Chapter 53 Recognizing Relatives
Yong'an City.
This place is home to many powerful and prestigious families. Even powerful Zhou officials like the Yuan family, who control a region, have not dared to make a move against Yong'an City. After all, their prestige is based on their aristocratic lineage, and they must respect legitimacy before actually rebelling and declaring themselves emperor.
The Guan family of Yong'an was living a harmonious life in their mansion, but this was disrupted by the sudden appearance of a real and a fake heiress.
The incident began when a peasant woman harassed the second young lady of the household, claiming to be her mother and demanding money. She could also accurately point out a birthmark hidden on the second young lady's body.
The second young lady naturally didn't believe it and sent someone to chase him away, but an old servant who was paying attention to the matter immediately reported it to the first lady.
The First Madam detained the man and interrogated him, only to discover that her daughter had been switched.
She dared not keep such a serious matter a secret and immediately told Lord Guan.
Lord Guan was furious. He had been deceived by a commoner and had raised someone else's child for so many years, while his own child was missing and his fate was unknown.
The vile woman said that when she helped deliver the baby, she had a wicked thought and switched her own ten-day-old daughter with the baby. She raised the switched newborn for three years, but then a severe drought hit, and she had to flee the famine. Unable to afford to raise the baby any longer, she gave it to a wealthy family.
Following this lead, it was discovered that the family had offended someone, and the entire family had been imprisoned and died long ago. Although the child escaped because of his young age, his whereabouts were unknown.
Lord Guan could only sigh, "This child has no destiny with our family."
That's the end of the story.
After all, the country is in turmoil and people are living in constant uncertainty. Separation is the norm. Compared to his daughter who was lost many years ago, Lord Guan's thoughts are mostly on Yong'an City.
Yong'an City was a tempting prize, and everyone wanted a piece of it. The Yuan family repeatedly sent letters urging them to surrender and pledge their allegiance. Not wanting to be controlled by others, they had no choice but to find another way.
They can't rely on the imperial court; in fact, the imperial court demands grain from them.
The young emperor sent an imperial edict ordering them to hand over grain. Everyone scoffed, "You want grain? I'll give it to you? Do you think I'm stupid?"
They certainly wouldn't openly refute the petition; instead, they would submit a memorial filled with tears and snot, stating that the severe drought of the year before last, the torrential rains of last year, and the locust plague of this year had resulted in a complete crop failure, leaving the people without food, and earnestly requesting the court to provide disaster relief.
Then write a heartfelt poem, urging Your Majesty to cherish the people, for they can no longer endure Your Majesty's exploitation.
"Plant melons under the Yellow Terrace, and when the melons ripen, the seeds will scatter."
Picking once makes the melons good, picking again makes them sparse.
Picking three times is still acceptable, but if you pick them all, you'll only have the vines left to carry home.
In this way, they gained both fame and fortune. The young emperor's incompetent roars were used to boost their seniority, ensuring they would be recorded in history as respectful and obedient officials.
The imperial court is not a major concern; the main problem lies with the Yuan family.
The aristocratic families of Yong'an City are outstanding in literature, have provisions and troops, but what they lack is a strong army.
This aligns perfectly with the concept of prevention.
Since their crushing defeat at the hands of the Yuan clan, Zhi Fang and his son have been leading their elite troops on a series of mishaps, suffering greatly and desperately needing a city that can accommodate their 10,000 soldiers.
At this time, Yong'an City extended an olive branch, and the father and son discussed it and entered the city.
Guan Zhiwei and Gao Huan, who arrived a step late, were annoyed.
Because they only had five thousand men, they left one thousand more behind to prevent the court from causing trouble.
“Zhi Fang was a renowned general praised by my father, and his son Zhi Junyuan also achieved fame at a young age. The troops under their command are elite and powerful, unlike the ones under our command. We cannot confront them head-on.”
“They have 10,000 elite soldiers and generals, while I am only 5,000 shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Fate is not kind to me at all. If only I had picked up Zhi Junyuan back then.”
"..."
Gao Huan composed himself and said calmly, "You forgot to kill his father. If you had killed his father, you could have brought him back. There's still a chance."
"Wise indeed."
Guan Zhiwei thought for a moment, "I'll sneak in by myself. It'll be easier for me to do anything. You guys are useless and will only drag me down."
Gao Huan said, "I have a humble suggestion. You can use your identity as a member of the Guan family. As a daughter of a prominent family, you can directly infiltrate the inner circle."
Guan Zhiwei frowned and said, "I originally wanted to go to recognize my relatives as Grand Tutor, to become their father, and they wanted to send me a thousand tons of grain."
"...What if the other person doesn't want to be the father?"
"Then let's talk about the knife in my hand."
Gao Huan was impressed; his father could even force people to buy and sell!
Guan Zhiwei was immersed in her fantasy of wealth, saying, "If you want to be my mother, you need two thousand tons of grain."
Gao Huan asked in confusion, "Why is Mom so expensive?"
Guan Zhiwei shrugged. "Because a father isn't necessarily your biological father, but a mother is definitely your biological mother. Cursing your father has no effect, so you sell him off cheaply."
Gao Huan was speechless for a moment. He thought for a moment and coaxed her along with her train of thought: "After you kill Zhi Fang and Zhi Junyuan, they will have to kneel down and acknowledge you. They can be your daughter or even your ancestor."
Guan Zhiwei said worriedly, "Oh dear, this is a real and fake heiress story. The real heiress is at a disadvantage. I'm going to have to live a life of humiliation and resentment."
Gao Huan was speechless for a long time before finally saying, "You overestimate yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"For the sake of your great cause, please bear with your anger for a moment and do not kill indiscriminately."
"Sure."
"Swear it."
Guan Zhiwei was furious and embarrassed. "I have such a good character, and you don't even believe my promises. You actually want me to swear an oath."
Gao Huan nodded firmly.
"I, Guan Zhiwei, am a man of my word. If I say I will not kill someone rashly, I will not kill someone rashly. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning."
"Boom—" In the midst of spring thunderstorms, amidst the dense clouds, a coincidence occurred.
The two looked at each other in bewilderment.
Guan Zhiwei said awkwardly, "Let's figure out how to go back and reunite with our relatives."
Thus, Lord Guan was soon able to reunite with his biological daughter.
The turning point came with their eldest daughter.
The Guan family's eldest branch had three daughters. The eldest daughter was already married to the Sui family in the capital. Due to the turmoil in the capital and the attack by the Yan people, the Sui family patriarch, fearing that his descendants would be slaughtered, sent all his grandchildren away to scatter and avoid disaster.
Among them, the grandson Sui Ying returned to his father-in-law's house with his wife Guan Nannan to temporarily avoid trouble.
Halfway there, Guan Nannan fell seriously ill, which delayed her journey.
Thanks to the help of a young Taoist priest.
The young Taoist priest said, "What a coincidence, I happen to be known as a divine healer."
So they mixed hot water with honey and poured it down her throat in gulps. Luckily, Guan Nannan survived.
She was extremely grateful to the young Taoist priest: "You saved my life, and I want to give you gold and silver. But besides gold and silver, what else do you want? To express my gratitude, I will try my best to give it to you."
"I don't know if you're going to Yong'an City. If it's on your way, could you give me a ride? I'd like to go to the Guan family in Yong'an."
Guan Nannan asked in surprise, "What are you going there for?"
Guan Zhiwei said, "I went there to reunite with my relatives."
She said that she was adopted by a Taoist priest when she was a child, and before he died, he gave her two divinations and told her to find her relatives.
The first hexagram is called "Transplanting Flowers and Grafting Trees".
The second hexagram is called "Chang'an Long-lasting Peace".
The divination hinted that she had been replaced and had fallen from being a genuine young lady to a life of hardship in the marketplace.
The divination indicated that her destination was Yong'an.
“Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, if I do not sever this karmic ties, I fear I will be unable to ascend to immortality.” Guan Zhiwei shook his head.
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