Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 538 "Brother Jing said." [Thank you! Thank you again! I owe you 40k more]

"Brother Jing, I..."

Gu Tingye was about to say something but stopped himself. He reached out his hand with a depressed look and grabbed a handful of hazelnut kernels from the dried fruit plate on the table in front of him.

Just as I was about to put the nut into my mouth,
The conversation between Gu Tingye and his personal maid Qiu Niang one day flashed through his mind.

This made Gu Tingye stop moving.
He looked at Xu Zaijing from the side and said with a smile: "Jing'er, you don't know how it feels. Even if I tell you, you still won't understand!"

Xu Zaijing glared and said, "Erlang, what do you mean by that?"

Gu Tingye casually threw the nut into his mouth, looked at Xu Zaijing again, and said, "It's nothing special, it's just..."

"Tsk~ Wait until you are no longer a virgin, Jing'er, then let me control myself!"

After saying that, Gu Tingye smiled evilly and turned his head to Liang Han beside him and raised his eyebrows: "Liu Lang, am I right?"

Liang Han pressed the corners of his mouth hard and shook his head, "Brother Ye, what did you say? I didn't hear it!"

"Hey? Liu Lang, let me talk."

Gu Tingye was about to speak with a smile when he felt his neck tighten and his body fell backwards uncontrollably. In an instant, someone grabbed his neck and pulled him into the arms.

Feeling the strong arm tightening around his neck, Gu Tingye reacted quickly and said in a hurry: "Wrong! Wrong! Jing'er, brother is wrong! You are not..."

Xu Zaijing: “Hmm?”

Gu Tingye: "Uh, nothing! Nothing more!"

Xu Zaijing: "Yeah."

Feeling the arm loosen around his neck, Gu Tingye straightened up and stuck out his tongue.

Liang Han on the side glanced at Xu Zaijing, then at Gu Tingye, and laughed with his hand covering his mouth.

"Liu Lang, what are you laughing at?"

As Gu Tingye spoke, he reached out and grasped the armrest of the chair under Liang Han's butt.

"squeak--"

The chair with someone sitting on it was pulled closer by Gu Tingye with one hand.

"Brother Ye, I'm not laughing," Liang Han waved his hand.

"Is it?"

"Yeah!" Liang Han nodded repeatedly.

At this time,

The sound of a door opening and voices were heard behind the screen, and Qi Heng and Zheng Xiao walked in side by side around the screen.

Looking at the people in the private room, Qi Heng smiled and bowed.

"Young Master, you are here! Sit here!"

Liang Han stood up from the chair, walked quickly towards Qi Heng, and invited Qi Heng to come over. Liang Han then sat on the chair himself.

Everyone sat down.

Zheng Xiao waved to his followers.

After a while,
The musician behind another screen in the room began to play soothing music.

The dishes from Pan Lou also flowed into the private room like water.

Zheng Xiao, who was sitting at the main seat, filled his glass with wine and raised it, saying, "Thank you all for coming to the banquet. I would like to offer a toast to everyone! Please!"

Xu Zaijing and others also raised their glasses.

The crowd had arrived in the afternoon, and by this time they were hungry.
After drinking a glass of wine,
Everyone started eating the food without any hesitation.

Qiao Jiulang, who was sitting not far from Liang Han, filled his glass and raised it, saying, "Second Brother Zheng, hasn't Fourth Brother Zhang returned to Beijing yet?"

Zheng Xiao raised his glass and shook his head: "I won't be back this year."

"Oh!"

Seeing Qiao Jiulang nodding, Xu Zaijing said, "Second Brother Zheng, I remember that it was less than two months since Zhang Fang brought Fourth Brother Zhang's daughter to the world? Why hasn't she come back yet?"

Zheng Xiao nodded: "There are many things to do in the army."

After looking at Gu Tingye, Zheng Xiao continued: "Don't even mention Silang, even Shoushanbo Huang Jiayue's brother can't come back this year."

Hearing this, Gu Tingye, who was eating, curled his lips in displeasure.

Xu Zaijing nodded, raised his glass and drank with Zheng Xiao.

Zheng Xiao drank two cups in a row. Gu Tingye couldn't toast again, so he raised his cup and said to Qi Heng: "Yuan Ruo, how much of your homework have you done?"

When Qi Heng and Gu Tingye were talking,
While eating, Xu Zaijing asked, "Second Brother Zheng, did you return to Bianjing directly from Beizhou?"

Zheng Xiao picked up some food and shook his head, "No, after you returned to Beijing, my brother and I went to Bozhou again, selected and trained a battalion of infantry, and then came back."

"Bozhou?"

"Yes! Goro, what happened to Bozhou?"

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "I was talking to Brother Xian before, and he told me that there is a commander in the Bozhou army who was promoted by the Rong family and is said to be skilled in archery and horse riding."

After hearing this, Zheng Xiao put down his chopsticks with a smile and asked with great interest: "Oh? Wu Lang, do you know his name?"

Xu Zaijing looked into Zheng Xiao's eyes, smiled and shook his head, "I don't know."

Zheng Xiao was stunned, then smiled and nodded at Xu Zaijing a few times: "Wulang, you'll have to drink a glass of wine as a punishment for this!"

When everyone is talking,
A maidservant brought up the slices of meat that had been blanched in the pot, dipped them in seasonings, and then served them.

After Xu Zaijing and Zheng Xiao drank a glass of wine, they looked at Hua Xiang who was carrying the meat slices and said, "You three should have some too."

"Yes, son."

Subsequently,

The crowd continued to drink and talk.

After three or four glasses of wine,
There was a noise and the sound of a door opening at the door of the private room.

When Xu Zaijing and others looked towards the door,
Someone had already walked in around the screen, shouting.

"Hey! You guys are all here! Erlang, long time no see!" Rong Xian, dressed in a bright red brocade robe, walked in with a smile and bowed to Zheng Xiao.

Zheng Xiao stood up, held out his hand and said, "Brother Xian, come and sit down! Let's have a few drinks together!"

Gu Tingye smiled and said, "Brother Xian, how many red brocade robes do you have? Why do I see you wearing the same color every time?"

Rong Xian looked down at his clothes and smiled, "I still have a few pieces in this color."

Rong Xian turned to Zheng Xiao and said, "Erlang, I won't sit down. Several uncles from the Dou family have also returned to Beijing and are still waiting for me!"

"I just saw Qingyun and the others outside, so I came in to say hello."

As he spoke, Rongxian smiled at Xu Zaijing who was beside Zheng Xiao.

Zheng Xiao said: "Okay, then I won't keep you any longer, Brother Xian."

Rong Xian waved his hand and said, “Come over for a drink later!”

After everyone in the private room nodded in agreement, Rong Xian turned around and walked out with a smile.

Everyone sat down again.

Said two words,
Then new dishes were brought in, which were the dishes ordered by Rong Xian.

"I haven't seen Rong Xian for a while. He has changed so much?" Zheng Xiao said with some surprise.

Gu Tingye, who was eating the newly served dishes, asked, "Is there any?"

Zheng Xiao nodded affirmatively: "In the past, Rong Xian would not be so thoughtful."

Xu Zaijing and others nodded.

Taking advantage of the conversation,

Qi Heng, who was sitting next to Gu Tingye, said, "Brother Jing, Second Uncle, I was thinking that after we go to the palace to pay New Year's greetings on the first day of the new year, why don't we go to Jiying Lane to visit him in the afternoon?"

"First, I want to wish Mr. Zhuang a happy new year after his hard work this year. Second, I have had a lot of trouble studying at the Sheng family this year. It would be nice to visit him once or twice to express my gratitude."

Gu Tingye nodded when he heard this, looked at Xu Zaijing and said, "Brother Jing, what do you think?"

Xu Zaijing looked at Qi Heng who was looking at him and said, "Yuan Ruo is very thoughtful. Let's go together when we come out of the palace on the first day of the new year."

Xu Zaijing finished speaking.
Qi Heng smiled and said, "Okay, it's a deal!"

Gu Tingye asked in confusion: "Yuan Ruo, why are you so happy that we are going to visit the Sheng family?"

Qi Heng was stunned and looked at Gu Tingye who was speaking, and said: "Second uncle. I..."

Then he turned to look at Xu Zaijing who was looking at him with an unclear expression, and said, "I, I just encountered some difficulties in my homework! How can I not be happy to see the scholar and ask for advice?"

"Oh" Gu Tingye nodded.

Zheng Xiao raised his glass and said, "Yuan Ruo is really studious! If I were as hardworking as you, maybe I could pass the imperial examination."

Qi Heng raised his glass, smiled, and drank it happily.

Xu Zaijing thought for a moment and said, "Yuanruo, I wonder what difficulties you are facing in your studies? Tell me about it, maybe I can help you solve one or two problems!" Qi Heng, who was holding an empty wine glass, blinked and said, "Brother Jing, uh... uh... There are too many difficulties to explain in one sentence."

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded.

Gu Tingye said: "Yuan Ruo, if you had listened carefully in class, you wouldn't have so many difficulties!"

Qi Heng nodded repeatedly: "Brother Jing, Second Uncle, you are right!"

Liang Han stood up and said, "Alright, alright! Let's stop talking about the three scholars. We are here today to have fun, not to study! Let's drink!"

Everyone laughed and drank together.

Xu Zaijing put down his wine glass.
Qing Cao came over with a few drops of dipping sauce on the corners of his mouth, holding a tray in his hand, on which were several plates of peeled and shaved sugarcane pieces the color of jade.

After placing the porcelain plate with the sugarcane cubes, Qingcao leaned close to Xu Zaijing's ear and said, "Sir, I heard it's snowing outside!"

Xu Zaijing nodded.
Then he smiled and pointed to the corner of his mouth.

Qingcao was stunned and quickly wiped the sauce with his hand. Looking at the sauce on his hand, he smiled embarrassedly.

After Qingcao returned to the screen, Xu Zaijing stood up and walked towards the window of the private room.

"Brother Jing, what's wrong?"

Zheng Xiao asked doubtfully.

"It's snowing, look at the snow scene."

Xu Zaijing said.

As he said that, he walked to the window and opened it.

"Woo~"

A cold wind blew towards me.
Xu Zaijing, whose cheeks felt hot from drinking, came to his senses.

"Whoo~"

When he exhaled, he could see white mist in front of him.

Standing in the private room and looking outside, the wooden railings of the corridor outside the private room had turned slightly white.

By the candlelight in the private room, you can vaguely see snowflakes dancing in the wind and falling from the sky to the floor of the corridor.

There were no snowflakes in the darkness not far from the wooden fence.
It's like there's no snow.

Only Qiyun Tower, which is adjacent to Pan Tower and connected to it by a flying bridge,

With the many red lanterns hanging outside the building,

The snowflakes falling around the Qiyun Tower occasionally reveal their shapes in the winter night.

Zheng Xiao walked up to Xu Zaijing and said with a smile, "Once it snows, many families in the capital can hold banquets again."

Xu Zaijing nodded.

After the others also came to the window to take a few looks, Zheng Xiao led everyone out to the private room where Rong Xian was.

Enter the private room.
Zheng Xiao didn't say a word.
Gu Tingye's eyes widened and he asked in surprise: "Chen Min, you are here too?"

In the private room, the young man standing next to the Dou family member shouted with a smile: "Cousin!"

The one who called him cousin was Yang Chenmin, the son of Gu Tingye's aunt. Yang Chenmin's aunt was the eldest lady of the Dou family. Because of this real relationship, he was invited to the banquet by the Dou family.

Xu Zaijing was not unfamiliar with the other members of the Dou family present, as he had dealt with most of them when Rong Xian got married.

Everyone greeted each other and toasted.
When Zheng Xiao raised his head to drink, there was a look of surprise in his eyes.

The reason for the surprise was that the people from the Dou family in the private room where Rong Xian was were all children of the Duke's Mansion, all of them were older than Xu Zaijing and the others, and most of them were already married.
It was fine when I was drinking with Gu Tingye, Qi Heng and others.
But when they were drinking with Xu Zaijing, they put their glasses down a little too low.

Zheng Xiao thought about it and smiled.
He knew in his heart that he and Xu Zaijing had known each other for a long time!
If I were not very familiar with Xu Zaijing, and knew about his past achievements and academic accomplishments, my drinking posture might be even lower than that of the Dou family's brother.

Had a few drinks,
After the two gangs exchanged some words of persuasion and polite refusal at the door of the private room, Xu Zaijing and his group returned to their own private rooms. After a short rest, under the leadership of Zheng Xiao, they left the room and prepared to go home.

When going down the stairs,
Zheng Xiao pulled Xu Zaijing's shoulder and kept him until the end.

The two walked side by side on the stairs. Looking at the people in front of them laughing and joking, Zheng Xiao said, "Wulang, do you still have the elite infantrymen from the former Baigao under your command?"

Xu Zaijing looked at Zheng Xiao and shook his head, "I don't know much about this! Why, Zheng Erge, how many do you want?"

Zheng Xiao nodded and said, "Although the army has issued Bubazi practice books, I thought that some Bubazi's stuff would definitely not be all on them, so I thought of taking a few with me to the army."

"Brother Zheng, you should have said it earlier!" Xu Zaijing thought and continued, "It's been so long since we recaptured Baigao. If there are any good soldiers, they will be selected by several families and have military positions!"

"I know!" Zheng Xiao said with some regret, "I didn't think that you, Jing'er, had been to Baigao, so I asked you first. If you can't do anything, I will go find Xu Hou and General Cao and the others!"

Xu Zaijing smiled with a somewhat amused look in his eyes and said, "Didn't you ask the eldest brother of the Zhang family?"

Zheng Xiao glared at Xu Zaijing with an embarrassed look on his face and said, "How can I trouble Brother Zhang?"

"Then why are you bothering me?" Xu Zaijing continued.

"What is our relationship?" Zheng Xiao said, putting his arm around Xu Zaijing's shoulders.

Xu Zaijing shook his head helplessly and said with a smile: "Okay, I have a friend who may have some information about the elite Bubazi. When you see me, I will ask for you!"

"Goro, I knew you could do it."

Zheng Xiao smiled and hugged Xu Zaijing tightly.

"If not, don't blame me!" Xu Zaijing added.

"Of course!"

Talking
Everyone dressed neatly and left Panlou.

At the door of Panlou,

The ground has been swept several times by the staff, and there is not much snow.
The bright lanterns were swaying in the wind, causing the shadows of Xu Zaijing and others at the door to move as well.

Although Qi Heng was going back to Xingguofang with Zheng Xiao and Gu Tingye, Duke Qi's Mansion still sent four servants to pick up Qi Heng.

After saying goodbye, everyone got on their respective carriages and left Panlou in the wind and snow.

Because it snows on winter nights,

Xu Zaijing looked out through the gap in the car curtain.

On the way from Panlou Main Street back to Quyuan Street, there are almost no people going out.

But the military patrol stations along the road all had lanterns on, and from time to time one could see soldiers on duty in the watchtowers in the wind and snow.

At the gate of the military patrol shop, the soldiers would bow and salute when they saw the carriage with the Xu family flag flying in the wind and snow.

Quyuan Street,
The backyard of the Yongyi Marquis's mansion,

The mistress Sun's courtyard,

In the main house,
"The Fifth Young Master is back."

As the maid informed him, Xu Zaijing walked in with a cold air.

Looking at my son whose cheeks were slightly red from drinking,
Sun smiled and said:

"Jing'er, you're back just in time! As soon as it snowed last night, the Duke of England Zhang's family sent an invitation to invite you to a banquet!"

Xu Zaijing, who had just sat down and hadn't even taken a sip of his warm drink, asked in surprise, "Ah? Going to another banquet?"

Sun smiled and nodded: "The nanny who delivered the invitation to the Zhang family said that she wanted to invite you after the New Year. Now that it's snowing, she will take this opportunity to invite you over!"

Xu Zaijing hesitated and said, "Mother, didn't we go to Feng's house together? Why did the British public send a message?"

Sun scolded, "Every family is a family! Can the Feng family thank the Zhang family?"

"Besides, the Zhang family has also sent an invitation to the family of Duke Lian. Your brother-in-law will also go there, and there will be several younger generations of the Zhang family as well."

Xu Zaijing scratched his head and nodded, "Mother, I understand!"

Xingguofang,
The backyard of Duke Qi's mansion,

Under the warm yellow candlelight, Qi Heng sat below the Duke of Qi and his wife, holding a bowl of sobering soup in his hand.

After taking a sip of the hangover soup, Qi Heng said, "Mother, Jing said he would go to the Sheng family on the first day of the new year. One reason is to wish Mr. Zhuang a happy new year, and the other is to express his gratitude to us because we had a lot of trouble in the Sheng family this year!"

"I thought it made sense as soon as I heard it, so I nodded and agreed."

Duke Qi, who was at the head of the group, nodded repeatedly: "Jing'er is a thoughtful child! Yuan Ruo, you can go to the Sheng family with them when the time comes."

Princess Pingning looked at Qi Heng's expression and said, "Heng'er, you have been studying in the Sheng family for several years. Why does Jing'er want to go to the Sheng family this year?"

Qi Heng tightened his hands holding the hangover soup, trying to control his expression, and said, "Mother, I don't know about this."

Princess Pingning hummed.

When Qi Heng returned to his room,

Duke Qi looked at Princess Pingning's unhappy expression and asked, "My lady, what's wrong?"

Princess Pingning pursed her lips and shook her head, saying, "Nothing, it's just that Yuan Ruo, why did he start lying?"

Duke Qi looked towards Qi Heng's house and asked, "Ah? Yuan Ruo..."

Princess Pingning nodded and said, "Humph! Look at how empty his eyes are!"

(End of this chapter)