At this moment, a crowd of people gathered around the teahouse. They saw that the teahouse had been surrounded by government officials, and they all came to watch the spectacle. The crowd grew larger and larger.
Hearing Gu Xin's blunt reprimand of Lu Ni, everyone's gossip simmered even brighter, and they stopped even thinking about why someone had died in the teahouse.
Everyone in the capital knew about the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, and there were many different versions of the story.
The older folks, who were about the same age as the Duke of Zhenguo, had witnessed firsthand how he carried on his grand wedding procession. At the time, Lu Zheng's mother, Zhou, was just the daughter of a merchant from a small town, so the people paid a lot of attention to her. After all, Zhou had married into the incredibly wealthy Duke of Zhenguo's mansion from their background, and the Duke of Zhenguo, the most handsome man in the capital, was adoring her.
As a result, only five years later, Zhou passed away. Before the forty-ninth day memorial service was over, the Duke of Zhenguo turned around and married his childhood sweetheart, the noblewoman Lin.
Immediately following this, the first wife's legitimate daughter married a poor scholar, and the first wife's legitimate son, who was also the eldest grandson of the Lu family, was sent to his hometown in Yuzhou to recuperate due to poor health.
At that time, the people of the capital were divided into three camps regarding gossip.
Firstly, they felt that Zhou was a commoner, and her children, like her, were not fortunate enough to be born to a noblewoman like Lin. These people couldn't stand seeing others do well; they thought, "We're all just ordinary people. You can marry into a high-class family, but I can't. It's only natural that you're not doing well."
Part two is that Zhou was from a humble family, but she won the heart of the Duke of Zhenguo because of her outstanding appearance. The Duke of Zhenguo was initially attracted to her, but eventually realized that she had no talent or virtue, only looks, and could not compare to a childhood sweetheart of equal social standing. As for the two children, they were quite pitiful, but it was all fate. From the moment you are born, your life is already on the Book of Life and Death of the King of Hell, and you cannot change it.
The third group comprised the largest number of people. They speculated that the Duke of Zhenguo and Lady Lin were childhood sweethearts, perhaps a rumor passed down within the Lin family, not an arranged marriage from childhood. Therefore, the Lu family wouldn't bother to clarify anything about it. Why would the Lin family spread a childhood sweetheart rumor? It was because Lady Lin was in love with the Duke of Zhenguo. However, the Duke of Zhenguo had no romantic feelings for Lady Lin. On his way back to the capital from the war, he met Lady Zhou. He was drawn to her because of her appearance and her talent. People from small towns aren't necessarily lacking in talent. The Zhou family was quite wealthy, and Master Zhou had traveled far and wide, discovering chili peppers and enriching the people's diet. Madam Zhou was also a female doctor who had studied under a highly respected master. How could a daughter raised by such a couple be anything less than exceptional?
They believed that the Duke of Zhenguo and Lady Zhou were in love, and Lady Lin couldn't bear the blow. After being confined at home for two years, she came out again and caused trouble, leading to the breakdown of their relationship. Therefore, Lady Zhou was depressed. When their relationship finally improved and they had a child, Lady Lin must have bribed someone in the Duke's mansion to poison Lady Zhou. The heir was lucky to survive, but Lady Zhou was ultimately destined to be a beautiful woman with a short life.
As for why the Duke of Zhenguo married Lin, people believe that he was probably moved by Lin's passion and wanted to find a mother for his two children, so he accepted her.
Of course, these were all just speculations among the people at the time.
The subsequent experiences of Lu Xue and Lu Zheng made everyone despise the Lin family. It was obvious that they were tormenting the children of the first wife while promoting their own children!
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