Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 787 Changfeng is Pregnant [Thank you! Thank you again! 10k words owed]

at dusk,

In the Qi family hall,
The steaming hot food was placed on the table by the maid.

Pingning County Chief walked into the house with a sullen face.

After the Duke of Qi arrived and took his seat, Princess Pingning frowned and asked after a moment, "Where is Heng'er? Why hasn't he come out to eat yet?"

"He's studying diligently in his study!" Duke Qi replied with a smile.

Princess Pingning stood up: "Tsk! It's true that Heng'er studies hard! But he can't miss meals! At this rate, if he reads too much, won't he ruin his eyesight!"

With that, Princess Pingning turned to walk outside.

But she had only taken one step when the Duke of Qi grabbed her clothes: "Don't worry, my lady, I've already sent the food over!"

“Yuan Ruo is such a grown man now! We can’t take care of him forever. There are some things he has to decide for himself, right?”

Hearing this, Princess Pingning sat back down in her chair with a sigh and said to the head maid beside her, "Send someone to tell Heng'er to take good care of his eyes!"

"Yes, ma'am."

The couple were having their meal.

Seeing Princess Pingning's expression, the Duke of Qi said, "Yuanruo is of age now. Since the Hai family is not suitable, does your wife have any other candidates in mind?"

Princess Pingning pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I'll look again! There are so many powerful and influential people in the capital, there must be some suitable girls."

Duke Qi tentatively asked, "My lady, what do you think of Brother Sheng's daughter?"

"The Sheng family?" Princess Pingning's expression turned considerably more unpleasant. "What titles or ranks does the Sheng family hold?"

Princess Pingning stopped speaking after saying only half a sentence.

The Sheng family may not have any noble titles, but their ancestor's maternal family is about to have two noble titles, their eldest daughter is married into a marquis's family, and their son has achieved the third-highest rank in the imperial examination.

With just these few incidents, the Sheng family girls naturally rose in status.

"We've met that second son of the Sheng family a few times. He seems to have a remarkable memory and is quite like Master Wang back in the day. He's sure to have a bright future."

After listening to the Duke of Qi's words, Princess Pingning nodded in agreement and said, "From what you've said, my lord, you think that the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, Rulan, is suitable?"

After nodding, the Duke of Qi looked at Princess Pingning, who had given a cold laugh, and asked, "My lady, what's going on?"

Princess Pingning pursed her lips: "Fifth Miss Sheng is as lovely as an orchid. I've met that girl a few times. She's innocent, pretty, and has a dignified demeanor!"

The Duke of Qi concluded from this assessment that the man was of "average appearance."

“But your son is fond of the sixth daughter of the Sheng family, Minglan. She was raised by the old lady of the Sheng family! Not only is she elegant and has a refined temperament, but she is also slender and has an outstanding appearance.”

"You want Heng'er to marry Rulan? Do you think he'll listen? With his willful and reckless nature, I'm afraid he'll cause some trouble!"

"I think Rulan will most likely marry back into the Wang family."

Duke Qi nodded: "Then let's look again."

At this time,

A maidservant entered through the gate, curtsied, and said, "Your Excellency, Your Highness, news has come in from the main gate that another victory has been won in the north!"

"Was it Xu Hou who did it again?" Princess Pingning asked.

The maid shook her head: "Your Majesty, it was said that it was Marquis Ningyuan who did it."

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace

Inside the hall,

The emperor, accompanied by his crown prince Zhao Fang, stood before the enormous map.

"Lord Gu fought a great battle! A truly great battle!" the emperor exclaimed, looking at a spot on the map.

Just as Zhao Fang was about to add a few words of agreement, the chief eunuch walked in carrying a memorial: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, this is a memorial presented by the Imperial City Guard, concerning the surrendered soldiers of our people."

The emperor reached out and took it, glancing at it by the candlelight.

Seeing the emperor's strange expression and repeated shaking of his head, Zhao Fang asked, "Father, what's wrong?"

The emperor handed the memorial to Zhao Fang: "My son, take a look for yourself."

After reading it, Zhao Fang shook his head helplessly.

The reason is that, according to the memorial, the surrendered Nong soldiers were not seeking revenge or targeting the emperor, but were deceived.

The surviving Nong soldiers all said that they entered the palace to protect the Son of Heaven who could summon dark clouds, strong winds, torrential rain, and ice balls.

Only by entering the palace and protecting the Son of Heaven can their sins be forgiven.

Moreover, the servants of Princess Yong who were captured gave the same account.

In other words, these surrendered Nong soldiers genuinely revered the emperor, regarding him as the Son of Heaven, a true dragon capable of summoning clouds and rain.

Neither the emperor nor Zhao Fang were entirely at a loss as to how to deal with these people.

Zhao Fang closed the memorial: "Father, this..."

The emperor waved his hand: "Never mind, let the court officials discuss it tomorrow."

Subsequently,

The emperor continued to gaze at the map before him. After a moment, he said gently, "Fang'er, what do you think we should do to reward Xu Jiawulang?"

Zhao Fang pondered for a moment, then said, "Father, I think..."

After listening, the emperor nodded approvingly and said, "That's pretty much what I discussed with your mother."

"When the time comes, Fang'er, you should go and deliver the imperial decree yourself."

Zhao Fang smiled, bowed, and said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

The next day, at dawn, the first light of day was just beginning to break.

Quyuan Street,
Beside the racecourse of the Marquis of Yongyi's residence,
Qingcao sat on a bench, her hands supporting her face as she watched Xu Zaijing warm up in the middle of the field.

After looking at Xu Zaijing for a while, Qingcao turned back to look at the wooden house again.

Since Qingcao entered the Marquis's mansion, Uncle Yin has been living in this wooden house. Suddenly not seeing the old man makes Qingcao feel a little unaccustomed.

"Ugh!"

The green grass sighed sadly.

"Little girl, why are you sighing at such a young age?" Qingyun said with a smile as she came out of the house.

Qingcao turned her head to look: "Brother Qingyun! I, I was just worried for Young Master!"

“Yunxiang and Huaxiang from the courtyard ask me every few days if there is any news about the future mistress of the house!”

Qingyun smiled and nodded upon hearing this: "Oh!"

Seeing Qingyun's expression, Qingcao instantly perked up, stood up, and said, "Brother Qingyun, do you know something?"

"I know!" Qingyun shook his head at Qingcao: "But, unless the young master and madam ask, I absolutely cannot tell you!"

"Okay." Green Grass sat back down dejectedly.

"By the way, you know Qingcao, we went to the Sheng family today, right?"

Qingcao smiled and nodded: "Yes! Brother Qingyun, is Scholar Zhuang really going to retire in Bianjing from now on?"

“Of course! The houses and estates have all been purchased!” Then Qingyun looked puzzled and said, “It’s strange! Before the war, when the old scholar Zhuang hadn’t made this decision.”

"But once the chaos of war subsided, Scholar Zhuang actually decided to stay in Bianjing!"

"What are you dawdling about?" Xu Zaijing, dressed in armor, asked from the racetrack not far away.

"Young Master, you're here!" Qingyun waved his hand, put on his helmet, and quickly ran towards Xu Zaijing.

Speaking of,
Zhuang Xuejiu's ancestral home was in Fujian. He taught in Beijing for many years, and as his students continued to produce Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), the tuition fees also changed year by year.

When Zhuang entered the Sheng family, the agreed tuition fee was already three thousand strings of cash per year, and over the years, Zhuang Xuejiu's family had become quite wealthy. After Xu Zaijing and others passed the imperial examination, the three families sent them a considerable amount of money.

Therefore, although Bianjing house prices were quite high, it was not difficult for a landlord to buy a house.

Especially recently, several powerful and wealthy families have either been stripped of their titles or fined and had their salaries reduced, which has suddenly created a lot of high-quality houses at reasonable or even low prices.

The house that Zhuang Xuejiu bought happened to be not far from Jiying Lane.

After Xu Zaijing learned of this, he always felt that Zhuang Xuejiu's choice of this residence was closely related to Shichiro Nagamaki.

Morning time.

Jiying Lane, Sheng Family.

Xu Zaijing, along with his classmates Gu Tingye, Changbai, and others, went to the newly purchased house of Zhuang Xuejiu.

Hua Lan, who came with Zai Zhang and the child, stayed in Shou'an Hall.

Hua Lan was the first child the old lady watched grow up, and she loved her dearly.

“Grandmother, the rebels entered the palace at dawn, and Xiao Wu happened to be staying there that night.”

Listening to Hua Lan's account, the old lady couldn't help but clutch her chest, her voice trembling as she said, "Good heavens! That day was so dangerous!"

“Yes, Grandmother! The slightest mistake could lead to catastrophic consequences!” Hua Lan nodded.

After a while, the grandfather and grandson started talking about other things, and naturally the conversation turned to Xingzhong.

The old man, sitting in the armchair, stroked his eldest granddaughter's hand and nodded, saying, "It would be good for Xingzhong to become familiar with Scholar Zhuang."

Hua Lan smiled and said, "Grandmother is right! Just now, Mother was reluctant to see Xingzhong for a while. But as soon as I told her about Xingzhong's future, Mother immediately agreed!"

The old lady looked at Hualan and said, "Your mother truly loves Xingzhong."

Hua Lan nodded and smiled, "Grandmother is right! I just don't know if Mother will still be like this after my second brother has a child!"

The old lady pretended to be angry and patted Hualan's arm: "You can see your grandson every day, but you can only see your grandson every long time. Of course your mother will still feel this way!"

“You’re right.” Hua Lan rubbed her face against the old lady’s arm. “Grandmother, it’s strange, I’ve been married into the Xu family for so many years, but I still feel light and relaxed when I go back to the Sheng family.”

The old lady smiled kindly and said, "This is your maternal home, how could you not be relaxed and at ease? Indeed."

Hua Lan looked at the old lady: "Grandmother, what is it?"

"This old woman can tell, Hua'er, you seem to have something on your mind," the old lady said.

Upon hearing this, Hua Lan smiled shyly, glanced at the old lady with some embarrassment, and then lowered her head shyly.

Looking at Hua Lan, the old lady pondered for a moment, then her eyes lit up, and she said with delight, "Hua'er, could it be that you..."

As she spoke, the old lady looked at Hualan's belly with delight.

Hua Lan looked up at the old lady, then nodded shyly.

The old lady hurriedly asked, "Does your mother-in-law know?"

Hua Lan nodded again.

"Where is your mother? Did you tell her?"

Hua Lan shook her head: "Let's talk about it when we get back to the Marquis's residence! Otherwise, Mother will make a big fuss about it again, telling me I can't do this or sit that."

The old lady paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Hmm, that makes some sense."

Just then, Madam Fang, with a smile on her face, came over with a cup of drink: "Young lady, have some drink."

Hua Lan nodded and accepted it: "Thank you, Aunt Fang."

"You're too kind, young lady," Mrs. Fang said with a smile.

After taking a sip of tea, Hua Lan nodded with satisfaction and said, "Grandmother, I have another matter to discuss with you today."

"explain."

"It's about my third brother."

"Oh? Could it be that someone has taken a liking to Changfeng?"

Hua Lan smiled and nodded: "Grandmother, you are really amazing."

After wiping the drink from Hualan's lips with a handkerchief, the old lady waited quietly for what was to come.

Hua Lan smiled happily and said, "That girl is the second granddaughter of the former Qingzhou Pacification Commissioner, Mr. Hua, and she has a younger sister."

Looking at her grandmother who seemed to be deep in thought, Hua Lan said, "This young lady's grandmother is related to the old lady of the Duke of Fuguo."

The old lady nodded and said, "If I remember correctly, they seem to be cousins."

As she spoke, the old lady looked at the housekeeper standing to the side.

After thinking for a moment, Madam Fang nodded and said, "Grandma, you remember correctly. The Tao family of Marquis Jinyang, the Yang family of a prominent family, the Dou family of the Duke of Guo, and the Hua family are all related to you in your generation."

Hua Lan nodded and continued, "A couple of days ago, Madam Wu went to the Xu family and whispered a few words to my mother-in-law."

"Since I'm coming home today, I'll tell you, Grandmother, and ask for your and my parents' opinions as well."

The old lady said to Hualan, "Hmm! When your father returns, ask him about the Hua family. If they are a family with good morals, this would be a good match."

"Once this imperial examination is over, the children of my family and relatives will be lining up to get married!"

Hua Lan smiled and nodded: "Now that the marriages of my second and third brothers are settled, we can arrange for the three of us sisters to meet potential partners."

After saying that, Hua Lan looked at the old lady's gaze and asked with a smile, "Grandmother, why are you looking at your granddaughter like that?"

The old lady said, "Changbai and Changfeng are both looking for suitable partners. As for Jing'er's marriage, Hua'er, have you heard or seen anything from your mother-in-law?"

Hua Lan smiled and pursed her lips.

The old lady added, "If it's inconvenient to say, Hua'er, you don't need to."

Hua Lan smiled and said, "Grandmother, my mother-in-law said that if you don't ask, I can't tell you on my own initiative. But if you ask, I will tell you everything I know."

Hua Lan's words made the old lady even more curious: "So, there's been some progress on Jing'er's matter?"

The two women, Mrs. Fang and Mrs. Cui, who were standing nearby, exchanged surprised glances.

Hua Lan knew that her grandmother was very strict and that anyone who couldn't keep their mouth shut would never get close to her. She nodded and said, "Grandmother, it's not that there's any progress, but that His Majesty and the Empress have bestowed a marriage upon us."

"Which noble lady is she?" the old lady asked urgently.

Seeing Hua Lan's troubled expression, as if she didn't know how to speak, the old lady asked, "Hmm? Hua'er, is there something you're having trouble saying?"

“Grandmother, yes,” Hua Lan said, holding up two fingers, “she is a noble lady from both families.”

"Two families?" The old lady looked puzzled.

“The Chai family and the Rong family,” Hua Lan said.

"The Chai family, and the Rong family," the old lady said, her face showing even greater confusion, her brows furrowed as she blinked repeatedly.

Hua Lan nodded: "Yes. Her Majesty the Empress told my mother-in-law herself. When Xiao Wu encountered danger after leaving the palace, he was there to escort the two noble ladies home."

Seeing her grandmother's puzzled expression, Hualan took a sip of her drink, feeling the same way.

After a while.

"hiss!"

For some unknown reason, the old lady gasped and patted her thigh.

"Grandmother, what's wrong? What's on your mind?" Hua Lan asked, puzzled.

The old lady calmed herself down and said, "It's hard to say! Hua'er, you'll know in time."

After saying that, the old lady gently shook her head, her eyes glazed over, and sighed, "No way!"

(End of this chapter)