Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 833 Hiding a Few Times [Thank you! Thank you again! 7k words owed]

'When I get married, I will make sure my future husband bows to my mother!'

Mo Lan looked at Xu Zaijing in the wedding procession again, and made up her mind: no matter what the family that will marry her says in the future, she will always have Xu Zaijing as her reason!

After all, Xu's cousin is a prince of the current dynasty. If he can bow to someone of such a noble status, why can't other families?
Thinking about these things,

Mo Lan took a deep breath, straightened her chest, and slightly raised her chin, exuding an air of arrogance.

suddenly,

Mo Lan sensed something and shifted her gaze from Xu Zaijing to the best man behind him.

When Mo Lan looked over, she noticed that Liang Han, who was following behind Xu Zaijing, was staring intently at her.

After their eyes met, Liang Han immediately broke into a bright smile and nodded at Mo Lan.

Seeing Liang Han's expression, Mo Lan lowered her eyes without responding, a disdainful sneer appearing on her lips.

"Sixth Brother, what are you looking at?" Lu Zezong, who was riding alongside Liang Han, asked in confusion.

At the same time, Lu Zezong glanced at the Sheng family's gate a few times.

Liang Han turned back reluctantly and looked at Lu Zezong, asking in a low voice, "Brother Zong, what do you think of that fourth daughter of the Sheng family?"

The wedding procession was filled with joyful music, and Lu Zezong had to move closer to Liang Han: "One of the two sisters standing next to Lord Sheng?"

"Yeah!"

"The Sheng family is a scholarly family! My brother noticed that the older sister is slender and has a scholarly air about her. She is serious and doesn't smile much, and she likes to hold her chin up. She might be arrogant!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Brother Zong is absolutely right."

As she spoke, Liang Han turned back to look at the Sheng family's gate, hoping to catch a glimpse of her beautiful face again.

“That’s right.” Lu Zezong hesitated before speaking.

"What is it?" Liang Han turned around and asked with a frown, "What is it? Just tell me!"

Lu Zezong shook his head slightly: "It's just that that lady's mannerisms are somewhat similar to Rong's sister-in-law. And she also..."

Before Lu Zezong could finish speaking, Liang Han nodded in sudden realization and interjected, "That's right! Brother Zong, you're absolutely right!"

After speaking, Liang Han looked at Lu Zezong and waited for him to continue.

Lu Zezong, unperturbed by the interruption, continued, "Besides, that strand of hair that the older sister had was making me feel a little uncomfortable."

Liang Han's expression immediately changed, and she said, "Pshaw! What do you know, you little brat!"

Lu Zezong pursed his lips but did not reply.

Amidst the sound of gongs and drums,

Zheng Xiao, who was standing to the side, turned his head and asked, "What are you two talking about?"

Liang Han smiled and shook his head: "It's nothing, Second Brother Zheng, it's nothing!"

Seeing Liang Han's expression, Zheng Xiao didn't press the matter further.

Gu Tingye leaned over and whispered to Zheng Xiao, "Second Brother Zheng, I noticed that Liu Lang keeps turning around. He might have taken a fancy to a girl."

"Oh?" Zheng Xiao quickly sorted out the situation of the Sheng family girls.

Seeing Zheng Xiao's knowing expression, Gu Tingye smiled and glanced at Liang Han.

Xu Zaijing, who was walking at the front, twitched his ears, a hint of helplessness appearing in his eyes, before continuing to smile and bow to the roadside in return.

The Sheng family,

backyard,

"Madam Liu, please come and sit at this table," Caihuan said, looking at Xiaodie with envy in her eyes.

Xiaodie smiled and waved her hand: "Sister Caihuan, really, there's no need! I'll just sit with Aunt Wei and Sister Wei."

As she spoke, Xiaodie glanced at Aunt Wei beside her.

Seeing Xiaodie's resolute attitude, Caihuan, who had invited her several times, nodded helplessly: "Alright! Then I'll do as you say, Madam."

"Then we'll head over there first, Caihuan, you go ahead with your work."

"Yes."

Jiu'er, who had been standing to the side, gestured: "Distinguished guests, this way please."

Aunt Wei and Xiao Die smiled and nodded, then took Jiu'er's hand and led her to a side hall. After passing through a screen, they arrived at a table.

Jiu'er left to continue greeting the other guests.

Aunt Wei looked at her mother sitting at the head of the table, and hurriedly went over to her, whispering several words in the old woman's ear.

After hearing this, the old man grasped Aunt Wei's hand and said, "How can this be? Shu'er is a concubine of the Sheng family. How can she accept the prince's courtesy!"

Aunt Wei said, "There's no use in worrying. The Prince and Ming'er have already returned to the Xu family after bowing!"

"With this gesture of courtesy from the Prince, I imagine my sister will be able to live a more comfortable life in the Sheng family!"

At this time,

The maid Qiu Jiang appeared beside the screen, looked at everyone and smiled, "The young lady has arrived."

Xiaodie and Aunt Wei looked surprised as they watched Wei Shuyi walk behind the screen.

"Sister, why are you here?"

Wei Shuyi smiled and said, "The old lady and the eldest daughter-in-law are kind and generous. They asked me to have a meal with you and to offer a few toasts on their behalf."

Aunt Wei nodded quickly, and after some polite refusals, Wei Shuyi sat down next to his mother.

As the maid began serving the dishes, Wei's mother held Wei Shuyi's hand and sighed, "To be so condescending to give you such respect, it seems that the noble person really cares about Ming'er."

“Auntie is right!” Xiaodie chimed in.

Wei Shuyi shook hands with her back: "My daughter didn't expect things to turn out this way either."

"We're so happy today, Auntie, you and my mother should have a few drinks," Xiaodie said with a smile.

Linxi Pavilion
Changfeng and Molan were both eating at the banquet, while the maids were mostly busy serving dishes and entertaining the guests.

This made the courtyard a little deserted.

In the main house,
Zhou Xueniang stood to the side, somewhat frightened.

In front of Zhou Xueniang, Lin Qinshuang sat on a Luohan chair with her brows furrowed and her gaze sharp as a knife as she stared at the screen not far away.

From her tightly pursed lips, a faint grinding sound could be heard.

Clutching the exquisite round fan, Lin Qinshuang's chest heaved violently a few times before she forcefully threw the fan away.

"Snap!" The fan fell to the ground.

"Crash—bang!" The table on the Luohan chair was also overturned to the ground by Lin Qinshuang.

"Bitch! Wei Shuyi, that damned bitch!"

Seeing Lin Qinshuang's frantic state, Zhou Xueniang glanced outside and quickly advised, "Young lady! Please lower your voice! If outsiders hear this, it will be terrible!"

"Why?! Why?!" Lin Qinshuang questioned Zhou Xueniang.

Before Zhou Xueniang could speak, Lin Qinshuang said resentfully, "If it weren't for that old hag from Shou'an Hall and that scheming bitch Wei Shuyi, such a good marriage should have fallen into my Linxi Pavilion and into Mo'er's hands!"

"If that Prince Xu were to bow and pay his respects to me in public, how glorious would that be for me!"

Lin Qinshuang was lost in a beautiful fantasy.

After a moment, Lin Qinshuang said, "It's all their fault!"

Zhou Xueniang said, "Young lady, please calm down! No matter what, the lord wouldn't dare to disagree with the prince for your sake! If people knew you were cursing like that in the room, then..."

"There are so many prestigious families in the capital who are interested in Fourth Miss! No matter how uncomfortable you are, you have to endure it for Fourth Miss's sake!"

Lin Qinshuang shut her mouth, but her chest continued to heave violently.

"Once you have a suitable husband, your glory at Fourth Miss's wedding will be no less than that of Consort Wei! But if it were you..."

Hearing Zhou Xueniang's words, Lin Qinshuang finally suppressed her anger.

"Well said! Just wait and see! My Mo'er's wedding will definitely be... much better!"

After comparing them, it seemed that Mo Lan couldn't compare to Hua Lan Ru Lan's dowry, or Ming Lan's husband, who was of noble birth. Lin Qinshuang could only say in annoyance, "Mo Lan is far more extravagant than Shu Lan and Pin Lan!"

Quyuan Street,
On behalf of the Duke's Mansion,

Backyard main hall

Similar to the previous two happy events, the group of the highest-ranking officials' wives and noblewomen in the capital were sitting in the hall talking.

The difference is that Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan are also sitting here now.

Standing at the entrance of the hall, one could see that the women inside were all adorned with fragrant hair and jewels, and those who could sit down were either dukes' wives, princesses, or noble ladies.

Various exquisitely crafted round fans of different colors were held in the hands of noble ladies and officials, who gently waved them.

Princess Pingning sat not far from Madam Sun, fanning Xu Qingyi with care while holding her little hand and talking to her.

Not far away, Gu Tingyi was holding Ning Mei with obvious affection, occasionally putting the jewelry from his hair into Ning Mei's pocket.

From time to time, wealthy women around Ning Mei would look at her with eyes full of curiosity.

This youngest daughter of the Xu family is truly of noble birth.
His three elder brothers were a duke's heir, a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and a prince.

The two older sisters will most likely become ladies of a marquis's household in the future.

Several of the sisters-in-law also came from prominent families in the capital.

Even Ning Mei's own niece, who is only a few years older than her, is pre-selected as the wife of the Marquis of Xiangyang, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Whichever family can be betrothed to this noble lady will be rich for three generations, even if they do nothing.

Pingmei, who was sitting not far from Tingyi, watched her sister-in-law's actions and chuckled softly, "Third Sister, what are you doing? Sixth Sister is so young, she doesn't need such precious jewelry."

On the side, Rong Feiyan and Chai Zhengzheng, who was sitting at the head of her table, exchanged a smile.

"They're just little trinkets. Sixth Sister likes them, so let her play with them," Tingyi said with a smile.

Then, Tingyi looked at Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan and said, "They gave me more than I did."

Yanran, standing beside Bai, looked at the exquisitely beautiful Ningmei with eyes full of joy: "Ningmei is so lovely!"

Tingyi laughed and said, "Sister-in-law, since you like it so much, why don't you have one with my second brother?"

Yanran blushed instantly, looking embarrassed at the smiling ladies around her.

Upon hearing this, Bai glared at Tingyi reproachfully.

Not far away, Mrs. Sun was holding her granddaughter Yan'er's hand, asking her a few questions from time to time.

Just then, the heads of several boys and girls peeked out from the doorway.

The children's eyes darted around, watching the officials' wives and noblewomen in the hall.

Sun, who was holding Yan'er's hand, also saw the children and waved to them with a smile.

Yunmu and Xibu, who were standing behind Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan, had confused expressions in their eyes.

Qingcao, who was still standing between Yunmu and Xibu, glanced at the children's faces and then whispered to Yunmu and Xibu, "The one walking in front is Zhige'er, the eldest son of the Seventeenth Son of the Eighth Branch of the Sun family."

"The second one is He Jie'er, the second daughter of the ninth branch of the Sun family and the nineteenth son."

"When they were little, the young master would often press their heads down and beat them."

"The one behind is the eldest branch of the Sun family, Erlang's grandson Wu Ge'er, also known as Cousin."

"The last two are from the fourth branch of the Sun family: Bai Jie'er, the granddaughter of Sanlang, and Shi Ge'er, the grandson."

Yunmu listened and nodded repeatedly, whispering, "Zhi, He, Wu, Tang, Bai, Shi."

Then, the two hurriedly introduced themselves to Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan.

Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan nodded in agreement, while also casting admiring and approving glances at Qingcao.

Looking at the children entering the room, Rong Feiyan said in a low voice, "Then my sister, Wu Ge'er, and I will have to call them great-grandmothers?"

Xibu and Qingcao exchanged a glance, then pursed their lips and suppressed a laugh, saying, "Yes, miss."

As the children passed by Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan, Zhige looked at them with a look of surprise and reminiscence in his eyes.

Seeing Zhige'er's expression, Anmei, who was heavily pregnant, asked with a smile, "Zhige'er, what are you looking at?"

"Auntie, I didn't see anything!" Zhige'er quickly said.

Anmei walked over to Zhige'er and pointed to the smiling Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan: "Oh? Didn't you see these two beautiful ladies?"

"I... I just felt they looked familiar!" Zhige'er continued, "When I was little, I came to the Xu family with my mother and aunts to watch my cousin Zhong take a bath, and I saw my two older cousins ​​and aunts there!"

Anmei, who had been somewhat amused, looked at Zhige'er in surprise: "How long ago was your cousin's baptism? You still remember that?"

Everyone in the hall was also very surprised.

"Yes!" Zhige nodded: "Back then, Auntie said that if we didn't listen, we wouldn't be able to find wives as beautiful as our two aunts!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

"Ouch!"

"That child is really something!"

How old was he then?

Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan exchanged a knowing glance, then both understood; they had remembered too.

Anmei looked bewildered: "Huh? When did I say that?"

"Is it because my uncle is very obedient that he was able to marry such a beautiful wife?" Zhige'er continued to ask.

After saying that, Zhige'er glanced shyly at Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan, who were both smiling.

“Uh—” Anmei didn’t know what to say for a moment. She didn’t expect that after four or five years, the little kid would still remember her words.

Anmei's eyes darted around as she looked at the maid who came in carrying a tray, and she smiled, "Look, honey-glazed fritters with dried plum blossoms, don't you want to try some, Zhi-ge'er?"

"miss you!"

When dividing the cakes
Xu Xingdai took a tray from the maid and placed it in front of Chai Zhengzheng.

Seeing this, Xie felt no sadness; on the contrary, she was quite happy.

Previously, on the birthday of the god of the temple, Dai Ge'er missed his father, and he had received benefits from Chai Zhengzheng.

While the hall was bustling with activity,
The sound of fireworks and firecrackers came from the direction of the main entrance, and everyone in the hall knew that the newlyweds had arrived.

The bride has entered the house.

Anmei, arm in arm with Yanran, and protected by her sister Pingmei, Tingyi, and others, arrived at the courtyard where she had lived for many years to watch the excitement.

Looking exhausted, Cuiwei stood by the door and quickly bowed when she saw everyone.

The ladies-in-waiting following behind returned the greetings.

After entering the house,
Xu Zaijing and Minglan sat on the bed.

A maidservant sang as she scattered auspicious fruits like dates and chestnuts onto the bed:
"The curtains are drawn to the east, the deep curtains surround the red candlelight, the auspicious air is lush and long-lasting, and the painted hall is filled with spring breeze every day."

"Scatter the tent to the west"

"The tent is set up in the south, where lovers are in harmony and enjoy themselves. The cool moon and gentle breeze make the courtyard refreshing, and the couple wear embroidered belts to adorn their sons."

"."

"It's done!"

Gu Tingye pulled Xu Zaijing's arm and dragged him outside, saying, "Alright! Let's go! Fifth Brother, you can't go back on your word this time!"

“That’s right!” Zheng Xiao echoed.

Yanran frowned and nudged Gu Tingye: "My lord, don't do anything rash!"

"I know, I know," Gu Tingye nodded.

Anmei said, "Zheng Erlang, if you let my brother delay our business tonight, I'll go find Wu Niang and have her teach you a lesson."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xiao retorted, "Fine, let's deal with her then! It's not like anyone's afraid of her! Wu Lang, let's go!"

“Okay! You said it yourself!” Anmei said with a smile.

Pulling Xu Zaijing along, Zheng Xiao bowed and begged softly as they passed An Mei, "Sister, I was wrong, please don't really tell Fifth Sister!"

A group of people laughed as they left the house. After looking around the yard, Anmei smiled and walked out with her friends.

Inside the bridal chamber,
Seeing Cuiwei walk in, Xiaotao sighed, "Sister Cuiwei, it's finally over! It was so tiring!"

Minglan, who was sitting on the bed, had already put down her fan and said, "Cuiwei, you've had a hard time these past two days."

"It's nothing, young lady," Cuiwei said, then looked at Xiaotao and smiled, "It's not over yet!"

Xiaotao and Danju looked surprised: "Huh?"

Cuiwei explained, "We'll be moving house in a few days, and I'll be quite busy!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaotao and Danju both showed bitter expressions.

Cuiwei then said to Minglan, "Miss, why don't you take a bath later? This is how the Princess Consort and the Concubine enter the house."

"Oh!" Minglan nodded quickly.

Seeing Minglan's expression, Cuiwei asked in a low voice, "Miss, what's wrong?"

"Cuiwei, you've been at the Xu family's house for so long. What do you think of me, Sister Chai and Sister Rong? Tonight."

Cuiwei looked at Minglan with a comforting gaze and said, "Miss, what can you possibly see in such a short time!"

"But according to Qingcao, the princess and the concubine have been taking medicine these days."

"Take medicine?" Minglan asked, puzzled.

"Yes, medicine to nourish the body," Cuiwei said, her expression somewhat unnatural.

"Why do you need to take tonics?" Minglan asked directly.

Xiaotao and Danju were also drawn in by the conversation between the two.

While Xiao Tao was still wondering, Dan Ju, who reacted faster, had already guessed what was going on, and her expression was somewhat unnatural, just like Cui Wei's.

Cuiwei whispered a few words in Minglan's ear.

"Ah?" Minglan looked at Cuiwei with a trembling voice.

Cuiwei nodded in agreement.

Minglan pursed her lips, gripping the sash around her waist tightly, and said, "Then, then I won't wash. Maybe that way I'll get punished less often."

Listening to the conversation, Xiaotao still looked confused, while Danju nodded repeatedly with full agreement in her eyes.

Looking at Xiaotao and Danju's expressions, Cuiwei shook her head helplessly.

It was already dark.

Minglan sat on the edge of the bed, slipping on her embroidered shoes, staring blankly at the candle on the table.

Not far away, Xiao Tao was sitting at the table, dozing off with her hands supporting her chin.

suddenly,

"Greetings, my lord."

Danju's voice came from outside the door.

Xiao Tao immediately woke up, got up, and walked outside. Minglan also hurriedly picked up the round fan that was placed to the side.

"it is good!"

Xu Zaijing smiled.

Xiao Tao also took a few steps and then came to the outer room.

"Little Peach, it's been a long time."

"Greetings, my lord. It has been quite some time since we last met," Xiaotao said in a flustered tone.

"Okay. You two don't need to wait at the door tonight."

"what?"

As they were talking, Xu Zaijing had already walked around the screen and entered the room.

Seeing Xu Zaijing's unsteady steps, Minglan breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, holding her fan.

then,

To Minglan's surprise, Xu Zaijing ignored her and lay down on the bed with his eyes closed.

Smelling the strong smell of alcohol emanating from Xu Zaijing's breath, Minglan put down her fan, her eyes filled with helplessness and a touch of sadness.

Looking at Xiao Tao standing by the screen, Minglan turned her back to Xu Zaijing and waved to Xiao Tao.

When Minglan turned around and looked at Xu Zaijing again, she found that Xu Zaijing, who was lying down, was looking at her with one eye open and one eye closed.

The eye that had been peeking out was clear and lucid; there was no sign of drunkenness at all.

(End of this chapter)