Chapter 387: Concubine (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The bored parrot began to jump around on the bird stand again. It learned how to speak and repeatedly shouted, “No wonder.”
Most of the people present only knew about this secret of the Dingyuan Marquis Household now, but there were two or three people who had heard the conversation between Madam Gu and Gu Yuan at noon.
Now that they thought about the Emperor’s “no wonder”, these people couldn’t help but think deeply.
No wonder Madam Gu wanted to impeach Gu Yuan!
No wonder when the news of Gu Ce opening the city gate and surrendering eight years ago came, even before the previous Beijing made a decision, Madam Gu had first begged Gu Ce and the Marquis Mansion to split up, causing all the prefectures in the capital to know…
At that time, everyone thought that Madam Gu had made such a difficult decision for the benefit of the entire Gu family and to survive.
However, if Gu Ce wasn’t her biological son, then her choice back then would have to be pondered. In particular, her confession today already made her thoughts very obvious.
Madam Gu was really a cold and heartless person!
Madam Gu was already drenched in sweat, as if she had been scooped out of the water.
She was a sharp person and could already feel the Emperor’s displeasure towards her from his “no wonder”. Her pupils constricted in fear.
What had happened today had completely exceeded her expectations. It gave her a rather bad feeling, and her heart beat like a drum.
Madam Gu’s nails dug into her palms so deeply that they almost broke her skin, but she suddenly didn’t feel any pain.
In her panic, Zhao Rang’s sharp questioning voice sounded in her ears again.
“Madam Gu, what’s going on?”
“The previous Marquis of Dingyuan, Gu Ce, wasn’t born by Madam Gu, but he inherited the t.i.tle. Could it be that the Gu family used a concubine to become the first wife?!”
Even if he was questioning, Zhao Rang’s voice was still slow and unhurried. However, these few words contained a thunderous power, making the air in the water pavilion seem to tremble.
As soon as he said this, the entire room was in an uproar.
Everyone looked at the Gu family members present with subtle expressions. It was unknown if they were shocked, disdainful, or sympathetic.
No one expected that in just one day, after the Feng family and the Yu family, another family would face the crisis of collapse.
Gu Jian’s expression changed drastically, and he felt that something was wrong.
Patriarch Gu, who was standing at the side with his hands by his side, trembled violently. He was anxious and sweating profusely.
Those who used a concubine to become the first wife would have arbitrary wives and concubines. Those who used a concubine to succeed the throne weren’t upright, and had committed a huge crime.
This rule was personally set by Emperor Taizu.
Emperor Taizu had been a playboy his entire life and had many children under him. He originally treated all the legitimate and concubines equally, and the same went for the prince he gave birth to. He often said that the capable should live.
However, after the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, some n.o.ble families followed suit, making the legitimate concubines unclear.
Later on, after a descendant of the Yong Cheng Mansion killed someone, the fourth son of the concubine schemed for the t.i.tle. First, he poisoned two legitimate brothers and one concubine brother. Then, he a.s.sa.s.sinated the grandchildren under his brother one by one. Only the men of the fourth branch were left in the residence. In the end, because the legitimate mother gave birth to the youngest brother, he simply ruthlessly poisoned his biological father to death.
Emperor Taizu and Uncle Yong Cheng were sworn friends. When he heard the news of Uncle Yong Cheng’s death, he was extremely sad. He felt that Uncle Yong Cheng was healthy and had died too suddenly. Hence, he ordered the imperial physician and the coroner to perform an autopsy. Only then did the truth come out and cause an uproar across the country.
After that time, Emperor Taizu reflected for a long time and finally accepted the opinions of a few great scholars. They used the law as a warning to others.
The legitimate son of the royal family should inherit the t.i.tle. If there was no legitimate son, the concubine son would attack the t.i.tle and degrade it. If there was a duke, he would be demoted to a marquis, and a marquis would be demoted to an earl.
If a concubine’s son was promoted to seize the t.i.tle…
Emperor Taizu had always been swift and decisive in dealing with people. Once he made this law, there was no room for negotiation. Even he himself set an example.
Emperor Taizu had a concubine son, the loth son of the Emperor. He was also the later Prince of the First Rank, Chu Chi. Although he wasn’t as talented as Emperor Taizu and was considered very talented compared to his other brothers, Emperor Taizu gritted his teeth and gave the throne to his only legitimate son, the late Emperor, Chu Luo.
Another example was the Marquis Mansion. Because the Old Marquis didn’t have a legitimate son and only had two concubine sons, he had no choice but to adopt his second brother’s eldest son at the age of 60 and ask for the t.i.tle of heir for his nephew.
If this was the case in the other manors, the Dingyuan Marquis Household was naturally no exception.
If the Marquis of Dingyuan, Gu Ce, was born to a concubine, then the Dingyuan Marquis Household would be using a concubine as the legitimate wife..