Liu Jin, in particular, was exceptionally outstanding, with extraordinary status and position, and he was young and handsome. It was only natural that many people liked him, and she had long been prepared for a backyard full of wives and concubines.
However, what made her unhappy was Zhen Jiang, who hadn't informed her about this matter, causing her to still be helping her choose a husband and select a good family's son.
If she had been informed in advance, she wouldn't have been so angry; she might even have offered advice to help her marry into the Marquis's Residence sooner.
Seeing that the other party was overthinking, Liu Jin quickly explained the matter in detail, lest she misunderstand.
Zhen Yu was stunned after hearing this, a strange look in her beautiful eyes.
She hadn't expected her niece to have such a move; she had truly underestimated her before.
Seeing that the matter was already a done deal, Zhen Yu couldn't say much. It wasn't possible to kick Zhen Jiang out, so she could only silently accept everything.
However, she became more wary. From then on, no unmarried female relatives were allowed to stay in the residence.
She was afraid that these wild girls wouldn't be able to resist the temptation and would all rush towards Liu Jin, wanting to become the mistress of the Marquis's Residence. By then, her entire backyard would be filled with her relatives.
Liu Jin smiled and nodded after seeing Zhen Yu agree!
"Since the matter has been discussed, the affair of taking a concubine will be handled by Madam."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Yu took on the task.
After Liu Jin left, Zhen Yu couldn't wait. She pushed open the door and walked in.
Her nose twitched slightly; the room was filled with the scent of hormones.
It was clear how long last night had been.
Zhen Jiang was already neatly dressed and sat by the side, her head lowered, appearing very docile and obedient, even a little pitiful.
Zhen Yu had intended to lecture her as an elder, but seeing her appearance, she felt a pang of reluctance.
She walked over, stroked her head, and whispered,
"I told you, girl, you don't tell me anything."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Jiang's cheeks were still somewhat shy, and she secretly mumbled in her heart,
How could I tell you about such a thing? What if you objected? I would never be able to become the Marquis's wife in this lifetime.
As it is now, I have at least gained a legitimate status and become the Marquis's woman.
However, she wouldn't say this aloud. Instead, she nodded and said with a wronged expression,
"Aunt, I was wrong."
"From now on, in the residence, I will discuss everything with Aunt."
Zhen Yu nodded upon hearing this, still very satisfied with the girl's obedient demeanor.
At least she had a companion in the residence and wouldn't be as bored as before.
It could even increase her status in the residence; at least two of Liu Jin's three wives shared the surname Zhen.
So the two of them chatted there, appearing very harmonious.
Soon, a maid cleared out an adjacent courtyard, specifically for Zhen Jiang to live in, officially making her Liu Jin's concubine.
Yin Yue, the main wife, felt a slight resentment upon learning this, but she didn't say much.
With Liu Jin's status, having three wives and four concubines was only a matter of time, so she had already gradually begun to accept it before.
However, Yin Yue was somewhat worried. With only three wives in total, and two of them from the same family, it would be easy for them to contend with her in the residence and affect her status as the main wife.
It seemed she still had to conceive a child for Liu Jin sooner. With a legitimate eldest son, her status as the main wife would be unassailable.
The dynamics within the backyard were subtly shifting.
Mid-May!
Luoyang City, Imperial Palace Hall!
The morning court officially began. Civil and military officials, holding their tablets, stood respectfully on both sides.
Liu Hong, dressed in a dragon robe, arrived at the top of the hall, accompanied by several eunuchs, and took his seat on the dragon throne.
Liu Hong looked at his civil and military officials, and his majestic voice slowly came forth!
"Is there anything to report today?"
As soon as these words were spoken, He Jin, who stood at the forefront of the military officials, immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said loudly,
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Prefect of Wuyuan Commandery has sent intelligence that the Southern Xiongnu, who reside in the Hetao region, have been somewhat restless recently. They frequently send small detachments to raid the surrounding populace, and not a single person survives in the villages they pass through."
"The Xiongnu's actions clearly show that they do not regard our Great Han."
Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials in the court frowned slightly, all with grave expressions, and began to whisper amongst themselves.
They hadn't expected the usually peace-abiding Southern Xiongnu to start making such moves.
Everyone naturally knew what the situation was. The Great Han had been plagued by natural disasters and man-made calamities for the past few years. First, the Yellow Turban Rebellion had ravaged various provinces of the Great Han, causing no small losses to the court. After it was finally pacified,
Western Liang stirred up a rebellion, with hundreds of thousands of rebels attacking the Three Supports of Chang'an, threatening the capital Luoyang, making all the civil and military officials in the court feel the pressure.
In addition to the pacified Xianbei Rebellion, in short, the Great Han had not known peace for the past few years, with turmoil in various regions.
This colossal entity had already suffered no small damage. The surrounding foreign tribes, seeing this situation, all wanted to rise up and become masters, to bite off a piece of flesh from this colossal entity.
Liu Hong, sitting on the dragon throne, immediately darkened his face.
His mood this year had originally been quite good. He had led the civil and military officials to burn incense and offer sacrifices to ancestors, because Dong Zhuo had forced these rebels back to Western Liang, preventing them from threatening the Luoyang central government.
Before he could relax for a while, the north stirred up trouble again.
A cold glint appeared in Liu Hong's eyes, and he said coldly,
"Indeed, those not of our race are sure to have different hearts. Our Great Han has given them a place to live, yet they do not behave themselves and dare to take advantage of the court's inability to attend to them, to take advantage of the fire."
"Gentlemen, what do you say about how this matter should be discussed?"
As soon as his words fell, Zhang Wen, who stood in the crowd, immediately stepped out and bowed, saying,
"Reporting to Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, these Xiongnu barbarians must be taught a lesson, to let them know that they are merely some beasts raised by our Celestial Dynasty. How dare they bark when their master is ill? Then let them pay the price they deserve."
Many of the civil and military officials in the court, upon hearing this, chose to agree and echo their support!
No matter how weak the court was, these Southern Xiongnu could not take advantage of the situation.
Especially the military officials, Huangfu Song, Zhu Jun, and others, all expressed their approval, stating that troops must be sent to discipline the Xiongnu.
However, some people did not agree so readily, namely Yuan Wei, the representative of the aristocratic families.
Dong Zhuo, whom he had cultivated, had just managed to gain control of the court's elite troops and was attacking the Western Liang rebels. If troops were diverted to suppress the Xiongnu, wouldn't that cause their Yuan family's plan to gain power to fail?
He immediately stepped forward and said loudly,
"Your Majesty, I believe the most urgent task is still to pacify the Western Liang rebellion and first stabilize the safety of the court's central government."
"As for the Xiongnu, we should primarily focus on appeasement and temporarily ignore them. It will not be too late to resolve this trouble after the Western Liang rebellion is pacified and we have freed up our hands."
