The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

The victorious return of the army from the southern expedition was originally a great joyous event, but what followed was the major case at the Marquis of Anguo's Mansion.

In the Anguo Marquis's Mansion, the second branch of the Ruan family, in order to fight for the title, ignored the military situation and attempted to murder the commander-in-chief, Anguo Marquis, and the crown prince during the war. Fortunately, Anguo Marquis was mature and did not give the thieves a chance. However, the crown prince was young and hot-tempered, and accidentally let the thief kill him with a southwest poisonous snake.

God has eyes. Although the thief committed suicide afterwards, we were able to trace back who was behind the incident. It was a pity for Marquis Anguo. Not only did he lose his son in middle age, but the person who did it was actually his blood brother. He was the commander-in-chief of the southern expedition, but when he returned victoriously, he was so haggard and his temples were gray. He cried so hard in front of all the civil and military officials in the court and fainted.

After being rescued by the imperial physician, he confessed after waking up that due to injuries in his early years, he had lost his ability to have children, and the deceased prince was his only male heir. He attempted to ask the emperor to pardon the crimes of the male offspring of the second house so that the Ruan family could have a bloodline. However, he could not bear the pain of losing his son and the blow of betrayal by his brothers. He spoke a few words intermittently and spurted out another mouthful of blood that he could not hold back.

His tragic experience makes those who hear about it sad and those who see it cry - his only son was killed by someone, and for the sake of family inheritance, you have to personally ask the emperor to forgive the perpetrator. Who would be willing to do that?

At the very least, Marquis Anguo acted very reluctantly, which made people feel pity for him.

"Your Majesty, I think that what happened to Marquis Anguo was caused by the greed of the second branch of the family for the title. Marquis Anguo...considered the relationship between brothers and the family incense, and really made things difficult for him. But because of this, Your Majesty, Madam, I think that the people of the second branch of the Ruan family must not be forgiven lightly, otherwise, if someone in the family of the title follows suit in the future, as long as they kill all the bloodline of the holder of the title, not only will their family be exempted from punishment, but they can even inherit the title in the future...I am afraid there will be endless troubles!"

The new Minister of Rites, Lord Xi, with his hair and beard all white, held up his tablet and bowed deeply - his predecessor was Mr. Wen, who had once criticized Mrs. Xie Yuzhen for interfering in government affairs in person, and has now passed away with his entire family - after taking over the position of Minister of Rites, Lord Xi has always behaved smartly.

The cleverness is to base everything on the wishes of the two immediate superiors, etiquette?

What etiquette?

Only the etiquette and laws are approved by the emperor, otherwise they are just outdated dogma.

As long as he could get himself into jail as a minister, Shangshu Xi could, in front of the portraits of saints worshipped in the family school, pick up his pen and revise all the regulations that displeased the supreme couple.

He also hoped that after retiring from the position of Shangshu in the future, he could get a position as a Bachelor of Political Science like several old predecessors who were trusted by the emperor and empress!

Shangshu Xi had a very clear understanding of his own position and abilities. When he received some hints from Empress Xie, he just thought about how to behave in a way that would better demonstrate his loyalty, and he did not hesitate to become the initiator of the event of "the daughter of Marquis Anguo set a precedent for women to inherit the title."

As soon as Minister Xi said this, Marquis Anguo, who was slumped in the specially given chair, looked at Minister Xi with blood in his mouth and tears in his eyes, but his expression was not subtle enough and he looked at her with great gratitude.

Most of those who can squeeze to the front row in the court are smart people. Seeing this situation, how can they not know which side the real thoughts in Marquis Anguo's mind are leaning towards?

Each of them weighed the matter in their hearts: Marquis Anguo had just won a victory, he was a meritorious official, and His Majesty and His Majesty would certainly be more lenient with him; in this matter, he lost his son, he was the victim, and he had all the evidence, so he was the one who made the most sense...

After a short silence, all the ministers followed Minister Xi's thoughts and echoed him, saying that the second branch of the Ruan family should not be forgiven easily. However... Marquis Anguo has no son. When he passes away, should the title be passed on or eliminated?

After the court officials with different thoughts expressed their own ideas, naturally someone would raise this question.

As soon as the question was asked, Marquis Anguo spat out another mouthful of blood in sorrow. Finally, General He, his mentor and grandfather-in-law, stood up and said that although Marquis Anguo had no son, he still had a daughter, who was now married to his grandson. As a grandfather, he expressed his willingness to let the daughter of Marquis Anguo bring her child home, and let the descendants of this daughter and his grandson all have the surname Ruan and become part of the bloodline of Marquis Anguo's mansion.

"......I, an old minister, am willing to swear an oath that I will never do anything to return to my ancestral lineage. The descendants of my granddaughter-in-law will all be descendants of the Ruan family from generation to generation, and no one from another family will take it away!" General He is only two or three years younger than Empress Dowager Hu, and now looks like an old man with wrinkled skin. However, he seems to be in good spirits and his thoughts are always clear.

He spoke very loudly and never mentioned the succession of the title. After appeasing Marquis Anguo, he gave away his little grandson and future children simply because he could not bear to see his bloodline cut off.

The emperor who was sitting on the throne was watching with great interest. He turned his head and asked Xie Yuzhen who was sitting beside him, "Marquis Anguo is indeed pitiful. General He is kind and righteous, and he is worthy of being an elder of our dynasty. However, the inheritance of the title should be handled with caution... What do you think, Queen?"

People have long been accustomed to the emperor bringing his wife to court and asking "What does the queen think?" "What do you think, Xianming?" "How do you think this should be handled, my dear?" and so on whenever there is something wrong.

It won't work if you're not used to it.

Those ministers who were not used to it were either left to eat dust or had their heads run away from their necks.

Xie Yuzhen had been prepared: "Heir means successor. Those who inherit the bloodline of their ancestors are heirs, and those who continue the incense and sacrifices for their ancestors are also heirs. Since ancient times, people have valued bloodline and sacrificial inheritance, so that their ancestors will not suffer in the afterlife, and that future generations can trace their origins, understand their origins and inherit the virtues of their ancestors. Therefore, whether it is for a family or a country, the inheritance of offspring is the top priority. I think what General He said is a righteous act and there is nothing wrong with it."

She smiled and looked at the ministers below: "Marquis Anguo only has one son and one daughter, the prince and Miss Ruan. Now..."

She sighed at the right time, changing her expression of compassion: "Unfortunately, the Crown Prince died at the hands of a traitor and left no children. However, Miss Ruan is also the blood of the Marquis of Anguo, and is his heir. I think that the Marquis of Anguo's mansion has not reached the stage of extinction of the title, and our dynasty has already established a female household, asking men to marry into the family, take the woman's surname, and continue the bloodline of the wife's family. As long as General He is willing, Your Majesty, why not fulfill this benevolent act?"

As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly in the direction of the emperor: "I am a soft-hearted person and I cannot bear to see Marquis Anguo so sad. Fortunately, there is Miss Ruan who can continue the family bloodline. If she is the head of the household, she can also... perform the duties of the head of the household and offer sacrifices to the ancestors to ensure that the incense continues."