"By the Mandate of Heaven and the Successor of Heaven, I decree: The High Official of Linjiang, who oversees tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, has only one son and a small household. I consider that the High Official is responsible for the well-being of the people of the land, and one son is insufficient to relieve his burden. Therefore, I decree that the High Official take five concubines, have dozens of children, and by August 15th, the ninth year of the Xuanli calendar, at least five sons must be born, and I appoint Liu Zhidong, the governor of Linjiang, as the inspector."
"August 16, the eighth year of the Xuanli calendar."
"So ordered!"
Official Fu knelt on the ground, his inner shock beyond words.
This...what does this mean?
Your Majesty is in charge of everything, including the birth of sons?
But having a son is enough for me. Besides, Qi is about to give birth, and if I take in five concubines, I must give birth to five children within a year... This is going to kill me!
Fu Xiaoguan suddenly laughed, thinking that this must be what Yu Wenyun meant. "Don't you talk about filial piety? Wait until your father gives you a bunch of brothers and sisters, and you'll have no more excuses."
It's like removing the fuel from under the cauldron. Great!
"Mr. Fu, please accept the order." The majesty on Eunuch Zhang's face disappeared, and he said with a smile.
Eunuch Zhang also didn't understand why His Majesty had to issue a special decree to allow Official Fu to take a concubine and have children. He thought that Official Fu must have made some great contribution, and His Majesty was urging him to do so.
Official Fu took the imperial edict, still confused, and asked in a low voice: "Eunuch, this... you see, I am already old, Your Majesty..."
"Master Fu, please don't say anything. In our opinion, Master Fu is still as sharp as ever. Your Majesty should not worry about such a trivial matter."
"Ah... yes."
"It's a bit urgent at this time, so let's not delay Master Fu. We'll take our leave now."
Official Fu stuffed a large bag of silver he had prepared long ago into his pocket and said, "Sir, would you like to have a cup of tea before you leave?"
“No need.”
"You've been so tired from the journey, my lord, please accept it."
"Then... it's better to obey than to be respectful."
Eunuch Zhang left again with a group of people. The sedan chair carried by eight people that was parked in the yard also left. The Fu Mansion returned to silence. Only then did Qi burst into tears.
Fu Xiaoguan glanced at Qi, then smiled and said to Fu Daguan, "Dad, look, I told you to marry more wives a long time ago. Now, there's only one year left. I think you have to do this right away. Otherwise, if you're convicted of deceiving the emperor, we'll all lose our heads."
When Qi heard this, she stopped crying immediately. She realized that this was an imperial decree and was absolutely irresistible. Although she was helpless, she did not want to die.
"Master, what I said is right. We need to make arrangements quickly."
So, in the evening of that day, the news that Official Fu had taken a concubine in accordance with the imperial order spread throughout Linjiang.
"What earth-shattering thing did this High Official Fu do to alarm the Emperor?"
"I find it strange too. His Excellency Fu is not some famous general or meritorious official, so how could it be worth His Majesty issuing an order for him to take a concubine?"
"Could it be because of his son, Fu Xiaoguan?"
"How is this possible? At present, Mr. Fu has only one son, Mr. Fu. In the future, the huge family property of the Fu family will belong to him. If the Fu family has dozens of sons, who knows what kind of chaos will happen to the family property in the future."
“…”
There were all kinds of speculations, but in the end no one knew the reason. They just said that God's grace was unpredictable, and no one knew what kind of luck Official Fu had, as he was actually allowed to take a concubine.
The back garden of Qu Mansion.
Qu Linglong was feeding the fish in the pond when a maid ran in hurriedly. "Miss, Miss, I heard something interesting."
Qu Linglong threw the remaining food into the pool, clapped her hands, turned around and asked, "What else can I say?"
"Today, a eunuch from the capital came to the Fu family and issued an imperial decree. The decree ordered Mr. Fu to take five concubines and give birth to five children within a year."
"What?" Qu Linglong was shocked. Official Fu was ordered to take a concubine? What... was the meaning of this?
"It's true. I heard it just now when I went to bring tea to the master. Several family heads are at the mansion, and they can't believe it."
Qu Linglong's eyes rolled. She couldn't guess what the emperor meant, but she suddenly laughed.
"The Fu family's Patriarch is now about thirty-six or thirty-seven, and is in the prime of his life... Xiao Die'er, what do you think if I marry him..."
"Ah, Miss, you can't do that. No, aren't you in love with his son, Fu Xiaoguan? Marrying his father...if you do something else, you'll be thrown into the pig cage."
"What are you talking about, little girl? I've studied the women's training seriously. What I mean is, marrying Fu Xiaoguan in this life must be difficult, too many eyes are on him. But if I marry Fu Daguan, he will have to call me mother, isn't it interesting?"
As Qu Linglong spoke, a blush appeared on her face, but her eyes were still shining.
"Miss, how can you joke about this? Mr. Fu is only a few years younger than the master. What's the big deal? Besides, with your looks, you're not going to worry about not being able to marry a good man."
Qu Linglong giggled and said nothing more. She took another handful of food and fed the fish in the pond.
Of course, this idea popped up suddenly, but at this moment she thought carefully about Fu Daguan. Apart from being a little older, this person actually had no shortcomings.
I occasionally heard my father talk about Mr. Fu. Except for business matters or invitations from good friends, he rarely went to the place with smoke and willows.
He is a very family-oriented person. Since his first wife Xu Yunqing passed away, he raised Fu Xiaoguan alone. It was not until two years ago that he took Yu as his concubine. Fu Daguan said that it was simply because he was getting older and wanted to have a companion in his old age.
This man is also a business savvy. Although his family is mainly landlords, the large amount of grain harvested every year must be sold after all. He has a very good relationship with the three grain merchants. It is said that he was the one who negotiated the last imperial merchant matter.
Such a man understands women, is mature and steady, and is the richest man in Linjiang. In fact, this man is really a treasure.
In addition, his son Fu Xiaoguan is now famous for his talent and will become a big figure sooner or later.
My family is a cloth merchant and his family is a landlord. Although our businesses cannot complement each other, there are no messy involvements.
But Qi came from a poor family, so even though she came in early, she couldn't do anything to me.
After some careful analysis, Qu Linglong suddenly realized that this was feasible. The problem now was how to convince her father.
"Or... meet with Master Fu. He has an imperial decree. Although it doesn't specify who to marry, if I show it to him, I'm afraid Dad will give in."
whee.
She laughed again, Fu Xiaoguan, since you don’t marry me, I will be your mother!
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