Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 722 is off again? [Thank you! Thank you again! 34k words owed]

The Sheng family,

Shouantang,
The midday sun shone through the thin gauze curtains, making the room very bright.

The old lady sat cross-legged in the day chair and carefully put a piece of letter back into the envelope.

Seeing Minglan looking at her from not far away, the old lady smiled and said, "Ming'er, what are you looking at?"

Minglan smiled and asked, "Grandmother, is it a letter from Granny Kong?"

The old lady smiled and nodded: "Yes! Granny Kong has returned to her hometown and is now teaching the daughter of the local magistrate."

"Oh!" Minglan smiled and nodded.

"His nephew's marriage has also been arranged!" the old man said.

"Ah?" Upon hearing this, Minglan immediately became interested: "Grandmother, what family's daughter did Granny Kong find for my nephew?"

The old lady patted the envelope on the table and smiled, "It says he met a carriage driver named Luan on his way back to his hometown."

“This child has an older sister who took care of all the household affairs when she was very young.”

"Granny Kong stopped by the Luan family's house on the way and took a look, and she immediately took a liking to it!"

Minglan was somewhat surprised: "You took a liking to it at first sight?"

The old lady nodded with a smile: "Yes! Granny Kong said that when she entered the courtyard, she found that although it was simple, it was clean and tidy, and the pigs, cows, chickens, ducks and dogs were well fed."

"I could tell at first glance that she was a good girl who would settle down and live a good life. After chatting with the neighbors, I fell in love with her!"

Minglan looked puzzled: "Grandmother, from what you've said, does that mean that sister has been staying home alone all the time? Isn't that too dangerous?"

The old lady looked at Minglan and smiled, "Ming'er is right! But Granny Kong said that this girl knows some martial arts and weapons, and one or two ordinary men can't get close to her!"

"Besides, her two brothers are both capable; who would dare to bully her?"

Minglan blinked: "Grandmother, this older sister has a brother who drives a carriage, what about the other one?"

The old lady said, "The other one is serving in the army; he's a capable captain under Zai Duan! A couple of years ago, he even brought some young men from the village into the army."

"Under the command of my eldest cousin from the Xu family?" Minglan asked in surprise.

Then, Minglan said with a touch of emotion, "I didn't know until I asked that there was such a relationship between us."

The old lady smiled and nodded, saying, "That Commandant Luan is a fellow disciple of Lu Junyi, Zaidan's capable deputy general. His future prospects are not bad."

Minglan's eyes lit up, and she said, "Grandmother, Granny Kong has such good taste."

At this time,

As Mrs. Cui entered the house, the old lady looked over with a smile.

"Grandma, the two boys from the Li family have arrived. They said they came to pay their respects to you after consulting with Scholar Zhuang," said Mama Cui.

The old lady glanced at Minglan, nodded, and smiled, "Please come in quickly."

After a while,
When the Li brothers entered the house, they saw that Minglan was not by the old lady's side, and a look of regret flashed in Li Yu's eyes.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two brothers left Shou'an Hall.

When they arrived at the schoolyard, Zhuang Xuejiu happened to be walking by.

"We students have met with the scholar." The two brothers bowed and clasped their hands in greeting.

Zhuang Xuejiu smiled and nodded: "Come in."

Upon entering the school,
The Li brothers and Xu Zaijing and others exchanged greetings and pleasantries once again.

While they were discussing academic matters, three Lans entered, each accompanied by their maid.

"Ahem." Changbai coughed lightly.

Seeing that Li Yu was somewhat distracted, he quickly looked away.

Changzhen, who was sitting to the side in front of Zaizhang, looked Li Yu up and down.

The group continued discussing their studies.

Qi Heng, who initially disliked Li Yu, changed his opinion of him somewhat after Li Yu praised him.

At last,
Zhuang Xuejiu gave his comments and assigned the Li brothers several assignments.

After bowing and saying goodbye, the Li brothers left the Sheng family home by car.

On the way,

Amidst the rumbling of the cart,
Looking at the bustling street scene outside the car, Li Du said, "Brother, your attitude towards those people in the academy is a bit too obsequious!"

Li Yu frowned: "Flattery? Erlang, what makes you say that?"

Li Erlang shook his head and said, "Young Master Qi's insights are certainly good, but they are not as excellent as you say."

Before his elder brother could reply, Li Erlang continued, "Just now, I was standing to the side and saw that Young Master Qi glanced to his left and behind twice before and after he spoke."

"Perhaps, Young Master Qi, like you, also has a strong affinity for Sheng."

"What are you saying!" Li Yu interrupted before his younger brother could finish speaking, "This concerns the young lady's reputation, Erlang, be careful what you say!"

Li Erlang rolled his eyes and then pursed his lips.

Li Yu glanced at his younger brother and said, "Second Brother, what kind of people are in your cousin's school? They're the sons of dukes and marquises!"

"Several people were there when His Highness the Crown Prince got married last month!"

"Among them, two members of the Xu and Gu families even took action to subdue the mad elephant!"

"After all this time, you should know that these people are exceptionally learned! Their future is limitless!"

"Do you think such connections and relationships are easily obtained?"

"Based on these few meetings and the fact that we've both received instruction from Scholar Zhuang, can you really calculate how much benefit you can bring to the Li family?"

Hearing his elder brother's words, which were as sharp as hail, Li Erlang looked somewhat embarrassed: "Whether we are truly capable or not, we'll see in the imperial examination!"

Seeing that his elder brother still wanted to lecture him, Li Erlang said again, "Since you know all this, the Qi family is a Duke's mansion. You should be careful!"

Li Yu was silent for a moment: "She is a concubine's daughter. Although the Sheng family is on the rise, Young Master Qi's father is a first-rank duke and his mother is a princess. How could they allow a concubine's daughter to become the mistress of the duke's mansion!"

"Her mother isn't favored either, so Lord Sheng won't fight hard for her. It's more likely she'll become a concubine!"

Li Erlang ignored his elder brother, shook his head, and continued looking out of the carriage, saying, "With the Sheng family's background, they're more than qualified to be Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations)! Brother, you're not yet one!"

“My mother wrote to my aunt, saying that everything back home had been settled and that she had given more than eighty strings of cash to add to the girl’s dowry.”

After Li Erlang finished speaking, the carriage fell silent.

evening,

Quyuan Street,
The Marquis of Yongyi's Residence

The room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

In a side room of the main house, the three Xu brothers were talking.

Xu Zaijing, holding a cup of tea to ward off the cold, looked at Zaidan and asked, "Brother, did you talk to His Majesty about the situation at the northern front today?"

Holding Xingdai's scepter, he nodded: "Yes! Although there are detailed reports, they can't compare to explaining things clearly by pointing to the sand table."

"His Majesty seems to be in a very good mood today. He even invited a few of us to have lunch at the palace."

Seeing his third brother Zaizhang's puzzled look, Zaiduan explained, "Third Brother, perhaps His Majesty knows that our cavalry has been well-developed in the past two or three years!"

Xu Zaijing nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "Brother is right. I just don't know how many cavalry units our dynasty has newly established?"

Da Lang Zai Duan smiled and made a gesture.

Xu Zaijing exclaimed in surprise, "Eighty thousand?"

Sanlang Zaizhang, who was standing to the side, was also very surprised: "There are so many?"

Dalang Zaidian nodded: "After the Battle of Baigao, our dynasty has gained many more high-quality pastures, saving 70-80% of the money spent on horse breeding and training, so construction can proceed very quickly!"

"Many horses were transported into our territory and sold for a lot of money. So the court still made money from the back and forth."

As he spoke, the eldest son, Zai Duan, glanced at his two younger brothers and said meaningfully, "It seems that it won't be long before our dynasty is..."

"hiss!"

Xu Zaijing and Sanlang Zaizhang gasped in shock.

Looking down at his son Xingdai, the eldest son Zaidan continued, "Third brother, fifth brother, to be honest, at this time, any family that has not yet achieved military merit has already lost the possibility of advancing further in the future."

"Unless the children of the clan are ambitious and can study or achieve military merit."

"Oh dear! I shouldn't have told you this!"

"You two should study hard. If you pass the imperial examination next year, your future will be much brighter than if you only rely on military merit!"

Xu Zaijing nodded: "Don't worry, eldest brother, third brother and I know what's important." Xu Zaijing understood what his eldest brother meant.
That is, regardless of whether one chooses the civil or military path, in the future, those who have passed the imperial examinations will definitely be given priority for promotion or entrusted with important responsibilities.

At this time,

Madam Xie smiled and lifted the curtain, saying, "You three, stop chatting and come eat."

As she spoke, Xie waved to her son, Xingdai.

The three brothers hadn't even sat down after leaving the side room.

A head housekeeper hurried in, curtsied, and quickly said, "Madam, eldest daughter-in-law, young master, a convoy has arrived at our gate."

"The gatekeeper came in and said they came from the imperial estate?"

The three brothers exchanged a glance and immediately headed towards the door.

Walking through the corridors and doorways in the evening darkness,
The three brothers arrived near the gate.

"The imperial decree was issued this morning. I had the farmers in the village busy all day to fill these carts with winter vegetables and other fruits and vegetables."

"It's getting late, I apologize for disturbing you, esteemed guests."

The middle-aged man dressed as the manager in the motorcade said with a smile.

"Don't mention it, Manager! Thank you for your help today! It's getting cold this evening, please come in and have a cup of hot tea," Zai Duan said with a smile.

"No need, no need! After unloading the servants, we need to hurry back to the imperial estate from the city, so we dare not delay," the steward said, bowing.

The downloader nodded: "Okay!"

After all that work, the Xu family naturally rewarded him with money.

Around the time of the Beginning of Winter, it is the season to prepare winter fruits and vegetables, and the palace often bestows rewards, so the Xu family did not think much of it.

Time flies,

The day quickly came to the fourth day of the tenth month, which was also the winter solstice.

As in previous years, the city of Bianjing was opened to gambling for three days.

Around several bustling markets in the city, colorful tents for gambling were erected along the streets.

Every afternoon,

Many women from wealthy and powerful families would then travel by carriage or sedan chair to go out, either to watch or to participate in the city's festivities.

Not far from Nanjiangtang Lane is the bustling Donghuamenwai Street.

To the south lies the bustling Panlou Main Street.

Sitting in the carriage,
Looking at the bustling Donghuamenwai Street, Rong Feiyan lowered the carriage curtain somewhat listlessly.

"Miss, aren't you going to watch anymore?" Ningxiang asked from the other side.

Rong Feiyan nodded: "It's pretty much the same every year, so it doesn't seem like anything special."

Ningxiang nodded: "What you say is true, Miss! I wish I could find a powerful husband like Sister Qingzhi!"

"Ningxiang, aren't you ashamed? What nonsense are you spouting?" Xibu scolded, frowning.

Ningxiang glanced sheepishly at Rong Feiyan and said to Xibu, "Sister Xibu, having a husband who's as good at poker as Alan would save us a lot of money!"

"So why should I be shy?"

Upon hearing this, Xi Bu was momentarily speechless. He glared at Ning Xiang and said, "Then explain clearly, so that others won't misunderstand. It might inadvertently affect the young lady!"

"Oh!" Ningxiang nodded.

Xi Bu glanced outside with a slightly embarrassed look, then suddenly his gaze sharpened, and he pointed outside, saying, "Miss, I think that looks like the Chai family's carriage over there? And the Huang family's is next to it."

Hearing this,

Rong Feiyan regained some energy and peeked out from behind the curtains: "It should be Zhengzheng and Tingyi somewhere."

"Shall we go over there?" Xi Bu asked.

Rong Feiyan pondered for a moment, looked at the wooden building not far away, and said, "Since we're here, we can't pretend we didn't see it. Let's go over!"

"Yes!"

quickly,

The Rong family's carriage then drove downstairs.

Upon seeing Rong Feiyan's carriage, the maidservant standing downstairs hurried upstairs to announce her arrival.

A moment later, Chai Zhengzheng came downstairs with a smile.

At this moment, Rong Feiyan had already gotten off the carriage. Looking at Chai Zhengzheng who was walking over, she had a look of amazement in her eyes.

"I thought you'd be on Panlou Main Street, Sister Zhengzheng, but I didn't expect to run into you here," Rong Feiyan said with a smile.

Chai Zhengzheng smiled and gestured, saying, "My sisters-in-law and I met Sister Tingyi on the way, so we came to rest at the teahouse by the roadside."

As she spoke, Chai Zhengzheng took Rong Feiyan's hand, glanced at Rong Feiyan's face, and said, "After resting at home for an autumn, Feiyan looks even healthier than before."

Rong Feiyan smiled shyly, "Sister Zhengzheng too."

As they spoke,
The two men led the maid upstairs to the second floor.

"Sister Tingyi, no, Madam Gu, it's been a long time." Rong Feiyan smiled and gave a curtsy.

Rong Feiyan then greeted Chai Zhengzheng's two sisters-in-law.

Huang Qingmeng, standing beside Gu Tingyi, bowed to Rong Feiyan with envy in her eyes and said, "Greetings, Miss Feiyan."

Rong Feiyan smiled and nodded: "Hello, Sister Meng."

The slightly plumper Gu Tingyi laughed and said, "I finally managed to find some free time to go out for a stroll! I was going to go crazy if I didn't come out!"

Upon hearing this, Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan both burst into laughter.

Rong Feiyan said, "Sister Tingyi, giving birth takes a lot of energy! It's always good to rest for an extra month!"

Gu Tingyi smiled and patted his slightly chubby belly, nodding and saying, "Yes! All the benefits are here."

Everyone chuckled.

Afterwards, the two matriarchs of the Chai family invited Rong Feiyan to sit down.

While chatting, Gu Tingyi said, "At noon, Qingzhi, who works for my sister-in-law, brought some things to my house."

Chai Zhengzheng smiled and teased, "The Gu family or the Huang family?"

Gu Tingyi pretended to be angry and slapped Chai Zhengzheng's arm, saying heavily, "The Huang family!"

"Oh!" Rong Feiyan and Chai Zhengzheng exchanged a glance and nodded with a smile.

"What is that?" asked Madam Lu, who was standing nearby.

"They're just kids' toys! The materials look pretty good," Gu Tingyi said with a smile. "It's said that her husband, Alan, was caught in the trap this morning."

"Oh! That guy setting up the gambling stall must be new here. He doesn't know that servant named Alan," Chai Zhengzheng's second sister-in-law laughed. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have let him set up the gambling stall."

The personal maids and stewardesses standing to the side all smiled and nodded.

"I think this guy really needs a talent to pull this off!" Gu Tingyi said with a smile.

“Luck also played a part,” Rong Feiyan added.

We chatted for a couple more minutes.

Madam Lu smiled and said, "By the way, Miss Feiyan, have you heard? The marriage of the legitimate daughter of the prestigious Kang family has fallen through again!"

"It's failed again?" Rong Feiyan was somewhat surprised.

Madam Lu nodded repeatedly: "Yes! They said they found a young man from a newly arrived official family in the capital who has some connections with the Wang family in official circles."

"After the two families exchanged gifts, the man gave a red envelope as payment, and the woman reciprocated with a fish-shaped gift. But at the end of last month, when it was time for the man to give the woman a hairpin, his mother only left a bolt of satin."

Rong Feiyan asked in surprise, "Is this a 'soothing ritual'? Did the man's mother not approve of it?"

“Yes!” Madam Lu nodded.

Listening to the conversation, Chai Zhengzheng glanced at Rong Feiyan with envy in her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Rong Feiyan looked at everyone and nodded, saying, "Speaking of which, she has only herself to blame! If it weren't for the intervention of several noble sons two years ago, it would have turned into a disaster!"

Rong Feiyan was almost trampled by the startled horse.

Gu Tingyi shook his head and said, "Actually, it's not just this one thing! Everyone knows that she has a younger sister in the residence of Prince Kang."

"It looks like things might get even harder from now on," said Madam Lu.

(End of this chapter)