Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 1303: Niu Sandan

"Duke Xing, the Imperial Observatory has finalized the date. On the first day of September, His Majesty will personally lead the Hundred Officials to the Imperial Ancestral Temple for ancestral rites. You should make your preparations and ensure you are well-rested."

September 1st is merely the day after tomorrow. Emperor Jingyuan, having long determined this date, was eager to commence the military expedition without further postponement.

Duke Xing was filled with elation, his eyes welling up as he declared, "Your Majesty has bestowed immense generosity upon this old servant. I shall indeed muster my full strength... On that appointed day, I will lead my eldest son, my second son, and all my other sons and grandsons to the Ancestral Temple to pay our respects alongside Your Majesty."

He then inquired, "Elder Ying, may I also bring along my other sons and grandsons who are currently at home?"

Elder Ying surveyed Duke Xing’s eager, aged countenance and responded, "His Majesty did not explicitly state this, yet you, Old Duke, are a veritable pillar of Great Chu, renowned for a lifetime of remarkable military achievements. Furthermore, you are once again answering the call to defend the country. Bringing your family should pose no issue."

It is common knowledge that the established regulations for the military expedition worship ceremony strictly prohibit the attendance of those who are neither court officials nor possess significant merit.

However, Duke Xing, failing to discern the subtle ambiguity in Elder Ying’s words, interpreted them as confirmation. Indeed, had his life not been replete with glorious accomplishments?

Duke Xing’s ennoblement was not solely attributed to his battlefield valor, but more critically, to the time he risked his very life to shield Emperor Jingwu from a fatal blow, thereby securing his imperial life.

Duke Xing joyfully exclaimed, "Then I shall bring my family’s sons and grandsons to the Ancestral Temple to worship alongside His Majesty."

He once again wiped away tears, his voice tinged with reminiscence, "Back then, I fought alongside the Old Emperor to conquer the world; what a glorious entry into the Capital it was. Now the Old Emperor is gone, Jingtai is also gone, leaving only the young Emperor, boohoo~"

Elder Ying’s expression shifted to one of slight displeasure. Hurriedly, he bid farewell, "Old Duke, it is growing late, and I must return to oversee the preparations for the army's departure. I shall take my leave now."

Duke Xing truly is an ignorant rustic, to audaciously refer to Emperor Jingtai as a mere boy – a display of profound disrespect towards the Late Emperor... But never mind, they have indulged these country folk for decades; a little longer will hardly matter. Once this monumental battle concludes successfully, Great Chu will find itself significantly weakened, paving the way for their noble families to ascend to the apex of power once more!

Emperor Jingwu, in his capacity as the Founding Emperor, was undeniably correct in his efforts to suppress the influence of the noble families. These families had wielded considerable power for nearly a millennium, enduring through numerous dynasties, accumulating vast authority and wealth, and ultimately becoming a national peril that demanded eradication.

Yet, during Emperor Jingwu’s reign, many of his trusted officials were men of humble origins drawn from the military. Great Chu was newly established and required the cooperation of the noble families in governing the realm, hence they were not entirely purged.

Emperor Jingtai, a man of gentle disposition, developed a certain fondness for the noble families, believing them not to be as utterly detestable as portrayed. During his rule, he refrained from further actions against them.

Emperor Jingyuan's ruthlessness, while comparable to Emperor Jingwu's, was tempered by his frail health... Regardless of the underlying cause, since ascending the throne, Emperor Jingyuan has not continued the campaign against the noble families. Instead, he has turned his attention to those nobles most loyal to Great Chu, specifically targeting the faction aligned with Duke Wei.

Indeed, upon witnessing the downfall of Duke Wei’s faction, the noble families were so overjoyed they could have burst, wishing they could offer sacrifices to their ancestors.

Excellent, truly excellent. The more loyal nobles are eliminated, the more secure the position of the noble families becomes.

The noble families hold the Imperial Family of Great Chu in disdain. Although they serve as officials within Great Chu, their true allegiance never lies with the nation itself. When Emperor Jingyuan repeatedly faltered in his decisions, the noble families offered no genuine counsel to deter him, merely providing superficial advice before allowing him to tread his self-destructive path.

Each of the three preceding generations of Emperors in Great Chu made a critical error. The moment the sword was drawn against the noble families, they should have been thoroughly eradicated and not merely weakened, allowing their capacity to resist to be preserved.

The loyalist nobles ought to have been retained as a counterbalance to the extraneous noble families, while concurrently implementing a sustained recruitment of scholars from humble backgrounds over three generations. This would have facilitated the replacement of eighty percent of the court officials from noble families, thereby ensuring the stability of Great Chu.

Regrettably, the incumbent Emperor Jingyuan harbors a singular obsession: to annihilate Da Rong as retribution for his personal vendetta.

"Eh, eh, eh, Elder Ying, do not walk so quickly." Duke Xing then called out to his sons: "Eldest and Second, stop loitering about. Go, escort Elder Ying out! ...Cough, cough, cough!"

His outburst was too forceful, causing him to suddenly choke on his breath, nearly coughing himself into unconsciousness.

The presence of both his eldest and second sons by his side stemmed from them being the children of his two equally favored wives.

Indeed, after attaining prominence, Duke Xing was presented with a noble daughter. He gladly accepted her, joyously marrying her in both ceremony and intimacy.

However, his wife from the countryside, a woman of fiery spirit, eventually made her way to the Capital. Upon discovering that Duke Xing had taken a beautiful new bride, she set his mansion ablaze in a fit of fury.

Clutching the memorial tablets of Duke Xing’s parents, she sat with her two children outside the burning mansion’s gates, lamenting and cursing: "Niu Sandan, you heartless wretch! I toiled tirelessly farming, raising your parents and children, and even saw your parents off to the afterlife. Now that you've become wealthy and are sleeping with noble ladies... I spit on you! You abandon me after sharing a bed! I shall die with you!"

The commotion was extraordinary, witnessed by the entire Capital as a grand spectacle. It revealed Duke Xing’s original name to be Niu Sandan, much to everyone’s surprise.

Fortunately, Duke Xing possessed a simple nature. Despite his marriage to the noblewoman, he never intended to forsake his rural wife. He brought her into the household, adopting an arrangement similar to that of wealthy rural families, establishing a household with two wives.

Life certainly became more vibrant afterward. The entirety of Duke Xing’s mansion knew no peace, filled with significant quarrels daily and houses set aflame every three days.

The Duke’s family was forced to relocate their residence five times, unable to remain due to the ferocity of the fires, necessitating these frequent moves.

His rural wife was bold enough to risk everything, securing her place and that of her children within the mansion.

Realizing she could not contend with the formidable rural wife, the Second Madam began bestowing beauties upon Duke Xing, hoping to gain his favor through them. The rural wife quickly embraced similar tactics, and the two women engaged in a daily competition, gifting Duke Xing with beauties until he was nearly overwhelmed.

Consequently, Duke Xing became the father of not only eight legitimate children but a staggering total of thirty-two sons and daughters through concubines, a truly formidable number.

With such a vast number of descendants, grandchildren began to arrive, and now even great-grandchildren were approaching the age for marriage.

The Duke’s family faced impoverishment due to its immense progeny, now struggling to gather the necessary betrothal gifts for a great-grandchild’s wedding.

Duke Xing recognized his own aging and the dangers present on this expedition. However, there was no alternative; his great-grandchildren awaited brides. Without embarking on military campaigns to earn merit, how else could he obtain rewards to serve as their betrothal gifts?

Elder Ying was rendered speechless, imploring, "Please, stop, stop, do not send me off. Tend to Duke Xing first."

The expedition had not yet commenced; the commander could not possibly die, lest it become a laughable affair.

"Eh, eh, eh, Elder Ying, please proceed with caution," Duke Xing’s second son said, hastily supporting him. He then addressed his own sons: "Fetch a doctor, quickly."

Unwilling to be outdone, Duke Xing’s eldest son commanded his sons: "Why are you all standing around idly? Hurry and fetch a doctor."

He then added, "Second, why are you patting father like that? Do you even know how to comfort someone? You are practically smothering father to death with your pats."

Duke Xing’s second son cast a dismissive glance at his elder brother and retorted, "Eldest, don't cause trouble. How could I possibly smother father to death? For father's health, I specifically learned from the Imperial Physician how to care for him. Unlike you, who hail from the countryside and know nothing, only shouting loudly – you're obnoxious and uncouth!"

He further elaborated, "You spoke of raising pigs and using pig legs to make ham for profit; indeed, you are from the countryside. Without a proper method, how can you possibly turn pig legs into ham?"