The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

"So it really was her."

Zhang Ping'an didn't know how he felt. Actually, when he took Zhong Zheng in, it was because his eyes looked so much like his third sister's.

That's why he couldn't bear to let the child go to the palace to become a eunuch and ruin his life.

On a whim, he took the person home.

Later, they sent people to Qing County to investigate, hoping to find out the result and put their minds at ease.

Although his subordinates eventually reported that Zhong Zheng's birth mother, the nun, did not resemble the third sister he had drawn.

But for some reason, deep down he didn't quite believe it; he always felt that the child looked too much like his third sister, it was too much of a coincidence.

There are countless people in the world, and there are many who are similar to each other, but this sense of destined familiarity is not something that every similar person can bring to him.

Now that Xu has said this, everything makes sense; his intuition was right after all.

Xu grabbed her son's sleeve and anxiously asked again, "Ping An, how did you know?"

"It's a long story, Mother. Do you remember why you didn't like Zhong Zhenggang when he first came to the manor?" Zhang Ping'an asked instead of answering.

Without a second thought, Xu replied, "Of course it's because his eyes are so unpleasant to look at; they look just like Sanya's when she was little."

As she spoke, she realized what she had just heard, her eyes widening in surprise, her voice trembling slightly, "Could it be...could it be that he is your third sister's child? How could that be?!"

“That’s right. Although there’s no concrete evidence yet, I’d guess it’s pretty much true,” Zhang Ping’an nodded.

"When I took in Zhong Zheng, it was because of those familiar eyes that I took pity on her. Later, I sent people to Qing County, where Zhong Zheng was registered, to inquire. I learned that her birth mother was a nun and was about the same age as my third sister. I actually suspected that she was my third sister, so I drew a portrait based on my memory and asked my subordinates to compare it. However, the farmer who adopted Zhong Zheng said that it was not her, so I kept this matter to myself."

Hearing you say this today, Mother, I immediately thought of her again. I just wonder what happened when the people below were investigating, and they didn't recognize her. But Third Sister really survived a great ordeal. To be able to blend into the group of nuns performing the Empress's funeral rites shows that she must have been doing quite well in the nunnery. Nuns without a certain status and reputation wouldn't be qualified to be selected for the palace."

Upon hearing this, Xu reacted strongly, shouting, "What do you mean, 'your third sister'? When she left, your grandmother said that the family should just pretend she never existed. Everyone knows that she died young while fleeing from war. Now she suddenly appears... In short, whether she is still alive or not, it has nothing to do with the family anymore!"

"I didn't say what I wanted, Mother, please don't be angry," Zhang Ping'an comforted her.

“This debt collector, what is she trying to do? I’ve never treated her badly since she was little, but she’s been haunting me ever since,” Xu said, and then suddenly started crying again.

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, looking very sad.

Zhang Ping'an took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away Xu's tears, softly comforting her.

Xu cried for a while before she calmed down; it was clear that this matter was weighing heavily on her mind.

She took the handkerchief and wiped her nose casually a couple of times. After sniffling, she choked up and explained to her son, "I was just too surprised. I thought she was long dead. I never expected that after so many years, she would come back. Our family even helped raise her son. It's really... what kind of situation is this? It's a sin, a sin!"

Zhang Ping'an could understand this reaction very well. After all, his third sister had lived in the family for so many years. When a family member you thought had been dead for many years suddenly appeared in front of you, regardless of whether she was good or bad, the shock and complicated feelings were something that others could not understand.

Seeing that Madam Xu's emotions had calmed down a bit, Zhang Ping'an continued to ask, "Mother, after you recognized Third Sister, did you speak to her? Did she know that you recognized her?"

“It wasn’t me who recognized her, it was her who recognized me first. When I went to the toilet, she followed me and suddenly called out ‘Mom!’ I was terrified,” Xu said, still shaken by the memory.

Then she added with some worry: "I think she's become quite wicked now. Her temperament is much gentler than before, but it's that look in her eyes. When she smiled at me, I felt like she had bad intentions. You don't know how I've been these past three days. I've been on tenterhooks. Son, do you think she came back this time to take revenge on us?"

Thinking of Sanya's eyes, Xu felt like she would have nightmares every time she got home.

"Is that so?" Zhang Ping'an pondered after listening. "Then it seems she already knew about my current situation, and perhaps she also knew that Zhong Zheng was at my residence. This time she came prepared."

"What should we do then?" Mrs. Xu asked anxiously.

Zhang Ping'an patted his mother's hand, narrowed his eyes, and slowly comforted her, "Don't be afraid. Our family has done nothing to wrong her. I have a clear conscience towards her. If she really wants to do something bad, she should think twice about the consequences!"

Now, he will not show mercy to anyone who tries to harm his family.

"Should we talk to your father about this? He's always thought she was dead, and I'm afraid that if Sanya suddenly appears one day, it will frighten him," Xu asked hesitantly.

"This is a big deal, and I have to tell you. I'll tell Father and Xiaoyuer later, but I won't tell Fifth Sister for now. She can't keep secrets, and I'm afraid that telling her might cause unnecessary trouble."

Zhang Ping'an had his own considerations. Faced with such obvious and unknown danger, he was not used to sitting idly by and waiting for death.

Therefore, he doesn't want to involve the other sisters for the time being.

Mrs. Xu always listened to her son, so she naturally nodded in agreement.

When the mother and son returned home, they responded to Zhang Lao Er and Xiao Yu'er's warm greetings with a few words.

Madam Xu then pulled everyone into the study and told them about seeing Sanya.

Zhang Lao Er reacted the most, remaining stunned for a long time before finally asking again, "Are you really still alive?"

"It's true, but judging from what Mother said, she probably has a lot of malice towards our family," Zhang Ping'an said softly, tapping the table gently.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lao Er let out a long sigh, his aged voice filled with helplessness. "Even the nine sons of a dragon are different. I ask myself, although I am biased towards boys, I am not worse off than your older sisters. They always had a much better life than other girls in the village when they were young. I have never even hit them. If she insists on blaming us for her misfortunes in life, then there is nothing I can do. Let her be!"

However, I will absolutely not allow her to hurt any other family members, including your mother, you, and Xiaoyuer. Otherwise, I will risk everything, even my old bones, to get revenge on her.

“Father, it’s not that serious. Don’t scare yourself. I am now the Grand Councilor. No matter what she does, she is just a nun. I think the most important thing now is to find out who Zhong Zheng’s biological father is. I always feel that the reason why Third Sister was able to appear in the palace is inseparable from him.”

Zhang Ping'an's impression of his third sister was that she was not a very scheming person, and was even a bit reckless.

In such a chaotic world, my third sister was able to survive and even travel all the way from the south to the vicinity of the capital.

She entered a nunnery again, gave birth to Zhongzheng, and then placed the child in the care of a reliable farming family.

These tasks would have been very difficult for Third Sister to accomplish by herself alone.

In this era, women's greatest dependence is on men.

Zhong Zheng's monk father, whom he had never met, was quite intriguing.

Xu hadn't thought that far ahead and was taken aback by the question, blurting out, "Isn't it Qian Yongde?"

Zhang Lao Er was smarter than Xu Shi. He quickly realized, "Alas, it might not be Qian Yongde. It's uncertain whether he can even survive!"