"Madam, Miss Wan'er's fever has broken. You have been guarding here all night, please go back and rest."
Jun Jiuli rubbed her temples, which felt slightly swollen, to alleviate the discomfort of her headache.
The room was dimly lit by candlelight. A small, adorable child lay on the bed, her eyes tightly shut, her lips a little pale, as if enduring immense torment.
"Granny Zhang, what time is it now?"
"Replying to Madam, it is the first quarter of the Chou hour."
"It is indeed rather late, please help me back to my room to rest."
As she stepped out of the room, a gust of cold wind met her. It was the twelfth lunar month, and the weather in Shengjing was bone-chillingly cold. Even Jun Jiuli, wrapped in a cloak and holding a hot water pouch, felt a chill seep into her bones.
Dongchun, the original owner's personal maid, held an umbrella for him, while Qiuxia carried a lantern to lead the way. Several wet nurses followed behind, carefully attending to them.
After about the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, they returned to the original owner's courtyard, Tingxue Pavilion. After several maids helped Jun Jiuli settle into bed, they all withdrew.
"Shui Wa, transmit the plot."
"Yes, Host."
The original owner's name was Jiang Li, and she was thirty years old. She was the principal wife of General Tao Qianmian of the Zhao Kingdom, bestowed with the title of a second-rank imperial consort. She had borne two sons for Tao Qianmian. Her life should have been smooth sailing, but fate had been cruel.
Back then, Tao Qianmian was merely an orphaned refugee. The original owner, pitying him, brought him back to the Jiang mansion to work as a servant. He was good-looking, and after several deliberate encounters and acts of pleasing Jiang Li, the naive Jiang Li fell for him.
The Jiang family was a renowned wealthy merchant family in Jiangnan. Jiang Li was the only daughter of the Jiang family. Master Jiang deeply cherished his deceased wife and doted on his daughter, granting her every wish. Upon learning of his daughter's affections and after inquiring about Tao Qianmian's feelings,
Master Jiang went to great lengths to cultivate Tao Qianmian, hiring the most reputable scholars in the Zhao Kingdom for him and engaging the most famous martial arts masters in Jiangnan. Tao Qianmian did not fail the Jiang family's cultivation; he was proficient in both literary and military arts, possessing wisdom and courage.
The two married in the year after Jiang Li came of age. To be precise, Tao Qianmian was married into the family, and their children would take Jiang Li's surname.
Tao Qianmian had no objections to this, saying he had no attachments, that the Jiang family had made him who he was today, and that his wife and children were his everything. He vowed to love only Jiang Li for the rest of his life, completely pampering the young lady Jiang Li.
In the second year of their marriage, Jiang Li gave birth to their first child, named Jiang Chuzhuo. Seeing that his daughter had given birth to a son and that his son-in-law had no objections to the child taking the Jiang surname, Master Jiang began to trust Tao Qianmian somewhat.
He started taking Tao Qianmian along to handle the Jiang family's business affairs, but he was not foolish. The seals representing the Jiang family were all in his possession.
They would be passed directly to his grandson in the future. Should anything happen to him in the future, Tao Qianmian would merely be an outsider managing the assets for his daughter and grandson.
Tao Qianmian was aware of Master Jiang's caution. He pretended to know nothing and devoted himself to working for the Jiang family. After winning Master Jiang's trust, he proposed to join the army.
At that time, the Jin Kingdom was invading, and the battlefield was fraught with danger. Jiang Li did not want him to go, but he delivered a passionate speech, expressing his desire to shed blood and sacrifice for the country and to earn an imperial consort title for his wife.
If anything were to happen to him on the battlefield, their son was already seven years old, and his wife would have a support. He persuaded Jiang Li through emotional appeals and logical reasoning. Jiang Li was convinced.
She tearfully pleaded with Master Jiang to agree to Tao Qianmian joining the army. Master Jiang had previously hired tutors to teach Tao Qianmian, intending only to gain a good reputation and remind Tao Qianmian of the Jiang family's great kindness to him.
Therefore, he had always involved Tao Qianmian in business over the years. After all, in this era, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants were distinct classes. If Tao Qianmian were to cross this boundary one day, he would be beyond his control, and what if his daughter were to suffer injustice?
However, seeing his daughter's piteous pleading, he couldn't bear it.
Recalling Tao Qianmian's conduct over the eight years since he married into the family, he thought that a person couldn't maintain such a facade for so long. Thus, his heart softened, and he agreed to let Tao Qianmian join the army.
Tao Qianmian left for three years. Master Jiang passed away in the second year after his departure. In those two years, Master Jiang had a premonition of misfortune. He personally taught his grandson how to manage the family business, and Jiang Chuzhuo showed great talent in this regard.
At the young age of nine, he was able to firmly grasp the reins of the Jiang family. After his maternal grandfather's death, he and his mother handled all the funeral arrangements, and everything was done in an orderly fashion.
When people in Jiangnan spoke of this young master Jiang, they were all full of praise. They sighed that Jiang Li was fortunate to have a good father and a filial son, and that her life was destined for enjoyment.
Another year passed, and good news arrived from the border. The Zhao Kingdom had soundly defeated the enemy army, advancing all the way to the capital of the Jin Kingdom. The Jin Kingdom surrendered and pledged allegiance, needing to pay tribute and taxes to the Zhao Kingdom annually.
After the victory, all soldiers returned to the capital for commendations and rewards. Tao Qianmian was among them. He had repeatedly thwarted the enemy's schemes, leading his soldiers to victory against superior numbers, and had made great contributions to the conquest of the Jin Kingdom.
Furthermore, he had no background or connections, so the Emperor trusted him implicitly. He was appointed a first-rank General of Might, and the original owner was enfeoffed as a second-rank imperial consort. He was also granted a mansion in the capital.
He sent for his wife and son, who were in Jiangnan, to return to the capital. The plaque now read "General of Might's Mansion." He had successfully risen from obscurity and was no longer just a minor son-in-law of the Jiang family.
However, he dared not abandon Jiang Li, nor could he force his legitimate son to change his surname. Doing so would earn him a reputation for being unrighteous and unjust, and the civil officials in the Censorate would certainly not let him off the hook.
Jiang Chuzhuo had not seen his father for a long time and was very fond of Tao Qianmian. After spending some time together, Tao Qianmian tricked him out of the Jiang family's token of trust, and from then on, the Jiang family's assets changed hands.
Initially, the account books were still sent from various regions for Jiang Chuzhuo to review, but after Tao Qianmian's deliberate guidance,
Jiang Chuzhuo began to feel that merchants were not respectable. He was the legitimate young master of the General's mansion and should not be occupied with account books all day.
He even resented his mother for her humble origins, which caused him to be ridiculed by the young scions of other noble families in the capital. He then handed over all matters to Tao Qianmian to handle on his behalf.
The couple had only reunited for a short while when Jiang Li became pregnant again. Now that Tao Qianmian held a high position and had no concubines in his household, and his eldest legitimate son already carried the Jiang surname, Jiang Li proposed that this child should take her husband's surname, Tao.
Tao Qianmian readily agreed, even praising Jiang Li for her virtuous and generous nature. The couple was in deep affection, but this made Jiang Chuzhuo hate his mother even more. Why wasn't he the one who took his father's surname?
After the birth of his younger brother, Tao Zhici, his jealousy intensified. His father clearly favored his younger brother more. His brother enjoyed the honors he had missed in his childhood, and the jealousy within him consumed him.
However, he was still young, and his younger brother was surrounded by numerous servants. He had no reliable forces in the General's mansion, so he could only endure and plan meticulously.