The Illegitimate Son’s Rise in a Marquis’s Household

Lin Zhao is the illegitimate son of the Marquis of Pingnan.

In his previous life, he was acknowledged by his birth family, only to be imprisoned as a scapegoat and tortured to death by a thousand cuts. His birth mother and his uncle's entire family were wrongly killed because of him.

To the marquis's household, an illegitimate son wasn't worth mourning.

Reborn at sixteen, the year he passed the provincial examination, Lin Zhao was met by people sent from the marquis's household to bring him home.

He refused without hesitation. "Tell the marquis I am not worthy to enter his household. For this life and the next, I will take my mother's surname, Lin. I will never change it to Chen!"

When the Marquis of Pingnan heard, he sneered. "A boy raised outside the family really is low-class. He passes one exam and gets carried away. When he hits a wall, he'll come begging on his knees."

Yet Lin Zhao's examinations and official career went smoothly: he placed first in the provincial examination, first in the metropolitan examination, and third in the palace examination. He became a student of the emperor, entered the Hanlin Academy, and was appointed an editor.

That same year, the emperor's younger brother, Prince Ning, a nobleman of the imperial bloodline, entered the cabinet by imperial decree and gained power over the entire court.

Without realizing it, Prince Ning grew more and more impressed with Lin Zhao each day, promoting and protecting him.

Father and son served as officials at the same court, yet neither acknowledged the other.

In the end, the Marquis of Pingnan could no longer hold back. He cornered his illegitimate son outside the palace gates and berated him. "You wretched boy! How long are you going to keep this up? You're my son. Whether or not you change your surname, you're still of the Chen bloodline..."

Before he could finish scolding him, someone suddenly called out, "Old Marquis Chen."

The Marquis of Pingnan turned around in surprise.

Prince Ning was imposing without needing to show anger. He said coolly, "By the conventions of society, I ought to call you father-in-law."

"W-what?"

Father-in-law?!

The Marquis of Pingnan was stunned, his pupils contracting.

Prince Ning looked at the young man beside him, a trace of helpless amusement in his voice. "But Lord Lin doesn't agree." He fixed his eyes on the marquis. "I will not tolerate anyone hurting him, including you."

"Y-you two..."

The Marquis of Pingnan shut his eyes and fainted on the spot from sheer anger.

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