[{"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-29":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},2307807,4510,"Chapter 29: Academy Atmosphere","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-29",29,"\u003Cp>“He is the third legitimate son of the Hou Fu, named Zaijing; at seven or eight years old, he could already ride and shoot arrows, and received imperial rewards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This young master Jing is truly impressive—he can ride at such a young age.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He even messed up the emperor’s fish together with the second legitimate son of the Ningyuan Hou Fu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Mama said nothing; in her understanding, damaging the emperor’s golden fish should have drawn punishment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and now the reward and punishment canceled each other out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Empress helped the children cover it up. Kong Mama’s letter said the Yongyi Hou Fu has seen some improvement—my convenient nephew has secured a position through the Cao family and become a powerful general in the Western Army.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kong Mama has been in the palace far longer than you, Miss,” Fang Mama said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph, what do you mean by that, Suqin!” The old lady glared at her personal maid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, I mean, she has spent so long in the palace—she has seen far more than we have. Kong Mama’s letter must have been carefully considered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are growing older year by year, and Hongge’s career is going smoothly—you should think more about yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is there for me to think about? Once Hualan and Changbai marry, I can close my eyes. I won’t be an eyesore anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, once married, no matter your age, having a family to return to is not the same as having none.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kong Mama has seen too many of the palace’s old imperial consorts,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“and whether they had accomplished brothers or sisters in their families—was their status in the palace the same?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough.” The old lady said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Mama did not press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking to the old lady’s side, Fang Mama prepared to attend her for her afternoon nap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, the ancestral offerings of the old marquis and his lady must be maintained by that family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old lady said nothing more, waved her hand, and Fang Mama withdrew from the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the old lady’s personal maid, Fang Mama had grown up in the Yongyi Hou Fu since childhood, and the old lady’s mother had shown her great kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why she cared so deeply about their ancestral rites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After her nap, the old lady closed her eyes while Fang Mama wiped her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Send for my son later—I have something to instruct him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Sheng Hong appeared at the old lady’s Shou’an Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Hong sat respectfully to the side, and the old lady said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For this evaluation, don’t rush to transfer back to the capital—find a wealthy prefecture or county and serve well for a few more years. You are a jinshi; your promotion is naturally faster than others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old lady sipped tea and glanced at Sheng Hong:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your position as assistant prefect is directly under the emperor’s notice—more experience won’t hurt. When you return to the capital, if the chance arises, pay a visit to the Sun family and the Xu family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Hong adjusted his posture:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, I was thinking—when we return to the capital, I’d like to see if there’s a suitable match for Hua’er.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to consider the Xu family. Hua’er is such a precious legitimate daughter—you, as her father, shouldn’t be the one to initiate the proposal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving Shou’an Hall, Sheng Hong glanced at Wei Shi, who was heavily pregnant, gave her a few instructions, then returned to Weirui Pavilion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shi, with the help of Liu Mama, helped her husband remove his robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Mama stepped out of the room, leaving Sheng Hong and his wife alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Hong: “In a few days, I’ll be returning to Bianjing—you and the children need not come with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Husband. Ru’er has just come into this world—she can’t endure long journeys.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For this evaluation, Mother says there’s no rush to return to the capital—better to serve in a wealthy prefecture or county for experience.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My mother also wrote—she agrees with the old lady. My elder brother said he’ll ask my father’s disciples to help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Write back on my behalf to thank my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law. Just now, Mother told me to visit the Xu family when I return to the capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah? This… Husband, since the old lady has always been at odds with the Xu family in the capital, my mother mentioned other things in her letter—I’m too embarrassed to tell you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She said that young master Jing of the Yongyi Hou Fu was praised during the emperor’s birthday banquet—clearly caught the emperor’s attention, and he’s still so young.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Early brilliance doesn’t guarantee later success.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Back then, they wanted to marry off a collateral branch’s concubine-born daughter—Mother, out of face, went to meet her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Turned out she was utterly inferior in both character and appearance! Truly outrageous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Hong sneered, as if recalling the humiliation he once endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shi’s eyes shimmered with quiet pride—she was a legitimate daughter of the Wang family, virtuous and well-bred, with a lavish dowry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Husband, my elder sister also wrote—Xu’s eldest lady and the Bai lady of the Ningyuan Hou Fu are very close.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Ningyuan Hou Fu’s marquis is a powerful lord of the Great Zhou—only slightly below the Dukes of Qi and Ying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve also heard that this current eldest lady of the Yongyi Hou Fu suffered greatly under her mother-in-law’s cruelty. In recent years, my sister told me often enough about the Xu family’s decline.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruofu was speaking enthusiastically when Liu Mama tugged at her sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Da Niangzi glanced at Liu Mama in confusion,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then noticed her husband’s expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She immediately clamped her mouth shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her earlier gleeful tone, mocking her own mother-in-law’s family, was indeed inappropriate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My nominal cousin has become a powerful general in the Western Army, and now his wife is close to the Gu family, and this young nephew has caught the emperor’s eye—definitely worth cultivating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re right, Husband. I heard Xu’s eldest son is now of marriageable age—what about Hualan...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother said not to consider the Xu family. If Hua’er marries into the Xu family, how many people in Bianjing will laugh at Mother?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go to the capital first to take a look—Hua’er is still young; waiting a few more years won’t hurt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll begin preparing your luggage for this trip.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm. While I’m away, watch over the children.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Hong set out on his journey back to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bianjing,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the firecrackers lit during the Spring Festival were being cleared by the Street Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing had passed another Spring Festival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, when paying New Year’s respects to the emperor, he received even more gifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This puzzled Xu Zaijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Duchess of Yingguo sat in the palace this year, watching the noblewomen who gave gifts to Xu Zaijing, her lips curling with faint mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She merely liked the six- or seven-year-old boy for his poise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quyuanjie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing was practicing his daily routine of archery, spear, and breathing techniques in the courtyard’s riding ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet there was no sign of the groom by his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the inner courtyard, behind a screen, the groom spoke in a hoarse voice to Sun Shi:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lady, the Great Zhou now favors literature and suppresses martial arts. Although Zaijing’s martial talent is the greatest I’ve ever seen, true advancement still comes through scholarship.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lady, as the daughter of a military family, you know how little regard martial officers receive in our Great Zhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let Sanlang join his two elder brothers at the capital’s academy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It would be better to hire a renowned master. Lately, I’ve often heard servants in the household say the academy’s atmosphere is quite poor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lady, you’re too formal—I’m merely a groom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, Sun Shi summoned the servants of the two young masters of the Xu family and questioned them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That evening, before dinner, Sun Shi had Xiao Zhu stand behind her holding a bamboo board one foot long,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and Xu Zaijing watched curiously as his two elder brothers stood in the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two—kneel,” Sun Shi said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaiuan and Xu Zaihang exchanged glances, puzzled, but knelt down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I come from a military family and have little education. Today I asked Daxlang—what have you learned at the academy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If you have votes, ladies and gentlemen, please cast them.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The editor said the new book is getting a trial push—asked me to call out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Embarrassingly, I just saw the editor’s QQ message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s been two days already,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and I ignored the editor for two whole days!~~o(>_\u003C)o~~]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1434,"2026-06-20T10:32:38.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","77fad1bba04385dab0afab404ee9b790ce487339400b6b149182a96f418305a8","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-30","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-28",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]