Li Peng's Background

Forty years ago, the Li Family's Third Elder, Li Bao, was still young, only in his twenties.

But he had already married and had children, and his wife was even the legitimate daughter of a prominent clan.

Yet Li Bao was lecherous by nature. Even with a wife, he still liked to sneak around outside.

Finally, one day, one of the mistresses he kept became pregnant. She secretly concealed it and bore him a son.

This was also Li Bao's first son.

Li Bao's legal wife went on to bear him two sons in succession.

Overjoyed, Li Bao prepared to bring this son back to the Li Family to raise him.

Unexpectedly, he not only met fierce opposition from his legal wife, but also objections from the Fang family's higher-ups.

In the end, he could not stand against them. The child and his mistress were sent far away.

Not long afterward, his legal wife finally bore him a son, and the matter gradually faded from everyone's memory.

Until one day, Li Bao's illegitimate son entered the Li Family as a servant and secretly got in touch with Li Bao.

By then, Li Bao was nearly forty and had risen into the Li Family's upper ranks.

Li Bao's legal wife had already died. If he had wanted to, he could have immediately legitimized that illegitimate son and entered him into the Li Family genealogy.

However, Li Bao did not do so. He merely arranged for someone to take good care of the illegitimate son and left it at that.

The person Li Bao arranged was none other than Li Zhanliang.

At the time, Li Zhanliang was serving as a steward in the outer courtyard, and his name was still Bai Zhanliang.

Later, because he had done well in caring for Li