Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 786 Two Marquises from One Family? [Thank you! Bow again! 10k words owed]

Time flies, and several days have passed since the dramatic changes in the palace.

The weather was sunny that morning.

Walking under the sun after the start of summer already feels slightly hot and dry.

Quyuan Street, the residence of the Marquis of Yongyi.

Xu Zaijing and his brother-in-law Gu Tingyu walked side by side onto the covered walkway.

"The physician Xiao Yu said that in less than two days, first his trusted confidant died tragically, then he lost all his children, and then he endured most of the day, suffering a series of blows to his mind."

"In this situation, it's already very lucky that he hasn't gone crazy."

After Xu Zaijing finished speaking, he shook his head with a sigh.

Gu Tingyu, who had started growing a beard, nodded slightly and looked wistfully at the scenery in the Xu family's courtyard, saying, "Ever since I can remember, my aunt has come to see me often! She would bring me delicious food or fun things."

"Xiao Wu, do you know? There's a little golden spear in the storeroom of my Fuyou Courtyard."

Xu Zaijing was taken aback upon hearing this, then laughed and said, "Little Golden Spear? Is it the same one that Erlang bestowed upon you?"

Gu Tingyu shook his head and gestured with his hand: "It's only this long! It's only half the length of the spear bestowed by the emperor."

"Oh!"

After speaking, Xu Zaijing looked at his brother-in-law and waited for him to continue.

“I was young then and not in good health. My aunt only saw the look in my eyes when I watched my father practice shooting, so she had someone make me one.”

"Xiao Wu, you have no idea how happy I was when I received that gift."

"Holding that little gun, I felt that I would definitely be able to fight on the battlefield like my father and make contributions to the country in the future!"

"Back then, holding that little gun, I could endure drinking even the bitterest medicine! But..."

But he never expected that his maternal relatives would harm him.

Gu Tingyu shook his head self-deprecatingly: "Let's not talk about those unpleasant things!"

As he spoke, Gu Tingyu looked at Xu Zaijing in surprise and said, "Xiao Wu, why are you looking at me like that?"

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "I just didn't expect that you would remember things from your childhood so clearly, brother-in-law."

"Hmm! Auntie, what will she do in the future?" Gu Tingyu asked, looking at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing said, "Brother-in-law, there are too many people and too much attention in the capital! Our family owns several farms in the suburbs of the capital, and the scenery is quite nice! So I was thinking of having my master go to one of the farms."

“Alright!” Gu Tingyu nodded: “I really didn’t expect that my aunt had gone through those things when she was young.”

"Speaking of which, the successful candidates of this year's imperial examination should be granted official positions after the Qionglin Banquet, but... once these busy days are over and the funerals in the capital have subsided, it should be done."

After Gu Tingyu finished speaking, Xu Zaijing nodded in agreement.

Previously, there was great chaos in the capital, and many people, whether they were palace guards, officials, soldiers, or civilians, were killed or injured, especially in the southeast of Bianjing, where almost every household was covered in white.

"Many houses in the southeast have also been damaged. Your Majesty has adopted your suggestion, Xiao Wu. The Ministry of Revenue will allocate some funds to help the people restore some of their houses."

"His Highness will oversee this matter."

"Brother-in-law, how were those noble families in the capital dealt with?"

Gu Tingyu pondered for a moment: "Prince Jing is to be punished for his multiple crimes, and sentenced to death! Prince Tan is to be executed for his treason! Prince Yong..."

Seeing Xu Zaijing's curious expression, Gu Tingyu said, "The Princess Consort of Yong took all the blame upon herself. The Prince of Yong and his children were spared death, but were demoted to commoners."

"The Tan family, the Qin family, and the Tian family were all executed! The Han family was demoted from Duke to Viscount and suspended from their salaries for three years. The Marquis of Fu'an and the Marquis of Zhongshan were also suspended from their salaries for three years. After being reprimanded by His Majesty, they were fined 50,000 taels of silver."

Xu Zaijing said, "The Wei and Sha families were not stripped of their titles?"

"Those who are close to the traitors are the collateral branches of these two families! Moreover, on that day at Jinming Pond, Marquis Fu'an and Marquis Zhongshan were also on the large dragon ship."

"What about the Gan family?" Xu Zaijing asked.

Gu Tingyu sighed: "The entire family will be executed! Moreover, all military officers under his command who hold the rank of captain or above and have served with him for more than three years will retain their salary and rank, but will not be allowed to continue leading troops."

"Besides the Jue family, Bai Gao, who had previously surrendered, also had all his salary and benefits revoked because his family members were involved."

As they talked, the two continued walking towards the outer courtyard.

Seeing the two arrive at the second gate,

Yuqing, who was standing at the entrance, quickly waved towards the racecourse.

quickly,

Gu Tingyu's mount was then led over.

The group walked together to the gate of the Xu family's manor. Gu Tingyu mounted his horse and looked at Xu Zaijing, saying, "I'll send someone over this afternoon to deliver some things. Xiao Wu, you can have someone take them to the manor then."

“Okay,” Xu Zaijing nodded.

After watching Gu Tingyu and the others disappear into the distance, Xu Zaijing turned and walked into the courtyard.

After taking a few steps, Xu Zaijing turned around and went to the racecourse.

In the Xu family's racecourse, several fine horses were leisurely strolling around in their enclosures, occasionally taking a few small steps.

Next to it was still the same little wooden house I'd seen countless times.

Reaching the cabin, Xu Zaijing pushed open the door and went inside.

The master's bedding, shoes, and other personal belongings are still there, but the person who rarely leaves the wooden house is no longer here.

After staying inside for a while, Xu Zaijing went out.

Western suburbs of Bianjing

Xujiatianzhuang

On a low hill covered with trees,

Qingyun supported Uncle Yin, Huaqing helped Qin Yanwen, and behind them followed two children dressed in mourning clothes and several servants carrying baskets, walking up the hillside.

After walking for a while,
Qingyun pointed to a newly formed mound of earth with a stone tablet standing not far away and said, "We've arrived!"

While burning paper money in the ancestral worship ceremony, Uncle Yin chanted, "I thought you could live a peaceful life without me, my old brother."

"I never imagined that in the end you would lose your life because of my family's affairs."

"After surviving a near-death experience, I didn't let you know; I'm so sorry!"

As he spoke, Yin Bo closed his eyes in distress.

Not far away, Qin Yanwen, looking dazed, didn't show much change in expression, but when she looked at the three words 'Xiang Ji'an' on the tombstone, her eyes still filled with tears.

As he spoke, Uncle Yin poured more wine into the bowl and sprinkled it in front of the tombstone: "Don't worry! With me here, your children will definitely be warm and well-fed! They will also have a bright future."

Under the sunlight, the paper money, after being burned to ashes, flew into the sky along with the flames.

Xingguofang
The Duke of Qi's Mansion

In the study in the backyard, the light was bright and the air was filled with the fragrance of incense.

Doorway,

Buwei strode in and looked at Qi Heng behind the desk, saying, "Young Master, the Duke and the Princess have returned."

Upon hearing this, Qi Heng quickly put down his book, stood up, and walked out of the study.

Before he even reached the second gate of the Qi family, Qi Heng saw his parents walking over together.

"Father, Mother, how is Grandfather?" Qi Heng asked hurriedly.

Upon seeing Qi Heng, the Duke of Qi smiled slightly, while Princess Pingning remained stern. Seeing this, the Duke of Qi said, "Yuanruo, don't worry! Your mother and I have consulted the imperial physician; your father-in-law is fine."

Qi Heng breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

While the father and son were talking, Princess Pingning had already started walking towards the main hall.

Watching Princess Pingning's retreating figure, Duke Qi continued, "Yuanruo, your mother doesn't want you to go to the Marquis of Xiangyang's residence, also for the sake of your maternal grandfather's health!"

Qi Heng nodded.

Previously, Qi Heng's public request for a marriage decree in the palace had angered the old Marquis of Xiangyang.

One is that the grandson Qi Heng rejected a perfectly good marriage proposal and offended the Cao family by acting on his own initiative.

Another reason is that the Lu family of the Duke of Lian acted too quickly, and before the Qi and Gu families could react, they swiftly arranged the marriage of the Cao family's daughter.

Duke Qi raised his chin towards Princess Pingning's retreating figure: "Actually, back at the Marquis of Xiangyang's residence, your mother even comforted your maternal grandfather!"

"Huh?" Qi Heng was taken aback: "My mother..."

Duke Qi said, "Your mother said that she and I didn't go to Jinming Pond or board that big dragon ship a while ago, which can be considered a blessing in disguise."

Qi Heng nodded: "Then, what did Grandfather say?"

"Well, your maternal grandfather also agreed," said the Duke of Qi. "Your mother is unhappy mainly because your maternal grandfather risked his life to save the emperor and received the favor he deserved."

Qi Heng said, "Father, I understand! The blessings bestowed by our maternal grandfather will ultimately fall upon our two maternal uncles."

"Correct!"

The father and son walked into their own hall as they talked.

Seeing Princess Pingning sitting silently, the father and son awkwardly sat down in their chairs.

The hall fell silent.

After taking a few deep breaths, Qi Heng looked at Princess Pingning and asked, "Mother, how is the Chai family, our relatives?"

Princess Pingning glanced at Qi Heng and said, "Why are you asking this?"

"My son heard that the Chai family was attacked by bandits a few days ago."

"Don't worry, the Chai family is fine. On the contrary, it's a joyous occasion," Princess Ning said calmly.

Qi Heng was taken aback: "Mother, is it my cousin's wedding?"

Princess Pingning ignored her son and lowered her head to drink her tea.

Seeing his son's expression, the Duke of Qi hurriedly said, "Yuanruo, speaking of which, Xu Jiajing and you have been destined to be together since childhood! You were classmates for many years after growing up, so you should get closer to each other in the future."

"Father, rest assured! I understand. Did Grandfather mention what happened in the palace that day?"

Princess Pingning's expression darkened further upon hearing this, and she looked at Qi Heng, saying, "What did your maternal grandfather say? He's only been awake for a short time!!"

Qi Heng quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake.

Princess Pingning glared at Qi Heng and said, "Look at him, and then look at you! Jing'er passed the imperial examination with flying colors and rescued the emperor! One feat after another! And what about you?"

The Duke of Qi frowned and said, "Tsk! Why are you so angry with the child?"

“Father, it was your fault. I didn’t study hard enough. Mother should be angry,” Qi Heng said.

"Now you know you're wrong? Too late! What were you doing before?" Princess Pingning scolded, frowning.

"Say less!" Duke Qi frowned.

"Hmph!" Princess Pingning stood up angrily and left the hall with her personal maid.

Before Qi Heng could even utter the word "Mother," he saw the Duke of Qi wave his hand at him.

After Princess Pingning left, Qi Heng looked at the Duke of Qi and said, "Father, what's wrong?"

“Yuanruo, don’t take it to heart!” Duke Qi said, sitting in his chair. “Your mother is so angry not just because of what we just said.”

"Not just these? Father, is there anything else?"

Hearing Qi Heng's question, the Duke of Qi sighed and said, "Before going to the Marquis of Xiangyang's residence, your mother also sent an invitation to the Hai family, hoping to pay them a visit."

"The Hai family? My mother did this for me?" Qi Heng suddenly became a little nervous.

“Yes! The Hai family still has a legitimate daughter who is not yet married! But…” Duke Qi shook his head and said, “But the stewardess who came back said that when she left the Hai family, the Hai family servants who saw her off revealed that the Hai family’s daughter was already engaged.”

Qi Heng breathed a sigh of relief: "Which company did you choose?"

"Erlang Shengjia."

"Brother Changbai?" Qi Heng's face lit up with joy.

"That's right! It was only after learning about this that your mother became so angry! It's not good to go now, and it's not good not to go either."

Qi Heng nodded: "No wonder!"

After a moment, Qi Heng asked, "Father, Jing-ge saved the Emperor's life several times recently. I wonder what reward the court will bestow upon him?"

"Yuanruo, why are you asking this?"

"That's right." Qi Heng pursed his lips: "My son just heard from the common people that the Xu family might have two marquises in one family, so he was just a little curious."

"Hmm—" Duke Qi took a deep breath, stroked his beard, and said noncommittally, "Two marquises from one family?"

Seeing the Duke of Qi shaking his head, Qi Heng said, "Father, is it not enough that Jing-ge has made such contributions?"

“No, Yuanruo, that’s not what I meant! After your maternal grandfather woke up today, he talked a lot with your mother.”

Do you know how critical the situation was that morning?

Qi Heng shook his head curiously.

Duke Qi frowned as he looked at the courtyard outside the house, seemingly recalling the scene from that day. He said, "Alas! Let me tell you this, Yuanruo, the several important ministers and high-ranking officials who stayed overnight in the court that day all had to stand guard with swords by their side!"

"More than a dozen strands of the Empress's hair were cut off by the Zhang family traitors who wielded their swords!"

"If Jing-ge had arrived a few breaths later, neither His Majesty nor His Majesty, nor the Grand Masters, would likely have escaped unscathed! At that time, the fate of our Great Zhou would have been sealed!"

Listening to his father's story, Qi Heng couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Your maternal grandfather also said that, according to what His Highness the Crown Prince said, when countless bandits first entered the palace, for the Crown Prince's safety, Jing-ge'er told the Crown Prince to go to His Majesty's side first!"

"He himself risked his life to stay behind, using his small force to hold off the enemy and buy time for His Majesty and the Crown Prince to escape!"

Qi Heng was surprised.

"If it weren't for those bandit soldiers shouting so loudly and recklessly to embolden themselves, our dynasty might have changed hands!"

As he spoke, the Duke of Qi sighed, "Your maternal grandfather heard that the captured traitor's guards confessed after being subjected to severe torture that the ambush and killing of Xu's fifth son at the Chai family's gate was also a plot by the Zhang family traitors!"

"But, Heaven blesses the Great Zhou! Man's plans are no match for Heaven's! If it weren't for the treacherous schemes of that Zhang family traitor, Xu Wulang would have certainly returned to the Marquis of Yongyi's residence that day, and wouldn't have been kept overnight in the palace by His Highness the Crown Prince!!"

Qi Heng nodded in agreement: "Jing-ge naturally wouldn't have had a chance to save the emperor!"

"Yes!"

Looking at his father, Qi Heng continued, "Father, after hearing what you have said, I feel that it is indeed inappropriate for a family to have two marquises!"

"Jing-ge is so loyal and brave! Father, is it alright?"

Duke Qi nodded sadly: "Yuanruo, you're right! Your mother also thought of this on the way, which is why she lost her composure and felt upset today."

"I only obtained the title of Duke because of the blessings bestowed upon me by my ancestors."

"But Xu Jiawulang, that child, is your peer, and he might be awarded a dukedom based on his own merits."

(End of this chapter)