Upon seeing Lu Zheng, the head steward of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion quickly stepped forward: "This humble servant greets Your Highness. The Duke has instructed me to wait here for Your Highness. It's late and cold outside; Your Highness should go home soon!"
Lu Zheng looked at the old man in front of him. He was older than his father. He used to live with his grandfather. After his grandfather passed away, he was sent to the manor by the Lin family.
His informant in the manor mentioned that now that the Lin family has fallen, the Duke of Zhenguo has recalled people and punished the former steward, all in order to make him treat the people in the manor better out of consideration for their past relationship.
This old steward was a servant of the late Duke Zhenguo. He took the master's surname and was named Lu An. Lu Zheng had to call him Uncle An.
Lu Zheng reached out to support the head butler: "Uncle An, it's been many years. How are you doing?"
The head steward said excitedly, "I am very good. The young master's people have treated me very well over the years, and I still have the energy to serve the young master!"
Lu Zheng smiled and nodded: "Okay, let's go in then! Have they all rested?"
The head steward, standing beside Lu Zheng, replied, "The Duke and the Second Master haven't rested yet; they're waiting for you, Young Master, in the main hall."
Lu Zheng paused for a moment.
The head steward whispered, "This is what they should do. Your Highness, you fought bravely in the West, protecting the Great Zhou. You returned victorious; it's only right that they wait as long as they can!"
Lu Zheng smiled, said nothing, and slowly walked towards the main hall.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion has changed somewhat. In his previous life, he reappeared a few years earlier than now. Back then, the mansion was bustling with activity. Now, perhaps because of the Lin family's affairs, the Duke of Zhenguo no longer allows the mansion to be high-profile.
Upon arriving at the main hall, he pushed open the door and entered.
All the dozens of people in the house, big and small, looked over.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion did not divide into three branches; the three branches lived together. The eldest branch was the branch of Lu Zheng's father, who inherited the title.
Besides Lu Xue, who is already married, the main branch of the family now includes Lu Zheng, as well as Lin's two children, Lu Ming and Lu Ni, and the children of the Duke of Zhenguo's two concubines. The Duke of Zhenguo has two concubines. Concubine Jiang has a son and a daughter. Her daughter, Lu Shuang, is already married, and her son, Lu Yue, is twelve years old this year. Concubine Fang only has a daughter, Lu Lin, who is about the same age as Lu Ni and is of marriageable age. However, due to the Lin family's affairs two years ago, she has been delayed and is now eighteen years old and still has not found a husband.
Lin's son, Lu Ming, is only one year younger than Lu Zheng and is already twenty years old. When he got married, the Lin family had not yet encountered any trouble. He married Ying Qingqing, the eldest daughter of the Ying family who guarded Jiangnan. They had a son, Lu Tingyun, who was already one year old. Lu Ming also had a concubine, his cousin from the Lin family. The two were childhood sweethearts.
This relationship reveals that Ying Qingqing, born into a military family, has a poor relationship with Lu Ming and doesn't manage his affairs much.
The second branch of the Lu family is headed by Lu Zhenyun, the younger brother of the Duke of Zhenguo. The Duke of Zhenguo currently serves as the Vice Minister of Revenue and is known for his smooth-talking nature. His wife, Madam Qin, comes from the Qin family of Taizhou. Due to her status as the youngest legitimate daughter, she is extremely arrogant. Previously, because of the Lin family, she had repeatedly suffered setbacks at Lin's hands. Now that the Qin family has fallen, she is the happiest person in the entire Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. She and the Duke of Zhenguo have three children: Lu Qin, who is the same age as Lu Zheng and a few months younger, is already married with a daughter, a niece of Empress Xue (Xue Qianyu's cousin). The second branch also has a son, Lu Feng, who is eleven years old and studying at the Imperial Academy. Besides these, the only daughter of the second branch, Lu Wen, has been frail and sickly since childhood and rarely goes out at fifteen.
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