Dòu Zhāo's ancestors were peddlers without a fixed property, by chance, he married a servant girl from a merchant family in the town. He used his wife's dowry of ten taels of silver to buy one mu and two fen of land in Běilóu Village, True Definition, and settled down there, multiplying and thriving.

  This is the origin of the later famous Beilou Dong clan.

  Dòu Zhāo's great-grandfather was an apprentice in his mother's old family's silk shop at the age of ten. He became a master at fourteen and became the second manager of the silk store at twenty. The owner wanted to marry his daughter's personal maid to him, but he didn't want his children and grandchildren to turn around for generations, so he wanted to marry Hao Shi, the daughter of the poor but talented scholar from the west of the town.

  At the age of twenty-one, he used the eight taels of silver he had saved by being frugal to marry Ms. Hao and lost his job as a second shop assistant.

  He took the Hao family back to Beilou Village, took over his father's carrying pole, and also inherited the 30 mu of good land that his father had worked hard for all his life. During busy farming seasons, he would work in the fields; during slack seasons, he would travel around the countryside.

  The next summer, Hao's wife gave birth to a big fat baby boy.

  He met a cotton collector at the village head.

  Zhengding Prefecture grows cotton.

  The cotton merchant wants to find someone familiar with local farmers to help him collect cotton.

  Father Mao recommended himself. Relying on the skills honed in the silk shop, with a glance of his eyes, he knew whether the cotton was adulterated or not, and with a lift of his hand, he knew how many catties of cotton there were, and could also calculate the abacus and keep accounts.

  When summer passed, in addition to the agreed-upon remuneration, the wool merchant gave Dou Zhaotaizu's grandfather an extra ten taels of silver and made an appointment with him to come back next year at this time.

  By winter, Dou Zhao's great-grandfather had traveled all over the ten miles and eight villages of Zhen Ding County. By the following summer, it was clear which family had planted how much cotton, whether the cotton was good or bad, and whether the cotton farmer was easy to get along with; collecting cotton, weighing, calculating accounts, storing in warehouses, and keeping accounts were all accurate. The merchant only needed to fan himself while sitting under a tree drinking tea.

  "It seems that whether I'm here or not, it's all the same. I still have to spend money on rent and food." The traveling merchant smiled as he discussed with Du Zhao's great-grandfather, "I have an idea. I'll advance you some money first, you collect the cotton flowers yourself, then send the collected brocade flowers to me, and we'll settle accounts based on the quality of the cotton flowers. What do you think?"

  The Dous' family is like this, a family risen from collecting cotton.

  It was passed down to Dou Zhao's great-grandfather, the people of the Dou family took the cotton collected from counties such as Zhen Ding, Huan Lu, Yuan Ji, Ping Shan and Xing Tang to Jiangnan, exchanged it for silk in Jiangnan, sold it in Sichuan, then transported medicinal materials from Sichuan to the capital, converted them into silver, made new-style jewelry and sold it to high-ranking officials in Zhen Ding Prefecture.

  Dòu Zhāo's great-grandfather just used to read books with a peaceful mind, taking the imperial examination was enough.

  He was only able to pass the imperial examination as a xiucai.

  But this did not prevent him from marrying the daughter of Zhao Juping from Anxiang Village, Xingtang County.

  The Zhao family and the Duanmu family are not the same!

  They have a family tree.

  Although there are only 120 mu of land in the family, the ancestors of the family can be traced back to the Zhou Muwang period. Moreover, "Zhao" is still the national surname of the previous dynasty, and the ancestors of the Zhao family moved here from the old capital Bianjing during the change of dynasties.

  An Xiang's Zhao family was also Di Zhao's maternal relatives.

  Dòu Zhāo's great-grandfather and Zhao Shi had two sons after they got married. The eldest son was Dòu Huàn Chéng, and the second son was Dòu Yào Chéng.

  The two brothers were intelligent from a young age and followed their maternal grandfather Zhao to study, and when they grew up, they were sent to the Imperial Academy in Kyoto for further studies.

  In the 13th year of the Zhide era, the two brothers were both listed on the golden list.

  Older brother second grade third place, younger brother second grade thirty-seventh place.

  The Dou family became truly wealthy and noble from then on.

  His elder brother passed the imperial examination and became a Hanlin scholar, staying in the Hanlin Academy to observe politics. His younger brother was appointed as a county magistrate of Xunxian County in Nanchang Prefecture.

  Dòu Zhāo's great-grandfather Dòu Qiǎn was a man of shallow fortune; he enjoyed fame and wealth for only a few years before passing away.

  When he died, neither of his two brothers was by his side.

  Two brothers returned to their hometown for mourning and after the mourning period was over, they went back to the capital to wait for an official appointment.

  His elder brother was a jinshi, who had been in the Ministry of Personnel and soon got an official position as a censor in the Office of Scrutiny. His younger brother struggled for more than half a year before getting a job as a secretary in the Yunnan Provincial Administration Commission with the help of his elder brother.

  In his younger brother's impression, Yunnan was a place of poor mountains and evil waters, with miasma and savage smoke, where officials would fall ill and die on their way to take office, not a place for humans to stay.

  If they continue to stay in Kyoto, one reason is that the two brothers have just entered official career, and good jobs may not be available. Second, the imperial court appoints officials every three years, and when he gets a good job, his brother will probably be promoted from the sixth rank.

  He thought it was meaningless and resigned, returning to Zhending County.

  The Zhao family lived a dignified and comfortable life, but if there was one thing to be desired, it was that both sons were serving as officials outside the home. She feared that when she died, like her husband, there would be no son to escort her coffin.

  Dong Yicheng returned home, and she was naturally very willing.

  Anyway, the eldest son's career is going smoothly, and the second son has returned home, which is just in time to show filial piety in front of her and can also help with household chores.

  Duo Yaocheng, with the halo of being a successful candidate in the imperial examination, and his ancestors from the Duo family, are naturally not on the same level when it comes to doing business.

  In Kyoto, the silver ingots were no longer sold as ornaments, but were used as a medium of exchange for those poor scholars; or lent to those minor officials who had just secured a new post and needed a large sum of money for entertaining and purchasing official vehicles and attire; or lent to high-ranking officials returning to Beijing to report on their duties and needing to host banquets and give gifts. Later, as these officials rose and fell in rank, the Tō family began to get involved in the supply of stone materials for river construction, grain and fodder for the nine border provinces, salt certificates for the southern Yangtze region...

  Silver poured in like water, making Zhao Shi and Dou Huan's eyes dazzle and their hearts tremble with fear.

  Duan Hancheng, who was already the Right Censor of the Ducha Yuan, repeatedly admonished his younger brother: "The full moon wanes, and overflowing water spills over. You should still be more reserved."

  Dong Yacheng didn't think much of it: "The bold ones will die from overexertion, the timid ones will starve to death. I'm also just using the tiger's might to intimidate others. Since you've retired, I won't be doing this business either."

  Dòu Huànchéng however felt that the money was not earned cleanly: "Selling southern goods in the north, no matter how much you earn, it's still hard-earned money. This is official-merchant collusion! It's exploiting the country for wealth!"

  Dong Yaoke sneered: "Big brother, at this time, you're afraid of dirty money? When brother wanted to buy the Song Dynasty's rare edition, why didn't he mind dirty money? When helping colleagues' orphans, how come he didn't mind dirty money......"

  "You!" Dou Huan Cheng's anger made his lips tremble.

  The two brothers parted on bad terms.

  Zhao looked at him with a heavy heart and advised Duan Yaoyong: "Just listen to your brother's words! He works in the capital, supervising and impeaching officials, he has seen many things, he won't harm you."

  Dòu Yào Chéng didn't want his mother to worry, nor did he want to lower his head to his elder brother. He casually said: "Look at those officials, which one doesn't fawn all over each other? No need to open their mouths, someone will send them food, drink, and silver. They're afraid that if they send it, it won't be accepted. I'm different from my elder brother, if I don't earn a day's worth of silver, I won't have anything to eat."

  Zhao's mother listened carefully and smiled, "You think I'm getting old and muddled." But in her heart, she thought that her eldest son only had a small salary, and every time he came back, he would bring her ginseng, bird's nest, jewelry, and jade. The daughter-in-law of the main house, as well as the grandchildren, would get new clothes and accessories every season, showing that they were indeed living very comfortably. Her eldest son's words made sense, but it wasn't easy for her youngest son to do business either. Last time she went to Songjiang Prefecture, she had to entertain those officials and drink so much wine that just smelling the alcohol would make her uncomfortable. Even so, her youngest son never hid any silver from her, always turning everything over to the family, and dividing all the profits equally with his older brother.

  Thinking of this, I couldn't help but feel sorry for my youngest son.

  There is a difference between those with official status and those without it.

  Otherwise, why would people in this world rack their brains to become officials?

  The old lady's heart was biased towards this youngest son who inquired about her well-being every day.

  Dong Yaocheng's official career was cut off, but he had a capable manager to help him with his business, and the more he did, the bigger it became, the more prosperous it became, and his mind gradually shifted to enjoying life.

  It started with gathering friends and drinking, later it became listening to opera in Liyuan and horse racing on Zhangtai.

  Zhao knew to advise his younger son: "You are a person of status, how can you drink with those peddler's wives at the same table? Why not buy a few clever and nimble little maids back, invite famous actors from True Prefecture to teach them, raise your own opera troupe, have some dignity, relieve boredom, and make a lively scene during festivals."

  With his mother's words, what else could Duan Yaoyang be worried about?

  He played more and more preposterously.

  The rift between the two brothers grew deeper.

  Zhao's family looked at it and thought it wouldn't work, so they asked their maternal uncle for advice.

  "Think about it, brother," said Zhao. "Let's settle the accounts while you're still here. Why don't we just divide the family property and everyone can go their separate ways? That way, there won't be anything more to say."

  Zhao thought for a long time, and finally made up his mind: "It's better than making a joke about uneven distribution after I die. I'll take the blame for this family division. Anyway, I'm already half-buried in the ground." Then he called back his eldest son: "...Don't argue over these trivial matters anymore!"

  "Mother, this is not a trivial matter." Du Huan-Cheng disagreed with the division of the family and tried to persuade his mother, "A temporary honor in one's career, but good articles for thousands of years. The foundation of a family's prosperity does not lie solely in their occupation, and their reputation cannot be lacking. If there is an occupation without a good reputation, it's okay if one can keep their integrity and not be tempted by wealth and fame; but if they can't, then suddenly falling from a life of luxury would be more miserable than ordinary families. On the other hand, having a good reputation without an occupation means doing things with integrity and being a clean and honest person, evil influences wouldn't dare to intrude, and good fortune will naturally follow... Uncle's family is just like that..."

  "I know, I know," said Zhao, perfunctorily. "It's me who wants to divide the family property. I don't want to see you all quarreling like this anymore. Especially your younger brother - after ten years of hard study, he ends up in such a state. You brothers are supposed to take care of each other, but if you won't look out for him, who will? But brothers are like husbands and wives, hurting each other day after day, year after year. Even the best relationships can't withstand that. Just consider it filial piety towards me, and divide up the family property."

  Duan Huancheng made a vow in front of his mother: "I will definitely take good care of my brother. No need to divide the family..."

  "Listen to me," said Zhao, shaking his head. "Although your father left behind a fortune of ten thousand taels, it's not even one-third of what the Duan family has now. I want to divide our family property into three parts: one for me, one for you, and one for your younger brother. I'll live with your younger brother, and when I'm gone, my share will go to him..."

  Is this about dividing the house or dividing the property?

  Is this what Mother means? Or is it what Brother means?

  Dòu Huànchéng didn't dare think more, he nodded.

  Zhao asked Zhao Shu Ye, who was then the county magistrate of Zhending County, and the parents of his two daughters-in-law to act as mediators and divide the family property.

  Since his mother followed his younger brother, Dou Huan Cheng yielded the large mansion in Zhending County and built a five-room blue-brick tile house on the east side of the county town.

  From then on, the Duan family was divided into two factions.

  Duan Huaicheng's branch was called "East Duan" because they lived in the east of the city, while Duan Yaocheng's branch was called "West Duan" because they lived in the west of the city.

  Dòu Yào Chéng is the great-grandfather of Dòu Zhāo.

  It turned out to be as Yu Hengcheng had worried. In just a few years, Yu Yaocheng's wives and concubines competed for favor, resulting in a homicide case, and many scandals were exposed in the inner court. Although it was suppressed, the Western Yu branch was severely damaged, and Yu Yaocheng died of illness before he was 40 years old. His children died one after another, leaving only Yu Zhao's grandfather, Yu Dang.

  "Dong Sui" brings prosperity and good fortune.

  Duan Hancheng had two sons and three daughters. Nine grandsons, three granddaughters, eleven great-grandsons, nine great-granddaughters, among whom two sons and one son-in-law all passed the imperial examination to become jinshi.

  He did not forget his promise in front of his mother and always took good care of Du Yacheng.

  After Dou Yacheng's death, Dou Huaicheng brought the young Dou Dong to his side, helped him manage the family property, personally taught him to read and study, and watched him start a career. After that, he handed over the family property intact to Dou Dong. Even after his death, he left behind a will: "The two Dous of the East and West are one family, separated but not divided."

  Dong Tong was more impressed by his uncle than his father. He regarded Dou Huan Cheng as his own father and treated several of his cousins like real brothers. After the birth of his son, Dou Shi Ying, he arranged for him to be part of the "Shi" generation with the sons of the Eastern Mansion's Dou family, symbolizing that the two families were one and would never be separated.

  So Duan Zhao's father, although an only child, was called Seventh Master.

  The one known as San Ye was Duan Shao's second elder uncle's eldest son, Duan Shibang.

  ※

  This month, participate in PK, please take a look at the PK list when you have nothing to do. If "Nine-layer Purple" has not entered the top ten, please help vote for one vote. If it has entered the top ten, there are votes to vote, and those without votes can watch the regular version!

  O(∩_∩)O~

  Wishing everyone a happy new year.

  ※