Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 719 Like Youthful Days [Thank you! Thank you again! 34k words owed]

Starting from when Xu Zaijing saw the draft of the painting in the palace...

Eighteen or nineteen days have passed.

September has arrived, and the Double Ninth Festival is just around the corner.

On this morning,

Quyuan Street,
The Marquis of Yongyi's Residence

Two stone lions sit in front of the gate.
The palace procession slowly came to a stop, and the eunuch Huaibao crouched down and crawled out of the sedan chair.

When he came out, Huai Bao was carrying a tray with a scroll of imperial edict and an exquisitely crafted long wooden box on it.

In addition to the vermilion seal bearing the mark of the 'Hanlin Painting Academy,' the wooden box was also covered with exquisitely crafted bright yellow brocade.

Huai Bao glanced up at the Xu family members standing in front of the wide-open gate, then walked over with a smile.

In the past, there were two eunuchs behind him carrying a plaque that read "Inspiring Courage and Honor".

Arriving at the gate,
Xu Zaidan, the eldest son of the Xu family, dressed in official robes, bowed and clasped his hands in a salute to the eunuch and the wooden box.

Behind Zai Duan, Sun and Xie, both dressed in their official robes, bowed and gave a curtsy.

Zai Zhang and Hua Lan, who were further behind, had no official titles or imperial edicts, so they could only kneel down and pay their respects.

Seeing the smiling and nodding embrace, Xu Zaijing, standing next to his elder brother, took a step forward, holding the invitation in one hand and lifting the hem of his robe with the other, before nimbly and gracefully kneeling on the ground.

Upon seeing this, the eunuch Huai Bao quickly stepped forward and said to Xu Zaijing:

"Hey! Fifth Prince, His Majesty and the Empress specifically instructed that you do not need to perform such a grand ceremony."

Unfortunately, Xu Zaijing moved too quickly; by the time Huaibao approached, he was already on one knee.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace," Xu Zaijing said with a smile.

The eunuch Huaibao nodded somewhat helplessly: "Fifth Brother, please get up quickly! Everyone, please get up quickly!"

As Zai Zhang and Hua Lan stood up, Zai Duan stepped aside and gestured, saying, "Lord Huai Bao, please come in."

Holding the imperial gift box in his arms, he did not refuse. He smiled and nodded, then walked ahead of the crowd toward the main hall of the Xu family's front courtyard.

Along the way, upon seeing the Xu family servants from Huaibao, they all knelt down.

Upon arriving at the main hall in the front yard,

The hall was clearly cleaned thoroughly.

A thick felt carpet had been laid out on the ground, and a faint fragrance of incense wafted through the air. In the center stood a heavy altar, upon which were placed writing brushes, ink pads, and seals.

Seeing the eunuch Huai Bao standing before the confession table, the Xu family members all knelt down on the felt carpet.

Place the tray on the offering table.

Huai Bao respectfully picked up the imperial edict with both hands, unfolded it, and said loudly:

The imperial edict reads:
I believe that loyalty to the country is the greatest virtue of a subject. You, Xu and your son, have long been entrusted with the responsibility of defending the borders, serving the country faithfully and working diligently on the frontier. I greatly commend you for this.

Your youngest son, Zai Jing, is resolute and courageous, fearless in the face of danger, and bravely protects the heir. His loyalty and bravery are commendable, and he exemplifies the duties of a minister!
"A scroll of imperial paintings is hereby bestowed upon you and your entire household to commend your father and son for their unwavering loyalty and your youngest son for his valiant defense of the emperor. This decree is hereby issued for your perusal and understanding."

Upon hearing the last four words, the Xu family members all kowtowed three times.

Then, Zai Duan, who was kneeling at the front, reached out and took the wooden box handed over by Huai Bao.

Huai Bao smiled and said, "Everyone, please rise!"

As Zai Duan stood up, Huai Bao said again, "Lord Xu, please check the seal."

"Yes." The driver nodded in agreement, carefully examined the seal on the wooden box, and bowed, saying, "The seal is intact."

Huai Bao smiled and nodded, then picked up a note from the tray that read 'Imperial Decree Record Book' and said, "Lord Xu, please sign and affix your seal."

After handing the wooden box to Zai Zhang, Zai Duan walked to the altar and picked up a brush to sign his name on the post.

He then dipped the Marquis's seal in red ink and solemnly stamped it onto the postcard.

Seeing that Huai Bao had put away the invitation, Zai Duan said, "Lord Huai Bao, why don't you have a cup of tea before you leave?"

Huai Bao smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Xu. Your Majesty and Her Majesty are waiting for me to return and report. Maybe next time."

Zai Duan smiled and nodded: "In that case, I won't keep you any longer. Please."

Huaibao: "Please."

The group then escorted Huaibao to the main gate of the Marquis's residence.

"Please wait a moment, everyone," Huai Bao said with a smile.

As Huai Bao spoke, the eunuch who had been standing by the sedan chair walked over, carrying a wooden box in his hands.

"This is a small token of our appreciation; please accept it, Lord Huaibao and the others," Zai Duan said with a smile.

While the elder brother Zai Duan was speaking, Xu Zai Jing and Zai Zhang placed purses into the hands of Huai Bao and the young eunuch who had come with them.

The gatekeeper and servants of the Xu family ran around delivering the other purses to the guards and yamen runners who had followed them.

"Thank you all for your kind hospitality." Huai Bao nodded with a smile.

At the same time, Huai Bao reached out and took the wooden box handed to him by the young eunuch who came over.

He took out a silk flower with gold threads and handed it to Zai Duan.

Zai Duan gladly accepted it.

After watching the palace procession disappear into the distance, Zai Duan helped Madam Sun and walked into the courtyard with his family.

Instead of returning to the backyard, the group went to the Xu Family Ancestral Hall.

At this moment, the plaque inscribed with "Inspiring Courage and Valor" that was carried along with the ceremonial procession was already hung on one side of the ancestral hall.

This plaque is much newer than the others in the ancestral hall.

As Zai Duan, who was at the front, lit incense, knelt, and offered prayers, Xu Zaijing and the rest of the Xu family had already knelt on the prayer mats.

Watching the incense smoke rising from the offering table and incense burner,

Behind the offering table stood rows of ancestral tablets.
Xu Zaidan, also kneeling on the prayer mat, said: "In the year of Wuyin of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the filial grandson Xu Zaidan reports to the ancestral spirit tablet that his younger brother, Wulang Zaijing, performed a great service on the day of the Crown Prince's wedding, and is hereby bestowed with a plaque of merit by the Emperor."

After offering words of comfort, Zai Duan led everyone in kneeling and bowing once more.

After the event, the Xu family members all left the ancestral hall.

The servants responsible for cleaning the ancestral hall picked up the prayer cushions on the floor and placed them under the offering table.

After carefully wiping the floor of the ancestral hall, the servant withdrew.

Far outside the courtyard, the faint sounds of bustling city life drifted over, making the ancestral hall seem even quieter.

A gentle breeze blows by,

The mourning curtain inside the ancestral hall swayed slightly.

The incense sticks in the incense burner glowed slightly a few times, and wisps of smoke drifted out slowly, reaching the center of the rows of memorial tablets.

A few wisps of smoke from between the memorial tablets drifted upwards, then gradually disappeared before reaching the imperial plaque.

Front courtyard main hall,

The wooden box on the imperial desk had been opened.

The scroll inside the wooden box was also laid flat on the offering table.

Xu Zaijing stood in front of the offering table, holding his younger sister Ningmei, looking at the painting whose sketches he had already seen.

The painting, less than ten feet long, was divided into three scrolls.

The first scroll depicts an elephant on the far left being afflicted by a black miasma, with the elephant's rider and the surrounding people showing expressions of horror.

In the middle was a group of people dressed in fine clothes with arm guards on their forearms, clearly sons of military officers, who were now looking back.

On the right are the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, who are large in stature and dressed in wedding attire, with stars shining above their heads, and they are also looking back.

The second volume depicts a black elephant on the left side of the picture about to step on someone with its front hoof, several people lying around it, and the charioteer has disappeared.

In the middle of the scene, a person holding a long spear has leaped into the air as if to stab an elephant, and in the background, there is another person who is half-crouching and looking up at the sky.

On the right is Zhao Fang, whose head is illuminated by stars, whose size remains large, and who appears calm and composed in the face of danger.

Zhao Fang stretched out one hand, pointing at the elephant, seemingly directing the people in the air to kill it, while his other hand protected the Crown Princess.

The third scroll depicts an elephant on the left that has turned white and collapsed to the ground, with black miasma burning above its body by red flames, and people kneeling beside it.

The military officer's son in the middle was bowing and speaking, still illuminated by the stars, while the very large Zhao Fang was already holding the Crown Princess's hand and walking away into the distance.

Standing in front of Xu Zaijing, Xu Xingdai pointed at the person leaping in the air and said, "Uncle, is this you?"

Xingguofang
Ningyuan Marquis's Residence

Gu Shixing pointed to the same spot and asked, "Uncle, is this you or my uncle?"

Holding his son, Gu Tingye shook his head helplessly, pointed to the half-squatting figure, and said, "Your uncle! This is me."

"Oh!"

As he spoke, Gu Shixing examined the painting closely again and said in a low voice, "Uncle, I don't think this painting is..."

"Silence!" Gu Tingye said, frowning.

Gu Shixing quickly covered his mouth.

"What do you know, kid! This painting is an imperial gift, just like those enshrined in the royal ancestral temple! It's recorded in the Ministry of Rites' archives!"

"Oh!" Gu Shixing nodded repeatedly.

“Don’t forget to offer incense at the altar every morning,” Gu Tingye said.

Gu Shixing nodded: "Uncle, how many days should we burn incense?"

"Three days, in three days we will move it to our ancestral hall."

On the Double Ninth Festival,

Neither Xu Zaijing nor Qi Heng appeared at the chrysanthemum appreciation gathering outside the city.
This was a great pity for many mistresses of wealthy and powerful families.

Watching the lively chrysanthemum appreciation event, Madam Wu smiled and sighed, marveling at how quickly time flies.

As Xu Zaijing, Gu Tingye, and the others grew older, some became busy with their studies, while others got married. The young men and women in the chrysanthemum appreciation garden gradually had many new faces.

In Jiying Lane within the city,
In the Sheng family's Shou'an Hall,

Fang's mother poured the old lady a full glass of chrysanthemum wine.

The old lady raised her wine cup, looked at Granny Kong, and smiled, "My dear sister, this farewell drink is for you!"

Granny Kong smiled and nodded, raising her wine glass as well.

in fact,

After the two elderly people parted ways this time,
The next time I hear news, it might be...
But the two elderly people didn't talk about that; instead, they reminisced about their childhood days in the palace.

Laughter occasionally drifted from Shou'an Hall, drawing the attention of Minglan, who was playing on the outer corridor.

(End of this chapter)