sbdcsierra Chapter 437 Anping Wakes Up
Chapter 437 Anping Wakes Up
Gong Jianzhou's words completely stunned Liu and Hui.
Their world has always existed only within the inner quarters of their homes. Before marriage, they are confined to the inner quarters of their parents' home, and after marriage, they are confined to the inner quarters of their husband's home.
They are never freed from this suffering throughout their lives, only finding peace upon death.
The scene that Gong Jianzhou just described is something they would never dare to imagine in their entire lives.
If one can prevent their children from being confined to the inner quarters of the house like they were, it doesn't seem like such a bad thing.
After all, what could be a bad thing if even the Empress supports it?
Since Shen Tianjiao did not pursue the crimes of everyone in the Tang State Duke's Mansion, and even bestowed upon Gong Jianzhou the title of Earl of Changyuan.
Liu and Hui's favorability toward Shen Tianjiao continued to rise.
In their hearts, Shen Tianjiao was undoubtedly the most just and kindest empress in the world.
Therefore, they were willing to believe what Shen Tianjiao said.
"Alright, let's put Rongniang aside for now and get back to the important matter at hand."
Rongniang's matter can be discussed in the long run, but the shop's situation must be resolved immediately.
Hui picked up the property deed from the table, handed it to Gong Jianzhou, and said, "What do you think we should do about this?"
While Gong Jianzhou was looking through the property deeds, Hui went out to see if there were any suitable shops she wanted to buy to start a business.
However, because either the location was too good and the price was too high, or the price was low but it was too remote, I didn't buy any and came back.
But this morning she immediately received information about the shop deeds and told Gong Jianzhou everything.
Gong Jianzhou looked down at the property deeds in his hand. He naturally knew who had sent these deeds.
Although the former Duke of Tang's mansion had fallen into ruin by his father's generation, it was still a force to be reckoned with. By selling off the family's land and shops, it was still able to support the entire household.
However, his Changyuan Earl's Mansion was in a bad state. It had no legacy left by his ancestors, nor any strong backing. It relied on his meager salary and the few shops that Shen Tianjiao and Shen Tingzhi had given him when he was first enfeoffed as the Changyuan Earl.
Let alone allowing my family to live like before, in luxury, at most I can only ensure that they have enough to eat and wear.
Although the Changyuan Marquis's mansion is small, the expenses for the more than twenty people living there are still considerable.
Besides their own food, clothing, and daily necessities, they also need to maintain social relationships, all of which require money.
Gong Jianzhou had never worried about money before. Although Liu and Hui never mentioned their family's difficulties to him, how could he not know?
The saying "a penny can drive even a hero to his death" is something Gong Jianzhou now deeply understands.
Gong Jianzhou looked down at the property deed in his hand, thinking for a long time and struggling with his conscience, but in the end he decided to accept the Empress's kindness.
Since the Empress has sent the items, it's impossible to return them.
Since we can't return it, we might as well cherish this kindness and accept it.
With no worries about his family, he no longer needed to worry about anything, allowing him to better handle the tasks assigned by the Empress and Shen Tingzhi.
"Third Sister, keep these property deeds safe. See what kind of business each shop is suitable for, and then decide what to do."
"If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know, and I'll take care of it."
After hearing what Gong Jianzhou said, Hui Shi knew that they could keep the property deeds for these shops with peace of mind.
"Okay, I'll go find a place right now and check out the surrounding environment to see what kind of business would be suitable."
With a weight lifted from her heart, Hui felt much lighter.
If she doesn't resolve the issues with these shops today, she probably won't be able to sleep tonight.
“Jianzhou, I’ve thought about Mr. Yuan’s matter. It’s okay to let her stay, but she also needs to know her limits. There are some things she can say to your two younger sisters, but there are some things she can’t say.”
Having resolved the most pressing matter, Liu's focus naturally returned to her two daughters.
She didn't object to her two daughters learning from Yuan Xueping, but she didn't want things to go too far. She didn't need to tell the children those shocking things like women being independent and not having to get married.
She didn't have the courage to face two daughters who wouldn't marry and would stay at home as spinsters for the rest of their lives.
This is her bottom line. If Yuan Xueping continues like this, even if Gong Jianzhou asks her to stay, she will not be willing.
"Of course, Second Aunt, don't worry. I will talk to Mr. Yuan. If she insists on not changing, then I will ask her to leave and find another job."
Although Gong Jianzhou did admire Yuan Xueping's ideas to some extent, he would not tolerate her turning her younger sister into someone like her.
After all, this era does not allow a girl to be unconventional or more outstanding than a man.
Once a woman emerges who is superior to a man, she will be devoured by this era, leaving not even a bone behind.
Such an outcome is not something Gong Jianzhou can afford to bear.
After hearing Gong Jianzhou's words, Liu finally felt relieved.
She was just about to call Gong Jianzhou to have breakfast when Yulan, the little maid who had come with her to serve Anping, ran in.
"Madam, my young master has woken up. Please come and see him."
The reason why Yulan rushed in in such a panic and disregarded etiquette was that Anping had suddenly woken up, and also because the imperial physician who had come with them had just gone to the Imperial Medical Bureau to get medicine that morning and was not there.
Although Yulan came from the palace, she was only an eleven or twelve-year-old girl. How could she have experienced something like this?
Desperate and at a loss, Yulan had no choice but to bite the bullet and run to find Liu.
After all, Liu had been taking care of Anping all this time, and she didn't know who else to turn to besides Liu.
Upon hearing that Anping had woken up, the other three people in the room all became tense and serious.
Gong Jianzhou was nervous because he knew Anping's background, and he was afraid that Anping would wake up and remember what happened before he fainted.
Li Zhaohui was her biological mother, and she has now died for treason. If Anqing still remembers what happened before, it will not be a good thing for her.
Having a rebellious mother will haunt Anping for the rest of her life, making her life miserable.
Liu and Hui were nervous because they were somewhat at a loss when they suddenly heard that Anping had woken up.
"Second Aunt, Third Aunt, let's go take a look together."
Regardless of whether Anping remembers what happened before, Gong Jianzhou is determined to keep her at home.
The city is in an uproar over Li Zhaohui's death. If Anping isn't protected now, she might lose her life.
"Let's go, let's all go take a look."
Hui recovered from her shock before Liu. She took Liu's arm, and the two of them walked outside together.
Gong Jianzhou followed closely behind Liu and Hui.
The three of them quickly arrived at Gong Jianzhou's courtyard. Upon entering the house, they found Anping, who, although awake, was curled up at the foot of the bed like a frightened kitten.
Hearing the noise, Anping looked up and saw three people coming in from outside. She became even more frightened.
Looking at Anping, who was trembling with fear and huddled at the foot of the bed, Liu felt a pang of maternal tenderness.
She slowly walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at Anping tenderly, and whispered, "Anping, you're awake?"
"Don't be afraid, come here to your second aunt."
Liu gently pulled Anping into her arms, saying comforting words to her.
"Anping, we're home now. Don't be afraid. You haven't eaten anything these past few days while you were sick. Are you hungry?"
"Shall we come down and get something to eat?"
Although Anping was still very scared, she obediently listened to Liu's gentleness and let Liu pull her off the bed and sit at the table.
"Xiao Hong, go and get some charcoal. It's getting cold, and the room is a bit chilly. The girl hasn't fully recovered yet, so she can't stand the cold."
Madam Liu instructed the maidservant beside her, and then grabbed a thicker robe and draped it over Anping.
Although it wasn't time to use charcoal yet, Liu saw that Anping was thin and worried that she wouldn't be able to withstand the cold air in the room, so she asked Xiaohong to get some charcoal to warm Anping up.
"Go and tell the kitchen to make some light porridge. She's been unconscious for several days, and her stomach is empty. It's better for her to eat some light porridge at this time."
Before Liu could give any instructions, Gong Jianzhou ordered someone to get food for Anping.
Hearing Gong Jianzhou's voice, Anping fearfully clung to Liu's clothes, hiding behind her and daring not to come out.
Anping grew up in a nunnery and had never been in contact with any men. During her time in the palace, she was also imprisoned in the flower room, and her activities were limited to the area around the flower room.
Aside from the time she went out with her nanny to look for the cat, there was also this time when she secretly ran away to try and find the furball.
Throughout her life, she has been confined to that small world of the courtyard, never having gone anywhere else.
This was the first time she had ever been so close to a man. No, to be more precise, Gong Jianzhou was the first man she had ever met since birth.
Sensing Anping's fear of him, Gong Jianzhou said, "I'll go out and take care of some things first, and I'll come back later."
After saying this, Gong Jianzhou turned and left.
After Gong Jianzhou left, Anping finally breathed a sigh of relief. She loosened Liu's clothes and looked up at Liu timidly.
Anping was already beautiful, but now, because she had been sick for a few days, she had an added touch of fragility and vulnerability that made people feel sorry for her.
Seeing this, Liu's heart softened completely. She stroked Anping's head and said with a smile, "Anping, don't be afraid. No one here will hurt you."
Hui Shi had been standing silently by the side ever since she came in.
She wasn't as gentle as Liu, and she didn't have much patience for children. Her precious daughter had grown up with Liu since she was little.
Looking at Anping, who was so delicate and frail, like a startled fawn, Hui Shi didn't know what to say. She was even more afraid that if she spoke, she might frighten the little girl into tears.
So Hui Shi chose to remain silent and just stand aside and watch quietly.
After Liu calmed Anping down, the kitchen brought over the porridge.
Liu then coaxed Anping and fed her porridge.
Seeing that Anping was alright and had started eating, Hui silently came out of the house.
She was still thinking about those shops, and felt she had to go and see them in person to put her mind at ease.
As soon as Hui stepped out of the courtyard, she looked up and bumped into Gong Jianzhou, who was standing outside the courtyard.
"Third Sister, where are you going?"
Seeing Hui Shi's hurried manner, Gong Jianzhou knew she was about to go out.
“Where else can we go? They don’t need me there. Your second aunt knows best how to coax children.”
“When you and your siblings were little, your stepmother raised you all.”
"Since there's nothing much going on at home, I thought I'd go check out the shops, get familiar with the environment, and make some plans for the future."
Liu had always been in charge of the household, while Hui managed the money. The household expenses were increasing day by day, which was giving Hui a lot of headaches.
They were always thinking about where to get money, but now that they have these shops, Hui Shi has nothing to worry about.
Even if you visit the shops and don't find any business opportunities that interest you, you can still rent them out to others for business purposes.
Moreover, that was the most prosperous area in the entire capital city. The rent that year was not cheap. The rent for several shops added up to a considerable sum, enough to cover the family's deficit.
"Third Sister, don't rush out. The shop is right there; it can't be moved."
"I have something urgent to tell you and your second aunt."
Gong Jianzhou naturally sent someone to the palace to report to Shen Tianjiao and Ruan Yuhu that Anping had woken up.
But before that, Gong Jianzhou had another very important thing to do.
In order to ensure that Anping's secret would not be discovered by others, he needed to coordinate with Liu and Hui to find the most appropriate reason for Anping to live in Changyuanbo.
"It's about that little girl in the house, isn't it?"
Hui Shi could tell from Gong Jianzhou's expression that it was because of Anping.
When Gong Jianzhou brought Anping back, he only said that she had a special identity and that because of some things that had happened, she had been entrusted by a noble person to take care of her for some time.
In retrospect, things are far more complicated than Gong Jianzhou described.