Qiu Tao knelt on her knees with a cry and kowtowed three times: "I will never forget your kindness in not killing me and saving my life. From now on, if you want me to die, I will never live in vain!"

After Shan Yue poured another cup of tea and drank it, he felt his throat moisten. He lowered his eyes and said casually, "Why should I let you die if I'm fine?"

"Rather than asking you to die, I would rather ask you to change your clothes—"

Shan Yue pointed his index finger at the hem of Qiu Tao's skirt: "There's a big pool of blood on it. It wasn't there when you came out of the hall. You just came back from the mass grave in the back mountain, right? Did Wen's maid die in the end?"

(End of this chapter)