Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Chen Shao laughed out loud: "Look at yourselves, and then look at your children and grandchildren. You two have raised yourselves to be plump and white, just like the ancestors from a wealthy family. Look at the people around you, from your sons and daughters-in-law to your great-grandchildren, who is not pale and thin, like refugees in a famine? As the saying goes, a dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, and a mouse's son can dig holes. You two only care about your own happiness and don't care about the life and death of your children and grandchildren. In the end, you want your children and grandchildren to become dragons and phoenixes to honor you. Do you think it's possible?"

Zhu's face turned pale and she was finally unable to speak.

Chen Shao's eyes caught sight of Zhao Changping and his wife gloating over someone else's misfortune, and he immediately shifted his gaze to them.

The two of them immediately suppressed their smug expressions and lowered their heads.

"Be good, Daniu," Chen Shao patted Zhao Daniu's shoulder gently, "Go and help your great-grandfather and great-grandmother up."

Da Niu quickly put down the snacks, walked over obediently, helped Zhao Yongsheng and Zhu to sit aside, poured them each a bowl of water, came back and brought his own snacks and fruits and placed them in front of them.

"My dear grandson," Zhao Yongsheng held him tightly, his face full of love, "Let your great grandfather take a good look at you."

Zhu had been craving for his snacks and fruits for a long time. When she saw him bringing them to her, she perfunctorily praised him as "good grandson" and then reached out for the snacks.

Chan Yi went over with a cold face and brought back the snacks and fruits, and brought them two plates of soft snacks again, saying unhappily: "You two have done so many shameless things, and yet you still have a great-grandson who has never been loved by you for a day, but is still filial to you. It's a pity to waste your blessings!"

Zhao Yongsheng and Zhu blushed with shame.

Chan Yi was not going to indulge them. After pulling Zhao Daniu back, she deliberately taught him loudly, "Daniu, listen to your sister. There is nothing wrong with respecting elders, but you can't respect all elders. We can give up our lives to respect elders who are virtuous and treat us well. But for elders who are not virtuous and treat us badly, no matter who they are, we should ignore them. Do you understand?"

Zhao Daniu looked carefully at Zhao Yongsheng and Zhao Changping, then at Zhou and Zhao Shanhou, and nodded as if he understood.

Chan Yi picked up a piece of dessert and handed it to him, "You are so good. Eat it. When you are done, I will get you another one."

The main room was silent for a moment, with only the sound of her coaxing Zhao Daniu.

"When Daniu's grandfather was still alive," Chen Shao spoke again after a long while, "how was he treating your family?"

Zhao Changping secretly raised his eyes and saw Chen Shao looking at him. He quickly lowered his head and said in panic: "Big brother has always taken good care of our family. I am sorry for big brother."

"You are indeed sorry for him," Chen Shao said, "When your parents chased you away, he tried to stop them, but he failed. But after you moved out, he has been secretly subsidizing you. When he left, did you stop your parents from chasing away the orphans and widows? How did you treat them after you chased them out?"

Zhao Changping was ashamed: "I am the bastard, I am sorry to my brother."

"I asked you to come here today not to hear you say whether you are worthy of your elder brother." Chen Shao emphasized, "There are so many people in the village, why do you have to stare at your elder sister-in-law's few acres of land? Look at these people in the village, except for your family, who else lives in a spacious and bright house? Now your family has such a big gap with them. In another ten or eight years, the villagers will have chicken, duck, fish and meat for every meal and new clothes to wear all the time. What do you have? Do you want your descendants to continue to stare at your elder sister-in-law's few acres of land?"

Zhao Changping said awkwardly: "It's not that I don't want to keep an eye on them, it's really..."

"You really can't bring yourself to do that? Do you have to let them come to you on their own initiative?" Chen Shao provoked, "Is your face so important? Is it more important than letting your descendants eat chicken, duck, fish and meat every day and have new clothes to wear all the time?"

Zhao Changping: "I'm afraid that even if I ask them, they still won't agree."

Chen Shao: "If they don't agree, you just keep asking until they agree. Is that difficult?"

Zhao Changping remained silent.

The little grandson beside him suddenly pulled his sleeve and said, "Grandpa, I want to eat meat like Brother Huzi, and I also want to wear new clothes like Brother Huzi."

Zhao Changping blushed and said, "Grandpa will go find your Uncle Qiang in a while!"

The little grandson said: "Then Grandpa must keep his word."

Zhao Changping said: "Grandpa must keep his word."

Chan Yi picked up two pieces of dessert and gave them to Zhao Daniu, motioning him to give them to the little grandson who was talking.

The little grandson took the pastry and after a moment's hesitation, he handed one piece to Zhao Changping.

Zhao Changping choked up and said, "Grandpa won't eat it, so you eat it."

The grandson fed the cake to his mouth, Zhao Changping took a bite, said "delicious", and refused to eat any more. The grandson did not force him, and handed another piece of cake to his sister beside him, and then happily ate the piece that Zhao Changping had bitten.

The elder sister took the cake, but did not eat it all by herself. Instead, she broke it into four pieces and shared them with her two younger brothers and one younger sister.

She kept the smallest piece for herself.

Chan Yi looked very sad and went to bring over two plates of cakes. She called the children aside and gave each of them two pieces.

As she was distributing the cakes, Chen Shao also turned to look at Zhou. She had mixed feelings towards Zhou. On the one hand, she felt that she was hateful, and on the other hand, she felt that she was pathetic. She was hateful because she was also an illiterate woman, but she was very picky about Tao A-mei. She was pathetic because her foolish filial piety originated from her desire to prove herself.

"Daniu's grandfather was almost kicked out of the family. Later, he relied on his own abilities to win the respect of the elders and eventually stayed in the family." Chen Shao said slowly, "If you want to prove that you are not unlucky in marriage, you can train Daniu's father to be as capable as his grandfather. Then you don't have to curry favor with them. They will come to their house and invite you back."

Zhou was stunned.

After a while, she fell to the ground and cried bitterly as if she woke up from a dream. She cried for so many years, but only Chen Shao understood her; she cried for so many years, but she had paid so much; she cried for so many years, but she had never thought of the method Chen Shao suggested, and she had wasted Zhao Shan's time.

"Don't cry, old man," Chen Shao sighed and comforted, "Although Daniu's father can no longer train him, you still have Daniu and Erniu."

Zhou quickly wiped her tears and agreed, "Yes, I still have Danniu. I will send him to school later!"

Chen Shao reminded: "I know you are eager to train them, but learning is not something that can be achieved overnight. You have to stop fawning and flattering them and start urging them to study. You must know that being knowledgeable is important, but it is more important to be as generous and kind as his grandfather. His grandfather passed away early, and you are the only one who can teach them, so you must be careful about what you say and do in the future."

Zhou's mind had long been on how to train Zhao Daniu, and he just responded to her advice with a perfunctory "yes".

Chen Shao shook his head and looked at Zhao Shan again. "After A-mei got into trouble, your mother didn't let us report it to the police. Daniu braved the rain and quietly walked nine miles to the prefectural government to report the case to me. He was only seven years old. You kept saying that you knew A-mei was worried about you and would not stay at her parents' house overnight, and you should have gone to find him, but you didn't act. To be frank, if you had been as brave as your son on the night A-mei was murdered, she might not have been murdered at all!"

"Your mother despises Amei for not being able to read or write, but you know better than anyone how capable Amei is and how much she has suffered for your family. But have you ever told your mother about it?"

"You are just taking advantage of your weak body and taking it for granted that you are enjoying what my sister has done for you!"

"My father is not that kind of person," Zhao Daniu knelt down in front of Zhao Shan and cried to defend him, "Dad has always been speaking for mom and helping her with work."