Every year, several families would go together to worship their ancestors, but this year, the clan elder Ji asked the third son to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion at home during the Qingming Festival on the grounds that he had behaved inappropriately.

So as not to offend the ancestors of the Chen family.

She was a woman who traveled thousands of miles with her son to follow the other two families back to their ancestral home in their hometown.

Bai had a bad temper. The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became, and he kept cursing all the way.

From her husband's incompetence to the eldest wife of the Chen family taking advantage of others' misfortune, everyone was vicious, and she was the only one who had a miserable life.

As the only son of the third wife, Chen Tang was placed with high hopes since he was a child. However, he was stupid and failed to pass the imperial examinations for several years.

He couldn't even pass the provincial examination.

"Mom, stop scolding me. Your throat doesn't hurt, but your son's ears are about to get calluses."

Chen Tang leaned against the couch, looking quite lazy, with the collar of his clothes askew, not looking like a young man from a noble family at all.

Bai glanced at him sideways, reached out and grabbed his arm: "Why don't you sit down?!"

"Look at what you're like now! What a disgrace!"

The more Bai spoke, the angrier she became, and her eyes turned redder.

What sin have I committed to marry a useless husband and give birth to a prodigal son!

Chen Tang was dissatisfied, so he simply lifted the curtain to stop the carriage, jumped out of the carriage and took the first horse to ride.

Bai was left alone in the car, feeling angry.

He was too lazy to argue with Bai, an elderly woman. His father didn't like Bai, and he didn't like his mother either.

In the car in front, the first and second wives also heard the noise behind. Chen's mother lifted the curtain to take a look outside, then put it down without saying a word.

Father Chen was a little curious. Seeing that his wife looked unhappy, he asked in confusion, "Madam, what happened outside the car?"

Every year when we worship our ancestors, there will always be some minor mistakes along the way.

Most of them are caused by the dishonest people in the second and third wives.

Chen's father and mother were used to it and had a gentle temperament. They didn't mind the noise they deliberately made. As long as everyone could save face, the family would be harmonious.

Mother Chen sat upright in the car, closing her eyes slightly and taking a nap, as if out of sight, out of mind.

But his tone was unusually bad: "Tang'er from the third room got off the carriage and rode on horseback, but he didn't ride with my third brother and sister-in-law."

Father Chen knew what had happened. He narrowed his eyes and said with a shrewd smile, "It must be that Bai who taught Tang Er a lesson again, and made him upset."

"Yeah." Chen's mother was not the kind of person who liked to gossip, so she agreed and said nothing more.

As for the second wife's carriage, Mrs. Lu, who had guessed the situation, sneered, "That foolish woman, Mrs. Bai, is so eager for quick success and instant benefits. She only wants her son to pass the imperial examination and her husband to get promoted."

"He keeps the family in turmoil all day long. With three wives, he can become rich and powerful. What is impossible in this world?"

Lu scoffed in a low voice.

Uncle Chen always liked to watch plays. Not only did he not sympathize with the third brother's experience, but he even used it as a joke to tell his colleagues behind his back.

"If you ask me, it's all the eldest wife's fault. If the eldest wife could restrain herself, why would the third brother do this?" Uncle Chen said sanctimoniously, sighing and shaking his head.

Mrs. Lu glanced at him and handed him the brewed Biluochun tea. "Husband, what's the point of the third room? They will have their own sufferings."

"But the third house is so stupid, it's a good thing for us." Mrs. Lu and Uncle Chen looked at each other, each with his own ulterior motives.

It is easy to get rid of the third wife, but it will take more than one day to overthrow the first wife.

Mrs. Lu rolled her eyes, as if remembering something, and lowered her voice even more: "The money from Zhou Zhan, the Minister of Works, has been deposited into the account."

Upon hearing this, Second Uncle Chen was immediately delighted: "He is a straightforward person."

The couple understood each other tacitly.

Uncle Chen's expression suddenly changed slightly: "Madam, do you think this is safe?"

"How is it unstable? Does he dare to tell anyone about this? This year's floods are serious. The Ministry of Works previously embezzled money, and the houses they built are as fragile as tofu. If they want to avoid being discovered by Chen Zhizhou, they have no choice but to ask us for help."

"Besides, we don't really need to do anything. We just take the money and give the excuse."

Mrs. Lu became increasingly annoyed and said harshly, "Chen Zhizhou is a troublemaker. Why should we confront him head-on? If we don't take advantage of the opportunity, we'd be a fool."

"Besides, all the Chen family's wealth has been in the hands of the first branch over the years. How much benefit has our second branch gained? When our Shu'er returns to Beijing to take up his post, how much money will it cost? We have to make plans for Shu'er too."

Although Uncle Chen had many women in his life, he only had this one son.

Besides, he was also a genius. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 20. However, his luck was worse than that of the eldest wife. He was sent to a remote area to open up wasteland and farmland as soon as he took office.

When he returns to Beijing to report on his work, he will be able to surpass Chen Zhizhou sooner or later!

Thinking of this, his expression became firm: "Madam, you are right."

The carriage journey takes a whole day to reach Huaishui Township.

When Chen Zhizhou traveled with Gu Qing for the first time, he deliberately slowed down his pace, and the couple took the opportunity to appreciate the scenery.

The old man was weak and could not bear the fatigue of a whole day's journey. In addition, there were occasional unpleasantness in the third room, so it took him a day and a half to reach Huaishui Township.

Huaishui Township is nestled between mountains and rivers, and is a spiritual place.

Every household here was engaged in business and literature hundreds of years ago, so now every ancestral home has been repaired very exquisitely and well, and is built in rows around the mountain.

The Chen family's ancestral home is located there.

In recent years, as the Chen family has become more prominent, the house has been renovated to become more luxurious, with a courtyard with eight entrances and eight exits built halfway up the mountain.

You can overlook the magnificent Huai River and the charming green mountains.

As the sun sets, six horse-drawn carriages enter the ancestral home through the gate.

The other children of the families who came back to worship their ancestors on the road all stretched their heads to look inside, wanting to see what Chen Zhizhou, the eldest son of the Chen family who had always had a bad reputation but a bright future in the officialdom, looked like now.

The prodigal sons of other families have no hope for the future, but Chen Zhizhou, the third son of the Chen family, is an exception.

Gu Qing looked back at the curious villagers and saw that they were all amazed and surprised. She subconsciously held Chen Zhizhou's hand tightly, feeling uncomfortable.

Originally, she was just like these people, looking down on Chen Zhizhou, who had a bad reputation, and was amazed that such a bad person could actually get involved in officialdom.

But now that she knew the truth behind it, she couldn't help but feel anger and pity.

Chen Zhizhou's official career was built by him with every move he made.

When he first entered officialdom, he was constrained in every way like everyone else, and became a stepping stone and scapegoat for others.

It is because of enduring so much hardship that we are where we are today, feeling at ease and at ease.

Chen Zhizhou saw the sadness in Gu Qing's eyes and thought that she was not acclimatized and could not stand the humidity of the Huai River. He immediately ordered the servants to clean the room on the east side of the second floor.

That room is bathed in sunlight all day long and has a great view. It was originally where Taizu lived.

After Taizu passed away, the room became empty.

The third and second wives both heard what he said.

Bai was impatient and had suffered a lot on the way, so she said bluntly: "I'm not saying anything bad about you, Zhou'er, but that's Taizu's house. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for Gu Qing to live in it."