20demayo Chapter 124 Received 2 Property Deeds
Chapter 124 Received 2 Property Deeds
"This estate is right next to the residence of Prince Lan, and on the other side is the estate that Princess Dun brought as part of her dowry."
Moreover, there is a hot spring in this back mountain. Originally, the mother of Prince Lan, the Empress Dowager, the wife of the Duke of Rongguo, and the Princess Consort of Prince Dun bought this land and built a manor here.
At the time, the land the Empress Dowager wanted was the smallest plot; apart from a few families, no one knew it belonged to the Empress Dowager.
"This is the former residence of the Minister of Works, located on Xuanwu Street, not far from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."
This house was the culmination of the old Minister's hard work. If he hadn't fallen and become immobile while returning home to pay respects to his ancestors this year, he wouldn't have sold it.
You have no idea how many families in the capital are eyeing this house.
Some people offered 30,000 taels of silver to buy it as a dowry for their daughters, but the old minister's son refused to sell it.
In the end, it was only after the emperor personally approached the old minister's son and agreed to let the old minister return to his hometown that they sold the property.
Upon arrival, the emperor even gifted the old minister a blueprint for a plow from Jiangdong, as compensation for his family.
Dongfang Jin accepted the two house deeds, feeling extremely satisfied. She liked them; they were more practical than money or jewelry, and these could be passed down through generations.
"Little Jiu, you're panting so much. If I'm not mistaken, you came back around 7 PM last night, didn't you?"
Long Jiu was holding a small bowl of noodles and was about to open his mouth when he heard her say this.
He felt a little embarrassed; he had really forgotten.
He lowered his head and ate his noodles, muttering, "I just forgot."
“Tell me about this Minister of Works,” Dongfang Jin said, putting away the two house deeds and sitting down next to him.
He tripped and fell while offering sacrifices to his ancestors? The emperor agreed to let him return to his hometown? It seems this was a ruse by that old minister.
As Long Jiu ate, he said, "This Minister of Works was selected by the late emperor not long after he ascended the throne; he was a scholar from a humble background who became the top scholar in the imperial examinations..."
They used to be from the Second Prince's Cangling City. It is said that the Second Prince threatened the lives of their entire family to force the old Minister to submit to him.
Later, after things calmed down, he submitted several memorials requesting to retire and return to his hometown, but they were all rejected by the emperor.
Back then, the Second Prince was also the Emperor's best brother when they were both Crown Princes, and in that...
It was because of his repeated obstruction that the Empress Dowager passed away without being able to see the Emperor one last time…
When Gu Chenglin came in and heard these words, he clenched his fists. The Empress Dowager was his own aunt.
Although they had never met, my uncle said that his aunt, the Empress Dowager, treated his mother very well.
They are not only sisters-in-law and sisters-in-law, but also cousins, sharing the same maternal grandmother.
There is still an aunt in the capital, who is the wife of the Duke of Fuguo. Thinking of the Duke of Fuguo's Dongfang family, I wonder if his family has any connection with his wife.
Dongfang Jin asked curiously, "Are there any members left in this Second Prince's faction?"
Eleven said, "They're gone. The people who participated in that struggle back then... now, apart from Cang Nanli, the young prince who grew up with his maternal uncle from the palace, and Prince Lin, who is in his fiefdom in Liangzhou..."
Liangzhou was also the ancestral home of the Sima family, the maternal relatives of the Prince of Lin and the Duke of Yue.
The Prince of Lin's mother, Consort Xian, died shortly after giving birth to him.
It was said to be a massive hemorrhage, but rumors in the palace were that Consort Xian had been poisoned.
The Duke of Yue only had one daughter. After the death of Consort Xian, the Duke of Yue obtained an imperial decree and moved his entire family back to their ancestral home.
It was an imperial edict that forbade the emperor from returning to the capital unless summoned.
The Duke of Yue also promised that Prince Lin's heir would never participate in factional strife, much less serve as an official in the court...
Unfortunately, the Prince of Lin only has one son, who is said to be physically weak.
Long Jiu continued, "There is also a sickly Prince Cheng. This is the Lord's elder brother, the Sixth Prince, Cang Ling Sheng, who lives in the capital."
The sixth prince had asthma since childhood and could not walk long distances. Every time the seasons changed, he would have to face death.
His birth mother was a palace maid of a concubine. When his mother was found to be pregnant, she was given a lot of medicine by the concubines in the harem.
The Empress Dowager saved her and raised her in her palace until she gave birth...
After his mother died, and because he was harmed by those drugs and was weak from childhood, he was not favored.
He was able to live only because the Empress Dowager had arranged for the Chu family to treat him when she was alive.
The women in his household were all bestowed upon him by the late emperor, and none of them bore him any children.
"Then there is the Lord's own uncle, Prince Dun, and the Cangnan Xi family in the capital."
Previously, Prince Dun had been living in his fiefdom of Suzhou, which bordered the Eagle Clan...
In the early days, the area was very chaotic, with many Eagle Clan tribes, and they were constantly at war with each other.
Later, after Prince Dun went to Suzhou, he built city walls and established an army there. We were all trained by him..."
Long Jiu said angrily, "If it weren't for Prince Dun's high martial prowess and the fact that he had the Emperor Emeritus's Dragon-Slaying Whip, he wouldn't have been able to suppress those unruly noble families."
"The Prince Dun's mansion currently only has one heir and one prince, with no other offspring."
Dongfang Jin sighed, "It seems that the royal lineage is quite thin these days."
Long Shiyi pouted and sneered, "That's right, otherwise why would those people be so determined to send their legitimate daughters into the palace?"
"You don't know, some families' legitimate daughters are still not giving up even when they're twenty years old."
Dongfang Jin also pouted, "What's so good about going to the palace? So many women are vying to sleep with one man."
A perfectly good woman, in order to win the emperor's favor, forced herself to become a fighting rooster.
"Wouldn't it be better to find a good man, marry him, and become his legal wife? Why insist on entering that palace?"
Long Jiu looked disdainful: "The best man in the world is our master."
Those people crammed in, all for the sake of favor and the ultimate reward—a chance for one person to rise in rank and elevate their entire family.
Long Shiyi scoffed, "For the sake of power, those people petition every day."
They were all focused on pressuring the emperor because of the lack of royal offspring and the empress's inability to produce an heir.
If some disaster were to strike, people would take turns playing the good cop and the bad cop, and they would all use this as an excuse.
If the Lord refuses, they will make him write a self-reproach edict.
Dongfang Jin was speechless at their back-and-forth banter; they were really willing to say anything behind people's backs.
He joked, "Your master is the most unreliable man in the world. All those palace intrigue experts were forced into it by him."
He's still the world's number one gangster boss.
Gu Chenglin then served them noodles and set them aside. Next, he brought over a bowl of braised meat, a bowl of blanched vegetables, and a bowl of cilantro.
If his wife likes to listen, then he'll feed them.
Dongfang Jin...
Bro, are you feeding pigs?
Jun Wenhui...
Eating too much so late at night is not good.
Seeing that Long Jiu and Shiyi were actually eating, she didn't stop them. "Go ahead and eat," she said, "they're in their prime."
Looking at the two of them, who hadn't eaten in ages, Dongfang Jin sighed and said, "After you finish eating, go sleep in the room next to the rock. It's already been prepared for you."
It's getting colder every day. Don't stay in the tree anymore; nobody comes to my house now.
Before they could speak, Gu Chenglin added, "It's cold now, and all the leaves on the trees have fallen."
We're the only family living around here. If someone with malicious intent discovers you, it would expose our entire family.
Long Jiu thought about it for a moment and felt that what he said made sense: "Okay."
Seeing that they had agreed, Dongfang Jin smiled slyly: "These days you need to show us some real skills, and Long Jiu can also lose some weight."
Tomorrow I'll be making some new food. You two will both help out. Once you've learned how, go back and report to the higher authorities.
If this is done well, it will be a huge business deal, and it can also boost the country's agricultural and economic development.
Upon hearing this, Long Jiu perked up: "I know."