Chapter 1: The Construction of the Duke of Nan's Mansion

  In the first year of Da Chu's Chengqing era, Zhao Zhu, the old Marquis of Jian'nan, suddenly fell ill and passed away at the age of 63.

  As for this old Jian Nan Hou, his name is quite famous. Not to mention the people in the capital city, but even people all over the world know that he is a national hero and an elder statesman of two dynasties.

  In those years when the Qing army entered the pass, attacked Beijing and defeated Li Zicheng, and was about to march south, Emperor Taizu Gao Feng was serving as a fifth-rank defender in Shandong. Lao Jian Nan Hou Zhao Zhu was his deputy commander, only a minor seventh-rank military officer. Since Emperor Taizu was from Jiading and Zhao Zhu was from Fengxian, they were considered fellow countrymen, being from places less than 200 miles apart. The two men became especially close due to their shared experiences in foreign lands. When Emperor Taizu saw the Qing army's powerful advance, he could not bear to see the mountains and rivers broken and the people suffering, so he united with the Shandong officials and military to resist fiercely. From the first battle against the Qing army, Zhao Zhu followed closely behind him, a trusted confidant.

  The Taizu Emperor was the one who received the heavenly mandate to save the people of the world, and in his dream, he received the 33 volumes of the divine military scripture from the Western Queen Mother. Even when he was still serving as a guard, he had already trained an elite army that everyone praised. He also used the secret methods recorded in the heavenly book to create the divine fire, and whenever the Qing soldiers came to attack, they were all blown up into blood rain. The generals who led the troops were killed silently, regardless of their rank or position, even if they were among thousands of people, with a single bullet hole between their eyebrows. The assassins left no trace. The Qing army was thrown into chaos. After Taizu's army drove the Qing army out of Shandong, he received an edict from the Southern Ming Emperor Hongguang, appointing him as the General Who Pacifies the North, and ordering him to lead a northern expedition to retake Beijing. To put the General at ease, the court officials even sent people to bring his family to Nanjing to settle them there, along with dozens of families of Shandong military officers, including Zhao Zhu's parents, wife, and eldest daughter.

  Who would have thought that when the Taizu Emperor led Zhao Zhu and others to follow the imperial edict to go north and fight against the Qing army, the cunning Qing army bypassed them and entered Nanjing City, killing the Hongguang Emperor and the court officials. The Taizu Emperor and Zhao Zhu's families also lost contact in the chaos of war. When the Taizu Emperor turned back to retake Nanjing City and drove the Qing army all the way back to the north, the Empress Dowager finally reunited with the Taizu Emperor under the escort of righteous scholars, bringing their son and family members with her. However, Zhao Zhu's family got separated from them while escaping and were said to have done so in order to divert the pursuing soldiers. The Taizu Emperor was so moved that he shed tears in front of Zhao Zhu and promised to find his parents, wife, and daughter to repay this great kindness that saved their lives.

  Later, Taizu led his troops to capture Beijing, killing the regent king and several princes and high-ranking officials of the Qing dynasty, driving them out of the pass. After pacifying the country, which took several years, Zhao Zhu's family was also found, but his parents had already died on the way during their escape, and his wife was suffering from numerous illnesses. The Empress Dowager specially brought her son to visit him, and she wept bitterly with Zhao Zhu's first wife. Taizu Emperor was grateful, and when he decided to establish a country and began to reward his subordinates, the first one he gave to Zhao Zhu was the title of First-Class Marquis of the Founding Country, and the Zhao family became the most honorable in Beijing for a time.

  Zhao Zhu's deep imperial favor was not only due to his family's lifesaving contributions to the Taizu Emperor's wife and children, but also because he followed the Taizu Emperor everywhere to fight against the Qing army after the recovery of Beijing, achieving great merits. After the establishment of the Great Chu Empire, the Taizu Emperor once wavered on the issue of succession, but it was Zhao Zhu who advised him, and he did not abolish the position of Crown Prince, instead establishing his beloved youngest son, Ying Wang. Last year, when the Taizu Emperor passed away, the Crown Prince succeeded to the throne smoothly, and he respected Zhao Zhu extremely. Unfortunately, although Old Master Zhao appeared healthy and strong in daily life, running fast on horseback and pulling a two-stone bow, not looking like an old man at all, his age was ultimately too great, and when he fell ill, he passed away quickly. Some people also said that this was because Old Master Zhao had a deep relationship with the late emperor, and less than a year after the late emperor's passing, he missed his old friend so much that he followed him to death.

  When the news of Zhao Zhu's death was reported to the palace, the emperor cried in front of all his ministers and repeatedly said "I have lost a pillar". He also brought the princes to pay their respects at the Zhao family home. After returning to the palace, he issued an edict posthumously promoting Zhao Zhu to Duke of Kaiguo Prefecture and allowing his eldest son Zhao Jiong to inherit the title of Marquis of Jiannan. The emperor also awarded a large amount of money and goods to Zhao Zhu's widow. Whether they were founding elders or high-ranking officials, it was already extremely difficult to receive such treatment, but the emperor still felt that it was not enough. He wore simple clothes in the palace and every time he thought of Zhao Zhu's appearance and smile when he was alive, he would cry. The courtiers couldn't help but sigh that the emperor's favoritism had gone too far, and they began to feel a little jealous of the Zhao family.

  His Majesty holds the Duke of Jun in such high esteem and fond memory, if he were to specially promote his son as a replacement, wouldn't that be a bad thing? The imperial court is currently undergoing a change of old and new officials, with countless people eyeing the positions left vacant by the old ministers of the previous emperor's court. How can they let others take advantage of this opportunity?

  However, the world does not know that the Emperor has favored the family of Duke Gong with even more kindness. The eldest son of Duke Gong, Zhao Jiong, who succeeded to the title of Marquis of Southern Zhao after his father's death, is also very anxious in his heart!

  The Duke of Jianan passed away 100 days ago, and just after the funeral procession returned, another group of people arrived at the palace. To be sure, there were already envoys from the palace who had followed the entire procession, but the Emperor still felt it was not enough and sent more people to comfort the Duke of Jianan. After finally sending them away, Zhao Jiong, the Duke of Jianan, returned to the main hall to find his wife, Niu Shi, and said with a frightened expression: "The palace just sent another group of people again."

  Niu Shi was delighted to have Ya Tou Po adjust the layout of the new house, which was originally the residence of the main mother of the Hou Fu. Previously, it had been occupied by her predecessor, Zhang Shi. After moving in, Niu Shi was busy with the funeral and didn't have time to take care of it. Now that she finally had some free time, she naturally put her heart into it. Upon hearing her husband's words, she didn't take them to heart: "If they come, they'll come. These past few months, people from the palace have been coming every now and then, so we're already used to it. You should be more composed, you are a first-class marquis after all!"

  Zhao Kuang saw that his wife didn't understand what he meant, so in a bad mood, he drove all the maids out of the house. Then, pulling his wife into the bedroom, he lowered his voice: "Are you confused? The emperor always sends people over, and if they find out about that matter..." He didn't continue speaking.

  "Niu said with a smile: 'What's there to be afraid of, Master Hou? Apart from you and me, no one else in the family knows about that matter now. If the Emperor sends someone over, it will only bring us honor, but if you're so timid and fearful, won't it arouse suspicion instead?'"

  Zhao Kuang shut his mouth, but after a while, he whispered again: "There's one more thing. I did as you said and moved the old lady out of the main courtyard just after the seventh day. In the past, when the emperor sent people over, they were stopped by the 'separation of men and women' and weren't allowed to see her, but now that the empress dowager's illness has taken a turn for the better, what if she remembers and sends palace maids to visit the old lady? That would be terrible! The other day, it was reported that their elder sister was ill and wanted to invite a doctor, but you didn't care and still forced them to take the child out of the city for burial. I heard that the elder sister's illness has worsened. What if the old lady gets angry and tells the people from the palace?!"

  Niu realized his intention, but replied indifferently: "What's the big deal? You don't know the old lady's temperament, do you? She would never tell outsiders about the family's ugly affairs. Besides, now that you're the Marquis of Jianan, she's just an old lady, and it's only proper for her to move out of the main house. Even if the Empress came, we couldn't be blamed. Moreover, at that time, the Duke was still at home, so naturally his matters were more important. Big sister and little children, having a headache or fever, just starving for two days would cure it. A child who had just passed their first birthday, what kind of great doctor did they need to invite? It would only spoil her good fortune!"

  Zhao Kuang listened and felt that there was some truth to it: "So you're saying we don't need to worry about it at all?"

  "Don't bother!" Niu replied firmly, "When the elderly at home pass away, brothers should divide the family property. The old lady is just a stepmother, we've shown her respect on the surface, who would really support her as the mistress of the house? Once Eldest Aunt leaves, take advantage of Big Brother being here, hurry up and divide the family property, let Zhao Zhuo's family move out, so they won't continue to rely on our Hou Mansion!"

  When she said that, Zhao Jiong hesitated again: "The matter of dividing the family... let's talk about it later, the emperor will send someone to come and go, if he knows, there will be more trouble. Although the old lady is a stepmother, ... "He glanced at his wife," My life is not necessarily unclear in the palace, don't let people gossip."

  Although Zhao Kuang was listed under the name of his father, County Duke Zhao Zhu's first wife, as the eldest son, he was actually born to a concubine. After the death of the first wife, the County Duke married another woman, Zhang Shi, who was the same age as the eldest son and gave birth to a son named Zhao Jiong, who was the true heir of the County Duke. If it weren't for the County Duke's reluctance to change his choice of successor, Zhao Kuang's position would have been lost long ago. Despite this, there is still much controversy over his inheritance of the marquis title.

  As soon as Niu thought of this, she felt suffocated. She had married into the Zhao family and become the eldest daughter-in-law, but just a month after entering the house, her mother-in-law died, requiring her to observe mourning rituals. After finally grasping control over household affairs, she gave birth to a son and thought that no one in the Southern Marquis's estate could surpass her anymore. Yet, another mother-in-law appeared, similar in age to her, snatching away the power of managing the inner courtyard from her hands. Not only was Niu inferior to this woman everywhere, but also had to show respect in front of outsiders and worry about her husband's and son's positions being unstable in private. She couldn't swallow this breath no matter what, enduring until now when she could finally hold her head high with pride. Why should she continue to endure?

  "No way!" Mrs. Niu also couldn't care less about what her husband would think, and flatly rejected his idea. "Has the Duke forgotten? If he really lets the old lady see the people from the palace, he won't be able to control what she says! She might not tell outsiders about small things like their granddaughter's illness, but what if it's not a small thing?" She looked at her husband with eyes full of deep meaning: "What if she finds out that the Duke had supported King Ying in the past and participated in the change of the imperial heir..."

  Zhao Jiong's face changed instantly: "How dare you speak nonsense! How could she have known?"

  Niu approached him, lowering his voice: "If the Duke can know, why can't she? The Duke will be furious and have a heart attack, how can she let it go easily? As long as you are guilty, the title of Viscount Jian Nan will be her son's. Only a fool would hide it! Even if she didn't know, she suspected the Duke's death! She has said more than once in front of the eldest aunt and the old master of the Zong house that the Duke left too suddenly, you buried him too quickly, and didn't let her see him one last time. Therefore, she blames you tightly, have you forgotten, Viscount?!"

  Zhao Kuang's face had turned as white as paper. He knew in his heart that the current emperor was kind and lenient, but because of the Duke's sake, he looked at the Zhao family with different eyes. If it were just the matter of the Crown Prince, perhaps they could still get off lightly, but involving the death of his old father...

  He had made a big mistake. Although he was extremely regretful in his heart, but now that things have come to this pass, there is no turning back and all he can do is grit his teeth and move on.

  "Madam is right." Zhao Jiong's eyes shot out with an unusual gaze, "It's better to send the old lady and second brother back home as soon as possible. The farther they are away, the less likely they'll see people from the palace, and we can be at ease."

  When Niu told his wife's decision to separate the house tomorrow to her mother-in-law Zhang, Zhao Zhuang and his wife were relieved that their daughter's high fever had finally subsided, but upon hearing this, they became angry again.

  "Father has not yet been buried, and is still being watched in the ancestral temple outside the city!" Zhao Jiong said with hatred, "How can they be so heartless?!"

  Zhang furrowed his brow and sighed: "This is a matter of time, let's part ways, it's better to be clear sooner."

  Zhao Jiong looked at his daughter who was sleeping with her eyes closed and also fell silent. Zhang Shi stood up: "Although the child has reduced fever, the medicine she took is just an ancestral recipe from my mother's family, to be on the safe side, we should still invite a doctor to take a look. I'll go talk to my daughter-in-law." Zhao Jiong was the eldest son of Zhao Jiong and Niu Shi, married to Jiang Shi, who was born into a noble family in the capital and had always been known for being polite and courteous.

  Zhang brought the maid along, and Zhao Zhuo's wife, Mi, comforted her husband before leaving for the neighboring room to take care of their five-year-old son. Zhao Zhuo sat alone in the outer room, feeling stifled, leaving the wet nurse in the inner room to take care of his daughter. The wet nurse yawned listlessly without noticing that the one-year-old girl on the kang had opened her eyes, revealing a complex expression.