Chapter 911: Chapter 910: The Enemy Camp
Marquis Yongan’s Mansion, even in this imperial city brimming with nobles and powerful people, was not particularly eye-catching, with many more prestigious than it. The Wang Family was declining with each generation.
The first Marquis Yongan had achieved merit by supporting the former emperor’s rise and advanced to nobility from a poor family, enjoying a period of glory. Yet, by the second generation, Marquis Yongan was neither scholarly nor martial, merely holding a sinecure, just managing to maintain the status. The third generation, the current Marquis Yongan, Wang Guangliang, also holds a sinecure.
Wang Guangliang was not good at much else, but he could certainly have children. His household was full of wives and concubines, with two legitimate sons and one legitimate daughter, and there were seven or eight concubine-born sons and daughters, just in the main branch alone.
As for Wang Guangliang’s younger brother, Wang Guangyu, he was much the same as his elder brother, with only one legitimate son, but seven concubine-born sons and five or six concubine-born daughters.
Thus, the Marquis Yongan’s Mansion was teeming with people, and with more people came higher expenses, stretching resources thin. If it weren’t for the fact that many daughters from both branches had already married out, the household might have been poorer, with more people leading to more conflicts and disputes. How could Marquis Yongan’s Mansion not decline?
Yet, just this spring, the only legitimate daughter from the main branch of Marquis Yongan’s Mansion, Wang Yan, caught the emperor’s eye, was conferred the title of Consort Rong, and received special favor.
This was enough to make Marquis Yongan’s Mansion stir with excitement, wasn’t it?
Although Marquis Yongan’s Mansion had many people and many concubine-born daughters, the marital connections formed were a network of relationships, weren’t they?
Wang Hao, the legitimate second son of the current Marquis Yongan, was only seventeen. While the current Lady of Marquis Yongan was pregnant with him, she unknowingly consumed poison from a concubine, causing his mouth to be slightly twisted at birth, especially noticeable when he smiled, leading to frequent mockery and a particularly sullen personality.
Because of this, the Lady of Marquis Yongan indulged and doted on him excessively, spoiling him into being particularly unruly.
Wufu listened, blinking: "This Marquis Yongan is truly robust and fierce as a tiger, really capable of having children!"
Master Gui had just taken a sip of wine to moisten his mouth, and upon hearing this, coughed and almost spat it out.
"So, Marquis Yongan only has two brothers?" Wufu asked again.
"Not exactly, above them is an elder sister, Madam Wang, who married Wu Lihong, the Minister of Rites, and is now the Madam of the main branch of the Wu Family," Master Gui said.
No wonder it felt so familiar, they are part of the rival camp for the future.
"Then, as the only sister of Marquis Yongan, this auntie must be particularly favored," Wufu said, "It’s really strange though, why would a girl from Marquis Yongan’s Mansion marry into a mere Wu Family?"
"The Wu Family offered a generous betrothal gift back then to propose marriage, and this auntie seemed to have some hidden health issues,"
Wufu responded with an "oh," and said, "Speaking of which, with so many people in Marquis Yongan’s Mansion, one would think they’d be very tight with money, but Wang Hao, just lost tens of thousands of taels so casually, doesn’t seem very tight-fisted, does it?"
Master Gui smiled, "That’s why I told Xiao Five to watch out. Who knows where he got the silver from? And now you’ve dug it up, haha."
Wufu looked steadily at him: "Why do I feel like Master Gui is taking pleasure in others’ misfortune?"
"You’re mistaken!" Master Gui calmly raised his wine glass.
"Master Gui, we’ve known each other once, you must look after your little brother in the future. I guarantee that my method will be sent to Master Gui within three days at the latest," Wufu said with a sycophantic expression.
Master Gui raised an eyebrow, just about to speak, when the room door was pushed open from the outside, his gaze turning cold.
Wufu turned his head to look and saw the person standing in the middle, whistling and waving: "Ninth Master, how are you."