Having obtained her Taoist ordination certificate and registry, Ding Yun was naturally unwilling to remain at Dong'an Temple any longer. There was no real need for her to continue studying Taoist scriptures, after all, she didn't need to take any more ordination exams. Furthermore, her understanding of Taoist scriptures in all aspects had long surpassed that of the nun Yunqi, making it more than sufficient.
Therefore, she took her leave very quickly, writing to inform nun Yunqi that she was traveling the world and would visit her again if she had the chance. Then, she bought a mule and began her journey, traveling the world while inspecting industries in various regions, opening new grain stores, and even assisting with grain transportation. In short, she didn't rest at all.
Of course, this was her career. Beyond her business pursuits, her nosy nature and her quest for good food remained undiminished. So, everywhere she went, her first stops were always at local eateries recommended by residents and tea houses where she could gather a lot of information. It was there that she finally caught up on news she had missed over the past year while confined to a small place. And she was quite shocked.
She heard this in a tea house in Yangzhou city and later confirmed it by inquiring in other places, which made her reasonably sure that what they said was true.
"Have you all heard about what happened with the Rongguo Mansion?"
"Heard about what? Are you talking about how the eldest master Jia bravely did his duty and turned in his own servants to be imprisoned, or how he outsmarted his sister-in-law, leading to the revelation that Madam Xue Wang had been counterfeiting money and even selling ancestral land? Those are practically ancient history by now!"
"No, your news is too outdated. Why would I specifically tell you about those trivial old matters? I'm talking about why the eldest master Jia couldn't live in Rongxihall!"
"We know that too. Isn't it just because his mother doesn't like him and dotes on his younger brother? That's not particularly strange, is it? After all, there's an old saying: the emperor favors the eldest son, and the common folk dote on the youngest. For an old woman, doting on her youngest son is quite understandable!"
"Haha, you're wrong about that! The explosive news that came out not long ago is that the eldest master Jia, leveraging his recent meritorious service in disaster relief, directly submitted a memorial to the emperor stating that he was no longer a Duke, but merely an ordinary first-class general. He claimed he was unqualified to continue residing in the Duke of Rong's mansion and requested the emperor to remove the plaque. He proposed replacing it with a plaque for a first-class general's residence. This led to an internal conflict within the Jia family. Jia She even produced evidence that Madam Jia had secretly had his first legal wife killed and allowed his second wife to harm his eldest son, causing an unbearable uproar."
"Let me tell you, that's not all. The most sensational part is that Madam Jia later directly revealed that Jia She was not her biological son at all, and that her only biological son was Jia Zheng. She even publicly cursed him, calling him merely a son born to a concubine. It is said that during the time the former Duke of Rong was at war, he had a maidservant attend to him. Because he was the only male heir of the Duke of Rong's mansion at the time, he was directly taken back to the Duke of Rong's mansion by the former Duke of Rong's mother, Madam Jia's mother-in-law, and raised by her personally. Later, to ensure that the family's sole heir, Jia She, could smoothly inherit the title in the future, she even registered Jia She under Madam Jia's name, making him the legitimate eldest son and heir of the Jia family. Madam Jia herself said she had no choice. Her husband might not return alive from the battlefield, and with only one male in the family, her future would likely be even more difficult if he wasn't registered under her. So, she reluctantly accepted. However, didn't the former Duke of Rong return later? Although he was severely injured, he did return alive and even had a pair of children with Madam Jia. Having her own biological children, it was quite natural for her to not favor the adopted concubine-born son. But at that time, the former Emperor was looking for a companion for the Crown Prince, and Jia She was the only one in the Jia family of suitable age. Thus, Jia She very smoothly became the companion to the former Crown Prince. With the status of Crown Prince's companion, Madam Jia found it even harder to act against Jia She. Coupled with the former Duke of Rong's satisfaction with Jia She, his position as heir apparent became even more secure. Especially after the former Emperor specifically bestowed the title of Marquis En upon Jia She, his position as heir apparent became almost unshakeable. If nothing unexpected happened, he would have inherited at least the rank of Marquis, as the title 'Marquis En' was personally bestowed by the former Emperor. These circumstances, combined with the protection of the first-generation old madam of the Duke of Rong's mansion, allowed him to grow up smoothly."
"Wait, but what you're saying isn't entirely correct. Didn't he inherit the title of first-class general? And what use is the title 'Marquis En'?"
"Oh, I haven't finished yet. I was speaking of a situation without unexpected events. But the reality is that there were unexpected events, isn't that right? Have you forgotten that the former Crown Prince was deposed? The former Crown Prince was deposed over ten years ago for rebellion and later committed suicide. When a person dies, we often show mercy. The former Emperor was unwilling to blame the former Crown Prince further and naturally shifted the blame to those who were close to the former Crown Prince, accusing them of failing to properly guide and teach him. Thus, the former Grand Tutor Zhang narrowly escaped the extermination of his clan, only being spared through the pleas of countless civil officials. Jia She, as the former Crown Prince's companion, was naturally disfavored by the former Emperor. However, the former Duke of Rong was severely injured while protecting the Emperor. It was too late to change the heir apparent, and he soon passed away. This led to the subsequent situation in the Duke of Rong's mansion. Moreover, it seems that those who knew these matters have been keeping them from Jia She. Therefore, Jia She was completely unaware. With the words 'not biologically related' as evidence, Madam Jia's previous inexplicable actions, her favoritism towards her younger son, and her strong dislike for her eldest son all had a reasonable explanation. The noble families are truly quite something."
"So that's how it is. It seems Jia She has completely fallen out with his stepmother. Now that there are no ties of a biological mother, things will likely get even uglier."
"Indeed. Although Jia She is quite miserable, I can understand Madam Jia's actions to some extent. After all, who among mothers doesn't want to plan for their children? The biological and non-biological ones are ultimately different. Men might feel there's no significant difference as they are both their offspring, but for the matriarch, whether they came from her womb does make a difference."
"If you ask me, if Jia Zheng was also completely unaware of this situation back then, then he would likely be the most tormented now. Because if we consider his true identity, he is the legitimate eldest son, yet his status and position were usurped by Jia She. How could he not feel dejected in his heart?"
"Who can say otherwise!"