Zhou Shuren nodded, "I just found out about this today too."
It was such a surprise to him that it took him a while to come back to his senses!
Zhu Lan was very puzzled. "A fifth-rank Tongzhi must be quite old. Lin is 48 and the eldest daughter is 30. You know the officials in Pingzhou well. How old is the Tongzhi?"
She was very curious. The Dong family came from a farming and scholar family and had always stayed in their hometown, so how come they had a son-in-law who was a Tongzhi
Zhou Shuren was in Pingzhou, and he knew all the officials who were important. He had actually heard some things about Lord Jiang's family. "The Pingzhou Tongzhi is Jiang Ming, 42 years old. His wife is his second wife. Jiang Ming's family is in the capital, and he is from a branch family. He was one of the first batch of imperial examinations after the establishment of the dynasty, and he was the second place in the imperial examination that year. I heard from Zhao Bo that because his family could not tolerate branch families, they suppressed Jiang Ming. Jiang Ming did not stay in the capital and was directly sent to Pingzhou. It is said that Jiang Ming had a hard life before he took the imperial examination. Under the suppression of his family, his wife died, leaving only a daughter. Later, after living in Pingzhou for many years, he met his second wife and remarried."
Zhu Lan lowered her head and calculated the years. "That's not right. Lin's daughter is thirty years old. The new dynasty has only been in existence for twelve years. The first imperial examination was held in the second year. Jiang Ming was sent abroad for many years before he remarried. Doesn't Lin's daughter have to be in her twenties to get married? Didn't people get married early in ancient times?"
Zhou Shuren didn't keep the secret and said, "Because Jiang Ming married a widow. When Jiang Ming married again, he was a fifth-rank official. He didn't marry a girl who was ready to be married, but married a widow instead. It was quite a sensation in Pingzhou at the time. I heard about it and asked for more information. I didn't expect it to be a girl from the Dong family."
He was so weak that he didn't even have anyone to ask for information. His rank of scholar was too low. He had to be at least a juren to have staff.
Zhulan was overwhelmed, "This is definitely true love!"
In ancient times, widows who remarried would marry someone of a lower rank. Since the daughter of the county magistrate at that time married an official of the fifth rank, she could not think of any other reason except true love!
Zhou Shuren laughed. It was indeed true love. "I have always had a good impression of Jiang Ming. Jiang Ming was exiled to Pingzhou for many years. He started from the bottom and worked diligently. Although he was not promoted and was suppressed, his reputation was always good. Later, he was promoted quickly because his family in Beijing lost their official positions and it was difficult for them to rise. So they gave the remaining resources to Jiang Ming, which is how he rose."
Zhulan calculated based on Zhou Shuren's popular science that the runner-up was originally a seventh-rank official and is now a fifth-rank official. Without any major achievements, her promotion speed is indeed quite good. This is the benefit of having connections. Not only does she avoid taking detours, but no one also takes credit for her achievements.
Zhu Lan felt more and more distressed for Zhou Shuren who was cautious in every step. She couldn't help but hold Zhou Shuren's hand. After a while, she came to her senses and asked, "How do you know Jiang Ming so well?"
"Zhao Bo told me some of it, I inquired about it some more, and the rest I guessed is basically the truth."
Zhu Lan analyzed the situation and said, "Jiang Ming is far away from the political circles in Beijing. We don't have to worry too much when interacting with the Dong family."
She was really afraid of being dragged into the fight for the throne and involving the affairs of the entire family. She thought that the emperor was not young anymore and his sons were all grown up. Even if the crown prince was appointed, it would still not be able to suppress the other princes' desire for the throne. The transition of power was the most chaotic time and the period with the most cannon fodder. She and Zhou Shuren had to be extra careful.
Zhou Shuren was also depressed. The timing of the imperial examination was not good. He was afraid that if he climbed up, the old power would be replaced by the new power, which would be a problem. "The emperor is fifty-two years old, not young anymore, and the prince is twenty-two years old."
Zhulan felt from the bottom of her heart that the emperor was a ruthless man. The empty-headed young master who pretended to be stupid before the age of thirty was stripped of his title as the crown prince and even driven back to his residence from the capital, where he remained stupid. Who could have thought that a fool would take control of the residence of a king of a different surname and rebel when the time came
Moreover, he got married after the rebellion, and married the daughter of an ally. Later, he married several more women. He was a heroic figure. The founding emperor was a ruthless man. He killed many people in the first year. The only thing he paid special attention to was the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. It was because the emperor was the legitimate son and was abused, so the crown prince of the current dynasty was the legitimate son.
Although the legitimate son seems stable at present, who knows that in a few years, there will be five princes in this dynasty, and except for the fifth prince, the other four will be over 20 years old.
Zhu Lan thought about this and said, "I heard you say that no children have been born in the palace since the establishment of the new dynasty? Is there something wrong here?"
Zhou Shuren also felt that there was a problem, but unfortunately for them, the lower-class people, the only news they knew was the general public's news. "The emperor already has five sons anyway, so it doesn't matter whether he has more or not."
On the contrary, he felt that it would be better not to have children, at least to avoid a fight for the throne among several princes, which would make the capital even more dangerous.
Zhulan suddenly laughed, "You said we are worrying too much about the future. We haven't even started the provincial examination yet, and we are already thinking about the future."
Zhou Shuren hugged Zhulan, "Think about it earlier and know who to befriend, otherwise it will be too late when I enter the circle of power."
Zhu Lan couldn't help thinking, it would be nice if she could travel through time after the power transition. Unfortunately, if that were to happen, the Zhou family would have been tricked by Wang Ru long ago, and there would be no chance for them to travel through time. "Forget it, good and bad are interdependent. We should 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 and said, "My son-in-law didn't go to the government office today. Let Xuemei and her husband come to our house for dinner tonight. I have something to talk to Jiang Sheng about."
Zhulan tilted her head, "Good news?"
“Good.”
Seeing that Zhou Shuren kept his mouth shut, Zhulan knew that he was going to keep her in suspense, so she snorted, "Forget it if you don't want to tell me. We'll know sooner or later anyway."