kvmb Chapter 183 Family Tree 1
Chapter 183 Family Tree 1
Duke Sheng listened to his words thoughtfully, but couldn't quite understand.
"If she did it on purpose, what do you think she wanted to do? Find out where the Qinglian Temple's Heart-Nourishing Pills came from?"
"I don't know, I just find it strange." Sheng Junyi couldn't figure it out either. Even if she found out that it was related to the Third Prince, it would only lead to misunderstandings that the Third Prince and Sheng Yunzhu had a close relationship, nothing more.
"Alright," Duke Sheng waved his hand. "Go take care of your business first, then go see your mother and try to persuade her. No matter what, Yunzhu was raised by her. Now she's going to such lengths for her health. Tell her not to let Yunzhu down, and not to take the Third Prince's kindness for granted. The medicine will help her recover. The Qinglian Temple's Heart-Nourishing Pills are rare; most people don't have access to them. Don't waste such a precious resource."
He knew that Sheng Yunzhu had sent the Qinglian Temple's nourishing pills to Madam Lan. Madam Li was a little jealous of Yunzhu's filial piety and hadn't allowed Yunzhu to come and pay her respects for the past few days. She had even mentioned it to him several times, saying that Madam Lan didn't know what was good for her.
He sent someone to inquire, only to learn that Lan had not taken any medication, and he wondered what kind of temper she was throwing this time.
Since Lu Yangyang came to this mansion, the misunderstandings between him and Madam Lan have deepened with each passing year. After twenty years of marriage, Madam Lan now refuses to even see him.
A perfectly good family has turned into this. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have kept Lu Yangyang in the first place.
These days, it's even difficult to get rid of people.
Duke Sheng sighed in frustration, the lines between his brows deepening.
Looking at the Duke of Sheng's appearance, Sheng Junyi hesitated to speak, but still responded and got up to leave.
He first went to withdraw the silver notes, and instead of rushing to find Sheng Yunzhu, he went to visit Madam Lan first.
Lan Shi's attitude towards him is not warm now, or rather, apart from when he was young, before Lu Yangyang was born, Lan Shi's attitude towards him has never been particularly warm.
For the past ten years or so, a faint sadness has always lingered on Lan's face, like a beautiful flower shrouded in mist, making her seem unreal.
When he arrived at Madam Lan's courtyard, Madam Lan was having dinner. She was not in good health, so her dinner was very light, consisting of only vegetarian porridge and a few small dishes with very little oil.
Seeing him come in, Madam Lan put down her spoon in surprise. "Why did you come here?"
Sheng Junyi sat down across the table and smiled slightly, "I'm here to have dinner with Mother. If Mother feels lonely in the future, just have someone call me."
"After the Mid-Autumn Festival, you should go back to the academy. You don't like the food here, so don't come back." Madam Lan felt that Sheng Junyi was acting strangely today. Wasn't he usually disliked these simple dishes? Why did he suddenly decide to dine with her?
Thinking of this, she asked, "Did your father ask you to come to me for something?"
Sheng Junyi lowered her eyes, concealing a hint of disappointment, then chuckled, "Can't I come and keep my mother company if I'm alright?"
A brief silence fell over the air.
After a moment, Sheng Junyi spoke again: "I heard that Yunzhu gave Mother a few Qinglian Temple Heart Nourishing Pills, which are very good for the body. Mother should take care of her health and take them as soon as possible."
As if he were simply concerned about his mother's health, he smiled at Granny Hui standing to the side and said, "Granny Hui, don't you think so? Please persuade my mother for me."
“Madam, the Second Young Master is right. The Heart-Nourishing Pills from Qinglian Temple are rare. You…” Granny Hui felt sorry for Madam Lan and knew why Madam Lan refused to take the Heart-Nourishing Pills sent by Sheng Yunzhu. She was somewhat helpless, but she also knew that Madam Lan was stubborn and it would be difficult to persuade her.
Lan looked calmly at Sheng Junyi and asked, "Did Yunzhu tell you this while crying, or did your father get wind of it and send you to persuade me?"
"Mother..." Sheng Junyi smiled, wanting to cover up the matter easily.
"I know my own body, and I don't need any of you to take responsibility for it." Madam Lan reached out and helped Hui Mama up. "I don't have much of an appetite today, so I won't eat. I'm tired."
Granny Hui helped Lan Shi to her feet, turned and gave Sheng Junyi an apologetic look before helping Lan Shi walk into the inner room.
Looking at the bland food on the table and seeing that Madam Lan was too lazy to say more than a few words, Sheng Junyi finally couldn't help but ask, "If it were my eldest brother who was trying to persuade Mother, would Mother have acted the same way?"
Lan stopped in her tracks without turning around. "Your older brother wouldn't advise me like that."
"Is Mother blaming me for not choosing to learn martial arts back then, and for not being able to go to the border, which led to my elder brother being the only one to go to the border in the end?" Sheng Junyi's eyes were slightly red as she looked at Lan Shi's back, which refused to turn around, and her heart felt cold.
Lan turned her head and looked at Sheng Junyi. "Your elder brother is the heir apparent. Whether you learn martial arts or not, he will go to the border. It is his responsibility and his choice."
“Yi’er, you’ve always been a thoughtful person. I always try to tell you to be happy and not to think so much at such a young age, but you always feel that I’m comparing you to your older brother. But Yi’er, is that really true? I don’t have much time left. I’m tired. I can’t control any of you anymore. Do whatever you want, think whatever you want.”
After saying that, Lan turned and left.
She wasn't a good mother, but she had always treated all her children equally, without showing favoritism to any one of them. She was closer to Ayao simply because only Ayao would consider her needs, someone she could rely on. As the old saying goes, different strokes for different folks; Yunzhu was someone she had watched grow up, and what was the result?
She didn't have much time left, and she couldn't think about so much anymore. The person she owed the most was Yangyang. She could use the little time she had left to think about her more, and she had no mind to think about anything else.
After Lan and Granny Hui left, Sheng Junyi was left alone in the room.
Looking at the barely touched food on the table, Sheng Junyi suddenly couldn't remember when was the last time his family had a harmonious meal together? Or rather, how many years ago was it?
What an irony.
So what about family?
In the end, they were bound to part ways. The father was determined to ensure the continued prosperity of the Sheng family, the mother felt deeply indebted to Lu Yangyang but was powerless to make amends, and the eldest brother and he each served their own masters.
Sheng Junyi stood up, his face once again displaying that charming and alluring smile, and calmly left the room.
……
The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Early in the morning, the Sheng family would open their ancestral hall to first worship their ancestors.
But there is another important matter today: after the ancestral worship ceremony, we need to consult the family genealogy and remove Sheng Yunzhu's name from the Sheng family genealogy.
Sheng Yunjiao was quite frightened by what happened yesterday, but she was so excited about today's big event that she couldn't sleep in the middle of the night. She came to find Lu Yangyang early and asked her to go to the ancestral hall together.
Originally, women were not allowed to participate in the Sheng family's ancestral rites, but since the removal of Sheng Yunzhu from the family genealogy concerned Sheng Yunzhu, the legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion, Old Madam Li, Madam Lan, and Madam Cui, the wife of the clan head, all attended.
Sheng Yunzhu knelt in the ancestral hall, her eyes bloodshot.