Chapter 32 Marital Disharmony

Shen Qingtan glanced at it casually and said with a smile: "Second Aunt, I trust you to do the job, no need to look into it carefully."

The second wife smiled and sat down again.

Duke Zhao learned the whole story from the old lady. No one with any brains would believe the second lady's poor excuse.

However, in order to consider the overall situation, Shen Qingtan did not pursue the matter further, but instead let it go.

The way she handles things is quite like that of a lady of the royal family.

The King of Zhao warned: "Since ancient times, a single tree cannot support the family. You are all of the same blood and branches. Only by working together can the family prosper."

Shen Qingtan stood up together with the elders: "We will follow the teachings of our father/grandfather."

The eldest master and the eldest mistress looked relaxed and at ease.

Zhao Yi looked calm, occasionally coughing softly.

The Second Master and the Second Mistress had stern faces and dared not utter a word, knowing in their hearts that they were being warned.

Shen Mingzhu was afraid of Duke Zhao, so she kept her head down and didn't dare to say a word.

Zhao Jue looked ahead with an unfocused gaze, thinking about the military rations.

The third master and the third lady were born out of wedlock and were somewhat timid. They would stay in their own yard unless it was necessary. Now, facing this somewhat depressing atmosphere, they wished they could become invisible, for fear that the war between the first and second houses would spread to them.

Shen Qingtan looked at everyone's expressions calmly, and his eyes fell on the two people in the corner.

The fourth master resembled the Duke of Zhao in appearance, with sharp sword-like eyebrows, sharp black eyes, and a tall and straight figure, but he did not look rough. He sat in the chair with a strong posture, and had an aura that could not be ignored.

The Fourth Lady was a striking beauty, with eyebrows as dark as distant ink, eyes as bright as autumn waves, lips like cherries, and slender shoulders and waist. Standing next to the Fourth Master, she looked even more delicate and fragile.

The couple looked left and right, and accidentally glanced at each other, then turned their eyes away indifferently.

The Fourth Lady seemed to notice her gaze and looked over at her.

Shen Qingtan met her eyes and was stunned for a moment.

The fourth lady frowned slightly and looked away without emotion.

Shen Qingtan remembered that the Fourth Lady was the youngest daughter of the Minister of Personnel and was originally destined to enter the palace as a concubine. After her coming-of-age ceremony, she was abducted by bandits while visiting the mountains to worship Buddha. She was missing for three days and two nights before being rescued by the Fourth Master and hastily married into the Duke's mansion.

The Fourth Lady married a legitimate daughter to a bastard's son, which clearly showed that she was dissatisfied with the marriage.

The fourth master didn't seem very satisfied either.

The couple are fed up with each other.

While she was lost in thought, the Duke of Zhao mentioned the matter of military rations: "I have collected 150,000 dan of grain and need men and horses to transport it to the northern border."

Everyone looked at Duke Zhao in unison, and all had something to say.

The eldest lady's heart was beating fast. If the food was not collected by Zhao Jue, it didn't necessarily mean that Zhao Jue was escorting it.

She kept looking at the master.

The eldest master cleared his throat and was about to speak when the second master spoke first, "Father, Jue'er took on the task of collecting military rations. It only took him three days to find 100,000 dan of grain. Who knew that the profiteer wanted to curry favor with you and sold the grain to you instead of Jue'er?"

Duke Zhao's face darkened.

The Second Master was completely unaware. He rubbed his big belly and smiled, "You can give the job of transporting military rations to Jue'er. He is already on duty in the barracks, so he is the most suitable person."

"He can't even handle a small grain merchant, how can I trust him with the task of transporting grain?" Duke Zhao asked back.

The smile on the second master's face froze.

Zhao Jue clenched his fists, his expression gloomy.

Duke Zhao asked Zhao Yi, "What do you think?"

"Fourth Uncle, go." Zhao Yi coughed lightly a few times and saw that Fourth Master's eyebrows were twisted into a knot. He smiled and said, "Fourth Uncle is a military commander. He once escorted grain to the northern border. No one is more suitable than him."

The Second Master and Zhao Jue subconsciously looked at Duke Zhao. Seeing Duke Zhao's pensive look, their faces instantly turned pale.

Zhao Jue could no longer bear it and stood up suddenly. "Grandfather, my fourth uncle still has work to do and he just returned from the northern border. Why not let him stay in the capital for a few more days? I volunteered to escort the grain to the northern border. If I can't deliver it in time, I will resign."

"You signed the military order earlier. Half the time has passed. How much food and fodder have you gathered?" Duke Zhao's voice was old, but still full of energy. "Hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the northern border are waiting for food and fodder to save their lives. If you can't deliver it in time, hundreds of thousands of lives will be at risk. How can you shoulder this responsibility by resigning from your post?"

Zhao Jue gritted his teeth, determined to fight for himself.

Duke Zhao has already said, "Fourth Brother, you go and see him off."

The fourth master looked at the instigator with sharp black eyes, only to see Zhao Yi leaning against the back of the chair with a sickly look, the corners of his lips slightly raised. The candlelight reflected on his cold and pale face, which showed his unparalleled elegance, magnanimity and openness.

The fourth master's fist hardened. If Zhao Yi stood in front of him, he would punch him to death.

"I understand." The fourth master said with a sour face: "I won't eat. I have something else to do. I'll leave first."

For a moment, some people were happy and some were sad.

The huge stone in the eldest lady's heart was lifted, and she felt relieved.

The second master and the second mistress looked displeased. They had schemed so hard, but in the end, the fourth room got the better deal.

Zhao Jue suppressed the anger raging in his heart and wanted to leave with a cold face.

"Zhao Jue," Duke Zhao called out to him. "You are young and impetuous, and you need to be tempered. I have already petitioned the Emperor to appoint you as Deputy Commander of the Five Cities Military Command. You will take up the post tomorrow."

Zhao Jue stood still and looked at Duke Zhao in disbelief.

He was originally a fifth-rank general of Wude, but was demoted to a seventh-rank deputy commander.

Zhao Jue realized belatedly that the second house's little tricks were being whitewashed on the surface and were not being pursued.

In fact, demoting him now is a punishment for them.

The second wife felt as if she had been struck by lightning, as if the sky had fallen down, and her face turned pale.

She worked hard to help Zhao Jue get promoted, inherit the title, and become the highest official in the country.

For this purpose, she did not hesitate to empty her family's savings and spent the 120,000 taels of silver to redeem Shen Qingtan's dowry and appease the anger of Duke Zhao and the old lady.

Not only did the Duke of Zhao deprive Zhao Jue of the opportunity to show off his merit by escorting military supplies, he also demoted him.

As a junior general, you can lead troops to reinforce the border in times of emergency, and if you perform well, you can be promoted and given a title. But the deputy commander is in charge of public security in the capital, and he has a commander above him. What future does he have?

It’s gone, all gone.

She tried to grab the dowry, but lost it and had to pay out more than 100,000 taels of silver.

She wanted a title, but if she didn't get it, Zhao Jue couldn't keep his original official position.

The second wife's eyes went dark and her body slid limply to the ground.