Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

In the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, on the eighth day of the ninth month in autumn, the ground was covered with yellow flowers.

The Great Tang Dynasty, Chang'an City, Longzheng Ward, the Duke of Zan's Mansion.

Longzhengfang was renamed Buzhengfang during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to avoid using the same character as the character's name.

Dou Fengjie, who was six feet tall, with delicate features, broad shoulders, thick back, and long arms that reached his knees, knelt before the ancestral tablet of his father Dou Gui. His knees on the prayer mat were numb, and he himself was numb.

The wind grew cooler, and Dou Fengjie's heart grew even colder.

Mountains crumble when you rely on them, and people run away when you rely on them.

As the only son of Duke Dou Gui, Dou Fengjie had barely enjoyed a few days of happiness after transmigrating when he became a helpless orphan at the age of eighteen.

The chanting of sutras by the monks of Fahai Temple in this neighborhood, along with the wisps of smoke and scattered fallen leaves, made the mansion seem even more desolate.

Dou Gui's lineage did not have a harmonious relationship with other members of the Dou clan in Xianyang. Moreover, Dou Gui was known for his strictness during his lifetime, so much so that apart from the usual condolences, none of his uncles or elders showed up.

Dou Gui's former subordinates were naturally even less likely to come.

The only one who felt pity and came to help every day was her seventy-eight-year-old aunt, Lady Dou, the Dowager Lady of Lu State.

Dou Niangzi's given name is "Niangzi".

Dou Gui could even execute his own nephew under military law, so naturally no one was willing to be close to him anymore.

"Nephew, although your aunt's words are unpleasant to hear, they are true. As for Princess Shang, just grit your teeth and bear it; wealth and honor will come."

With graying temples, Madam Dou looked utterly helpless.

It's a terrible thing that people in their seventies and eighties are still acting as matchmakers and gossips, and they're doing such a despicable business.

Lady Dou wasn't lying; as long as Dou Fengjie agreed to marry the princess, he would be given a general's position of the third rank.

Of course, a general holding a real position is a general, and a general enjoying the benefits of a general is also a general.

If one has no ambitions, marrying Princess Shang is also an option.

The Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant was a fifth-rank military officer, and at least he could receive a salary.

"Aunt, I know you mean well, but I'm the only son in my family line. We can't let the lineage die out, can we?"

"In this dynasty, even a prince consort is not allowed to take concubines."

Dou Fengjie politely declined the persuasion.

Although he knew that "to make a living, one must be willing to be cuckolded," Dou Fengjie still did not want to become part of the Turkic steppe.

The rule against taking concubines made Dou Fengjie even more alarmed.

If the eldest princess cannot have children, wouldn't the lineage of the Dou family be cut off?

From the time of the Wude era to the present, there has been no record of any imperial son-in-law taking a concubine.

As a member of the imperial family, even if Dou Fengjie didn't become a general, he could still survive by inheriting the title of Duke of Zan.

As for the six hundred households of the fiefdom...

The actual fiefdom consisted of only one hundred households, so even if they didn't take it, it wouldn't affect their luxurious lifestyle.

Besides, Dou Fengjie, the time traveler, is not short of land.

Although the portable system is a bit flawed, basic expenses can be extracted, though there are often discrepancies.

"You know the reason why my cousin's posthumous title and your succession have been delayed."

Lady Dou sighed, a hint of helplessness showing in her old eyes.

What kind of nonsense is this!

Unfortunately, Lady Dou could not refuse the Emperor's intentions, and for the sake of her fifth son, she could only suffer for her nephew.

Even Dou Niangzi felt ashamed to be taking advantage of an orphan.

Dou Fengjie calmly clasped his hands and said, "Nephew thanks Aunt for her concern. Titles are merely external things; losing them is my fate."

"After Father is buried, I shall move out of the Duke of Zan’s mansion and live in a residence next to Fahai Temple, and return the mansion to the court."

"Wealth and honor are like fleeting clouds to me. On the day of the mourning period, my nephew will sail the seas to seek out Fangzhang and Penglai."

Officials below the sixth rank and commoners, with a family of three, were legally entitled to only one mu of residential land. Living in the Duke's mansion would clearly be against the regulations.

Moreover, the privilege of being granted the Blackhead Gate was a privilege enjoyed only by officials of the fifth rank or above.

Dou Fengjie, a commoner, was certainly not capable of guarding the mansion.

Dou Gui died while serving as the governor of Luozhou and was buried in Luoyang. Dou Fengjie only needed to observe the mourning period for twenty-seven months.

servants...

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Dou Gui, while still alive, inexplicably took his anger out on the servants and killed them to demonstrate the law. Naturally, most of the servants who could be released from their social status left.

To be honest, even if those servants were willing to stay, Dou Fengjie wouldn't dare to use them. Who knows if any of them harbored resentment towards Father?

There's no solution to this mess.

The only people who remained by Dou Fengjie's side were two servants, one old and one young, who had served him since childhood.

Posthumous titles might be very important to native Tang Dynasty people, but they are not so important to time travelers.

Moreover, the Dou family of Xianyang originated from the Xianbei people and their original surname was Hedouling. Even if they had been Sinicized, they were not completely so.

If he were to set aside all pretense of shame, Dou Fengjie could even shout, "I am a barbarian!"

That last sentence was purely an excuse; Dou Fengjie knew from the beginning that there was no such thing as a fairy island in the world.

On the largest island closest to the Tang Dynasty, men have a habit of plucking their hair and beards.

Lady Dou sighed softly, "Alright, if you need anything, go to the Duke of Lu's Mansion west of the north gate of Daozheng Ward and find me or your fifth cousin."

"I have tried my best to persuade the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty."

Dou Fengjie expressed his gratitude, but that was all he could do.

My fifth cousin, Hou Junji, is arrogant and conceited, looks down on everyone, and is extremely ruthless. Even the young Dou Fengjie is not someone to mess with.

It was easy to deal with the retired Emperor Li Yuan, who had already moved to Da'an Palace, but the difficult one was Emperor Zhenguan, Li Shimin.

After Lady Dou left, Dou Fengjie, along with two servants, quickly tidied up and left the Duke of Zan's mansion with the monks from Fahai Temple.

Upon entering the residence next to Fahai Temple, Dou Fengjie ordered his servants to bolt the door and let out a heavy sigh.

The emperor is incompetent. He holds the power of succession hostage and blackmails his cousin Dou Fengjie into becoming his brother-in-law. How could he even think of that!

There were virtuous and kind princesses among the eldest princesses, but Dou Fengjie knew that all that would fall on his head was a green hat (a symbol of being cuckolded).

The title of "First Green Hat King of the Tang Dynasty" is so high that it could break one's spine!

"The Ten Directions Supreme Truth, the Flying God King, the One Who Lives Forever and Saves the World, the Immeasurable Great God..."

Sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat with his eyes closed, Dou Fengjie softly chanted the "Scripture of Salvation," as if to pray for his father's salvation.

I wonder if the abbot of Fahai Temple next door will give Dou Fengjie a good talking-to when he hears this news.

The gate to the mansion was not only bolted shut, but also blocked with a doorstop.

Judging from Dou Fengjie's style, the three of them—master and servant—would be staying in the mansion for a long time.

"Why would you abandon the mansion, my lord?"

"You are still young and cannot understand your husband's wisdom. It is the right thing to do to give up the mansion and ensure your safety."

The two servants were whispering, just enough for Dou Fengjie to hear.

retreat?

Dou Fengjie's lips were crooked.

Do they really think the hidden cameras secretly installed in the old mansion don't exist?

The logistics system isn't good at providing ignition devices or grain seeds, but it's quite generous with those strange little gadgets.

So Dou Fengjie installed pinhole cameras all over the four gates of Longzhengfang, the cross street, and the Duke of Zan's mansion.

Anyway, with the Weihuo system helping out, the installation only requires Dou Fengjie to have a thought, and the system will take care of the data.

Although Dou Fengjie is a time traveler, he is by no means a well-behaved and obedient child at heart.

Having been killed so many times that they've been transported to another world, what wouldn't they dare to do?

The worst that can happen is that I have to travel through time again.