Golden Branch

It's time for dinner.

The Zhou Dynasty continued the ancient system of having two meals a day: breakfast and afternoon meal.

The so-called afternoon meal is mostly eaten during the evening hour (15:00-17:00 in the afternoon).

However, Wangjiawubao hosted a banquet for distinguished guests today, and the banquet lasted until the afternoon.

The cooks in the main kitchen were exhausted and had no energy to prepare dinner.

They simply cooked the leftover food from lunch and sent it to the owners of each household.

After looking through the food box brought back by the maid, Jiang frowned slightly.

The manager of the kitchen is becoming more and more unreasonable.

In other words, it was not just the small kitchen, but the entire Wang family was in a state of chaos and decadence.

People's hearts have long been in chaos!

Jiang picked out a few things her daughter could eat and asked the maid to prepare a food table.

The Great Zhou Dynasty adopted the system of separate dining, that is, each person had his own dining table.

On the food table, there are rice, vegetables, porridge, etc. that have been portioned out.

The rice is slightly yellowish rice.

This is the old grain stored by the Wang family, and it is also the best at the moment.

Yizhou has been suffering from a drought for three years. Not only ordinary people, but even the wealthy families have long been out of food.

If we can’t even eat bean rice, there’s no way we can even dream of fine grains like japonica rice.

All I can say is that the Wang family is worthy of being a prestigious family that has existed for hundreds of years.

Although it has fallen into decline, the family heritage is still there.

The warehouses were filled with grain, and the main buildings on the central axis, such as Ci'en Hall, had walls made of glutinous rice bricks.

If Wangjiawubao was out of food, they could also break down the walls and cook the bricks to eat.

"What a pity. Even if the ancestors have a plan, what can they do?"

"Hasn't the dignified Wang family of Langya fallen to the point of offering their wives to curry favor with the rich and powerful?"

After distributing the food to her daughter, Jiang had no appetite at all.

After thinking for more than an hour, she has made a decision.

Jiang looks delicate and fragile, but she is actually very resourceful.

Back then, she was able to marry into the clan as a girl from a poor family. Not only was it because of her beautiful appearance, but the downfall of the Wang family was also due to her scheming and planning.

She is well aware of men's bad nature and understands the truth that "what you can't get is the best."

She controlled the situation perfectly and directly controlled Wang Lin.

In addition to being scheming, Jiang is also decisive.

Although it was just a guess and she hadn't heard anything definite from her husband, Jiang had already started making preparations.

If it is true, she will also strive for the best interests for herself and her children.

If it's fake... No, it shouldn't be fake.

The Wang family has really reached the end of its rope.

Jiang raised the corners of her lips and revealed a mocking smile.

"Mother, Jiu is full!"

Just as Jiang was lost in thought, Wang Heng, who had finished her meal, put down her chopsticks and said something in a baby voice.

"Ajiu, good boy!"

Gently stroking her daughter's little hair, Jiang's eyes fell on her daughter's chubby little face.

Her daughter's eyebrows and eyes are almost exactly the same as hers.

And her skin is so white that it glows, just like the finest white jade.

The only thing about my daughter that is different from me is her face shape.

Jiang has an oval face and a slightly pointed chin, which is the kind of appearance that men like but the elders think is "unlucky".

Wang Heng has a standard oval face, which is round, plump, and a very blessed look.

My daughter is young and her face hasn't fully grown yet.

However, Jiang had no doubt that her daughter would grow up to be a beauty like her.

After all, apart from her beautiful mother, her father Wang Lin is also good-looking.

The descendants of aristocratic families with hundreds of years of history are all handsome men and beautiful women for more than a dozen generations. Unless there is an extremely small probability, under normal circumstances, they are all handsome men with excellent looks and outstanding temperament.

"In such a chaotic world, beauty is not a good thing!"

If it were a peaceful time, with the protection of a big family like the Wang family, there would be nothing to be afraid of even if she was beautiful.

But the world is in turmoil right now. Not to mention outsiders, even the Wang family themselves—

Taking a deep breath, suppressing the nausea and anger surging in her chest, Jiang pinched her daughter's little face and said, "Ajiu, you must learn to take care of yourself in the future. Listen more, observe more, and ask your heart more. No matter who says it, as long as you feel unhappy, don't listen!"

The only thing that Jiang was worried about was Ajiu.

She is so young and such a beautiful little girl.

She has lost her biological mother, has a father who is eager for quick success and instant benefits, and her grandmother is also a profit-seeking, cold-hearted old thief... The Wang family is so big, but there is no one who truly loves her. What should she do in the future?

Jiang's lips moved. She had so many things she wanted to teach her daughter in advance.

However, wherever his eyes fell, he saw his daughter's big round eyes filled with clarity and innocence.

"It's all my fault. I raised Ah Jiu to be too spoiled and too naive!"

She doesn't understand at all!

No!

My Ajiu is so young, I must make good plans for her.

Even if she is gone, I will find ways to protect her!

"Mother! What's wrong with you?"

My mother speaks so strangely.

Wang Heng didn't understand, but she felt that the mother in front of her seemed very sad and conflicted.

Is mother unhappy?

Ajiu is a very well behaved boy. Apart from secretly running away to play with Li Nu, he has not been naughty at all.

Moreover, A Niang loves A Jiu the most. Even if A Jiu is naughty, A Niang never gets angry.

She would softly tell Ajiu "Don't do this" and gently wipe her face and hands.

"It's okay. Mommy will teach you to recite poetry, okay?"

"We've finished reading the Book of Songs, let's read Chu Ci."

"If there is someone in the mountains, covered with lychee and wearing ivy..."

Wang Heng, who was tired from playing during the day, fell asleep in the gentle and pleasant voice of Jiang.

He was snoring softly, his chubby little belly bulging.

Looking at her lovely daughter, Jiang's eyes were once again filled with reluctance and resentment towards Wang Lin and the Wang family.

However, when Wang Lin walked in, Jiang raised her head, and her face had already changed into an expression of coldness with a touch of tenderness.

This was already a stunningly beautiful woman, and now she was looking at him with a loving and gentle gaze. Even Wang Lin, who had already picked this flower from the high mountain, was momentarily distracted.

A Jiang, it’s really beautiful!

After the loss of consciousness, there is pain and reluctance.

Such a beautiful person, his wife, the mother of his daughter, but now...

But thinking of his mother's words, the Wang family's predicament, and everything Yang Chong could bring, Wang Lin hardened his heart.

"Jiaojiao, save me!"

……

Wang Heng fell into a deep sleep and dreamed of the fat raccoon.

Instead of running away, it lay down obediently, turned over, and revealed its plump belly.

Wang Heng happily stretched out her little hands and touched as much as she wanted.

Suddenly, the cat ran away!

Wang Heng suddenly opened her eyes and looked around, but did not see any cat.

Wang Heng rubbed her eyes and found that this was not a yard, but a bed.

Lifting the layers of bed curtains and walking around the screen, Wang Heng saw her parents.

She was about to run over happily and call out, but then stopped.

Because she found that her parents looked strange.

Mother was standing, father was kneeling, and father was kowtowing to mother.

Then, A Niang also knelt down.

I don’t know what my father and mother said to each other, but then they hugged each other and cried bitterly.

Are they crying?

why?

What else did they say—

"After I leave, I hope you will take care of yourself."

"My dear husband and Ajiu, both are my dearest relatives that I cannot give up. It is my fault that I cannot continue to serve you and raise Ajiu."

"...No matter where I go, I will pray for you and Ajiu. I wish you prosperity and longevity."

Wang Heng didn't understand, but for some reason, two lines of tears had already quietly flowed down her chubby little face.

……

The next day, Wang Lin wrote a letter of divorce and reconciled with his wife Jiang.

Almost that same night, General Yang Chong, who was stationed outside Yizhou City, took in a concubine of stunning beauty.

That concubine was said to be the adopted daughter of Mrs. Xie of the Wang family.

Admiring General Yang's majesty and grace, she was willing to take the 3,000 dan of grain that Wang had brought as a dowry and follow General Yang, even if it meant being his concubine or maid.

General Yang got a beautiful concubine and also raised military supplies, which can be said to be a win-win situation.

He generously lent troops to help Wang's Fort clear out the bandits who besieged the fort and wipe out the rioters and bandits within a radius of dozens of miles.

The previous chaos in Yizhou was cleared up in an instant.

Yang Chong completely controlled the entire Yizhou.

Although Wang Lin lost his wife and a lot of stored grain, he saved the fort and was appointed as the magistrate of Hedong County under the jurisdiction of Yizhou.

Although it was only a seventh-rank position, lower than the previous official position, it was a real vacancy.

The key point is that he officially became Yang Chong's disciple and became his "confidant"!

……

"Aww!"

The fat orange cat, with its big belly, came up to Wang Heng.

What happened to the little devil?

Didn't chase it today?

Wang Heng was unhappy and curled up in the corner behind the rockery.

A Niang passed away. Before leaving, she said that she would write to her and come back to see her.

However, Wang Heng had a premonition that she might never see her mother again.

She has no mother anymore!

"...I heard Erlang will be going to Hedong County soon. Tsk, it's good to have someone to back you up. You can become an official anytime you want."

"What backer? Humph, if he hadn't offered A Jiang to Yang Chong, would he be where he is today?"

"Being beautiful is good...Ajiu looks a lot like Ajiang. In a few years, she will be a stunning beauty."

On one side of the rockery, two women were chatting hand in hand.

Wang Heng's little ears moved, and she realized that the people who were talking were not others, but her two aunts.

"What are Third Aunt and Sixth Aunt talking about?"

Wang Heng frowned slightly. She shouldn't have understood, but for some reason, the secret conversation between mother and son that she heard in Ci'en Hall that day and the scene of her parents kneeling and crying in the main room in the evening popped up in her mind.

"Ajiu is worthy of being Ajiang's daughter. She is indeed good-looking, but she looks a little fat now. If she were to lose some weight, she would be a real beauty!"

The two women walked further and further away, and when they left the rockery, these words floated over.

Wang Heng, whose name was called out again, felt an inexplicable fear rising in her heart. Her chubby little body couldn't help but tremble...