"Mom, I'm not a child now, you can tell me if there's anything you need."

Shen Yichen looked at her mother with a very formal and serious tone.

It is very difficult for a single mother like Shen to raise an older child in modern times, let alone in ancient times like the Ming Dynasty.

I am no longer the Shen Yichen who had no ambitions and only knew how to play around. It is time to shoulder the responsibility as a son of man and a man.

Faced with Shen Yichen's sincere eyes, Mrs. Shen felt mixed emotions in her heart. After working hard for more than ten years, she finally saw her son look like an adult today.

It's just that there are some things that Mrs. Shen doesn't know whether to involve her son in.

After hesitating in silence for a long time, Ms. Shen leaned down and opened the red lacquered wooden box.

As soon as the box was opened, there was a ray of silver light that reflected into Shen Yichen's pupils. Because there was a layer of silver ingots neatly stacked on the upper floor of the entire wooden box, and the purity was very high, so it was no surprise that it was produced by the Big Money Bureau.

In addition, under the silver ingot, there was a vague pile of cloth. Shen Yichen didn't know the specific material, but it seemed to be valuable.

Shen Yichen has been in the Ming Dynasty for some time, and has a general understanding of the price of goods in this era. Today, if this wooden box is placed in an ordinary family of three, it can almost guarantee that they will have no worries about food and clothing for at least ten years.

Who would make such a big deal, and what is the purpose?

"Chen'er, you must really want to know who sent this box of things."

"Um."

Shen Yichen nodded.

I saw a wry smile on Shen's lips, and then said: "Given by the father-in-law's step-sibling, Mrs. Lin."

Zhu Ji’s mother, Lin?

A childhood memory emerged in Shen Yichen's mind. After she and her mother left the Chengguo Palace, they heard that Zhu Yong's first wife, Mrs. Wang, had died of illness, and later, her concubine, Mrs. Lin, was promoted to be his wife and step-in-law. .

It's just that Mrs. Lin, wasn't she always targeting herself and her mother back then? Why would she give such a generous gift?

"Mom, what does Mrs. Lin want to do?"

Being courteous for nothing is a traitor or a thief, and this kind of generous gift that suddenly comes to your door is the same. Yesterday at the Chengguo Duke's family banquet, Zhu Ji was still full of hostility, quarreling with him at every turn, and his mother was even less likely to give him a gift.

Faced with Shen Yichen's inquiry, Mrs. Shen opened her mouth to say something, but in the end the words did not come out, but she shook her head helplessly.

"It has something to do with me, right?"

Shen Yichen was keenly aware that this matter might have something to do with him. Otherwise, he had lived in this small courtyard without incident for so many years. However, the situation changed when he saw Zhu Ji yesterday. How could it be such a coincidence.

"Chen'er, just study with peace of mind. These things are all the grudges of the previous generation and have nothing to do with you."

"Then what are the grudges and grudges of the previous generation?"

Shen Yichen asked once before, but his mother didn't answer. At that time, he couldn't continue to ask. But this time, he planned to break the casserole and ask to the end.

Listening to Shen Yichen's questioning, Ms. Shen felt very tormented in her heart. She really didn't want her son to be affected by this. But some things were already in front of her eyes and she couldn't hide them by avoiding them.

"Mrs. Lin gave these things because she wanted you to drop out of the private school."

I see.

Hearing her mother's answer, Shen Yichen's lips showed a sneer. The previous doubts were now explained instantly. It seemed that he was too conspicuous at the family banquet yesterday, and he was left to talk to Zhu Yong, the Duke of Cheng. , is beginning to threaten the status of some people.

However, Shen Yichen somewhat admired Mrs. Lin's methods. A woman who did not appear in public could move so quickly, leaving no hidden dangers for herself.

"Chen'er, did you do something in the home school? Why did Mrs. Lin suddenly want you to drop out of school?"

Not only Shen Yichen had doubts, but Mrs. Shen was also full of surprise and confusion about receiving the "generous gift" from Mrs. Lin today.

Shen Yichen has been studying in Chengguo Gongfu's private school for almost ten years. Why should he drop out of school today, sooner rather than later?

"Maybe it's because the Duke of Guo praised me a few words, which gave me a glimmer of hope of joining the family tree."

"Really?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Shen was overjoyed, dispelling her previous worries. Her biggest extravagant wish in her life was to have her son recognized by Zhu Yong, but the reality was getting further and further away.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yichen was actually studying at home and had already been praised by the Duke!

"Well, I just said a few words briefly, and it has nothing to do with entering the genealogy."

Seeing her mother's excitement, Shen Yichen quickly changed what happened. Just saying that she had some hope was enough. If Shen knew that she had rejected Yinjian, she didn't know what would happen in her excitement.

"That's enough. At least we have a good start. My father-in-law still cares about you."

"Maybe."

Shen Yichen couldn't bear to expose Shen's fantasies. After all, she, a female prostitute, only cared about the relationship between father and son, while Duke Zhu Yong cared about the clan family.

"Mom, what happened back then? Why is Mrs. Lin so afraid of our mother and son?"

Although Shen Yichen admired Mrs. Lin for her good skills, seriously speaking, this reaction was a bit too much.

After all, the current Mrs. Lin is no longer the concubine she was before, but the Duke's main wife. Not to mention that she has not yet revealed her horoscopes when she entered the family tree. Even if she entered the family tree and became a concubine, it would be difficult to pose much of a threat to her. .

Because Zhu Yong also has an eldest son, Zhu Yi, from his first wife, the hereditary priority is greater than that of his step-sibling. As for his mother, Shen, she was never favored by Duke Cheng as a maid, and it did not affect Mrs. Lin's status.

After thinking about it, there must be other factors that can reasonably explain Mrs. Lin's overreaction.

"Chen'er, didn't you ask me a few days ago why we left the Duke Cheng's Mansion?"

"Um."

Shen Yichen nodded. He didn't get the answer that day.

"Because my mother saw something that she shouldn't have seen when she was in the palace."

Having said this, Mrs. Shen sighed heavily, and then recounted those old events.

The first wife of Cheng Guo Gong Zhu Yong, the Wang family, had not been able to get married for many years after marrying into Cheng Guo Gong's house. In the ancient environment, there were three types of unfilial piety, and having no offspring was the worst. If the main wife could not have children, she would have committed the "seven sins of leaving." , not to mention a hereditary duke like Zhu Yong, who still has a huge family title waiting for his children to inherit.

As a result, the relationship between the couple gradually developed, and Cheng Guogong also took in several concubines one after another, including Zhu Ji's mother Lin.

After Lin entered the Chengguo Palace, she was greatly favored by Zhu Yong due to her beauty and skills. Later, she began to take charge of the inner courtyard of the palace, which actually challenged Wang's status as the head wife.

Under such circumstances, Wang was anxious and angry, her body was getting thinner and thinner, and she was even less able to compete with the young and beautiful Lin.

However, the situation soon changed. Just when Wang was thirty years old and everyone was not optimistic about it, she suddenly became pregnant with a child. And after ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to a son, who later became the adult. Zhu Yi, the eldest son of the Duke.

I thought I could regain the power of the inner court by relying on my eldest son, but it turned out that I relied on my eldest son to be misfortune, and I was blessed to be misfortune.

Wang's age could be called an advanced maternal age in ancient times. After giving birth to her eldest son, Zhu Yi, her body collapsed and she was bedridden all year round. The entire Chengguo Duke's Mansion was completely controlled by the Lin family, and at one time it reached The point of "spoiling your concubine and destroying your wife".

Later, Mrs. Lin also became pregnant with the concubine Zhu Ji at that time. During the pregnancy, Duke Cheng Zhu Yong had an affair and fell in love with his maid Shen, so she had the current Shen Yichen.

It is precisely because of this that Mrs. Lin regarded her mother, Mrs. Shen, as a "competitor". From then on, she was full of hostility towards the mother and son, ostracizing and suppressing them at every turn.

But no matter what, the Chengguo Justice Chamber is still there, and no matter how much the Lin family controls the inner court, it is just a concubine. Therefore, in addition to being blocked from joining the genealogy in terms of title, Shen Yichen is still treated like a bastard and can work normally in the palace. Live and learn.

And the turning point of all this occurred on the night when Shen Yichen and her son left the palace!

His wife, Wang, was bedridden and her health was getting worse and worse. Chengguo Duke Zhu Yong was promoted to the crown prince and Taibao to take charge of the capital camp, and basically did not go back to the Nanjing mansion. The entire Chengguo Duke's mansion, the Lin family, could be said to cover the sky with one hand.

That night Wang became seriously ill and coughed violently. He kept calling the maid to find the doctor, but no one answered after calling for half an hour.

At that time, my mother, Mrs. Shen, happened to be passing by the courtyard. She was puzzled when she heard Mrs. Wang's call but no one responded. Logically speaking, the maids should always be waiting in front of the bed, so this situation would not happen.

With doubts and respect for the principal wife, mother Shen planned to enter the courtyard to help, but unexpectedly she saw Mrs. Lin standing at the door.

Mrs. Lin's face was gloomy, and she turned a deaf ear to Mrs. Wang's shouts in the room. As time went by, Mrs. Wang's voice became smaller and smaller, just like the passage of life.

Seeing this scene, her mother, Mrs. Shen, was frightened. She panicked and wanted to leave quickly, but accidentally kicked the flower pot at the door of the courtyard. When she looked up and looked at the door, she was met with Mrs. Lin's fierce words. look.

Although her mother, Mrs. Shen, was born as a maid, she still had a basic sense of crisis after living in a deep compound. So she ran away quickly and took Shen Yichen out of the palace overnight and came to live in this villa at the end of the alley. He made it clear that he would not return to the government office again.

Maybe it's because Mrs. Lin is afraid of losing everything, or maybe it's because her mother, Mrs. Shen, has given in and Shen Yichen is unbearable, and there is no threat to her. If she continues to pursue the case, it may be self-defeating and arouse the father-in-law's suspicion.

So over the years, Mrs. Shen took Shen Yichen, and the mother and son lived in this small courtyard, which was considered a peaceful place, until today's "generous gift" from Mrs. Lin broke it.

"Chen'er, mother didn't want you to get involved, but now that you have grown up, there are some things that you can't avoid, so you should face them."

After talking about these old memories, Mr. Shen's tone became firmer, unlike the weak and gentle look in the past.

"Mom, I understand."

"I will ask someone to send these things back, and you can continue to study well in the public school. Mom has no other thoughts in this life. She just hopes that you will be successful and one day be able to stand upright in front of the father-in-law and let him see her son. You’ve become a talent!”
Chapter completed!