Golden Branch

In the past, the servants would come running without Lou Dalang shouting.

But today, even though Lou Dalang shouted loudly, the people at the door still hesitated to move forward.

Lou Dalang's eyes flashed, and he subconsciously raised the whip.

How dare these lowly slaves deliberately treat him badly?

How dare they?

Yeah! How dare they?!

Lou Dalang's mind worked quickly and he immediately realized that something was wrong.

The servants at the gatehouse had different expressions:

Someone looked at him with arrogance, squinting his eyes, as if to say: You little bastard, you have come to this day!

Some people hesitated and wanted to go forward to serve, but then stopped. It seemed that those who were timid, even if they wanted to watch the fun, were still afraid of a certain little bully deep down in their hearts.

Others swayed left and right, covered their mouths, and talked in low voices.

Lou Dalang raised his eyebrows. It seemed that something really happened.

He, Lou Dalang, seems to be on the verge of falling into disgrace.

And these fools are eager to change with the wind, or even take advantage of others' misfortunes.

Lou Dalang didn't rush to take action just now, not because he didn't want to, but because he wanted to observe.

Now, he roughly guessed what these people were thinking and no longer indulged them.

Most of the servants in Lou's Manor belong to Old Lady Cui. Like Old Lady Cui, they are used to pretending and acting according to the circumstances.

Lou Dalang’s real confidants have never been these maids and attendants, but the guards and secret guards given to him by Lou Jin.

"Somebody come!"

Lou Dalang's voice was not loud, but it was filled with a chilling coldness.

Uh-huh! Swish!

The guards who were riding horses behind Lou Dalang quickly dismounted.

"Bring these slaves who have no respect for their masters here and give them thirty lashes each!"

Lou Dalang ordered in a cold voice.

"Yes!"

The guards agreed and then rushed towards the courtyard gate together.

They were like tigers descending from the mountains, and in a few seconds they clamped the arms of several servants.

"Stop it! Stop it now!"

"What have we done wrong? Why are you arresting us?"

"Ha! Lou Dalang, do you think it's still the same as before? Let me tell you, your good days are over!"

"...Yes! The general is going to marry the noble daughter of the Dugu clan. From now on, our Lou family will have a young master of noble birth and legitimate status! As a bastard, whether you can take the surname Lou depends on whether the lady agrees!"

In the Zhou Dynasty, there was a huge difference between legitimate and illegitimate children.

Although illegitimate children are not treated as slaves, it depends on the attitude of the mistress.

Only illegitimate sons and daughters can be included in the family tree and become the young masters if they are recognized by the mistress.

If the mistress does not acknowledge him, he can only serve as a follower to his legitimate brothers and a concubine to his legitimate sisters.

The future mistress of the Lou family is named Dugu, and she is not a kind and generous person.

The news spread throughout the manor that the Dugu family had put forward many conditions in response to Lou Jin's proposal of marriage.

The first and foremost rule is that the Lou family cannot have a concubine's eldest son.

Preventing Lou Dalang from "dying of illness" is probably the greatest mercy that Lou Jin can show as a father.

Lou Dalang wants to continue to show off his power and be the only one in the Lou family like he did in the past, but it is impossible!

Lou Dalang was stunned, "Father is going to marry a new bride?" And the daughter of the Dugu family?

Not only Lou Dalang, but also the guards who were holding the servants were a little stunned.

The general is getting married?

Then, what should Dalang do?

Although, getting married does not necessarily mean you can have children immediately, and having a child does not necessarily mean it will be a son.

But at least there is hope.

In the absence of a legitimate son, illegitimate sons are naturally valued.

But if there is a legitimate son... the guards are also men, they bring him in, and both the legitimate son and the illegitimate son are his own blood, so they will not treat them too differently.

However, if they need to choose between a legitimate son and a concubine's son, they will still prefer the former.

This is stipulated by the rules and etiquette, and is also common sense - behind the legitimate son, there is an in-law family with equal strength.

Limited resources will naturally tend to those with more advantages.

The Dugu family, like the Lou family, is one of the eight most famous families in the northern border, and has led troops in battles for generations.

Lou Jin's proposal to marry Dugu was by no means a private matter between a man and a woman, but rather a major undertaking of cooperation between two great families.

In the face of such significant interests, Lou Dalang, a bastard, is really not worth mentioning.

"Humph! Why don't you let go?"

The man who was shouting the loudest was in his twenties, with dark skin and a mustache. He was struggling the most.

However, the man with the mustache was able to break free from the guard's restraints more because the guard unconsciously released his strength.

Guards, hesitated!

He began to worry about his future.

As members of the Lou family, it is crucial to follow the right young master.

Just like several promising captains in the military camp, they were all from Lou Jin’s personal guards.

He grew up with the young master, and when he grew up, he followed the young master to the Six Towns and fought on the battlefield.

Now, the youngest and least experienced one has also been promoted to captain.

The oldest and most trusted one has become a cavalry general, a fifth-rank official, achieving a class leap from slave to official.

These guards were arranged by Lou Jin to be by Lou Dalang's side.

They thought that Lou Dalang would become the young master of the Lou family, and that they could also achieve a bright future by following the young master.

But now, news has come that the general is planning a marriage, Dalang has fallen out of favor... What should these people do?

Of course, not all guards wavered. Some of them strictly followed Lou Dalang's orders and kept a tight control over the "prisoners" in their hands.

The mustache man freed himself, but seeing his companions still being pinned to the ground, he rushed forward and continued to incite them: "You should also stop it immediately. It doesn't matter if you follow the wrong master, the key is to be able to turn back in time!"

"I'm not afraid to tell you that Madam Tai has already started selecting a suitable candidate from among the Lou family members and is preparing to adopt Lou Dalang out!"

"Of course, Lou Dalang is the general's biological son after all, so we can't treat him unfairly."

"Madam Tai said that she would prepare more land, wealth, and people for Dalang... Hehe, if you are willing, you can also follow Lou Dalang and leave the Lou family manor!"

Once he is adopted out, he is no longer Lou Jin's son.

Lou Jin's power and wealth have nothing to do with Lou Dalang.

The person who followed Lou Dalang was no longer a noble servant of the general's mansion, but a servant of a certain impoverished family of the Lou clan!

Isn’t it just a poor family?

If you are really rich, how could you not even have a son?

If you can't give birth to a child yourself, you can adopt one early.

However, the fact that there has been no heir can only be because the family is too poor and the other clan members have no profit to gain, so naturally they are unwilling to give up their own flesh and blood!

"Adopt? General, are you going to adopt the young master out?"

The other guards also changed their expressions.

They are members of the Lou family, but every Lou family is different.

As a large family that has been passed down for one or two hundred years, the population of the family has long exceeded thousands of households.

The General's Mansion is the direct branch, holding the Lou family army. Only the general who inherits the military power can be the highest official in the country and enjoy wealth and glory.

The other members of the tribe were either willing to sacrifice their lives and follow the general to the battlefield, or to become rich and prosperous with the general.

Either you cherish your life and turn to studying or become a civil servant, or simply become a big businessman or a farmer.

Although they are all from the Lou family, some of them are in high positions while others are reduced to the lowest class.

The guards didn't even dare to think about what kind of fate would await these "loyal servants" once Lou Dalang was adopted out.

"That's right! Madam Tai has already started selecting candidates! I heard that within the Lou family, there are several widows and widowers whose families are on the verge of extinction. Although their family conditions are a bit poor, they are still blood relatives of the Lou family."

“…Yes! They are all members of the Lou family. Even if he is adopted out, Lou Dalang is still Lou Dalang!” At least he doesn’t have to change his surname.

The man with the mustache's words emboldened the other servants, who all echoed his words and even began to point fingers and laugh at Lou Dalang.

As if in a slow motion movie, the guards slowly loosened their hands.

They didn't dare look Lou Dalang in the eye, and lowered their voices, mumbling, "Young Master, why don't you just forget it?"

Those servants were just not diligent enough and did not do anything wrong. Thirty lashes is too much!

Strangely, Lou Dalang, who was always irritable, did not get angry.

Even though his guards "rebelled", he remained silent.

Only the corners of his eyes were slightly red, and the light in his eyes began to become cold and sinister.

Father is getting married?

Do you want to adopt him out?

Is this my father's intention, or is it Old Lady Cui's conspiracy?

Lou Dalang is intelligent and mature beyond his age.

He won't be easily fooled like a real seven-year-old boy.

If it were any other child, they might have been frightened, at a loss and in a panic.

But Lou Dalang can’t!

He even suspected that the so-called adoption was just Old Lady Cui's own decision.

This old hag is the most vicious and loves to use these unacceptable means.

She deliberately uses vague words to cause misunderstandings, and then does things that suit her wishes.

After the incident, she was still able to make excuses and get away with it easily.

Lou Dalang was so confident not only because he knew the true face of Mrs. Cui, but also because he had confidence in his father.

Oh no, to be exact, it was his confidence in his biological mother whom he had never met.

Others don’t know that Lou Dalang started to remember things very early.

Even before he could speak, he could remember fragments.

Until now, Lou Dalang still remembers that his father, who appeared to be extremely strong in front of outsiders and could be called a devil on the battlefield, once held him in his arms when he was little and sobbed silently.

The reason why Lou Jin cried was because he missed "her" too much.

adopt?

Haha, father wouldn’t do that!

Lou Dalang didn't know what happened to his father in Jizhou, but he just believed in his father.

Even if his father really had to abandon him, he would be fully prepared for him.

I will never hand him over to Old Lady Cui and kick him out of the Lou family at will!

Lou Dalang wasn't frightened, he was just angry. He wasn't exactly sure, but he wanted to see what he would face if he really "fell out of favor."

The world is fickle?

Added insult to injury?

Or is there sincerity even in times of trouble?

Lou Dalang suddenly became interested. He felt that there was no fun in doing whatever he wanted when he was in favor.

When you are down and out, the reactions of the people around you are the most interesting!

Pursing his lips tightly, anger, fear, and helplessness appeared on Lou Dalang's young face.

"...Hmph! I'll do as you say!"

In the eyes of others like Little Mustache, Lou Dalang had already become a coward, but he couldn't lose face and could only talk tough.

Some servants had no idea of ​​their limits and wanted to take the opportunity to humiliate Lou Dalang again: God has opened his eyes and finally made this little beast fall out of favor!

How much anger and beatings had they endured from him on a daily basis?

At that time, he was in a high position and his servants dared not speak out, let alone resist.

Now, Lou Dalang has become a fallen phoenix, and his servants, who have been patient for a long time, finally have the opportunity to take revenge. How could they miss it?

It was still the little mustache. He received secret instructions from the housekeeper beside Mrs. Cui and deliberately embarrassed Lou Dalang.

The housekeeper said that although we must humiliate Lou Dalang, we can’t go too far!

Madam Cui did not forget that Lou Dalang was surrounded not only by the Lou family's followers, but also by the secret guards secretly trained by Lou Jin.

Madam Cui could stir up trouble in the manor, and could command and incite the slaves and servants of the Lou family, but she could not influence the secret guards.

Once Lou Dalang gets angry, the little brat will start making trouble without any care... and the mess will be difficult to clean up.

Mrs. Cui just wanted to use Lou Dalang and vent her anger, not to cause trouble for herself.

So, seeing that the others were still eager to try, the mustache man quickly spoke up: "Haha, as long as the young master understands! We respectfully welcome the young master back to the mansion!"

He said respectful words but had a giggling look on his face, showing no respect at all.

The others were stopped by the man with the mustache. Although they were a little unhappy, they joined in ridiculing Lou Dalang when they saw him like this.

Lou Dalang stared at the man with a mustache jumping up and down, and silently wrote this person down in his little notebook.

You lowly slave, just wait. When Yeye has had enough fun, I will settle the score with you!

Even if Ye Ye really falls out of favor, my father can't do anything to me even if he beats a lot of slaves to death, right?

He was adopted out, and he, Lou Dalang, is also the bloodline of General Lou Jin!

Lou Dalang was secretly angry, and the corners of his eyes became redder.

Entering the manor and arriving at his courtyard, Lou Dalang did not show it on the surface, but he had already begun to observe secretly -

In the yard, servants were coming and going, busy as ever, and nothing seemed to be unusual.

But if you look closely, you will find that those maids who have some status (their fathers and mothers are in charge) already have anxiety between their brows.

What? Do they think that Lou Dalang has fallen out of favor, and they, as maids, should be implicated as well?

Lou Dalang continued to keep accounts, noting down the names of those who behaved most obviously.

Next, it’s the kitchen——

"Da Lang, the kitchen said we don't have any fresh beef today. I'm afraid we can't make the beef steamed buns you ordered!"