Chapter Five: Separation of the Family

  Zhao Yingjun's body gradually recovered, and it seemed that the old doctor of Hui Chun Tang was still very powerful. Facing her grandmother, parents, and wet nurses, she began to show a "toothless" smile, happily selling cute and making them happy.

  At this time when the whole family has troubles, she, with her small build, can't do anything else but act cute.

  Because she was still a little kid, the whole family could only live in a small old courtyard, and she didn't have much space to move around. She basically spent all her time eating, drinking, and sleeping in her room, so she started learning how to walk on the kang (a traditional Chinese bed). Her original body probably hadn't learned this yet, so when the elders saw her take two shaky steps, they were overjoyed. Her big brother clapped his hands and teased her into taking a few more steps. Every time she took a step, he would laugh and hug her, even Grandma Zhang was unusually excited, praising her granddaughter as "smart".

  Zhao Yingjun thought to herself, her performance might be a bit outstanding, but it's not exaggerated, right? It's good this way, after "learning" how to walk, she'll also "learn" how to say more complex sentences and won't be abnormal. If she continues to pretend to be a little baby, she'll suffocate herself to death.

  There was another thing that made Zhao Yujun happy, and that was she finally knew what her name was now - Zhao?.

  ?, is a stone as beautiful as jade, and in the Book of Songs there is the phrase "filling my ears with purity", which was spoken by her young father Zhao Zhuo when he held her and read to her. The character "" (yíng) made Zhao Yíng Jūn feel very close to it. She remembered that when she was a child, her parents had mentioned giving her the name "Yíng Jūn", hoping that she would be a person as transparent and pure as jade. She almost immediately accepted this new name (from then on, the female lead is referred to as "Zhao Yíng").

  For the newly arrived Zhao, life now may not be very convenient, but it's not unbearable either. Food, drink, clothing, and daily necessities are all readily available, and there are people to serve her. Although the elders often lament that the house is too old and broken, the total area of the main rooms alone exceeds 100 square meters. Except for the main room used as a hall, the east wing has over 30 square meters, where her grandmother lives with her; the west wing is her parents' bedroom; her little brother and his attendants occupy a wing that's not less than 70 square meters; and the remaining wet nurses and maids share another room. Except for the dim lighting and stuffiness, these conditions are really not bad. The courtyard outside has many flowers, grasses, and trees, although they have been untrimmed for years and look somewhat disheveled, but they are very beautiful with their vibrant colors.

  Zhao thought to himself, if his body were a few years older, this house would have better lighting and ventilation, he could eat some meat at mealtime without having to drink milk, and life would be even more comfortable.

  Of course, she also knew that as a milk doll, this idea was not very realistic. Even her grandmother and father, mother, and younger brother were all in mourning, so their daily meals were mainly vegetarian dishes, simple but delicious. Her mother, Ms. Mi, spent a lot of money on the kitchen every day, otherwise how could they have such treatment?

  The grandmother and the others were discussing the division of the family property. Early this morning, Lord Hou and his wife had Zhang Shi's mother and son come over, specifically to divide the property. It seems they didn't intend to save face, as most of the assets in Jingzhong went to the eldest branch. Since Old Master's ancestral home was in Shanghai Fengxian, he had a lot of land in the countryside, so Lord Hou gave his younger half-brother ten mu of land and 500 taels of silver, and also assigned him several servants he was used to having around, effectively sending him away.

  As for her stepmother, Zhang Shi, they didn't have the intention of supporting her either. They gave a nice name to it, saying "give your younger brother a chance to be filial", and let her leave with her biological son. Only two personal maidservants were allowed to stay by her side, while all others were not permitted to follow her. Niu Shi even wanted to withhold the private properties of others, but fortunately, Jian Nan Hou was not foolish and thought about the imperial edict on Zhang Shi's body. If they forced her too much and she made a fuss, he would not be able to reason with the emperor, so he relented and allowed her to take all her belongings from the house, including furniture and clothes, which was also a considerable amount of money. Apart from that, there were also her personal maidservants from her dowry, who had married servants in the mansion and had children, and now they were all registered under her name, and would no longer be considered slaves of the Hou Mansion.

  Zhao listened to her father recounting the specific terms of the division of the family property to her mother, and felt that it wasn't too bad. Although she had transmigrated into a noble family, but was being divided out, it seemed a bit pitiful, but this way there would be money, houses, and people, and her daily life wouldn't be too comfortable.

  His mother, Mrs. Mi, did not think so. As soon as she heard her husband's words, she couldn't help but burst into tears: "This is too bullying! The Hou Mansion has so many properties in the capital and over 10,000 mu of land in Fengxian, but only gave you 1,000 mu! In the past, when the Duke was alive, your annual expenses were not less than 500 taels, but now the Master only gave you 500 taels. Is this not just like sending away a beggar?! If the Duke knew about this in the afterlife, who knows how heartbroken he would be?!"

  Zhao Zhuo sighed: "I was angry, wasn't I? But mother said that the most important thing now is to hurry up and move away from here, so as not to have to look at people's faces for food and clothing. As for money, my mother has her own savings, and I also have some silver on hand, which was given by my father when he was alive, enough for our expenses for ten years, and we can slowly manage it later."

  "Isn't it that I'm crying for money? I'm also a daughter of a scholarly family, and just the dowry is enough to support a whole family. I'm only suffering for Second Master! You're the legitimate son of the Duke, born with a silver spoon in your mouth, dressed in silk and jade from childhood. The Duke dotes on you, holding you in his mouth as if afraid you'll melt away, cradling you in his palm as if afraid you'll fall. Because of your weak body, he allowed you to not learn martial arts or horseback riding. Because you love reading, he personally invited famous teachers to tutor you at home. When have you ever suffered such humiliation?!"

  Zhao Jiong fell silent, his heart feeling humiliated. Although he had expected that his elder brother would not allow him and his mother to continue living in the mansion, he had thought that his brother would at least follow the rules and give him what was due to him. But now, it seemed that even the most distant relatives were treated better than him. What could he do? Zhao Jiong had already succeeded to the title of Duke of Jianan, which was the emperor's decree and their father's wish before his death. If he made a fuss, it would only bring shame to his father's memory and tarnish his own reputation.

  Zhang sighed: "I know you two are not convinced in your hearts and don't understand why Ruo Er, as the eldest son, cannot inherit the title. When the Duke was alive, he always valued his eldest son. His first wife, Madame Qin, had difficulty conceiving, and they only had one daughter, your elder sister. Except for Old Lady Qian giving birth to a son, the Duke had no other children for many years, and he spent most of his time fighting wars outside, not knowing when he would die in battle. To plan for after his death, the Duke had already established an heir early on. Who knew that later, due to some twists and turns, he married me as his second wife, and I gave birth to Ruo Er, causing the succession of the title to become uncertain. The Duke is getting older, but it's unknown how much longer he can hold on. His eldest son has already grown up, having children of his own, while you, the youngest son born to me, are still young. What if something happens to the Duke? How can one child support the household? That's why the heir was not changed. But before he passed away, the Duke had promised me that once you achieved success in the imperial examinations, he would request a title for you, allowing you to establish your own household and live comfortably. Who knew he would leave so suddenly..."

  She lowered her head and silently shed tears, it could be seen that although the county lord was an old husband with a young wife, their feelings were actually not bad. Zhao Jiong and Mi Shi saw her true emotions revealed, and they couldn't help but feel sad too.

  Although the old man left too suddenly, causing his wife and son to fall into an awkward situation, his kindness and care before his death were not fake.

  Zhao sat in his grandmother's arms and saw her tears. He hesitated for a moment, then stretched out his small hand to wipe away her tears.

  Mrs. Zhang felt her little granddaughter's body temperature, looked down and saw that she was staring at herself with round eyes, still gently wiping her face, as if she had understood the sadness in her grandmother's words and was comforting herself. Mrs. Zhang couldn't help but smile and took her little granddaughter's hand: "Good girl, you know how to be filial to your grandmother at such a young age, Grandma appreciates it."

  She looked up at her son and daughter-in-law, continuing: "The title is already your elder brother's, you don't need to worry about it anymore. He acts unjustly, but someone will take care of him. Just now the Duke has just passed away, and the palace is showing favor, if someone were to accuse him at this time, the palace would also look at his status as the eldest son of the Duke and let him off lightly. However, the person who accuses him may not necessarily benefit from it. Therefore, it's better to put the matter aside, we'll move out and live our lives, taking advantage of the mourning period, you can focus on your studies, you're young but already have a jinshi degree, and your talent is high, after the mourning period is over, you can take the imperial examination and become a jinshi, wouldn't that be better? In this dynasty, unlike the previous one, the sons of royal families and nobles who want to serve as officials must pass the imperial examination, whether in literature or martial arts, otherwise they will only be able to guard their family business for life and not be allowed to hold real power. Your elder brother is neither good at literature nor martial arts, considering his future prospects, he will definitely not surpass you."

  Zhuo Junxin knew that his mother was telling the truth. The Taizu Emperor of this dynasty had a peculiar temper and high prestige, so he established many rules different from those of the previous dynasty. For example, the descendants of meritorious officials who wanted to serve as officials must first take an examination. With his elder brother's ability, it was uncertain whether he could pass the exam or not. Even if he passed the exam, he would not be able to hold a high position. At that time, even though he was honored as the Marquis of Jianan, he would only have an empty title. When he himself obtained the honor of being a scholar and entered the imperial court as an official, would his brother still dare to be so rude to him like today?

  Zhuo's mind was made up, and he began to comfort his wife. Mrs. Mi was originally a gentle and dignified person, but she had lost her composure for a moment due to anger. Now she gradually calmed down. Zhang Shi told them: "I had someone buy a house on Gulou Street a few days ago, with three entrances and exits, which is enough for our family to live in. Lu Ma has been tidying up over there these days, and some valuables have already been moved over. When the new marquis sends over the deeds and silver that Zhuo'er divided, we'll set off."

  Zhao Jiong and Mrs. Mi listened and both felt delighted, nodding in unison: "Mother has thought it through."

  Chang Fang didn't know about the house yet, but within these few days, they moved in, quite neat and tidy.

  Zhao revealed a radiant, toothless smile, trying her best to delight the elders. This smile was genuinely heartfelt, for she had already begun imagining the happy days that lay ahead.

  The sudden arrival of the guest broke her beautiful dream. Yiniang Qiuye reported outside the door: "Mrs. Jiang has arrived." Zhang Shi, Zhao Zhuo and Mi Shi were all very surprised. Although she was a niece-in-law, after all, she was a young woman, so Zhao Zhuo immediately went into the bedroom to avoid her. Mi Shi was afraid that the children would make noise, so she took her daughter to the east house. Zhang Shi then ordered someone to invite Jiang Shi in, leaving only Chuncao serving by her side. Chuncao lowered his head and stood behind Zhang Shi with some hesitation.

  Zhao's wife, Jiang, came in and respectfully greeted her mother-in-law. Her face was pale and her expression was very tired, obviously exhausted from taking care of her sick son for the past few days. Zhang asked about it and learned that Zhe had already recovered, so she comforted her: "As long as the child is fine, that's good. Don't be too careless in the future."

  Jiang's soft voice responded, "Sun Er's daughter-in-law just heard that the division of the family property has been settled?" She secretly glanced at Chuncao standing behind Zhang.

  The spring grass suddenly caught a chill.