Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 850 Banquet
Lou Qi is not an outsider, and Lou Lao Er will live in Dongtang Village in the future. Even if he doesn’t say it today, Lou Qi will know it in the future.

Lou Lao Er immediately told Lou Qi about his experiences after leaving his hometown. He told him basically everything except some things that were inconvenient for Lou Qi to know. When he heard that Lou Lao Er had left his hometown that year to go to Shanxi, and went there to train troops with the current emperor, he, Lao Jin and Yan Lao Si helped Zhu Shenzhui train a strong army according to the training methods of Qi's army, and this strong army played a decisive role when Zhu Shenzhui started the rebellion to purge the court and quell the national crisis. It was precisely because of this army that Zhu Shenzhui, an ordinary member of the royal family, could lead his troops into the capital and thus became the regent and took charge of the government.

Now Zhu Shenzhui is the emperor of Ming Dynasty. Although Lou Laoer is old and disabled, he became Zhu Shenzhui's subordinate early because of his merits in training soldiers, so he naturally has the merit of following the dragon.

With this achievement, Lou Laoer not only became a commander, but was also recently conferred the title of second-class viscount. In other words, Lou Laoer is now one of the highest-ranking officials in Yiwu. Apart from Lao Jin who is a first-class viscount and Yan Laosi who is also a second-class viscount, Lou Laoer is the highest-ranking official.

Hearing this, Lou Qi was stunned and didn't come back to his senses for a long time. He never thought that the seemingly ordinary Lou Lao Er would have such an opportunity. You know, Zhou Anmin's people came to Yiwu and found many people. Lou Lao Er was not the only one in Dongtang Village who had served in the Zhejiang Army. Some of them had been in the army longer than Lou Lao Er, some were more capable than Lou Lao Er, and some were stronger than the disabled Lou Lao Er. But no one else was willing to follow the people who came, only Lou Lao Er went. Could it be fate?
God's mind is hard to figure out, but the disabled Lou Lao Er's fate was completely changed because of this. He not only became a meritorious minister, but also became a high-ranking official and even had a title.

When he thought of this, Lou Qi wanted to slap himself hard. It would have been great if he had gone with Lou Lao Er. He had also been in the Zhejiang Army for a few years and was not bad in martial arts. As for his two sons, it goes without saying that although they had never been in the Zhejiang Army, they were brave and brave when they were taught by him. Instead of fighting fiercely with the neighboring villages for trivial matters in their hometown, if they had gone to Shanxi at that time, even if they could not be the commander, they could be a garrison commander, right? As for the title, if he could not get the viscount, it would be good to get the baron after all, so that he could directly bring honor to the family!
Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in this world. Back then, Zhou Anmin's people went to great lengths to find only three people including Lou Laoer. Only the three disabled people were willing to leave, while the others were simply unwilling to go.

It was all time, luck, and fate, everything was arranged by God. This opportunity of wealth and glory just slipped away. If he had known it would be like this, would he not have fought for it?
He was surprised, envious, and regretful, and at the same time, he looked at Lou Lao Er with a hint of humility. If Lou Lao Er was just a garrison, it would be fine, and Lou Qi might just be envious at most, but now he is not only a commander but also a second-class viscount, which is completely different.

Lord! This is a hereditary title that can be passed down from generation to generation. You can imagine what it means to ordinary people. Even if Lou Lao Er's descendants are not promising and cannot become high officials, just by passing down this title from generation to generation, this wealth is enough for future generations to enjoy.

Of course, given Lou Qi's status and position, he certainly didn't know that the current rules for inheriting titles had changed. Even if it was a hereditary title, it was not so easy to pass it down from generation to generation. If Lou Lao Er's descendants were unpromising, his title would be downgraded to a third-class baron after a few generations. If it was downgraded further, he would be stripped of his title, and there would be no title left for him to inherit.

But even so, it is enough. Just counting on a reduction of one level per generation, Lou Laoer's title can be passed on for at least four generations. Four generations is at least a hundred years. Even if Lou Laoer's descendants can no longer inherit the title, they can surely become a local gentry family.

After understanding Lou Laoer's true identity, Lou Qi no longer had the airs of an elder. If he and Lou Laoer had not known each other since childhood, someone else would have been terrified. Moreover, Lou Laoer would live in his hometown in the future, so Lou Laoer would be the respected one in the village. He, a mere village head, was nothing. As long as he had a good relationship with Lou Laoer, there would be many benefits in the future.

With this in mind, Lou Qi became more attentive to Lou Lao Er, even a little flattering. He even tactfully suggested that since Lou Lao Er was back, why not let him take the position of the clan leader? With Lou Lao Er's current status, he was not only qualified to be a clan leader, but he could also bring honor to the clan. How could he be qualified to be the clan leader?
Listening to Lou Qi's words, Lou Lao Er didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't want to be the clan leader, but he also understood Lou Qi's intention of saying this. He just wanted to use his identity to raise the status of the Lou family clan and get some benefits for the family.

They were from the same village, and Lou Qi was his cousin, so there was no need for him to seek the position of clan leader. Lou Lao Er directly rejected Lou Qi's suggestion, and told Lou Qi that it was better for him to be the clan leader, and that he would live in his hometown and take care of himself in the future. As a family member, he would naturally help if there was anything he needed, so Lou Qi could rest assured.

As for the clan's affairs, Lou Qi will have to worry about them in the future. He will donate a sum of money to the clan, and while rebuilding the old house, he will also repair the clan's ancestral hall, which can be regarded as doing his part for the clan.

That night, the village was as lively as the New Year. Although the banquet would not start until the next day due to the short time to prepare, two pigs were slaughtered that night and the village, young and old, had a rare chance to eat meat, and everyone was smiling.

The next day was even more lively. The village started to prepare early in the morning under the command of Lou Qi. Many good things were purchased from the county town one after another. The village set up a big stove and invited a master chef from the town to cook for the buffet. The buffet was set out at noon, and everyone could eat as they came. There was white rice, braised pork, splashed with shiny oil, and all kinds of other dishes. The whole village cheered and everyone was very happy.

This buffet was not only for the people in their own village, but also for those visiting from nearby villages. All the villagers from Dongtang Village and the two surrounding villages came at once. Lou Laoer was afraid that the silver he gave was not enough, so he gave some more to Lou Qi. Looking at such a lively scene, Lou Laoer's orange-peel old face almost turned into a chrysanthemum with a smile.

While the banquet was being held, word about Lou Laoer's current status gradually spread, and soon people knew that Lou Laoer was not only a commander of the third rank, but also a newly conferred second-class viscount.

A familiar person rose to fame overnight, and the villagers were envious and ecstatic. Although the villagers had little experience, it was a rare happy event for a big man to appear in the clan. As long as Lou Laoer lived in the village in the future, he could give some benefits to the villagers with his status and position, and the villagers would be able to take advantage of it. Moreover, with a person like Lou Laoer in the village, not to mention the government, under his protection, the future would naturally be much better. On the day of the banquet, Lou Laoer toasted several clan elders with a bowl of wine, talked to the elders, and made a promise.

Not only will he rebuild the old house, but he will also live here permanently. When rebuilding the old house, he will pay for the repair of the clan's ancestral hall. At the same time, he will give a sum of money to the clan and help build a clan school. In the future, all the children of the Lou family can go to the clan school to study. In case there are a few talented people among them in the future, he, the second Lou, will definitely help to cultivate them. If they can pass the imperial examination, then it is not impossible for them to rise to fame in the future.

As for those who are not good at studying, it doesn't matter. Lou Lao Er will select young people with good martial arts and recommend them to the army for training. Maybe there will be some talents among them in the future? What if there are some who become garrisons or even commanders? Maybe they can get higher military positions. The Ming Dynasty conferred titles based on military merits. Maybe someone will have the opportunity to become a lord like me in the future.

Lou Qi and other clan elders were overjoyed by these arrangements made by Lou Lao Er. If this were the case, it would be exactly what they wanted.

Even if Dongtang Village doesn't produce a big man like Lou Lao Er in the future, it would be good if it could produce a few minor officials. Maybe a hundred years later, Dongtang Village will be completely different. By then, it will no longer be an ordinary village. It will be no problem for family members to support each other and help the entire clan prosper.

After drinking a little too much with the elders at noon, Lou Lao Er went back to his room and rested for a few hours. When he opened his eyes again, it was already evening.

After getting up and leaving the yard, the village was still bustling with activity, and the buffet was still going on. Smelling the fragrance in the air, Lou Lao Er felt a little hungry, and was about to move over to join the others, eat some food and have a couple of drinks, but before he could reach the main table, his eyes subconsciously stopped at the side.

A skinny kid about five or six years old wearing patched clothes was holding a big bowl in his hand. The bowl was full of food. The food was piled high and it was a bit difficult for the kid to hold it. He was moving it step by step towards the bowl, fearing that the food in his hand would spill.

"Whose child is this? Why did he come alone?" Lou Lao Er asked his cousin Lou Fu, the youngest son of Lou Qi.

"This is the grandson of Ninth Brother." Lou Fu said as he took a look.

"Old Nine's? I remember Old Nine only had one son. Is this child Lou Jing's?"

"Yes! It's from Lou Jing. Second brother, you have a good memory." Lou Fu nodded repeatedly.

Lou Lao Er frowned and asked, "Since he is Lou Jing's son, why didn't Lao Jiu and Lou Jing meet him? Why let a child squeeze in the crowd alone?"

Lou Fu smiled bitterly and said, "Second brother, you haven't been home for these years, so you don't know the situation of Ninth Brother's family. Ninth Brother passed away a few years ago, and even Lou Jing passed away last year. Now there are only Ninth Brother's wife and Lou Jing's wife left in their family, two widows and a boy, no one else. The village holds a buffet, but according to the rules, women cannot sit at the table. They can't come, and there is only one male in the family, so only this boy can come. Look, the food this boy is carrying is most likely for his mother and grandmother. Speaking of which, Ninth Brother's family is pitiful..."

"Ah! Laojiu is gone? Lou Jing is gone too?" Lou Laoer was stunned. He never expected that this would be the case and was speechless for a moment.

(End of this chapter)