Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 179 Hiding something
A grand "family discipline" was thus raised high and then gently lowered.

After exchanging greetings, Shentu Zhuo and Tan Huai Ke left one after the other. The old lady sat at the head of the main room, only able to sigh helplessly. Liao Ao came in to serve her and, seeing tears in her eyes, anxiously asked, "Your Majesty, what has happened? Could it be that the Tan family girl, relying on her growing power, truly no longer respects you?"

The old lady had been by her side for decades and knew that she was worried about her. However, she was ultimately limited by her own perspective and often failed to see through the coldness and warmth of the world. Sometimes, she would even take matters into her own hands under the guise of standing up for her.

Although she hadn't personally instructed Aunt Liao to make things difficult for Heng'er's new bride, she had seen it all. However, whenever she saw the Tan family girl, she was reminded of her eldest son who had suddenly died in battle, and she always felt uncomfortable about it. She wouldn't stand up for the new bride, so she turned a blind eye and let Aunt Liao do whatever she wanted.

But times have changed. As Tan Huaike said, her interests are now intertwined with those of the Shentu family. Now is the perfect time to unite and turn things around. Moreover, they both need to rely on this new bride for both the opening of trade routes and the selection of imperial merchants. So they absolutely cannot undermine their own family at this time.

So the old lady shook her head and said to Liao's wife, "Don't always think about making things difficult for her. And don't always keep that small gate in the side courtyard locked. Who else can we lock up besides ourselves? Zhuo'er and the Tan family girl both have important things to do, so don't cause them any more trouble lately."

Sensing the warning in her words, Liao Ao nodded and replied, "Yes, I understand." However, she was still uneasy. "Your Majesty, haven't you always disapproved of the Second Young Master entering officialdom? Are you just going to abandon him now? I don't care about anything else, but won't the Second Young Master encounter some danger?"

"I'd like to interfere, but do you think he'd be willing to listen?" the old lady snorted. "I thought he was the most easygoing one, but who would have thought he'd hold a grudge even more than his brother? This stubbornness is exactly like his grandfather's."

"My lady, why did the second young master suddenly decide to participate in the imperial examination? And it just so happens to be right after the Tan family girl married into the household... Could it be that the Tan family girl persuaded him?" After arguing with Tan Huai Ke for a long time, Liao Ao still held onto her pride and wanted to whisper some slander in the lady's ear to deflate Tan Huai Ke's arrogance.

“I know you dislike this illegitimate daughter sent by the Tan family, and this young lady is indeed shrewd and cunning, but the matter of Zhuo’er participating in the recommendation without permission is really not her fault.” The old lady glanced at her. “Do you think this path is so easy? Zhuo’er relied on her ability to manage the drama. Without several years of cultivation, how could she have obtained a recommendation? Besides, our Shentu clan still bears those stigmas. Even if he didn’t say it himself, do you think I couldn’t have foreseen it? This time in Andu, who knows how much injustice she suffered.”

"That's true, the second young master has lost quite a bit of weight," Liao's wife nodded in agreement.

"Sigh, I'm afraid it's time to take a break..." The old lady patted her hand. "You should also stop worrying about that Tan family girl. What if we don't give her the reins of the household? With her personality and abilities, and with her current wealth, wouldn't she be fit to be the mistress of Heng'er's household?"

"The Queen is right."

"It's just a pity for Heng'er... he won't get to see the good life at home."

Liao Ao finally understood that the Queen had truly accepted the Second Young Master and the Tan family girl.

Beneath that furious outburst lay a mother's heart. Though she opposed her second son's entry into officialdom, she also felt a sense of pride. With her second son so promising, the Shentu family would have someone to rely on in the future; how could she not be gratified?

As for the Tan family's daughter, the previous matriarch had always been lenient with her. Since her actions were beneficial to the Shentu family, out of respect for the eldest son, she would no longer deliberately distance herself from her. Liao's wife secretly realized that from now on, the servants in the manor would have to treat her with more respect.

The old lady emerged from her grief and, remembering Shen Tu Zhuo's injuries, quickly instructed, "Have someone send some medicine to Zhuo'er. He suffered hardships in Andu; he can't afford to be harmed at home."

Liao Ao accepted the order: "Oh, my lady, please don't worry, I'll send someone to deliver the medicine to you right away."

The old lady pondered for a while longer.

Although Liao's wife had just intentionally slandered him, she had heard some things about Zhuo'er's situation in Andu. Because his family did not approve of him taking the imperial examinations, he had to take care of his own food, clothing, and lodging along the way. So she heard rumors that Tan Huai Ke's widowed sister-in-law was a merchant who sold goods, even working from dawn till dusk selling flatbreads to supplement the family income, and was doing her best to help Shen Tu Zhuo pass the examinations and be granted an official position.

Naturally, some mocked the Shentu family's decline, while others blamed her, the mother, for being heartless. The reasons behind these criticisms were not for outsiders to know, and the old lady herself did not care about others' opinions. However, the fact that the Tan family girl had done so much made her a trustworthy and admirable person, both morally and logically.

However, the old lady also had a vague feeling that the uncle and sister-in-law were perhaps too close. One gave everything she had, and the other accepted it all without a second thought. Did they truly have such a deep bond?
Shen Tu Zhuo received the medicine brought by the servant and handed it to Tan Huai Ke.

Fearing that his old wounds might be aggravated by new ones, Tan Huai Ke escorted him all the way back to the West Courtyard. At this time, Shen Tu Zhuo dismissed all the idlers in the courtyard and insisted that she take over the task of applying the medicine.

Tan Huaike did not refuse, and had him take off his outer and inner garments and lie face down on the bed. He then used a bamboo stick to take out the ointment and applied it evenly to his crisscrossing wounds.

His strong back was covered in bloodstains, some of them bruised and purple. Although no blood was visible, it was still a shocking sight. Tan Huaike frowned and said with heartache, "Aunt Jun is really heartless. It was one thing to ignore you when you went to Andu, but now that you've returned home in glory, do you still have to suffer like this? If I had arrived a little later, I'm afraid I would have broken your bones."

Shen Tu Zhuo hissed and gasped from the irritation of the ointment, but he smiled and comforted him: "It's just family discipline. It looks serious and scary, but it's all just a show. Don't be fooled by those two servants' tall and strong appearance. They don't have much strength at all. Otherwise, how could A Peng have pushed them away so easily?"

"You're so stubborn. Who was that yelling just now? I heard it all from the side courtyard."

"Of course I have to shout it out loud, otherwise how can I evoke sympathy? Hehe, only two-tenths is real, the remaining eight-tenths depends on shouting it out. This is a lesson I learned when I was a kid and got beaten up." Shen Tu Zhuo turned back to look at her with a roguish grin. "Otherwise, how could I have summoned you to save me, and how could Mother have calmed down so quickly?"

"Didn't Aunt Jun calm down because of my silver tongue?"

"So I have to thank you a lot, sister-in-law."

"No, no, Uncle, you don't need to be so modest. It's all thanks to your self-inflicted suffering that I, an unpopular little widow, was able to show off my power at home..."

After exchanging a few flattering words, they finally got down to business.

Tan Huaike rubbed the bruised area and said, "I always felt that Aunt Jun was hiding something."

Shen Tu Zhuo gritted his teeth and endured the pain as he echoed, "I think so too. So many people came to my grandfather to inquire about his connections back then. How could my mother be so sure that there was no merchant named Li?"

"Besides, we only briefly mentioned that the family had encountered misfortune and had to sell their house to leave Andu, possibly heading towards Hexi. Why is Aunt Jun so concerned about their family's situation, and why did you come here?"

"Hmm, I'm afraid Mother still has some concerns. It's alright, I'll test her again when I get back."

"I will also help inquire within the Chamber of Commerce."
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Next chapter: You traitorous bastard!