The Imperial Guard’s Revenge

Chapter 1 Ten Years

In the eleventh year of Jiajing, the winter snow covered the capital early.
It snowed all yesterday, and this morning the world was white, and the ground was covered in silver frost.

The servants of the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion got up early to sweep the snow, their brooms scraping on the ground, making rhythmic “clusters” in the otherwise quiet courtyard.

Two maids with tall hair walked down the corridor in small quick steps holding soup cups in their hands.
These two maids were different from the ones that were sweeping the floor.
They were the Marquis’ handmaids, they did not need to perform laborious work, they wore bright clothes, and had the luxury of tall hairstyles.
If they received favor, they could even wear jewelry.
They lived more delicately than ordinary ladies.

Thus, wherever these maids went, they held their heads high with an air of dignity.
The maid in the red coat and skirt lowered her voice and quietly said to her companion: “Have you heard, the wedding between the Marquis and the third Miss of the Yongping Mansion has been settled for after the Old Marquis’ mourning period.
Tomorrow will be the start of spring and the roads will be clear.”

The maid in the lake green vest beside her scoffed: “Isn’t this how it should be? The Marquis was only twenty years old when he inherited his title, he had both civil and military skills, and a dignified appearance.
After he got the title of Marquis of Wuding, certainly Madam Marquis wanted him to marry a lady from an influential family.
The third miss of the Yongping Mansion is the niece of the Marquis of Wuding.
The Marquises will do business again.
When the Fu and Hong family marry, to everyone’s delight, they will cement old ties with marriage.”

The maid who had spoken earlier listened and pouted while walking to the Northwest courtyard: “If Marquis and Yongping’s third Miss marry… what will happen to that one?”

The maid with the lake green vest glanced forward and said ambiguously: “We will have to wait and see how things take shape.
She is just the daughter of an ordinary military household that no longer holds a family.
The old marquis took her into the mansion to repay her father’s kindness for blocking the Old Marquis from arrows on the battlefield.
She should be satisfied that she can enjoy ten years of wealth in the Marquis Mansion.
The Old Marquis must have been mistaken, to go as far as to let her marry the Marquis.
The Old Marquis just spoke without substance.
Does she really think of herself as the Lady Marquis?”

The maid in the red dress sighed as she listened: “She has lived in the Marquis Mansion for ten years, and she has been beside the Marquis from the age of seven to seventeen.
A woman has several decades in her life, and she is already so old, what can she say after the marriage.”

The maid in the lake green dress was a little unhappy for some reason, she pursed her lips and said, “And yet the Marquis can still watch her marry another man? Don’t pity her, her life is better than ours, maybe we will have to call her master in the future.”

“Shh!” The maid in the red dress hurriedly reminded her companion and motioned her to stop talking.
A maid in a blue satin coat came out of the main room carrying a curtain, and they suddenly come face to face.
The maid in the blue coat had an indifferent expression on her face, and said, “It’s cold today, why did you girls come here so early?”

The maid with the red skirt secretly pinched her companion, and quickly put a smile on her face: “Fei Cui sister.
Good Morning.
Yesterday it snowed, the Old Madam was worried that the Miss would catch a cold, she specifically asked the kitchen to boil some goat milk’s soup, and let us bring it to Miss Wang.”

Fei Cui glanced at the smiling face of the maid in the red dress, as if she hadn’t heard what she had just said, she stepped aside and said: “Thank you for your hard work.
Please come inside.”

The maid in the red dress kept smiling, knowing that she had caused trouble, the maid in the lake green vest lowered her head, and quietly went inside to pay respect.
No matter how arrogant she was, she knew that she was a benefactor of the Fu family regardless of her origin.
She also grew up with the marquis, as a childhood sweetheart.
I’m afraid she can’t even compare with Lady Marquis in the future.
The third miss of the Yongping Marquis Mansion is now looking at the scenery.
After entering the mansion, she may not be able to compete with this one.

Although it was not stated clearly, everyone in the Fu family of Zhenyuan tacitly agreed that Wang Yanqing could stay in the Fu family in the future.
The Marquis is superb and the head lady, nevertheless, must be an appropriate match in merit and nobility.
But after all, Wang Yanqing has been with him for many years, so it was also okay to stay and be a noble concubine.

After the two of them entered the door, they did not dare to look up.
They vaguely caught a glimpse of a silhouette behind the Duobao Pavilion, and immediately bent down to pay respect to Wang Yanqing: “The slave pays respect to Miss, Miss is blessed.”

After a while, a light voice sounded: “Get up.”

Her voice was very unique.
Not the crisp silver bells that the elders liked best, nor the charming and gentle ones that men liked.
It was like the snow outside, clear and silent, and undeniably calm.
If you heard it once, you would never forget it.

The two maids expressed their thanks and left slowly.  The maid in the lake green dress took the opportunity to quietly take a glance.
A woman sat sideways on the Arhat bed, her shoulders were sharp like they could cut, her waist looked as if it was raw silk, her neck fine, and her legs were placed on a pedestal, which made her look particularly slender.
She turned her face sideways, highlighting her superior bones, the bridge of her nose straight, her naturally white complexion, and how her lower jaw flowed down in a straight line, clean and cold.

This kind of appearance is not something that any cosmetics can pile up.
No wonder the Marquis likes her.
The maid with the lake green dress felt disheartened, and after forcing out a kind farewell, she quickly retreated.

After the two maids left, Fei Cui’s anger could no longer be contained, and she said angrily: “These maids are really out of control! How dare those maids talk about Miss behind her back, I have to tell the Marquis and beat them!”

“They are just small maids, and they can’t leave.
What’s the use of hitting them?” Wang Yanqing put down the soup spoon and wiped her hands on a handkerchief.
There seemed to be a smile on her mouth, “It was the Old Madam who wanted me to hear these words.
If you can you handle the maid by the hand of Second Brother, can you handle the Old Madam?” ”

Fei Cui was silent for a while, looked at Wang Yanqing, opened and closed her mouth.
Finally, she couldn’t bear it: “Miss…”

Wang Yanqing lowered her eyes, her eyes were calm as a lake of ice, without the slightest movement.
Filial piety is too big a word, after all, family members are all just one family.
Besides, Fu Tingzhou didn’t really know, right?

Old Madam can wield the power of his parents and matchmake for Fu Tingzhou, but if a wedding is decided, Fu Tingzhou will only be able to nod.  I heard that the Hong’s third Miss was the niece of the Marquis of Wuding.
By marrying her, they will be one step closer to the Marquis of Wuding.
Fu Tingzhou is very smart, of course, he knows how to choose.

Wang Yanqing placed the handkerchief on the side table and sighed softly: “The families are well-matched in status with capable, talented, and beautiful women.
This is a good thing.
I should congratulate Second Brother ”

Everything Fei Cai held in for the past month burst out, and tears fell: “But, Miss, you were the only one chosen as the granddaughter-in-law by the Old Marquis.
You have waited for the Marquis for ten years, ten years! If the Marquis wants to train for military, regardless of the female precepts, you learn to ride horses and shoot arrows.
If the Marquis wants to lead the army, you dress up as a man and accompany him in the barracks.
Tumbling and crawling.
How many scars has that left on your body over the years? Until now, only their families match, will that erase ten years of Miss’ dedication? ”

Fei Cui wiped her tears away while protesting, as Wang Yanqing sat indifferently like an outsider.
Fei Cui felt wronged that it turned out this way, did Wang Yanqing, the rightful person, really not care? How can she.

Ten years of her youth.
Since she was seven years old and taken in by the Zhenyuan Marquis Mansion, she has only had Fu Tingzhou in her life.

It is now the eleventh year of Jiajing, the eleventh year since the twelfth emperor of the Ming Dynasty was appointed to the capital.
There is a clear distinction between government and military officials, and between the scholars and nobles in the Ming Dynasty.
Government officials were all obtained through the imperial examinations, so the next generation was not good at studying.
If they fell, all government officials would be lost.
But military officials were hereditary.
For example, the Wuding Marquis Mansion and the Yongping Marquis Mansion, their ancestors have been in charge of the army for several generations, and they have been in the capital longer than today’s emperors.

The Fu family has made its fortune in recent years, but their ancestors were also military officers.
They made military achievements in the generation of Fu Tingzhou’s grandfather, Fu Yue, and were awarded the title of the Marquis of Zhenyuan by the former emperor Zhengde.
For this reason, the Wuding Marquis of the Fu family always fell short in front of the older families in the capital, such as the Marquis of Yongping and the older families in the capital.

However, no matter how shallow the Fu family was, it had nothing to do with Wang Yanqing.
Originally, according to her status, she would have never been able to access these generals and aristocrats in her life.

Military status had been passed down from generation to generation and it was the same for soldiers.
A soldier and a non-commissioned officer, however, were as different as night is from day.
Wang Yanqing’s ancestral home was in the Datong Prefecture, and her family was a military household.
The male members of the Wang family were born to be soldiers.
Her great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all died in battle from Datong to Mongolia.

In the 12th year of Zhengde, the Marquis of Zhenyuan, Fu Yue, was transferred to Datong as the commander-in-chief.
Wang Yanqing’s father, Wang Cong, was gradually appreciated by Fu Yue because of his agility and courage.
In an attack, Wang Cong died in battle in order to block Fu Yue from arrows.

After they defeated the Mongols, Fu Yue’s military merits led him to be transferred to the capital because of his military service Fu Yue was really fond of Wang Cong, and Wang Cong died for him.
Fu Yue was deeply hurt after the event, and he sent someone to Wang Cong’s hometown to comfort Wang Cong’s widow.

However, he didn’t know until he got there that during the years Wang Cong had left home: His wife, Shen Lan, died of postpartum physical deficiency.
In order to support her granddaughter, her mother, Li, went down to farm at an old age.
She fell and died of illness in the early spring.
There was only one seven-year-o