Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World.

Chapter 155 It's a good thing that it ended without a trace!
The floating boat in Yanzhu, the dusk mist cages the sand.

The river ripples and turns, the wind sways the reeds like snow.

Jiang Zhao stood at the bow of the boat, filled with longing.

Ten years!

From the age of twelve, he traveled far and wide with his teacher to observe the politics of the world.

At seventeen, she briefly returned to her hometown for two or three months to arrange a marriage.

Afterwards, he returned home from his scientific expedition and formed a marriage alliance with Qin.

From then on, he spent ten years in the political arena, governing and expanding his territory.

Ten years later, I'm finally back home!
Leaving home young and returning old, that's all there is to it!
"Official?"

Sheng Hualan, holding two-year-old Jiang Xun's hand, called out softly.

Eight-year-old Jiang Huaijin, dressed in a light blue brocade robe, stood on tiptoe and gazed into the distance.

Since I was a child, my father has often talked about my grandfather and great-grandfather.

He had taken the boat several times, but this was truly his first time going down the Huai River.

Sheng Shulan and her second son Jiang Heng both looked up and gazed into the distance.

"The Huai River region has been prosperous since ancient times. Is this where Father grew up?" Jiang Huaijin asked curiously.

"Yes!" Jiang Zhao nodded with emotion.

He truly lived in Huaizuo for twelve years, growing up from an infant.

Growing up in the countryside, the local flavor is something I can never forget!
The riverbanks are gradually becoming visible.

About half an hour later, the large ship, which was more than ten feet long, docked at the shore.

Jiang Zhao patted his sleeves and slowly walked down.

Finally, I'm home!
riverbank.

"Big brother."

"Big brother."

Two exclamations followed in quick succession.

Jiang Zhao looked up.

Two handsome young men, one tall and one short, who bore a striking resemblance, bowed in unison.

"Second brother, third brother." Jiang Zhao smiled and strode over.

The three of them gathered together, all with expressions of nostalgia on their faces.

The three brothers hadn't seen each other for ten years!
"Second Uncle, Third Uncle."

Sheng Hualan gave a deep bow, with two children, one big and one small, following beside her, their faces full of curiosity.

Sheng Shulan, holding Jiang Heng's hand, bowed silently.

"Sister-in-law."

Jiang Xiao and Jiang Xu returned the greeting in unison, and then nodded to Sheng Shulan.

"Second Uncle, Third Uncle." Jiang Huaijin recognized Jiang Xiao and Jiang Xu at a glance, and greeted them with a cupped-hand salute.

Sheng Hualan then introduced them, saying, "This is the eldest son, Huaijin; the second son, Jiang Heng; and the third son, Jiang Xun."

Jiang Xiao and Jiang Xu exchanged a glance, overjoyed.

Who would have thought that the eldest brother's son was already seven or eight years old?
Looking back, when my older brother left to travel far away, they were only seven or eight years old.

“Huaijin”.

Jiang Xiao chuckled, took the jade pendant from his waist, and handed it over.

"Thank you, Second Uncle." Jiang Huaijin happily accepted the gift.

"Come."

Jiang Xu pulled a rattle drum from his sleeve and said with a smile, "Originally, your third uncle wanted to find you two books to memorize, but after thinking about it carefully, it would be too hurtful. So, I chose a rattle drum instead."

Jiang Huaijin glanced away, picked up the rattle drum, and shook it twice.

"That's childish."

“However, my younger brother is only two years old, so I will accept it on his behalf,” Jiang Huaijin said seriously.

"Alright then." Jiang Xu gave it a long look, as if he really believed it.

"Heng-ge'er." Jiang Xiao and Jiang Xu both presented the jade pendant to him.

Jiang Heng quickly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Second Uncle and Third Uncle."

"Let's go."

Jiang Zhao waved his hand.

The group nodded in agreement and headed towards the Jiang residence.

Among them, Sheng Hualan, Sheng Shulan, Jiang Huaijin, Jiang Heng, and Jiang Xun traveled by car, while Jiang Zhao, Jiang Xiao, and Jiang Xu walked.

Of course, this is not because the vast Jiang Prefecture could not spare a few cars, but mainly because Jiang Zhao had not returned to his hometown for a long time, and could see the scenery and objects on foot.

After glancing at it briefly, Jiang Zhao was taken aback.

"One soldier every ten steps?"

"What major event has occurred in Huaizuo?" Jiang Zhao asked, puzzled.

“It’s a big deal for my older brother to return home,” Jiang Xiao replied.

Jiang Zhao was taken aback. "Who arranged this?"

This deliberate arrangement is definitely a sign that someone is trying to curry favor with him.

Or, do you need something from him?
“Song Huai, the Deputy Envoy for Pacification.”

Jiang Xiao slowly said, "That person seems to be a disciple of Grand Tutor Wang. He has been visiting for seven consecutive days."

"Grand Tutor Wang's disciple?" Jiang Zhao nodded knowingly.

The world is never short of people with good intentions.

The lineage of Grand Tutor Wang has always been plagued by a lack of successors. The Grand Tutor's eldest son is incompetent, and Old Madam Wang is of poor character and not good at promoting capable disciples and former officials, making it difficult for her to win the respect of the people.

Thus, for the sake of their future, the subordinates had no choice but to resort to various means.

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment.

As of now, Grand Tutor Wang's disciples and former officials are extremely few.

They might not even be as good as his team.

However, he was still the old Grand Tutor, and he still managed to retain quite a few people.

Furthermore, due to the need to accumulate seniority, it is estimated that there are some individuals holding the third or fourth rank.

If they truly intend to submit, there's nothing wrong with accepting them.

Ultimately, the disciples and former officials of Grand Tutor Wang were not the same as the Wang family.

Jiang Zhao didn't think much of it and instead asked, "How has Grandfather been lately?"

My special trip down to Huaizuo was merely an unexpected bonus; visiting my grandfather was the proper course of action.

"My legs and feet are numb and I can hardly walk. My complexion is sallow and dull. I have edema and abdominal distension. I can hardly eat, but I am not hungry. My body is getting thinner and thinner. I am increasingly sleepy. Sometimes I even sleep for ten hours a day." Jiang Xu said slowly.

"Excessive sleepiness?"

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then couldn't help but smile: "This is a good thing."

Numbness in the legs and feet, difficulty walking, edema and abdominal distension—compared to the recurrence of limb diseases and severe pain every day, this is already quite good.

Increasing sleepiness also means there is little pain.

The Book of Documents says: "May you live a long life, be wealthy, healthy and peaceful, love virtue, and die a peaceful death."

These five are the Five Blessings.

Among them, "a peaceful death" is the core.

In this era, diseases are often accompanied by severe pain, and due to limitations in medical technology, they cannot be diagnosed, treated, or alleviated.

In this way, the old man's peaceful death, without illness, is a symbol of good fortune.

It could even be said that it is the accumulation of merit and a manifestation of ancestral blessings.

Even more remarkably, they can all have a special note in the family genealogy stating that "their peaceful death is a blessing to the family."

Conversely, premature death and violent death are considered unlucky.

The death of a 75-year-old man, who suffered from illness, is undoubtedly a tragedy.

Conversely, becoming increasingly sleepy and avoiding excruciating pain is a wonderful thing.

Jiang Xiao and Jiang Xu nodded in agreement.

For this reason, the Jiang family, from top to bottom, was not particularly grieved.

It should be noted that many elderly people suffer from illness for several years before they pass away.

He often cried out in pain, and his children and grandchildren could only watch helplessly.

In comparison, dying peacefully without illness is truly a blessing.

"Grandfather, have you not eaten for several days?" Jiang Zhao asked.

The fact that a letter was sent to the capital indicates that both parents had predicted that their grandfather would not live long.

Of the symptoms Jiang Xiao described, the only thing that could have caused his grandfather's death was the inability to eat.

“Two days,” Jiang Xu interjected.

“My grandfather had a bloated stomach, but he wasn’t hungry. He felt extremely uncomfortable whenever he ate.”

"Therefore, every few days, my grandfather would eat some rice porridge with chicken soup and minced meat."

Jiang Zhao understood.

"Abdominal distension, and the doctor can't cure it?" Jiang Zhao asked doubtfully.

In this day and age, it's not difficult to treat abdominal bloating by taking some herbal medicine.

“A famous doctor from Huaidong Road came to treat me and prescribed herbal decoctions. However, it didn’t help much,” Jiang Xiao replied.

Jiang Zhao sighed softly and nodded slowly.

Abdominal bloating originates from the decline of the spleen and stomach, and the deficiency of the liver and kidneys. If abdominal bloating cannot be cured, it means that the spleen and stomach have been completely damaged.

As a result, I couldn't eat anything.

In this situation, even the best doctor cannot cure it.

This is the natural decay of the organ.

"Let's go."

The three brothers entered the mansion together.

……

(End of this chapter)