[{"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-4":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},2307782,4510,"Chapter 4: At the Gift-Giving Ceremony of Sheng Wei","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-4",4,"\u003Cp>Bianjing, Jiying Alley,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Sheng Wei managed his business in Bianjing, he stayed temporarily in the courtyard of his second uncle, the Probing Blossom Scholar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped into a carriage, where a boy of four or five sat inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu’er, do you know where Father is going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is Father going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Wei smiled and said, “It’s to visit a Senior Brother from the Sun family. When you get there, be sweet-tongued, understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, Wu’er understands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Wei looked at his son and recalled the trouble he’d recently faced in Bianjing—his warehouse had been sealed after someone lodged a complaint with Kaifeng Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merchants ranked low in the scholar-farmer-artisan-merchant hierarchy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the whole affair was extortion, and the opponent had ties to the bureaucracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Wei appealed to a fellow official of his cousin Sheng Hong, but the man was low-ranking and powerless; the opponent refused to back down. He also sought help from his Probing Blossom Scholar uncle’s acquaintance, but the rival had connections to a favored Imperial Consort, so even that connection dared not intervene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the Sheng family prepared to withdraw from Bianjing and pay compensation, the opponent dropped the lawsuit and the authorities unsealed the warehouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having been in business for years, Sheng Wei knew someone had intervened on his behalf—he didn’t know who, or whether it was intentional or accidental.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not showing gratitude would offend someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After spending considerable silver and consulting clerks at Kaifeng Prefecture, he learned it was Cao’s Third Elder who had arranged it through an old acquaintance of the Sun family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cao family was the Empress’s natal house and held influence in the northwest military, with deep roots in Bianjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Wei’s warehouse goods were of superior quality and had been purchased by the Cao family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he had failed to deliver on time this month, the Cao family inquired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon investigation, the Cao family learned the rival’s backer was tied to a favored Imperial Consort who had tensions with Empress Cao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, a Sun family official overseeing commercial taxes intervened and settled the matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cao family’s favor could not be thanked with mere words; a merchant dared not show up uninvited, so Sheng Wei prepared a substantial gift to express his gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Sun family’s first contact—he came from a military background, so the barrier was low, and they had done him such a great favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, leveraging Sheng Hong’s status, he would pay a proper visit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the estate, the Sun family did not ignore him; the head of the household received him briefly before retreating to the inner quarters, leaving an elderly steward to accompany him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Wei chatted with the old steward and forged a connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Wei knew his wife’s nominal natal family was precisely the Sun family’s daughter’s in-law household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After wine and food were finished, he departed the Sun estate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>until the day of Xu Zaijing’s first-birthday ceremony arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many guests came, but none compared to the former Hou Fu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Da Niangzi of Yongchang Marquis House, whose own natal family was adopted-in, had much to discuss with Sun Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, she was at the second gate of the house, helping Sun Shi greet guests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi’s natal family, Xu Zaijing’s maternal kin, had many descendants; Sun Shi alone had six sisters-in-law, mostly daughters of low-rank military officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all came together to celebrate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh my, you’ve all come again to mooch off us!” Wu Da Niangzi laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, we’re back—and later we’ll go to your place and stuff ourselves silly,” Sun Shi’s eldest sister-in-law replied with a grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, when Sun Shi’s two sons and two daughters had their first birthdays, everyone had already become familiar and often exchanged jokes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi also had an older sister married to a low-rank civil official, who came with the sisters-in-law and smiled warmly at her younger sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Niangzi, Bai Da Niangzi of Ningyuan Marquis House has arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrival of Bai Da Niangzi of Ningyuan Marquis House startled the group of sisters-in-law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were startled first because Yongyi Marquis House had declined, with no outstanding young men in the family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, Ningyuan Marquis was a powerful noble of Da Zhou, so Bai Da Niangzi’s status had risen beyond their social circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was still a hierarchy-bound circle among the noble houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Gu family descended from founding nobles of the dynasty, with deep roots in the military; though the Sun family was close to the Cao family, they rarely had access to the traditional noble circles like the Duke of Ying, Ningyuan Marquis House, or Duke of Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent years, the above noble houses had merely exchanged courtesies with Yongyi Marquis House.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Bai Da Niangzi arrive, everyone quickly stepped aside, standing respectfully at the gate, for Gu Hou’s status was too high—the military strictly observed rank and hierarchy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Da Niangzi saw Wu Da Niangzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Da Niangzi said, “Da Niangzi, these six are the sisters-in-law of Sister Sun; this one is Da Niangzi from the Fang family, her elder sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We greet Da Niangzi,” they all bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Da Niangzi nodded in acknowledgment; her attendants, including Chang Mama, returned the greetings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering the inner courtyard, Bai Da Niangzi apologized to Sun Shi:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, I fear I’ve overstepped and stolen the spotlight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi hurried to reply, “Da Niangzi, don’t speak so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After pleasantries, everyone entered the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi’s personal maid, Xiao Zhu, followed behind her mistress greeting guests and whispered in surprise to Xiao Dan: “Bai family’s Da Niangzi’s robe color is similar to our Da Niangzi’s!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Dan nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guests in the courtyard listened to opera and chatted about gossip from the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the capital’s high-ranking noblewomen’s circle, Bai Da Niangzi had always been looked down upon due to her origins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Xu household, such treatment didn’t exist—none of the high-ranking duchesses had come in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Bai Da Niangzi’s status was the highest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone flattered her, which greatly comforted her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The low-rank military wives’ idle chatter included wild guesses about capital gossip; Bai Da Niangzi, from her former circle, had heard plenty and selected some trivial tidbits to share with the ladies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharing secrets and satisfying curiosity greatly helped draw people closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ladies, in turn, told amusing tales from the marketplace, and the courtyard buzzed with lively chatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Mama, seeing her mistress’s smiling face, felt pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they talked, the conversation turned to the first-birthday gifts presented to Xu’s infant son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Niangzi’s gift to Xu’s Jing Ge’er—a set of eighteen miniature weapons carved from top-grade Hetian jade, plus a jade writing set—just by appearance, it couldn’t cost less than several hundred taels,” Wu Da Niangzi said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yongchang Marquis House was a famously wealthy household in Bianjing; Wu Da Niangzi naturally had broad horizons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, the female guests watching the opera, mostly with only casual ties, overheard this—some were astonished, some muttered jealously, some whispered about merchants, others stared with glittering eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the courtyard, Sun Shi beamed—this generous gift had brought her great face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Sun Shi called her children forward to meet the guests and bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her four grown children step forward to greet the visitors, everyone naturally offered praise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four siblings received many gifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guests with children of marriageable age formed impressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of Sun Shi’s six sisters-in-law said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today, the two girls show proper manners and refined speech—they’ve truly improved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi naturally praised Fan Da Niangzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the banquet began, the day’s main guest, Xu Zaijing, was carried out by his wet nurse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female guests adored the cherubic Xu Zaijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi’s eldest sister-in-law looked at her nephew in her arms and said, “When Duan Ge’er and Zhang Ge’er had their first birthdays, I remember they cried terribly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, but their voices were loud,” Wu Da Niangzi laughed loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there are typos, please point them out promptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you’d like to see certain plotlines, feel free to comment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More stories derived from the original and storyline will follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So readers who wish to cameo, please leave a comment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So readers who want to make a cameo can leave a comment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hehehe, mwah\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1374,"2026-06-20T10:32:38.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4e97431d649dfd23811997189e324e1ae343d9ce058cdec8cb4cff8f12c4e899","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-5","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-3",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]