"Mom, Wan'er is going to clean the courtyard. Young Ambassador Zhang said that only if the courtyard is cleaned before dark can we have food." A little girl of six or seven years old looked at the high palace walls around her and whispered.
, sighed, and then said to a woman in her thirties, dressed in ragged clothes.
This little girl is Shangguan Wan'er, the granddaughter of the sinner Shangguan Yi and the daughter of Shangguan Tingzhi.
Since the Abolition incident occurred five years ago, Shangguan Wan'er, who was still in her infancy, was sent to Yeting as a slave together with her mother Zheng. During these five years, mother and daughter have endured many hardships.
, depended on each other for life. Fortunately, the female officials in Ye Ting did not treat other female prisoners with a bad attitude. Instead, they took good care of the mother and daughter. Although this made Zheng feel a little strange, it did not
He didn't pay too much attention to it, but tried his best to raise his daughter.
Under Zheng's careful care, her daughter grew up day by day. She was as cute as a jade carving, and she was also smart and lively, bringing a lot of laughter to this place that had never received much attention.
Zheng's heart, which had gradually withered due to the death of her husband, was once again filled with vitality. She was determined to do her best to use her Xingyang Zheng family's hundreds of years of cultural foundation to cultivate this child. Maybe one day this child would be able to stand out.
, even if you can't clear the grievances of your father and ancestors, you can get rid of this status as a sinner as long as you can be favored by a certain royal relative.
Therefore, Mrs. Zheng has devoted too much effort to her daughter since she was a child. After working hard, she teaches her little daughter by words and deeds. She teaches her daughter Zheng's aristocratic cultivation and etiquette in Xingyang little by little.
, and has taught his daughter to read since she was three years old. Now, although her daughter is only six years old, she already knows two to three thousand Chinese characters, and some poems can also be catchy. Such intelligence is even compared to her grandfather.
, and it is definitely not inferior.
But there is one thing that Zheng has always found difficult to understand. Although the female officials in Ye Ting take good care of her and love her daughter, they are not arrogant at all. Instead, they are very strict in their requirements and punish them really hard.
It's very heavy. If the task is not completed, she will not be given food. Even if she takes the initiative to ask for her share to be given to her daughter, she is absolutely prohibited.
Zheng was born in a wealthy family and was naturally a well-educated person. She knew that what the female officials did was actually good for Wan'er. As the saying goes, if jade is not carved, it will never become a great tool. Just like today, that young envoy Zhang actually stipulated that Wan'er should be treated as such.
Clean the courtyard, otherwise there will be no food. With Wan'er's current age and physical strength, it will take at least an hour to complete this, and this is exactly the time when Wan'er's physical strength is exhausted. Such
The labor intensity can be considered extremely harsh.
She didn't understand how these fourteen-year-old or fifteen-year-old girls understood these difficult truths? Because they seemed to be just a little older, many of them didn't even know a word, and they knew very few principles of life.
.
"Since I can't understand it, I simply don't think about it anymore. Anyway, I believe that one day all this will come to light, and I also know that this is not a bad thing for Wan'er." Zheng, as the Zheng family in Xingyang
As a daughter, the biggest advantage lies in her mentality. No matter what the environment, she can always live with an open mind. This is also an extremely important point that she did not follow her husband after his death and continues to live to this day.
.
"My son, go quickly. Don't be too anxious. Mom believes that you will be able to complete the task after hard work. Mr. Zhang is also following orders. Besides, you need to work hard to get food.
, This is very fair, my son, please don’t blame Mr. Zhang.”
Zheng has been in Yeting for five years, and she has never thought about remembering the slightest fault of anyone, nor has she guided her daughter to deliberately remember even the slightest fault of anyone else. This is not only a need for self-protection, but also a kind of
Good cultivation and extremely high quality, and such quality will become a very valuable asset that will benefit my daughter throughout her life.
At this time, Shangguan Wan'er had no idea what impact her mother's words and deeds had on her life, but she obeyed her mother's words obediently. She nodded, and then said with a sweet smile: "Don't worry, mother, Wan'er."
My son is considered a grown-up child and has read many books by sages. Naturally, he knows that Master Zhang is doing this for his own good, so he will not blame him."
After saying this, Shangguan Wan'er bid farewell to her mother and happily went to clean the courtyard.
Looking at her daughter's slender figure, Ms. Zheng couldn't help but sigh softly: "My son, you were born into the wrong family. If you were born into an ordinary wealthy family, at your age, living a carefree life,
Playing and having fun is the only thing in your life, but now, you have to shoulder the burden of the family, work hard for the future of the Shangguan family, and have to humiliate yourself and flatter others. This is not for anything else but for the sake of others.
You have now become the only bloodline of the Shangguan family, so you have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of reviving the Shangguan family."
Zheng raised her head and looked at the high palace wall. She knew that not far from her, lived the woman with the highest status in the empire. Although this woman was born into a poor family, she could decide the rest of the entire empire with a raise of her hands.
The fate of any woman, even the fate of any person except the emperor, or any family, depends on her one thought.
Although that woman ruined her husband, her husband's family, and the lives of her mother and daughter, and based on the etiquette system she had been exposed to over the years, she also knew that it was absolutely abnormal for a woman to interfere in politics.
, but she does not hate that woman, or that kind of hatred is just hidden in the deepest part of her heart, and will not be shown anytime and anywhere, because she knows that as long as she shows a little bit of dissatisfaction, it is possible
It brought disaster to herself and her daughter. What's more, she also hoped that one day in the future, her daughter would be appreciated by that woman, so that she would be merciful and give her a chance to get out of this high palace wall.
Sighing softly again, Mrs. Zheng walked gently back to her hut. While doing some needlework, which was not too heavy, she secretly worried about her daughter's future.
As for the longing for her husband Shangguan Tingzhi, it has long been sealed in the deepest part of the soul. I don't even dare to touch it, even in my dreams, for fear that if I touch it, I will really...
Completely broken down and no longer have the courage to raise my daughter!
Zheng's work was very easy, and it only took a quarter of an hour to complete the task. However, she did not dare to take any time off, for fear that once she was free, she would have endless reveries. If she thought of her late husband, then she would
But it is absolutely fatal, so she always tries to find ways to do more things, or organizes study materials for her daughter, including lecture content, and accumulates some property through work, which can be exchanged for pens, inks, paper, inkstones and other things.
In the past, her days would have gone on peacefully, but today, for some reason, she felt a little uneasy. The words and phrases that she remembered so clearly in the past felt vague today, and she was even a little weak to write.
.
"What happened today? Am I getting old?" Mrs. Zheng couldn't help but smile bitterly, shook her head, and tried not to let her tears fall.
However, Mrs. Zheng did not think about it further, but continued to work hard, doing all kinds of tasks that could be done around her, and then she felt that her mood calmed down slightly.
Just when Mrs. Zheng was finishing all the tasks at hand, she suddenly heard a clear children's voice outside the house: "Mother, Wan'er's task today has finally been completed. Hehe, Wan'er is exhausted, but
It's not like we were in vain. Today, Master Zhang was very happy and applied for two taels of meat for Wan'er. We will have meat to eat tonight."
When Mrs. Zheng saw her daughter coming back, she completely put away the worries in her heart. She hurriedly went out to meet her, picked her up, and said with a smile: "Mom, I know Wan'er can definitely cook it well, but we still have to cook this meat."
Don't eat it. Wan'er should also know that Zhang Shaoshi doesn't have much money. She didn't know that it took her several months to get these two taels of meat. How can we have the nerve to ask for her meat? What's more, my mother and daughter often
I have already owed so much to others for receiving support from Major Envoy Zhang, how can I continue to owe him so much now?"
As soon as Zheng finished her sentence, she heard a clear voice coming from outside the hospital: "Madam, you are out of touch when you say this. The reason why we are willing to help madam is just because of her unyielding will in the face of adversity."
I am moved and voluntarily help, not to mention that we all like Wan'er's beauty and cuteness. I think Wan'er is among the dragons and phoenixes, how can she stay under others for a long time? If she becomes prosperous in the future, as long as she doesn't forget to support us, she will live up to what she is today.
A piece of affection.”
After hearing this, Mrs. Zheng's expression changed, and she quickly said humbly: "Young Master Zhang's words are really hurting my mother and daughter? We are just slaves, barely able to make ends meet. How can we be so prosperous?"
Where?"
But he saw the young envoy Zhang walking up to her, bowing his hands to her and saying, "Ma'am, why should you be too modest? I believe Wan'er will definitely have one day, even if it doesn't happen, I am impressed by my lady's character and willing to be my wife."
Ji Wan'er is doing her best. Haha, don't talk nonsense. I came to see my wife today because I was entrusted by someone to deliver a letter to my wife."
After finishing speaking, the Major Envoy Zhang handed a letter to Mrs. Zheng.
"Ah? This, this is..." Seeing the familiar font on the envelope, Mrs. Zheng couldn't help but feel sore in her eyes and almost shed tears. Fortunately, she had good self-cultivation, and she forced to hold back the tears that were about to flow out, calmly.
He took the letter, thanked Mr. Zhang lightly, and then quietly received it in his sleeve.
When Mrs. Zheng saw the young envoy Zhang leaving, she sent him out the door. Later, she started to prepare dinner. After Wan'er had finished eating, she coaxed Wan'er to sleep. Then she tremblingly took out the letter, which was like a treasure.
Open carefully... (To be continued.) This chapter has been completed!