That was a very, very long time ago. He was just a poor scholar whose family had fallen on hard times, making a living by collecting rent from the family's small plot of land.
Of course, he can't compare to those with power, but compared to the poor, he's definitely doing quite well. He has a brick house with an old woman who cleans it. He can be considered a scholar, right?
Because his ancestor was a first-rank official, he had always been the envy of others. His father was also a scholar. When he was young, he always felt that his family had a good background, so he took two concubines. Of course, they were both country girls, not presentable. He brought them in so that there would be someone to do the work.
Later, she gave birth to a daughter born out of wedlock, who was named Zhang Yu.
Although there is land rent, it is very little, so Zhangqiu has to find his own way.
As for how it came to selling paintings to save his brother...
There is a story from this dynasty that tells of a filial piety that moved Heaven.
I've forgotten the specifics, but reputation is very important.
He just wanted everyone to know that he was good to his younger brother and his half-sister.
To put it bluntly, he was faking it all.
A good reputation might earn you more respect from others.
Whether it's overrated or not, we don't know, but anyway, someone fell for it.
Who is this person? His darling.
My precious baby's family is dirt poor.
In the end, she could only let her daughter beg for money.
Zhangqiu's mother was concerned about saving face, so she always treated him well.
With such a big house, servants, and such good food, how could she not have any thoughts about it?
A country girl may not have much else, but she certainly has plenty of strength.
She wants to become Zhangqiu's wife.
However, she also knew that her aunt was unwilling and looked down on her, because she was of low status and could not bring benefits to Zhangqiu. Or perhaps Zhangqiu itself thought so too. She understood very well that if she wanted to live a good life, she had to fight for it herself.
She helped him sell the paintings, and she also helped find people to talk about how filial he was.
They're just shills.
Then their relationship grew closer, and she started thinking about how to repay a life-saving favor.
They set a trap on the mountain, waiting for Zhangqiu to enter.
As for why they knew Zhangqiu would go in, it was because they were going to stage a scam: their mother was seriously ill, their younger brother was unwell, and Zhangqiu personally went up the mountain to find medicinal herbs, only to fall into a trap. Then she would come out to rescue them. Wouldn't that solve the problem?
Therefore, never underestimate a woman, especially a very intelligent one.
You want to act, you want to become a screenwriter, but don't forget that behind the screenwriter is the director; they are the people behind the scenes.
But she didn't expect that the original owner of this body would appear in the middle of it all. The original owner saved them, took them to the clinic, left the jade pendant, and then left.
She immediately appeared and told Zhangqiu that she was the one who saved him.
Zhang Qiu almost died, and the fear of almost dying was unimaginable to anyone. Therefore, he was especially grateful to her and said that if he became the top scholar in the imperial examination, he would definitely live up to her expectations.
Becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination was no easy feat. Two or three years passed before he finally achieved this honor and encountered the original owner of the body again.
The original owner said, "So it was you. Would you be willing to be my prince consort?"
He thought about what the princess could offer him and agreed without hesitation.
At the same time, he brought his family over and moved into the house that Mo Yan had prepared.
After getting married, he felt inferior because of his status as a prince consort, but he still stayed with his beloved.
Although the original owner was wholeheartedly devoted to the people and often had to deal with many things, he still discovered this matter several years later.
She didn't want to suffer, but it was really too difficult at that time.
The old emperor was watching her and the crown prince with predatory eyes. She had to help them, and she also had to take care of her nephew and daughter, so she had to put this matter aside.
In the end, the emperor won.
The old emperor became the retired emperor and traveled around with his beloved concubine.
But before that, he arranged for his daughter to have dinner with him, thus scheming against the original owner of the body.
Of course, it wasn't like they were two hearts at first. He knew his daughter was mentally strong and wouldn't let Mo Yan relax under normal circumstances. He had to take it slowly.
At first, it was just medication, which caused some hallucinations and affected her mood.
Later, the intrusion of that soul made her lose control of herself.
Finally, there was the "Two Hearts Grass" incident two years ago. The purpose wasn't to make her fall madly in love with Zhang Qiu, but to make her fall for a piece of trash. In the end, as long as the world saw that the princess was with a notorious bandit, the princess would be ruined.
[That's how everything happened and the timeline is. It's impossible that they were two-hearted from the beginning. The original owner wasn't that bad; it was all a gradual calculation.]
"Then do you know what your precious darling has done?"
Mo Yan laughed upon hearing this, "Actually, you don't love her either. You're just using her, just as she's using you."
Years ago, I saved a man in the mountains and left him with a jade pendant. When we met again later, I asked him if he would be willing to become my son-in-law.
Zhangqiu, don't try to portray yourself as so sentimental. Back then, you schemed and plotted for fame, so you can't blame others for turning against you.
You're clearly with me for power, yet you insist on acting like you're unwilling. Do you really think everyone is blind and can't see through it?
Your good reputation is false, just as the debt of gratitude your beloved child owed you for saving your life is false.
Mo Yan saw it clearly: Zhang Qiu didn't love that darling of his at all. To put it bluntly, if he really liked her, he wouldn't have become the prince consort. The deep affection they thought they had was just them deceiving themselves.
"How is this possible..." Zhang Qiu's eyes widened, unable to believe the fact.
"You can get out of here. You're just a clown, a self-important clown at that. Do you even know what a clown is?"
It's like you think you've outsmarted everyone, you think you've gained a good reputation, but little do you know everyone knows everything, they just don't say anything to see you make a fool of yourself.
Mo Yan picked it up and threw it away.
She didn't need to see Zhang Qiu's regret. Letting him know was just to make him suffer for the rest of his life. He thought he knew everything, that he had planned everything, but it was all just his own imagination.
Little Li also had Zhangqiu dragged away. In their view, anyone who had wronged the princess should be torn to pieces.
But the princess said that living is not necessarily easier than dying.
Zhang Qiu was thrown back into the imperial prison. He was no longer the prince consort, and the interrogations that followed were real interrogations. No one would show him any mercy.
...
Mo Yan looked at Zhang Yu and really didn't want to look at her; she was too disgusting. With a wave of her hand, she sealed her inside the bracelet and then let the bracelet sunbathe every day.
Scheming against others comes at a price, which is nothing more than being exposed to the light of day.
...
Zhang Qiu and his beloved son were sentenced to exile, while the others were to be executed without mercy.
Especially my precious little brother, he's a piece of trash.
As for Zhang Yue and the old lady, they were simply kicked out. How they live from now on is none of Mo Yan's business.
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