After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 1050 Yu Family
After Hai Baozhu received the message from the second wife, she immediately brought Aunt Qiu over.

Not long after, Hai Xiya also took leave from the government office and rushed back home.

The two families simply sat together in the upper room of the main courtyard and listened to Hai Jiao and Hai Baozhu recount their experiences in the palace today. Fang was silent most of the time, and would occasionally add a few words, but looking at her whole spirit, she was completely different from before she set out for the palace today, as if she had regained her spirit and her back was straightened again.

What Hai Baozhu said was similar to what Hai Jiao had said to Xiao Mei before, with many more details. It was the first time for the young man to enter the palace, and he was summoned by the Queen Mother, who asked him many questions. He was in a state of excitement, and could not help but tell every detail of what he saw and heard to share with his relatives.

He also mentioned Madam Yu, who was summoned by the Empress Dowager today with Fang. She had been granted the title of Fifth Rank. Madam Yu was nearly fifty years old, dignified and elegant, with steady manners and gentle words. She was very friendly to Fang and him, and did not look down on him as a mere scholar. Her stepson, General Yu, was handsome and tall, with an extraordinary demeanor, and was also very friendly. When she heard that he had studied under a famous teacher in Yongping Prefecture, she invited him to her home, saying that her brother was also studying and was now a student, and was about the same age as him, so the two of them could become friends.

Hai Baozhu lowered his voice when he said this: "In fact, the brother that General Yu is talking about is not his biological brother, but Madam Yu brought him from her previous husband's family. He is his youngest stepbrother. But they grew up together. Although they are not biological, they are better than biological children. They get along just like brothers. His family is a family of frontier generals. There is only this one scholar in the family. It is said that he is also weak, so the whole family favors him a little. His family has only been in Beijing for a few years and is not familiar with the local scholars. Since the teacher hired by the family for his stepbrother returned home due to illness, they have never been able to find a suitable teacher. His stepbrother can only study at home now, and it is difficult for him to make like-minded friends. Therefore, when they heard that I was doing well in my studies, they repeatedly invited me to their home as a guest."

Looking at Hai Baozhu's expression, he still wanted to make friends with this person. Although he didn't know what the other person's personality was like, the Yu family treated him kindly and politely today, so he felt that they were a family worth making friends with.

Haitang turned to look at her brother Haijiao. The latter noticed her gaze, turned his head to look at her, and nodded slightly.

This was indeed true, and the mother and son of the Yu family had indeed invited Hai Baozhu. Since Hai Baozhu was interested in making friends with this new friend, Hai Jiao had no intention of stopping him. General Yu had won the favor of the new emperor, and his future was bright. It would not be bad for Hai Baozhu to make friends with his stepbrother.

After Fang was recognized by the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother, she regained her spirit and her shrewdness as a mistress of a wealthy family returned. She smiled and said, "The Yu family has been in Jinzhou for a long time and has been in Beijing for several years. It has never been very noticeable. It was not until recently that General Yu joined the Imperial Guards that there were signs of prosperity. His family has a weak foundation in Beijing, and the children in the family are shy. They have no way to meet learned people, and they were not qualified to study in the academy before. They finally invited an old scholar to teach the children, but he returned home last year due to old age and illness. The child is the same age as Baozhu, and is already a student. It is said that he is also very talented. If he could have a good teacher to study with, he might have passed the imperial examination like Baozhu. The Yu family did not want to delay the child's studies, but they did not know any famous teachers. Therefore, when they met Baozhu, they wanted him to be friends with their children."

Although Hai Baozhu studied under a teacher in Yongping Prefecture and had few acquaintances in Beijing, many of his predecessors had already passed the imperial examination and entered Beijing as officials. In addition, the second branch of the Hai family had a relative named Xie Wenzai, who was well-known for his talent, and they were also close friends with the old students of Wumen. In the circle of scholars, their connections and background were much stronger than those of the Yu family, which was just a family of frontier generals. The Yu family was not from the northwest frontier army, but from the northeastern border city. They could not have the relationship with the Zhou family and the Wu family. Their relatives and friends were all in the army. There were so many people in Madam Yu's two husbands' families, but only one scholar. Who could they recognize in Beijing? Even if they came to the door with silver in hand, those talented and learned masters would not be willing to accept another student from a general family. Therefore, today, Madam Yu and General Yu had an unexpected fate with Fang's mother and son, so they immediately showed their goodwill to win them over.

Hai Baozhu was quite happy to make friends with the Yu family. Fang also thought that this was a good thing with more benefits than disadvantages, and she agreed very much: "Baozhu will come to the capital in the future. He has no shortage of teachers to guide his studies, nor does he lack the help of senior brothers, but there are not many high-ranking officials in his master's school. If he encounters any difficulties in the capital, he can't always come to his second uncle for help. If he can meet a good friend with an extraordinary family background and get more protection, my sister and I will be more assured in the future." Fang also saw that the royal family could treat Mrs. Yu so well for General Yu, and the Yu family still had a long way to go. It would be a great thing if Hai Baozhu could make friends with the stepson of the Yu family.

Haixiya and Haijiao were noncommittal about this, and Ma said, "If you have compatible personalities, it would be good for Baozhu to make one or two more friends. When you come to Beijing in the future, you will have one more family to visit. Where does the Yu family live? How soon or late do you plan to visit? Remember to prepare a good gift to bring over. It doesn't have to be too generous, but it can't be impolite either."

Fang agreed immediately. She had to worry about this matter for the concubine's son. Aunt Qiu was also happy beside her.

They chatted for a while. Haitang saw that Fang looked tired. She knew that Fang had gone through a big thing today. If she relaxed now, she would definitely not be able to sustain her energy. So she smiled and said, "Aunt, you are tired too, right? Go home and rest. We can talk tomorrow if you have anything to say. It's the same."

Ma looked at Fang's face and nodded, "That's right. There are still many good days ahead. You have to take care of your health first. After you return home, you can let people know how well you are doing and let those who look down on you know how wrong they are!"

Fang pursed her lips and smiled, without saying much, she stood up with her two children and Aunt Qiu, bowed and said goodbye, and left the second room.

After they left, Ma said to Hai Xiya, "I have sent people to chase your two brothers. After they know that the Queen Mother has summoned them, they will definitely understand the seriousness of the matter. We must ask them to come back to accompany my niece, Baozhu and Baozhu to return to their hometown to worship their ancestors, so that those idiots in the clan will not say anything stupid and violate taboos. But there are still a few idiots in the capital. Should I send someone to tell them not to make trouble again?"

Hai Xiya said, "No need to send anyone. I will go to see them in person and tell them not to do stupid things again. If my niece is still the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest son, the calligraphy of the Empress Dowager and the honor bestowed by the Empress Dowager will all belong to the Hai family. Who in the countryside dares to bully our Hai family again? If they still want to talk about my niece's second marriage, they will really become ungrateful people in the eyes of the Empress Dowager."

Hai Jiao said, "I'm afraid they will agree with me, but still not take me seriously. They have been in the village for a long time, and the people in the village respect them as they are older and more senior, and obey their orders in everything. I'm afraid they have become arrogant and think they have the final say in Jianghai Village, and even ignore the Queen Mother in the palace."

"They dare?!" Hai Xiya snorted coldly, "If they are really so bold as to disregard respect for hierarchy, then it's no wonder that our second and first branches have cut ties with the clan. We, the first branch, can't afford to offend such people who only hold back and bring trouble to the family!"