Traveling to Daliang Kingdom starts from falling into the water

Chapter 993 Let's make a statement.
I've already read them all, but I wonder which secret code among the five letters might be hidden in the special communication between you two, master and disciple.

Zhou Banxia handed five letters to Gu Wenxuan, thinking it best to make her stance clear so he wouldn't mistakenly think she didn't like children and didn't even care about her own son.

"You don't need to try to brainwash me. I went through so much trouble to give birth to this child. Do you think I would dislike my own child just because I'm fed up with raising my younger siblings?"

That's impossible. Since I brought him into this world, it's impossible for me not to cherish him or value him. What difference would there be between me and my mother?

What kind of mother is one who gives birth but doesn't raise the child? Giving birth without raising is worse than not giving birth at all. Why go through the pain of carrying a child for ten months and then subjecting them to suffering in this world? Why harm yourself and others?

correct answer!

That's the right way to think!

Our son is the precious continuation of our lives, and we must not let him experience the regrets and heartaches we have suffered.

Gu Wenxuan freed one hand and put his arm around Zhou Banxia, ​​patting her back with a mixture of relief and tenderness. "You will be the most responsible mother in the world, the best mother."

Zhou Banxia couldn't help but secretly roll her eyes at the praise, thinking to herself, "I can't compare to you, you son-obsessed son, you've already started doing ideological work so early."

She didn't have a good mother, nor did she meet a mother who wholeheartedly cared for her, but that doesn't mean her attitude towards her children is the same as her mother's.
Besides, her mother and this mother are quite sexist. If she had followed their example, she would have given birth to a daughter by now, so there's no need to worry about her not valuing her son.

An old man who worries about nothing.

Think more.

"Okay, do you want to see what your uncle wrote first? You haven't looked at the last three pages yet. Do you want me to 'get' a book for you to check (code word)?"

As she spoke, Zhou Banxia pointed to the top of the five letters in Gu Wenxuan's hand, which happened to be the last one with the closing remarks.

As the last sheet of paper in the letter, whether intentionally or unintentionally by her uncle, the ink on this sheet was much darker.

The ink may be thick, but the key is that there are a few words on a page of letter paper with sharp, incisive strokes. It's so exciting! The strokes are so sharp, they seem to hit the paper with a sharp edge. I just wonder if these words are some hidden code.

“No need.” Gu Wenxuan immediately understood what Zhou Banxia meant and grabbed her hand. “I’ve already read the previous one. It’s a letter to you. There’s no need for you to take out any book.”

Since he said it wasn't necessary, Zhou Banxia didn't bother to go through with it. Although even the wet nurse who was on duty 24 hours a day to take care of her son wasn't indoors at the moment, it was always better to be cautious.

She had originally thought that if Gu Wenxuan was in a hurry to find some books to check the code words, it would be much more convenient for her to take them out than for him to go to the study.

It seems that either it was just a letter from her uncle, as he said, or the way to decipher the code wasn't the first line and word of the book she had guessed.

"If there are any instructions this time, he will basically remind me in the homework he assigns me, and he won't hint at anything in his letters home."

That seems to make sense. It would be more appropriate to hide coded messages in your pile of homework than to write a letter home. I understand. You can continue reading your letter.

After waiting for Gu Wenxuan to finish reading the letter from beginning to end, and for him to tilt his head and ponder for a long time before shaking his head and smiling, Zhou Banxia was too lazy to ask him what he was thinking.

“I’ve done the math, and it seems that the gentleman is the same person who sent people to catch up with Sister-in-law Qian around the time of Dajiang’s engagement. It seems that Master is still ‘unwell’.”

"How so?" Sigh, she couldn't help herself and he successfully kept her in suspense. Zhou Banxia glared at him, both amused and exasperated. "You win. Go on."

"I suddenly don't want to say what to do?" Gu Wenxuan said with a laugh, looking down at the letter. "Sir should have been with Master until mid-February." And then?

"Next, we'll wait for the good news from your elder brother and sister-in-law to reach Qingshan Academy. Your master will be almost ready, and we'll travel together from Yangzhou to Suzhou."

Once Da Jiang and the others arrive in Yangzhou, and return to Yangzhou, it will be perfect timing. In the meantime, they can accompany their master on visits to friends, avoiding unwanted visitors.

"You think I could guess that? You're so capable, yet you're trying to evade the important points and fool me. Zhou Banxia seriously suspects that he's not telling the truth again."

At the very least, his previous expression couldn't possibly be just that one answer; it must be related to his uncle's reminder that it would be in the homework he was assigned.

Moreover, there's this one thing: before he even came in, he had already found the code in the homework his uncle had assigned him.

It's absolutely true.

“That’s good. Once Dajiang reaches Yangzhou, he will be able to see you, sir. I won’t have to worry about Gu Dahua and the others not being able to find you there.”

As soon as Gu Wenxuan finished speaking, Zhou Banxia clapped her hands mischievously, "Alright, you don't need to call Dahua and the others for a small meeting anymore."

"The enemy!"

Just let them proceed according to plan. Once they've finished their work here, they can accompany Dajiang on his journey to the south of the Yangtze River without waiting for your reply.

It's just right. They can first purchase property in the Yangzhou area, and then, depending on the current situation in Jiangnan, they can also purchase property in the Suzhou area on their way back.

With this timeline, I wonder when the case that you're investigating will be uncovered. If it's slow, Gu Dahua and the others will be stuck in Jiangnan for quite some time.

"Do we still have enough money?" Since she wasn't worried that Gu Dahua and the others wouldn't be able to see her uncle when they arrived in Yangzhou, Zhou Banxia immediately thought about the funding issue.

"enough."

The funds are sufficient as originally planned; any more would be unnecessary. A budget of 100,000 taels of silver is reasonable, but any more would attract attention.

The budget of 100,000 taels of silver was just right. Even if the investigation was conducted, the bulk of the payment would come from Master Zhao. Adding the rental income from the estates and shops included in the dowry, it was all very reasonable.

Thinking about this, I have to bring up something else!
"As for the sacrificial fields, we had planned to wait until I passed the imperial examination before acquiring sacrificial fields for the clan. Yesterday, not only did your second brother remind me to acquire sacrificial fields as soon as possible, but your second uncle also told me about it."

This isn't urgent; I've already explained it to them. But I realize I've made a mistake. The ancestral land must be adjacent to the clan's residence, but what land is available for purchase in this area?

Zhou Banxia was taken aback. Of course, we bought up all the available land in the surrounding area. Our goal was to enclose a piece of land, to be in charge of our own territory, and to set up our first line of defense without needing anyone else's consent.

If we were to convert any of the fields in this outer ring into sacrificial fields, wouldn't that go against the original intention? Even if we donate sacrificial fields to the clan, the nature of the land changes; private property becomes public property. It certainly won't be like how we are now, making our own decisions about our own land.

"What should I do?"

"Naturally, it should be handled by Da Botang."

"...Did you tell your eldest uncle?"

"How could that be? It's not too late to talk about it after the provincial examination. We can just pay the money then. He's the clan chief, so he should handle these issues. I just wanted to tell you not to agree to give up the land under your name."