noffsinger Chapter 594 The Butler Is Not Here
Chapter 594 The Butler Is Not Here
"Butler! Butler!"
"Wait, Xiaoqing, don't go over there."
While things may differ in the world, within the Zhao household, almost every day is the same.
Aside from the simple affairs of the court, the Zhao residence was filled with the calls and searches of stewards almost every day.
Until this day after last night.
Xiaoqing's repeated cries were finally cut off by Chongning.
"Your Highness, Steward Lian Jiu, what's wrong?" Xiao Qing asked, puzzled, wondering why Chong Ning had stopped her.
At the same time, she was both anxious and guilty.
Because she needed to quickly go through the new material she had on hand with Lian Jiu.
Last night, Marquis Chengyi passed away. The head of the family, Zhao Zheng, went to Marquis Chengyi's residence to offer his condolences. Before leaving, he left instructions that all news-related matters should be handled by them.
It's time to hand it over to them to make the decisions.
But Xiaoqing didn't dare to make that decision herself. These past few days, she's been in charge of reviewing and proofreading, while Chongning has been in charge of gathering material.
Faced with such a big problem, she naturally had no choice but to secretly seek help from the housekeeper, Ma Jia, to come up with a solution.
Regarding the matter of whether or not the death of Marquis Chengyi should be reported, Xiaoqing had a broader and more complex perspective. She believed that Chongning should be protected by the entire Zhao family, including her, who was originally his maid, and should not be involved.
"It's best not to bother them."
Seeing Xiaoqing's obvious guilty conscience, Chongning didn't pay much attention to her, only occasionally turning his head, his eyes flashing with doubt and a little worry.
Xiaoqing needs the housekeeper's pseudonym to advise her on important matters.
But Chongning arrived first and saw a kind of dazed feeling in the steward Lian Jiu, no, in everyone in the Zhao family except the two of them, a feeling she had never seen before.
More importantly, the butler lacked that dynamism, staring intently at a letter without moving an inch.
Therefore, Chongning believed that they should not disturb them at this time.
The Zhao family bears the weight of the world's responsibilities. For the steward, Lian Jiu, to react in this way, the two women must be quite sensible.
"Let's wait here for a while. The housekeeper will call us if he notices."
"When will that be?" Xiaoqing asked anxiously, though a hint of concern flashed in her eyes despite her reluctance.
Chongning shook his head again, but he set an example by standing aside and taking out his textbooks from the Academy of Human Sciences to begin studying.
Seeing this, Xiaoqing had no choice but to do the opposite. She picked up her hand, then quickly put it down to cover herself, and began pacing back and forth.
Ultimately, Xiaoqing didn't understand what it meant for the Zhao family to bear the weight of the world. She only knew that the head of the family said to find the steward if there was anything wrong, and as a maid, she should naturally find the steward if she had something to do.
Bearing the weight of the world's burdens is the responsibility of the head of the family.
Why should someone who is capable be obligated to do something?
However, she decided to wait a little longer. Her plan was to go in once the butler, Lian Jiu, put down the letter in his hand.
Who told her she didn't have room to carry a textbook from the Chinese Academy of Sciences?
And so, finally, in the Zhao residence, which had long been transformed into a straightforward place, the two of them, separated by an invisible screen, began to stand guard for Zhao Zheng along the efficient and energy-saving route planned for the puppet.
Silence returned to the Zhao residence.
......
[My dear brother Zhao Zheng, it is rare to see you on the day of Lichun, which is inevitable for everyone. The earth is sleeping, and the plowing cannot be delayed. I have a moment to think about this privately, and I am very fortunate to have you.]
My dear brother Zhao Zheng, it has been a long time since we last met. My brother's virtue is lowly and his life is miserable. I heard the news of the Awakening of Insects. I am neither a subject nor a member of the crowd. I am very fortunate to be an old man from Qingtian.
As the saying goes, life is short, and one should always worry about living to a hundred.
At first, I was fortunate to have your respect, and I was unaware of your fierceness. Later, after a period of relative calm, although you lacked the ability to blend in with the world, you were straightforward in your words and effective in your actions, which your elder brother admired but could not achieve.
My elder brother had narrow vision, and after many years, as he grew closer to his younger brother, he came to understand the great truth.
The mountains and rivers flow away, leaving the shore for the sea to seek its own way.
A world where goods are plentiful, people live in harmony, temperaments are open and honest, nations are destroyed, virtue and wisdom are manifest, and people enter a state of freedom.
Its wonder is unparalleled in the annals of history. Its righteousness is so profound that later generations seek only to err in the slightest. To have entered its path is a great fortune for Qingtian.
Of course.
The ruler now says: "The people can be made to follow, but they cannot be made to understand."
The fields are left uncultivated, and the young rice cannot withstand the frost. Only rain and dew can bring forth green shoots, and thunder and lightning are absolutely forbidden.
The Later Ruler said: "If the people can be employed, then let them follow. If they cannot be employed, then understand why."
The three problems that plague our current ruler are hierarchy, factionalism, and reciprocity; they must be addressed, and cannot be ignored. These problems cannot be completely eradicated in two generations either.
Or a wise ruler might say: If the people are willing, let them follow the path. If they are not willing, let them know the reason.
Proposals made today may become crimes committed tomorrow. If we hesitate to act for fear of inadvertently causing harm, the problem will only continue.
The master kills the corrupt, tolerates and nurtures the corrupt, and tolerating the corrupt is like raising a vicious goose.
The Lord loves clear streams, yet hates them most; He treats clear streams like a flood.
It is a unity of family and country, where family and country are inseparable.
How wonderful it would be if I could have thousands of mansions! My mansions have thousands of rooms.
Then, Zhang Wenzhong passed away on the day of Jiazi.
Therefore, retreating now is a form of advancement.
However, the road ahead is full of surprises, confusion, and obstacles. Comrades should be cautious in their solitude, and future generations should be virtuous, not just sharing with their younger brothers.
Yes, take care.
......
"Butler! Butler!"
"Xiao Qing!"
Finally, Zhao Zheng made a move, and people reacted differently.
Seeing this, Xiaoqing, who had been lingering at the door, couldn't wait any longer and ran inside. Chongning tried to stop her but couldn't.
"what happened?"
Zhao Zheng didn't notice Xiao Qing and the others' arrival this time. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at them with his usual expression.
Xiaoqing and Chongning, upon entering his courtyard, were initially anxious and nervous, but now all their anxiety and tension turned into caution.
"Speak, what is it?" Seeing the unusual expressions on the two men's faces in front of this puppet, Zhao Zheng felt a rare moment of genuine relief.
But the two remained silent and cautious.
Chongning quickly tugged at Xiaoqing's sleeve, signaling her not to say anything out of line.
However, we can't remain silent right now.
Having spent so much time together, they were not only in sync with Zhao Zheng's nine aliases, but also very familiar with each other.
Zhao Zheng's emotions were acting very strangely.
He shouldn't have stood there so calmly, completely unfazed.
He should be comfortably lounging in a rocking chair, indulging in the snacks he stole from the master of the house.
"...It's today's news. The head of the family is not here, and Xiaoqing really doesn't dare to make a decision."
In the end, it was Xiaoqing, who was anxious, who spoke up first, beating Chongning, who wanted to change the subject by asking questions.
"Oh? What news?"
Zhao Zheng reached out to take the sample, but Chong Ning intervened and stopped Xiao Qing from raising her hand.
"The news isn't important, we can handle it."
"Butler, how come you suddenly have so much stuff here? Do you need our help?"
The number of clansmen in the manor had decreased significantly, a fact that Chongning and his companion were naturally aware of.
The palace kept it a secret from them, and Zhao Zheng in the mansion would certainly not let the news leak out.
The two of them just felt that those tribesmen had probably gone to do something important.
After all, with peace prevailing throughout the land, even if the patriarch Zhao Zheng were to preside over reforms, it would harm the interests of many people.
But within the capital city, under the emperor's protection, who would dare to oppose or do anything to the Zhao family?
As for the large pile of things in Zhao Zheng's courtyard, they were originally documents and tools that Liu Ji had kept there.
“These…” Zhao Zheng’s attention was indeed drawn to them, and he no longer looked at the news.
"Butler, if you can't fit it here, why don't you put it in our yard? It's a waste to leave it empty."
Chongning went a step further, thinking that if these things could be placed with the steward Lian Jiu, then apart from the letter, the others should also be placed with them.
Xiaoqing thought she saw further and more clearly, and was naturally closer to the Zhao family.
But how could Chongning not have thought this way all along?
The Zhao family mansion was neither like a royal residence nor like an official residence. And she, as a princess, was neither like a princess nor like an official.
She wanted to be considered a part of the Zhao family, a real part of it.