In "Do You Know", Xiao Shen and his brother Zhang's step-family are not harmonious, and even play pitching with his brother's concubine Xiao Zou when Minglan holds a banquet. Originally, I thought that this was Xiao Shen's respect for his brother's original partner Da Zou and wanted to take care of his sister. However, after reading the original book, I realized that Xiao Shen's estrangement from Zhang's family was not only due to taking care of Da Zou's sister, but also due to her own inner conflict.
Zhang, the concubine of the British government, was pampered and grew up with her four brothers. However, the daughter will eventually get married and cannot stay in her parents' house forever to live a carefree life. In order to allow her to better adapt after marriage, in order to make her husband like her, Zhang's mother asked her to give up the sword and bow, learn female popularity, housekeeping, poetry, and become gentle and frugal. When she reached the marriageable age, the British government and the Zheng family agreed smoothly, only the details of the etiquette were missing. However, fate made people, the new emperor ascended the throne, and in order to win over the court elites, the emperor wanted the daughter of the British government to marry Shen Congxing.
The marriage between the Zhang family and the Zheng family fell through. Under his father's arrangement, the Zhang family married into the Shen family. In fact, the Shen family originally intended to choose someone to marry among the daughters of relatives, but was rejected by the British duke. It is recognized in England that her daughter has enjoyed honor since she was a child, and now that the family is in trouble, she should take responsibility. To enjoy great blessings comes great responsibility, and if you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight. This is also the similarity between Shen and Qi Heng.
They were all born in a family of honors and enjoy glory, but at critical moments, they must give everything for their family, even sacrificing their love and future happiness. There will be gains and losses, and perhaps in the middle of the night, they will wonder if everything would have been different if they had not been born into this family. The reworded text reads as follows:
They may be able to live a different life, but fate has no ifs. Qi Heng had to rely on marrying three wives in a row and using the power of his wife's family to consolidate his family's position. And the Zhang family must continue to endure in the mansion after being completely disappointed in Shen Congxing, have children with him, and grow old with him.
After marrying Shen Congxing, the Zhang family not only had to endure Xiao Zou's domineering, but also had to deal with the unfriendliness of the people in the Hou Mansion. Even when she gave birth, she almost lost her life because of Xiao Zou's behavior. Fortunately, she had a reliable maiden family to support her, and with the help of the British government, the royal family punished the little Zou family. Under the persuasion of his mother, Zhang took the opportunity to take advantage of Shen Congxing's guilt and reached a reconciliation with him. Since then, her life has begun to improve, but her heart has struggled to make waves again. She doesn't love anymore, she doesn't look forward to it, she doesn't care about it anymore, she lets everything go.
Zhang's life returned to peace, while Xiao Shen's life was a mess. She married General Xiao Zheng, who originally belonged to the Zhang family. The people of the Zheng family are very kind, especially General Xiao Zheng, who loves Xiao Shen very much. Although Xiao Shen did not have children for several years after marriage, the Zheng family never stuffed people into her room, which made her feel uncomfortable. In addition to feeling a little guilty, Xiao Shen's life in the Zheng family was very comfortable.
However, there are two sides to everything. Life has been comfortable for a long time, and Xiao Shen's character has become fragile. When Shen Congxing's slow treatment of his wife Zhang caused Xiao Zou's domineering and almost caused Zhang's mother and son to have an accident was revealed, Xiao Zou was stripped of his title, Shen Congxing was punished, and even the queen was reprimanded. This series of events made the pregnant little Shen very frightened. She was worried about the safety of her brothers and sisters, and she was afraid that her husband's family would dislike her.
Originally, she felt entangled and insecure because her husband's family originally liked the Zhang family instead of herself. Now compared with Zhang's, Xiao Shen feels that he has lived a life that originally belonged to Zhang's, and his heart is mixed, and he also has a subtle sense of guilt: "After passing the door, I took away the happiness that belonged to others. This complex emotion complicated her state of mind.
In Xiao Shen's days, her in-laws and brother and sister-in-law were very good to her, and her husband also loved her very much. However, every time she thought of her sister-in-law's predicament, her heart felt as if she had been stolen by a thief, and she was extremely uncomfortable. Since the misfortune of her brother and sister, her heart has become deeper, and even if her husband and sister-in-law comfort her many times, they cannot eliminate the fear in her heart. As the child in her belly grew, she became thinner. Eventually, she gave birth to her daughter with great difficulty, but her body was severely damaged, and the doctor asserted that it would be difficult for her to conceive. Xiao Shen felt deeply lost and dazed.
When Minglan saw Xiao Shen crying bitterly in the arms of her eldest sister-in-law, she deeply felt the impermanence of life. She thought of the pale and frail woman, if fate hadn't played such a trick on people, it should have been Zhang's peace of mind to raise the fetus now. Fate is so miraculous that a single turn can change the trajectory of many people's lives. The Zhang family and the Xiao Shen family, who were originally well, have undergone subversive changes in their life paths because of the changes in the situation in the court.
The Zhang family lost their original husband and wife love and harmony, and walked towards a road full of thorns. She was resentful and unwilling, but in the end she chose to reconcile with herself, and her life gradually improved. And Xiao Shen's embarked on the path of happiness that originally belonged to Zhang's, but he couldn't really feel at ease because of his entanglements.
The experiences of Zhang and Xiao Zou tell us that fate is impermanent, and the path we end up on is the result of a combination of factors. When we encounter difficulties, it is normal to be entangled and unwilling to be emotional, but we cannot be bound by them. Instead, we should learn from Zhang's method and shift our attention to the more important things in life. When we can't change the direction of our fate, we must find the way of life that suits us best. After all, fate is unforgiving, but we still need to be kind to ourselves.