Chapter 55: After the Marquis faked his death, I also "died"

Chapter 55: After the Marquis faked his death, I also "died"

Ye Hongwen, Marquis of Zhongshun, went deep into the enemy camp, endured humiliation for thirty years, won the trust of the enemy chief, and finally captured his head, which was the first merit.

The original owner was the wife of Marquis Zhongshun. She married Marquis Zhongshun Ye Hongwen at the age of seventeen and became a widow at the age of eighteen.

In his previous life, Ye Hongwen went to the battlefield on the second day after his wedding. He rode his tall horse to the battlefield with high spirits. However, he had never seen the cruelty of the battlefield and was scared to death.

The Marquis of Zhongshun has been on a downward spiral since the time of the old marquis. Before his death, the old marquis asked Ye Hongwen to revitalize the family. Ye Hongwen went to the border with great enthusiasm, but after arriving at the battlefield, he had the idea of ​​retreating.

Ye Hongwen was afraid and at the same time was brainwashed by the old marquis. Finally, he thought of a way to have the best of both worlds, which was to fake his death. After faking his death, he would not only avoid fighting in the war but also preserve the reputation of the marquisate.

When the news of Ye Hongwen's death in battle reached the capital, the original owner and the old lady fell ill together. The original owner was really ill. She became a widow at a young age and had no children. What should she do in the future?

But the old lady was pretending, because Ye Hongwen sent her a message and she knew he was still alive.

Although the old lady was angry that he insisted on going to the battlefield, where swords were merciless and she was afraid that he would accidentally die on the battlefield, she was relieved to know that he was not dead.

Ever since Ye Hongwen went to the frontier, the old lady has been eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures in the Buddhist temple every day to pray for Ye Hongwen.

After Ye Hongwen died in the battle, the people in the clan were ready to make a move and wanted to inherit everything in the Marquis' Mansion. The original owner didn't care, after all, she didn't even have a child. But it was different for the Marquis's wife, she had to keep the Marquis' Mansion for her son who faked his death.

After more than a year of efforts, the marquis' wife finally "gave in" and "adopted" a child of a few months old from a side branch as the new little marquis.

This child was sent by Ye Hongwen, and was the old lady's grandson. The original owner had a "son", and her life was full of motivation, and she poured all her energy into the Marquis' Mansion.

But the "son" did not like her. He ordered her around like a servant in the marquis's mansion and showed her no respect at all. However, they felt at ease using the original owner's dowry.

Thirty years later, Ye Hongwen found an alien in a valley on the border. He was lying in a pool of blood, already dead. When he got closer, he found that his face was 80% similar to the wanted alien leader in the city.

Ye Hongwen felt that this was his chance to return to the capital, so he chopped off the foreigner's head and made up a bunch of lies to take credit.

Everyone who could expose Ye Hongwen was dead, and Ye Hongwen's lie stood up. He was praised and returned to the capital with his wife and children.

As the original owner had no children for thirty years, she was divorced by the Marquis's Mansion and sent back to her parents' home. This affected her niece's marriage, and she blamed herself and regretted it, so she committed suicide by jumping into the lake.

……

"Worship heaven and earth!"

"Two thanks to the high hall!"

"Couple greetings!"

"Enter the bridal chamber!"

Zhang Shan was helped through the ceremony and was soon sent to the bridal chamber. Ye Hongwen was an only child and had no brothers or sisters, so the girls from the side branches and the new bride came to accompany him in bed.

When the moon was about to set, Ye Hongwen was carried back drunk. "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. We didn't know how to behave and got Brother Hongwen drunk."

"Nothing, it's normal to drink a few more glasses on a happy day. Thank you, brothers, for sending my husband back."

"you are welcome!"

After the two men put Ye Hongwen down, they ran away.

Ye Hongwen's maid stepped forward and helped Ye Hongwen up, "Madam, I will take the Marquis down to wash up."

"Well, go ahead!" Zhang Shan stopped the wet nurse from stepping forward to stop her.

"Girl, why did you let that bitch take the Marquis away?"

"She's just a concubine. If she doesn't behave herself, she can be sold off. Don't worry, nanny. I'm hungry. Please bring me a bowl of noodles and a bowl of sobering soup for the Marquis."

The wet nurse was a little worried, but she didn't dare to question Zhang Shan's decision. As soon as the wet nurse left, a blushing and heart-pounding sound came from the ear room. The original owner's maid Taohong blushed with anger and wanted to go in and pull the girl out.

"Don't go. You and the nurse will take her out and get rid of her quietly. I don't want to see her again."

"Yes, I will make her regret it."

"No need. On such a happy day, let her share in the joy and give her a happy ending!"

Zhang Shan knew very well that the villain would die because he talked too much, so she slashed with the sword and the villain was dead.

Although Taohong was unwilling, she didn't say anything more.

After a while, the wet nurse came in with a bowl of noodles and a bowl of soup. She also heard the noise inside and her face turned pale. The girl had just gotten married on the first day and she was slapped in the face by a maid. If this got out, where would she put her face?

Holding back her anger, she waited until there was no more noise inside. Then the wet nurse and Taohong went in and covered the mouth of the concubine. Before the concubine could even beg for mercy, she was dragged out to the ear room and hit with a stick, knocking her unconscious.

As soon as the wet nurse and Taohong left, Zhang Shan fished Ye Hongwen out of the water. He had to go to the border tomorrow and couldn't get sick.

After finishing the noodles, Zhang Shan took out a medicine bottle and poured out a white pill with a strange fragrance. This was a pill for fertility and good fortune, which would improve Ye Hongwen's fertility.

Then he bought a talisman to summon evil spirits from the system and injected it into Ye Hongwen's lower abdomen. The two forces interacted with each other to ensure that Ye Hongwen would have many bad children.

The talisman that summons evil spirits will attract children with evil karma who were reincarnated at the same time to Ye Hongwen's home. These children are not good people after they are born. It would be a disaster for any one of them to appear in a noble family. But it is a blessing for Ye Hongwen that all the children appear in his home.

Ye Hongwen didn’t know what happened last night, and vaguely felt that he had completed the bridal chamber.

The wet nurse and Taohong helped Zhang Shan walk towards the old lady's yard. The smiles on their faces seemed a little forced, but for the sake of their dignity as girls, they still forced themselves to smile.

The old lady was in her early forties, well-maintained, and wearing a smoky purple dress, she looked extremely wealthy.

She was kind and didn't make things difficult for Zhang Shan. "Good boy, get up quickly."

After all, her son was about to go to the border, and she was afraid that Zhang Shan would ignore the matter and make a fuss.

"Shan'er, this evil creature Hongwen is so outrageous. He took his luggage and left with the army without even consulting you. When he comes back, I will definitely teach him a lesson..."

"My Lord has joined the army?"

Zhang Shan's body was a little shaky, and she looked weak and helpless. Although the old lady was dissatisfied with her son leaving without saying a word, she still hoped that Zhang Shan would take care of the affairs of the mansion.

"Shan'er, I'm sorry for wronging you~"

"I am not wronged. As long as the master returns safely, I will not feel wronged."

"You are a good one." The old lady also nodded with satisfaction.

"I don't know when Hongwen will be back. I have not been feeling well and I need to pray to the Buddha for his safety. I will leave the affairs of this mansion to you!"

"My daughter-in-law will definitely manage the house well and wait for the master to come home."

"Ah."

"Mother, although we don't know when the Marquis will come back, why not promote the several concubines in the master's room to concubines? If we have a child, the mansion will be more lively."

"You are a virtuous and sensible person. I was right about you. I'll leave it to you. It's time for me to go to the Buddhist temple."

"Yes, my daughter-in-law is resigning."

Zhang Shan stood up, bowed to the old lady, and then left.

Ye Hongwen has six concubines, including Pearl, Agate, Jade, Coral, Amber, and Tortoise. The one who played with him last night was called Amber. She was the most arrogant and the one Ye Hongwen loved the most.

"Who else hasn't arrived?"

Zhang Shan looked at the five people in the corridor. They all looked excited. Now it was their turn to show their loyalty. "Madam, Amber hasn't arrived yet."

"Send someone to check. Do you not want to raise her as your aunt?"

Taohong called two maids expressionlessly and asked them to invite Amber.

Not long after, the girl came back and reported that Amber was not found. Zhang Shan frowned and said, "Send someone to look for it again. If they can't find it, report it to the police!"

Everyone present could hear Zhang Shan's displeasure, but no one dared to say anything. If Amber didn't come, it would be because of Madam's face, and they didn't dare to add fuel to the fire.

Zhang Shan waved her hand and asked the maids to serve tea. After drinking the concubines' tea, she let them go.

The housekeepers also arrived. Zhang Shan asked them to come in. The account books were neatly arranged in boxes. The wet nurse was holding two abacuses and working with Taohong. For a moment, no one in the yard dared to say a word.

The managers who thought they had done a perfect job had beads of sweat on their foreheads. They had not finished the calculations after half a day, but they were still allowed to go back first. "We can finish looking at these account books tonight. You can bring your abacus to help me solve my puzzles tomorrow."

After everyone had left, the nurse was so angry that she almost threw the abacus in her hand. "The Marquis' Mansion is really too much. Last night, the maid climbed onto the bed. The day after the wedding, the Marquis joined the army, and the old lady handed this empty Marquis' Mansion to you to manage. Isn't this bullying the girl because she is a new bride and you dare not make trouble with her!"

"A lean camel is bigger than a horse. There are still some things in the Marquis' Mansion. Don't worry, nurse." Zhang Shan was not angry, but comforted her instead.

"We have jumped into this pit of fire, the Marquis' Mansion. It is not difficult to get out, but we can't let the Marquis' Mansion harm us in vain. Taohong, nurse, please ask Liulu to prepare. This huge Marquis' Mansion can't afford to go bankrupt. My dowry is not enough."

The wet nurse and Taohong looked over, somewhat puzzled.

"Ye Hongwen is not cut out to be a soldier. He will either escape or die on the battlefield. No matter which outcome it is, it is not good for us. We must leave the Marquis' Mansion as soon as possible."

"No, the master's wife and the marquis' wife will definitely not agree."

"If the Marquis dies in battle, the marriage between the Zhang family and the Marquis's Mansion will be worthless, and we will be abandoned by our father and mother. We will be abandoned anyway, so it is better for us to leave the Marquis's Mansion and keep our dowry. Our life will definitely be better than staying in the Marquis's Mansion."

"Yes, as long as we die."

The wet nurse also understood Zhang Shan's intention. She had no good feelings towards the Marquis' Mansion and was even more unwilling to let Zhang Shan use her dowry to subsidize the Marquis' Mansion.

After the three of them discussed it, they decided to move Zhang Shan's dowry from the open to the hidden places, and after it was rolled around in those shops, the dowry was basically "gone".

The old lady also heard that Zhang Shan wanted to sell off the shop in the Marquis' Mansion and was willing to use her own dowry to make up for the shortfall. In the end, she lost everything and was so angry that she couldn't eat.

"What are you thinking? How to take your own dowry..." She found it difficult to speak.

"My daughter-in-law also wanted more income for the family, but she didn't expect it to be like this..."

Zhang Shan was crying so hard that her eyes were wet. The old lady felt her head hurt even more.

But the bigger headache was yet to come. Everyone in the capital knew that Zhang Shan used her dowry to subsidize the Marquis's Mansion, and the old lady's enemies even came to make fun of her.

Now the whole capital city knew that the Marquis' Mansion was an empty shell, and they all sympathized with Zhang Shan's situation. Zhang Shan's attitude of "I am pitiful, I am wronged, but I can only accept my fate" won her sympathy from many people.

Not only did Zhang Shan launder her own dowry, she also embezzled a lot of money from the Marquis' Mansion, making the Mansion even poorer. The old lady had no choice but to close the shop to reduce costs.

A year later, the mansion was completely empty. The old lady's servants secretly moved out her few dowries and sold the mansion's sacrificial fields. Zhang Shan became a middleman and made a lot of money in brokerage fees.

"Madam, this is bad, Madam..."

The old lady was so frightened that she broke the string of beads in her hand and said angrily, "What's wrong with you, Madam?"

"Madam went to Pudu Temple to pray for the Marquis, but encountered a landslide and was washed away by the flood!"

"what?"

The old lady looked outside and saw that the rain was indeed quite heavy. She was only startled for a moment but not too worried. After all, she really didn't like her daughter-in-law.

Soon, she thought that the death of her daughter-in-law was a good thing. When her son came back, she could marry a new daughter-in-law who would satisfy her more and bring her a bigger dowry.

The original owner's parents were genuinely sad for several days, but when they came to the Marquis' Mansion to question her, the old lady spread her hands and said, "There's no money for them, but there's a life for them."

In the end, the old lady watched helplessly as the original owner's mother took all of the original owner's dowry back. The previous staff reduction was done by selling the original maids and servants in the Marquis' Mansion and leaving only the original owner's dowry.

Because the original owner's people used the original owner's money to pay monthly wages. The old lady was very smart.

Today, there are only a few stewards and maids left in the Marquis' Mansion, as well as Ye Hongwen's five concubines. The concubines thought they could live a good life as superior to others, but they didn't expect that in the end they would have to serve others.

Just two days after Zhang Shan evacuated the Marquis' Mansion and fled, news of Ye Hongwen's "death" came from the border. Although the old lady knew that Ye Hongwen was not dead, her life was not easy either.

Especially since Ye Hongwen sent his son to the capital for the position of Marquis, the Marquis' Mansion became even more unable to make ends meet.

Zhang Shan came to Jiangnan with her wet nurse and her beauties, and tied her hair up to become the most beautiful widow in Jiangnan. In today's society, there were no restrictions on widows marrying other women, so Zhang Shan married several handsome young men in succession and gave birth to a son.

When she got tired of staying in the south of the Yangtze River, she went to the north to see the fat sheep in the yellow sand and the handsome men with eight-pack abs. She lived in the village next to Ye Hongwen and watched Ye Hongwen's chaotic life. During this time, she gave birth to another son.

A few years ago, Ye Hongwen still had some money, so he married a wife and took in four beautiful concubines. Because they were fertile, they gave birth to children one after another. Gradually, his money was all gone, and he wrote to the old lady asking for financial support. The old lady felt sorry for her son, so she sold her five concubines and three maids and sent him the money.

The old lady sold everything except the mansion. She wanted to sell the house, but it was given to her by Emperor Shizong himself, so she could only live in it and not sell it.

But someone reported to the emperor the fact that the old lady had secretly sold the pillars and beams used to build the house of the marquis's mansion. The emperor was furious and reprimanded the old lady.

The emperor wanted to take back the house, but Ye Hongwen had just "died in battle", and it would be unkind of him to do so, so he could only turn a blind eye and let the old lady and her grandchildren go.

Ye Hongwen gave birth to twelve children, all of whom were debt collectors and ungrateful people. They tortured Ye Hongwen to the point of going crazy. He fled back to the capital before he could take advantage of the opportunity to become a foreign general.

Zhang Shan: …

Although she came to seize the opportunity, Ye Hongwen left before the opportunity came, which made her seem too utilitarian and not as noble as Ye Hongwen.

Zhang Shan stayed for another two months before returning to Jiangnan because her eldest son was going to take the imperial examination.

Five years later, Zhang Shan brought her youngest son back to the border and picked up a military merit on the slope of her hometown. Her youngest son successfully joined the army and became a key training target.

"Taohong, how many years have we not been back?"

"Madam, we haven't been back for thirty years. The capital is still the same. It hasn't changed."

At this time, the vegetable market was crowded with people. Men and women between 20 and 30 years old were kneeling on the ground in a row. The yamen runners on the side listed their crimes. Zhang Shan vaguely heard Ye Jia.

When they arrived at the Shangshu Mansion of her eldest son, Tao Hong told her the news she had found out, "Those people just now were... children. Five years ago, Ye Hongwen came back from the border and was found to have faked his death. His title of Marquis was taken back and Ye Hongwen was sentenced to death by the Emperor."

The old lady lived with her thirteen grandchildren with the help of her mother's family. She could not bear the pressure and passed away two years ago. After her death, the children of the Ye family were left undisciplined and they spent their days stealing and doing bad things.

Because he rode his horse in the street and scared the princess who was out of the palace for a stroll, he was arrested.

Zhang Shan couldn't help but applaud, she really deserved it!

Zhang Shan returned to the capital again. No one recognized her except her long-lived parents. But her parents did not dare to recognize her for fear of bringing disaster to her.

But he also took good care of his eldest grandson who had become the Minister of Revenue, introducing him to connections and resources, laying the foundation for him to become the prime minister of the dynasty.

As for becoming the youngest son of Marquis Dingbei, he fought his way to it all by himself.

Zhang Shan lived a carefree life, traveling around and having countless lovers. When she was old, she returned to the capital and became the old lady in the prime minister's mansion.

*

Just one chapter today.