Chapter 1
On the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the first year of the Hongde reign, at noon, heavy snow fell in Taiping Prefecture, Nanzhili.
In front of the main gate of Zhang's mansion in Shengpingfang, dozens of ragged beggars were squatting at the foot of the wall.
One of the beggars with a bald head said, "Last month, the second wife of the Zhang family gave birth to the young master at this time. The Zhang family was very generous in donating money for the wedding. I even received a bowl of delicious goose meat porridge."
Another beggar with a crooked mouth said, "Who knows whether the Zhang family's grandmother gave birth to a boy or a girl? If it's a girl, then we've waited so long for nothing."
The beggars all knew the rules of the Zhang family. When a young master was born, they would give alms of 100 strings of cash and set up a porridge stall for seven days to serve non-vegetarian porridge. When a young lady was born, the alms would be halved and a porridge stall would be set up for three days to serve vegetarian porridge.
While the beggars were whispering to each other, a servant came out holding a bamboo pole with firecrackers hanging on it and lit it.
Amid the crackling sound of firecrackers, the servant announced the good news in a hoarse voice: "A unicorn has brought a child. The Zhang clan's matriarch, Jiang, has safely given birth to the 39th-generation direct descendant of the Zhang family. May the incense flourish forever and prosper for generations to come."
Four servants came out carrying two bamboo baskets full of copper coins. The beggars grinned and scrambled to grab the wedding money that the servants had thrown on the ground.
*
Zhang Mansion, Chonghua Courtyard.
In the main room, Mrs. Jiang was lying on the bed, looking at her newborn daughter in the cradle, and sighed several times.
Mother Xue served Mrs. Jiang some bird's nest porridge and consoled her, saying, "Grandpa has already ordered you to raise this fifth daughter as a boy. In the future, the huge family business of the Zhang Mansion will be handed over to our fifth daughter. Grandma, please stop sighing and don't let your blessings go to waste."
"It's my fault that I was useless. In the end, I still didn't give birth to a son for the deceased eldest master." Madam Jiang stroked the baby's wrinkled face. "If the second master hadn't been spoiled by the old lady since he was a child, and only knew how to eat, drink, gamble, and have sex, the old man would have been afraid that the second branch would ruin the family business. He also felt guilty about the eldest master's death for the orphans and widows in our first branch. That's why he decided to make me, a daughter who was born without a father, the second young master of the Zhang family."
Madam Xue said, "I heard from the Second House that the Second Master was scolding the Second Mistress, who was still in confinement after giving birth, saying, 'Second Mistress shouldn't have helped the First Mistress at the First Master's funeral. You should have fainted and fallen down the stairs, causing the miscarriage.' The Second Master is truly despicable, and the Second Mistress is truly pitiful."
Madam Jiang: "Tell the maid to pack a few stalks of the finest ginseng and secretly send them to Second Madam's Xianyun Courtyard. If I could get out of bed, I would go and speak a few words on her behalf. She is always so weak-willed. Yet, such a kindhearted person who sympathizes with the poor and the weak is constantly bullied by Second Master."
After Mother Xue left, Madam Jiang picked up the baby and rocked it gently in her arms. She tapped the baby's nose and said, "I don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse for you. You should have been named Wan Ning, but your grandfather gave you a boy's name."
Madam Jiang placed her cheek against the baby's, tears welling in her eyes as she said, "Xihua, my good son, you must strive to be a good person and support the Zhang family in the future."
She had no choice but to raise her youngest daughter as a son for the sake of her family.
*
Zhang Xihua traveled through time and space to become a baby in the cradle, who was now three months old.
This three-month-old baby took many short naps during the day and slept for a full night. Out of the twelve hours a day, he spent seven or eight hours sleeping in the cradle, making Zhang Xihua feel groggy.
Before Zhang Xihua traveled through time, her family was happy. Her father was a professor in the history department of a 211 university, her mother was a well-known Chinese medicine practitioner in the industry, and she had an older brother who was a doctoral student in Ming history. She herself was a master's student in Chinese classical literature and was traveling around the motherland just a few months after graduation.
The accident happened on the day she was climbing the mountain. When she was about to reach the top, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and then there was a strong wind, lightning and thunder. She was struck by a lightning and then traveled here.
This is the Ming Dynasty that her brother dreams of day and night. Her brother's "Ming fan" should be sent here. She doesn't want to be a time-traveling girl. Life here is not as comfortable as in modern times. Just losing one of her best friends, the "mobile phone", is enough to break her heart.
Oh, God! If you have eyes, please send me back. I miss my dad, mom, and brother... I miss milk tea, hot pot, and barbecue... I miss Cha Cha Wan, Monica, and Mei Ling from my Animal Crossing island...
Heaven did not hear her voice, so Zhang Xihua had to settle for the second best, hoping for some system that would allow her to start a life of cheating. However, her wishful thinking was ultimately unrealistic. She was just a baby without any golden fingers during the Hongde period of the Ming Dynasty.
Fortunately, the Zhang family is a wealthy family, a family of calligraphy and poetry. She has also seen the name of Old Master Zhang in her family tree, so she can be said to have traveled through time to the body of her own ancestor.
But she couldn't understand why she was the granddaughter of Old Master Zhang, whose name was Zhang Xihua and who was born on November 11, the first year of Hongde in the Ming Dynasty. Wouldn't she become the powerful Prime Minister in the future?
If her brother knew the truth of history, he would find that there was a fatal mistake in his past research.
Zhang Xihua, the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty, should be a female.
Let’s talk about the Zhang family of the Ming Dynasty. They once had a queen. Because she was a relative of the emperor, she was awarded the hereditary title of Marquis Yongjia.
When the title was passed down to Zhang Xihua's grandfather, Old Master Zhang, the Zhang family was still able to maintain its former glory.
Old Master Zhang was a scholar and rose to the position of Minister of Rites in Nanjing. At the age of sixty, he petitioned for his retirement and returned to his hometown, Taiping Prefecture, Nanzhili, with his family to enjoy his old age.
Old Master Zhang married the daughter of Duke Cao of Yingtian Prefecture, Nanzhili. The couple had two sons and one daughter.
The eldest son, Zhang Jianwen, Zhang Xihua's father, had the potential to become a prime minister. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 22 and was promoted to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites at the age of 30. Unfortunately, he died of illness at home less than half a year after his promotion.
The second son, Zhang Jianren, is Zhang Xihua’s prodigal uncle and is best at eating, drinking, whoring and gambling.
Last year, there was an epidemic in Taiping Prefecture. Coincidentally, Zhang Jianwen returned home from the capital to visit his relatives. He and Zhang Jianren both contracted the disease. Zhang Jianren had a mild case, while Zhang Jianwen had a severe case.
At that time, the eldest grandmother of the Zhang family, Mrs. Jiang, went through great pains to get two special medicines from her mother's family. Old Mrs. Zhang, who favored her second son, was confused and secretly gave both special medicines to Zhang Jianren without telling the whole family. Zhang Jianwen drank some water boiled with the residue of the medicines.
As a result, Zhang Jianwen's serious illness developed into a terminal illness and he died.
There was no one from the main branch of the Zhang family serving as an official in the court.
Old Master Zhang scolded Old Madam Zhang for three days and three nights. He was so angry that he fell seriously ill and had to stay in bed for two months before he recovered.
As for the eldest daughter, Zhang Mingzhu, as her name suggests, she is the apple of the eye of Old Master Zhang and Old Madam Zhang.
When Zhang Mingzhu married into the general's mansion, Old Lady Zhang not only gave her 80% of her dowry, but also added the Zhang mansion's best 500 acres of land, 15 of the most profitable shops, and the three largest farms to her daughter's dowry list.
It was not until Old Master Zhang questioned Old Madam Zhang about whether the Zhang family could still make ends meet that Old Madam Zhang stopped and did not empty the entire Zhang Mansion to buy a dowry for her daughter.
With such a generous dowry, Zhang Mingzhu naturally lived a very comfortable life after marriage in the general's mansion.
Moreover, after the death of Zhang Jianwen, the eldest master of the Zhang family, Zhang Xihua's biological mother, Mrs. Jiang, was extremely sad while handling her husband's funeral despite being pregnant.
Madam Jiang and Madam Li, the mistress of the second house, were both pregnant at that time.
The eldest and second wives of the Zhang family each gave birth to two daughters, but no sons.
If Madam Jiang cannot give birth to a son, the eldest branch of the Zhang family will be extinct, and the Zhang family property will fall into the hands of the second master, Zhang Jianren.
Madam Li gave birth to Zhang Xuanhua, the eldest grandson of the Zhang family, a month earlier than Madam Jiang.
Mrs. Jiang gave birth to a daughter, which was really a double whammy.
Fortunately, Old Master Zhang was a clear-headed person. He asked Madam Jiang to announce to the public that she had given birth to a son safely. This way, the eldest son's family line could continue, and the family property would not fall into the hands of the second son, Zhang Jianren, and be squandered by him.
After Zhang Xihua figured out all this from the daily gossip of the maids and old women, she realized that she was not only Madam Jiang's hope, but would also become the future head of the entire Zhang family.
Moreover, she even dressed up as her own ancestor. It would definitely be safest to live her life according to the historical life of Zhang Xihua.
*
That day, Mrs. Jiang was sitting next to the cradle doing needlework, sewing a tiger-head hat for Zhang Xihua.
Madam Xue rushed in and said, "This is terrible. I just went to Yangrongzhai to deliver a first-class mushroom and duck soup to the old lady as instructed by you, the eldest lady. When I entered, I saw the second master trying to appease the old lady with Jiangnanchun snacks. When the old lady saw me, she insisted that you, the eldest lady, take Xi'er to her to raise him, and the second master kept agreeing."
Mother Xue has always been calm and steady. As an old lady who has served Madam Jiang for decades, she is extremely loyal.
Because Old Lady Zhang wanted to adopt Xi'er, Mother Xue ran all the way back to Chonghuayuan from Yangrongzhai. She was still panting while talking, and her hair was wet with sweat. It was rare to see her lose her composure like this.
Mrs. Jiang knew that her mother-in-law had always favored her youngest son, and that the second master, Zhang Jianren, had been eager to hand over the family business to him since her husband's death so that he could take the family money and squander it.
Once this person gets addicted to eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, even if you have mountains of gold and silver at home, he will empty it all.
Mrs. Jiang looked at her little daughter spitting bubbles in the cradle and picked up a handkerchief to wipe her little mouth.
"Poor little thing, mother has no other choice but to torture you for a while."
Zhang Xihua: “…”
I have a bad feeling.
Mrs. Jiang was born into a family of imperial physicians. Originally, her family background was not good enough for the Marquisate of Zhang. However, Mrs. Zhang was partial. She married her eldest son Zhang Jianwen to a girl from an unremarkable family as his wife, and chose a legitimate daughter from her own family, the Duke of Cao, as the wife for her second son Zhang Jianren.
It was a blessing in disguise. Although Mrs. Jiang's family background was not prominent, she was outstanding in appearance, character and talent.
At this moment, Mrs. Jiang, who was well versed in pharmacology, immediately ordered the maid to cook a bowl of bitter medicine juice and feed it to Zhang Xihua.
Not long after, the medicine took effect and Zhang Xihua broke out in a rash all over his body.
Madam Jiang carried Zhang Xihua into Yangrongzhai. Seeing Old Madam Zhang, she wept, "Mother-in-law is sympathetic to her daughter-in-law and loves her grandson. She wanted to raise Xi'er for her. But for some reason, Xi'er has developed this rash. I asked a doctor to examine him, and he said he has varicella, a serious disease. I dared not disobey my mother-in-law's order and brought Xi'er to you to show my filial piety to you, my grandmother."
Mrs. Jiang pretended to stuff the swaddling clothes into Mrs. Zhang's arms. Mrs. Zhang, who was sitting quietly in the armchair, quickly stood up and moved aside. She glanced at her grandson with a face full of rashes from a distance and said "Amitabha".
The older Mrs. Zhang gets, the more she cherishes her life. She waved her hand and said, "If Xi'er were a healthy child, I would be happy to see him every day if I raised him here. But Xi'er is sick now, and he can't leave you, his mother, the most. You should take Xi'er back to your own courtyard and stop torturing my old bones."
Madam Jiang, still with red eyes, said, "The doctor said that children who have had smallpox are not very smart. Mother-in-law, what do you think we should do?"
"You ask me, how should I know?" Old Mrs. Zhang was overjoyed. This just fulfilled the wishes of her and her youngest son. If her second grandson became a fool in the future, the family business would still fall into the hands of the second wife.
OK, but it's so good, it doesn't get any better than this.
Mother Xue said, "Old Madam, I know of a folk remedy that says if a child who has had smallpox is raised with an elderly person and blessed with some longevity, he or she will become smarter."
Madam Jiang's sadness turned into joy and she said, "Then when Xi'er recovers, your daughter-in-law will bring him to your mother-in-law to raise him."
"No, no, I'm too old to have the energy to take care of a child. Whoever has the child should raise it. Don't let gossip get out that I, as a mother-in-law, shamelessly snatched my grandson to raise for myself just to control my daughter-in-law."
Old Mrs. Zhang originally thought that what her youngest son said was right. She took her second grandson to raise in her own courtyard. First, she could control the eldest daughter-in-law, the housekeeper, which was equivalent to controlling the money in the mansion; second, the second grandson would be close to her when he grew up, and would listen to her and help the second wife more; third, if the second grandson was raised to be a loser, while the eldest grandson of the second wife was promising, the family business might fall into the hands of the second wife in the future.
Now think about it, her second grandson is going to become a little fool anyway, so she doesn't have to go to great lengths to help others raise a child. It will also waste her own blessings and shorten her lifespan. No matter how you look at it, it is a bad deal.
"It was my daughter-in-law who had the wrong stupid idea. My mother-in-law's health and reputation are the most important. I, my daughter-in-law, should just take good care of Xi'er." Mrs. Jiang sobbed softly.
Old Mrs. Zhang said a few perfunctory words to Mrs. Jiang and then sent her away.
Zhang Xihua, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and watched the show, thought that it was too difficult for Mrs. Jiang to have a mother-in-law like Old Lady Zhang.
Although traveling here was not Zhang Xihua's wish, he decided to make the best of it since he was already here.
She was determined to transform the Zhang Mansion into a new place.
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