Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 31: A Different Origin

At midnight, the sound of swords clashing suddenly came from the Dingguo Mansion, and then the lights came on. Voices of "There is an assassin, there is an assassin," "Protect the old lady," and "Protect the young master" were heard one after another. Finally, someone shouted, "The assassin ran to the East Mansion."

The guards went through the small door to the East Palace to capture the assassin, and there was chaos in the East Palace.

After a chase and fight in which no one was hurt, a few black shadows finally rushed out from the wall of the East Palace.

*

After daybreak, several carts of bricks and tiles were piled at the small gate leading to the East Palace of Duke Dingguo's Mansion. Soon, several craftsmen arrived and began to build a wall to seal the door.

The servants at the East Palace got the news and hurried to report to the second master.

The half-brother of the old Duke Dingguo was named Qiao Bieyuan. The old Duke Dingguo and his wife had been married since childhood. Although they had few children, only one son and one daughter, they refused to take a concubine. He said that he was stationed at the border all year round, and could only stay at home with his wife for a few months during his three-year return to Beijing to report on his work. "Why take a concubine? Will it disgust my wife?"

However, some people couldn't stand their harmonious marriage. Once when he returned to Beijing to report on his work, he got drunk during a banquet with a group of military officers, and it was said that he slept with a maid.

He insisted to his wife that he had done nothing to the maid, "I was drunk, I'm not a beast. She's not my wife, how can I just have sex with her?"

A month later, the old Duke Dingguo returned to the border, and the military officer sent the maid to the Duke Dingguo's mansion, saying that she was a month pregnant. The old Duke Dingguo's wife accepted her without saying a word.

When the old Duke Dingguo heard the news, he was furious. He mounted his horse and picked up his gun to come back and kill the military officer and the maid. Coincidentally, his wife's letter arrived in his account.

"My husband, you and I both know the truth, so don't be angry. Just think of it as adopting another soldier's widow and orphan. It will also shut up those villains." His wife opened a charity in the capital, taking in the widows and orphans of soldiers who were having a hard time.

When Duke Dingguo read his wife's letter, his anger disappeared like a balloon deflated.

From then on, the maid lived in the backyard of Duke Dingguo's mansion, and was served with delicious food and drink, but she never left her yard in her entire life, nor did she see the old Duke Dingguo again.

If you participate in calculations and enjoy life, you have to pay a price, and this is understandable.

She was pregnant for ten months and gave birth to a son. When naming the child, the old Duke Dingguo did not want the child to have the surname Qiao, but his wife smiled and said that there was not only one family in the Great Yan Kingdom with the surname Qiao, so the old Duke Dingguo named him Qiao Bieyuan.

His son was named Qiao Mu, and his daughter was named Qiao Sui. Qiao Bieyuan was not related to these two names, meaning that they had a different origin. When the child grew up, he did not look like someone from the Duke of Dingguo's mansion in either character or appearance.

Qiao Lili didn't know these things in her previous life. This was what the old lady of the Duke told her after the people from the East Palace left yesterday. The general meaning was that if the people in the palace behaved themselves, then the status quo would be maintained. If they caused any trouble, then no mercy would be shown, as they were not related by blood anyway.

*

After receiving the report, the second master Qiao Bieyuan hurried to the small gate to see, and saw that the wall was built up to knee height. He hurriedly took the second old lady to Zhenxiayuan to meet the old Duke's wife.

The two of them bowed and sat down, and neither of them could wait for tea to be served before explaining their purpose.

"Sister-in-law, you are so kind, why do you want to seal the small door connecting our two houses? It will be inconvenient for the children to come and pay their respects to you in the future. Besides, I am worried, thinking that our two houses will become estranged in the future."

"If the children want to come, it's not far to go through the main gate. Whether they are familiar or not cannot be affected by a small gate." The old lady of the Duke's wife had been waiting for these two people to come all morning.

This sentence blocked the second master of the East Mansion for a long time and he couldn't react. At this time, Chuntao happened to serve tea.

"Try the tea I brewed, West Lake Longjing, this year's new tea." It's good enough to give them new tea. They don't deserve the pre-rain Longjing or something like that.

"Oh, what great tea! Only at my sister-in-law's place can you drink such good tea." The second old lady had a smile on her face. In the past, when she said this, her sister-in-law, who was very proud of her appearance, would say that it was not worth anything and that she would give you two kilograms of tea when you leave.

But today she said, "If you like to drink, drink a few more cups," and then she told her maid, "Turn up the small stove for making tea and give the second old lady more hot water."

The second old lady almost choked while holding a sip of tea in her mouth. What happened to her sister-in-law today?

The second master glared at the second old lady and said, "What about the small door? What about tea? At this moment, no tea is as important as the small door. It will be sealed soon. "Sister-in-law, please tell the craftsman to stop. We are a family. There should be a door."

"Is his second uncle getting old and confused? You two brothers have been living separately since your parents-in-law passed away. You should have moved to your own house, but you were allowed to live in the East Mansion because you said you were afraid of being bullied if you were far away from your eldest brother."

"You've been two families for a long time, why are you saying you're one family today? Aren't you afraid that our Lili will affect your marriage?"

"Also, I told my nephews yesterday that this East Mansion will be used for Peng Ge'er to marry a wife. You can choose a date and move to your own house."

"You heard last night that an assassin broke into my house, and then he went to your East House through a small door. I sealed this small door for your safety, fearing that the assassin might go to your house through the small door again and start killing people. What would happen then?"

"However, this door probably can't stop any assassins. It wouldn't be difficult for the assassin to climb over the wall to your house. You said there aren't many guards in your house. What if the assassin really gets in? Our two houses are right next to each other. What if the assassin can't tell them apart and takes the wrong path and accidentally hurts you? What will we do then?"

"I think it's better for you to move out as soon as possible. Your brother and nephew are stationed at the border. They might be attacked by spies from the enemy country. It will be hard to live like this."

The wife of the old Duke spoke so much that the second master and the second old lady didn't know how to respond. Moving, where to move? The house when the family was divided had long been ruined by the three sons who spent money and lost money.

They are a big family. If they want to buy a house with at least four courtyards in the capital, it is not something that can be done without money. They are known as spendthrifts and cannot afford to buy a house.

On the surface, the Dong Mansion has four sons, one is a spendthrift, one is a playboy, and one loses money every day.