Chapter 4: Recognizing Kinship at the Marquis's Manor

  "What's wrong?" Ma Yun heard the voice and stretched her head over, looking down, a red glow flew up on her pink face. The last page of the genealogy was written in bold and neat script: Liu Jian's son Liu Xin, wife Ma Shi. This was what Liu Jian wrote that night, and the two of them saw it now. Writing her name into the genealogy confirmed her position as his legitimate wife, and when Ma Yun saw this, she felt both shy and happy.

  "Nonsense!" Liu Xin said with a bitter tone, throwing the genealogy to one side. "Ma Yun, this doesn't count. I said we finally managed to travel through time once, I find some beautiful Han Dynasty women, you find some handsome Han Dynasty men, what a great thing! If we were together, how boring would that be? Let's just forget about this genealogy, okay?"

  Ma Yun took a step forward, picked up the genealogy book in her hand, dusted off the dust on it, and hugged it tightly as if it were a treasure. She looked at Liu Xin with a provocative gaze and said: "You want to find a little wife? Absolutely no way! It's written clearly in black and white on this paper that I am the legitimate wife. If you want to take a concubine, you must get my consent first. Even if you make a fuss at the government office, I will be in the right."

  Does the concubine need to be agreed by the legitimate wife? It seems that there was such a regulation in the Ming and Qing dynasties, but what about the end of the Eastern Han dynasty? Liu Xin really didn't understand. However, he turned his eyes and had an idea: "Ma Yun, since it's like this, you pack up and I'll set off to Ju Chao tomorrow morning, you stay behind to take care of the house." Liu Xin made up his mind, this time he went to Ju Chao and wouldn't come back, getting rid of this little tail, although Ma Yun was also a beauty, if in modern times finding such a wife would be not bad, but in this era it wouldn't work, she definitely wouldn't allow him to marry three wives and four concubines.

  Ma Yunna also studied at the police school for two years and interned in the police station for several holidays. Where would he be deceived? She thought to herself, wanting to shake her off? No way! But she said softly: "Xin Gege, tomorrow I'll go with you, this house doesn't have anything valuable, it's not a big deal whether we look or not."

  "No, you're still young. This journey is going to be tough and unpredictable, I don't want you to suffer. Why don't you just stay home and wait for me to come back?" Liu Xin continued to coax.

  Ma Yun stood up, puffed out her chest and said to Liu Xin with a pout: "I'm not small at all, Wang's wife next door is two years younger than me and she's already the mother of two kids."

  Liu Xin looked at Ma Yun's high-pitched chest, which was about to touch her face. It seemed that she had even grabbed a handful that day. Alas, this girl's figure is still quite hot. Thinking of this, Liu Xin couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. It seems that she can't get rid of it for the time being, so let's take it with us first: "Okay, you still have to dress up as a man, and don't complain on the way."

  Ma Yun was overjoyed when Liu Xin agreed to take her to Ju Chao, and she rushed into his arms, kissing him on the face. Liu Xin asked in disbelief: "Ma Yun, do you really want to marry me? You're a police officer and I'm a thief!"

  Ma Yun's face turned red as she said: "Five years ago, when you rescued me from the hands of several small hooligans, you walked into my heart. All these years, I've been searching for your whereabouts. Do you know? When I found out that those cases were all done by you, my heart almost broke. Fortunately, everything is fine now. Now I'm not a police officer, and you're not a thief!"

  Liu Xin thought to himself, this Ma Yun is really bold, daring to say such thoughts out loud. However, being able to hear a beautiful girl express her admiration for him, Liu Xin's vanity was slightly satisfied, and he was also genuinely moved. He couldn't help but put his arms around Ma Yun and kiss her forehead, saying: "Yun'er, I don't know if this trip to Ju Chao to acknowledge our relationship will be smooth or not, but from now on, following me will probably be tough."

  Ma Yun lowered her head and muttered: "I'm not afraid, Father has already written it in the family tree, we've been husband and wife for a long time, wherever you go, I'll follow."

  Ma Yun said her own thoughts also need great courage, she also secretly made up her mind, in case Liu Xin refused her, she would escape far away and never see Liu Xin again, anyway there was no second person who knew herself in this world. Fortunately, such a thing did not happen, Liu Xin seemed to have defaulted on his wife's identity, Ma Yun only felt an unprecedented sense of happiness rising from the bottom of her heart, her whole body soft and fluffy, lying in Liu Xin's arms without wanting to move at all.

  Gently stroking the woman in his arms, who was as gentle as a kitten, a fragrance like orchid and musk entered his nostrils. Liu Xin's heart was stirred, and he couldn't help but want to untie Ma Yun's belt. Suddenly, he saw that she was still wearing mourning clothes, and hastily straightened her body, speaking seriously: "Yun, you and I are currently in a period of heavy mourning. In ancient times, people often observed three years of mourning, but we come from a later era, and Liu Jian is only my adoptive father. You and I already have the name of husband and wife, so I think we don't need to wait for the three-year period. When we return from Ju Chao, I will formally take you in as my wife, how about that?"

  "Well, from now on I'll listen to you in everything." Ma Yun didn't think happiness would come so quickly, and almost without thinking, she agreed.

  The next morning, the two of them packed their bags and set off to visit their relatives in Ju Chao. Neither of them knew the way to Ju Chao, so they asked for directions along the way and walked for half a month before arriving at their destination. From the day Ma Yun expressed her feelings, the relationship between the two became much closer, and Liu Xin no longer insisted on Ma Yun wearing men's clothing. Although Liu Xin was determined to mourn his adoptive father for a month, this did not affect the affectionate interactions between the two on the road, and their emotions quickly warmed up. In the inn, they also shared a room and slept in the same bed, and at night, they couldn't help but be intimate, several times almost going too far, hoping that the month would pass quickly.

  On this day, the two finally arrived at Ju Chao City and found a place to rest. Liu Xin then asked the waiter about the residence of the Marquis of Ju Chao.

  "Sir, you've also come about the Baochai's jewelry box matter, haven't you?"

  "Exactly. Xiao Er, how did you know?"

  "Lately, this is the most talked-about thing in town. You'll understand once you ask around. Not many people are going now, but a few days ago, many went to match with the lid, yet none of them succeeded. This treasure box is from inside the palace, it's not an ordinary object, how can it be easily matched? I heard the Emperor even sent an official over for this matter. Don't take offense, but I think you'd better not get involved in this."

  "Whether I go or not is my business, so don't bother worrying about it. Waiter, what else do you know about this matter? Tell me and I'll listen." The waiter was initially unwilling, but when he saw the string of copper coins Liu Xin handed over, his face lit up with a smile, and he closed the door to tell Liu Xin...

  Originally, in these years, disasters such as droughts, floods, and locust plagues were rampant, with complaints filling the air, and the people were struggling to survive. Emperor Liu Hong, also known as Han Lingdi, was incompetent and indulgent, drowning himself in wine and lust. He ordered that all palace maids between the ages of 14 and 18 must wear heavy makeup and open-crotch pants, with nothing underneath, for his convenience when he took them to bed. Apart from his indulgence in wine and women, he also excessively favored eunuchs, promoting Zhang Rang and others as "Ten Constant Attendants", and often saying "Zhang is my father, Zhao is my mother". The eunuchs, relying on the emperor's favor, acted recklessly, extorting money from the people, and plundering their wealth.

  This Liu Hong is the most financially obsessed emperor in history, and for the sake of making money, Han Emperor Lingdi Liu Hong has taken a new historical path of industrialization, diversification, and extreme shamelessness. Liu Hong likes to engage in industrialized operations, and it's not enough to make a fortune once; the goal is to make a lifetime of fortunes that can't be spent. Take tributes as an example. During the Eastern Han dynasty, China was a superpower at that time, and every year some countries would send envoys to pay tribute and establish friendly relations with their neighbors. They always brought national treasures and rare jewels to please the great emperor of the Han Dynasty. However, the usual procedure for tributes is to first submit an inventory, count it, and then put it into the national treasury as a state-owned asset. If the emperor wants something, he will send someone to retrieve it, and some may need to go through relevant departmental audits before it can reach the emperor's hands. Liu Hong found this too troublesome, so he took a commission from the tribute before it entered the warehouse and had it sent directly to the palace, calling it "careful expenses." The tributes came year after year, and the careful expenses were also available every year. Liu Hong thus obtained his first pot of gold in life. The most absurd thing is that the emperor actually opened an official trading house in the West Garden, with clear prices and public sales of official positions. An official position with a salary of 600 stones was sold for 6 million coins, and an official position with a salary of 2,000 stones was sold for 20 million coins. What's even more ruthless is that Liu Hong, except for the emperor's throne which was not for sale, all positions from the top officials such as the Minister of Works, Minister of War, and Grand Marshal to the county magistrates at the bottom could be bought with money, and the goods were delivered immediately after payment, without any delay.

  Liu Chong, the Marquis of Juying, was already fifty-four years old and considered elderly at that time. However, he had no sons, so Emperor Ling of Han thought that after Liu Chong's death, he could reclaim his fief and have the taxes from Juying County go directly to the imperial palace. Liu Chong had no choice but to think of Liu Kui. The court was aware of this matter, so Liu Chong searched everywhere for Liu Kui's descendants, which led to the story of the precious jade box with a missing lid. Emperor Ling was still uneasy and specially sent eunuchs to take away the jade box with the missing lid, preventing the Marquis of Juying from forging one.

  Liu Xin did not expect this twist, it seems that even if he didn't come to find Liu Chong, Liu Chong would still search for him all over the world. Thanking the shopkeeper, Liu Xin and Ma Yun closed the door and began to discuss...

  The next morning, Liu Xin came alone to the Ju Nao Hou Mansion. The vermilion gate had two stone lions outside and four family guards standing on either side inside. Liu stepped up the stairs.

  "What are you doing? This is a noble residence of the Marquis's household. Outsiders are not allowed to enter!" A house servant stretched out his hand, blocking the way.

  "Down there is Liu Xin, he has something to ask of Master Hou, would you kindly inform him for me?"

  "Can the young master be seen at will? Is there a name card?"

  "Yes, yes, yes. I've come for the treasure box." Liu Xin said as he handed over a string of copper coins.

  "Oh, for the sake of the treasure box. Then come with me and meet the manager first."

  Liu Xin followed the house servant into a side hall in the front yard of the Hou Mansion. In the side hall, a thin and small old man with a sly look was kneeling on a couch.

  "Director Liu, this person requests an audience with Master Hou, saying it's about the treasure box..."

  "Alright, you go down first." The old man waved his hand.

  "You have a treasure chest cover, take it out and let me see." The old man was somewhat impatient.

  The old man's eyes lit up when he saw the lid of the treasure box taken out from Liu Xin's bosom.

  "Give it to me, you wait here."

  "No way, I want to see for myself whether the box and lid match." Liu Xin said resolutely.

  "Hmph, you can't get away with this. Come on, take him down."

  The old man gave an order, and five or six servants suddenly appeared from nowhere, surrounding Liu Xin.

  ！

  Click on the "+" in the top right corner of WeChat, select "Add Friends", search for public account "_17K" and follow us.

  Reply "big prize + your QQ number" to participate in the activity. 10 iPhone 6 and 10,000 QQ members are waiting for you to claim!