After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 514 Crying and Howling
Zhou Shigong had just dismissed Mr. Yin Yang, the clan's usual man, and immediately rushed to the west courtyard.

As soon as he entered the door, he heard his stepmother, Mrs. Ma, crying bitterly in the house: "Do you know that I did it on purpose? I was not forced! I was young and ignorant, and was deceived by the rogue and thief's smooth words, and I was temporarily confused. , I did something wrong. I was kicked out of the house by my parents. I gave up my glory and wealth, and my status plummeted. Is it considered a heavy punishment? When I first married into the Zhou family, I also wanted to live a good life. Who knew? The thief recognized me and refused to let me go, forcing me to do things I didn't want to do..."

She cried and talked about past events, saying how afraid she was that her husband would find out about the past and would alienate her from now on. She also said that after giving birth to her son, she was worried that her past would harm her son, so she just helped the old king of the Hu people do it for her husband and son. It was against one's will; later it was mentioned that the Sun family was stupid and fell into the trap of the old king of the Hu people, targeting his own daughter Zhou Shuyi. However, Zhou Shuyi was so ignorant that she jumped into the pit dug by others and killed herself, an old woman. He also dragged it on; he also said that the Sun family secretly bought kerosene and had evil intentions, but he realized it was too late. By the time he woke up, there was no way to escape...

Since she made a big mistake, she has spent her whole life trying to protect her own glory and wealth, trying to eliminate evidence of her past crimes and get rid of the threat of the old king of the Hu people. However, God has always been in trouble with her, causing her to make every attempt. All in vain. In order to protect her husband and children, she was forced to go all the way...

Zhou Shicheng let her finish what she wanted to say, but he did not make any comment on the past events and "last resort" she mentioned. He only said lightly: "I see."

Mrs. Ma endured the pain and talked for half a day. She was extremely tired, had dry mouth and tongue, was weak, and had unbearable abdominal pain. She thought that her own analysis of her feelings would somehow move her own son, but she didn't expect that he would still look so cold, and she couldn't help but get angry: "Is that all you have to say?!"

Zhou Shicheng glanced at her calmly: "What else does mother want to say to her son? You have done everything. No matter how many times you had no choice but to do something wrong, you still did a lot of wrong things. You don't have to say that it was all for the sake of father and son. For your own sake. My father didn't know your origins, and my son never knew what you were planning. You just made mistakes again and again in order to get rid of your own troubles. Since you never asked your father and son when you made your decision. Now that things have failed, there is no need to put all the blame on the father and son. Anyone who does anything needs to consider the consequences. Now that you have decided to do it, you should take the responsibility calmly. , Mother-in-law, it’s boring to talk too much. My son originally thought that you were a more courageous person.”

He stood up, as if he didn't intend to talk to Mrs. Ma anymore.

Mrs. Ma quickly asked: "Where are you going?!"

Zhou Shicheng didn't even look back: "Son, go and ask your brother if he can get you some medicine that can relieve pain and soothe your nerves, so that you can feel a little better after walking."

When Mrs. Ma heard the first half of the sentence, she felt a little relieved. After listening to the second half, her face turned pale. She understood what her son meant, but she didn't expect that after finally waiting for her parent and son to return, she still couldn't escape that fate.

She couldn't help but screamed: "Shicheng! Shicheng! Come back! Mom knows you're wrong! Mom doesn't dare anymore! Mom is already this old, how many more years can she live?! Can't you help mom? Go Please, brother, please let me stay in the west courtyard, and only tell the public that my mother is dead! She has been married to your father for decades, and she has done nothing but hard work. You can’t let her get this. Are you dying? Shicheng, come back soon!"

Mrs. Zhou Ma had never seen her step-mother-in-law cry so miserably, and she couldn't help but be stunned on the spot. When she came back to her senses, she couldn't help but look at the other people in the room, and then at her sister and granddaughters behind her: "This... this... uh, what should I do?"

Ma pulled her sleeve and walked out: "Sister, ignore her. She deserves this."

Zhou Ma was still hesitating, but Zhou Yijun and Haitang had already supported her and walked out of the house. Haitang also whispered: "She was trying to shirk responsibility before, and she also wanted to trick your brother-in-law into helping her escape. If she really convinced the second master, my aunt, think about what will happen to your family?"

Zhou Ma was immediately convinced, and instead of saying anything pitiful about Mrs. Ma, he glared at her hatefully and simply left the room. Anyway, as long as her brother-in-law Zhou Shicheng didn't vent his anger on her and her children and grandchildren, she had nothing to do with what kind of trouble he and Madam Ma would have between mother and son.

In the yard, Zhou Shigong, who had just arrived to listen to half of the story, spoke hesitantly to his brother: "My eldest cousin has sent a female doctor to prescribe medicine for my mother, but the poison is quite vicious, and ordinary painkillers cannot affect it. If you want to detoxify, you have to use precious old ginseng. But according to the wishes of the female official from the palace, when mother sees you, she should take the medicine given by the emperor. If she doesn't want you to give her a ride. I should have taken that medicine a few days ago..."

After Zhou Shicheng heard this, he was still very calm: "Thank you to my eldest cousin and brother for saving my mother's life for two more days. But my brother also saw that my mother was stubborn and refused to repent until she died. She didn't say a few words to me when she saw her." To be honest, I still only think about myself. It’s better not to see this side.”

Zhou Shigong knew in his heart that his younger brother's temperament had not changed. No matter what happened to Mrs. Ma, he would never change his temperament, let alone take his anger out on himself. His tone suddenly became much more cordial, and he reached out and patted Zhou Shicheng's shoulder: "Just be more open-minded. She is already at this age, and her temperament has been set for a long time. How can it be so easy to change? The emperor is simply merciful, and has never Because of what she did, she turned her anger on our brothers. The eldest cousin also kindly helped to block the news so that my father's reputation would not be stained. After this incident, we can live in peace for a few years, and the world will understand. If we forget her, our children and grandchildren will not have to worry about being affected for generations to come.”

Zhou Shicheng nodded: "Before leaving Minzhou, I have handed over all the official duties. After today, I can stay in Chang'an with peace of mind. It's just that my wife and children's luggage is slow and they are still behind. It will take some time to arrive. ”

Zhou Shigong waved his hand: "Don't be in a hurry, just take your time. My eldest cousin has told me not to make a big deal about my mother's funeral. It's best to go quietly and not attract attention." He paused. , "Your eldest nephew did some stupid things before, and I have punished him, but he is still not very sensible. What do you think, my second brother, should I do with him?"

Zhou Shigong said this, which was tantamount to putting the eldest son's life in the hands of his brothers, but Zhou Shicheng waved his hand: "He is the elder brother's son, and the elder brother can discipline himself. If the elder brother still expects him to inherit the third house and revitalize the family, then Don’t indulge me any longer.”

Zhou Shigong smiled bitterly: "What else can I expect from such a stupid and poisonous villain? I can't just watch my ancestors' family fortune fail in his hands. Now I just hope that Jin Lin can be better than his brother, otherwise... We can only see if the grandchildren will become successful!" He squeezed his brother's hand and said, "While you are keeping your filial piety, you should teach your son well and don't let him follow the same path as Jinpu."

Zhou Shicheng nodded silently.

The two brothers ignored Mrs. Ma's crying in the house and had a heart-to-heart talk in the courtyard. Looking at this harmonious scene of brothers and sisters, Zhou Ma felt extremely weird in his heart.

Suddenly there was a sound of footsteps, and she hurriedly looked in the direction of the courtyard door, but it was the housekeeper who came to report: "The Duke and Tu Tongzhi are here."

Everyone was immediately shocked, knowing that they had finally met the end of Mrs. Ma.

(End of this chapter)