145 Extra 2

◎Kick the dog when it's down (Part 2)◎

When they arrived at the Fu family's ancestral tomb, Fu Xiao directed people to bury Fu Shiyu's coffin next to the graves of his eldest brother Fu Yi and his second brother Fu Rong.

Zhan Yue had already erected a new stele for his mother, on which was written "Shuyuan, the daughter of the Marquis of Yongding, was docile under her mother's instruction when she was young, lost her father when she grew up, raised her younger brother and managed the household... She lived up to her ancestors."

There is no mention of any words related to Duke Anguo in the entire inscription.

After Fu Shiyu was reburied, Zhan Yue and Fu Xiao first stepped forward and kowtowed three times each.

Then Zhan Yue stood up and said, "Prince, Madam, please come in."

Zhang hesitated, still pretending to be calm, but Zhan Tai was still a good man. He sighed, pulled Zhang forward a few steps, and the two of them kowtowed three times in front of Fu Shiyu's grave.

Zhan Yue stood aside, looking at the tombstone, and said silently in his heart: Mother, I know you don't like them disturbing your peace, but they owe you this. I hope you can forgive my self-willed behavior in your netherworld.

Duke Anguo had been silent since he saw the tombstones of Fu Yi and Fu Rong. He stood alone by the side, without making any move.

Seeing this, Zhan Yue's eyes turned cold. Fu Xiao didn't want Zhan Yue to be known as an unfilial father, so he spoke before him, "What are you still waiting for, Duke An?"

Zhan Tai opened his lips slightly and was about to speak, but Duke Anguo raised his hand to stop him. Duke Anguo strode forward, his face was thin and gaunt, and his eyes seemed unfathomable.

He knelt down slowly and said in his heart: Your son is pressing me step by step, and I kowtow to you three times as a debt I owe you.

That year, Fu Shiyu was carried into the side door of the Anguogong Mansion as a concubine on a small sedan chair. There are rules for marrying a wife and taking a concubine. Because she was a concubine, she was not allowed to wear red and did not need to worship in the hall. But if the Anguogong had not broken his promise, they should have worshipped heaven and earth, worshipped their parents, and then worshipped each other as husband and wife.

"Today, I will make it up to you for our wedding ceremony," thought Duke Anguo, "and we are even now. From now on, don't appear in my dreams again."

"Dong", "Dong", "Dong", Duke Anguo kowtowed three times firmly.

Fu Xiao watched coldly and sneered, "Duke An knows how my father and brother treated you in the past. How have you repaid the Fu family? These three heads are far less than what you owe my sister."

"However, since the divorce agreement has been signed and my sister has moved out of your ancestral tomb, I can make the decision for my sister. From now on, she will be free from all grudges with you," Fu Xiao's face was cold and deep, and he said word by word, "On the road to the underworld, we will never meet again in the next life or death."

Duke Anguo raised his lips coldly, with no expression on his face. He said, "Very good."

The sun was too strong and Duke Anguo suddenly felt extremely tired. He covered his chest, trying to rub the unknown painful spot, but drops of cold sweat flowed from his forehead.

Zhan Tai hurried forward to support him and called out, "Dad!"

"Are you okay?" Zhan Tai asked concernedly.

Duke An's eyes were blurry, and he stumbled forward. Zhan Yue said, "I'm afraid the old injury of the Duke has relapsed. Didn't he stay in bed for a long time before? Hurry back to the mansion and ask a few doctors to take a look."

Hearing the words "lingering on the sickbed", Zhang couldn't help but shudder.

Zhan Tai stared at him suspiciously: "Why are you pretending to be kind?"

Zhan Yue smiled and said nonchalantly: "That's wrong. After all, he is our father."

After saying this, he waved his hand with a bright and clear look, and said, "I'll take you back to the Anguo Mansion, and I'll send someone to get a doctor."

The servants that Zhan Yue sent to fetch the doctor were very quick, and the doctor arrived at the Duke of Anguo's residence before them. The Duke of Anguo had turned pale and almost fainted from the bumpy ride in the carriage.

Zhan Tai simply ordered the servants to lift Duke Anguo down from the carriage.

In front of the Anguogong Mansion, Zhang looked at Zhan Yue and said, "Please stop, Prince Consort. The Duke is ill, and seeing Prince Consort will only make things worse."

"No," Zhan Yue said with a smile, "If the Duke is really ill, I must follow the example of the Crown Prince's wife and stay by his side. I have just taken office as the Minister of War. If anything goes wrong with the Duke, won't I be worried?"

Zhang's face quickly turned pale. She clutched her handkerchief tightly and said timidly, "You...what are you talking about..."

"Then just treat it as nonsense."

Zhan Yue ignored her, pushed her aside and went in first.

Zhang followed closely behind, feeling extremely frightened with every step she took - what did Zhan Yue know? Could it be that he really had something on Ying Ge'er and herself? But it had been so long since the incident... No, it shouldn't be like this.

Zhang's heart was in turmoil.

At the Duke's Mansion, Zhan Tai was worried about the doctor invited by Zhan Yue, so he sent someone to call another doctor from the clinic. At this time, they were jointly examining Duke An.

Duke Anguo closed his eyes slightly, and felt a dull pain in his head and chest.

Zhan Yue added fuel to the fire, "Duke Anguo was ill before, you should take a closer look to see if the illness has recurred."

At this point, Zhan Tai didn't want to think about Zhan Yue's current abnormality anymore. He said, "My father was ill for a while a year ago. Is this the root of the illness he suffered last time?"

"Well," a doctor carefully felt the pulse and asked, "Which doctor treated the Duke last time? Maybe we can call him over and discuss it together so that we can find the right medicine faster."

Last time when Duke Anguo was seriously ill, it was Zhang who took care of everything. Zhan Tai then said to Zhang, "Why don't you go and invite him?"

Zhang stammered, "The last doctor I saw has...has left the capital to make a living. I heard that his medical skills are not very good. Isn't it...isn't it that there are already two doctors, so...let them prescribe the medicine."

Zhan Yue looked at her and said slowly, "The weather is not cold yet, what are you shaking about, Madam?"

Zhang bit her osprey bone and forced herself to calm down: "I'm afraid I'm sick and I'm fidgeting."

Reminded by Zhan Yue, Zhan Tai also noticed Zhang's strange behavior today. He frowned and said casually, "If you are sick, don't hold on. Let the doctor take a look."

One of the doctors went up to examine Zhang. Seeing that Zhang's vision was blurry, the doctor said, "Madam, you are in good health and have no symptoms. It's just that your heartbeat is too fast. I will prescribe some Anshen Dingzhi pills for you."

Zhang said, "No, there's no need. I just need to take a rest. Um... my head hurts a little, so I feel a little better."

Before she realized it, her words had started to become incoherent.

Zhan Yue just smiled and said nothing, while Zhan Tai glanced at her doubtfully.

The doctor said, "The Duke is not seriously ill, he is just suffering from a temporary mental breakdown. I will prescribe some medicine for him to take."

Zhan Yue suddenly said, "Oh, I suddenly remembered. The last time the Duke was sick, it was the princess who invited Wu Yuanpan to come, and the Duke was cured with medicine."

"Do you want me to take my visiting card to ask Judge Wu?" Zhan Yue asked kindly.

"It would be more appropriate if we could invite the chief judge here!" Both doctors were enthusiastic and had great respect for the superb medical skills of the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital.

Zhan Yue smiled mysteriously and said, "By the way, the last time Judge Wu came, he took away the stove that had been used to boil medicine for the Duke's mansion. He said that he wanted to study the prescription left by the previous doctor to avoid conflicts between the two medicines."

"President Wu likes to collect things, so he probably kept this medicine stove with him," Zhan Yue asked, "Should we ask him to bring it along?"

Although the Duke of Anguo only had a minor illness this time, the opportunity to discuss medical skills with the chief judge of the Imperial Medical Bureau was rare, so the doctors nodded repeatedly and praised Chief Judge Wu for his attentiveness: "The chief judge is still thoughtful, bring them all here, bring them all here!"

Zhang interrupted loudly, "No need!"

"It's just a minor illness, why bother with so many people?" Zhang said, "Just prescribe some medicine, there's no need to ask for a doctor, and there's no need to bring the medicine stove here."

"My dear Prince Consort, you are stretching your hand too far." Zhang said viciously.

Zhan Yue said nothing, but his smile deepened.

Zhan Tai said in a deep voice: "What's wrong with you? Why don't you take Dad's illness seriously?"

Zhang was speechless, she was just very clear about one thing - she must not let Judge Wu make a comeback, there was a high probability that Zhan Yue had some evidence against her.

Could it be that she really didn't clean the medicine stove properly last time?

In a hurry, Zhang didn't dare to think too much, and just said: "Sir, our family affairs don't need outsiders to interfere. How did he threaten Dad and treat Ying'er before? Have you forgotten everything? Who knows what kind of 'good intentions' he has."

"I've heard a little about Judge Wu's temperament," Zhan Tai said, "but it won't be this bad."

"Besides, the last time my father was sick, it was thanks to the help of Judge Wu that he was able to recover." Zhan Tai didn't want to argue with Zhang anymore, so he said firmly, "Please ask him to come."

Zhang licked her lips, took a step back slowly, sat down lightly on the stool, and said no more.

Zhan Tai took in her attitude and looked away calmly.

After receiving the note from Zhan Yue, Wu Yuanpan arrived very quickly. After taking the pulse of Duke An, he looked at Zhan Yue and whispered, "I want to talk to the prince alone about the Duke's illness. I wonder if the prince agrees."

Hearing this, Zhang's palms began to sweat.

Zhan Tai was half-believing and half-doubting, but still agreed: "Then let's do as the judge says."

Zhan Yue was the first to walk out of the room, followed by doctors, servants and maids. Zhang was the last one in the team and she deliberately slowed down her pace.

But in the end, I heard nothing.

Judge Wu closed the door and windows, and then said to Zhan Tai, "The Duke's illness is not in his body. You must know, my Lord, sometimes the evil in people's hearts is better than the external evil invading the body. Compared with the external evil in the Duke's body, the hearts of some people in the mansion are truly terminally ill."

Zhan Tai was startled: "What does the judge mean by this?"

Judge Wu said, "If the prince believes me, why not follow my advice and test the prince's wife's heart."

Zhan Tai glanced at Duke Anguo lying on the bed, and thought of Zhang's incoherent words just now. He seemed to understand something, and his face turned slightly cold.

After Zhan Yue, Wu Yuanpan and others had left, Zhang walked into the room fearfully.

Duke Anguo has woken up. He leans on the bed, his eyes emitting a dark and deep light. Zhan Tai also looks at her with deep concern.

Zhang was already guilty of her crimes, and she became even more frightened. She asked softly, "What did the judge and the prince say?"

"How dare you ask!" Zhan Tai, following what Judge Wu said, deliberately deceived her and shouted, "What have you hidden from us? For the sake of our relationship over the years, I will give you a few last ounces of face and not send you to the Ministry of Justice. You'd better tell me everything yourself!"

Finished!

Zhang's body trembled slightly, and she fell to the ground with a thud, her silk shirt half wet.

Three days later, the chaotic Anguo Mansion contributed two more rare events to the capital. First, the prince of Anguo insisted on divorcing his wife.

Although Anguogong's son Zhan Tai and his wife Zhang are not considered a model couple in the capital, they have been together for nearly 30 years and no one has ever heard that Anguogong's son is a womanizer. Moreover, it is not seen that Zhan Tai suddenly married a seductress into the mansion. How come Zhan Tai, who is already old and has a son and grandchildren for many years, suddenly wants to divorce his wife?

Many people with a curious mind speculated on the reason privately, but most of the readers still believed in their hearts that something had gone terribly wrong with Zhang.

As if to confirm this conjecture, after Zhang was divorced and sent back to her natal family, the Xuanping Marquis’s mansion, the Marquis not only did not vent his anger on his sister, but he also secretly sent someone to send Zhang to a faraway manor to die there.

At this time, someone asked again, doesn’t Zhang have a son? Where is Zhan Shaoying?

His mother was sent home by his father with a divorce letter, and was also sent to live in a manor by his uncle. How could he be indifferent? He is such a jerk!

This brings us to the second strange thing that happened in the Anguo Mansion.

The incident started when Duke Anguo submitted a memorial, requesting that his title be given to the crown prince Zhantai on the grounds of old age. Emperor Zhanghe agreed to his request, but did not allow Zhantai to be promoted to the same rank. Instead, he demoted Zhantai's title by two ranks and changed it to Marquis Rang.

This is not a strange thing. The generation of Anguogong has been farther and farther away from the power center of the court. Although there is a son-in-law Zhan Yue, he has his own title of Wuyinghou, which is equivalent to separating from the Anguogong Mansion. Zhan Tai has no outstanding contribution to the court, and is not favored by the emperor. It is normal for him to be demoted.

What was unusual was that after Zhan Tai became Marquis Rang, he immediately submitted another memorial, bypassing his legitimate heir Zhan Shaoying, and directly asking the emperor to make his four-year-old grandson Zhan Yihong the crown prince. Not only that, he also opened a clan hall and officially passed Zhan Shaoying on to a branch of the Duke of Anguo as his son.

That is to say, Zhan Shaoying is no longer Zhan Tai's son, but Zhan Yihong is different, he is still Zhan Tai's grandson. Zhan Tai's action not only severed the father-son relationship between himself and Zhan Shaoying, but also severed the father-son relationship between Zhan Shaoying and Zhan Yihong.

Simply put, Zhan Tai no longer wants Zhan Shaoying as his son.

So everyone was even more puzzled. What had Zhang's mother and son done that was so unforgivable that Marquis Rang divorced his wife and abandoned his son?

Later, some rumors gradually spread:

"It seems that because of the affair between mother and son, I am so ashamed. Tsk! Such a dirty thing is hidden in the Duke's Mansion!"

"That's not right. I heard that Zhan Shaoying and Zhang conspired to seize the property of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, and were discovered by Lord Rang?"

"What you said is wrong. Listen to me! I have a relative who works as a steward in the mansion of Marquis Rang. He told me that Zhan Shaoying once instructed his mother to poison the Duke of Anguo in order to quickly seize the title. Just think about it, how vicious is this heart? Even his own grandfather could be killed. How could Marquis Rang tolerate them? Even Marquis Xuanping would feel ashamed if he knew about it. How could he dare to vent his anger for his own sister!"

"No, it's mother and son!"

"It was a conspiracy to poison!"

“…”

The people in the teahouse all had their own opinions and were discussing the matter.

On the street below the teahouse, Jiashan was holding Xuan Ge'er in one hand and Zhan Yue in the other, and Zhan Yue was holding the sleepy Shuang Xi in his arms.

When Xuan Ge'er heard people talking about words like "Zhan Shaoying" and "Rang Hou", he felt that they sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard them.

He then asked Jiashan: "Mother, who are they talking about?"

"Don't worry about it. It has nothing to do with us." Jiashan said, "Have you decided what kind of horse you want to pick for your brother later?"

Xuan Ge'er's attention was quickly diverted, and he replied excitedly: "I want someone like Zhao Zilong!"

"Night-shining Jade Lion!"

Xuan Geer has recently become obsessed with reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He said: "My Zhurong is red, like Lu Bu's Red Hare. My younger brother is delicate and exquisite, just like Zhao Zilong's Jade Lion."

"Dad, do you think what I said makes sense?" Xuan raised his little chin proudly.

Zhan Yue nodded and said, "One red and one white, they match very well."

Xuan Ge'er giggled happily and was ready to choose a horse for his younger brother.

The noisy and chaotic noise was left behind and quickly faded away from them.