Chapter 95 - Tong An Hall
“Auntie Lu is here?” When they arrived at the entrance of the village, a group of four or five year old children saw the madame rushing over and hurriedly surrounded her. They were all affectionate and respectful.
The madame ordered Zuo Shaoqing to bring out the food that had been prepared on the carriage. Then, under the escort of the children, they walked into the biggest house in the middle of the village.
Zuo Shaoqing could barely keep up with the madame while carrying two bags of food. He raised his head and looked at the sign of the house. On it were three powerful characters — “Tong An Hall”.
Zuo Shaoqing was surprised for a moment. He had heard of the Tong An Hall's famous name before. He was not very famous right now, but in a few years, many military officers in the court would leave from this place.
I heard that Tong An Hall was established by the capital of Duke Zhen Prefecture. They are all orphans of the Northern Frontier that lost their parents in the war.
At first, everyone thought that Madame Lu was moved by her concern for her son in the Northern Frontier. However, there were also a few people who thought that the madame was trying to gain a reputation for herself. It was only when Tong An Hall became famous that people realized that the madame had great foresight.
Later on, Tong An Hall's military generals could only serve under Duke Zhen's command, making the originally valiant and invincible army even more powerful, like a sharp javelin standing on the ground of Great Yang.
“That was written by Zheng'er himself, wasn't it well written?” Seeing Zuo Shaoqing staring at the plaque, the madame purposely bragged about it.
Zuo Shaoqing slightly raised his brows and recognized Lu Zheng's handwriting. He praised without stint: “Master Lu's writing style is natural, his strokes are powerful and even carry a murderous intent. With this hanging plaque, even a mouse would not dare to enter the door.”
The old mistress could tell that he was praising her from the bottom of his heart, and she was even a little proud of him. She nodded to herself. It seemed that this child was indeed interested in Zhuo.
Zuo Shaoqing walked into the building and saw all sorts of buildings. The wooden boards were mixed with the soil, and the construction was simple and practical, not gaudy at all.
There were children playing in the yard. They rushed over as soon as they saw the visitor and surrounded the madame.
“Auntie Lu, who is this good-looking elder brother?” A four or five-year-old boy pointed at Zuo Shaoqing.
Zuo Shaoqing sneakily glanced at the madame. He didn't know how she would introduce him. He couldn't possibly say that he was her wife, right? Then should he or should he not?
Unexpectedly, the madame turned to look at him and answered with a smile, “My son.”
A few older mama walked up to him quickly. They had been specially chosen by the madame to take care of these children, and there was no lack of teachings.
Hearing Madame Lu's simple and straightforward words, she was so shocked that she almost fell down. Since when did Duke Zhen's residence have a young master?
The madame was very satisfied with the effect of those words. She asked a few mama to share the food with the children while she took Zuo Shaoqing around.
“This is called An Village. Other than the fact that these parentless children live in the southern part of the country, these people are very easy to support. As long as they are given a plot of land and a few farm tools, they will be able to support themselves.”
Zuo Shaoqing's heart tightened. He knew the madame was teaching him something, so he listened carefully.
“Of course, we don't expect them to be grateful for their kindness. The reason I gave them my hand was because I had the ability, but also because I thought of Zhuo'er protecting them in the north.”
“The madame is righteous!” Zuo Shaoqing praised sincerely.
“Don't think too kindly of this old woman. I only did it out of selfishness, but doing good is doing good, there's no need to ask about her heart. Those guards who boast of being kind and righteous only know how to talk.”
It was Zuo Shaoqing's first time hearing such a comment, so he was a bit disturbed.
“However, if a prince loves money and takes the Dao, then greed should be followed along the path and limits of greed. He should be an official who only knows how to fish for people's fat but doesn't actually do things…” The old mistress shot him a stern glare. “Everyone can be killed.”
“Yes, junior understands.”
The old lady's expression changed in an instant, and said with some cunning intent, “Of course, once you've experienced the wealth accumulated over generations through the Lu Family, it will be difficult to be tempted by those things that are worth money and money.”
Zuo Shaoqing thought to himself: That's not necessarily true. No one would complain about having too much money, right? Besides, it was different whether the heart was moved or not.
After passing by a vegetable field, Zuo Shaoqing heard the sound of students reading not far away, “All the children of Tong An Hall who are six years old or older can attend the school. The boys and girls can teach separately, and each needs to learn.”
Zuo Shaoqing nodded, the gains from different education were also different. The Wu Steel Manor only gave them a mouthful of food and a set of clothes, but this way, when they grow up, they would most likely only be able to become a group of farmers.
However, what Duke Zhen Manor needed was definitely not just a bunch of uncultured farmers who knew how to farm.
Zuo Shaoqing began to understand the madame's intention. She was not only doing good deeds, but also training outstanding talents for the Wu Steel Manor.
These children had all been favored by the mother and son of Lu Family. Since Lu Zheng had saved their lives, the madame had given them food and books.
The five generations of Lu Family were single-handed, while the side branches were all three-thousand-mile long. They did not have any large family branches, so they could only use this method to increase the cohesion of Duke Zhen Manor.
Furthermore, as long as the family was large, there would be a lot of trouble. Restraining each other was not as easy to use as these orphaned children.
“Do you know what's the most important thing for a wife of the Lu Family?” the madame asked suddenly.
Zuo Shaoqing had some answers, but he couldn't say it clearly.
Fortunately, the Old Madam didn't have the chance to listen to his answer and continued, “De, Yan, Rong, Gong, these are all empty words. What my Lu Family needs is a woman who can look into the big picture and act bravely in the rear. I've been selecting her since five years ago, but I didn't expect that a man would take the initiative in the end.”
Zuo Shaoqing chuckled. He didn't know how to reply. With his two lives' worth of experience, he knew that the madame was acting according to Lu Zheng's wishes on this matter. Otherwise, Zuo Shuhui would not have been able to enter his previous life.
As he walked forward, the sounds of studying became louder and louder. Zuo Shaoqing became curious. He also wanted to see what these future pillars of the country were like.
“A lot of scholars and scholars are willing to come to the children's class for free, but they want to come, and I'm afraid they will spoil my good seed.” The old mistress' mouth twitched as she spoke with disdain.
Zuo Shaoqing finally understood why Lu Zheng didn't like the students. Their relationship was always different. It seemed like he still needed to show off.
“If mother doesn't mind, I can come and teach my children when I have time in the future.”
The old mistress raised her pretty eyebrows and looked at him meaningfully. “We'll talk about it when you have the time in the future. Since I'm old, it's time for me to enjoy my blessings.”
Zuo Shaoqing's heart skipped a beat, and he smiled embarrassedly: “That's right, junior will be participating in Conference Test soon. If junior is able to get into high school in one fell swoop, I will definitely become an official in the future. I'm really not free.”
The old mistress' smile grew wider as she joked, “As a man, success is the foundation. Do you think I will keep you at home?”
After Zuo Shaoqing let out a sigh of relief, the madame continued, “Of course, after you become the mistress of this house, some things will be your responsibility. Take both sides into consideration, with your body, you should be able to withstand it!”
Looking at the old lady's obvious mocking expression, Zuo Shaoqing also joked: “Aren't you still here? “If it doesn't work, then I'll have to work hard, Master Lu.”
“You're quite a schemer.” The madame thought of her own son who had a daughter-in-law and forgot his mother, and snorted softly.
The madame took Zuo Shaoqing for a walk around the academy. The two of them did not disturb the studious children and only glanced at them from outside the window.
This was the first time Zuo Shaoqing was standing outside the academy as a spectator. His gaze passed through the thin curtain and landed on the young man wearing a crescent white robe. An unknown light seemed to be brewing in his eyes.
The Countess had also noticed this overly young and handsome youth. She said softly, “Huh? I didn't expect that Yin would accept such a good student.”
“Mother knows him?”
“Jiung Hengzhou, the last disciple of Old Man Yin. His brother was Zheng'er's bodyguard and was a good young man. It's a pity that he died young.”
Zuo Shaoqing previously only knew that Lu Zheng knew Jiung Hengzhou's elder brother, but he didn't know that there were close proximity guards. No matter what, Zuo Shaoqing's fear of Jiung Hengzhou was carved into his bones and won't change for this reason.
“Brother Jiung is the hot topic for this year's Imperial Examinations. Why aren't you reading your books at this time of the year and have come here?” Zuo Shaoqing didn't go to Qu Changqing these few days, so he didn't know when Jiung Hengzhou found this place.
“From what Zhuo'er said, he knew that the people that Tong An Palace took in were the Northern Frontier orphans. His brother died in the Northern Frontier after coming here voluntarily for a few days, and that's all.”
Zuo Shaoqing gritted his teeth. He didn't expect Lu Zheng to have come into contact with Jiung Hengzhou before he knew it. He definitely had to clarify things the next time they meet.
“Mom, someone has come. Shall we go?” Zuo Shaoqing took one last look at Jiung Hengzhou and said to the madame with a smile.
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