usatvline Chapter 1177 - 9: Zhou Family Strife (Part 1)
Chapter 1177 - 9: Zhou Family Strife (Part 1)
In the blink of an eye, two years have passed.Since then, the Beining Marquis Mansion has not been very peaceful.
After giving birth to her third daughter, on the eve of the birthday banquet, Miss Zhou Qi was pregnant again.
This time, she gave birth to a son, and it was twins.
Like Su Jin, who had two children in three years.
Having one son and one daughter is already a deep blessing.
But for the Heir’s wife of Beining Marquis to have five children with two pregnancies... it’s almost unheard of.
The Marchioness Beining was so thrilled that even her footsteps seemed to float.
She was especially grateful to Mrs. Tang, who helped arrange this marriage.
The Heir of Marquis Beining left Prince NanAn far behind, and being beaten was not even worth mentioning.
Being beaten was also a source of joy.
However, after the children’s one-year-old banquet, the Beining Marquis Mansion wasn’t so peaceful anymore.
The Marchioness Beining was elated and took her two grandchildren to the Great Buddha Temple to offer thanks.
Returning from the Great Buddha Temple, the two children fell into a coma.
The Imperial Physician diagnosed them as poisoned, but couldn’t identify the poison.
The panicked Heir of Marquis Beining sought Su Jin to save their lives.
It took seven days to cleanse the toxins from the children’s bodies.
The Heir of Marquis Beining and Miss Zhou Qi went to the Prince Mansion to thank Su Jin.
On the way back, their carriage ran amok; Miss Zhou Qi was safe, but the chaos in the street startled the horses, causing a ruckus and injuring people.
Since the person injured was the nephew of the Minister of the Ministry of War’s wife, and his arm was broken, the issue escalated.
First, they had to help with treatment, and secondly, the nephew was about to marry, but his injury delayed the wedding.
There aren’t many doctors who can treat broken arms and legs, so they had to trouble Su Jin again.
It took more than two months to resolve the issue, and then the Zhou Family faced another problem.
Old Master Zhou was traveling south by boat, but halfway there, the boat took on water, nearly drowning him.
Being the father-in-law of the Heir of Marquis Beining and one of Marquis Dongxiang’s few close friends, this was serious.
Moreover, many antiques and paintings from Nanlin were sold through Zhou’s shop; the Zhou Family had become Daqi’s top Imperial Merchant.
Upon hearing of Old Master Zhou’s predicament, Marquis Dongxiang sent people to find him.
Living, he must be found alive, dead, they needed his body.
It took over a month to find Old Master Zhou.
Old Master Zhou, blessed with luck, grabbed onto a log after falling into the water and drifted for a day and a night.
With his last ounce of strength, he crawled to shore and was rescued.
However, falling into the water in late autumn and being submerged for so long, surviving was a miracle, and he fell gravely ill after being saved.
If it weren’t for Old Master Zhou recalling how Doctor Li rubbed a person with alcohol to bring down a fever, he might have lost his life.
Having navigated the business world for over twenty years, Old Master Zhou suspected that money was the root of his troubles.
During Miss Zhou Qi’s wedding, he publicly stated that he had drafted a will, entrusted to Marquis Dongxiang.
Everyone speculated that his favorite was the Heir of Marquis Beining.
Ever since Miss Zhou Qi gave birth to two sons, troubles had been constant.
After this blow, Old Master Zhou realized that if the Zhou Family’s wealth, which could rival a nation’s, didn’t have a set heir, not only he but also the Beining Marquis Mansion would be at risk.
Many came looking for Old Master Zhou, knowing they were after him.
But Old Master Zhou trusted no one.
It wasn’t until the people from Dongxiang Marquis Mansion arrived that he dared to show himself.
After returning to the Zhou Family, Old Master Zhou sent messages to his seven daughters and sons-in-law, asking them to come home.
Miss Zhou Qi worried about her children, but with her father’s close brush with danger, she had to return home despite her reluctance.
Having nearly been harmed at the Beining Marquis Mansion, how much more dangerous could the journey to the Zhou Family be?
Neither Marquis Beining nor Marchioness Beining supported their return.
The Zhou Family was immensely wealthy, but the Beining Marquis Mansion was no less so, especially with the Heir having income from the Beauty Pavilion and the Conscience Ice Shop.
For the Beining Marquis Mansion, with its marquis title, excessive wealth was not a good thing.
Marchioness Beining didn’t want her son to risk his life in the struggle for the Zhou Family’s inheritance.
However, Old Master Zhou was nearly harmed, and as a daughter, Miss Zhou Qi naturally had to visit.
Moreover, the Heir of Marquis Beining learned the Disguise Technique from Xie Jingchen, disguising as an ordinary couple with Miss Zhou Qi on their journey.
They sent their subordinates, disguised as themselves, to the Zhou Family.
Traveling slowly, by the time they reached the Zhou Family, news of their supposed murder had spread.
Old Master Zhou believed it, devastated.
His body, barely recovered, couldn’t withstand the shock, and his illness worsened.
The Zhou Family wasn’t in the mood to receive guests, so the disguised Heir of Marquis Beining and Miss Zhou Qi were stopped outside the gate.
"Uncle Zhao, it’s me," Miss Zhou Qi called out.
A familiar voice caused the steward blocking the path to freeze, tears streaming down.
This was Miss Zhou Qi’s voice!
Miss Zhou Qi was alive!
Miss Zhou Qi tore off the human skin mask on her face, and Uncle Zhao wept with joy.
The Heir of Marquis Beining and Miss Zhou Qi stepped into the Zhou Family.
Old Master Zhou was still immersed in the grief of losing his daughter and son-in-law, feeling even more guilty towards the Beining Marquis Mansion.
Once the servant reported that they were alive, Old Master Zhou was both elated and incredulous.
Knowing the Zhou Family was not safe to return to, he repeatedly urged them to bring more people for protection.
Seeing Miss Zhou Qi and the Heir of Marquis Beining alive, Old Master Zhou could finally relax.
Old Master Zhou’s illness, caused by grief, eased greatly with a brighter mood.
The six daughters of the Zhou Family and their husbands had already arrived.
The Heir of Marquis Beining and Miss Zhou Qi were the last to come.
The Zhou daughters married to the Capital didn’t include just Miss Zhou Qi but also the Eldest Madam Yan, the Zhou Family’s Fourth Daughter.
Back then she had a difficult labor, and Su Jin even assisted in the delivery.
Miss Zhou Qi originally planned to travel with her fourth sister and brother-in-law to look out for each other on the road.
But knowing the dangers that the road held for Miss Zhou Qi and the Heir of Marquis Beining, Young Master Yan refused to travel with them, avoiding being implicated.
Claiming ill health and planning to depart a few days later, he declined Miss Zhou Qi’s request.
Seeing the Heir of Marquis Beining and Miss Zhou Qi unharmed, they blamed them for not sending word back sooner to ease their worries.
The Heir of Marquis Beining felt a chill seeing their genuine concern.
Because they all knew that among them, one or two, or perhaps even they together, were behind the murder plot.
With Old Master Zhou still ill, no one dared to mention the inheritance.
The seven daughters and sons-in-law stayed in the Zhou Family.
Three days passed, and Old Master Zhou was well enough to move around, prompting eager discussions about the inheritance.
The servants, concubines, and several Zhou daughters opposed Old Master Zhou’s idea of leaving the family wealth to one heir, with even the clan elders suggesting he adopt an heir from the clan to inherit the estate.
Old Master Zhou had long been disappointed with the clan.
In the scramble for the Zhou Family inheritance, many young members had already been lost.
Now he dared not casually praise any young member, for fear of stirring speculation and bringing disaster upon them.