Golden Branch

Mrs. Xie sat cross-legged, with Buddhist beads hanging on her wrist and a letter sent by Jiang in her hand.

Her gaze had shifted from the letter to the woman standing before her:

She is about thirty years old, dignified and beautiful, with a calm temperament.

He didn't straighten his back too much, but still had an air of nobility that could not be underestimated.

Madam Xie was very familiar with this kind of temperament. If she guessed correctly, this woman must be from a noble family.

If nothing unexpected happens, a girl from a noble family will marry into a noble family and become the mistress of a wealthy family.

Why would such a noble lady fall to the point of being someone's mother-in-law... This situation has been very normal in the last one or two hundred years.

Wars continued, dynasties changed, power struggles arose... countless families fell from the clouds to the dust.

It was normal for a family to be overthrown, male members to die or be exiled, and female members to be fined and become slaves of officials.

Even the Wang family, if they had not known how to compromise and were patient enough, would probably have disappeared by now.

"Zheng meets the Madam!"

When Zheng heard Madam Xie's question, she bent her knees slightly and bowed.

Her movements were smooth and flowing, and she didn't deliberately show any rules or etiquette, but she was able to make people feel her propriety, nobility and elegance.

This is the temperament engraved in our bones.

Every word, every action, every gesture reveals the model of a noble family.

"Zheng?"

Madam Xie's eyes flashed, "Zheng Clan of Xingyang?"

This is an emerging aristocratic family in the north. Like the Cui family, they are all "newcomers" that have risen in the last one or two hundred years.

As a member of an old aristocratic family, Mrs. Xie had an innate contempt for the upstarts such as the Cui and Zheng families, but also had deep envy and jealousy towards them.

It was these emerging families that surpassed the old clans such as Wang and Xie and entered the center of power.

Cui, a newly married bride, dared to act so arrogantly in the Wang family. She relied not only on her in-law relationship with the Lou family, but also on the Cui family behind her.

The Cui family is the top foreign relative of the Zhou Dynasty, and has connections with the eight major families in the north.

Madam Xie and Wang Lin chose Cui because of this.

The Zheng family is no worse than the Cui family.

Although there were not many queens, there were marriages with the royal family.

However, the prominence of the Zheng family does not mean that all Zhengs in Xingyang are prosperous and respectable.

Large families are accustomed to making multiple bets. If a member of the family succeeds in investing, he will naturally become a high-ranking official.

When someone fails in investment, their whole family suffers.

Mrs. Xie twisted her fingers habitually. She didn't pinch the Buddhist beads, but that didn't stop her from thinking.

Suddenly, Madam Xie thought: "Are you Zheng Yi, the Queen's female attendant?!"

She remembered that there was indeed such a person named Zheng. More than ten years ago, because her grandfather had rebelled, the men in her family were exiled and the women were sent to the imperial palace.

Zheng Yi was only about ten years old at the time, and he also became a government slave along with his mother, sisters, and others.

Zheng Yi was gifted and beautiful, and with the guidance of his mother and elder sister, he was talented in writing and well-behaved.

At the age of fifteen, she was selected by the Queen Mother and promoted to a female official in the palace.

When she was 26 years old, the new emperor got married, and the empress dowager appointed Zheng Yi as a female attendant to assist the empress.

Just last year, the Grand Chancellor launched a mutiny, the new emperor "died of illness", the empress "committed suicide for love", the eunuchs and maids in the palace fled or died, and although Zheng was a female attendant of high rank, she was ultimately just a female official.

Not many people paid attention to her whereabouts.

The spies that Madam Xie left in the capital only inquired about the movements of the royal family and various powerful families. Madam Xie had not received any news about Zheng Yi.

I never expected that this female attendant who once took charge of the internal affairs of the harem would end up in Yizhou and be found by Jiang!

Jiang even found a way to get Zheng Yi to come and teach Wang Heng.

Mrs. Xie's eyes flashed: Jiang, you are so thoughtful!

After all, she is her own flesh and blood. Jiang has put in a lot of effort for her daughter.

"Zheng Yi is dead, slave Zheng!"

Zheng, formerly known as Zheng Yi, denied it, but she knew in her heart that Madam Xie did not believe it.

She believes that she is Zheng Yi!

In fact, she was.

But, as long as she didn't admit it, as long as she didn't break that layer of window paper, she was Zheng, not some official slave or female attendant!

Zheng's face was indifferent. The first half of her life had been reduced to ashes in the fire in the palace.

Her relatives had long since passed away, and she had also taken revenge on her enemies one by one over the years.

Without worries and hatred, from the moment she escaped from the capital, she became a brand new Zheng.

Zheng thought about her future. She was already in her thirties, which was old enough to be a grandmother in this era.

If she were to marry, she could only marry a widower or a disabled man.

She may even be able to marry a peddler or a rough warrior.

Although Zheng had been an official slave, she was also a palace maid and had never lived the hard life of an ordinary citizen.

Moreover, Zheng's inherent pride would not allow her to be so "self-degrading".

Even if she could find a husband who met her requirements, Zheng could not guarantee that she would be happy and healthy after marrying him.

Men...haha, forget it.

Born into a top aristocratic family and having experienced the ups and downs of the harem for many years, Zheng Yi has seen all kinds of men and has long been aware of the bad nature of men.

She didn't want to gamble her future on a man's conscience.

The first half of life has been full of ups and downs, so the second half will be more stable and peaceful.

Jiang is a very interesting woman.

Her status in the general's mansion was a bit embarrassing, but she was still able to gain the favor of the general and his wife.

This is quite difficult.

Under normal circumstances, it is normal for a concubine with stunning appearance to be favored by the male master.

But if even the mistress likes her, the concubine needs to have some brains and scheming.

Jiang did it.

Therefore, Zheng Yi believed that Jiang was a smart woman who might achieve great things in the future!

However, Jiang was still in the backyard of the General's Mansion, and what she would face in the future was a rugged road full of thorns.

Zheng Yi didn't want to get involved in the struggles in the inner palace and the harem again.

As for Jiang, she didn't even want to recruit Zheng Yi to work for her. She wanted Zheng Yi to teach her daughter who stayed in the Wang family!

Zheng Yi: ...This is not just smart, it's amazing!

Her identity, Zheng Yi, is known to the entire General's Mansion.

Yang Chong's other concubines once went to Zheng Yi to show their courtesy, hoping to show their loyalty and win her over.

When facing these people, Zheng Yi had only one word in mind: "stupid"!

She was the female attendant who served the late queen and the female prime minister of the harem.

When she went to assist the general's wife, the general's wife had to worry about breaking taboos or causing unnecessary trouble for the general, let alone a group of concubines.

These concubines have ambition written all over their faces.

Zheng Yi herself was a woman, and she had once been very successful in the harem, so naturally she was an ambitious person.

The emperor dared to rebel against the Grand Chancellor and tried to rule the country again, and it was Zheng Yi's "advice" behind him.

Unfortunately, the emperor failed and Zheng Yi himself became a stray dog.

The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, Zheng Yi recognizes it.

We've gone off topic... Let's stick to the facts. Zheng Yi doesn't think women shouldn't be ambitious.

But the problem is, if you have ambition, you also need the ability to match it.

Yang Chong's concubines have no abilities at all.

On the contrary, Jiang knew that Zheng Yi was a talented person and did not want to miss him, but she also did not want to violate taboos, so she simply asked Zheng Yi to be a tutor to her daughter.

In this way, she could not only retain talents but also take care of her daughter. More importantly, she also showed her motherly heart to the world (especially Yang Chong and his wife).

Jiang was not a fool with only beautiful looks, so Zheng Yi had high expectations for Wang's ninth daughter, who would be born to Jiang.

Going to Hedong and becoming a tutor in the Wang family might allow her to live the stable and prosperous life she wants.

Zheng Yi came, but she no longer called herself Zheng Yi, insisting that she was just Zheng.

"...Okay, let's just stick with the Zheng family."

Madam Xie looked at Zheng Yi steadily, but Zheng Yi had a calm expression and steady gaze.

There was no guilty dodging, nor any fearful shrinking; she remained calm and composed.

"Zheng, although you were sent by Jiang, Ajiu is, after all, a lady from my Wang family."

"She has a father and a mother, and at worst, she still has me as her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law should also be arranged by us elders."

Although Mrs. Xie knew that Zheng Yi was destined to be the mother-in-law of the royal family and could not be driven away.

The relationship between the Wang family and the Jiang family is very delicate. Madam Xie knows that the Jiang family must be resentful of the Wang family in her heart.

However, the Wang family also has Wang Heng, and Wang Heng is the only person who can control the Jiang family.

In order to allow Jiang to continue to make profits for the Wang family, Mrs. Xie had to "obey Jiang in everything".

Besides, Madam Xie never mentioned Wang Heng, and having Fu's mother around was not a big deal at all.

However, Mrs. Xie knew it in her heart, but she still had to put on a gesture: this is the Wang family, the Wang family has its own elders, and they will not allow a divorced "former daughter-in-law" to interfere.

Zheng Yi didn't need to think too much, and instantly understood what Madam Xie meant.

Some people, even if they have already surrendered in their hearts, still say tough words.

This is also a kind of "character"!

Zheng Yi lowered his head slightly, trying to look respectful.

Mrs. Xie was finally satisfied when she saw this. She changed the subject and said, "Of course, this is also Jiang's good intention. After all, she is Ajiu's biological mother."

"How about this, you stay here first, and I'll discuss it with Dalang. If Dalang agrees, I'll send you to the farm!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yi bowed his head again and said, "Yes! I will obey your command!"

……

When Wang Lin came back from the county government office, he went to pay his respects to the lady-in-waiting without even changing out of his official uniform.

Mrs. Xie took out the letter from Jiang and told him about Zheng Yi.

"Zheng Yi? The Queen's female attendant?"

Wang Lin is different from Madam Xie. Madam Xie is concerned about maintaining the dignity of the Wang family and the dignity of the elders of the Wang family.

Wang Lin, however, thought, "It seems that Ajaan is quite well-respected in the General's House!"

There must be many reasons why a concubine could invite Zheng Yi, a man who has seen many ups and downs.

In addition, the General's Mansion allowed a concubine to recruit talents at will and interfere in affairs outside the mansion, which was enough to prove that Jiang was favored.

After all, she is the most beautiful woman, and she is kind and gentle. Even if she is marrying for the second time, she can still be loved by her husband.

Jiang is favored and can mobilize the resources of the general's mansion, which is definitely a good thing for Wang Lin.

He bore the stigma of "offering his wife to flatter his superiors" just to place someone "of his own" next to Yang Chong?

Because Jiang was favored, she was able to bring more benefits to the Wang family.

Wang Lin suppressed the jealousy and resentment in his heart and tried hard to focus only on his interests and family.

"If the Jiang family becomes respectable, my career will be smoother!"

Of course, Wang Lin did not forget the only bond between him and his wife—Wang Heng!

"Mother, in two days, I will personally send Zheng to the manor."

"Also, Ajiu is in Zhuangzi. Although she has people serving her, she is still outside the city. I want to assign some more people to her. How about twenty steps?"

As Jiang became favored, Wang Heng's importance increased.

Wang Lin must ensure the safety of his daughter.

Mrs. Xie paused slightly while twisting the Buddhist beads, but soon she understood what her son meant.

"You're right, we should assign some guards to her!"

The little bully of the Lou family is indeed better to Wang Heng.

Previously, Wang Lin had witnessed how the two children interacted with each other, and he couldn't help but have a delusion: the Wang family could marry into the Lou family.

If Wang Heng married Lou Dalang, Lou Jin would become her relative, and it would be very natural to borrow soldiers from him at that time.

Maybe, you don’t even have to pay.

Although Lou Dalang was a bastard born to a concubine, he was Lou Jin's only son and the destined heir to the Lou family army!

Wang Lin, a politician who is good at calculating, naturally knows what role a hundred thousand troops can play in this chaotic world.

If these armies belonged to his son-in-law... Wang Lin felt that the Wang family's resurgence was definitely not his wishful thinking.

Wang Lin wanted to marry his daughter to Lou Dalang, so he turned a blind eye to Lou Dalang's frequent behavior of climbing over walls.

But now Jiang suddenly sent someone, which made Wang Lin realize again that he should not put all his eggs in one basket.

The Lou family is important, but Lou Jin’s boss Yang Chong is more important.

Send some troops to Jiu Niang to restrain that little bully Lou Dalang. The daughter of the Wang family is very precious.

……

Three days later, Wang Lin personally delivered Zheng Yi and the twenty parts to Zhuangzi.

Wang Heng: ...Mother Fu? I, I have a mother Fu.

However, upon hearing that it was sent by her own mother, Wang Heng obediently accepted it.

"...Young lady, you don't have to call me Mother Fu. Call me Mother Zheng."

Zheng Yi is such a smart person, how could he not see the dilemma of the little fat girl and "Mother Fu" standing beside her?

Since she already has Fu Mu, I won’t fight for this status.

Anyway, she will teach Wang Heng, so it doesn’t matter whether she is Mrs. Fu or the housekeeper.

"Okay! Then I'll call you Aunt Zheng."

Wang Heng's eyes lit up and the corners of her mouth curled up. She liked this Zheng Ai.

When Zheng Yi arrived, he did not rush to teach, but observed first.

In the following days, she familiarized herself with the entire village, as well as the slaves, servants, farmers and other people and things on the village.

Wang Heng's life remained the same as before and did not change because of Zheng's arrival.

One day, Lou Dalang came, with a cruel gleam in his eyes.

Hey, after waiting for more than a month, I can finally get started!

Fatty, I will definitely scare you to tears this time...