Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5016: Adoption of the First Wife
Fang Xuanling and his wife returned to Chang'an from Jiangnan this time. On the one hand, Jin Shengman's due date was approaching, and on the other hand, Fang Xiaomei had reached the age of marriage, so the marriage had to be scheduled. However, there were many young men from noble families in Chang'an who wanted to marry Fang Xiuzhu, which gave Fang Xuanling a headache...

Fang Qian started crying loudly at this time, probably because he was feeling uncomfortable somewhere. Qiao'er was in a panic. Fang Jun wanted to take Fang Qian over, but Fang Xuanling waved his hand and asked Qiao'er to hand Fang Qian over, then held him in his arms. Fang Qian arched his back twice, grabbed his grandfather's beard with his little hands, and played with it with great interest, and stopped crying immediately.

Fang Xuanling was smiling and kind-hearted, playing with his grandchildren like an ordinary farmer, without any trace of the demeanor of a former prime minister with all the power in the world.

He looked up at Qiao'er, whose face was red, and said with a smile, "We are tired and hungry after traveling so far. Go to the kitchen and prepare some food so that we can have a reunion dinner and everyone can take a break."

"Ugh!"

Qiaoer agreed with a smile, wiped her tears, turned around and walked briskly to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Although she gave birth to a child, Fang Jun never treated her as a slave, but the inferiority complex in her heart troubled Qiaoer all the time.

Look at the ladies in the man’s room. They are either Tang princesses, Silla princesses, or Southern Chen princesses. Even Wu Meiniang has a father who is a duke. Even Changle, who cannot enter the palace and can only give birth to illegitimate children, is the Tang emperor’s biological sister…

Qiao'er was of humble origin, but she accepted her fate. However, her husband's other children were all born into wealthy families and were of noble descent, while Fang Qian, the son she gave birth to, was a head shorter than him, which made her feel anxious.

Fortunately, Fang Xuanling cared for him.

Fang Qian's name was chosen by Fang Xuanling, which means the best hexagram among the sixty-four hexagrams, to show his expectations. Fang Xuanling never looked down on Fang Qian because of his mother's low status, and he showed his equal treatment in various occasions, both openly and covertly...

With Fang Xuanling's love and protection, Fang Qian's position in the family was secure and no one dared to look down on him.

……

The atmosphere of the family dinner was very cheerful.

The children were very excited, shouting and jumping after they ate a little. The older ones were taken by their nanny to the garden to play and digest the food, while the younger ones were sent to their rooms to sleep. The adults sat around the table having a drink and chatting leisurely.

Fang Xuanling said: "Our family's dining style is very good. We are all family, so why should we distinguish each other and pay attention to those red tape? In the early days when food was scarce, sitting together and sharing delicious food was the happiest thing."

The practice of separate dining is one of the symbols of nobility, but the Fang family abolished those so-called etiquettes very early. The family gathered together to dine at a large round table with each family sitting on a chair. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Although it is somewhat unorthodox compared to the etiquette of the current scholar-official class, it does help to eliminate barriers between family members and bring them closer to each other.

Although Fang Xuanling was upright and gentle as a gentleman, he was by no means a conservative and serious person. Not only did he have a harmonious relationship with his sons, he even often chatted with his daughters-in-law. He had both the teachings of an elder and the care of a relative.

Otherwise, no matter how brilliant and intelligent Wu Meiniang was, how could she be entrusted with such an important task and be in charge of the family business in such a family?
In some ways, Fang Xuanling was very open-minded.

Mrs. Lu sighed, a little worried: "It would be great if Dalang's family were here too."

After Fang Yizhi was injured, he had been recuperating in Huating Town. His wife Du and daughter were by his side. When his injury improved, he went to Japan again. Unlike the nerd in Chang'an, Fang Yizhi now traveled to Japan with countless Confucian scholars, hoping to spread Han culture to Japan, so that the Japanese barbarians would be bathed in the glory of China and willingly become vassals of the Tang Dynasty.

Fang Xuanling comforted him, "Da Lang has limited intelligence and is a bit pedantic. I was worried about his future. Now he has found a career that he is working hard on and is happy about. This is really a happy thing. As parents, we should be comforted."

Erlang was a brilliant man who had made countless achievements on his own. He was even granted the title of Duke of Liang, making the Fang family "one family with two dukes" and bringing glory to the world. Brothers did not have to fight over the family property. His title of "Duke of Liang" and his family property could be safely passed on to Fang Yizhi. By then, both brothers would have the title of Duke. The bloodline of the Qinghe Fang family would continue and die with the country, and he could rest in peace.

Mrs. Lu couldn't hide her anxiety for a long time. She said in a muffled voice, "The career is secondary. But the couple has not given birth to an heir yet. What should they do? They have been running around all year round. I'm afraid it will become more and more difficult in a few years."

There are three kinds of unfilial piety, and no one is the greatest.

Putting aside the question of filial piety, even if the eldest son could inherit the title of "Duke of Liang", how could it be possible when he doesn't even have a son to this day?
Looking at Erlang's children, his mother is naturally worried and anxious...

Seeing that the father and son of the Fang family were silent, Lu hesitated for a moment and whispered, "If Dalang fails to give birth to a child, it won't be impossible for the family line to end in the future, right? Why not adopt one from Erlang..."

It was very common for brothers to adopt a child in that era. Otherwise, they couldn't just let the title of "Duke of Liang" and the family properties be taken away by the court, right?

Gao Yang, Xiao Shuer, Jin Shengman, and Qiaoer all shuddered and pursed their lips in silence.

Although we all understand the truth, who would want their son to be adopted out and call someone else their father and mother?
Qiao'er was particularly tense. She knew that if that day really came, her son would most likely be adopted out...

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Fang Xuanling scolded him and said unhappily, "Dalang is not yet thirty years old, he is healthy and has no hidden diseases, it is only a matter of time before he has children, why worry about it? At most, you can give him a few concubines and let him work harder, don't say these nonsense."

Mrs. Lu also realized that she had said something wrong. Seeing her daughters-in-law looking nervous, she knew that she had offended someone, and quickly tried to make amends: "Whether it's Dalang or Erlang, they are both children of our Fang family. Even if they are adopted, it's just a co-family, not a separate branch. What's there to be ashamed of? We can't let your title be taken away by the court in vain. What do you think, Erlang?"

Fang Jun drank tea and said with a smile: "What mother said makes sense, but as father said, eldest brother is still young. If he works hard, it will not be difficult to have children. Even if it is really as mother worries, it will be decades later. It won't be too late to talk about it then. On the contrary, mother is so anxious, I am afraid it will add pressure to eldest brother and sister-in-law, and cause trouble for the family... Let everything take its course."

Mrs. Lu said angrily, "How did you get so filthy? If it were someone else, they would have already started planning for this. That's the title of Duke and most of the family property. Who wouldn't be jealous? But you two are so noble and upright that you didn't even bother to look at it!"

When other families encountered such a thing, they would be delighted and would quickly adopt one of their sons as an adoptive son to take over the eldest wife's property so that they could swallow it up in the future.

How could Fang Jun be so indifferent?
Fang Jun disagreed and said with a smile: "Even if my sons are not heroes, they must be able to stand tall and proud. If you tell them from a young age that they can just rely on the merits of their ancestors and have everything they want in the future without doing anything, how can they have the motivation to make progress? Flowers grown in greenhouses may look beautiful, but they cannot withstand the slightest rain, snow, wind or frost. If they are spineless and without ambition, even if you leave them a title and a family business, they will be squandered sooner or later."

Gao Yang, Xiao Shuer, Qiaoer and Jin Shengman all looked at Fang Jun with sparkling eyes, their hearts excited and they agreed deeply.

Children born in such a family are destined to have a life of luxury and a bright future. Whether they can have an extra title or an extra family property is actually not that important.

On the contrary, if one can grow into a hero with a strong backbone and lofty ambitions, even if he only serves as an official for one term, it is far better than a title that is like a tablet.

Fang Xuanling knocked on the table and said, "There's no need to mention this matter again."

He agreed with the boy's opinion. Children are at a good age to develop a positive attitude and to study literature and martial arts. If this incident blinds them to their own interests and creates estrangement and discord between them, it would be a loss.

The title is there. Given the contributions of the Fang father and son to the empire, as long as they don't want to lose it, it will not be lost no matter what. Why rush?
Who knows, there might be another man like Fang Jun among the three generations, who could earn another title for the family. Wouldn't that be more glorious than picking up the title passed down from one's ancestors?

Mrs. Lu was very angry at the joint opposition of the father and son. She stood up, took Jin Shengman's hand, and complained, "I can't say a word in this family now. Let them take care of it! Come on, I'll go to your room to see if the things for delivery are ready and if there is anything missing. You must not neglect it. You are just like Shu'er. You don't have your parents' family around. I will make sure to arrange these things properly and won't let you suffer any grievances!"

Jin Shengman was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. She stood up carefully and whispered, "Thank you, mother!"

Mrs. Lu laughed, supported Jin Shengman, turned around and called out, "Princess, Shu'er, Qiao'er, let's go over and take a look together. Ignore these two stubborn guys!"

The Fang family father and son looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

Gao Yang, Xiao Shuer, and Qiaoer all held back their laughter, and together with Jin Shengman, they surrounded Lu and left.

Fang Jun came over and filled the cup with tea. Fang Xuanling took a sip and praised: "You have done a good job by getting Yan Shigu and Kong Yingda to reform the imperial examination. Don't worry about the resistance of the Jiangnan gentry. Any reform is bound to affect the interests of some forces. Otherwise, why bother to change it? As long as you are sure it is beneficial to the country, then feel free to do it boldly. If necessary, even if some blood is shed and some people die, it is worth it."

(End of this chapter)