Golden Branch

The backyard of Hedong County Government Office, East Garden on the central axis.

Madam Xie sat cross-legged on the main seat in the main hall, holding a small hollow incense ball in her hand.

After Wang Lin reported the "good news" to her, Madam Xie did not rush to say anything.

She is nearly fifty years old, but because she takes good care of herself, her hands are still white and tender, not shriveled, and without wrinkles or spots.

Her fingers gently stroked the broken flower pattern on the aromatherapy ball for a long time before Mrs. Xie slowly asked, "What did Jiang do? Is she pregnant?"

Jiang had been in the General's Mansion for over a year and had already established a firm foothold.

Not to mention anything else, the fact that she was a concubine but could interfere in the affairs of her ex-husband's family from two or three hundred miles away showed that she still had some respectability in the general's mansion.

The news coming back from Yizhou also showed that Yang Chong doted on Jiang very much.

Even so, Jiang was nominally just a concubine with a flawed status.

In order to gain a foothold in the general's mansion, Jiang even had to try her best to please Yang Chong's original wife, Li.

Mrs. Xie was the head wife herself, having been the mistress of the inner house for decades. She naturally understood why Jiang was trying to please the mistress doubly.

This is what a truly smart person is.

Only then can you live better and longer in the inner house.

A man’s love is like a flower in a mirror or a moon in water, which cannot be touched at all.

Except for a very few fools who favor their concubines over their wives, the mistress is the one who really calls the shots in a normal man's backyard.

As long as she wins the favor of the mistress, she can still continue to live in the backyard even if she falls out of favor with the man.

If you offend the mistress for the sake of so-called favor, haha, you will perish as soon as the short-lived favor disappears!

Jiang is smart, but there can’t be only smart people in the backyard.

Even if the mistress is tolerant and happy to be enriched by Jiang...but she will not easily grant the position of concubine to anyone.

unless--

"I did some research and heard that while Jiang was riding with the general, she accidentally...made a contribution. The general is a man who clearly distinguishes rewards and punishments, and Jiang is a well-behaved person. Madam Li also agreed, so she gave her a title!"

Wang Lin still felt uncomfortable when mentioning his ex-wife.

However, those who achieve great things do not pay attention to trivial matters.

He and Jiang had already divorced, and Jiang had already entered the general's mansion. Their fate as husband and wife was over.

Wang Lin hoped that Jiang would be favored and have a certain status in the general's mansion so that she could help him.

Jealousy and bitterness still exist deep in my heart.

However, the overall situation of the Wang family and his future are more important.

Therefore, when talking about the daily interactions between Jiang and the general, Wang Lin not only did not feel any resentment, but also described them in great detail.

"Achieve merit? What kind of merit can she, a woman from the inner chamber, achieve?"

Mrs. Xie had looked down on Jiang from the very beginning, and now that Jiang had become the general's concubine, she despised her even more.

She didn't think that Jiang, a poor girl from a humble family, could have any ability to deserve the general's commendation.

"The specific situation involves military secrets, and my people are simply unable to find out."

"However, they vaguely found out that Jiang herself hadn't discovered it, or the general got inspiration from her."

"The general is magnanimous and does not erase Jiang's contribution just because of her 'inadvertent' behavior..." In addition, Yang Chong liked Jiang in the first place.

Such a beautiful woman with fairy-like appearance and jade-like appearance, who is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, although her temperament is a little cold, but men just like this kind of moon in the clouds and snow on the mountains.

Wang Lin was a man himself, and also Jiang's ex-husband, so he naturally understood Jiang's good qualities.

It was precisely because he understood this that when he was at his wit's end, he wanted to use Jiang to impress Yang Chong.

It turned out that he was right.

Jiang was indeed favored by Yang Chong, and now because of a small unintentional action, Yang Chong seized the opportunity to commend her and give her a title!

The Yang family is now at its peak. Years ago, Lou Jin led a large army and cooperated with the Dugu family to attack the capital.

Yang Chong's father, Yang Ji, the famous general of the Zhou Dynasty, has now entered the capital and successfully eliminated the Grand Chancellor.

"Unfortunately", when Yang Ji's army was fighting with the Grand Chancellor's troops, chaos also broke out in the palace, and the puppet emperor enthroned by the Grand Chancellor was killed by the chaotic soldiers.

Most of the male members of the royal family, the Yuwen clan, were killed or wounded in this war.

Yang Ji personally killed the Grand Chancellor and avenged the young emperor and the Yuwen family.

However, the descendants of the Yuwen family almost died out.

The country cannot be without a ruler for a day, so all the ministers in the court knelt down and asked Yang Ji to ascend the throne and establish a new dynasty.

From the end of the year to the first month of the following year, the drama of "you ask me to resign" was still being played out in the imperial palace in the capital.

Probably, after "requesting and declining three times" and going through the necessary procedures, Yang Ji would "reluctantly" sit on the chair.

Sure enough, on the second day of the second month, the blue dragon ascended to heaven.

Yang Ji officially ascended the throne and started a new dynasty, naming the country "Yu".

The Great Zhou fell and the Great Yu rose.

Yang Ji completed the change of dynasty, but did not immediately reward his meritorious officials.

Because the world was still in turmoil, the Yang family only controlled the northern and eastern regions such as the capital, Jizhou, Yizhou, Zhongzhou, and Longzhou.

The northwest, northeast, and the vast southern border have not yet been unified.

Yang Chong did not stay in the capital, but led his generals including Lou Jin and Dugu Xiong back to Yizhou.

He had to continue fighting to expand the territory of the new Dayu Dynasty and accumulate more military merits and territory for himself.

Since Yang Ji did not bestow great honors on his meritorious officials, Yang Chong remained only a general.

However, everyone understood that Yang Chong was at least a prince, and if he worked harder, the position of crown prince would not be far away.

Even if he was just a prince, Yang Chong's concubine would be a concubine in the future.

As the concubine's "family", the Wang family finally became Yang Chong's confidants.

Wang Lin’s rise will be unstoppable!

When Wang Lin thought of this, his blood began to boil.

Jiang was already favored, and now she has a legitimate status. If she had a child... Wang Lin's face turned red with excitement, and his eyes were full of ambition and excitement.

Mrs. Xie felt a little complicated when she saw her son like this.

Although offering one's wife to flatter the superior may become a stain on the son's future, it does guarantee his career.

Jiang is such a disaster, really... Madam Xie instinctively dislikes her, but she has to admit that her family's future really depends on her.

Ugh!

How did the Wang family fall to the point of relying on a woman?!

Mrs. Xie felt sad and lonely in her heart.

But she couldn't say such words. If she said them, she would tear open the fig leaf and make her son lose face completely!

Well, let it be. I just hope that Jiang is smart and conscientious enough, and doesn’t forget his roots even after gaining power.

She and her daughter are at the Wang family!

……

"Ah! Ahh!"

After sneezing several times in succession, Wang Heng rubbed her nose hard.

"Jiu Niang, are you okay? Did you catch a cold?"

Bai Zhi asked with concern.

Wang Heng shook her head. "I'm fine, my nose just itches a little. Maybe someone's secretly scolding me."

Amian said, first think about it, then scold, and then worry about it.

She seemed to have sneezed twice just now. It was obvious that someone was scolding her.

who?

Why would someone so bored curse her behind her back for no reason?

Wang Heng doesn't think she is a hateful person.

She is not Lou Yu, uh, okay, the Lou Yu of the past.

Lou Yu has now been "reborn" and "made a new man".

In just a few months, he had lost his former stubbornness and arrogance. Although he was still gloomy, he had become more polite and had learned some rules.

Apart from anything else, the great scholars and famous teachers that Lou Jin specially invited from all over the place were not teased by Lou Yu, but instead received the respect they deserved.

Lou Yu attends classes obediently, studies seriously, and learns diligently.

Those unruly spikes seemed to have been retracted.

Although he has not completely turned over a new leaf, he at least shows signs of being willing to change for the better.

Dugu was very relieved. She already owed her son, and because she was pregnant again, she had to "abandon" him early, which made her feel tormented.

Lou Yu accepted the new name and began to study hard. Does this mean that he is willing to accept a new life?

Dugu's belly was already very big. She was only eight months pregnant, but she looked like she was about to give birth.

There's nothing we can do about it, that's how it is with twins.

As early as New Year's Day, Dugu fainted in the main hall. When the court physician took her pulse, he found that she had strong and slippery pulses in both hands.

This is a sign of twins in the womb.

After hearing what the court doctor said, Dugu was both surprised and frightened.

Although she had given birth, it was seven or eight years ago.

At that time, she was only concerned about the soon-to-be-married mistress, so her attention was diverted and the fetus in her belly was obedient, so she did not suffer too much.

The delivery went extremely smoothly.

This time, she became the mistress, and her naughty son was also changing for the better.

Everyone in the Lou family, including Mrs. Cui, respected her very much. When she was the housekeeper, she did not encounter any trouble or provocation.

...Everything went smoothly, and there was no external force to divert Dugu's attention, so she paid special attention to her belly.

There were rare twins in her belly, and Lou Jin was not around, so Dugu became more and more worried and anxious.

As the months progressed, her belly grew terribly large, and she trembled when she walked. Not only Dugu herself, but even the other female relatives were in awe when they saw her.

"Where's the General? I received a letter two days ago saying he'd be back before I give birth!"

"But I'm afraid, I'm afraid I won't make it to my due date!"

Dugu held her huge belly. Her belly was very thin, with blood vessels clearly visible. Her small hands and feet occasionally bulged out, as if they could easily puncture her belly.

Feeling the movement of the two children in her belly, Dugu became more and more frightened.

She can't hold on any longer!

She really couldn't hold on until her husband came back.

She is scared!

I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make it, that I would leave my child behind and go away alone.

During these months of pregnancy, morning sickness, a thicker waist, frequent urination and other pregnancy symptoms tortured her to death.

But every time she feels the fetus move, every time she touches the belly and interacts with the little hands and feet, she feels endless happiness and touch.

This is her child, connected to her body and blood.

This time, she didn't have to run away. She could stay and be with them day and night.

Feed them, wash their butts, and... She will make up for the regrets she had with Dalang with these two children!

She must be a good mother, raising and educating her children well, and making them become the best and most outstanding young men and women.

"My Lady, it should be soon. The general has returned to Yizhou. I heard that although the war will continue, Yizhou also needs someone to guard it."

"You are about to give birth. The general will definitely find a way to come back as soon as possible."

Wei Ai, who was beside Dugu, comforted her softly.

However, seeing that the lady was still anxious, she thought for a moment and changed the subject: "By the way, I heard that Eleventh Young Master is coming back to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival!"

"Shiyilang? Lou Rang?"

After hearing what Wei Ai said, Dugu was stunned for a moment.

It’s not that she forgot that she had a brother-in-law like Lou Rang. She even remembered that Lou Rang owed Lou Yu a “family punishment”.

Instead, just after the Lantern Festival, Lou Rang was hurriedly sent away by Madam Cui.

It is said that he went to Yizhou and took refuge with one of his uncles.

The young man from the Cui family worked as a chief clerk in the Yizhou provincial government office. He was quite valued and had some respect in Yizhou.

Dugu naturally understood why Madam Cui sent Lou Rang away.

This mother and son must have known that they had tortured Dalang and were afraid that she would vent her anger on Dalang after waking up.

In order to avoid punishment, Mrs. Cui allowed Lou Rang to seek refuge with his relatives.

Humph, they run fast!

Since Lou Jin was not there, it was difficult for Dugu to send anyone to Yizhou.

After all, Yizhou is the territory of the Yang family, and Hedong is the headquarters of the Lou family.

If the Lou family army rashly went to Yizhou to arrest people, it would easily cause trouble.

Dugu knew that she was not smart enough and had no talent, so she could not help Lou Jin.

The only thing she could do for her husband was not to hold him back.

Let Lou Rang hide in Yizhou first.

He can avoid the first day, but he can't avoid the fifteenth.

Lou Rang will eventually return to the Lou family, and then it won’t be too late to settle the score with him!

Dugu didn't expect that Lou Rang would hide for more than three months.

"Come back for the Dragon Boat Festival?"

"Humph, he probably heard that my husband is coming back, and thought that since my husband is back, I won't bother with him anymore!"

Judging from the look on Lou Rang's face, he probably doesn't know Dugu's background.

I also don’t understand what Dugu and Lou Yu mean to Lou Jin.

He thought that he and Lou Jin had a deep brotherly relationship, but he didn't know that Lou Jin valued his wife and children more!

"Want to wait for my husband to come back and help him suppress Dalang? Wishful thinking! I will stand with the general to vent our anger for our child!"

Even after several months, Dugu still hadn't forgotten her son's bruised knees.

In order to recover from his injuries, my son didn't go out for half a month.

Especially now that Dalang has become so obedient and so... aggrieved, although Dugu is partial to the fetus in her womb, she will not really not feel sorry for Dalang.

She will help Dalang get back double the suffering he has endured!

Dugu gritted her teeth, looking as if she would never let Lou Rang go.

Just at this moment, there were light footsteps outside.

Immediately afterwards, a little maidservant began to whisper under the corridor at the door, vaguely mentioning words like Shiyilang and something happened.

Dugu's eyelids twitched, and she raised her voice, "Who's outside? Is there something wrong outside? Come in and report!"

"Yes!" The little maid outside the door agreed and walked in respectfully.

She bowed and replied, "My Lady, Shiyilang was on his way home when his horse suddenly got startled and he fell off. Now he's being carried back to the manor..."

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