Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 436: His Lady's Relatives [Thank you! Thank you again! I owe you 3]

Xingguofang

Ningyuan Houfu
At the second gate,
Bai and Gu Tingyi walked out of the carriage. Pingmei, who was tall and long-legged, was already standing beside the carriage and stretched out her hand.

Gu Tingyi smiled and shook it.

Wait for the two to get off the car.
Bai looked sideways at Gu Tingye who was being helped off the horse by Zhique, and shook her head with some helplessness in her eyes: "Ask the kitchen to make some stomach-nourishing rice porridge and send it to Ye'er in the evening."

Nanny Chang looked at Gu Tingye with some distress and said, "Yes, ma'am."

Ping Mei said from the side: "Brother, Zai Zhang and Xiao Wu were at the same table with Er Lang, and they didn't know how to stop them. Look how drunk Er Lang was!"

"It has nothing to do with the Xu family. It's Ye'er's own fault. Let's go!"

Entering the inner courtyard,

Once inside the house, it became much warmer.

The Bai family and their companions began to take off their cloaks.

"Mother, when I came in just now, the housekeeper said that the Marquis had returned. How come I don't see him?"

As Pingmei spoke, she took Gu Tingyi's cloak and handed it to Qingxia beside her.

Bai sat on the Luohan chair, holding a cup of hot tea and looking at the maid in the hall: "Do you know?"

"My dear Madam, I just heard Manager Qi say that there is a letter in our house. The Marquis may have gone to the study."

"Oh!"

Pingmei nodded and sat on the chair below Bai. She glanced at Gu Tingyi and said with a smile, "Mother, the marriage between the Shen family and the Zheng family is going to go ahead. What kind of gift should we send?"

Bai thought for a moment and said, "Lord Shen has been an official in the south for many years. Your sister-in-law's father is also in the south. I remember you said before that the two families have a very good relationship!"

"Zheng Jiaxiao is also a friend of Ye'er and Jing'er, so our gifts should be more generous than others!"

Gu Tingyi said, "Mother! I also want to prepare a gift for Sister Zheng Ni."

When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking,
Gu Family Ancestral Hall,

In the brazier,
The envelope and letter paper are burning slowly.

The envelope has not been burned yet, but you can vaguely see the two beautiful calligraphy words "Yan Wen" on it.

The firelight from the brazier was reflected in Gu Yankai's eyes.

Gu Yankai looked at a tablet in front of him, with a flickering fire in his eyes just like his thoughts at the moment.

"Master!"

The voice of Manager Qi, who was standing at the door, calling for someone was heard.

Gu Yankai raised his sleeve and wiped the corners of his eyes.

"Father! Why are you here at the ancestral hall?"

Gu Tingyu asked as he went to get the incense sticks.

"I came to see your mother."

Gu Tingyu nodded, looked at the paper that was about to burn out in the brazier, took out the incense stick, walked to the candle and lit it.

Green smoke was curling up in the ancestral hall.

After Gu Tingyu kowtowed in front of his biological mother's tablet, he looked at her tablet and said:

"Father, when I was leaving court today, I heard from Minister Huangfu that someone was preparing to advise Your Majesty that we should prepare to attack Northern Liao next year."

"What do you think about this?"

Gu Yankai was stunned when he heard what Gu Tingyu said, and said in a deep voice: "These matters are naturally decided by your majesty and the ministers, but the war in the northwest has just ended and we are going to fight with Northern Liao again. It's a bit hasty."

"Father is right! Do you think His Majesty would agree if someone were to make a suggestion?"

"Looking at how your Majesty was not in a hurry to conquer Baigao last year, he will most likely not agree to this matter. However, there will be many nobles in the capital who will encourage your Majesty to agree. After all, only by fighting can a family of military honors like ours move forward."

Gu Tingyu said: "Father, do you think the British guild will not enter the palace?"

Gu Yankai waved his hand and said, "The Duke of England will neither incite Your Majesty nor oppose this matter! Opposing this matter will discourage the soldiers in the north who want to make achievements."

Gu Tingyu nodded: "If they start a fight, they can also take the opportunity to make more money."

Then he continued, "Why did my aunt write to me? Is she asking you, father, to approve of what your son just said?"

"Ok!"

"This Dongchang Marquisate is really thick-skinned."

"Yu'er, no matter what, that's your maternal grandfather's home! Besides, your aunt doesn't know what your uncle did!"

"laugh!"

Then Gu Tingyu turned around and walked out. When he reached the door, he turned around and said, "Father, you are an excellent general! But, you'd better not get involved in this matter!"

"Is that how you talk to your elders?!"

Gu Yankai looked at his eldest son who walked out of the ancestral hall without saying a word. He shook his sleeves angrily. After his chest heaved violently a few times, he looked at Rulin's tablet and slowly exhaled.

When he shook his head and was about to leave the ancestral hall,
"Big brother!"

"Big brother!"

Two drunken men appeared at the entrance of the ancestral hall.

"Old Four, Old Five, why are you here?"

"Brother, an old friend in the capital invited me to drink today, saying that the families in the northwest recovered Baigao and made a fortune! Northern Liao is now fighting with the Jin Kingdom, and our Great Zhou should take advantage of the situation and send troops." Gu Lunkai, the fourth master of the Gu family, said.

"Fourth brother is right. If we really fight with Northern Liao, wouldn't it be easy for us to gain credit with the help of Gu family's Guangrui Army?" echoed the fifth master of the Gu family.

Gu Yankai shook his head: "We'll talk about this later!"

"Hey! Big brother, listen to what I'm saying!"

The sound gradually faded away,

The ancestral hall became quiet.

In front of the numerous memorial tablets, the incense and candles were blown away by the wind.

The sun sets and the moon rises,

Hu Yanjiong's house,
In the inner courtyard children's room,
An Mei and Madam Pan were sitting at the table.

The mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law both held fragrant drinks in their hands, and spread out on the table in front of them was a book of gifts from various families recorded by the housekeeper in the mansion.

"Wow, this gift from Miss Zheng Zheng is really heavy!"

Mrs. Pan said from the side.

"I'll take a look."

An Mei leaned over to take a look: "Hiss, it's so heavy, it won't be easy for us to return the favor!"

Mrs. Pan nodded in agreement.

After An Mei thought about it, she asked with a smile on her face, "Mother-in-law, what did the Rong family send?"

"Let me see it's a jade lock."

An Mei hurriedly said, "Ye'er, go get the things for me to see!"

Mrs. Pan looked at An Mei curiously without saying much.

After a while, Ye'er came over holding a wooden box.

After An Mei opened the wooden box, Madam Pan looked at the exquisite jade lock lying quietly in the box and sighed, "It is so exquisitely crafted, I'm afraid it must be a gift from the emperor."

"The Rong family has spent a huge amount of money on this!" An Mei said as she took out the jade lock and looked at it carefully.

"The return gift from the Rong family is even harder to prepare."

An Mei smiled and said, "We'll talk about it later! By the way, mother-in-law, what did my mother from my natal family send me?"

As he said this, he put the jade lock back into the wooden box.

After Mrs. Pan flipped through it, a smile appeared on her face and she recited a few words casually.

An Mei said unhappily, "Why are they all medicinal herbs for maintaining the body?" Ye Er at the side said with a smile, "Young lady, you can't tell, Madam just wants you to have two children in three years!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

Yong Yi Hou Mansion
Lanterns were hung under the eaves of the wooden house next to the racecourse.

in the house,

Xu Zaijing sat by the fireplace looking at the pile of gifts on the table.

Qingyun stood aside and looked at Yin Bo and said, "Uncle, are you saying that the relationship between us and the old friends outside the capital has long faded, and it is impossible for them to give me gifts?"

Yin Bo nodded.

Xu Zaijing looked at the steaming iron kettle on the stove and said, "The only person who knows the relationship between the two families but doesn't know that the relationship has faded, and who even sent a gift under someone else's name, is the second young lady from the Marquis of Dongchang's mansion."

Yin Bo glared at Xu Zaijing with his one eye, and said to Qingyun, "Since they gave it to you, just accept it."

"Yes, uncle."

Xu Zaijing picked up the iron kettle with boiling water and walked to the door, put it outside the house and closed the door.

"Master, even Uncle Deng can't recognize you in your current state. Why do you have to confine yourself in the courtyard of the Marquis' Mansion?"

Yin Bo looked at Xu Zaijing and said, "I have seen all kinds of scenery in the world when I was young. The scenery outside is not as beautiful as the horses!"

"Jing'er, you have a good relationship with the head of the Imperial City Department. Has he told you about the situation of the princes of the Great Zhou?"

Xu Zaijing scratched his hair and said, "I haven't met Brother Zhao Meifeng in the past few days. Master, why are you asking this?"

Yin Bo sighed: "Now the Great Zhou is focusing on the north, but Jing'er, you have conflicts with several vassal kings, so you still need to pay attention to some things."

"Master, now that the prince is growing strong and His Majesty has just recovered Baigao, those princes should not have any concerns!"

"Jing'er, you think too simply of people who have tasted power! The Prince of Yan is so close to Bianjing, but he secretly keeps assassins, not to mention those who are far away from the emperor!"

Xu Zaijing nodded seriously.

In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient, the emperor was far away, and the term "local emperor" was no joke.

"Now that the Northwest has won a great victory, there are many new meritorious soldiers, and with the backing of the Cao family, the Xu family, and the Zhang family, they will naturally occupy the positions formerly held by other noble families."

"Master is right. If you lose your position, you will naturally lose the way to make money."

Yin Bo's eyes lit up with a smile: "Jing'er, do you think people like Duke Hanguo and Duke Lingguo have the same chance to recover as your family?"

Xu Zaijing thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "The Lü family of Lingguogong has been rotten since my father's generation! The Hanguogong family, whether in civil or military careers, does not have many outstanding children from the main branch. If they want to revive, the chances are slim."

"But these people have many relatives by marriage, so they can survive by relying on their connections!"

Yin Bo continued, "Perhaps it's because of what happened to me before that I always think a lot. I always feel that the vassal kings of the Great Zhou will not stay so obediently."

Xu Zaijing nodded heavily and said, "Master, I understand! I will be very nervous from now on!"

Yin Bo nodded, stood up and said, "I should go feed the horses!"

Qingyun packed up the gifts and followed him out of the cabin.

Yin Bo stood outside the house, looking at the starry sky and said with a smile: "Jing'er, you are right. I should go out of the house when I have the chance in the future."

The first day of February,

Early in the morning, when it was still dark,

Quyuan Street,
The big lanterns at the gate of the mansion were lit.
Under the lantern,
Sun looked at Zaiduan who disappeared at the corner of the street and sighed, saying to the people around him, "Go back!"

Seeing the somewhat depressing atmosphere of parting, Xu Zaijing turned around and walked a few steps quickly, saying as he walked into the yard: "Mother, it seems that the way you send my eldest brother away this time is a little different from the last time you sent him away!"

"Xiao Wu, last time your father and brother's future was uncertain, this time the war is certain, I feel like it can be the same?"

"Hehe, what mother said is right! Son, let's see, maybe father will be able to return to Beijing by the end of the month!"

Xie, who was holding Xu Xingdai, looked at Sun's expression and said with a smile: "Xiaowu is still good at talking!"

After breakfast,

Xu Zaijing and Zai Zhang arrived at Jiying Lane in the still cold morning breeze.

To their surprise,
There were usually few people at the gate of Sheng's house, but today there were actually several more carriages.

"Xiao Wu, could it be that the eldest wife of the Sheng family has arrived?"

Xu Zaijing shook his head: "Brother, not so fast!"

"Then this is?"

"Just take a look and you'll know!"

When we got near the carriage,

The Sheng family servant looked at Xu Zaijing and his group and hurriedly bowed: "Sanlang, Wulang, you are here!"

The masters and servants beside the carriage, looking at the brothers' clothes and mounts, also hurriedly bowed and saluted.

Xu Zaijing bowed in return and said, "I wonder who these people are?"

"Wu Lang, these are the descendants of Master Liu's family who are of the same age as the master. They are here to participate in this month's examination and will be staying in the outer courtyard for the next few days!"

"Oh!"

Xu Zaijing bowed and said, "Excuse me, everyone!"

After a brief greeting,

Xu Zaijing entered the school.

While taking off his cloak and giving it to Qingcao, he looked at Changbai who had arrived early and said, "Changbai, why don't you go and greet the people outside the gate?"

Changbai waved his hand under the candlelight and said, "I greeted you when I came to the school just now!"

"I see."

The sky gradually brightened,

When Master Zhuang came to the school, the three Lan's seats were still empty.

"Everyone, Master Sheng told me yesterday that three students who will be participating in the examination will be here today. Let's have some discussions with them today!"

"Yes, pedant!"

"Changbai, Hengge'er, Changfeng, go to the seats of the three girls and vacate your seats!"

When Xu Zaijing was discussing and communicating with the "senior students" in the school,
Quyuan Street,
Yong Yi Hou Mansion,

Sun, who was arranging today's affairs, was talking to her two daughters-in-law.
"Madam, Mrs. Wu is here!"

The maid finished speaking.

Mrs. Wu's hearty laughter came over: "Sister Sun, today I, your elder sister, have a request for you!"

Sun, Xie, and Hualan stood up and looked at Madam Wu who had lifted the curtain and walked in. "Sister, then you tell me first, and I'll give you a price!"

Madam Wu smiled at Xie and Hualan who bowed, then walked unceremoniously to Sun and pulled her to sit down.

Looking at Mother Dan beside him, he said, "Give me a cup of tea first!"

Madam Wu took the teacup and drank a sip of the warm tea, saying, "Sister, I have also approached many people, but none of them could help me, so I had no choice but to come to you!"

"Madam, just tell me what you want. I will never refuse anything I can help with." Hua Lan said with a smile.

Mrs. Wu smiled and nodded at Hualan, holding her handkerchief, and then said:
"Sister, this is what happened!"

"A relative of a lady from the royal family of Yuzhou is going to Bianjing, but this month is the day of the imperial examination, and all the good courtyards have been rented by students! They couldn't rent a courtyard, so they came to me!"

"Speaking of which, this family is somewhat related to the Liang family of Yongchang Marquis Mansion. I can't just ignore it!"

"But my family is so large that we can't fit in the yard, so I want to borrow a yard from you on Quyuan Street!"

Sun nodded and said hesitantly: "The royal family of Yuzhou"

Madam Wu waved her hand: "He's not from the royal family, but a relative from his wife's family. His surname is Zou!"

"I have met this Zou family once. The one in charge is the eldest daughter of the Zou family who married into the Shen family. She is a warm and forthright person!"

"That clan member is also an honest man who is devoted to farming. Don't worry, sister!"

(End of this chapter)