Chapter 380

Rong Xian sat up straight and looked directly at Rong Feiyan: "Sister, are you serious?"

Rong Feiyan nodded.

Rong Xian put down his teacup, stood up, and said: "I told you you're a little girl in the inner chambers, and you still won't admit it!"

"Let me put it this way: when I first got to know Jing Ge'er, the Marquis Yongyi was already serving in the Western Army."

"For more than ten years, he has fought from Bai Gao to Wusi Zang; he is a veteran of many battles. Have you ever heard of the Marquis Yongyi being defeated before?"

Rong Feiyan's eyes rolled, looking thoughtful.

"Don't think about it, he's never lost!"

Hearing her brother's words, Rong Feiyan hurriedly nodded.

"This veteran who has been through many battles, facing a fortress like Keyi Gate, yet someone says Xu Hou was arrogant and underestimated the enemy?"

Rong Feiyan said hesitantly: "But, Xu Hou really did achieve a great victory! He wiped out a military division of the Bai Gao Kingdom and captured a piece of horse-rearing land! Perhaps he thought it would be like Dengkou, taking it in one battle!"

Rong Xian: "Uh... this... this is different!"

Looking at his sister's questioning eyes, Rong Xian's mind raced, and he racked his brains: "I heard that Keyi Gate is a fortress! If Xu Hou really wanted to take it in one battle, he would have started the war last month, why wait until this month?"

Rong Feiyan shook her head in disagreement and said: "Brother, wasn't the Marquis Yongyi preparing supplies and arrows, which is why he waited until this month?"

"You... I... this... Sister! Whose side are you on? Maybe this is the Marquis Yongyi's strategy!"

Rong Feiyan pursed her lips: "Brother, what kind of strategy requires one to lose first? Wouldn't that hurt morale?"

Rong Xian swallowed, stood up, and said: "I can't win against you! I don't want the pocket money either! Anyway, I feel that the Marquis Yongyi isn't that easily arrogant!"

As he spoke, Rong Xian picked up his helmet and prepared to leave the room.

"Brother!"

"What?"

"If the Marquis Yongyi has this trouble, the Xu family might be implicated! There are many people in Bianjing who don't get along with him, and there will be no shortage of cold sarcasm and ridicule. Brother, you..."

Rong Xian held his helmet with one hand, turned his back to his sister, closed his eyes, and exhaled.

Turning back, he said with a helpless expression: "Fine! I'll go find Jing Ge'er after I finish my shift these next few days. If I run into anyone with a loose tongue, I'll stand up for Jing Ge'er! Is that enough?"

"Thank you, Brother!"

Looking at his sister's smiling face, Rong Xian waved his hand and walked straight out of the room.

Just after passing through the moon gate of Returning Snow Garden, a voice called out from behind: "Young Master, wait a moment!"

The helmet in Rong Xian's hand had already been handed to the servant, and he looked back at Ningxiang, who was chasing after him, and said: "What? Does your Miss have anything else to instruct?"

Ningxiang smiled and took out several silver banknotes from her sleeve and said: "Young Master, this is what Miss ordered me to give you!"

Rong Xian took the silver banknotes, unfolded them, and his eyes widened when he saw the amount. While putting the silver banknotes back into his bosom, he said: "Your Miss is actually willing to give her brother silver banknotes at a time like this."

Ningxiang smiled and bowed.

Jiying Lane

The Sheng family

Shou'an Hall

The Old Madam walked slowly in the hall with her hands behind her back, her expression solemn.

"The Master is here!"

A little maid shouted outside the door.

Sheng Hong lifted the curtain and entered, walked quickly to the Old Madam, cupped his hands, and said: "Mother, you know the news that I had Dongrong send back, right!"

The Old Madam nodded, said "Hmm," and then lifted her chin, signaling Sheng Hong to sit down.

Sheng Hong looked at the Old Madam walking back and forth and wanted to speak several times, but seemed afraid of disturbing her thinking, so he swallowed his words.

When the Old Madam sat down on the Arhat chair, Sheng Hong leaned forward and said: "Mother, my cousin has encountered this defeat, will he be punished by the Emperor..."

The Old Madam narrowed her eyes slightly and frowned, saying: "Hong'er, in the court, have you heard how many soldiers your cousin lost in this battle?"

Sheng Hong: "Some say hundreds, some say thousands!"

The Old Madam breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and said in a relieved tone: "That's good, that's good!"

Looking at Sheng Hong's surprised expression, the Old Madam said: "Your cousin is a commander of nearly one hundred thousand troops! War is dangerous and fierce; losing these people means they were not beaten into a rout!"

"Otherwise, the casualties would never be this low."

Sheng Hong nodded upon hearing this and said: "That's good! Mother, since he won't be punished, will my cousin be replaced?"

The Old Madam pondered for a long time before speaking: "He shouldn't be!"

"But, Mother, you didn't see the Emperor's expression in the court today; it was very bad after hearing about this."

The Old Madam was stunned: "Hong'er, are you saying the Emperor was only unhappy after hearing about this?"

Sheng Hong recalled it and nodded: "Mother, that is exactly it!"

The Old Madam realized something in her eyes and gently hammered the table with her fist.

Seeing the Old Madam's expression, Sheng Hong pondered for a moment, his eyes brightened, and he said: "Mother... are you saying the Emperor isn't angry because of my cousin's minor defeat, but because some court official brought this matter up?"

Seeing the Old Madam nod.

Sheng Hong felt relieved in his heart and said somewhat annoyedly: "Ah, Mother, I... I only just figured it out!"

Seeing that the Old Madam's expression hadn't relaxed, Sheng Hong said: "Mother, why are you still so worried?"

The Old Madam sighed: "Sigh, I'm afraid my two grand-nephews in the school will be disturbed by this news! The courtyard examination is near, what a sin!"

"Send someone to invite them to come to me after school!"

"Yes, Mother!"

At the entrance of Quyuanjie,

Xu Zaijing reined in his horse and looked at Rong Xian to the side, saying: "Xian Ge'er, come to my house for a cup of tea!"

Rong Xian shook his head and said: "I just came to find you on a whim, I won't go, I have things to do tonight."

Xu Zaijing smiled and cupped his hands: "Then, after my courtyard examination is over, I will invite Xian Ge'er to drink."

Rong Xian smiled and waved his horse whip: "You said it, I'll keep it in mind! Zhang Ge'er, let's go!"

Zaihang: "Take care!"

Watching Rong Xian ride away, Xu Zaijing and his elder brother steered their horses onto Quyuanjie.

By the roadside,

Seeing Zaihang and Xu Zaijing riding over,

Shu Bo and Chu Zhan managed to squeeze out a smile and cupped their hands toward the two brothers.

After the two brothers nodded in return, Zaihang said: "Looking at this, they all know about Father's matter!"

Xu Zaijing nodded.

The Marquis Yongyi's mansion,

The second gate,

Xu Zaijing dismounted, patted the neck of the little Li Ju, and then took Qingcao with his elder brother into the inner courtyard.

When they arrived at their mother's courtyard, they saw a respectable steward standing at the door.

"Youqing! Is the brother-in-law here?"

Gu Tingyu's personal attendant Youqing cupped his hands: "Greetings to the Zhang Zhang Sanlang and the Fifth Young Master! The Young Master is accompanying the Eldest Da Niangzi."

Hearing this, Xu Zaijing and his elder brother quickened their pace and entered the room.

"Sister, Brother-in-law!"

After they greeted them, they sat in the chairs.

Xu Zaijing said: "Sister, why didn't you bring my nephew and niece?"

"Your nephew and niece are at home accompanying their grandmother!" Pingmei said.

Gu Tingyu didn't speak, scrutinized the expressions of Xu Zaijing and Zaihang, looked at Sun Shi and Pingmei, and said: "Mother-in-law, Da Niangzi, I see that the two younger brothers seem to have already been comforted."

Sun Shi listened to her eldest son-in-law's words and looked at her two sons with questions.

Zaihang nodded and explained with a smile.

Gu Tingyu, who was to the side, said: "What the Emperor ultimately wants is to recover the lost territory; the Emperor won't care about some twists and turns!"

"Although we noble children have hereditary titles, it's better to have academic merit! These words, the Old Madam, our great-aunt, said them very correctly,"

Zaihang nodded.

Xu Zaijing frowned, looked at everyone in the hall, and said: "Brother-in-law! Just now when I looked at the main gate, our family's personal guards and old acquaintances all knew about this, so..."

As he spoke, Xu Zaijing stood up, looked at his mother, and said: "Should we send someone to the Fourth Sister's place to tell her too!"

Pingmei and Sun Shi looked at each other: "You only care about your sister, Mother and I and Anmei aren't your own family."

Xu Zaijing scratched his head embarrassedly and sat down again.

Gu Tingyu, who was sitting to the side, waited for Xu Zaijing to sit down and said in a deep voice:

"Actually, I also find it strange! Whether it was the opening of the border at Hehuang before, or the great battle between the Marquis Tuoxi and the Bai Gao Kingdom, news of battlefield victories or defeats has never spread as quickly as it has with Father-in-law!"

"Perhaps some people in the capital have some ideas!"

Sun Shi said: "Before when the Huyan family had trouble, there were people who wanted your father-in-law to return to the capital; the current situation is much the same!"

"Mother-in-law is right!"

Afterwards, Xu Zaijing and his elder brother asked for advice on reading, and then Gu Tingyu stood up, preparing to leave the Xu family with Pingmei.

Zaihang stood up and looked at his mother with some confusion, saying: "Brother-in-law, aren't you staying..."

Xu Zaijing pulled Zaihang's sleeve, Zaihang didn't finish the second half of his sentence, and Xu Zaijing leaned into Zaihang's ear and said: "Brother, the Ghost Festival is near, it's not good for Brother-in-law and Sister to go back too late!"

Zaihang made a sound of annoyance.

After leaving the hall, Gu Tingyu cupped his hands and said: "Mother-in-law, please stay, let Zaihang and Zaijing send me off."

Pingmei also persuaded Xie Shi and Hualan from the side.

Sun Shi nodded and sent them to the entrance of the courtyard.

On the way to the second gate,

The four walked side by side.

Gu Tingyu turned his head to look at his two brothers-in-law and said: "Tomorrow when you go to the Daoist academy, once the Lu family young master arrives, go directly to the Gu family in Xingguo Lane, and we will go together."

Pingmei, who was standing on the outside of Gu Tingyu, said: "Before you finished school, the Lu family sent someone to arrange to go together tomorrow."

This was also to tell those who saw it that the Duke of Lian's mansion didn't care about the Marquis Yongyi's matter.

At the main gate of the Xu mansion,

Watching the Gu family carriage drive away, Xu Zaijing and his elder brother waved their hands with a smile, then nodded to Chu Zhan, who was looking at them, and returned to the mansion.

Chu Zhan walked back under the canvas and said: "Grandpa Shu, I see the two young masters are fine!"

Shu Bo said: "Don't let any more guests in, we're closing the stall today!"

"So early?"

"Hmm!"

The fifteenth of the seventh month

Ghost Festival,

In the Xu family ancestral hall,

Before the forest-like spirit tablets,

On the offering table were three large bowls of vegetarian food symbolizing the family's harvest, asking the ancestors not to worry about the descendants not having enough to eat.

Like last year, Xu Zaijing knelt behind Zaihang, listening to Zaihang speaking in a low voice.

What was different was that this year, there was a small figure beside Xu Zaijing, also kneeling on the ground like Xu Zaijing; who else could it be but Lu Zezong.

After Zaihang finished speaking, he kowtowed to the many spirit tablets, and Xu Zaijing and Lu Zezong hurriedly followed with a kowtow.

Afterwards, the three stood up and walked out of the ancestral hall together.

After leaving the main gate of the Marquis mansion,

They boarded the flatbed carriage with Shu Bo, Chu Zhan, and others and rushed toward the Daoist academy they had visited last year.

On the way, they went to Xingguo Lane and joined the two Gu family brothers.

Entering the Daoist academy,

Everyone got off the carriage,

Seeing the huge wooden frame set up in the courtyard, although holding Xu Zaijing's hand, Lu Zezong still leaned toward Xu Zaijing's side.

Xu Zaijing squeezed Lu Zezong's hand slightly, and when he looked over, gave him an encouraging smile.

Just like last year, inside the wooden frame was a huge mountain of money prepared by the Ministry of Rites' Ancestral Temple Department.

What was different was that there were many Daoist priests from the academy around the wooden frame, and when they saw children approaching, they immediately waved their horsetail whisks to block the children outside.

The things that happened last year made one's scalp tingle just thinking about them.

People from various families around were busy placing all kinds of paper offerings on the huge wooden frame.

The offerings on the Xu family's side were about the same as last year, except for a few more paper-made swords, spears, and halberds.

Shu Bo looked around from time to time by the carriage, and when he met old acquaintances of the Marquis mansion, he would say a few words.

Sometimes when talking about old friends he had seen at this time last year but who were now separated by life and death, Shu Bo would also sigh heavily.

When about half of the offerings were placed, Zaihang said: "Little Five, don't just stay here, you and Zong Ge'er should also go to the Lu family's side to take a look!"

"Got it, Brother!"

After speaking, Xu Zaijing led Lu Zezong to the position where the Lu family placed their offerings.

Seeing Xu Zaijing and Lu Zezong come over, the Lu family steward hurriedly let the two place a few things symbolically, and then let them stand to the side.

Here at the Lu family, it was closer to the position where the Duke of Ying's Zhang family placed their offerings, and not far away was the Marquis of Zhongjing's Zheng family.

However, this year, at the places where the two families were visiting their offerings, there were none of the Zhang family's Zhang Zhang Sanlang, Fourth Young Master, or Zheng Xiao that Xu Zaijing was familiar with; only the stewards and old acquaintances of the two families were busy.

Lu Zezong beside Xu Zaijing noticed something, he raised his head and looked at Xu Zaijing and said: "Adoptive Brother, what are you looking at?"

Xu Zaijing lowered his head and smiled: "Nothing!"

Lu Zezong continued: "Adoptive Brother, why didn't I see so many people wearing white cloth strips on their heads last year?"

Xu Zaijing looked around, looked at the people wearing white cloth strips that his adoptive brother mentioned, and said in a low voice: "Zong Ge'er, those are the Bianjing children who died in battle in the northwest this year. This year is the first year, so the relatives have to wear white cloth strips."

Lu Zezong: "Oh! No wonder there are so many on the Marquis Tuoxi's side!"

Xu Zaijing sighed, not knowing how many families on the Marquis Tuoxi Cao family's side died because of protecting his brother-in-law.

Afterwards, Xu Zaijing continued to look around.

Just then, he locked eyes with a young man wearing white cloth who looked somewhat familiar; Xu Zaijing had excellent eyesight and could see that this person must have been crying just now.

Perhaps because his own things were finished, the young man saw Xu Zaijing and walked over.

Xu Zaijing also recognized this person; it was Wang Hou, Wang Chudao, whom he had met once at Pan Lou. His father, Wang Shao, led the opening of the Hehuang border and was currently leading Great Zhou generals to attack the Bai Gao Kingdom from the south in the Hehuang region.

Xu Zaijing introduced a few words to Lu Zezong in a low voice, and Lu Zezong let go of Xu Zaijing's hand.

Xu Zaijing cupped his hands: "Brother Chudao!"

Lu Zezong: "Big Brother Wang Hou!"

"Jing Ge'er! Zong Ge'er!"

After Wang Hou cupped his hands in return, he stood beside the two without speaking, continuing to watch the huge wooden frame gradually being piled full of all kinds of things.

"Big Brother Wang Hou, do you also have relatives who died in battle..."

Listening to Lu Zezong's voice, Wang Hou shook his head to signal Xu Zaijing, who was about to say something, that it was fine, and nodded to Lu Zezong: "Yes, a cousin who grew up with me, when attacking the city... sigh!"

After Wang Hou sighed, he looked at Xu Zaijing and said: "I heard about the Marquis Yongyi's matter, and chatting with Chaojie, Hesui, and the others, I actually feel that the Marquis Yongyi is drawing the snake out of its hole. Jing Ge'er, don't think too much, focusing on the courtyard examination is the real business!"

Xu Zaijing cupped his hands: "Yes, many thanks for the comfort, Brother Chudao."

Wang Hou patted Xu Zaijing's arm: "It's fine!"

The few were silent, continuing to watch the people around them placing things.

After another three quarters of an hour, there were many fewer people placing offerings around the frame.

Suddenly,

Xu Zaijing's gaze froze, focusing on a person who had finished placing things and was leaving from beside the offerings full of paper money, paper horses, and the like.

Sensing Xu Zaijing's gaze, the person took a look, walked over, and cupped his hands in a salute:

"Greetings, Fifth Young Master."

"Big Brother Gao, what is this?"

That person was Gao Yunqing, an Imperial Guard official who followed Zhao Meifeng.

Gao Yunqing sighed and lifted his chin toward a family of one big and two small people wearing white cloth at the edge of the crowd.

Xu Zaijing looked over; it should be a mother with a boy and a girl, two children, and the boy was holding...

Perhaps infected by the sorrowful atmosphere, Xu Zaijing took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and said: "Are they the families of the two Imperial Guard officials who were derelict in their duties when the Bai Gao Kingdom expert came to my house?"

Gao Yunqing: "Yes."

Xu Zaijing looked at the long saber with distinct Bai Gao Kingdom characteristics in the boy's hand and said: "How did they die?"

"When following Xu Hou to attack the Dengkou military fortress, they fought until they were exhausted after being the first to scale the walls."

"How many did they kill?"

"The military report says they personally slaughtered twelve."

Looking at Xu Zaijing's silent appearance, Gao Yunqing said: "Jing Ge'er, don't take this to heart! According to the rules of the department, Zhao Tou'er should have beheaded them on the day of their dereliction."

"Now with the merit of being the first to scale the wall and these twelve enemy heads, their family's life won't be bad."

Xu Zaijing nodded.

After Gao Yunqing finished speaking, he cupped his hands: "Fifth Young Master, I'm going over there."

"Hmm."

After another quarter of an hour,

A drum sounded,

The Daoist priests of the academy began to enter the frame to inspect.

After the Daoist priests all came out,

The huge mountain of money was ignited.

The raging fire spat tongues of flame, igniting the offerings around the mountain of money, and the huge firelight was reflected in Xu Zaijing's eyes.

A quarter of an hour later,

Lu Zezong tugged at Xu Zaijing's clothes: "Adoptive Brother, let's go!"

"Let's go!"

Time flew like a shuttle

It was already the eighth month,

Xu Zaijing walked out of the carriage,

Looking at the "Examination Hall" plaque on the main gate not far away, he exhaled nervously.

(End of chapter)