Chapter 400 Calluses on Hands Although Xiao He was He Jiang's cousin, the He family was only a third-rate family. Xiao He lost her father at a young age. Although she was taken care of by her clan members, she was miserable living under someone else's was He Jiang who arranged for He to marry Meng Zhong as his second wife. Meng Zhong was over 50 years old, while He was still 28 years old. Xiao He originally thought that by marrying a general, she would no longer have to live a hard life in the future. Even if her husband died before her, as long as she had a son, she would be able to gain a foothold in the Meng family. But life after marriage was far from what she had imagined. Although Meng Zhong was loyal to Wu Dongming and was very powerful on the battlefield, he was not close to his wife and children. Moreover, he had a fiery temper and would beat and scold his wife and children at any time. The original wife died of depression, with a slap mark from Meng Zhong on her face. When little He came to marry, it was a newlywed period. As an old man and a young wife, Meng Zhong doted on this wife who was ten years younger than his son. He treated little He like a treasure and wished he could pick the stars in the sky to make hairpins for her. Seeing all this, how could Master Meng not hate? Young Master Meng and Grandmother Meng targeted Xiao He everywhere. Xiao He was not to be outdone and whispered in Meng Zhong's ear every night. The relationship between father and son reached freezing point. Finally, after a quarrel, Young Master Meng ran away from home with his wife and children. They originally wanted to go to Zhangye, but they encountered horse thieves on the way and died. When Meng Zhong heard the news, he regretted his decision and became much colder towards Xiao He. He never entered Xiao He's house again. Xiao He wanted to give birth to a boy as soon as possible so that she could gain status as a mother. However, Meng Zhong sighed all day long, missing his dead son and grandson, and had no interest in women.
Just when Xiao He was feeling worried and at a loss, Meng Zhong was seriously injured in his spine and had to lie in bed from then on. Meng Cheng had long been drooling over this beautiful sister-in-law. After Meng Zhong became a cripple, Meng Cheng immediately launched an offensive against Xiao He. Xiao He was worried that she had no children and no one to rely on, so Meng Cheng teased her and she half-heartedly agreed, and the two of them got together. But she soon realized that what Meng Cheng wanted was not just her body, but also everything about Meng Zhong. Meng Cheng was inferior to Meng Zhong in both martial arts and reputation, but he was Meng Zhong's younger brother, so the old subordinates in the army had no choice but to accept him. And under Xiao He's careful care, Meng Zhong's injuries became more and more serious. Before, he just couldn't move, but now he can't even speak. But Meng Cheng and Xiao Heshi could not let him die. Meng Cheng could not fully control the army. If Meng Zhong died at this time, at least half of the generals would leave, and the army would surely be in chaos. However, Meng Cheng was lustful by nature, and his true colors soon showed up. He took pleasure in abusing Xiao He in front of Meng Zhong. He even told Meng Zhong that in his eyes, Xiao He was a prostitute. He laughed at Meng Zhong for treating prostitutes as treasures. Meng Zhong was speechless and was so angry that veins were bulging. Thinking of these past events, Xiao He clenched her jade hands in her sleeves into fists. She said word by word: "Kill Meng Cheng, kill him!" He Shuting stretched out her hand to her. Her palm was as white as a jade carving, but there were two thin calluses on it. If you look closely, you will find that there are calluses on her fingers as well. Xiao He also stretched out her hand, and the two slender hands were tightly clasped. "Sisters are united in purpose and can break any obstacle together." He Shuting's eyes were full of sincerity, and little He felt the respect that Princess Chang'an had for her. At this moment, Xiao He was so moved that she wanted to cry. Meng Zhong hated her to the core, Meng Cheng bullied and humiliated her, but what did it matter? The noble Princess Chang'an treated her as a sister. He Shuting lived in the Meng family's mansion and sent He Jiang away. He Shuting sat upright on a chair, silently looking at the calluses on her hands. These were left over from her hard work day and night in the charity hall. Later, He Shuting used a file to grind them and soaked them in medicine. After the calluses faded, they would grow again. Even though she doesn't touch water now, the calluses are still there. Whenever Wu Ji saw these calluses, he felt distressed for He Shuting. He gently kissed the calluses on her hands, feeling pity for the person she once was. So later on, He Shuting stopped trying to get rid of the calluses.
Some men are born with everything and they think they can do anything. But when they encounter setbacks and realize that there are always people better than them, they will try to find the pitiful dignity for themselves from the loss. A woman like He Ran only made him feel inferior, and he found those rich girls who grew up in honey pots boring. But the girl who came out of the mud but remained untainted, who was delicate and helpless, with calluses on her hands but singing in her eyes, would neither make him feel ashamed nor bored. He Shuting had a miserable and humble but self-reliant past, and Wu Ji was the one who rescued He Shuting from the sea of suffering and was also her god. With He Shuting, he found the dignity that he could not get from other women. He liked to find all kinds of expensive bracelets and rings, but his favorite was her hand. He kissed the calluses on her hands, and the mutton-fat jade bracelet touched his cheek. The calluses were rough, and the bracelet was warm. The cocoon is her past, the bracelet is her present, and the bracelet was given by him. Her life was changed by him, and he is everything to her. A sneer appeared on He Shuting's lips. She took off the bracelet on her wrist, thought about it, and put it back on. She remembered a pair of large, crudely made gold bracelets that He Ran wore on her hands many years ago. It is said that the bracelet was given to a servant by her mother, and He Ran took it from the servant and wore it on her wrist like a treasure. At that time, people in the mansion were privately saying that this young lady was really not presentable. How could a master snatch a bracelet from a servant? It would be embarrassing if it were made public. Later, He Shuting left the He family and fled. At that time, she remembered He Ran's pair of big gold bracelets. It's so thick and clumsy. If she cut it into pieces and used it as money, she could buy a lot of steamed buns and she wouldn't have to go hungry. When Wu Ji put the bracelet on her hand, for some reason, she once again thought of the big gold bracelet on He Ran's wrist. Gold has a price, but jade is priceless. Her pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets are much more expensive than He Ran's big gold bracelets, but she is not happy. Having experienced a lot of hardships, she is no longer easily moved. Wu Ji couldn't move her, and she didn't love Wu Ji either. A handsome and tall figure emerged in He Shuting's mind, and she became infatuated as she thought about that person. Lu Zhen, who was being thought about by He Shuting, returned to the capital at this time. He hadn't been back for a long time. This time when he returned to Beijing, after reporting to He Ran, he couldn't wait to return to the Marquis' Mansion. After several years of ups and downs, although the dynasty has not officially changed, it is not far away. Looking around the capital, the only family that can still hang the old plaque high is the Wu'an Marquis Mansion. The Wu'an Marquis Mansion is now even more prosperous than before. In the past, the emperor was wary of the Wu'an Marquis Mansion. Wu'an Marquis Lu Pingnan was transferred back to the capital when he was in his thirties. He handed over the tiger talisman and lived out his retirement in the Five Military Commandery. At that time, the only one in the Lu family who was still leading troops was Lu Pingye, and Lu Pingye was only a fourth-rank military general. In the current Wu'an Marquis Mansion, Lu Pingnan and Lu Pingye are stationed in the capital and Baoding Prefecture respectively, not to mention Lu Zhen, who has made great military achievements and has a bright future. Even Lu Chang is the head manager of Jinghong Tower in the capital. Now that He Ran relies heavily on female officials, Lu Chang often goes in and out of He Ran's mansion. Throughout the capital, countless people stared at the Marquis Wu'an Mansion with red eyes. As soon as Lu Zhen arrived at the door of his house, he saw several cousins and nephews and nieces who had been waiting outside the door having heard the news. A chubby little kid raised his head and looked at him curiously: "Are you really the White Horse and Silver Spear?"
The cousin smiled and picked up the little kid, saying, "Did you call him White Horse and Silver Spear? Call Third Uncle now." Although Lu Pingnan is the eldest son, he had Lu Zhen many years after he got married. Therefore, Lu Zhen is the third child in the family, and this little kid is the son of the fourth brother. The little kid called out "Third Uncle" reluctantly, but still looked at Lu Zhen with his big eyes blinking, as if waiting for an answer. He was only three years old. When he went to his maternal family, his cousin from his uncle's family introduced him to his friends and proudly told everyone: "This is my cousin. His third uncle is the White Horse and Silver Spear. Isn't that amazing!" So now, the little kid wanted to know whether the person in front of him was really the one riding the white horse and carrying the silver spear, because he didn’t see the white horse or the silver spear. Lu Zhen took out a white jade pony from his body, handed it to the little kid, and said with a smile: "I am the White Horse and Silver Spear. This little white horse is for you." When Lu Zhen walked into the second gate, he could still hear cheers coming from behind him: "Ahhh, I saw the white horse and the silver spear, I saw the white horse and the silver spear!" Daddy Douding wants to remake this conspicuous bag! However, Lu Zhen only stayed at home for five or six days before he asked He Ran for an errand and went to Zhending. The five major camps in Zhending were an important barrier to the capital and were under the jurisdiction of Lu Pingnan. As soon as Lu Zhen left, Li Jinxiu's face turned sullen. Lu Zhen was driven away by the wife of Marquis Wu'an. Upon learning that Lu Zhen had returned, all those in the capital who wanted to marry into the Lu family came forward. In the past, these families were considered a good match for the Lu family, but after the capital was moved, these families moved from the capital to Nanjing, and now from Nanjing back to the capital. The Wu'an Marquis Mansion is still the Wu'an Marquis Mansion, but they can no longer afford to marry into it. He Ran was very tolerant towards most of the nobles and officials. Although the confiscated houses were not returned, He Ran not only did not touch the money and treasures they brought back from Nanjing, as well as the houses and shops that were fortunately preserved in the capital, but also issued an order that no one could harass these former officials who went north under any pretext. Moreover, among these officials, some returned to the court to serve as officials. Of course, these people were truly capable. For example, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works had more than 20 new officials who went north. Therefore, the current environment in the capital is still very relaxed for them. But it will definitely not be possible to return to the former glory within a few years. There is no shortage of new nobles in the capital, such as Feng Zan, Nie Chen, and Feng Xieying, but these old-established families are naturally not as powerful as they used to be, but their arrogance remains. They looked down on Nie Chen, who came from a family of legal advisers in the south of the Yangtze River, and they looked down even more on Feng Xieying, who was an orphan. They looked down on Feng Zan, who used to be a bandit, even more. Therefore, after much deliberation, they found that the only family that caught their eye in the entire capital was the Lu family. The Lu family is a founding family. Whether in the Zhou Dynasty or in front of He Ran now, the Lu family is always in power. What's more, Lu Zhen of the Lu family is the best in the capital in terms of both family background and appearance. Moreover, he is now the General Zhaowu and a new generation of young generals. When his peers are still struggling to find a way out, he has already stepped onto the blue sky and stood above the clouds. The old ladies and wives of these families came to visit the Lu family under various pretexts and brought their daughters with them. Li Jinxiu didn't even want to meet him. She didn't need to meet him. Just by hearing his background, she looked down on him. Whether in the court or in the army, there are so many female generals and female officials, which one is not better than them? The old lady thought He Xiulong was a good person. Whenever He Xiulong returned to Beijing, she would invite her to her home. After all, Lu Zhen was not the only grandson in the family. If He Xiulong liked Lu Zhen and wanted Lu Zhen to marry into her family, the old lady would have no objection. Now people are saying that He Xiulong is just like Li Jinxiu back then. Li Jinxiu feels that if she is not a relative of He Xiulong, all these rumors will be in vain. Lady Wu'an Hou knew what Li Jinxiu was thinking, but as a daughter-in-law who had been fighting against a strong mother-in-law for thirty years, she immediately expressed her opposition with practical actions.
Not only did she hold a flower-viewing party and invite all the girls to her home, she also brought her cousin who lived several generations away from her mother's family to the capital. This cousin was named Cai Yinlan. She was very beautiful. What made Lady Wu'an Marquis's wife most satisfied was that Cai Yinlan's eyebrows and eyes were very similar to He Ran's. No one knows a son better than his mother. Lady Wu'an Hou firmly believed that Lu Zhen had been serving He Ran for several years. If he said that he had no romantic feelings for He Ran, others would believe it, but she, as a mother, did not believe it at all. He Ran is indeed talented and beautiful, and is very good to the Lu family, but Lady Wu'an Marquis doesn't even dare to think about her. The Lu family could marry the princess, but they didn't dare to dream of He Ran. So Lady Wu'an Hou thought about it and remembered Cai Yinlan, whom she had met once before. She had met Cai Yinlan a few years ago. At that time, Cai Yinlan looked somewhat like He Ran. Now, after a few years, her facial features have grown and her youthfulness has faded. When she saw Cai Yinlan again, Lady Wu'an Hou felt relieved. Cai Yinlan does have some similarities with He Ran, but not to the point of being extremely similar. This is the best way, it is a bit similar, but not completely similar, just right, which will not cause criticism and can also relieve the homesickness of her son. Lady Wu'an Hou felt that she had made a good arrangement, so she hid it from Li Jinxiu and designed an encounter for Lu Zhen and Cai Yinlan. But she never expected that this chance encounter would scare her son, who had just returned home with great difficulty, so much that he ran away to Zhending. Thousands of troops could not scare Lu Zhen away. She only sent out a small person, Cai Yinlan, and made Lu Zhen flee in panic. This book is coming to an end, with one fifth of the content left.