Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 724 A thousand miles away, a million people, to meet you [Thank you! Bow again! 36K words owed]

The winter sun shines obliquely.

The sunlight and the shadows cast by the window frames were reflected on the table and chairs not far from the window inside the room.

On the table were the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper) and an incense
A wisp of smoke drifted from the incense burner, its shape clearly visible in the sunlight.

On the long table not far away,
Besides some ornaments and bonsai, there was also an exquisite basket containing needles, thread, and scissors.

"Woo——"

The howling of the north wind came from outside the window.

In the yard outside,
The fallen leaves on the ground rustled and spun in the north wind.

"Since the winter solstice, the days seem to be getting shorter and shorter! It's already this long at the hour of Wei (after 2 pm)."

"That's what the girl said!"

"Xiu-ge'er, come here, let Auntie hold you!"

Faint voices could be heard.

"Ningxiang, tell the maid to sweep the fallen leaves in the yard! All of you are so oblivious to what's going on!"

"Sister Xibu, I understand."

The voices gradually drew closer.

quickly,

Two adults and one child, a group of three, came to the table.

"Little aunt, Xiuer, go downstairs," said the boy in Rong Feiyan's arms.

Rong Feiyan stood beside the chair behind the table and asked with a smile, "Why?"

"Auntie is holding Xiu'er, Auntie is tired," said the exquisitely beautiful boy with dark eyes.

Upon hearing this, Xi Bu was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

Rong Feiyan smiled and shook her head, then tapped her nephew's forehead with her index finger: "You're so good with words!"

As she spoke, Rong Feiyan sat down in the chair: "It's just a few steps, Auntie isn't tired."

"Xibu, bring over that headband from the basket and let Xiuer try it on."

Rong Feiyan pointed in the direction of the long table and said.

"Yes, girl."

The boy in Rong Feiyan's arms was her nephew, Rong Xiu.

Rongxiu's father, Rongxian, was handsome.

Rongxiu's deceased mother was a maidservant who accompanied Dou in her dowry, and she was also quite beautiful.

The boy, who inherited the best features of his parents, has grown up in the past two years and is becoming more and more lovable.

In the beginning,
Rong Feiyan disapproved of her sister-in-law Dou's behavior towards the maids who accompanied her in her dowry.

Later, Rong Feiyan couldn't stand seeing her sister-in-law mistreat her illegitimate nephew.

Unfortunately, the Duke's mansion stood behind Dou, and Dou was strong-willed.

When she first entered the family, Rong Feiyan's mother, Madam Fuchanghou, was often suppressed by her daughter-in-law.

Fortunately, Consort Rong in the palace, having a son, did more good deeds and accumulated merit to pray for blessings. She also valued her maternal family's descendants. A message came from the palace that made Dou Shi's behavior much more restrained.

With the protection of her two aunts, Rongxiu was able to grow up healthily.

Children are sensitive; they don't remember many things when they're young and innocent, but they always feel very close to their aunt.

Looking at her nephew wearing the little headband, Rong Feiyan nodded approvingly, "Looks good!"

Rongxiu stretched out her hands and touched the headband on her head, looking completely bewildered.

"Go, bring the mirror over here, let Xiuer take a look," Rong Feiyan said with a smile.

“Yes, miss,” Xi Bu replied with a smile.

After a while,
Seeing her nephew moving his head back and forth in front of the mirror, Rong Feiyan and Xibu exchanged a glance and then laughed.

When she held Rongxiu's little hand and saw him off,
Rong Feiyan said with anticipation, "Xiu-ge'er, your aunt said that you will start your formal education next year and learn to read and write."

Seeing her nephew nod blankly, Rong Feiyan smiled again.

Upon reaching the outer room,

Rongxiu turned her head and glanced around her aunt's room. When she saw the soft bow and thin arrows hanging on the wall, as well as the large bow and thick arrows not far away, her eyes lit up.

Before leaving, Rong Feiyan draped a small cloak over her nephew.

Once outside, it was much colder than inside.

The withered branches and fallen leaves in the yard had long since disappeared.

A north wind blew by, carrying a faint smell of coal smoke in the air.

After handing her nephew over to the wet nurse, Rong Feiyan returned to Xueyuan.

As soon as we entered the main room,

Ningxiang, who had just gone out to order her youngest daughter to do chores, quickly came over.

"what happened?"

As Rong Feiyan untied her cloak, she asked in confusion.

Ningxiang glanced at Xibu and whispered, "Miss, just now when I went to get the maids to do some work, I happened to see them whispering to each other."

"I leaned over to listen and found out that the lady had actually left the city this morning."

"Sister-in-law went out of town? Where did she go?" Rong Feiyan asked, frowning.

Ningxiang whispered, "They said they went to Yuqing Temple outside the city to pray for blessings."

Upon hearing this, Rong Feiyan pondered for a moment, and then her eyes lit up with understanding.

My brother has been back in Beijing for half a year, but my sister-in-law, Dou, hasn't gotten pregnant at all.

As the illegitimate son grew older, not only was Lady Dou anxious, but the Duchess of Fuguo was also worried.

"I've also heard that one of the personal maids of the eldest mistress is secretly drinking contraceptive soup," Ningxiang continued.

Seeing Rong Feiyan shaking her head helplessly, Xi Bu said softly, "There's nothing we can do about it, after all, there are precedents to learn from."

"It would be beneficial and harmless for our family if my sister-in-law had a legitimate son," Rong Feiyan said calmly.

“What you say is true, but the winter solstice has been over for two days, and since last month, the Imperial Concubine has not summoned you to the palace.”

"That's quite rare."

Xi Bu looked at Rong Feiyan and said.

Rong Feiyan pursed her lips and nodded, then walked behind the table and sat down.

After removing the lid of the incense burner, Rong Feiyan poked at the charcoal inside with copper incense chopsticks and said, "Perhaps my sister is having some kind of inconvenience."

"My mother was persuaded by my sister-in-law to want to enter the palace after His Highness's wedding."

As she spoke, Rong Feiyan shook her head helplessly.

Seeing Rong Feiyan's unhappy expression, Xi Bu added, "By the way, Miss, someone from the estate came today to deliver some wild game to the manor."

"They said that when they passed the Gao family mansion, they found that the street was impassable, so they took a long detour to get here!"

"Can't we pass? Why is that?" Rong Feiyan asked curiously.

"They say there are many Imperial Guards blocking the roads and preventing people from passing," Xi Bu replied.

Rong Feiyan frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "The Imperial Guards have blocked the road? Perhaps His Majesty went to the Gao family residence."

“What you say is true, after all, it is the Crown Princess’s family. I just wonder what the scenery in the courtyard is like.” Xi Bu nodded.

“That used to be the residence of a member of the royal family, so the scenery is naturally excellent,” Rong Feiyan said with a smile as she placed the incense burner lid back on.

Then, Rong Feiyan put the copper incense chopsticks aside and blinked thoughtfully.

suddenly,

"hiss!"

Rong Feiyan took a deep breath, her eyes lighting up.

When Rong Xian got married, Rong Feiyan had handled many things and naturally knew some things related to Xu Zaijing.

For example, the story of how Dou, the sister-in-law's maid and Rongxiu's birth mother, sent gifts to Xu Zaijing.

"Could it be the Crown Princess?"

The next day,

Jiying Lane,
The Sheng family,

Schoolyard

Because the roof was burning radiators, blue smoke was billowing out of the chimney.

The doors around the school, designed to keep out the cold, were already in place by autumn.

Inside the room, Zhuang Xuejiu's thick cloak hung to one side.

Dressed in casual clothes, Zhuang Xuejiu sat behind the table, stroking his white beard as he glanced at the people in the room.

With just one glance, Zhuang Xuejiu could see through the actions and expressions of everyone in the room.

Looking at Xu Zaijing and the others who were writing furiously with their heads down,

Seeing that Qi Heng seemed somewhat distracted and kept glancing at the other side of the screen, Zhuang Xuejiu pursed his lips helplessly.

On the other side of the screen, Rulan and Molan were both there, but Minglan's seat at the very back was empty.

Turning to look at the incense sticks on the table, Zhuang Xuejiu said, "Gentlemen, there is still a quarter of an hour left to hand in the papers."

Qi Heng, who was behind Changbai, was taken aback when he heard this, and quickly turned around to start writing.

The backyard of the Sheng family

Shouantang,
Inside the room, the old lady and her friend, Madam He, sat on either side of a daybed.

On the small table between the two elderly people, each had a cup of steaming fragrant tea.

Minglan sat on an embroidered stool next to her grandmother, while He Hongwen sat upright to the left of Madam He.

Looking at the papers on the table, the old lady smiled and said, "You've really gone to great lengths to find such good medicinal herbs for winter health."

Madam He smiled at Minglan and waved her hand, saying, "Elder sister, I didn't do much! It was mainly Hongwen who took it upon himself after learning about it."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the old lady looked at He Hongwen kindly and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Wen."

He Hongwen quickly bowed and said, "Grandma, you flatter me! Bianjing is the best place in the world, with many good medicines and precious herbs! I didn't have to exert much effort."

The old lady smiled and nodded: "There are many good things in Bianjing, but there are also many fakes! It takes real skill to be able to tell them apart."

He Hongwen smiled somewhat embarrassedly upon hearing this.

Madam He looked at Minglan with admiration in her eyes, and this admiration was not only for Minglan's appearance.

"By the way, Hongwen, didn't you have something you wanted to ask of this old sister of yours?" Old Madam He said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Madam Sheng glanced at her friend, Madam He, and then looked at He Hongwen with curiosity in her eyes.

He Hongwen glanced at Minglan, who was equally curious, and stood up, cupping his hands in thanks, saying, "Grandma, today Hongwen has also prepared a gift of thanks for the Yongyi Marquis's residence."

"However, it would be rather abrupt to send it to the Marquis's residence so abruptly, so I would like to ask the old lady to pass it on for me."

"A thank-you gift for the Marquis's mansion?" Old Madam Sheng looked puzzled, and Minglan also looked at He Hongwen, blinking blankly.

He Hongwen nodded emphatically: "Yes, old lady! It's a thank-you gift for the Marquis's mansion!"

"You could also say it's a thank-you gift for Brother Xu Zaijing!" He Hongwen added.

The old lady and Minglan exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with even more confusion and bewilderment.

The two mothers, Fang and Cui, who were standing to the side, as well as the maids, including Xiaotao and Danju, were also somewhat curious.

Madam He, who was standing to the side, smiled and took a sip of tea. Although her grandson's words didn't get to the point, she didn't offer to help explain.

Feeling the questioning looks from everyone, He Hongwen quickly said:

"When Hongwen and his grandmother came to Beijing before, Xu's elder brother invited medical experts from the Ren and Yu families to come and exchange medical skills." "Grandmother and Hongwen benefited greatly from the exchange, and Hongwen's medical skills also improved significantly."

"Afterwards, Hongwen consulted with the old physician Yu and unexpectedly found the root cause of his mother's illness!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Sheng looked at Madam He with great surprise.

He Hongwen's mother was bedridden for many years, and no matter how many doctors they consulted, the results were minimal. Old Madam Sheng knew about this.

Madam He smiled and nodded in affirmation.

He Hongwen continued, "Hongwen returned to the countryside in June to verify his medical knowledge. When he returned to Beijing at the end of last month, his mother was already able to get out of bed."

Old Madam Sheng looked at He Hongwen with great emotion and said, "Good, good, good child! This is truly a good thing!"

Minglan smiled at He Hongwen, making him feel a little embarrassed.

The old lady continued, "Shulan, that girl, also came to my place before. She said that her husband benefited greatly from that conversation."

Madam He smiled and nodded: "That's good!"

Then, seeing the questioning look in Madam Sheng's eyes, Madam He said, "Don't worry, elder sister, the Ren family and the Yu family have already expressed their opinions."

"Good!" Old Madam Sheng nodded repeatedly: "Why don't we have all the children from the school come over at noon, so that Wen-ge can express his gratitude in person?"

Looking at his grandmother who was nodding slightly to him, He Hongwen cupped his hands and said, "Very well! Then I'll listen to the old lady."

At noon,

The outer room of Shou'an Hall,
Xu Zaijing, who was sitting at the table eating, smiled and waved his hand, saying, "The fact that we were able to find the root cause of Madam's illness is the result of He's brother's tireless efforts. I cannot take credit for it."

Changbai, who was accompanying He Hongwen, looked at him with admiration: such a filial son can't be too bad.

Of course, blind filial piety is out of the question.

He Hongwen looked somewhat anxious and hurriedly said, "Brother, you are mistaken. If it weren't for that incident, how would I have known two medical sages?"

Xu Zaijing smiled helplessly and raised the teacup in front of him.

During their conversation over the meal, He Hongwen raised his teacup and said, "Young Master, it is my honor to offer you a cup of tea instead of wine today."

Qi Heng, who had been keeping a straight face, forced a smile, raised his glass, and said, "Please."

After the meal,
Xu Zaijing personally accepted the congratulatory gift for the Xu family.

When everyone returned to the school to continue their studies,
The He family grandfather and grandson also took their leave and departed from the Sheng family.

On the way,

Looking at her grandson sitting to the side, seemingly lost in thought, Madam He said, "Hongwen."

"Grandmother, what's wrong?"

Madam He smiled and said, "It won't be easy to marry a girl from the Sheng family!"

Upon hearing this, He Hongwen immediately became somewhat embarrassed: "Ah? Grandmother, why are you bringing this up? I didn't..."

"It's not easy, but it's not entirely impossible!" said Madam He again.

He Hongwen couldn't help but smile, and then glanced at Old Madam He.

"Now, our family's main branch only has one person in officialdom, and it seems he will retire in a few years. I wonder who will protect us then."

"If Hongwen can marry the Sheng family girl, with the Sheng family relatives around, and seeing how Changbai studies, he will surely achieve something in the future. Then I can rest assured."

Hearing Madam He's words, He Hongwen nodded and said rather embarrassedly, "Grandmother, she has four older brothers and sisters who haven't been married yet. I don't know when it will be her turn."

"Hey!" Madam He waved her hand and said, "Hongwen, you're mistaken! After the imperial examination in three months, the boys and girls will be able to arrange marriages very quickly."

"Who knows, they might all be married off in a year or two."

He Hongwen smiled.

Looking at her grandson, Old Madam He thought to herself, "Old Madam Sheng seems a little anxious," but she didn't say it aloud.

evening,

It wasn't too late.
But it had already gotten dark.

On the way home,
Xu Zaijing stopped his horse on a bridge and looked around.

At this time of year, it is the dry season for the city's canals, and in some places the riverbed has already been exposed.

Without the most powerful water transport, the prices of various goods in Bianjing (Kaifeng) are gradually rising, just like in previous years.

Qingyun, who was beside Xu Zaijing, also glanced at the river and said, "Young master, I heard that next month they will be conscripting laborers to come to the city to dredge the silt."

"Yes! It's the off-season for farming, which is about two or three months."

After speaking, Xu Zaijing gently nudged the horse's belly and steered it across the bridge.

We arrived at Quyuan Street.
At the gate of the Marquis of Yongyi's residence, two large lanterns were lit.

Wearing a cloak, Xu Zaijing breathed out against the north wind, and wisps of white vapor could be faintly seen appearing.

suddenly,

Xu Zaijing's gaze sharpened.

Then, Xu Zaijing turned to the side and knocked on the carriage.

Wearing winter clothes, Qingcao lifted the carriage curtain and looked out curiously: "Young master, what's wrong?"

Xu Zaijing raised his chin: "The one standing at the door looks like your younger brother."

"Huh?" Green Grass looked surprised.

Later,
Xu Zaijing had already eaten dinner.

Qingcao then returned to the courtyard with a stern face.

Looking at Qingcao's expression, Yunxiang and Huaxiang exchanged a glance.

Yun thought to herself, "Sister Qingcao, the young master specially asked someone to save dinner for you."

Upon hearing this, Qingcao smiled and asked, "Where is the young master?"

"He's studying in his study."

"Oh! I'll go find the young master."

After a while,
In Xu Zaijing's study,

Xu Zaijing, who was reading under the bright yellow candlelight, looked up at the green grass that had entered the room. Before she could speak, he said, "Pour yourself some water; your lips are dry."

Green Grass: "Ah? Oh! It's Young Master."

Qingcao took a cup from the upside-down cup on the table next to her, poured in some warm water, and drank several mouthfuls.

Seeing Xu Zaijing put down his book, Qingcao walked over.

"What does your brother want from you?" Xu Zaijing asked with a smile, pointing to the embroidered stool beside him.

Qingcao carried the embroidered stool over, sat down, and angrily pursed her lips, saying, "Young master, tell me, how can there be such shameless people in this world?"

"Hmm?" Xu Zaijing was somewhat surprised, then called out to the outside, "Yunxiang, you two bring in some dried fruit and candied fruit."

"Yes, son."

Yun Xiang answered outside the house.

"Young master, you..." Qingcao was somewhat surprised.

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "I'll find you two people to help me curse them."

quickly,

Yunxiang and Huaxiang came in, put down the fruit plate, and sat down next to Qingcao.

"Go ahead and speak," Xu Zaijing said with a smile.

Qingcao sighed: "Young master, you and your two sisters know about my brother's situation."

Xu Zaijing nodded repeatedly: "I know some, but not much."

"My brother."

After Qingcao finished speaking, Xu Zaijing said, "That's all in the past. Why are you so angry today, Qingcao?"

Qingcao let out a heavy sigh and said, "Young master, yesterday a wealthy family's eldest daughter and Miss Pinlan went to the Li family's jewelry shop and picked out a gold hairpin."

"But the zodiac animal on it doesn't belong to that young lady! So the shopkeeper invited the master craftsman from the back to the front to discuss whether to modify or recast it."

"As a disciple, Fei Xing naturally followed his master."

"But as luck would have it, among the maids brought by that wealthy man's daughter was a woman who was engaged to Fei Xing!"

"What?" Xu Zaijing looked completely bewildered.

Yun Xiang and Hua Xiang said in unison, "Is that so?"

The two left Xiaoliang Mountain at different times, yet they unexpectedly met in Bianjing, a city with a population of over a million, thousands of miles away.
"This woman left her hometown more than two years ago. Her lover was fine when she first came to Bianjing."

"But this year, for some reason, she got into gambling, and last month she was sold to a wealthy family."

"Then, she met my younger brother yesterday and learned from others that because of his status as a master craftsman in the jewelry shop, Feixing will have a chance to enter the Imperial Workshop in the future."

"Today, she knelt in front of the Li family's jewelry shop, crying and begging her younger brother to take her in and redeem her from servitude!"

“If she didn’t agree, she would come to the shop every day to cry and shout, and told my brother to figure it out himself.”

Hua frowned upon hearing these words and said, "This is really... how can people be so shameless!"

Yun Xiang glanced at Xu Zaijing and asked, "Sister Qingcao, is that person at the main house?"

Qingcao shook her head repeatedly: "I asked Feixing's master through someone, and she did the work of a maid and servant, and she was not mistreated."

Yun thought, "Sister Qingcao, it means this person has had enough of serving others and wants to become the principal wife and mistress."

Qingcao nodded and said, "Feixing was worried about affecting the shop's business, so he came to discuss it with me today."

As she spoke, Qingcao glanced at Xu Zaijing, who was eating candied fruit, and stepped forward to hand him her handkerchief.

Xu Zaijing smiled, took the handkerchief to wipe his mouth and hands, and said, "If Feixing and she are childhood sweethearts and in love, but were separated by their greedy parents, we should do everything we can to help them."

"But that woman was engaged to Fei Xing, yet she broke her promise and eloped with someone else! She deserved this fate! I happened to see her yesterday, so I pretended not to know her, and that was the end of it."

"Even if you're begging for help, admitting your mistakes and repenting is understandable! But she used Feixing's future to blackmail him, which is utterly despicable, vile, and shameless!"

"People must always be responsible for their choices."

The three maids nodded repeatedly as they listened to Xu Zaijing's words.

Xu Zaijing pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, Qingcao, tell Feixing not to worry about this matter. The Li family won't do anything to him because of it."

Qingcao breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "That's how I persuaded him."

The owner of the Li family jewelry shop was the maternal family of Madam Li, the mother of Lu Zezong, the young master of the Duke of Lian.

"Did that woman sign a death contract?" Xu Zaijing asked.

Before Qingcao could answer, Xu Zaijing said, "Whether it's a death contract or not doesn't matter. Tomorrow, we'll go find the Sheng family's relatives and ask the eldest branch of the Sheng family to act as mediators and have that family send that woman to Xiaoliang Mountain."

"Little Liangshan?" Qingcao asked in surprise.

“The woman’s family is there, and her lover’s family is also there. They can look after each other,” Xu Zaijing said.

“But, young master, aren’t you afraid that woman will spread rumors and say that it’s Yuan’s son?” Yun asked.

“If she dares to say anything more, then send her further south, all the way to Guangnan West Road, or Jiaozhi.”

"Yes, son."

"Everyone, go out. Qingcao, go eat." Xu Zaijing waved his hand.

The three maids quickly agreed.

After leaving the house,

Yun looked at Qingcao and said softly, "Sister Qingcao, if that woman behaves herself when she arrives at Xiaoliang Mountain, she might still have a chance to survive."

"If he does anything wrong, young master says he's going to the south, but I think he'll run into bandits as soon as he leaves Xiaoliang Mountain."

Seeing the somewhat uneasy Qingcao, Yun thought, "Sister Qingcao, don't be sad! It seems that this was arranged by the young master, and the punishment sounds a bit severe! But in reality, life and death depend on how that woman chooses."

Qingcao breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Yunxiang, how did you come up with all this?"

Yun smiled and said, "It was the old nanny who taught us sisters at the Marquis of Xiangyang's residence."

(End of this chapter)