Human feelings are like water, and worldly affairs are like clouds.
The Fourth and Fifth Old Masters could never have dreamed that the clansmen who had to rely on them yesterday would dare to speak like this today.
The elders of the clan who were invited were old and had worn hair, but they were still nitpicking and making convincing arguments, starting from the time when Shang Yang issued the "Separation Order" and going through the etiquette and laws of the past dynasties, saying that every family with a prosperous clan must set up a branch government, which is beneficial to the prosperity of each family and can also help each other... He spoke in a lot of parallel sentences, but summarized it in one sentence: since the family has been divided, everyone should live separately.
You mean the old marquis? After their parents pass away, brothers who have a good relationship may be willing to live together. However, I've heard of people relying on their parents, uncles, and eldest brothers, but I've never heard of an uncle relying on his nephew.
Oh? You said the Madam is still alive? But this second wife's eldest sister-in-law is much younger than your two younger brothers-in-law. Please don't say that you don't want to move out of the Marquis' Mansion because you can't bear to leave your sister-in-law.
You're talking about Gu Tingyu. He's frail and can't afford to support the family, so it's understandable that he needs help from his elders. But Gu Tingye is very lively and energetic.
The achievements of the Marquisate today are inseparable from your active participation. Thank you for your support, your help, and your meticulous care over the years. Now you have retired. Your glorious image and noble sentiments will remain in our hearts forever.
Bye, take care, I won’t see you off.
The fifth old master was so angry that he was shaking all over and couldn't get up from his armchair. The fourth old master slammed the table and stood up: "I can stay if I want to, and I can leave if I want to. When will it be someone else's turn to tell me what to do?"
He was a tough guy to begin with, so he just acted like a scoundrel, pointing at the cowering people sitting in the back and yelling, "You shameless people, you used to cling to me like dog-skin plasters, making a living by picking up the scraps from my teeth, and now that I'm down, you're trying to kick me when I'm down! I'm telling you, I'm not leaving! If Ye brat has the guts, come and chase them away yourself!"
The momentum is very impressive, but unfortunately, he has a plan and the other party has a way to get over the wall.
After a while, Gu Tingxuan walked in from outside with cold sweat on his forehead, and whispered a few words in his father's ear. The fourth old master's face changed drastically, he gritted his teeth and stamped his feet for a long time, then sat down in the chair dejectedly and no longer argued.
Such a sudden turn of events was actually nothing surprising. Minglan didn't need to ask because the fourth room had revealed the truth on its own.
It is said that Gu Tingbing was sentenced to exile, but the same three thousand miles, to the north and to the west is very different. Three thousand miles north of the capital is the outside world, where not only is it covered with ice and snow and the people are desolate, but there are also frequent invasions and attacks by Jie slaves; forget about living a good life, being able to return home safely would be a blessing for his ancestors.
But the situation was different three thousand miles west. Ever since Emperor Wu of Han pacified the Nurgandusi, Jinzhong and Fenyuan had been largely peaceful. Coupled with decades of imperial efforts, the region had begun to see success, with fertile farmland being reclaimed and troops stationed on the border. Even further west, there were now numerous villages and county towns. Aside from the somewhat lackluster entertainment industry (the average age of women employed in brothels was over thirty-five), everything else was acceptable.
Except for a very small number of prisoners who were explicitly sentenced to exile (the unfortunate comrade Lin Chong), there was still room for negotiation for the rest of the prisoners who were given lighter sentences. It was precisely because of this that every year when the imperial court sentenced prisoners to exile, the Ministry of Justice and the government offices would do a lot of business, and it would be so busy that people would almost break down the doors (what a good unit!).
Gu Tingxuan was a kindhearted elder brother. These days, he'd been running around with money, trying every possible way to make Gu Tingbing's journey more comfortable. He could remove his shackles, ride in a carriage, and even take two servants with him. And his destination was a relatively peaceful town in the northwest, where he wouldn't have to sleep in the open and eat raw meat. Just when things seemed almost settled, something went wrong.
At that time, the rebel king had many people implicated, and many aristocratic families were involved to some extent. Among them, there were many who committed crimes similar to the Gu family, which were neither serious nor minor. They were more than fawning, but not collusion, and were not traitors. Their family still had some power and connections, and after some running around and smoothing things over, they pulled the Gu family out.
What were the most serious crimes in ancient times? Treason and treason (intending to overthrow the state).
Generally speaking, in the ancient society with strict class structure, if you were at the top of the pyramid, with a strong background and the confidence to abduct a few women, trample on people's fields, or even engage in corruption, these would be easy to deal with. At most, you would be punished with a knife to the head, and the worst punishment would be the confiscation of property and the expropriation of family members (if you were a relative of the emperor, this would not be a problem).
Only the above two items, once violated, will result in the extermination of the entire clan without negotiation. As for the extermination of three, nine, or ten clans, it depends on the emperor's mood and character at the time.
But the rebellious king committed treason.
From this perspective, the sentence given to the Gu family was a bit light. After all, they actually did errands and acted as a matchmaker for the Rebel King.
The Gu family only implicated Gu Tingbing, while other families involved several fathers, sons, uncles, and nephews. Only three years of exile? Other families often received sentences of over ten years. Naturally, these families were dissatisfied.
What? The Gu family only bought some beauties? We only helped to hire a few actors and actresses! Is selling art so much more harmful to society than selling one's body?! Do you have any conscience or justice? The families who bought the handsome boys and young prostitutes also expressed strong dissatisfaction! This is discrimination against the chrysanthemum red fruit. Isn't the usage the same?
Okay. The above was Minglan's imagination. After hearing the fascinating rumors Xiaotao had gathered, she collapsed onto the couch, pounding the bed and laughing silently.
Once the matter became clear, the Ministry of Justice also felt a headache.
Although the Gu family case was decided by the emperor, the specific sentencing was determined by the Ministry of Justice. When the imperial edict was first issued, they had guessed the emperor's intentions and given Gu Tingbing a light sentence. But now... if this gets out of hand and a few censors (you Ministry of Justice, you're just watching people serve dishes) get involved, it's bound to be troublesome. Those who are exonerated by imperial edict cannot be touched, but those who are convicted can be severely punished.
A few days later, word spread from the Ministry of Justice. It was said that Gu Tingbing's sentence would be reassessed. He would either be exiled an additional 2,000 miles (to a high-risk border area) or exiled for an additional seven years, rounding it off to ten years, with no discount. The Fourth Old Master would also have to pay a large sum of money as a "redemption."
The fourth old master was really scared this time.
If he wanted to spend the money, he had already put in a lot of it, and now there was a bottomless pit in front of him, and he didn't know whether it would be effective; if he wanted to find a way out, since the fifth-rank empty position he originally inherited was abducted, he was left with nothing and couldn't even enter the main hall of the Ministry of Justice.
After hearing the news, Aunt Liu and Mrs. Bing were stunned and dumbfounded. After regaining consciousness, they both went to beg the Fourth Old Master for help, pulling his sleeves and hugging his thighs, crying and wiping his tears, making a fuss day and night. The Fourth Old Master was helpless and could not bear to lose face, so he asked his eldest son to ask Gu Tingye for help.
No one knew what Gu Tingye said in the study, but Gu Tingxuan came out dejected. After returning and reporting what happened, he was scolded by the furious Fourth Old Master.
This went on for another two days. One day, Rongjie'er and Xianjie'er were standing in the room, reciting "The Peach Blossom Spring" aloud. Minglan sat at the head of the table, listening with a smile. The "Peach Blossom Spring" was written in a clear, elegant style, a leisurely and graceful flow that Minglan had always admired. Add to that the sisters' clear voices and lovely faces, and the room was filled with joy. Even Xianjie'er's wet nurse, watching nearby, was delighted.
After reciting the poem, Minglan nodded repeatedly in appreciation. Xianjie came over obediently, hugged Minglan's sleeve and swung her around, saying coquettishly, "Second Aunt, we have recited it, you must keep your word!"
Minglan smiled sweetly, caressing Xianjie'er's little face. "Of course it counts. I'll ask Danju to bring the cage over later. I'll also ask Manager Hao to build a small house for the little white rabbits, okay?"
Rong'er, who was shyly leaning against Xian'er, also brightened up. She whispered, "Could it be... two-layered? I could cover it with grass and flowers." Minglan laughed and said deliberately, "Sure. But you guys have to learn something else."
"Okay, okay, okay! Just point out an article, and I will watch Sister Rong recite it!" Sister Xian quickly agreed, and Sister Rong was also eager to try. Her little face was flushed, she smiled brightly, and her eyes were clear and innocent.
Minglan felt somewhat relieved.
If she were her own child, she would have grabbed his neck and yelled, "You little bastard, are you going to study or not?" or "If you don't study hard, I'll skin you alive!" There was no need to go through all this trouble! Rong Jie'er had never had an interest in books and was stubborn, making her difficult to guide. Alas... now, at least there was a way out.
I had just seen the two girls off and hadn't even had time to catch my breath when there was a commotion outside.
"Mrs. Bing Er looks unwell. Madam, please... be careful." Luzhi rushed in and reported in a low voice.
It turned out that the women from the fourth house had come in a group to attack. Minglan was startled and immediately cheered up and prepared to fight.
The guest came in and sat down, and they both greeted each other.
In fact, what Luzhi said was too conservative. Not only did Mrs. Binger look bad, but all the women in the fourth room looked gray and ugly.
After tea and greetings, Mrs. Bing, regardless of the presence of her maid, hurriedly told the story of Gu Tingbing and asked Minglan for help. Minglan listened without replying, but waved away the servants, leaving only Luzhi and Xiaotao in the inner room as a precaution, so that they would have bodyguards if a fight broke out.
"Second sister-in-law." Minglan lowered her head and blew on the tea. The enameled teacup with a goose yellow bean paste green background gently stirred the amber shimmer of the teacup. She said gently, "I told you last time that I will not interfere in our affairs outside. If the Marquis can help, that's fine. If he can't, then he must have his reasons for not being able to. It's no use for you to tell me this, Second sister-in-law."
Mrs. Bing Er stood up suddenly as if the last string had broken. She glared at Minglan with bloodshot eyes and said, "How dare you say such things! Do you want to be satisfied only when all of our family members are dead? Fine, fine, I'm going to die right now!"
Minglan glanced at her, unmoved, still smiling: "Second sister-in-law, you are joking again. Second cousin is fine, but you want to commit suicide. I wonder what your nephews and nieces will do?" The trick of committing suicide did not work on her.
The fourth old lady looked tired and sat quietly without saying a word. Madam Xuan seemed to be furious. Seeing this, she shouted to Madam Bing, "Why don't you sit down? What are you angry about? As the saying goes, a woman must obey her husband. Brother Ye has always been opinionated. What does it have to do with his wife? You keep talking about life and death. Isn't it unlucky?"
Mrs. Bing's second wife didn't want to die in the first place, so she came down the stairs and leaned over a chair, crying, "What should I do?!" She cried and said to Minglan, "I know that my brother has offended the Marquis, but I don't care about the monk's face, but I care about the Buddha's face. After all, we are from the same ancestor. How can I bear to watch his brother suffer? The Marquis is too cruel. He just watched him die without helping..."
With a thud, Minglan slammed her tea bowl down on the small wing table, her face frosty. "Second sister-in-law, please speak with conscience! What do you mean by ignoring someone in need?" She straightened her back and stood up. Her eyes swept over the three women in the family before landing on Mrs. Bing. She sneered, "Second sister-in-law, go ask around and see what kind of punishment those who have committed similar crimes against our family have received! Some have had their property confiscated, some have been exiled, and some have even been beheaded! Even if they are sentenced to imprisonment, how many people will be implicated, and how many years will it take?!"
Minglan's voice was high-pitched and filled with anger. She took a few steps forward and stared at Mrs. Bing. "Now in our family, Fourth Uncle is fine, Fifth Uncle is fine, and all the brothers are fine, and yet one of them died, and they even tried to get a lighter sentence! Humph... Who's running around and working so hard? Second sister-in-law, on the other hand, wiped it all out with just one sentence!"
Her charming eyes were large and long, narrowed into a sarcastic expression, "I originally thought that the Marquis was a bit unkind, but now it seems that, hmph, it turns out that even if you do good things, no one will appreciate it, and you will even be blamed!"
After saying that, he sat aside angrily and refused to speak again.
Normally, at times like this, Madam Xuan would come out to smooth things over, but today she seemed angry and kept silent. Seeing this, Madam Bing Er turned around and threw herself at Madam Xuan, pulling and tugging at her, crying, "Sister-in-law, please say something! You've always been on good terms with your brother and his wife, so why don't you say a few words? Are you going to watch your brother suffer?"
Mrs. Xuan's sleeve creaked as it was pulled. She pushed her sister-in-law away in anger and said indifferently, "What can I say? She's just my sister-in-law from the next room, not Tai Sui Grandpa!"
Mrs. Bing's second wife was so angry that she pointed at Mrs. Xuan and yelled, "I know what you're up to! You're planning to kill my husband so you can monopolize the family fortune!"
Mrs. Xuan was also angry. She stood up suddenly, took out a few pieces of paper from her sleeve, slammed them on the table, and shouted, "Come and see what these are?" Everyone looked over and saw a few colorful pawn tickets.
Mrs. Xuan was so angry that her face turned crimson and her neck became thick. "These days, in order to take care of my second brother, I need money everywhere, but all these years, my second brother has been in control of everything, and we haven't even touched a penny! Now that we need money, my father-in-law keeps complaining about being short of money, so my son-in-law has no choice but to pawn our belongings!"
She grew angrier and angrier as she spoke, finally angrily saying, "Sister-in-law, I haven't received a single stitch from you in all these years. Never mind! I've done my best to be your sister-in-law. Just watch your mouth. If you piss me off, we'll all have trouble living together!"
Mrs. Bing Er was speechless. She was reluctant to spend the money and wanted to leave some capital for her children and herself. She originally wanted to rely on the public funds, but she didn't expect the fourth old master to be so stingy. She was in tears and couldn't say anything for a while.
Seeing the internal strife within the Fourth House, the Fourth Old Lady finally lost her patience and stood up, pleading, "Minglan, although you've only been married a short time, I can see you have a kind heart. Now that your brother Binger is in this state, and his children are still young, don't you have any sympathy at all?"
Minglan raised her head and looked at the Fourth Old Lady with a strange look in her eyes. "May I ask, when the Marquis left home, do you know how much silver he took with him? Did he have anyone to rely on? People in the martial arts world are so brave and violent, was he safe? Where has he been all those years, and what has he been doing? Does anyone in such a large Marquisate know? Has anyone asked?"
She paused after each question, each word sharp as a knife or sword. To put it bluntly, even if Gu Tingye had died outside during those years, there wouldn't even be anyone to collect his body. Minglan, filled with contempt, said calmly, "Master Bing now has his parents worrying about him and his brother and sister-in-law running errands for him. He's much better off than the Marquis was back then."
The fourth old lady was unable to answer a single question. After a moment, she looked ashamed and whispered, "I know... the child was wronged back then."
Minglan's lips curled slightly, with a hint of sarcasm: "My niece-in-law thinks it's better for me to feel sorry for my own man first, and then feel sorry for other people's men." Her sympathy limit is very low, and it is only given to a small number of people.
Seeing that even the Fourth Old Lady was silent, Mrs. Bing II couldn't help but get anxious. Just as she was about to speak, Minglan turned her head and spoke first: "Second sister-in-law, please be frank. Considering the 'affection' between the Marquis and Mr. Bing II, he has done his utmost."
She deliberately emphasized the word "affection." Mrs. Bing was stunned. Minglan saw her expression and smiled, saying, "At this point, instead of coming to beg the Marquis, why not go back and beg Fourth Uncle?"
"Please, what do you want?" Mrs. Bing's eyes flickered.
Minglan felt contempt in her heart and said lightly, "Second sister-in-law, pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth is not a panacea."
The fifth room is much simpler. We have already started to pack up our belongings and manpower, and we will be able to move in about ten days to half a month.
Having said that, as long as it wasn't intentional, everyone would understand what Minglan meant.
Mrs. Bing II sat down dejectedly. She didn't want to split up the family. It was nice to take shelter under a big tree, especially now that even the fourth old master's empty position was gone. Mrs. Xuan Da kept her mouth shut and said nothing.
The Fourth Old Lady glanced at her two daughters-in-law, sighed, took Minglan's hand, and said in a plaintive and earnest voice, "I know my nephew is resentful. Over the years...his Fourth Uncle and Bing'er have indeed been bad. But, Minglan..."
Her voice was choked with sobs. "We will definitely move out, but, for your sister Ying's sake, can you please give it a couple of years? She's about to find someone else. If she can get married from the Marquis' Mansion, then..."
Minglan calmed herself, turned around to face her, and softened her voice, "Aunt Si, I understand your difficulties. But, let alone two years, even two months, I'm afraid the Marquis wouldn't want it. Don't blame him for being cruel. Think about those two money matters back then."
The fourth old lady suddenly looked up and said intermittently: "What is it...?"
Minglan stared at her and said quietly, "One is about Hongxiu Pavilion, and the other is about Wansheng Bank."
Mrs. Bing Er suddenly looked up and said in a sharp voice, "That's right. Those two things were exposed by my wife, and she also pointed fingers at Brother Ye. Could it be that he holds such a grudge! He..."
She couldn't continue because Minglan's cold eyes looked at her like a knife.
Minglan stared at Mrs. Bing and said word by word, "I won't discuss who is right and who is wrong in this matter today. But the truth of the matter is known only to heaven and earth, and to Mr. Bing, and to others as well. If you are honest, you can go before the Bodhisattva and swear an oath to accuse that black-hearted and cowardly man!"
Mrs. Bing Er felt guilty. She had not yet entered the house when the first incident happened, but she knew about the second incident. At that time, she was secretly glad that there was someone to take the blame, so that her family could avoid paying any money and avoid punishment.
Mrs. Xuan opened her eyes wide. She was a little confused at first, but now she was thinking it over in her mind. Gradually, she understood what was going on, and she looked at Mrs. Bing with more contempt.
The fourth old lady sighed in her heart. She had seen both of these things. Even though she didn't know the inside story at the time, she gradually figured it out later. The actions of the father and son from the fourth room were indeed despicable, and it was no wonder that Gu Tingye held a grudge against her. She had been trying to protect herself at the beginning and had never spoken for Gu Tingye, so how could she ask others for anything?
"Could it be that the hatred has been formed?" the fourth old lady said in a trembling voice.
Minglan sighed deeply and said softly, "I just don't want to continue this grudge, so I want to separate. The Marquis is furious right now, so let's just let it out first. Over time, when my nephews and nieces are grown up and have a large family... After all, I can't even write two words about care. The Marquis is kind-hearted, so how could he hold a grudge against a younger generation?"
She didn't want to make things difficult for innocent people. Although Gu Tingying was the daughter of the Fourth Old Master, she still hoped that she could marry happily and smoothly.
Hearing the word "junior", Mrs. Xuan's heart skipped a beat. The only thing she had ever worried about in her life was her three sons. In fact, Minglan had already told her the news a while ago: Gu Tingye had found a job for her eldest son, Gu Shiqu, in the Qianwei Camp.
With my uncle's support and my own hard work, I could at least have some security for the future. However, I couldn't tell anyone about this now, or I would be immediately denounced as a traitor by the entire Fourth House. I would better wait until the houses were divided. Because of this, Gu Tingxuan felt sorry for his father and brother and tried his best to help.
Mrs. Xuan had long seen that Gu Tingye and her father-in-law had a deep grudge. If they lived together and quarreled all day long, which side should Gu Tingxuan support? If he supported her father-in-law, he would offend Gu Tingye; if he supported Gu Tingye, he would also be labeled as unfilial.
It would be better to move in. Gu Tingye and the Fourth Old Master would rarely see each other anymore. Then Gu Tingye would remember the kindness Gu Tingxuan had shown her in the past, and she and Minglan would visit each other frequently, which would actually give her more help.
So from the very beginning, she was in favor of living separately.
After this conversation, no matter how dumb the Fourth Old Master was, he knew he could not get away with it. After another three or four days, and seeing that the Lady Dowager was still "bedridden" and did not speak for the Fourth and Fifth Houses, he gave up hope. He then told the elders of the clan that he would move out immediately.
So the fourth room also started to busy itself with packing up its belongings.
After decades of entanglement, the finances had to be divided clearly, the servants had to be sorted out, those who should be taken away were taken away, and those who should be left were left behind; there was chaos and for a time, the Gu Mansion was quite lively.
The autumn weather was just right, the air was dry and fresh, and with the windows wide open, Minglan was leaning against a soft pillow with a light purple cloud pattern, holding a bowl of warm snow pear soup with rock sugar and white fungus, slowly scooping it up one spoonful at a time, a faint sarcastic smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Although she had met the late Marquis Gu, she thought he must have been a kind and loving patriarch, which was why he had always protected his two younger brothers under his wings, allowing them to be so naive today.
These two uncles, one is a tyrannical scoundrel who only bullies his own people, and the other is self-righteous and indifferent.
If either of them had been more experienced, they would have thought about how to resolve past grievances, how to carefully apologize, and how to smooth over past grievances the moment Gu Tingye rose to power. Instead, they simply played up their authority as elders, trying to exploit others while also trying to save face. As a result… no matter how loud their voices were, they were already overwhelmed without Gu Tingye even having to make a move.
In the face of such powerful force, their aggressive actions seemed so weak.
Besides, Gu Tingye was right in requesting to live in separate houses this time.
Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the Celestial Empire, based on Confucianism, has emphasized the "uniqueness of the power terminal."
When applied to the national level, this theory means "there is no two suns in the sky, and no two masters for a country"; when applied to the issue of heirs, it means the system of primogeniture; when applied to marriage, it means monogamy with multiple concubines.
Through countless bloody lessons, the ancients clearly understood that once power was dispersed, endless disputes and troubles would ensue. Therefore, from Emperor Jing of Han to Emperor Wu of Han, they had to reduce the power of the feudal lords, reconciling uncles, cousins, and nephews dozens of times to keep them completely in line. Therefore, philandering ancient men took the initiative to establish rules for wives and concubines, using etiquette and rules to restrain themselves. Only by keeping the inner house under the management of the principal wife could they feel at ease outside and avoid any trouble in the backyard.
The same is true for dividing the family. When their parents are alive, sons can stay together because their father, as the head of the family, has enough authority to handle conflicts within the family. When their elder brother is alive, younger brothers stay together because of the saying "eldest brother is like father." But what happens when even the elder brother passes away?
When a nephew becomes the head of a family, if his uncles still stay at home, once there is a disagreement within the family, according to clan etiquette, the nephew has the power to make decisions; but according to the custom of respecting the elderly, the nephew should respect the opinions of his uncles.
As a result, the power terminal will be destroyed, which is very harmful to a family.
Therefore, if the Fourth Old Master refused to leave, he would not receive any support from the etiquette and law. Coupled with Gu Tingye's current power, it can be said that the Fourth Old Master is doomed to fail. Gu Tingye doesn't even need to do anything, just watch from the sidelines.
The real trouble is the lady.
She has always had a good reputation. Even if some people doubt her intentions, it would be difficult if she came out crying as the eldest sister-in-law, looking pitiful and afraid of being mistreated and bullied by her stepson, and begged the elders of the clan to keep her two uncles.
"We have to do this deal with that person first; the next one won't be a problem."
Gu Tingye's handsome face was obscure and unfathomable, his eyes as deep as the sea, revealing endless indifference.
He waited day after day, watched step by step, until the old lady withdrew her attention and stopped caring about the matter, which actually meant that she had tacitly agreed. Only then did Gu Tingye propose to live separately. He didn't need to hurt himself eight hundred times, but he would hurt the enemy a thousand times.
He was born with a violent and straightforward character. The world is like sand, soft and tough. It took many hardships to slowly grind the raging fire and glaciers into the endurance of the abyss.
"You're too righteous, and I'm afraid you'll be hard to guard against with your sinister tricks." He whispered in her ear, his eyes as calm as the sea, filled with pity and reluctance. "When there are many people, there are many things to do. Once you've dealt with all this clutter, you can slowly sort it out."
Minglan knew what he was worried about. He was worried that he couldn't protect her.
Her heart softened, and she stretched out her arms to hug his neck, pressing her lips tightly against his slightly stubbled cheek, feeling warm in her heart.
On the road of house fighting, she is not talented enough and still has a lot to learn.
【Author has something to say】
Not to mention the left and right prime ministers, they are not the terminal of power. The court needs checks and balances, but power can only fall into one place in the end. For this reason, the royal family, the empress dowager, the regent, court officials, and relatives by marriage are fighting one after another.
But you can't do this within the family. Having two wives and creating checks and balances will immediately cause chaos in the family.
Not to mention the various strange stories of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, such as the virtuous wives of Duke Wen of Jin giving up their position as the principal wife to each other, and Duke Wen's daughter giving up her position to the first wife.
In fact, at that time, because the succession system was unclear, the bloody situation was extremely severe, and it was common for brothers to kill each other.
Just talking about China after the Qin and Han dynasties, the monogamous system was basically established.
However, the concept of having a concubine still existed in ancient times, but except for a few special cases, it mostly occurred in merchant families.
Because transportation was inconvenient in ancient times, merchants needed to travel back and forth to open shops, so they needed multiple wives to manage the business. This was more popular during the Song Dynasty.
The last person in China to promote the system of co-wives was Comrade Hu Xueyan.
As his business grew bigger and bigger, he could no longer trust professional managers, so he trusted his concubines and took in many heroic women to help manage the business. Everyone, regardless of size, lived in peace with each other.
However, facts proved that the ancestors were right. After Hu Xueyan's downfall, his remaining property was in chaos due to the fight among his wives and concubines, and even the last hope of revival was gone.
In contrast, the Shanxi merchants, who had prospered for hundreds of years, seemed to have more say. They firmly rejected the idea of having equal wives, and some families even forbade taking concubines.
Now it seems that the saying "marry a virtuous wife" has been passed down.
In fact, from the very beginning, in ancient times, wives were positioned as co-managers of the family, rather than simply taking care of the husband and children.
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