Xie Nanjia tried hard to recall that she had been married into the marquis's mansion for more than two years, and it seemed that she had only met Zhao Jingyu once.
Zhao Jingyu had a bad temper and was unruly. He never attended any banquets or sacrifices at home. He even showed up at his brother's wedding only once on the second day when the bride served tea. That was the only time Xie Nanjia saw him.
I heard from people in the mansion that Zhao Jingyu was the result of a one-night stand between Marquis Dingyuan and a local woman when he was on a border expedition. Marquis Dingyuan was not aware of this at first. It was not until Zhao Jingyu was eight years old and his mother was critically ill that the news was passed on to Marquis Dingyuan.
Marquis Dingyuan had one wife and two concubines, and only his principal wife, Qin, gave birth to a son for him, the rest were daughters. Suddenly he heard that he had a son among the common people, he was overjoyed, and went to the border overnight to bring his son back.
When Zhao Jingyu first returned to the Marquis' Mansion, he did not have a proper name. In order to show his respect for him, Marquis Dingyuan specially asked the current emperor to give him a name.
The emperor said that this boy was a piece of precious jade that was lost among the people when Marquis Dingyuan was on a border expedition, so he named him Jingyu. Because he was the second child, his servants called him the Second Young Master.
The Marquis's wife, Qin, had originally opposed the Marquis bringing his illegitimate son of unknown origin back home. When she heard that the emperor had bestowed the name on him, she became so angry that she fell seriously ill and began to make things difficult for Zhao Jingyu in various ways, both openly and covertly.
The servants all followed the wind, and when they saw that the lady disliked the second young master, they also learned to be cold and neglectful to him, completely ignoring him.
Marquis Dingyuan was very angry about Qin's behavior. In order to make an example of her, he punished and sold all the servants in the backyard who had come into contact with Zhao Jingyu, regardless of whether they were right or wrong, and almost divorced Qin.
Qin was the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Qin, so of course she couldn't just divorce him. In the end, the emperor had to mediate and let Marquis Dingyuan make three rules with Qin in front of Prime Minister Qin:
First, the position of the Crown Prince will never change.
Second, a concubine’s son has no right to inherit the family property.
Third, it is not allowed to seek official positions for concubines’ sons.
In other words, Zhao Jingyu can spend the money of the Marquis' Mansion at will, but he has no right to inherit a penny. He can enjoy the honor of the Marquis' Mansion, but he can only be an idle son. Even if his brother Zhao Jingping dies, the position of the crown prince will not be his.
At the time, Zhao Jingyu, perhaps because he was too young or just a country boy with no experience, did not take the matter to heart at all. He just ate, drank, wandered around, and lived a happy life every day.
Qin observed him for a while and seeing that he didn't cry or make a fuss and was content with the status quo like a heartless fool, she no longer took him seriously. She ordered her servants to provide him with good food and drink, let him squander the family's money, and found a few playmates for him and entertained him in various ways.
A few years later, the second young master became exactly as Qin had wished and became the most dissolute playboy in the capital, living a life of debauchery, squandering money and causing trouble everywhere.
It is said that he once had an argument with the crown prince and beat him up. The matter was brought to the attention of the emperor, but the emperor did not punish him because Marquis Dingyuan had served the country for decades. From then on, he became even more arrogant and ran rampant in the capital, and no one dared to provoke him.
For such a notorious person, God gave him a good appearance.
Before Xie Nanjia entered the Marquis' Mansion, she had heard that the Second Young Master was unmatched in appearance. She did not believe it at the time, but when she met him in person on the day of the tea ceremony, she realized that the rumors were true. Even a rigid maid like Hualou said that if she could marry the Second Young Master, it would be worth it even if she died on the second day of her wedding.
However, the government sent people here to deal with the disaster, not to sightsee, so why did they choose him
It's good enough that a person like him doesn't burn, kill or loot. How can we expect him to comfort people
No wonder it took so long to walk the 300-mile journey. He must have played along the way.
But none of this matters right now. What matters is how to get close to him and find out the information you want.
Xie Nanjia was in trouble when she saw the crowded crowd and the heavily guarded gate. She had thought it was too simple before. Looking at the current situation, she couldn't even get through the gate, let alone get any information.
She withdrew from the crowd and wanted to find a quiet place to make her plans.
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the door saying that the second young master thought the servants in the courtyard were too ugly and wanted to select those with good looks to serve in the courtyard.
(End of this chapter)