They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 508 Finale
The Emperor smiled faintly. "Mother, there are rumors circulating in the palace. I have dealt with those foul-mouthed servants. The Empress's pregnancy is very healthy. The imperial physician says it is very likely to be a prince. Mother, I have a prince. Why does your face look so grim? Aren't you happy for me?"

What is the Empress Dowager so happy about?
This news was like a bolt from the blue; the Empress Dowager fainted immediately.

The emperor watched coldly, his heart unmoved, even feeling a little pleased.

The Empress Dowager's illness persisted until the Empress gave birth.

Upon hearing that the Empress had given birth to a prince, the whole country rejoiced. The Empress Dowager, who was drinking her medicine, choked and coughed until her face turned red, almost unable to catch her breath.

The maidservant who was serving her turned pale with fright and was filled with trepidation.

A year later, the Empress Dowager passed away.

The emperor was no longer hindered.

Yu Changwang's only son, Yu Lang, was sent to guard the Empress Dowager's tomb and to atone for his father's sins.

The entire court and the people all praised the emperor's benevolence.

Yulang's food was laced with a slow-acting poison, which destined him to be unable to have children for the rest of his life, and his body would remain weak for many years to come. As for how long he could live, that would depend on his own abilities.

But one thing is certain: if the emperor were nearing his death and he were still alive, the emperor would definitely send someone to kill him first, and would never leave such a hot potato to his son.

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Liang Mingxuan achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, and the emperor personally tested him, praising him highly.

He entered the Hanlin Academy as a probationary official, but everyone knew that he was different from the other probationary officials. He had a meritorious elder brother, Marquis Wuxuan, a sister-in-law who made great contributions to the country and the people and had a very good relationship with the Empress, the future head of the Ji family of Jinling was his teacher, the young crown prince was his junior brother, the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy also appreciated him, and the Emperor himself praised him.

His future is bright.

Two years ago, the Lu family, including the former magistrate, also came to the capital. Magistrate Lu was transferred to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in the capital.

It is a great joy to see an old friend again.

It was only natural for the two families to become related by marriage.

With their childhood bond, Liang Mingxuan and Lu Xiaoyue are even more harmonious and loving as a couple.

After Liang Mingxuan became the top scholar in the imperial examination, the two families held a grand wedding.

All the officials and civil servants came to offer their congratulations, creating quite a lively scene.

The bride's dowry of 180 tables drew envy from countless people; it was truly a ten-mile-long red procession.

What's even more enviable is that the bride not only received a pair of jade ruyi scepters and a pair of treasure vases with a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons as dowry from the Empress, but also had 80 of the 180 dowry items given by the Liang family as betrothal gifts, which the Lu family gave to their daughter as part of her dowry.

When the Liang family proposed marriage, it caused a sensation in the capital.

Everyone knew Mrs. Xu was wealthy, but no one expected her to be this wealthy!

The betrothal gifts alone amounted to 100,000 taels of silver!
Countless other gold and silver jewelry, antiques, and valuable items were also found.

With just a few changes of hands, all of this became the bride's private property. Which lady or bride-to-be wouldn't be envious? No wonder Miss Lu is so lucky!

The entire Xinyang Marquis's family was in an awkward situation, especially the Xinyang Marquis's wife, who was so frustrated that she almost fell ill.

Five years ago, the Marquis of Xinyang took a liking to the Liang family and intended to arrange a marriage between them.

The Marquis of Xinyang's family has a good family tradition. Liang Minglang and Xu Zhichun found out that the young lady of the Marquis's family is good-looking and has a good personality. In addition, she is well-read and will surely get along well with Mingxuan in the future. They asked Mingxuan what he thought, and Mingxuan did not object. He believed that his brother and sister-in-law would definitely choose a good wife for him.

So the two families began to discuss marriage.

Unexpectedly, Lady Xinyang, who came from a scholarly family, looked down on the Liang family. She always felt that Liang Minglang and Xu Zhichun were of lowly birth and had only achieved their current status through good fortune. She believed that they were still vulgar and unworthy of marrying her precious daughter.

During the marriage negotiations, she was dismissive and arrogant, making sarcastic remarks.

Influenced by her mother, the young lady of the Marquis's mansion had the same attitude. When she saw Xu Zhichun, she held her head high with arrogance, looked at her with disdain, and didn't even greet her.

Xu Zhichun was not one to be trifled with. He immediately discussed it with Liang Minglang, stating frankly that he was not worthy of such an offer and that the matter should be dropped.

For this, the Marquis of Xinyang angrily rebuked his wife for her short-sightedness and personally went to try to salvage the situation, but was politely refused by Liang Minglang and Xu Zhichun.

This angered the Marquis of Xinyang, who felt that the Liang family was ungrateful.

Two years later, the young lady from the Marquis's family got married.

That young lady from the Marquis's mansion is now a mother.

Yes, she only had one biological daughter and three children born out of wedlock. The dowry given to her by the Marquis's mansion was neither much nor little, and her husband stole it to indulge in debauchery. By the time she discovered it, it was almost all gone.

She went back to her parents' home and cried, but what could she do?

If they hadn't missed the marriage with the Liang family, perhaps the mother and daughter, as well as the Marquis of Xinyang's family, wouldn't have had any particular feelings. After all, there are many families in the capital that have concubines, illegitimate children, and unambitious husbands.

But people are most afraid of comparison. When they do, they feel so frustrated that they feel like they want to vomit blood.

I'll probably feel uneasy about this for the rest of my life.

Three months after Liang Mingxuan got married, Liang Minglang's transfer order for a post outside the capital was also issued.

Liang Minglang, along with Xu Zhichun and their two children, bid farewell to their relatives and headed to Lingnan.

This is the place Xu Zhichun chose.

With the Lu family and Ji Yingxuan and Lu Yin looking after Liang Mingxuan and Lu Xiaoyue, and Yu Ji, who was already married, staying in the capital, Liang Minglang and Xu Zhichun were quite relieved. They were bored in the capital, so they decided to go out for a walk.

Spring Equinox refused to stay and insisted on following Xu Zhichun.

Lingnan is home to many large and small tribes, which are economically backward, impoverished, and prone to conflict and turmoil. When Liang Minglang and his wife went there, one of them suppressed the tribes while the other developed them. By combining firmness and gentleness, and working together, they eventually managed to bring peace and stability to that area.

This matter requires a huge sum of money, and the imperial court is naturally reluctant to spend money on such things. But it doesn't matter, Xu Zhichun can earn the money himself.

She has more money than she could ever spend, and using it here would be a great contribution for generations to come. Why not do it?
The family of four took a detour to go home first to pay respects to their ancestors.

Although Xu Zhichun has not been in Qingshan County for many years, he has never stopped investing in Qingshan County, especially Liangjia Village, and even neighboring Qingyang County and Changshui County have benefited greatly.

Today, the three counties are well-known for their potato, sweet potato, konjac, and cotton production. Their potato vermicelli, sweet potato noodles, konjac noodles, and cotton are continuously sold to various regions. Because they seized the market opportunity and opened up sales channels, even if competitors joined later, they could not compete with the three counties.

The lives of the people in the three counties are getting better and better, and they are all grateful to the charitable lady.

The whole of Liangjia Village was overjoyed when they heard they were coming back.

Old Lizheng's hair was already gray. He held Liang Minglang's hand and smiled from ear to ear. Zeng Xiaoyan, Aunt Zhu'er, Xiaojuan and others cried and laughed when they saw Xu Zhichun. They had so much to say but didn't know what to say. They just kept repeating that they missed her and that everyone missed her.

Seeing my parents again on the Spring Equinox brought me great joy.

Xu Zhichun and Liang Minglang held a three-day banquet to pay respects to their ancestors and parents. The magistrates and assistant magistrates of the three counties all came to pay their respects, and local gentry and wealthy people, such as Master Qin, all came to visit.

The commotion lasted for several days before gradually subsiding. As for the Liang family, the story of the two Liang families over the years is complicated and hard to describe.

After failing the imperial examinations repeatedly, Liang Mingxiang finally couldn't bear the shock when news of his son Liang Mingxuan's success in becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examinations) reached the village. He ran away from home and disappeared without a trace; his whereabouts remain unknown to this day.

As a result, Zhang went mad, sitting in the village all day cursing and swearing, cursing Mingxuan, Xu Zhichun and Minglang, claiming that they were the ones who ruined Mingxiang.

The village head was furious and warned Uncle Liang that if he continued to disobey her and let her cause trouble, he would lock Zhang in the ancestral hall until she recovered from her madness.

Uncle Liang was overjoyed and offered to take Zhang away and lock her up immediately.

But the village is responsible for keeping him in custody and taking care of him; he doesn't care.

The village headman was utterly disdainful and agreed with a cold laugh.

The village is not short of money these days.

No wonder this family's life is getting worse and worse; look at their path!
Unexpectedly, Zhang overheard these words and rushed out to fight and curse Liang Dabo, calling him heartless. Zhang was so fierce that Liang Dabo was knocked down and broke his leg.

Zhang's madness was so extreme that it was impossible to let her continue unchecked. She was placed under house arrest in the ancestral hall, where she remains to this day, and it's unlikely she'll ever be released.

The eldest son was reluctant to spend money on Uncle Liang's medical treatment. What could have been cured with bone setting and medicine ended up getting worse. His entire leg became necrotic, and he could only move around with difficulty with crutches. He couldn't even leave the courtyard.

The second wife's family didn't fare well either; both of their sons married women with ulterior motives, causing constant turmoil.

Xu Zhichun had never forgiven either family, and the village head knew this; good things never came their way. But he didn't deliberately make things difficult for them or bully them, otherwise they would have been driven out of the village long ago.

Unfortunately, they themselves were not ambitious and became increasingly destitute.

When people talked about it, they all looked down on it.

Xu Zhichun felt relieved; that was good.

She won't suppress them, but they shouldn't expect to gain anything from it either.

It's laughable that these two families still wanted to mend their relationship and try to get benefits by relying on their ridiculous bloodline and status. Butler Zhang took two guards with them and their families to the hospital, and they all behaved themselves.

Unlike other families, the Qin family specially invited them to a private gathering.

Qu Ling, the little girl from back then, has now married Qin Ning'an. She has not let down the Qin family couple's high regard and cultivation. She has gradually taken over the Qin family's business and done exceptionally well.

Madam Qin promised her that she would not allow Qin Ning'an to take a concubine, and that the Qin family would only have children born to her.

Qu Ling was initially worried because she had no one to rely on, but after hearing these words, she felt at ease and focused on her career, building a family fortune for her future children.

Qin Ning'an was very disappointed when she didn't see Mingxuan return.

Xu Zhichun laughed and said, "What's the big deal? If you have some free time tomorrow, why don't you go to the capital for a short stay of a year or two?"

Qin Ning'an was very tempted by what she heard, and not long after, she and Qu Ling really went to the capital for a trip.

Qu Ling was reluctant to go because she was busy with her business, but Master Qin laughed and said, "I can still hold on for a few more years, so you can go with peace of mind. It's good to travel around and broaden your horizons."

Qu Ling thought it made sense, so she went.

Qiao'er has grown into a young woman and now manages the businesses of several workshops.

Zeng Xiaojuan and Uncle Yang Ming did not have any more children; Xiao An and Qiao'er were enough for them.

Xiao An also got married and had children. Uncle Yang Ming handed over all his affairs to Xiao An and helped Zeng Xiaojuan take care of his grandchildren.

Both of them were worried about Qiao'er's marriage.

The girl absolutely refused to get married, declaring that she would never marry, which made Zeng Xiaojuan cry.

Despite her guilt, she still refused to get married.

She has her own money and can buy property, so why would she want to get married? She has absolutely no interest in it.

Zeng Xiaojuan sought help from Xu Zhichun, which surprised Xu Zhichun. He asked Qiao'er privately, and Qiao'er's eyes reddened. She really didn't want to get married. Just thinking about the days her mother had spent in her biological father's house made her feel like she was in a nightmare.

She and her son were lucky to escape the fire.

But who can guarantee that they won't meet the wrong person in the future?

If it happened again, who would save her?

Why can't she earn her own money and spend it as she pleases? Why does she want to marry someone and become someone's slave? She doesn't want to.

Xu Zhichun was both amused and exasperated. This girl had a good idea, which was rare. After thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, "How about this? We happen to be short of people when we go to Lingnan. Do you want to come with me?"

Qiao'er's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly.

Of course she'd love to!
Staying in the village made her an oddity. Although people didn't dare say anything openly out of consideration for Xiao An and the village head, she knew that many people must be gossiping behind her back. Her mother couldn't stand these people crying and trying to persuade her, and she was extremely annoyed, but she knew that her mother didn't mean any harm and was genuinely thinking of her, even though she didn't need it.

Why don't we go with Madam Xu?
With Madam Xu protecting her, who would dare to bully her?

Zeng Xiaojuan was reluctant to part with her daughter, but Xiaoyan persuaded her: Just consider it as her marrying far away.

Zeng Xiaojuan was surprised to find that it might not be a bad idea, and she relented.

Even during the Spring Equinox, she refused to stay at home and insisted on following Xu Zhichun.

Getting married? Sorry, she doesn't want to either.

Besides the two of them, about a dozen young people in the village were willing to follow Xu Zhichun and Liang Minglang.

Now that families have money and the village has a school, many people have learned to read and write, and have gone out and seen only a small part of the outside world. Even this small part is enough to bring about a dramatic change in their thinking.

With such a ready opportunity right in front of them, who wouldn't want to go out and broaden their horizons?
On the day Xu Zhichun and Liang Minglang left with their two children and many young people from the village, the whole village saw them off for a long, long time. Only when the carriage procession was out of sight did they sigh and return home.

Thinking about the future fills me with renewed energy.

Madam Xu said that in the future, she would open up the road between Lingnan and here, and build a wide official road. Everyone should work hard so that goods can be sold to Lingnan in the future.

People from Lingnan will prioritize buying products produced here, and Lingnan's specialties will also be sold to everyone first. It's about exchanging what you have and what you don't. If you do this back-and-forth trade, you can make more money.

Inside the carriage, Xu Zhichun, Chunfen, and Qiao'er, along with the two children, were chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere. Outside the carriage, Liang Minglang rode alongside on horseback.

Qiao'er was overjoyed, her eyes sparkling.

Xu Zhichun was also filled with hope. A new challenge was about to begin, but this time, someone was walking alongside her. She could openly and boldly display her talents and leave a lasting mark on the world.

Wide sea diving, sky high the birds to fly.

(End of the book)