Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 348 The words are better than Minglan's [Thank you for your support! Goodbye! ]

"We also fought fiercely with the Northern Liao army that came over and won."

After Zhuang Xuejiu finished speaking, he looked at everyone in the lecture hall, taking in their expressions, movements, and eyes.

"What do you think about this?"

Chang Feng spoke first: "Scholar, is the Jin army really so powerful?"

Master Zhuang pointed to the official report in his hand.

Chang Feng was embarrassed.

Then the scholar saw Qi Heng's expression and asked, "Brother Heng?"

Qi Heng stood up and bowed:
"Scholar, I think the fact that the Jin Kingdom was able to win two games in a row shows how strong it is."

"But Northern Liao is vast, and the four capitals guarding the upper, central, western and southern parts of Northern Liao are still there. Even if we lose this battle, it shouldn't be a serious loss."

"We should continue to wait and see."

Gu Tingye, who was on Qi Heng's right, stood up and bowed to Zhuang Xuejiu, saying:

"Brother Heng, this is wrong!"

"In the past few years, Northern Liao invaded Jin several times and was defeated repeatedly. Even the Northern Liao emperor was almost captured by Jin."

"Years ago, fifty states in Liaodong declared themselves the Great Bohai Kingdom."

"Yelü Ying, the only one who led the Northern Liao army to victory, was exiled to the north of Northern Liao and subdued the Zhadalan tribe. He confronted the Ugundile Army Command in Shangjing, Northern Liao."

"My Great Zhou has tied down the forces of the Western and Southern Capitals of Northern Liao. How can the forces east of the Central Capital be defeated without suffering any serious consequences?"

"Therefore, our Great Zhou should temporarily postpone the conquest of Baigao, and join forces with Yelu Ying and the Jin Kingdom to destroy Northern Liao first."

Listening to Gu Tingye's words, Qi Heng asked in a daze: "Second Uncle, where did you see this news?"

Gu Tingye said: "Of course it is in the court newspaper."

There is also "some" analysis from his eldest brother, as well as Gu Tingye's own insights.

Qi Heng cupped his hands and said, "Uncle, Northern Liao is a big country, it's not that easy to destroy."

Zhuang Xueji nodded and motioned for the two to sit down: "Changbai?"

Changbai stood up and bowed:
"Scholar, I think the Jin army is now at its peak, and its morale is high after a series of victories!"

"Even if Northern Liao compromises with our Great Zhou and transfers troops from Xijing and Nanjing to the east to fight against the Jin Kingdom, their chances of winning are not great."

"To the north is Yelu Ying, to the south is our Great Zhou, to the east is the Jin Kingdom, and the fall of Northern Liao is imminent."

"And the Kingdom of Jin may become a powerful enemy of our Great Zhou in the future and we must be on guard against it!"

"Therefore, our Great Zhou should prepare its troops and temporarily postpone the invasion of Baigao Kingdom to be prepared for any eventuality!"

Master Zhuang smiled and said nothing, and also gestured for Changbai to sit down.

Then, Master Zhuang looked around the lecture hall and glanced at the three Lans.

Molan looked back at Changfeng, and seeing Changfeng's indifferent expression, Molan glared at him hatefully;
Rulan scratched the corner of her mouth with her fingers, as if she was still wondering where the several Northern Liao and Nanjings mentioned by Changbai were located;
Minglan held the brush in one hand and looked at Changbai, nodding her head continuously, then glanced at Xu Zaijing in the corner with confusion.

"thorn"

Zhuang Xuejiu unfolded his paper fan and asked, "Zai Jing?"

Xu Zaijing stood up and bowed:

"Scholar, I think Northern Liao is not doomed yet! And our Great Zhou should not wait and see, we should cut the Gordian knot and capture Baigao!"

Zhuang Xuejiu said with a smile: "Oh?"

Hearing what Xu Zaijing said, everyone in the lecture hall looked at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing continued:

"Scholar, the imperial report says that Yelu Ying, a member of the Northern Liao royal family, was exiled to the north of Northern Liao, but he first subdued the Mongolian tribes and took control of the Northwest Route Recruiting Office."

"But they have been confronting the Ugundile Army Command for the past few days, and there has been no news of any attacks."

"Students thought that Yelu Ying was preserving the elite for Northern Liao."

"And if our Great Zhou's northern troops make any unusual moves to attack Northern Liao, I think Yelu Ying will attack our Great Zhou's army first."

Hearing Xu Zaijing's words, Gu Tingye shook his head and said, "Brother Jing, the place where they are confronting is thousands of miles away from Da Zhou, how can it be that fast!"

Xu Zaijing raised his eyebrows and said, "Erlang, most of the troops under Gu Hou are infantry, while those under Yelu Ying are cavalry, and each of them has more than one horse!"

Changbai asked doubtfully, "Brother Jing, what is Yeluying waiting for?"

Xu Zaijing replied: "Of course, they are waiting for our Great Zhou and Baigao Kingdom to fight each other so hard that they have no spare energy to care about Northern Liao."

Gu Tingye said again: "Brother Jing, if the Jin Kingdom attacks Zhongjing of Northern Liao, many people will die, maybe even the Emperor of Northern Liao."

Gu Tingye didn't continue.

Qi Heng said: "Second Uncle, why don't you continue talking, maybe what about the Northern Liao Emperor?"

Gu Tingye looked at Qi Heng and said:
"Brother Heng, Yelu Ying and her brother Yelu Falcon are also members of the Northern Liao royal family!"

"Yelü Ying not only has a large army under his command, but he is also the only one who has won against the Jin Kingdom during the Northern Liao's successive defeats against the Jin Kingdom!"

Qi Heng suddenly realized: "Second Uncle, you mean Yelu Ying wants to..."

Qi Heng didn't continue talking.

Zhuang Xuejiu closed his paper fan and knocked on the table, saying, "Zai Jing, how do you know that when Da Zhou is fully committed to attacking Bai Gao, Yelu Ying will not come to help Bai Gao?"

Xu Zaijing cupped his hands and said:

"Scholar, Yeluying has a unit under her command that was once led by her uncle from the former Northern Liaoxi North Road Recruiting Division. Their pastures are close to our Great Zhou and Baigao, so they will naturally not be divided out."

"The people in the Northwest Recruiting Office are responsible for controlling and managing the Mongolian tribes. Naturally, they don't want Mongolian tribes around them."

"Although the Helan Mountains of Baigao Kingdom have good grasslands, the area is not as large as the Mongolian parts led by Yelu Ying, and they will also have to face a battle with our Great Zhou cavalry and Baigao soldiers."

"It's a thankless task. It's better to just wait for the Northern Liao nobles to die in Liaodong and then directly occupy the grassland near Shangjing."

Qi Heng asked in confusion: "Brother Jing, are you saying that the Mongolian tribes followed Yelu Ying for the pastures near Shangjing, Northern Liao?"

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile on his face.

Master Zhuang glanced at Minglan who was sitting in the corner of the lecture hall. Minglan's eyes were full of understanding, but she didn't say anything.

Or was it that Gu Tingye suddenly realized and said, "Scholar, isn't this Yeluying's strategy of driving the tiger to devour the wolf?"

Master Zhuang waved his fan and motioned for Xu Zaijing to speak.

Xu Zaijing bowed and said:
"Erlang, it's too early to tell who is the wolf and who is the tiger."

"But before the piece of fat meat thrown by Yelu Ying, the lush pasture near Shangjing, tigers and wolves will always have to fight first."

Changbai said: "Brother Jing, then won't these tigers and wolves join forces to eat Bei Liao first?"

Xu Zaijing shook his head and said, "It shouldn't happen. I heard that Northern Liao has always been trying to appease the Mongolian tribes through marriage, and the nobles of Northern Liao have many relatives among the Mongolian tribes."

Gu Tingye asked curiously, "Brother Jing, how did you know about these things about Northern Liao and the Mongolian tribes?"

Xu Zaijing scratched his head and said:
"Erlang, I talked to the Northern Liao envoys about this when I accompanied the Fourth Brother of the Duke of England Zhang family to shoot arrows at the Nanyu Garden outside the Nanxun Gate."

Gu Tingye looked at Xu Zaijing in confusion and asked, "Brother Jing, why are you talking about this with the Northern Liao envoy?"

Xu Zaijing nodded.

Zhuang Xuejiu said, "Brother Jing, Baigao has been established for many years. How can it be so easy to conquer it?"

Xu Zaijing bowed and said, "Scholar, Baigao has been established for many years, but there has never been such a civil strife as before, and the massacre of Baigao royal family members."

Zhuang Xuejiu nodded in approval, and as he listened to the time announcement coming from far outside the courtyard, he said:

"Okay! Let's stop here for today."

"Let's wait and see what happens in the future."

"Let's go." Everyone in the lecture hall stood up quickly and said, "See you back, scholar."

Shouantang

The old lady looked at Xu Zaijing who was eating with big mouthfuls of food and smiled slightly, saying, "Have Hualan and the child been doing well these days?"

Xu Zaijing nodded and said:

"Grandma, everything is fine! I can eat and sleep well."

"It's just that my brother is a little worried. When the child cries, he wakes up faster than the nanny."

The old lady shook her head with a smile.

Seeing Xu Zaijing eating with relish, the old lady also ate a lot more than usual.

When Fang's mother saw this, she asked Danju to prepare some tea to help digestion.

Two quarters of an hour later,

Mother Cui took Cuiwei to clean up the almost empty tableware on the table.

Danju and Fang Mama served sweet and sour tea.

While the old lady took two sips from the teacup, Xu Zaijing was already asking the somewhat surprised Danju to refill her teacup.

The old lady smiled and looked at Xu Zaijing and said:

"Brother Jing, why did you want to come to my place for lunch today?"

Xu Zaijing said:

"Hey, my nephew misses Mama Fang's cooking skills."

Old lady: “Oh?”

Xu Zaijing looked at the old lady's eyes, sighed, looked at the teacup on the table, and said:
"Missing my mother's cooking skills is only one reason. There is another thing..."

The old lady pretended to listen and looked at Xu Zaijing kindly.

"Grand aunt, my nephew and I were acquainted with Xiao Zhao, the chief of the Imperial City Department. Xiao Zhao's subordinate, Captain Gao, passed through Youyang on his way to the southeast on business."

The old lady nodded and motioned for Xu Zaijing to continue.

"After I came back, I talked about things in Youyang County while drinking with my nephew and grandson."

"Grand aunt, you know that my nephew is taking the imperial examination this year. Captain Gao found out about this and told my nephew that there is a scholar named Sun in Youyang who became a scholar at the age of twelve."

"The one who is engaged is the girl from the eldest branch of the Sheng family, Youyang."

The old lady smiled helplessly and said, "Did he tell you that the Sun family is not a good place to marry into?"

Xu Zaijing raised his head and looked at the old lady with some surprise, then looked at Fang Madam who was standing beside him, and said, "Grandma, do you know about this?!"

Mother Fang glanced at the old lady who nodded at her and said:
"Fifth Young Master, our Xu family has an old house in Jiangning Prefecture, and the old lady's several manors are also in the prefecture over there."

"Because it's not far from Youyang, when the old lady learned about Miss Shulan's proposed marriage partner, she asked someone to inquire about this scholar Sun."

"After finding out the truth, I also told the old lady of the eldest house that this scholar might not be a good match! But the old lady of the eldest house said..."

The old lady shook her head and said:

"My old sister-in-law also saw that the boy from the Sun family had become a scholar at such a young age. She said that even if he was not very good in the future, he could still become a juren, and he would be a help to the Sheng family in Youyang."

"Besides, the Sun family is an orphan and a widow, they can't cause any trouble!"

"Since the old sister-in-law said so, we shouldn't interfere any more. If we continue to interfere, it will make people unhappy!"

Xu Zaijing thought:
"That's right. My great aunt has seen a lot of things over the years. How could she not ask about the marriage partner of her nephew's granddaughter?"

"But, since the old lady of the Sheng family has made the final decision, there is no point in saying more."

'I thought of the worst possible outcome, but I didn't expect it to be this bad'

'This may be the reason why the old lady of the eldest house tried to pull Shulan out of the fire pit with her last breath.'

Xu Zaijing thought about this and shook his head secretly. Suddenly, an idea came to him and he said, "Grandma, didn't you say that the Li family has a boy who is good at studying?"

The old lady said nothing.

Seeing the way the old lady looked at him, Xu Zaijing scratched his eyebrows, thought for a moment, and said:
"Grandma, could it be that this Li family brother is looking for an official wife?"

The old lady nodded and said:

"After passing the imperial examination, it is natural for one to find an official wife, so that he can help in his official career and go far."

"Your cousin used to do the same thing."

"Besides, the Li family's brother's achievements in the imperial examination are unknown, so he just found an ordinary merchant family. How could the Li family be so stupid?"

The old lady shook her head.

Then, looking at Xu Zaijing who was drinking tea without saying anything, the old lady said:
"Brother Jing is so caring about his relatives. It's thoughtful."

"Don't worry, the Sheng family's business has grown bigger and bigger over the years."

"My nephew Sheng Wei told me that he has come into contact with many nobles and high-ranking officials in the past two years. He has also told me more than once how grateful he is for the help given to him by those dukes and earls."

"He's just a scholar. Now in Sheng Wei's eyes, he may really be nothing."

Xu Zaijing raised his head and smiled, "My great aunt is right."

After putting down the teacup, he stood up, stretched and said, "Grandma, I'm going to the school now."

The old lady smiled and nodded.

Watching Xu Zaijing and the well-fed maid disappear at the entrance of Shou'an Hall, the old lady sighed deeply and said:
"Ruan, ask my wife to bring Brother Maki here tomorrow."

Mother Cui bowed and responded.

Less than half a quarter of an hour later,
Wei Shuyi brought Sheng Changzhang to Shou'an Hall.

"Nagaki, meet your grandmother!"

Looking at her three-year-old grandson, the old lady smiled brightly and carried him to the Arhat bed.

The old lady looked at Wei Shuyi and said, "I heard from the maid in your courtyard that Qian'er is copying calligraphy at such a young age?"

Wei Shuyi bowed:
"Yes ma'am."

"How's the copying going?"

Wei Shuyi smiled and said, "Every stroke is very detailed. How about I ask Xiaodie to bring it to you for a look?"

The old lady smiled and nodded.

After a while, the old lady held the calligraphy copied by Sheng Changzhao in her hand, looked at Wei Shuyi sitting on the embroidered cushion, and nodded:
"Look at the calligraphy that Chang Qiang copied at his age. His handwriting will definitely be better than Minglan's in the future!"

Wei Shuyi sat on the embroidered cushion and bowed with a smile: "What the old lady said is right."

late april,

On this day,

After attending classes for many days, Master Zhuang announced that he would take a day off.

It was rare for Xu Zaijing to walk his horse in the racecourse in the morning.

After running a few laps,
Then I saw carriages and horses driving into the courtyard where the racecourse was located.

The two people on horseback also walked towards Xu Zaijing.

"Jin Ge'er? Bo Ge'er? Why are you here?"

"Wulang, we are here to ask for advice. We heard that your golden basil has been raised! Mother and sister have just got off the car at the second gate."

"We two brothers are going to the racecourse to have a look."

(End of this chapter)