"Wuchang Count's Manor"
Shi Zheng Kun was on duty when he received a call and chose to decline his colleagues' invitation to a gathering. Instead, he made his way directly back to the Count's Manor.
During the recent period, an odd atmosphere had settled over his household, leaving him feeling increasingly unsettled. Every time he visited the Yixiang Hall to pay his respects, his mother managed to evade meeting him. While there were always justifications given, he couldn't shake the feeling that his mother deliberately avoided him.
But why?
Even his father's behavior had changed. In the past, his father would offer words of encouragement during their meetings, but nowadays, he would exchange only a few words before abruptly departing. Once, Zheng Kun even noticed his father deliberately taking detours to evade him.
His eldest brother's attitude was no less peculiar; his gaze held a mix of complex emotions, and he would often let out deep sighs.
With an increasing sense of concern, Zheng Kun returned to the Yiwen Court. As he entered, he immediately inquired of Zeng Yuwei, "Have you managed to uncover what's been happening in the family?"
Zeng Yuwei shook her head and replied, "You know how tight-lipped Madam is. If she doesn't wish to divulge something, I'm afraid I lack the ability to make her speak."
She paused briefly before continuing, "Sir, could it be that you're reading too much into this? From what I've observed, everything at home appears to be normal."
Pacing restlessly within the room, Zheng Kun countered, "No, something has definitely occurred, and it's tied to me." After a few rounds of pacing, he decisively stated, "This can't go on. I must approach Father and Mother directly to get to the bottom of this."
Observing Zheng Kun's swift departure, Zeng Yuwei hastened to follow him.
The two of them headed straight for the Yixiang Hall, only to be thwarted again at the courtyard entrance.
"Fourth Master, Fourth Madam, the Elder Master and Elder Madam are engaged in matters and have explicitly requested not to be disturbed."
Zeng Yuwei quickly explained, "It's been a while since Fourth Master paid respects to Elder Master and Elder Madam. He returned early today specifically for this purpose. Since both Father and Mother are present, we should be allowed in."
As she spoke, she attempted to stride into the courtyard.
Before her foot could touch the ground, two maids stationed at the entrance blocked her path.
Frustrated by this point, Zeng Yuwei burst out, "You have quite the audacity! You dare to block Fourth Master and me!"
At that moment, An Mami, who was attending to the Elder Madam, approached them.
An Mami, much like Xu Mami, was a part of the Elder Madam's entourage and inner circle. Upon seeing her, Zheng Kun promptly stepped forward and pleaded, "Mami, I wish to enter to pay my respects to Father and Mother. Kindly inform them."
An Mami smiled gently and said, "Fourth Master, the Elder Madam hasn't been in the best health lately. Once she's feeling better, she will naturally receive you. For now, both you and Fourth Madam should return."
Zeng Yuwei was about to interject but was halted by Zheng Kun.
"Very well, if Mother needs rest, then we won't disturb her. Please convey my regards to Father and Mother on our behalf."
After finishing speaking, he left with Zeng Yuwei.
Just as the two were about to reach a fork in the road, they saw Shi Zhengmao and his wife walking towards them.
Zeng Yuwei wanted to go forward and greet them, but Shi Zhengkun pulled her to the shade of a nearby tree.
"Husband, what are you doing?"
Shi Zhengkun didn't answer, he just silently watched Shi Zhengmao and his wife. When he saw them enter the Yixiang Hall, his expression changed instantly.
"Something must have happened, otherwise, Father and Mother wouldn't avoid seeing me."
Shi Zhengkun looked at Zeng Yuwei. "I've been busy lately and haven't had time to pay attention to what's happening at home. Think carefully, has anything strange happened at home?"
Zeng Yuwei pondered for a moment and shook her head. "No, not really. If you mean strange, the only thing I can think of is when Mother suddenly came to our courtyard to see you the other day."
Shi Zhengkun recalled, it seemed like that was when his mother stopped seeing him. "Right, you should send someone to inquire about what happened that day, find out what exactly took place."
His mother wouldn't just ignore him for no reason; something he didn't know about must have occurred.
Zeng Yuwei's father held the position of a Fourth-Rank Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Justice, and while his rank wasn't extremely high, he held true authority. Her maternal family was influential, which led to many servants in the Shi residence being close to Zeng Yuwei.
Regarding household news, Zeng Yuwei was well-informed.
Not long after Zeng Yuwei and Shi Zhengkun returned to the Yiyu Courtyard, one of the maidservants managed to gather some information.
"What? On the day Mother came to our courtyard, she received a letter from Uncle Jiang's family?"
"Could something have happened to the Jiang family?"
"Wait, if that's the case, why wouldn't Mother see me?"
Shi Zhengkun was truly confused. The Jiang family was far away in the northwest border, and he couldn't fathom the connection between a letter from them and himself.
Zeng Yuwei added, "By the way, another letter came from the Jiang family today. I heard that after Mother read the letter, she immediately sent someone to invite Father, and the two of them stayed in the room for a long time without coming out."
"We went to pay our respects, but we were stopped outside the courtyard, yet Big Brother and his wife were allowed in. Could it be that something really happened to the Jiang family, and they needed Big Brother and his wife to discuss it?"
"But that doesn't make sense. They shouldn't keep this a secret from us, right?"
Both husband and wife were greatly perplexed. After a moment of silence, Shi Zhengkun suddenly stood up and headed outside. "I'm going to visit Second Sister. If Father and Mother won't see me, they surely won't avoid Second Sister too."
Zeng Yuwei nodded hastily. "Yes, yes, yes. Second Sister has the closest relationship with you. She can definitely find out what's happening."
Yixiang Hall.
Elderly Mrs. Shi and Elder Mr. Shi were seated on the heated brick bed near the window. Shi Zhengmao and his wife sat in chairs on either side of them.
Shi Zhengmao and his wife were reading letters. This time, they received four letters in total.
One was written by Madam Jiang, another by Jiang Anbang. The remaining two were from Shi Nian and Ms. Xu.
Madam Jiang expressed her dissatisfaction with the Li Changsen family due to repeated clashes with them at the Li residence, influenced by Jiang Antai.
Jiang Anbang mainly spoke from the perspective of the Li Changsen family, expressing his fondness for the Li family's four children.
Shi Nian and Ms. Xu refrained from expressing their opinions in the letters, recording in a relatively impartial manner the conversation they had with the Li Changsen family on the day of their visit.
Through these four letters, the elderly couple could roughly reconstruct the scene of that meeting.
Inside the room, the four people had different reactions.
Elderly Mrs. Shi sat calmly on the bed, leisurely adding incense to the censer, while Elder Mr. Shi, sitting across from the bed, pursed his lips without uttering a word.
After reading the letters, Shi Zhengmao's brows furrowed, and his wife exhibited a raised eyebrow, clearly showing surprise.
That the Li Changsen family wouldn't agree to return to the Shi family was indeed unexpected for everyone!
No, it couldn't be said that they didn't want to return to the Shi family. They wanted to return properly, which would involve revealing the incident of the children being switched. At that point, it could affect Shi Zhengkun. There might even be a rift between him and the Shi family due to this.
Shi Zhengmao was well aware of this, and it made him quite annoyed. "This Li Changsen..."
"What Li Changsen? He is your younger brother, surnamed Shi, not Li." Elderly Mrs. Shi glanced at Shi Zhengmao.
Shi Zhengmao choked for a moment. "So should I call him Shi Changsen?"
Elderly Mrs. Shi didn't reply, continuing to fiddle with the censer.
Shi Zhengmao fell into silence for a moment. "Changsen. Changsen is really making things difficult for us."
Shi Zhengmao's wife understood her husband's thoughts. She shared a similar perspective and, seeing that Elderly Mrs. Shi and Elder Mr. Shi remained silent, she spoke up.
"Changsen's family has been living outside for a long time. There's a lot they probably haven't been taught. It's understandable that they don't understand the difficulties at home."
"Our Fourth Brother is now serving in the Hanlin Academy. The Hanlin Academy is a place highly regarded by the Emperor and the officials. If it's revealed that Fourth Brother isn't a Shi family member, it might have a significant impact on him."
"Father, Mother, how about letting Eldest Aunt and Second Uncle go and talk to Changsen's family? If they understand the situation, I believe they'll understand the difficulties we're facing."
Elderly Mrs. Shi didn't lift her head. "What if they continue not to understand?"
Shi Zhengmao's wife hesitated for a moment, not quite sure about Elderly Mrs. Shi's stance. She glanced at her husband and didn't say anything more.
Shi Zhengmao asked directly, "Father, Mother, what do you really think? Are you really going to let everyone know that Fourth Brother isn't a biological child? How much damage will it cause him?"
"In these past few days, since you haven't been willing to see him, he has lost interest in his duties. He keeps coming to me, asking if you're unwell, showing genuine concern."
"Fourth Brother has always been strong-willed. If he finds out he isn't a Shi family member, how will he cope?"
"Bringing Changsen back is reasonable, but if it leads to Fourth Brother growing distant from us, then the losses might outweigh the gains."
Elderly Mrs. Shi looked at Shi Zhengmao and asked, "So, what do you suggest? How should we handle this?"
Shi Zhengmao replied, "I was thinking the same. Let Uncle and Aunt go and talk to Changsen's family again."
Elderly Mrs. Shi further inquired, "And if they can't be convinced, are we just going to disown him?"
Shi Zhengmao hesitated, "Mother, that's not what I meant. If Uncle and Aunt can't convince them, then I'll personally go to the border city."
Elderly Mrs. Shi smiled and shook her head, "If Uncle can't convince them, your going won't make a difference. Alright, you may leave now."
Not willing to leave without hearing their decision, Shi Zhengmao wanted to say something more but was stopped by Shi Zhengmao's wife, who stood up beside him.
"Husband, let's go back for now."
Reluctantly, Shi Zhengmao followed his wife out of Yixiang Hall. "What's going on? I wanted to ask Father and Mother about their thoughts again."
Shi Zhengmao's wife explained, "Haven't you noticed? Father and Mother probably already made up their minds."
Shi Zhengmao was puzzled, "What decision? I don't see it."
His wife sighed, "Can't you see? Mother has been calm this time. People only become composed when they've made a decision. Mother has made up her mind."
Shi Zhengmao quickly asked, "So, what is their decision?"
His wife shook her head. Despite having been in the Shi family for over twenty years, she found it difficult to read Elderly Mrs. Shi's mind.
Accepting their biological son was certain, a duty as parents that she didn't doubt.
But the challenge lay in the situation with Fourth Brother.
Fourth Brother had been carefully nurtured and invested in by the Shi family. While it would be acceptable to acknowledge Li Changsen, allowing that acknowledgment to affect Fourth Brother's future would be a loss for him and the Shi family.
Putting aside the Shi family's interests, bringing Li Changsen back would undoubtedly have an impact on Fourth Brother. He would likely find it difficult to accept.
One was a well-cultivated adopted son with a promising future, the other, while a biological son, grew up in a commoner's household and might not have remarkable capabilities to contribute to the Shi family.
While those who prioritized the family's interests might know which choice to make, Elderly Mrs. Shi was not an ordinary person, and her decision was hard to predict.
"Have you really thought this through?"
After their eldest son and daughter-in-law left, Elder Mr. Shi finally spoke.
Elderly Mrs. Shi nodded, "Everyone must take responsibility for their own mistakes. We failed to protect our child and allowed him to be switched. It was a serious error on our part, and we must face the consequences."
"Since we made a mistake, we can't compound it with another mistake."
"I didn't think things through before. We shouldn't have sent Shi Nian and Ms. Xu to the border city before deciding how to handle Zhengkun."
"Leaving the child in uncertainty isn't an option. He has suffered for over thirty years because of us. Now we can't let him continue to suffer."
Elder Mr. Shi hesitated, "But what about Zhengkun?"
Elderly Mrs. Shi sighed, her resolve unwavering, "He is innocent in a sense, but he took away Changsen's life. It's not entirely his fault, but he has to pay the price for his parents' greed. All the criticism he faces is a result of his parents' actions, not ours."
Elder Mr. Shi sighed again, "If the child switch is revealed, Zhengkun might distance himself from us."
Elderly Mrs. Shi had a broader perspective, "That's inevitable sometimes. Even a biological child doesn't always stay close to their parents."
"As for Zhengkun, we have nothing to feel guilty about. When he was our son, we raised him with care. If he continues to be close to us, we welcome it. If he grows distant, there's nothing to blame."
Elder Mr. Shi sighed deeply, "The fate of the Shi family might truly decline in my hands."
As a family of military officials, they either held power within the military or had educated members who could carry on the family's legacy through literary pursuits.
In recent years, the family had faced suppression from higher authorities. It was a struggle to secure a fifth-rank official position for their eldest son in the Ministry of War.
Now, with him still alive and supported by his title as an Earl, Elder Mr. Shi was worried about the family's future. Once he was gone and the title was gone, he couldn't fathom how much the Shi family might deteriorate.
After all the effort to raise a Hanlin scholar, discovering he wasn't their biological son was disheartening.
Elderly Mrs. Shi lowered her gaze, "Some things are hard to predict. Even if he becomes a Hanlin scholar and catches the Emperor's attention, he still needs to start from a lower-ranking position. Many people spend their entire lives as mere compilers."
"We can't foresee the future. We can only control the present. We must bring the child back; it's our responsibility as parents. We can't leave him at the border, only to explain ourselves to our ancestors when we meet them."
Elder Mr. Shi fell silent.
Suddenly, Elderly Mrs. Shi chuckled, "You know, Changsen's family surprised me. I thought being raised on the border without much education would limit their perspective. But they turned out to be quite impressive."
Elder Mr. Shi raised an eyebrow, looking at his wife. "How was it a surprise?"
Elderly Mrs. Shi retorted, "Why wouldn't it be a surprise? If they obediently followed us back, it would be predictable. But don't you feel something is missing if they do that?"
She smiled.
"Our eldest daughter-in-law, I know her well. She's full of tactics. Despite her feigned cooperation, she still dared to confront us. That kind of temperament is undoubtedly my bloodline."
"Second Brother said Changsen's youngest daughter resembles me a lot. I can't wait to meet them."
Elder Mr. Shi wasn't as open-minded as his wife. Thinking about the family's future, he had a headache. "Should I talk to Zhengkun, or should you?"
Elderly Mrs. Shi fell into thought. "Today, the Zeng family tried to forcefully enter here. They might come looking for us in the next few days. I'll handle it."
Early the next morning, after Elderly Mrs. Shi and Elder Mr. Shi had finished breakfast, they were informed by a servant that their daughter, Shi Yuhua, had returned.
Elderly Mrs. Shi raised an eyebrow and looked at Elder Mr. Shi. "I thought Zhengkun would come and ask himself. I didn't expect Yuhua to bring him back. Well, it's good. This is an important matter for the Shi family, and everyone in the family should know."