The original wife of the former Ying Guo Gong Fu Ting Zhong passed away early, leaving behind a son and a daughter. The eldest son was Fu Shen, and the second daughter was Fu Ling. When Fu Ling was seventeen, she married the third prince Qi Wang as his principal wife. The second wife, Lady Qin, had two daughters and one son. The fourth son Fu Ya and the fifth daughter Fu Xi were still young and were raised at home by their mother.
When Lady Qin entered the family, Fu Shen was already mature and was not close to her. After Fu Ya was born, they became even more estranged. Because Fu Shen, the eldest son, was ahead, the future title would not fall to Fu Ya. Due to their status, the conflict between Lady Qin and Fu Shen was inevitable.
However, before Lady Qin could take any actions, Fu Ting Zhong was assassinated in the North Frontier. At that time, Emperor Yuan Tai, in order to win over meritorious officials, was particularly generous to military generals and decided not to reduce the rank, directly allowing Fu Ting Xin to inherit the Ying Guo Gong title. Later, when Fu Ting Xin passed away and the border war was tight, Fu Shen went directly to the battlefield before completing his mourning period. The Guo Gong title remained vacant, and after discussion, the Ministry of Rites simply allowed the third master Fu Ting Yi to inherit the title. When Fu Shen returned with military achievements, Emperor Yuan Tai separately conferred him the title of Jing Ning Hou.
Taking this opportunity, Lady Qin proposed that Fu Shen should establish a separate residence, citing “two titles in one family” and “a big tree attracts wind.”
Fu Shen recognized her intentions, as they revolved around coveting the title and wanting to push him out. Lady Qin was short-sighted, but the newly appointed Ying Guo Gong Fu Ting Yi thought further. The true foundation of the Fu family was not the Guo Gong title, but the North Yan cavalry. The Fu family had been closely related to the North Yan military for three generations. If this continued, the North Yan military would eventually be renamed the Fu family military – how would the world think, and how would the one on the dragon throne think?
