Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 718 Why wasn't I included again? [Thank you! Thank you again! 32k words owed]

"The fierce evil appeared suddenly but was instantly wiped out, truly demonstrating the might of the dragon prince!"

"The second auspicious omen is..."

"The third auspicious omen is..."

"Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to issue an edict, firstly, to use ivory to create a standard for warding off evil!"

"Secondly, they carved ivory cups to offer at the ancestral temple!"

"Thirdly, the Hanlin Academy was ordered to compile the 'Scroll of Military Auspicious Elephant Slaying,' which records the story of a noble son of a military meritorious official slaying an elephant, and will be permanently enshrined in the Ministry of Rites' records!"

"Your subject observes that the Purple Star in the constellation is becoming increasingly bright, and respectfully reports this."

Listening to Lord Lu's report, the emperor, sitting on the dragon throne, nodded repeatedly.

After Lord Lu stepped aside, Wu Fenghua, the Minister of Revenue, bowed and said:

"Your subject, Wu Fenghua, respectfully reports."

"."

"The Prince of Yong was granted the imperial axe and was stationed in the southwestern border of the Great Zhou Dynasty. When the Nong and Liao tribes in Jiaozhi rebelled, the Prince personally donned armor and distinguished himself in suppressing the rebellion."

"However, the Crown Prince and his consort were favored by Heaven, and no ferocious beasts dared to offend them. Thus, the Prince of Yong's heir became a place for these wicked creatures to vent their anger."

Although the emperor had already understood the whole story,

However, the deceased Prince Yong was still a member of the royal family. For the sake of the royal family's reputation, it cannot be said that he committed the sins himself; being trampled by the mother elephant was his own fault.

Thus, Lord Wu described this prince's heir as:
Prince Yong was stationed in the southwest of the Great Zhou Dynasty and contributed greatly to quelling the chaos in Jiaozhi among the Nong people. The Crown Prince and his wife were protected by divine mandate and could not be harmed, so Prince Yong's heir became the target of the 'fierce beast's' vengeance.

The subsequent memorials from Gu Tingyu, Sheng Hong, and others were largely the same, all conveying the same message: the events that occurred during Prince Zhao Fang's wedding were auspicious omens!
After listening, the emperor smiled and nodded, saying, "My dear ministers, your words are well-founded. I grant your permission!"

Upon hearing this, all the ministers bowed and said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The emperor nodded and said to the chief eunuch beside him, "Let Fang'er come over here."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Then, Zhao Fang, dressed in the crown prince's finery, came to the emperor's side and bowed to everyone.

Seeing the emperor nod slightly, the Duke of England stepped forward, bowed, and said:
"Your subject, Zhang Jun, Duke of Yingguo, on behalf of all the officials, respectfully observes that the Crown Prince's auspicious ceremony has been successfully completed, further extending the blessings of the imperial family and the nation. Your subject, Zhang Jun, and others are overjoyed and offer our congratulations."

The assembled officials exclaimed in unison, "We are overjoyed and extend our heartfelt congratulations!"

Zhao Fang bowed again.

After reporting and discussing other matters, the emperor announced a banquet.

Amidst the high-pitched shouts of "Dismiss the court!" from the palace officials,
The nobles, officials, and high-ranking ministers of the court all walked out of the main hall and headed towards the banquet.

On the way,

The old Marquis of Xiangyang, with an unfriendly expression, tucked his official tablet into his waistband and walked away with a swagger.

Knowing that the old Marquis had a bad temper, there weren't many people around. Behind the Marquis of Xiangyang was only the Duke of Qi, who was dressed in court attire.

"My dear son-in-law, have you heard how those families were dealt with?" the Marquis of Xiangyang asked in a low voice.

Duke Qi nodded: "Father-in-law, I've heard that there will be some rewards!"

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Xiangyang glared and exclaimed, "What? The Ministry of Justice actually came up with such a ridiculous regulation? Even if those families don't get caning, demotion, or exile, they should still have their salaries confiscated!"

The Duke of Qi looked troubled and said, "Father-in-law, you have been listening to this in the court for a long time, so you naturally know that the elephant's madness is an auspicious sign. In fact, it has nothing to do with those families!"

"Speaking of which, those families are all loyal to the emperor! It's not appropriate for the court to show obvious favoritism."

The Marquis of Xiangyang shook his head in frustration: "This is truly outrageous."

Duke Qi said, "Father-in-law, those families are openly showered with rewards! But behind the scenes, who knows how much they'll have to give up! Otherwise, the future of our children will be in jeopardy."

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Xiangyang stroked his beard and laughed, "My dear son-in-law, you are right!"

After walking a few steps,

It seemed she was thinking about her son's marriage.
The Marquis of Xiangyang nodded repeatedly and laughed, "Tsk! Marquis Xu has truly gained a fine son! Hahaha!"

With an uncle like Xu Zaijing to look after his son, his future will naturally be more secure.

Bianjing outer city,

In the large prison where Nong prisoners were held

The prisoners looked at the Imperial Guards guarding them with great surprise at the much more lavish meal than usual.

Several Nong prisoners who could speak the Da Zhou language asked a few questions with trepidation, thinking that tomorrow would be their death day.

The imperial guards who heard the words were not annoyed. They just smiled and said a few words like "the prince's wedding", "slaying the elephant to suppress evil", and "universal celebration".

"How many Heavenly Army soldiers were involved in the execution of the Mad Elephant?" the Nong people prisoner asked in broken Zhou language.

The Imperial Guard smiled and held up two fingers.

Nong captives: "Twenty?"

The Imperial Guard shook his head: "You two."

Upon hearing this, the Nong captives exchanged a horrified glance.

After the translation was shared with others, the fear of the Great Zhou and the respect for the emperor in the hearts of the Nong people prisoners reached a new level.

Looking into the eyes of the Nong prisoners, the Imperial Guard who spoke smiled.

On the third day after Zhao Fang's marriage,
morning,

Clear blue sky
The Great Zhou Imperial Palace

A group of officials' wives and noblewomen walked on their way to the inner palace.

The women were dressed in phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, adorned with pearls and jade. From a distance, the fabric of their clothes and the gold and gemstone ornaments they wore shone brightly in the sunlight.

During the New Year's banquets, the wives and daughters of officials often met and interacted, and most of them had become acquainted.

Even while walking on the palace streets, they weren't completely silent; they would occasionally utter a few words.

It's getting closer.

You can also tell which lady is genuinely happy and which is forcing a smile.

look around,

Scanning the assembled officials' wives and noblewomen around him, one of them whispered to the eldest daughter-in-law of the Hai family beside him, "In-law, why don't I see the Lady of Xu or the Lady of Gu? I haven't even seen their daughters-in-law!"

Madam Hai, Hai Chaoyun's mother, glanced at them and said, "Those gentlemen must have entered the palace ahead of time! The two young masters made great contributions that day."

"What a pity! If there were others here, we could have gone up and said a few words!" Hai Chaojie's mother-in-law said.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the Hai family whispered, "Does the in-laws want Xu Wulang and Jie'er to become brothers-in-law?"

"It would be best if we were brothers-in-law, but if that doesn't work, we can still be relatives! Isn't your Yun-jie just the right age?"

Madam Hai laughed and said, "It depends on fate! By the way, those two ladies of the Marquis can't see, but Xu Sanlang's mother-in-law should be here."

As she spoke, Madam Hai looked around and said, "Look, isn't it over there?"

Following her in-laws' gaze, Hai Chaojie's mother-in-law saw Wang Ruofu in a very good mood, smiling with her eyes crinkling as she spoke to the officials' wives beside her.

Madam Hai said, "This is the eldest daughter of Lord Wang! Her father-in-law is a third-place scholar in the imperial examination, her mother-in-law is the only daughter of a marquis, her husband works in the Ministry of Personnel, and they have three sons and four daughters. They are truly blessed people!"

"I've heard that the family is quite lenient with its servants; when a maid gets married, the Sheng family opens its main gates to escort her off!"

"Oh! This place sounds quite nice! I wonder what the family members are like?" Hai Chaojie's mother-in-law asked with great interest.

Madam Hai said, "The children in the family are promising. Both of my children are successful candidates in the provincial examinations and will be taking the metropolitan examinations next year."

As she spoke, Madam Hai sorted out her thoughts and suddenly realized: "Hmm, this Sheng family seems... quite nice!"

As the officials' wives and concubines gradually approached the palace, the procession quieted down.

Shortly after entering the main hall,

Lady Sun, wife of Marquis Xu, and Lady Bai, wife of Marquis Gu, came out together with several other wives of dukes and marquises from the Cao, Gao, and Zhang families.

Each of them was followed by their daughter-in-law.

After nodding and greeting everyone in the hall, Sun and the others stood aside.

A little while later, "Her Majesty the Empress's palanquin has arrived!"

"Her Highness the Crown Princess has arrived!"

As the eunuch's shouts rang out, the Empress and the Crown Princess entered the palace.

The officials' wives and concubines all performed a grand ceremony and knelt in obeisance.

The eldest daughter-in-law of Han Da Xiang Gong delivered a speech on behalf of all the wives of the officials.

After the Empress and the Crown Princess expressed their gratitude, just as the officials had done, the Empress hosted a banquet in her palace.

in the afternoon,

Jiying Lane, Sheng Family Residence, Shou'an Hall Main Building.

Madam Sheng sat in a daybed, smiling as she watched Mr. and Mrs. Sheng Hong drinking hangover soup below them.

Reeking of wine, Wang Ruofu put down her soup bowl, glanced at the four Lans in the room, and said with a smile, "Mother, you have no idea how lively the palace was today! All the noble ladies from the capital went!"

"A lot of people were talking to my wife along the way! Oh my, they were saying such nice things! My wife has no idea what they were thinking!"

Sheng Hong, standing to the side, smiled and nodded at Wang Ruofu, occasionally stroking his beard.

At the banquet held in the palace, many of Sheng Hong's civil and military colleagues toasted him and tried to build a relationship with him.

They were subtly inquiring about the Sheng family's sons and daughters, and occasionally they would ask about Xu's fifth son.

Sheng Hong responded fluently, saying what he should and not omitting a single word.

The old lady laughed and said, "There's no shortage of shrewd people in Bianjing! They'll have countless nice things to say if they want to befriend you!"

Wang Ruofu nodded with a smile: "Mother is right! Speaking of which, among all the ladies and noblewomen at today's banquet, Princess Pingning and my cousin-in-law have the most people around them!"

"My wife wanted to offer a toast, but if it weren't for the female official greeting her, she wouldn't have been able to get close to my cousin-in-law and Princess Pingning."

As he spoke, Wang Ruofu smiled and glanced at Mo Lan.

When Mo Lan heard this, her expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

"Oh, right! Mother, today several ladies and daughters-in-law were asking about the girls in our family!"

As Wang Ruofu spoke, he glanced at the four orchids.

Ruofu, the Princess of Ruan, originally intended to marry into her maternal family, the Wang family. However, after being questioned by several officials' wives and noblewomen today, she had some other thoughts.

Sheng Hong nodded and said, "Mother, several of my colleagues also asked me about the children."

The old lady smiled and nodded: "That's a good thing! But we still need to ask around to find out how to choose the right one."

"It would be best to wait until after February next year, when the young master in the family has taken the imperial examination and received the results. That would make things easier."

“Mother is right!” Sheng Hong nodded.

Taking advantage of the pause in the conversation, Wang Ruofu said, "By the way, Mother, when my wife left the palace today, my cousin-in-law pulled her aside and told her something."

Seeing the old lady nod with a smile, Wang Ruofu said, "It is said that there is high-quality blue and white salt in the former territory of Baigao in the Northwest. After Baigao was recovered, it has now all been collected by the Ministry of Revenue."

"Some salt distribution matters have now fallen to the Gu family, the Marquis of Ningyuan."

As she spoke, Wang Ruofu glanced smugly at Sheng Hong.

The old lady nodded and said, "Lady Gu was born into a prominent salt merchant family in Yangzhou, so it is only natural that she ended up in the Gu family."

Wang Ruofu nodded with a smile: "Mother is right! So my cousin-in-law wants my daughter-in-law to invest some money as well, firstly to help Gu Jia share some of the costs, and secondly to get some dividends at the end of the year."

Sheng Hong asked with some doubt, "The former territory of Bai Gao in the Northwest, it's said that the Cao family, the Marquis of Tuoxi, mostly helped the imperial court manage it, so how come..."

"My lord, why are you a little confused?" Wang Ruofu said reproachfully, "That day, the second son of the Gu family and that child Jing'er performed a great service!"

"Speaking of green and white salt, they were probably gifts from the palace!"

Seeing Sheng Hong's expression, the old lady smiled and said, "Hong'er, what the eldest madam said makes sense."

Pinlan, who was standing to the side, listened to the elders' conversation with her eyes darting around.

Pinlan doesn't know about other things, but when it comes to business, her uncle Shenghong is an official, so she can't get too involved. In the future, her parents will probably have to worry about it most of the time.

This also means that the income of the Sheng family's two branches is about to increase again.

Mo Lan's eyes didn't move much, but she clenched the handkerchief in her hand tighter.

The old lady continued, "The Baigao salt is of excellent quality, inexpensive, and has a salty and sweet taste! When I was young, I even heard that salt could cure eye diseases."

"Previously, the relationship between our dynasty and Bai Gao was delicate, and this green and white salt could not be sold in our dynasty. As a result, the profits were extremely considerable!"

Wang Ruofu smiled and nodded repeatedly: "What Mother said is true. That's exactly what my cousin-in-law said to my wife."

"Hmm!" The old lady smiled.

Sheng Hong's eyes darted around, and he said, "Mother, shall I invite Brother Wei over?"

Seeing Wang Ruofu's suddenly blank expression, the old lady said, "Alright!"

Subsequently,

Sheng Hong glanced at the four Lans and then led Wang Ruofu outside.

Of the four Lans, apart from Ru Lan who was somewhat puzzled, Ming Lan and the others understood the warning in Sheng Hong's eyes: "Be careful with your words, don't speak carelessly."

Outside the courtyard of Shou'an Hall,

Wang Ruofu followed Sheng Hong and said, "My lord, my sister's family also has some connections, don't you think?"

Seeing the way Sheng Hong was looking at her, Wang Ruofu awkwardly stopped talking.

Sheng Hong said, "If you think there's not enough trouble, go find your sister!"

"If something goes wrong and it tarnishes Hua'er's reputation, or delays Bai'er and Ru'er's marriage proposal, don't come crying to your mother!"

"Also, since you're discussing Ru'er's matter with your brother-in-law and sister-in-law, you should give up any other thoughts, lest your sister-in-law find out and cause unpleasantness between the two families."

Wang Ruofu: "I"

Watching Sheng Hong walk towards Linxi Pavilion, Wang Ruofu flicked her sleeve in frustration.

Standing behind Wang Ruofu, Liu Mama said, "Madam, what the master said makes sense."

A few days later,
The festive atmosphere surrounding Prince Zhao Fang's wedding gradually dissipated.

The auspicious omens surrounding the Crown Prince's wedding spread from Bianjing (Kaifeng) to the entire territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In a military camp a thousand miles northeast of Bianjing,

In the big tent,
As Zheng Xiao packed his luggage, he listened to the deputy general reading the official gazette.

Suddenly, Zheng Xiao paused, looked up and asked, "What? The Fifth Son of the Xu family and the Second Son of the Gu family joined forces to kill an elephant in front of the Crown Prince?"

The lieutenant glanced at the official gazette and nodded, saying, "General, that's what the gazette says!"

Zheng Xiao punched his fist in frustration: "Tsk! God! Why am I not included again?! Jing-ge, I hate it!"

Bianjing,

Near the Hanlin Academy of Painting
"Achoo!" Xu Zaijing covered his mouth with his hand and sneezed as he turned to the side.

The eunuch Qingyun, who was leading the way, glanced at Xu Zaijing with concern.

"It's nothing, my nose is just a little itchy," Xu Zaijing said with a smile.

Qingyun nodded: "Young Master Xu, this way please."

After following Qingyun for a while, Xu Zaijing arrived in front of a palace.

Then, an official stood at the door and called out, "Your Highness, the Fifth Son of the Xu family has arrived."

"Enter," someone inside the hall replied.

Xu Zaijing nodded to Qingyun, then lifted his robe and stepped into the hall.

Upon seeing Zhao Fang and Gao Taotao inside the hall, Xu Zaijing quickly bowed and cupped his hands, saying, "Your subject greets Your Highness and the Crown Princess."

The Crown Princess smiled and nodded at Xu Zaijing, while Zhao Fang looked up and waved to Xu Zaijing, saying with a smile, "Brother Jing, come and take a look at this draft of the painting."

(End of this chapter)