RPAGF Chapter 1021 To Stay or to Leave?
Chapter 1021 To Stay or to Leave?
"Waaah, my poor child, how could he just leave like this..." Li cried without any regard for her image, and even looked like she was about to faint.
"Young Madam, please accept my condolences. We have already sent someone to the palace to inform the Master and Young Master. They will be back soon. We need you to take charge here. You can't collapse. Please go inside first," the second steward advised from the side.
Li cried for a while longer, until the whole alley knew that her youngest son had died, before she personally took the swaddling clothes and carried the child into the courtyard.
After entering the main room, she held the child and cried again, and no one could persuade her to stop.
The household was in chaos, with the servants trembling with fear and unable to help but gossip among themselves.
It was quite a while before Zhang Ping'an and Xiaoyuer returned from the palace after taking leave. The two of them rushed into the main room as soon as they entered the house.
After taking a peek inside the swaddling clothes, Xiaoyuer seemed unable to bear looking at the baby any longer. He sighed, patted Li Shi's shoulder, and then sat down to the side.
Zhang Ping'an also lifted the swaddling clothes and took a closer look.
He then asked Niu Jiancao and Wuya about the situation at the time. After the two finished speaking, Zhang Ping'an's face darkened even more. "Outrageous! How dare there be bandits openly roaming under the emperor's nose? They simply don't respect the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This matter must be thoroughly investigated by the Prefect of the Capital!"
“A thorough investigation is definitely necessary, but it’s too late now. The child is gone just like that… Sigh, no matter what, we were father and son. We should hold a simple funeral for him to honor him. I hope he can be reborn into a good family in his next life,” Xiaoyuer said blankly, his eyes revealing the pain and resentment of losing his son.
Upon hearing this, Li hugged the swaddled baby in her arms even tighter and cried even louder.
The sorrow and grief were so intense that even the servants couldn't help but have tears in their eyes.
“Alright, we should hold a simple celebration,” Zhang Ping’an nodded, then turned to instruct the others to eat their fill: “Send someone to each family to deliver a message. The child died before he was even a month old, so it’s not appropriate to have a big celebration. I’ll have someone calculate a date and invite them over.”
"Yes!" After eating his fill and accepting the order, he quickly went out.
Niu Jiancao and Wuya suddenly knelt down and begged for forgiveness from the two men, saying, "It's all our fault for not protecting Young Master Sun in the temple. This is why we are in such a predicament. We are truly guilty and deserve to die a thousand deaths. Please punish us, Master and Young Master!"
Zhang Ping'an sat in the chair without saying a word, glancing at his son.
After a long silence, Xiaoyuer stood up and said, "Although it's not your fault that bandits suddenly appeared in the temple, you've done a poor job. I can't keep you here any longer. Considering your past contributions, I'll let your merits and demerits cancel each other out and won't punish you. Now go, and take care of yourselves in the future!"
Li still couldn't get over this. If the child had died of illness, she could have felt a little better, but the child was stabbed to death by a thief through the swaddling clothes. It was too cruel, and she couldn't help but feel angry.
"How did you do your job? We've treated you well these past few years, haven't we? Entrusting you with such an important task. When we gave you the child, he was perfectly fine, eating, drinking, and sleeping well. But only half a month has passed, and you've brought me back a cold, lifeless corpse. Now you think you can just walk away like that? It's not that simple!"
"Young Madam, I'm so sorry!" Niu Jiancao apologized sincerely.
But this could not quell a mother's anger.
Just as Li was about to say something, Xiaoyuer suddenly frowned and said, "I said, the merits and demerits of this matter cancel each other out. We can't blame them entirely. Let them go!"
"Husband!" This was the first time Li Shi had disagreed with her husband's decision.
"Let them go!" Little Fish said simply.
Niu Jiancao and Wuya said nothing more, cupped their hands in greeting, and got up to leave.
After they had eaten their fill, the second steward quickly dismissed the servants.
Li was overwhelmed with grief. No matter how calm she usually was, she was still a mother, and this child was flesh of her flesh. It was impossible for her to be completely unaffected.
Finally, she was helped back to her room by her maid, her body limp.
As for the remaining arrangements regarding the child's funeral, those will be handled by the servants.
Zhang Ping'an and Xiaoyuer then went to the study. After sitting down, Xiaoyuer's expression returned to normal. He was quite satisfied with Li's performance just now. "It seems that it was right not to tell her in advance. After all, if you're going to perform an opera, you have to do the whole thing. The two of us can't do it alone."
Zhang Ping'an remained noncommittal. "When husband and wife are of one mind, their strength can break metal. Li is a woman of principle. Although she doesn't know what your plan is, she chooses to trust you unconditionally and is willing to cooperate with you. Once the situation stabilizes, you can tell her the whole story and put her at ease."
"Yes, but at least until her heart is completely with me. Don't forget, her surname is Li. I can't give her my whole back right now," Xiaoyuer said with a smile.
After saying that, he secretly calculated the distance and time in his mind: "If the two of them ride at full speed, they can reach Guazhou as early as mid-September. We have put in a lot of effort for this child. In the end, it depends on whether he can survive."
“This child was born with unusual features and has caused such a great upheaval. I think he has a tough life and will be extraordinary in the future,” Zhang Ping’an said with a shake of his head and a sigh.
"Father, what are our plans now? His Majesty clearly doesn't trust us anymore. I don't know what tricks Cui Rong used to get the Director of the Imperial Observatory to stand up and help her deceive the Emperor. I really underestimated her before."
Zhang Ping'an was a cautious man, and he had already considered the question his son asked a thousand times.
At this moment, I also wanted to discuss it with my son. After careful consideration, I said, "Based on my current qualifications and rank, I can be promoted further. Originally, I was considering moving towards the Three Dukes, since it is in the center of the court. But now I am a little hesitant. If the court continues to develop like this, perhaps being transferred to a regional governorship would be a better choice. A regional governor holds real power."
"Staying in the capital or being transferred elsewhere—it's a single decision, but the consequences could be worlds apart, Father. Wouldn't that just be playing into Cui Ling's hands? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were afraid of him!" Xiaoyuer frowned, somewhat disapproving.
He knew what his father meant, but he always felt that the situation wasn't that bad yet.