During the Jiajing period of the Qing Dynasty, the daughter of a large family named Huang in Anhua County, Hunan Province reached marriageable age. After selection, Master Huang agreed to the marriage of a family named Tao. The owner of this family is a teacher, and his son Tao Shu is just 19 years old this year. He studied with his father for many years and made some achievements. Although the Taoists have poor material conditions, they have a good reputation as scholars.
Seeing the wedding day, this Miss Tao Jia somehow learned about the poverty of her future in-laws, so she cried and refused to marry, because she was beautiful and lived in luxury since she was a child, fearing that she would suffer in the past. In the face of her daughter's crying, the head of the household is also in a dilemma.
At this time, the young lady's maid offered to marry instead of the master, so as not to have the reputation of breaking the contract. When this was said, Huang Shifu readily agreed. In this way, Tao Shu, who should have married a rich girl, was replaced by a maid. Fortunately, Taoist priests have never seen Miss Huang, so this matter was cheated.
So the servant girl Defan married Tao Shu. Although she is not as good-looking as a young lady, she is gentle and virtuous, so she was quickly recognized by her husband's family. Tao Shu, who has no worries about family affairs, works harder and harder. Four years later, he passed the Jinshi exam and entered the official career. When he took office in Beijing, Tao Jia left his hometown. It was not until many years later that he returned to his hometown to be his mother-in-law. He vaguely heard someone say that the lady he married into the door had been replaced. Think about his wife's hard-working housekeeping over the years.
However, he is also a very sensible person. Since she entered the house, his wife has not only kept the house diligently, but also silently supported her career. They have also cultivated deep feelings in their years of life. Although there were some problems at first, thanks to this mistake, they are now very happy.
Tao Shu has been an official for many years and has been conscientious, maintaining a fair and honest heart. No matter where he holds any position, he always adheres to the principle of "doing practical things for the people and sharing worries for the court", so his position has soared. After taking office, Daoguang was promoted to be an important minister in the DPRK. He served as the governor of Fujian, Anhui, Jiangsu and other places, and finally served as the governor of Liangjiang until his death.
Tao Shu had great prestige in officialdom before his death. During his decades of official career, not only was his great achievements recognized by the imperial court and local people, but Taoism was also a prominent family handed down from generation to generation from him. For example, his eldest son Zuo married his daughter. He and his original wife have been married for a long time. The woman who was originally a servant girl became the first lady because of a bold decision. The real Miss Huang is also blind. Because her husband's family was poor, she got divorced, but she missed the best potential stock. It must be a pity to see such an ending.