[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son":3,"chapter-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-10":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Am the Xu Family's Son",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2307788,4510,"Chapter 10: The Intuitive Expression of Talent","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-10",10,"\u003Cp>The next day\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morning\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quyuanjie\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua rose early and came to the courtyard where the stables were located.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the courtyard, the crippled groom was tending to the horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze upon the horses was gentle, as if looking at his own children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing someone approach, he did not move his posture, still focused on caring for the horses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was coarse and hoarse, as if squeezed from deep in his throat, like the final breath before death—no wonder he rarely spoke; the sound alone was terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua looked at the man before him; no one could recognize his true face in this state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Regional Military Commissioner has acquired another horse pasture in the Hetao region and needs an experienced horse steward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, there is an Ai family in Zhending Prefecture whose members’ skill in judging and raising horses is no lesser than mine—just don’t mention me when you hire them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Over the past year, under the pretense of seeking fine steeds, I’ve inquired. A military inspector from Xuzhou once saw an extraordinary dragon steed, said to be a gift the Eastern Chang Marquis planned to present to His Majesty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Xu Minghua’s words, the groom paused his actions; something unknown stirred in his single eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All I know is it’s a dragon steed—I never learned its color.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Master, for worrying about my affairs. Back then, I was ambushed in Haizhou and lost my divine steed. Though I had prepared for it—wearing a servant’s clothes and feigning death—I’ve finally gotten this sliver of news after all these years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your actions back then were meticulous and admirable—I never imagined you’d suffer such a fate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah, now I think of it, I was merely a clown on stage, laughed at by all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua opened his mouth to speak but held back—he had tried to console him more than once—then paused and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The north has been restless lately; all armies are preparing for war. I’ll rely on you to keep a close watch from now on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine! But the Yongyi Marquisate was earned through battlefield merit—how is it that not a single experienced horse steward remains? If not for me, you couldn’t even get a decent horse without buying one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The only daughter of the former Yongyi Marquis married into the Sheng family; she loved playing polo since childhood and took along her skilled horse steward as part of her dowry—she left no one behind at home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The groom gave a wry smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rasped, “You really are a cheap Yongyi Marquis.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua said nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After breakfast, Xu Minghua went out and didn’t return until evening; he dined with everyone, then went to bed early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, Xu Minghua left Jingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving, he spoke with his chief wife; Xu Zaijing woke up and overheard part of it—he was instructing Sun Shi that if a major matter arose and she couldn’t decide, besides consulting her parents-in-law, she could also seek the opinion of the groom in their stable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi herself came from a military family, and the groom had once helped her select a fine steed; she knew he was capable, so she naturally followed her husband’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing also knew that a highly respected master, trusted even by his father, lived in their stable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So whenever he had free time, Xu Zaijing would take the small bow his father gave him and practice near the chicken coop beside the stable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t mind the foul smell inside the stable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrows had no metal tips, yet still carried some lethality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chickens and ducks were occasionally “accidentally” struck by Xu Zaijing’s arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, as Xu Zaijing practiced archery near the stable, a foal just days old was struck in the nose by one of his arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu-xu-xu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The foal’s nose stung; being young, it had never been whipped or tamed. Seeing the source of its pain, it charged straight at Xu Zaijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing was only four years old; he was knocked down—but as long as he didn’t hit his head or other vital spots, he’d be fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The groom saw the ground behind Xu Zaijing was flat and soft, with no stones or hard objects, so he wasn’t overly concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the maids attending Xu Zaijing were terrified—they were pampered, more delicate than even the eldest daughters of minor households, and had no reaction at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What stunned the groom’s single eye and shook him deeply was that Xu Zaijing had single-handedly grabbed the foal by the neck and toppled it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This display of fearless courage and sheer strength left him astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing had long known his own strength; he held the foal’s neck with one hand, pressing it down so it couldn’t rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when it stopped struggling did he release his grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once freed, the foal no longer galloped wildly—it nuzzled affectionately against Xu Zaijing’s sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my! Third Young Master, you mustn’t come here again—go back to your chief wife’s quarters at once!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, the maids picked up Xu Zaijing and carried him away, leaving the foal standing alone in the yard, watching the terrifying little human child being taken off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chief wife, chief wife, please forgive me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi was embroidering with her daughters when she heard the maid’s cry and looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eldest daughter, Xu Pingmei, saw Xu Zaijing covered in dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother, did you roll on the ground again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Anmei also looked curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maid set Xu Zaijing down and quickly knelt on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chief wife, forgive me—I failed to guard him properly; he nearly got trampled by the horse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi’s face changed instantly; she stood up. “What?!?!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You all!!!” She rushed over, holding Xu Zaijing and checking him all over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, it was the new foal—it charged me, and I held it down with one hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi exhaled in relief, then asked the maid:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A foal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next time, be clearer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maid bowed her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Chief Wife.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did Zaijing really topple a foal with one hand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Chief Wife—the foal charged Third Young Master, and he toppled it with one hand,” the maid added, also looking astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi stared at her son in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father said our Sun family had ancestors with divine strength—could it have passed down to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Pingmei asked curiously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, is little brother really that strong? Let me wrestle him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She set down the embroidered handkerchief and walked toward Xu Zaijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi also wanted to test her son’s strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brother and sister placed their arms on a low table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Pingmei, unwilling to lose, used both hands—but Xu Zaijing didn’t even frown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Anmei didn’t believe it; she took her turn and strained with all her might—Xu Zaijing even yawned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the smile in his mother’s eyes, Xu Zaijing hugged her leg and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, does this mean I’ve tamed that foal? Can I ride it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re too young—if you fall off a horse, you’ll break yourself! No!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, look how strong I am—can you have the servants make me a saddle? For my birthday, I don’t want anything else—please, Mother~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Xu Zaijing tugged at his mother’s leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If any passage feels awkward or contains typos, dear readers, please point them out promptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1230,"2026-06-20T10:32:38.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e40169fdabb59c6cf3ba4ed7a555aad628a26f9f315c1afc44ab49ef709c0c88","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-11","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-9",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]