In late May, the sunlight had already become a little dazzling. The light and shadows falling on the ground seemed to give off heat.
Midsummer was approaching.
Fortunately, the ancient capital had no steel or concrete. Even when it was hot, the heat was limited.
The capital of the Liang Kingdom, Xiayang City, was located roughly where Beijing and Tianjin would be in ancient China. The sea lay to the south of the capital, so the summers were relatively cool.
Inside the house, it was even cooler.
Zheng Qian held her cat in her arms while watching the maids do their needlework. She observed them absent-mindedly, planning to learn in a few days.
Since she was already here, learning a skill wouldn't hurt. After all, there were free teachers, and it would help pass the boring time.
For some reason, the conversation turned to the origins of the Marquis Jing'an's Residence.
Zheng Qian had long wanted to ask why her grandfather, who died early, had been such a compulsive gambler—how he had managed to lose the entire family fortune. Hadn't he left even a bit of land for ancestral sacrifices?
Seeing that she seemed to have forgotten these matters, Mama Dai patiently explained.
While they spoke, the head maid Xiuzhu sat under the corridor eaves to keep the younger maids from eavesdropping and spreading gossip.
"Back then, the young mistress…" Mama Dai paused to carefully calculate the generation. "She was your grandfather's elder sister—your great-aunt. She was selected to enter the palace as a consort."
Only then did Zheng Qian learn how the Marquis Jing'an's household had come to be.
The Zheng family had originally been a fairly well-off household in the capital. Her great-grandfather was a scholar and owned a modest estate.
Old Master Zheng, from this small family, had one wife and one concubine. Unfortunately, he had few children—only a son and a daughter born to the concubine.
The daughter had been intelligent since childhood and was taught to read and write. When she grew up, she was graceful and beautiful.
That year, the imperial court was selecting women for the palace. Miss Zheng was chosen and entered the palace as a minor consort.
The emperor at the time was only in his early twenties. Seeing that Consort Zheng was both beautiful and talented, he grew very fond of her. In the third year after entering the palace, she gave birth to the Fourth Prince.
The emperor was delighted and promoted her to Noble Consort Zheng.
Later, the noble consort gave birth to the Sixth Prince and a young princess.
Her favor in the palace never faded.
However, the Empress had always disliked her. Since the Empress's maternal family was powerful, even the emperor had to tread carefully.
Whenever the noble consort suffered some grievance, the emperor would compensate her.
But after constantly gifting her jewels, silk, and ornaments, even Noble Consort Zheng grew bored. In order to please his beloved beauty, the emperor began rewarding her natal family instead.
"Oh, so that's how our family obtained its title," Zheng Qian said with a smile.
"Besides the hereditary title, the imperial family also granted gold, silver, jewels, fertile land, and houses. This large residence of ours was obtained back then," Mama Dai added.
Zheng Qian nodded.
Mama Dai continued, "The old marquis—your grandfather—was Noble Consort Zheng's only younger brother. Both of them were born to the concubine. Back then, the gap between noble families and commoners was vast, unlike today.
"Because of her birth, Noble Consort Zheng was often attacked by the Empress's faction in the palace, which made her very angry. She asked the emperor to grant her mother the title of an honored lady and repeatedly instructed the family to raise her brother well.
"But with the noble consort backing him, your grandfather behaved recklessly at home, and no one dared discipline him. Later, when he married—the old madam you've seen wasn't the kind who could restrain him. He became even more unrestrained.
"Your great-grandfather grew old and could no longer control him. He could only beg the noble consort to be stricter.
"But the noble consort always said the two of them had suffered hardships when they were young. Now that she had power, she wanted to support her brother. And so the old marquis grew up useless."
Mama Dai sighed.
"No wonder…" Zheng Qian murmured.
Her grandfather had been a typical wastrel—skilled in eating, drinking, gambling, and womanizing. With a sister who was a favored imperial consort backing him, he became even more arrogant.
"After your great-grandfather passed away, your grandfather had no one to restrain him and became even more extravagant. Every year, the money rewarded by the palace wasn't enough for his spending," Mama Dai said.
"What happened later?"
"Perhaps the noble consort could no longer maintain the emperor's favor. Her eldest son died at six; the second son and the little princess didn't live past nine. Later, her health declined, and she passed away early as well," Mama Dai replied.
Zheng Qian understood immediately.
By that point, the Zheng family's prosperity had likely come to an end.
Her grandfather must have thought he could live arrogantly forever. After all, his sister was favored and he had two imperial nephews—life should have been secure.
Who knew it would all vanish so quickly?
The Zheng family had only enjoyed wealth and glory for a little more than ten years.
"After the noble consort died, the palace rewards were only given according to routine. Later, when the officials in charge changed, even those stopped," Mama Dai said.
By then, the Zheng family could no longer sustain their enormous expenses.
If her grandfather had managed the estate well, their farmland and shops could have supported decades of comfortable living.
Instead, he became obsessed with gambling. Hoping to win back the former glory, he ended up losing the entire family fortune.
"…If the old marquis hadn't died early, even this residence might not have remained. In the end, he gambled away even the two thousand acres of land reserved for ancestral sacrifices. There was simply nothing left to lose," Mama Dai said.
"Luckily," Zheng Qian replied.
Indeed, it was fortunate.
If her grandfather had lost the residence as well, the Zheng family would have had to rent houses just to maintain the dignity of a marquis household—which would have been quite amusing.
Thinking about it, Zheng Qian couldn't help but smile.
"When the old marquis passed away, the heir inherited the title—your father," Mama Dai continued. "Your mother came from a prominent clan and brought forty-nine chests of dowry, which supported the Zheng family for a time. Later, the Third Madam, whose family was the richest in Kunzhou, brought even more wealth."
"So our family relies on daughters-in-law to prosper," Zheng Qian said with a laugh. "In the end, this title is still quite useful."
Mama Dai sighed. "Things aren't like before. Two years ago, a general from a humble background was granted two marquis titles.
"Now even people from common families can become officials and nobles. Titles like ours don't mean much anymore. Back then everyone admired noble families—that's why your mother and Third Madam married in. Who can say they don't regret it now?
"In the future, our young masters probably won't be able to marry daughters from wealthy merchant families like the richest household in Kunzhou. For example, the Wen family…"
The Wen family was Zheng Qian's fiancé's family.
Compared to Zheng Qian's maternal grandfather—the richest man in Kunzhou—the Wen family could only be considered fairly wealthy, not among the very richest.
As the emperor promoted scholars from humble backgrounds and suppressed the old aristocracy, the world had quietly changed.
"The Wen family only has a little money and the title of imperial merchant. Their wealth is far inferior to Third Madam's family," the maid Caiyuan chimed in. "Yet they can still marry the legitimate eldest daughter of our house…"
Mama Dai glared at her.
Wasn't saying such things bound to make the young lady unhappy?
Everyone knew that Zheng Qian, the legitimate eldest daughter, held a lower position in the Zheng household than her concubine-born younger sister, Zheng Yutan.
"Yes, who would have thought?" Zheng Qian said, not angry at Caiyuan at all. She laughed lightly. "A mediocre daughter like me can still be sold for a pretty good price."
"Young Miss…" Mama Dai felt her heart ache.
Caiyuan regretted her words and fell silent.
The cat that had been quietly listening suddenly lifted its head and looked at Zheng Qian.
Its mismatched eyes flashed with a cold glint.