Wen Qingwan saw the Marquis’s father grinning cheerfully, yet inside he is ranting fiercely.
[I may be incompetent, but I never cover it up, and I certainly don’t act like some swaggering tough guy.]
[My wife died, I was deeply grieved, yet they shoved all the blame onto me, and my father‑in‑law just patted his backside and walked away.]
[From then on, the young emperor hated this Marquis, because his beloved woman had no family in the capital.]
[A concubine without her family’s support could not be openly favored by the emperor; she was granted only the lowly title of Virtue Consort.]
[If the emperor is truly stronger than me, then why doesn’t he grant his beloved woman the title of Noble Consort?]
[His most beloved Fifth Prince had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, yet he still chose to hide his talents and never flaunted them before others.]
[Great aristocratic families value rules above all; the hierarchy between legitimate and illegitimate offspring is strictly defined, and no one dares cross even half a step—not even the emperor.]
[Feeling guilty toward his beloved woman and son, the emperor vented his anger on me, dragging the nobles of the capital into despising me as well.]
[Hmph! I’ve got nothing to lose, so I boldly chase after the daughter of a top minister.]
[In my back courtyard I have a pile of women and children, all tied by blood to the court’s nobles.]
[Though the old emperor still hates me, he can do nothing; this time he granted Jin’er the title of Marquis of Might, likely to pave the way for the Fifth Prince—too bad Jin’er is lame!]
“Jin’er, starting tomorrow you must attend court. Will you resent your father?” After ranting inwardly, Marquis Cheng’en asked his eldest son with worry.
“No blame.” Although Xiao Jin was not very enthusiastic about the Marquis, he was willing to sacrifice everything for his little girl.
Though he was lame, no one dared mock him to his face; anyone who did was beaten down.
He did not want to be like his cousin, the Fifth Prince, enduring everything; such a radiant, noble figure would swallow injustice with only a smile.
Wen Qingwan learned much from her father‑in‑law’s inner thoughts; the puzzles she could not resolve in her past life now made sense.
So the Fifth Prince had the Emperor’s great tree behind him—being the Emperor’s most beloved son, no wonder he could contend with the Crown Prince until the very end.
No wonder the Emperor granted Xiao Jin the privileges of a Marquis of Ten Thousand Households without registering it—surely this was secret support to help the Fifth Prince in the succession struggle!
In their past life, neither Xiao Jin nor the Fifth Prince knew why they failed!
“Everyone, sit down and have breakfast.” Wen Qingwan’s smile grew gentler and more sincere.
The people of the Marquis’s household thought she was happy only because the heir had inherited the title; in their hearts, they too were excited.
Everyone gazed at the fragrant breakfast on the table; all thoughts vanished, leaving only chicken‑shred porridge, meat buns, and soft white bread rolls in their eyes.
Breakfast had been arranged by Wen Qingwan the night before. Standing, she called out loudly: “One bowl of porridge each, two meat buns per person, and plenty of bread rolls to fill you up.”
The Marquis’s household had subsisted on coarse grains and vegetables for many years, eating only two meals a day. Suddenly faced with such a lavish breakfast, they began devouring it the moment Wen Qingwan finished speaking.
Wen Qingwan did not make this table special; it was not because she had feasted on delicacies in her past life, but because she did not want to let Madam Xiao and the old Marquis take advantage.
Because in her Merit Mall there were also many foods to buy—things she had never heard of before, such as grilled squid, grilled gluten, stinky tofu, McNuggets, hamburgers…
At present she had no extra merit points to try, hoping to earn some more today.
By the time Wen Qingwan finished her breakfast slowly and leisurely, everyone else was already full, sitting and waiting for her to assign the work.
“Those younger siblings who wish to study, stand at my right hand; those who do not, stand to the left.”
With a sudden rustle, the two groups stood in place.
On the left side stood Second, Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth, along with two girls about twelve years old.
“Are you sure you don’t want to study?” Wen Qingwan asked again.
“Sister‑in‑law, we’ve already passed the age for studying; it just won’t sink in anymore.” said the eighteen‑year‑old Fourth, awkwardly.
“Well then, since you’re determined not to study, I’ll begin assigning tasks.”
“Alright, Sister‑in‑law, go ahead.” Though Second spoke in a careless tone, he stood ramrod straight.
“Our Marquis household has five estates. I intend to use one for grain, one for pigs, one for chickens, one for cattle, and one for rabbits.”
"......"
“You—you five each take charge of one estate. Jin Que, make five lots: farming, pigs, cattle, chickens, and rabbits.”
“Sister‑in‑law, you’re asking us to raise pigs?” Second stared wide‑eyed in disbelief.
“Sister‑in‑law, I can go earn silver and buy pork for everyone to eat.”
He truly dared not stand on the study side, for failing the exams meant expulsion from the family register.
“How could that be allowed? The current Marquis of Weiwu is nothing like the former tottering Marquis of Cheng'en.”
He had long admired a certain girl, but her parents would never agree to let her marry into the Marquis of Cheng'en household.
That girl too was deeply devoted; though two years past her coming‑of‑age, she refused to be betrothed, stubbornly opposing her parents.
Now, basking in his elder brother’s prestige, he should finally be qualified to propose marriage!
If he ended up with the pig‑raising slip, how could a pig farmer have the dignity to propose at the Minister’s mansion?
“To earn and support the family, we must first solve the matter of food. If our Marquis household learns self‑sufficiency, why not?”
“Sister‑in‑law, I’m willing to raise cattle. The books say bathing in milk is good for the skin, and Eighth Brother will surely raise them strong.”
A boy so thin he was nothing but skin wrapped over a skeleton stepped forward and spoke.
“What’s your name? How old are you this year?” Wen Qingwan asked, looking at the boy of only eleven or twelve.
"Sister‑in‑law, my name is Xiao Ligong. I’m sixteen this year."
“Mm, you’ve done very well—at noon you’ll get an extra chicken leg.” As Wen Qingwan’s words fell, all the boys in the household turned their eyes on Xiao Ligong.
“Thank you, Sister‑in‑law.”
“You lot are drawing lots.”
As soon as Wen Qingwan finished speaking, Eighth Brother shot forward like a firecracker, snatching a slip of paper. “Ah! How come I got rabbit‑raising?”
“Heavens! Ah! I really drew pig‑raising!” Xiao Libo let out a marmot’s squeal.
His scream echoed through the skies, clearly showing his utter dissatisfaction with pig‑raising.
“Second Brother, why do you resist raising pigs?” As the family head, Wen Qingwan outwardly had to show concern for her younger siblings.
In truth, she was curious: Second Brother had never opposed earning silver at first, so why couldn’t he accept pig‑raising?
“I…I also want to marry a noble lady, so I don’t want to raise pigs,” Second Brother said, a little uneasy.
“Which family’s daughter do you want to marry? Sister‑in‑law will invite a matchmaker later to arrange the proposal.”
“Her family’s status is rather high; her parents would never agree.”
“Isn’t our Marquis household’s status high enough? Unless she’s a princess?” asked eight‑year‑old Xiao Lixia, pouting.
"........."
Madam Xiao and the old Marquis, along with the boys who had already grown sensible, all looked speechlessly at Xiao Lixia.
“Second Brother, think about it—if she doesn’t mind you raising pigs, then you two will surely be very happy.”
Wen Qingwan sincerely coaxed Xiao Libo, because a voice had sounded in her mind.
[Come on, Host! Convince Second Brother to raise pigs, and you’ll get an unexpected surprise~”]
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