Chapter 159 Grandpa and Grandpa are different (two chapters in one)
Looking at Zhao Xingzhou, who was talking excitedly, Zhao Shiqing felt like a thousand horses were galloping in his heart.
As far as she knew, the Qi family was not of high status at first. Although Empress Dowager Qi's uncle and father were fifth-rank officials, their mother passed away, and the two brothers had to mourn for three years but were unable to resume their duties.
The two of them were making arrangements everywhere, and at this time, the royal selection took place.
At that time, Empress Dowager Qi was discussing marriage. The two brothers resolutely rejected the marriage that they had verbally promised and sent Empress Dowager Qi to participate in the selection.
Qi was beautiful, dignified and graceful, and was immediately noticed by the empress at the time. She begged the emperor to appoint Qi as a concubine to the third prince.
The third prince was gentle and cautious, and was not favored by his father. He was the least prominent among the princes, and almost everyone believed that he had no chance of becoming emperor.
Only three months after Qi married into the prince's mansion, she became pregnant before the prince's wife. The prince's wife was jealous and sent someone to grease the place where Qi had to pass. When Qi fell, she tried her best to protect her belly. The child was saved, but she was seriously injured.
The third prince was furious and thought that the princess was a vicious woman. From then on, he became more and more indifferent to her, and the pregnant Qi became his exclusive favorite.
One day, there was a banquet in the palace. The third prince and the princess came into the palace together, but Qi was pregnant and stayed in the prince's mansion.
Unexpectedly, during this palace banquet, the princess suddenly had difficulty breathing. Before the imperial physician arrived, she died in public.
It was later discovered that she died from choking on an apricot kernel.
Several palace maids around the prince's wife were beaten and killed for failing to serve her properly.
A few months later, Qi gave birth to a baby boy, who became the emperor emeritus.
This was the first child of the third prince, and it was seven years later that the second male child was born in the prince's mansion.
And Qi became the queen because of her son's status.
When the retired emperor was ten years old, the eldest prince and the second prince fought for the throne and both were injured. One died and the other was imprisoned for life. The third prince, who had originally had no chance of becoming emperor, suddenly became the crown prince. Two years later, he inherited the throne and ascended to the throne.
Qi's wife became the queen because of her husband's status.
At this time, the emperor had only two sons, and ministers advised him to fill his harem with more children.
Young beauties entered the palace one after another, and the emperor no longer favored Empress Qi exclusively. He had new beauties and new sons, and he especially doted on the fourth prince born to Concubine Liu.
Soon, the scandal of Concubine Liu having an affair with a guard was exposed. Concubine Liu was given poisoned wine. The background of the Fourth Prince became doubtful and he was disliked by the Emperor. From then on, he ignored him and died of a cold at the age of eight.
After the death of the Fourth Prince, although two princes were born in the harem, their biological mothers were both palace maids. Empress Qi killed the mothers and kept the sons, raising them under her knees. The two princes left the palace at the age of twelve to set up their own homes. They behaved recklessly outside the palace at a young age. They are now Prince Fu and Prince Lu, two famously foolish princes.
The second prince was weak since childhood and died at the age of fifteen. The third prince contracted smallpox and although he survived, he became pockmarked.
A few years later, the emperor was too weak to take care of himself and died of a stroke. Qi was promoted to empress dowager and supported her only son to ascend the throne.
It can be said that Empress Dowager Qi's life is a history of rising to power in the harem, but she did not live long and died before she was fifty.
In contrast to Empress Dowager Qi's ultimate splendor, the Qi family did not live well.
After Empress Dowager Qi gained the power to speak, she did not promote her own family. Her father and uncle eventually stopped at the fourth rank, and this fourth rank was only promoted after she became the queen for the sake of face.
Her younger brothers and cousins never received any benefits from her. Even the rewards she gave to her mother's family during the holidays were just tables, chairs, and screens. After she became the empress dowager, she even established a rule that women from the Qi family were not allowed to marry into the royal family. Since then, there have been no women from the Qi family in either the harem or the royal family.
There are many different opinions about why Empress Dowager Qi did this, even among the royal family. However, the most credible one is that Empress Dowager Qi already had a lover before the selection, and the two families were already discussing the marriage.
In order to protect their own future, her father and uncle used some means to force her to enter the palace for selection. Although she submitted, she became alienated from her natal family.
Even though she later became the queen and empress dowager, she never forgave the Qi family.
The retired emperor, influenced by his mother, had no good feelings towards the Qi family. During his reign, whenever a male member of the Qi family passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, he would be sent to a remote place to serve as an official with no hope of promotion.
The Qi family gradually declined and faded out of people's sight.
It was precisely because Zhao Shiqing knew the past of Empress Dowager Qi and the Qi family that she was so shocked when she heard Zhao Xingzhou say the word "Qi family".
The decline of the Qi family did not just start now. It had already begun when Empress Dowager Qi entered the palace. At that time, the Supreme Emperor had not yet been born. It has been several decades now.
Decades later, there are still people who remember the Qi family. No, there are people who can recognize that they are members of the Qi family by their appearance.
Zhao Shiqing looked at Zhao Xingzhou's opening and closing mouth, and a chill rose from the soles of his feet.
Who is this person?
Zhao Xingzhou?
This is obviously a fake name.
Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li. Although the surname Zhao sounds very common, in Dayong, whether in a storybook or a play, unless it is a eulogy for the life of Emperor Taizu, there will never be a fictional character with the surname Zhao.
Zhao is the national surname and the royal family's surname. You may happen to have the surname Zhao, but if you obviously don't have the surname Zhao but pretend that yours is, then you are guilty.
Therefore, the two characters "Xingzhou" in Zhao Xingzhou may be fake, but the surname Zhao is real.
His real last name is Zhao.
Zhao Shiqing had met a merchant named Zhao, but could that merchant Zhao recognize the appearance of a member of the Qi family at a glance?
Definitely not.
Zhao Shiqing also has the surname Zhao. Not to mention her, even Zhao Tinghan, Zhao Yunnuan, and Zhao Tingxuan, who are real members of the Zhao royal family, would not think that Wan Ruyi looks like a member of the Qi family when they see her.
Xiao Zhen had never met Empress Dowager Qi and the Qi family. The reason he knew that the three princesses took after their grandmother was because he heard it from Princess Jiayi herself.
So, Zhao Xingzhou, how did he know?
Zhao Shiqing suddenly remembered something. When Xiao Zhen first met Zhao Xingzhou in Wu, he once said that Zhao Xingzhou looked familiar.
At that time, Zhao Xingzhou was even more sloppy and unkempt than he is now, like a beggar.
But now Zhao Xingzhou looks much cleaner, at least his shoes do not expose his toes.
By the way, when Ling Bo first met Zhao Xingzhou, he once said that although Zhao Xingzhou was dressed in rags, the shoes on his feet cost ten taels of silver a pair.
"You're with this girl, but your last name isn't Zhao. You must be a servant in her family, right? Servants have indentures, and so do you? Then you must have been abducted. Do you still remember your family?"
Zhao Shiqing narrowed his eyes. This old villain was trying to trick him.
Wan Ruyi is as innocent as a child. If she continues to be fooled by him, she will probably tell the truth about Qingjing Temple.
Zhao Shiqing was quick-witted and quick-handed, and slammed the table with a loud bang, splashing tea on Zhao Xingzhou's clothes on his chest.
"The world is going downhill. You, an old and disrespectful person, dare to openly kidnap a woman in public. Humph, return the money!"
Zhao Xingzhou was caught off guard, not only was tea splashed all over him, but he was also scolded for being disrespectful to his elders. He frowned and said to Zhao Shiqing, "How can you talk to your father like that?"
Zhao Shiqing: "If you're curious about how I talk to my father, you can go down and ask them. Oh, I have two fathers, and they're both down there."
Zhao Xingzhou puffed at his beard, but he wasn't angry. "I calculated with my fingers that you will meet a noble person when you are fifteen. Do you want to know where that noble person is?"
Zhao Shiqing: "If you pay me back, I'll want to know. If you don't pay me back, I don't want to know."
Zhao Xingzhou was busy arguing with her and forgot about the matter of the Qi family.
Unfortunately, Zhao Shiqing was eloquent and Zhao Xingzhou was defeated.
What he owed was not a few hundred taels, but tens of thousands of taels.
At this moment, the teahouse suddenly became lively. The tea drinkers all leaned out to look out the window. Niu Qiu and Ling Bo also leaned over to see: "Second Miss, come and see! The Dong family has been taken away. They were tied up and taken away!"
If it were usual, Zhao Shiqing would have run to watch the fun, but this time, she sat there without moving, but looked at Zhao Xingzhou.
The Dong family is a local, and the Dongxian Temple is very popular. There is a group of believers who are willing to donate money. Even if the local government does not give face to the Dong family, they will not arrest people in front of those believers.
Someone must have put pressure on me.
Zhao Xingzhou?
Zhao Shiqing suddenly cried out in pain, clutching her stomach. Ling Bo became anxious upon hearing this: "Second Miss, what's wrong with you?"
"I have a stomachache. Let's go home!" said Zhao Shiqing.
Ling Bo grew up with her, and she knew what to do as soon as her second young lady gave her a look. When the second young lady had a stomachache, she didn't go to the toilet or see a doctor, and she didn't even drink hot water. Instead, she was in a hurry to go home. She must be pretending!
Ling Bo breathed a sigh of relief and just pretended.
"Let's go, let's go back quickly, Aunt Wan, Loach, Wangxing, the Second Miss is not feeling well, let's go home!"
Before Zhao Xingzhou could react, he saw the big one and four small ones running away. Wan Ruyi ran slowly and was dragged away by Lingbo.
By the time Zhao Xingzhou reacted, the waiter was already standing in front of him: "Sir, are you here to pay the bill? Thank you for one or two taels."
This table costs a lot. Not only does it include tea, but it also includes four dry dishes, four fresh dishes, and four dim sum. Most importantly, the tea is this year's new tea, which is expensive!
Back then, one or two taels of silver was just a drop in the bucket for Zhao Xingzhou, but he was a man of integrity, so he couldn't even come up with half a tael, let alone one or two taels.
"I didn't bring any money today, so I'll make a note of it and give it to you next time."
Zhao Xingzhou waved his sleeves and prepared to leave.
The waiter got anxious and stood in front of him: "Why are you like this? Are you trying to eat for free?"
Zhao Xingzhou: "Why didn't you stop those people when they left just now?"
Waiter: "You are older, who should we stop if not you?"
......
After some discussion, Zhao Xingzhou was left in the teahouse. Unless someone paid back the one or two taels of silver for him, he would have to stay here and work to pay back the money.
The shopkeeper saw that he didn't look rich and was worried that his unlucky look would scare away customers, so he sent him to the back to wash dishes.
There is no frying, stir-frying or deep-frying in the teahouse, and the cups, plates and bowls are not greasy. They can be simply rinsed with clean water, saving time and effort.
In the shopkeeper's opinion, this is a job that even a fool can do.
But the shopkeeper obviously underestimated the fool and overestimated Zhao Xingzhou.
In half an hour, Zhao Xingzhou broke five tea bowls and eight plates, and was finally sent to clean the toilet.
The toilet in the teahouse is for guests to use. It is not only cleaned very well, but also filled with incense and flowers.
Asking Zhao Xingzhou to clean it up was just a quick job.
But a moment later, a customer who had just entered was driven out by the sour and stinky smell.
Zhao Xingzhou vomited inside, vomiting all over the floor, making the clean toilet stink.
In the end, Zhao Xingzhou was asked to leave the teahouse.
The shopkeeper said, "It's our bad luck. You don't have to pay back the one or two taels of silver. Please leave quickly."
Zhao Xingzhou walked out of the teahouse. Night had fallen and it was time to light the lamps.
At this moment, two figures flashed out of the darkness and stood silently behind him.
Zhao Xingzhou said angrily: "Do you have any silver on you? Take one tael, no, take ten taels, and send it to that teahouse."
One tael is for tea, and the other nine taels should be regarded as compensation for the teahouse's losses. After all, the cups and plates were broken and the customers were scared away.
Zhao Xingzhou did not leave immediately. In the past one or two years, his memory has become worse, but he often remembers things from his childhood.
A woman's face appeared in his mind, and then the face changed, becoming more dignified and majestic, and the pair of eyes that were as innocent as a child also became more mature and sharp.
The evening breeze blew by, and Zhao Xingzhou shuddered violently. It was exactly like that!
"Come here, go check where the young men who were with me today live."
......
When Zhao Shiqing returned home, she couldn't wait to talk about Zhao Xingzhou with Zhen Wuduo.
Zhen Wuduo had also seen Zhao Xingzhou, but he didn't know Zhao Shiqing at that time, and he didn't pay attention to the old man next to Zhao Shiqing.
"My dear granddaughter, what are you doubting about?" Zhen Wuduo asked.
Zhao Shiqing looked around seriously, opened the window again, and said to Xiaoguai, who was standing in the corridor combing his feathers, "Stand guard here and don't let anyone get close."
After ensuring that no one could hear what was going on inside, Zhao Shiqing closed the window and said to Zhen Wuduo, "I suspect that Zhao Xingzhou is a member of the royal family."
She lowered her voice again: “I even suspect that he is the emperor.”
Zhen Wuduo was startled, and he seemed to be thinking: "The Emperor is Xiao Zhen's grandfather, a biological father. Xiao Zhen doesn't seem stupid, so he wouldn't even recognize his own grandfather."
Zhao Shiqing twitched her lips. "Grandpas are different from grandpas. There's no kinship in the royal family. Xiao Zhen has probably only seen his grandfather a few times since he turned eighteen. Moreover, the retired emperor went to Changshou Palace ten years ago when Xiao Zhen was only eight. After so many years, isn't it normal that he doesn't recognize him? Besides, who in their right mind would associate a dirty old lunatic with the retired emperor?"
When Zhen Wuduo heard the words "All grandfathers are different", he felt very happy. Although they were both grandfathers, his grandfather was far better than Xiao Zhen's grandfather.
However, could that Zhao Xingzhou really be the emperor emeritus?
Zhen Wuduo is knowledgeable and experienced, but he is also lost in thought at this time.
Zhao Shiqing continued, "Grandpa, you weren't here today, so you don't know. Zhao Xingzhou kept staring at Aunt Wan. It was so scary. If we hadn't run fast, he might have gotten something out of her. Why hasn't the pass to Liangdi arrived yet?"
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