Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 838 Founding the Sect [Thank you! Bow again! 6K chapters owed]

The answer is naturally no.

The high-ranking officials of the Northern Liao Dynasty would not have any pity for the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

At that moment, looking at his senior officials and colleagues nodding in the emperor's study, Gu Tingyu asked again, "Prime Minister Chen, if we had perished two months ago, do you think the people of Northern Liao would have applauded?"

The answer is self-evident.

In the quiet study, all the officials in the court looked at Xu Zaijing, who was sitting quietly to the side.

A thought crossed everyone's mind: if Xu Zaijing hadn't been there at Jinming Pond that day, their graves would probably be overgrown with weeds by now.

Ultimately, the discussion in the study concluded with the emperor's words: "For the sake of the soldiers' lives, for the sake of recovering lost territories, and for the sake of winning the hearts of the people, the north should prepare for war with all its might, observe the situation, and act when the time is right."

The phrase "prepare for war with all our might" led to a flood of gold and silver flowing into various government offices throughout the army, including those responsible for intelligence gathering, such as the Imperial City Guard and the Military Affairs Bureau, which received more "funding for operations."

Amidst the rumbling of the cart,
Thinking about all this, Xu Zaijing took a deep breath.

Chai Zhengzheng and the other two looked at Xu Zaijing, who was gazing out the window in deep thought, exchanged glances, and then remained silent.

After walking for a while, the noise from the surrounding streets became much louder.

Seeing Xu Zaijing turn his gaze back to her from inside the carriage, Chai Zhengzheng smiled and said, "My lord, I heard from the Empress that Father is going to the north in a couple of days?"

“Yes!” Xu Zaijing glanced at Minglan and Rong Feiyan and said, “All matters in the capital have been settled. My father went to the ancestral hall with me tomorrow, and he will set off for the north to take charge of the overall situation the day after tomorrow.”

Chai Zhengzheng and the other two nodded in unison.

“My lord, we’ll start moving tomorrow, and we’ll continue living on Quyuan Street tomorrow night! That way, we can also see Father off with Mother.” Chai Zhengzheng said with a smile.

"Okay." Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile.

the next day,
At the exact moment of Yin Shi (after 4 a.m.), the morning light has not yet appeared, and the sky is still quite dark.

Quyuan Street,
Xu Family Ancestral Hall

With a series of joyous events this month, the ancestral hall has been cleaned several times, both inside and out, and was cleaned again yesterday, so the ancestral hall is naturally very clean and tidy.

At this time, lanterns were lit inside and outside the ancestral hall, and colorful ribbons were tied, creating a festive atmosphere.

Inside the ancestral hall, there is an offering table with sacrificial offerings such as cattle, sheep, grains, fruits, and fine wine.

A felt carpet was laid outside the ancestral hall.

Several large candles were lit under the colorful canopy outside the ancestral hall courtyard. Seven or eight Xu family elders, dressed in new clothes and without military rank, who had come from Daizhou, were sitting at the table, drinking tea and talking.

Chu Zhan, who had grown taller, carried a teapot and, with a smile on his face, frequently refilled the Xu family elders' cups.

It's no wonder Chu Zhan was in a good mood; these elders from Daizhou actually remembered Chu Zhan's ancestors and recounted their deeds in detail.

Chu Zhan, who was by the side of the Duke of Dai, had met many of the younger generation of the Xu family in the Northwest Army and could chat with these elders about how their children and grandchildren were doing recently.

The former Marquis Yongyi's mansion rose to prominence in Bianjing, especially now that the Xu family also has a lucrative business in the Mongolian horse trade, which benefits the clan and greatly benefits the Xu family of Daizhou.

Previously in Daizhou, some elders of the clan who were the same age as Madam Sheng, Xu Zaijing's great-aunt, mostly reminisced about the former glory of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion.

Now that there are descendants like the Duke of Dai and Xu Zaijing around, they rarely reminisce about the past, but instead talk about the future.

As the Xu family elders were talking, Alan brought over a tray with some dried fruit and candied fruit.

The elders knew that Alan came from Northern Liao, and when they spoke to Alan, some of them thanked him in the Northern Liao language.

Several clan elders also said that when the war with the Northern Liao begins, Alan will definitely be able to show his skills.

They talked for a long time,
The time then arrived at Mao Shi (after 5 a.m.).

The east was turning a pale white,
The surrounding light became much brighter.

Qingyun appeared not far from the decorated tent and waved to Alan and Chu Zhan.

Upon seeing this, everyone realized that the Duke of Dai, the Prince of Wei, and others who had been bathing and changing had arrived, and they all got up to wait.

quickly,

Accompanied by a respected elder of the Xu family, Xu Zaijing, along with his father, elder brother, and nephews, arrived near the ancestral hall.

After exchanging greetings with the elders of the clan, everyone entered the courtyard of the ancestral hall together.

After washing his hands in a copper basin, Xu Minghua, the Duke of Dai, as the clan head, offered incense to his ancestors at the call of the clan elders.

The Xu family members kowtowed three times.

After the kowtow, Xu Minghua made his first offering (respectfully pouring the wine from his cup onto the ground, refilling it, and then raising the cup above his head to respectfully place it before the offering table).
Then, Xu Minghua picked up the prepared prayer and read it aloud in the ancestral hall.

The gist is that today, the filial grandson Xu Minghua, along with the male members of the clan, offered sacrifices before their ancestors. Later, his descendant Xu Zaijing was granted the title of Prince of Weiguo for his merits, and the imperial court bestowed upon him a grand mansion, which the family and clan members were deeply honored by.

They prayed that their ancestors would bless their descendants, especially Xu Zaijing, who had just established his residence, and that he and his wife would enjoy a loving relationship and that the royal family's legacy would last.

After reading it aloud, Xu Minghua burned the prayer in the bronze furnace, and everyone kowtowed again.

After the kowtow was finished, Xu Zaijing stepped forward as the second offerer, just as his father had done earlier, respectfully scattering one cup of wine on the ground and placing another cup on the incense table.

Xu Zaijing then knelt down, expressed his gratitude to his ancestors for their blessings, prayed for their protection, and promised not to fail their expectations and to continue the family's glory.

After offering a final toast, the next person, standing before the numerous memorial tablets, expressed their support for their father and brother on behalf of the clan.

Then, members of the Xu family stepped forward one by one, chanting incantations as they symbolically moved the offerings, signifying that they were inviting their ancestors to enjoy them.

When Xu Zaijing stepped forward to invite his ancestors to enjoy the offerings, he also saw a brand-new and exquisite wooden box placed in the center of the incense table.

After everyone had moved the offerings, the respected elder who was standing next to Xu Minghua solemnly brought over the wooden box.

The wooden box is engraved with several characters written in a vigorous and flowing style: "Genealogy of the Prince of Wei".

In a daze, Xu Zaijing felt that these words were somewhat familiar.

Looking into Xu Zaijing's eyes, Xu Minghua nodded and said, "Jing'er, this is His Majesty's calligraphy."

As he spoke, Xu Minghua solemnly accepted the wooden box and held it up with both hands for the Xu family members to see.

Zai Zhang and other members of the Xu family bowed and clasped their hands in a salute.

Then, Xu Minghua placed it in front of the greatly shocked Xu Zaijing and said loudly:
"Jing'er, today I entrust this genealogy to you, and you will become the ancestor of this lineage."

"I hope that Jing'er will inherit the Emperor's grace and carry on the family's virtues, have many descendants, and bring glory to the family."

Xu Zaijing accepted the gift with both hands, bowed deeply, took a deep breath, and respectfully replied, "Yes, Father! Your son will remember!"

"Mm." Xu Minghua nodded with a smile.

Xu Zaijing straightened up, raised the wooden box in his hand, and Zai Zhang and the other clansmen bowed and clasped their hands in salute once again.

Everyone rose, and Xu Zaijing, led by his father, knelt again before the incense table with his clansmen.

Finally, the Xu family members kowtowed again, then rose and slowly withdrew from the ancestral hall.

It will end just after Chen Shi (7:00 AM).

Xu Family Front Hall

The Duke of Dai entered with his clan elders, son, grandson, and others.

Sitting in the hall, Madam Sun, who had already been informed, stood up with her daughters-in-law.

After exchanging greetings, everyone took their seats.

At this moment, only Madam Sun was sitting among the women, while Madam Xie, Hua Lan, Chai Zhengzheng, Ming Lan, and Rong Feiyan all stood to the side.

After Xu Zaijing sat down, he placed an exquisite wooden box beside him, the inscription on which was still faintly visible. Upon seeing this, Chai Zhengzheng, Minglan, and Rong Feiyan exchanged a knowing glance.

At this time,

The maid came in carrying a tray.

Madam Xie and her sisters-in-law served tea to the elders of the clan who were of high seniority.

When serving tea,
An elder with white hair and beard looked at Minglan and smiled, "Eldest son, is this Minglan, who comes from the Sheng family?"

Xu Minghua smiled and nodded: "Yes."

Upon hearing this, Minglan quickly bowed to the Xu family elder.

The elder in the clan chuckled, "Ming girl, was your grandmother's temper good in the Sheng family? When she was a young woman, she had quite a temper!"

Minglan looked surprised: "Replying to elders, Grandmother has always had a gentle temperament in the Sheng family."

"Wen Wan?" The Xu family elder was very surprised.

Madam Sun laughed and said, "Ninth Uncle, Aunt is a grandmother now, how could her temper still be like when she was young?" "Hehe, that's true, that's true! Is she coming at noon today?" the clan elder asked again.

Mrs. Sun nodded: "Coming."

The Xu family elder smiled and nodded: "At her age, the younger generation takes care of everything in the capital! Speaking of which, the last time we old folks from Daizhou saw her was at her wedding."

Madam Sun laughed and said, "Ninth Uncle, don't always talk about Ming'er. My second son's eldest daughter-in-law, Hua Lan, was also raised by my aunt!"

As she spoke, Mrs. Sun pointed to Hua Lan.

Hua Lan quickly smiled and gave a slight bow.

"Oh! Right, right, I'm getting old, and my mind is getting old too. I forgot that our Zaizhang also married a girl from the Sheng family!"

After the old man finished speaking, a burst of laughter rang out in the hall.

After the Xu family elder finished speaking, Madam Sun explained, "Hua'er is pregnant again. She was not polite enough. Please forgive her, Ninth Uncle!"

"What are you saying! How could the children possibly be negligent?" Elder Xu said, looking at Hua Lan with satisfaction and nodding repeatedly, and smiled, "Spreading branches and leaves! The family is thriving!"

After exchanging pleasantries,
Xu Zaijing also spoke with the clan elders.

The content mainly focuses on the current situation of several Xu family members who came from Daizhou and joined the Cuifeng Army.

After Xu Zaijing finished speaking, the Xu family elder instructed, "On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes. Fifth Brother, you must train them rigorously!"

"Don't worry!" Xu Zaijing said with a smile, "We will make sure they sweat a lot during training and bleed a little in battle."

Upon hearing this, the elders all smiled and nodded.

"That makes sense! No wonder he's the literary star of our Xu family!" an elder exclaimed.

Laughter erupted again in the hall.

Then, Xu Minghua said with a smile, "Ninth Uncle, Jing'er and Zhengzheng are still moving to a different residence. Let him get started now. We can talk about it at the lunch banquet at noon."

"Alright, alright! Let Goro go and get busy!"

The other Xu family elders nodded in agreement.

Xu Zaijing then stood up, bowed, and bid farewell to everyone. After picking up the wooden box, he walked to the vicinity of Madam Sun and, together with Minglan and the others who had also bowed, went around the screen and headed towards the backyard.

On the way back to the courtyard,

The servants were pushing or carrying chests of the finest materials, secured with brass locks, outwards.

Personal maids such as Hoshibu and Danju appeared either by the roadside or on the veranda.

Upon seeing Xu Zaijing and the others, they all bowed and greeted them.

Nodding in return, Xu Zaijing arrived at his courtyard.

Watching from outside,

The grapevines on the wooden trellis in the yard were still growing vigorously, with a clean fish tank underneath, and the character for "happiness" was still pasted on the door under the porch. Everything was the same as before.

But after Xu Zaijing led his wives into the house,
They then noticed that the sword rack that used to be displayed in the hall had been moved away.

Walk inside a bit further.
In the study on one side, the sand table and more than half of the books had been moved away.

If you go further into the bedroom, Xu Zaijing can see that the trunks where Chai Zhengzheng stored her clothes and jewelry have been moved away, and only a few sets of clothes for changing are left.

After placing the wooden box he brought from the ancestral hall on the table and instructing Qingcao to take good care of it, Xu Zaijing said with a touch of emotion, "Let's go."

After leaving the courtyard,

On the way out,
Xu Zaijing was startled by the sight before him as soon as he stepped across the threshold of the small gate leading to the outer courtyard.

Upon arriving at the passageway leading to the racecourse, one sees dozens of flatbed wagons already loaded with various goods, lined up all the way to the vicinity of the wooden house where Uncle Yin had previously lived.

"So many?" Xu Zaijing asked in surprise.

Chai Zhengzheng, standing to the side, asked in confusion, "My lord, how much? These are only part of my two sisters' dowry. My things and the gifts from you haven't been touched yet."

"Huh?" Chai Zhengzheng nodded firmly when she saw Xu Zaijing's surprise.

Afterwards, the group walked to the edge of the racecourse and set off for the first batch of carriages to Guangfufang.

Standing at the door watching the convoy leave, Xu Zaijing sighed softly. For a moment, he wished he hadn't made such a tremendous contribution.

In that case, I could continue living in the courtyard where I grew up.

Seeing Chai Zhengzheng linking arms with Xu Zaijing, Rong Feiyan turned her head and exchanged a glance with Minglan, who was linking arms with her.

"Minglan, I never expected that my husband, who is so decisive on the battlefield, would be so sentimental now," Rong Feiyan whispered in Minglan's ear.

Minglan pursed her lips and whispered in Rong Feiyan's ear, "Sister Feiyan, I was just as heartbroken before I left the Sheng family."

“Me too,” Rong Feiyan nodded and whispered.

When they saw Xu Zaijing turn around, Rong Feiyan and Minglan quickly returned his smiles.

Xu Zaijing glanced at the two men, then looked around at the street scene he had been watching for over twenty years, and just then he saw a horse-drawn carriage with a sidecar approaching from the street corner.

I waited at the gate for a while.

When the carriage drew near, Xu Zaijing realized that it was his aunt, who had married into the Zhu family, who had brought her daughter-in-law.

Upon seeing Xu Zaijing and the others, Ni Qiqiu and her mother-in-law quickly got off the carriage.

"Aunt, sister-in-law," Xu Zaijing and his wives greeted them together.

After exchanging pleasantries, Xu Zaijing accompanied his relatives to the front hall, where another lively scene unfolded.

Later in the morning, the Xu family members parted ways.

The elders and male guests remained in the front yard, while the relatives went to the back.

When Pingmei and Anmei arrived at the Xu family and made an appearance before the clan elders, they went directly to find Sun and the others.

When the old lady brought Wang Ruofu, she chatted with several elders of the same age for quite a while.

In the back hall,
The old lady and Wang Ruofu walked in.

As soon as she entered the room, seeing Anmei and Hualan getting up, the old lady quickly waved her hand and said, "You two don't need to move! There's no need for such formalities between us."

After saying this, the old lady nodded and smiled at Madam Sun and the others.

Pingmei walked up to the old lady with a smile, greeted Wang Ruofu, and then took the old lady's arm, saying with a smile, "Grandmother, you've come at the right time! Anmei was just talking about us!"

The old lady smiled and looked at Pingmei curiously: "Oh? What did Anmei say about us?"

At this moment, Xie Shi, at her mother-in-law's prompting, walked over to Wang Ruofu and invited her to sit down.

Pingmei helped the old lady up and said, "Anmei, that girl, says there are no women in the capital like us who go back to their parents' home for banquets every month!"

The old lady was taken aback when she heard this, and then she laughed.

Everyone inside the room laughed and shook their heads.

Looking at Anmei's smile, the old lady nodded and said, "Anmei is telling the truth. We have been going back to our parents' home more often lately."

"There are so many happy events, there's nothing we can do about it!" the old lady said, looking at Chai Zhengzheng and the others.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ruofu, who had taken her seat, grinned and nodded, the words "If there are other matters, I can go back to my parents' home again and again" already on the tip of her tongue.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but after thinking for a moment, Wang Ruofu stopped himself from saying them.

As everyone was talking,
Sometimes when the topic of Xu Zaijing moving comes up, Chai Zhengzheng will say a few words.

Sometimes, when the topic of marriage for the Sheng family's children came up, the old lady would ask Wang Ruofu to speak on it.

Sometimes, when talking about certain members of the Xu family in Daizhou, Madam Sun would ask the old lady if what she said was correct before she spoke.

When Chai Zhengzheng mentioned that the Empress had treated the three of them very well and brought up the relationship between the Cao and Sun families, Madam Sun would also say a few words of modesty.

The old lady's eyes were filled with gratitude as she looked at Madam Sun.

If it weren't for the connections between the Sun and Cao families, Xu Minghua wouldn't have been able to rise to prominence so easily. Of course, this was also part of the old lady's father's plan.

As everyone talked, with Anmei, Hualan, and others present, the atmosphere didn't cool down.

During this time, the old lady watched the interactions between Chai Zhengzheng, Rong Feiyan, and Minglan, and her previously anxious heart was finally at ease.

(End of this chapter)