Golden Branch

"Aheng, the saint named the ninth prince Mao."

Lou Yu returned to the Duke's Mansion and without even changing his official uniform, he went straight to the Princess' Mansion from the back mountain as if he was familiar with the route.

He lifted his skirt, sat cross-legged opposite Wang Heng, and told her directly what had just happened in the palace.

"Mao, beautiful!"

"As expected of a saint, this calligraphy is superb!"

He is also very suitable for the beloved son born to Concubine Jiang.

Wang Heng really liked the name of her half-brother.

The sage gave the name, but he did not place too high expectations on it, nor did he have any ambiguous intention to make a fuss about it.

Just a simple wish, may it be beautiful!

"After Imperial Concubine Jiang woke up, she gave the little prince a nickname: Xi Nu!"

As Lou Yu spoke, he dipped his fingers in tea and wrote words one by one on the smooth wooden floor.

懋！

Rhino of rhino slave!

Wang Heng nodded. The Ninth Prince’s “Xi Nu” and Princess Changning’s “Ji Nu” were similar in nature.

Using the name "slave" means asking for a humble name that is easier to support.

Rhinoceros is a fierce beast and a spiritual animal. Concubine Jiang hopes that the little prince will be healthy and peaceful.

"My mother has a little prince, and she is finally happy!"

In the second half of her life, she had something to rely on besides grace.

Even if the saint passes away, as long as there is the ninth prince, Concubine Jiang can live a comfortable and wealthy life as a concubine.

In the future, when the Ninth Prince grows up, is granted the title of a prince and has his own fiefdom, Imperial Concubine Jiang will be able to leave the palace and live in the prince's mansion or in her fiefdom as a distinguished ancestor!

She will not be buried alive, nor will she become a nun. As long as she doesn't commit suicide, she will have a very happy second half of her life.

Even Wang Heng would have an extra supporter if she had a prince brother.

Wang Heng never thought that her younger brother would participate in the fight for the throne and then obtain that position.

Like Concubine Jiang, she was very content.

Or rather, they are all sober enough.

The sage is in his prime, and the prince has many advantages of being the legitimate son, the eldest son, and the most virtuous. Under such circumstances, if he still has ambitions, he is definitely seeking death.

As for what kind of changes will happen in the palace and the court more than ten years later, neither Concubine Jiang nor Wang Heng will think too much about it.

Living in the present and leading a peaceful life is the right thing to do.

"Oh, there's one more thing. Jiang Yuan and his family have already arrived at the post station ninety miles away from Beijing."

"In another day or two, they should be able to reach the capital."

Lou Yu reached out to wipe away the water stains on the floor. Seeing that Wang Heng was not too excited even though she had a prince's brother, he changed the subject.

"They came quite quickly!"

Wang Heng spoke softly. She was neither happy nor disgusted about the upcoming cheap relatives.

Even strangers who are related by blood, if you like them, you can get closer to them. If you don't like them -

Lou Yu raised his eyes and saw Wang Heng's indifferent expression.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Jiang Yuan is fine. When he was young, the Jiang family was quite prosperous, and he was a nobleman for a few years!"

"I've been educated, enjoyed wealth, and even though I've suffered a sudden disaster and experienced many years of hardship, I've still been able to persevere!"

"The Jiang family was exiled to Liangzhou. Most of the male members of the Jiang family died on the way to exile, or after arriving in Liangzhou, unable to endure the bitter cold and heat."

"Of the thirty or so adult males in the sixth house, only the eldest son, Jiang Yuan, and three or five underage nephews and younger brothers remain."

"Jiang Yuan is also Noble Concubine Jiang's elder brother, and he had the best relationship with her back then."

"He gritted his teeth and managed to survive in Liangzhou for several years, but he eventually died of a cold."

"That year, Jiang Yuan was only fourteen years old. He wasn't even a man yet, but he took over from his elder brother, supporting the Jiang family, caring for his widowed sister-in-law, and raising his nephews and nieces."

"By the way, Jiang Yuan's widow is not his original wife. His original wife died on the way to exile."

"After Jiang Yuan arrived in Liangzhou, he married a local Hu woman and had a daughter with her."

Lou Yu slowly introduced the situation of the Jiang family.

The Tianshui Jiang family, once famous in the capital, now has only a dozen people left.

According to their relationship with Wang Heng, they can be listed as follows:

My uncle Jiang Yuan, 29 years old, married a woman surnamed Kang and had two sons and two daughters.

My eldest cousin Jiang Fuli is the eldest son of my eldest uncle Jiang Yuan. He is twenty-six years old and married to Li. They have one son and three daughters.

My second cousin Jiang Fuan is the son of my late second uncle.

My fifth cousin Jiang Fuyi and sixth cousin Jiang Fulian were both born to Jiang Yuan and Kang.

There are also three or four cousins, ahem, several of them have already married, so it is not convenient for them to go to Beijing with their parents.

Wang Heng didn't say anything, just held the teacup and listened quietly.

Among Lou Yu's many introductions, he emphasized the widow of his cheap uncle and the daughter born to that widow. Wang Heng couldn't help but feel her brows twitch.

"Why, this watch—"

Wang Heng paused. She mentally reviewed the timeline and recalled what Lou Yu had said about the Jiang family. Then she said, "What's so special about this cousin?"

Wang Heng knew that Lou Yu's secret guards, although not omnipresent, did have extremely sophisticated means of gathering information.

The Jiang family has a very close relationship with Wang Heng, so Lou Yu will pay special attention to the situation of the Jiang family members.

Perhaps, after learning of the existence of the Jiang family, Lou Yu sent out secret guards.

In the past two months, even though he was thousands of miles away, Lou Yu was able to investigate every member of the Jiang family and all their past events!

"She is Jiang Yuan's posthumous daughter and is not yet fifteen years old."

"Among her sisters, she is the fourth, and her name is Jiang Si Niang."

Lou Yu spoke slowly. He was always calm and composed, but when he mentioned Jiang Si Niang, he was a little hesitant.

Wang Heng became increasingly curious, "Brother, what's wrong with her?"

Suddenly, Wang Heng had an idea and blurted out, "Could it be that she looks different?"

"Yes, my brother mentioned earlier that her biological mother is a local Hu woman. Is her surname An?"

"And my aunt-in-law Kang, and my second cousin-in-law Shi, are they both from the Nine Zhaowu Clans?"

They are all Hu people who migrated from foreign countries to the Celestial Empire from various border towns in the northwest.

Although they were a foreign race, they were integrated into the Celestial Empire through the efforts of several or even dozens of generations.

However, because of their background, appearance and other reasons, they are still treated differently by many Chinese people.

If the Jiang family had not been convicted and exiled to Liangzhou, the men in the family would not have been able to marry decent women, and they would not have been able to marry into the Nine Clans of Zhaowu.

Perhaps, the Jiang family was able to survive in Liangzhou for nearly twenty years because of the support from their in-laws.

The Hu people of the Nine Zhaowu Clans were considered foreigners and barbarians by the orthodox people of the Celestial Empire.

It is difficult for them to enter officialdom.

Coupled with the genes and habits of their ancestors, they are better at doing business.

The Hu merchants were of humble status but extremely wealthy.

The Jiang family also has the surname "Jiang". Even if they are exiles, it is enough to attract the Nine Clans of Zhaowu who only have gold and silver!

As a pure noble lady from an aristocratic family, Wang Heng would not reject or despise the barbarians of other races, but she would not get too close to them either.

Of course, if they are relatives who are beautiful and have similar personalities, Wang Heng would still be willing to make friends with them.

Just like Zheng Ying and Zheng Tao in the past, their looks were extremely exotic, but they were very beautiful and docile, so Wang Heng was willing to take care of them.

Now that it’s the Jiang family, Wang Heng still behaves in the same way.

"Could it be that this Jiang Si Niang has strange hair and eyes like Hu Ji?"

"There's a tavern in the West Market, and their head waitress, Hu Ji, has blonde hair and blue eyes. Amian even mentioned something like a doll, and I think she's pretty too!"

Wang Heng's thoughts were scattered and she had begun to make random guesses.

Lou Yu shook his head slightly. "Jiang Si Niang looks more like her biological father, with black hair and dark eyes, a typical Chinese appearance."

"Oh no, to be more precise, she looks like—"

Having said that, Lou Yu paused again.

His deep eyes looked deeply at Wang Heng.

"like me?"

Wang Heng met Lou Yu's gaze, extended a green jade finger, and pointed it at herself. "Brother, are you saying that Jiang Si Niang looks like me?"

"Somewhat, but actually she looks more like Concubine Jiang!"

As Lou Yu spoke, he reached into his sleeve pocket and took out a small scroll.

He handed it to Wang Heng, "This is the portrait the secret guards sent back. The woman in the painting is Jiang Si Niang!"

Wang Heng took the scroll, unfolded it, and saw a portrait of a young woman.

At first glance, this person does look somewhat similar to Wang Heng.

But if you look closely, you will find that the woman in the painting has standard almond-shaped eyes, which is very similar to Concubine Jiang.

On the contrary, Wang Heng's eyes are not the dignified and bright almond eyes, but the rounder and more lively lychee eyes.

As for her nose, Jiang Si Niang's is taller and straighter, which is probably a good inheritance from her mother.

Wang Heng's nose is also straight and upturned, but it is more delicate and exquisite.

"There's a folk saying: niece Xiaogu."

"Jiang Si Niang looks very much like her biological aunt, your mother, Concubine Jiang!"

Lou Yu looked at Wang Heng, his eyes filled with doting and a hint of worry.

Perhaps in the eyes of many outsiders, Wang Heng was able to have the honor of a princess only because she had a good mother.

In addition to the mother-daughter relationship, Wang Heng's beautiful face, which resembles Concubine Jiang very much, also played a certain role.

People have some special feelings for younger generations who look like themselves.

Now, there's another Jiang Si Niang, the niece of Concubine Jiang. She's even more like Concubine Jiang than Wang Heng...

Some people will have false thoughts, and some people can't help but use this to cause trouble.

Lou Yu values ​​Wang Heng the most and naturally doesn't want her to suffer any injustice.

"...What about Jiang Si Niang? Does she know that she looks like her mother?" Did she have any other thoughts?

For example, competing for favor?

For example, replacing Wang Heng?

Wang Heng understands too well the complexity and ugliness of human nature.

She never minds assuming the worst of anyone, including her closest relatives!

"According to the secret guards' observations, he's a fairly honest person! But, Ah Heng, you know best how fickle people can be."

Especially for someone like Jiang Si Niang, who was originally a small person struggling at the bottom of society, it is easy for her to lose her original intention when she suddenly becomes rich.

If anyone else instigates her, she will definitely bring trouble to Ah Heng.

……

At the post station, the eunuch sent by Concubine Jiang finally reunited with the Jiang family.

"Is this the Fourth Lady? How can she be so similar to the Imperial Concubine?"

Except for her slightly darker skin, she looks exactly like Concubine Jiang when she was young.

Originally, the eunuch still had doubts about the members of the Jiang family who showed up, but when he saw Jiang Si Niang, who looked 70% similar to Concubine Jiang, he completely believed in the identity of the Jiang family.

"Really? I look a lot like Auntie?"

"By the way, I, I have a new name, a single name 'Si'."

Jiang Si Niang is shy and timid, but also has a bit of ambition...