Zhou Shuren nodded, “I didn’t know until now.”
It really surprised him, and it took him a while to recover!
Zhulan was very confused, “If you are a fifth-grade Tongzhi, you must be quite old. The Lin family is forty-eight, and your eldest daughter is thirty. Do you know the officials in Pingzhou? How old is Tongzhi?”
She was quite curious. The Dong family had a background in agriculture and scholarly pursuits, always staying in their hometown. How did they end up with a son-in-law who held a position as an official?
When Zhou Shuren was in Pingzhou, he got to know many of the officials there. He had actually heard of some things about Jiang Daren’s family. “The name of the Tóngzhī is Jiang Ming. He is forty-two years old and his current wife is his second wife. Jiang Ming’s ancestral home was in the capital, but he was from a collateral branch. He was among the first group of successful candidates in the imperial examinations after the establishment of the dynasty, and he was one of the top scorers that year. I heard from Zhao Bo that his main family suppressed him due to their inability to tolerate collateral branches. They undermined Jiang Ming, who, without staying in the capital, was directly dispatched to Pingzhou. It’s said that Jiang Ming had a difficult time before passing the imperial examinations. Due to the suppression by his main family, his first wife passed away, leaving behind a daughter. Later, after many years in Pingzhou, he remarried when he encountered his current second wife.”
Zhulan lowered her head and calculated the ages, “This doesn’t add up. Lin’s daughter is already thirty, the new dynasty is only twelve years old, and the first imperial examination took place in the second year. Jiang Ming was sent away for several years before remarrying. Doesn’t that mean Lin’s daughter got married when she was in her twenties? Didn’t people in ancient times marry early?”
Zhou Shuren didn’t show off and said, “Because Jiang Ming married a widow. When Jiang Ming remarried, he was a fifth rank official. He didn’t marry any young girl but married a widow instead. It was quite a sensation in Pingzhou at that time. After hearing this, I asked for more information, and I didn’t expect it to be a girl from the Dong family.”
He was really too weak, and he didn’t even have anyone to ask for information. His talent was too low, and he had to at least raise people to support others.
Zhulan ate the big melon and said, “This is definitely true love!”
In ancient times, widows always married low. Since the daughter of the county magistrate at that time married a fifth-rank official, she couldn’t think of any other reason besides true love!
Zhou Shuren laughed because he was really in love, “I originally had a good impression of Jiang Ming. Over the years since Jiang Ming was assigned to Pingzhou, he has been working conscientiously and doing practical things from the bottom. Although he has not been promoted and has been suppressed, his reputation has always been good. Later, he was promoted quickly because my family in the capital found it difficult to get an official position, so they gave their remaining resources to Jiang Ming, and that’s how he got promoted.”
Based on Zhou Shuren’s explanation, Zhulan calculated that being a second-place winner in the imperial examinations would result in a seventh-rank official position. Currently, he held a fifth-rank position, which, without significant achievements, indicated a relatively fast promotion. This was indeed the benefit of having good connections. Not only did he avoid unnecessary detours, but there were also no allegations of merit corruption.
Zhulan felt more and more sorry for Zhou Shuren, who was struggling every step of the way. She couldn’t help but hold Zhou Shuren’s hand. After a while, she came to her senses, “How do you know Jiang Ming so well?”
“Zhao Bo told some, I inquired some more, and the rest after some guessing, it’s basically the truth.”
Zhulan analyzed it and said, “Jiang Ming is far away from the power circles of the capital, so we don’t have to worry too much about our interactions with the Dong family.”
She genuinely feared getting involved in the struggle for the throne, which could implicate the entire family. Considering the emperor’s age and the fact that his sons were already grown, even if the crown prince ascended, it might not suppress the ambitions of the other princes for the throne. The transition of power was the most chaotic and perilous time, with many potential casualties. She and Zhou Shuren needed to be especially cautious.
Zhou Shuren was also depressed. The timing of the imperial examination was not good, and he was afraid that he would climb up and the old and new powers would alternate, which would be more embarrassing. “The Emperor is fifty-two, he is not young, and the crown prince is already twenty-two years old. “
Zhulan genuinely felt that the Emperor was cunning. Before the age of thirty, the seemingly foolish and vacant eldest prince not only lost his position as the crown prince but was also expelled from the capital to his designated residence. He remained there, seemingly dull and foolish. Who could have imagined that a seemingly foolish person would seize control of the residence of a prince from a different surname and, when the time was right, openly rebel against the established order?
And he got married only after he rebelled. He married the daughters of his allies, and later married several more powerful figures. The founding Emperor was a ruthless man who killed many people in the first year. The only thing he paid special attention to was the distinction between di1 sons and shu2 sons. All because the Emperor was the legitimate son and was cheated, so the current Crown Prince was the legitimate son.
Even though the eldest son, who was the di son, currently appeared to be secure, who knows what will happen in a few years. In this dynasty, there were five imperial princes. Apart from the fifth prince, the other four have all reached adulthood.
Zhulan thought of this, “I heard you say that no children were born in the palace after the establishment of the new dynasty. Is there anything going on here?”
Zhou Shuren also felt that there was a problem, but unfortunately, being common people, the information they knew was limited to what the general public knew. “Anyway, the Emperor already has five sons. Whether another one is born or not doesn’t matter much.”
He actually felt it would be better not to have a child. At least that way, there wouldn’t be a struggle for succession, which could make the situation in the capital even more precarious.
Zhulan suddenly laughed, “Aren’t we worrying of things that are very far to worry about? You haven’t even taken the provincial examination yet, so we have to think about it later.”
Zhou Shuren hugged Zhulan, “Think about it earlier, so you know who to hand over, so you don’t have to wait. I have entered the circle of power. If I don’t pay attention now, it will be too late.”
Zhulan couldn’t help but think that it would be great if she could time travel after the power transfer. Unfortunately, if that were the case, the Zhou family would have been tricked by Wang Ru long ago, and they would not be able to do so. It’s about their time travel, “Forget it, good and bad things depend on each other, we can just take care of ourselves and let nature take its course. Don’t put shackles on yourself now, it’s too tiring.”
Zhou Shuren thought about it, “My son-in-law didn’t go to the Yamen today. In the evening let Xuemei and her husband come over for dinner. I have something to tell Jiang Sheng.”
Zhulan turned her head, “Good news?”
“Good news.”
Zhulan, seeing that Zhou Shuren had a closed mouth, knew he was about to keep her in suspense. She snorted, “Forget it, don’t say it. I’ll know sooner or later.”
1. Children born to main wife
2. Children born to Concubines
Zhou Shuren nodded, “I didn’t know until now.”
It really surprised him, and it took him a while to recover!
Zhulan was very confused, “If you are a fifth-grade Tongzhi, you must be quite old. The Lin family is forty-eight, and your eldest daughter is thirty. Do you know the officials in Pingzhou? How old is Tongzhi?”
She was quite curious. The Dong family had a background in agriculture and scholarly pursuits, always staying in their hometown. How did they end up with a son-in-law who held a position as an official?
When Zhou Shuren was in Pingzhou, he got to know many of the officials there. He had actually heard of some things about Jiang Daren’s family. “The name of the Tóngzhī is Jiang Ming. He is forty-two years old and his current wife is his second wife. Jiang Ming’s ancestral home was in the capital, but he was from a collateral branch. He was among the first group of successful candidates in the imperial examinations after the establishment of the dynasty, and he was one of the top scorers that year. I heard from Zhao Bo that his main family suppressed him due to their inability to tolerate collateral branches. They undermined Jiang Ming, who, without staying in the capital, was directly dispatched to Pingzhou. It’s said that Jiang Ming had a difficult time before passing the imperial examinations. Due to the suppression by his main family, his first wife passed away, leaving behind a daughter. Later, after many years in Pingzhou, he remarried when he encountered his current second wife.”
Zhulan lowered her head and calculated the ages, “This doesn’t add up. Lin’s daughter is already thirty, the new dynasty is only twelve years old, and the first imperial examination took place in the second year. Jiang Ming was sent away for several years before remarrying. Doesn’t that mean Lin’s daughter got married when she was in her twenties? Didn’t people in ancient times marry early?”
Zhou Shuren didn’t show off and said, “Because Jiang Ming married a widow. When Jiang Ming remarried, he was a fifth rank official. He didn’t marry any young girl but married a widow instead. It was quite a sensation in Pingzhou at that time. After hearing this, I asked for more information, and I didn’t expect it to be a girl from the Dong family.”
He was really too weak, and he didn’t even have anyone to ask for information. His talent was too low, and he had to at least raise people to support others.
Zhulan ate the big melon and said, “This is definitely true love!”
In ancient times, widows always married low. Since the daughter of the county magistrate at that time married a fifth-rank official, she couldn’t think of any other reason besides true love!
Zhou Shuren laughed because he was really in love, “I originally had a good impression of Jiang Ming. Over the years since Jiang Ming was assigned to Pingzhou, he has been working conscientiously and doing practical things from the bottom. Although he has not been promoted and has been suppressed, his reputation has always been good. Later, he was promoted quickly because my family in the capital found it difficult to get an official position, so they gave their remaining resources to Jiang Ming, and that’s how he got promoted.”
Based on Zhou Shuren’s explanation, Zhulan calculated that being a second-place winner in the imperial examinations would result in a seventh-rank official position. Currently, he held a fifth-rank position, which, without significant achievements, indicated a relatively fast promotion. This was indeed the benefit of having good connections. Not only did he avoid unnecessary detours, but there were also no allegations of merit corruption.
Zhulan felt more and more sorry for Zhou Shuren, who was struggling every step of the way. She couldn’t help but hold Zhou Shuren’s hand. After a while, she came to her senses, “How do you know Jiang Ming so well?”
“Zhao Bo told some, I inquired some more, and the rest after some guessing, it’s basically the truth.”
Zhulan analyzed it and said, “Jiang Ming is far away from the power circles of the capital, so we don’t have to worry too much about our interactions with the Dong family.”
She genuinely feared getting involved in the struggle for the throne, which could implicate the entire family. Considering the emperor’s age and the fact that his sons were already grown, even if the crown prince ascended, it might not suppress the ambitions of the other princes for the throne. The transition of power was the most chaotic and perilous time, with many potential casualties. She and Zhou Shuren needed to be especially cautious.
Zhou Shuren was also depressed. The timing of the imperial examination was not good, and he was afraid that he would climb up and the old and new powers would alternate, which would be more embarrassing. “The Emperor is fifty-two, he is not young, and the crown prince is already twenty-two years old. “
Zhulan genuinely felt that the Emperor was cunning. Before the age of thirty, the seemingly foolish and vacant eldest prince not only lost his position as the crown prince but was also expelled from the capital to his designated residence. He remained there, seemingly dull and foolish. Who could have imagined that a seemingly foolish person would seize control of the residence of a prince from a different surname and, when the time was right, openly rebel against the established order?
And he got married only after he rebelled. He married the daughters of his allies, and later married several more powerful figures. The founding Emperor was a ruthless man who killed many people in the first year. The only thing he paid special attention to was the distinction between di1 sons and shu2 sons. All because the Emperor was the legitimate son and was cheated, so the current Crown Prince was the legitimate son.
Even though the eldest son, who was the di son, currently appeared to be secure, who knows what will happen in a few years. In this dynasty, there were five imperial princes. Apart from the fifth prince, the other four have all reached adulthood.
Zhulan thought of this, “I heard you say that no children were born in the palace after the establishment of the new dynasty. Is there anything going on here?”
Zhou Shuren also felt that there was a problem, but unfortunately, being common people, the information they knew was limited to what the general public knew. “Anyway, the Emperor already has five sons. Whether another one is born or not doesn’t matter much.”
He actually felt it would be better not to have a child. At least that way, there wouldn’t be a struggle for succession, which could make the situation in the capital even more precarious.
Zhulan suddenly laughed, “Aren’t we worrying of things that are very far to worry about? You haven’t even taken the provincial examination yet, so we have to think about it later.”
Zhou Shuren hugged Zhulan, “Think about it earlier, so you know who to hand over, so you don’t have to wait. I have entered the circle of power. If I don’t pay attention now, it will be too late.”
Zhulan couldn’t help but think that it would be great if she could time travel after the power transfer. Unfortunately, if that were the case, the Zhou family would have been tricked by Wang Ru long ago, and they would not be able to do so. It’s about their time travel, “Forget it, good and bad things depend on each other, we can just take care of ourselves and let nature take its course. Don’t put shackles on yourself now, it’s too tiring.”
Zhou Shuren thought about it, “My son-in-law didn’t go to the Yamen today. In the evening let Xuemei and her husband come over for dinner. I have something to tell Jiang Sheng.”
Zhulan turned her head, “Good news?”
“Good news.”
Zhulan, seeing that Zhou Shuren had a closed mouth, knew he was about to keep her in suspense. She snorted, “Forget it, don’t say it. I’ll know sooner or later.”
1. Children born to main wife
2. Children born to Concubines
