Chapter 49: Past Events and Keeping People [All kinds of requests for votes]

The second young lady of the Qin family had been looking for an opportunity to meet with Qingyun.

She had sought out the lover of a maid in her household, who was once a subordinate of that person in the Yin family, to investigate, but had gained nothing.

Hearing yesterday that the Xu family would be staying at Yuqing Temple for one night, the second young lady of the Qin family had come here with her own maid.

Qingyun, already a youth, was gradually growing up; the second young lady of the Qin family had only glanced at him from the carriage and felt he was extremely similar to that person in her memory.

Only then did she muster the courage to walk over.

"This young brother, do you still remember the Yin family?"

After turning around and seeing the appearance of the person speaking, Qingyun's face showed only a look of confusion. He bowed, cupped his hands in a salute, and lowered his head to ask in return:

"The Yin family?"

"Do you still remember your uncle?"

"This humble one has no uncle."

"Ah, then it was this concubine who was abrupt. Young brother, please do not take offense."

Qingyun stood up straight, watching the master and servant duo walk away, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Before entering the Hou Fu, Qingyun had suffered enough from the cold, heat, hunger, and thirst in this Bianjing; he naturally understood the principle that disaster comes from the mouth.

Especially since his uncle had been very strict with him over these years; once he had any thoughts or behaviors of getting close to others, he would be reprimanded by his uncle.

In recent years, the groom had made it clear to Qingyun that the ones who harmed their family were an existence that even the Yongyi Hou Fu at that time could not afford to provoke.

Even if Yongyi Marquis Xu Minghua now had real power in the Western Army, and the third young master of the household had shown his face before the Great Zhou Emperor,

those scions of the dragon were still not people they could provoke.

The incident caused by Wu Daniang's polo match previously was still being investigated by people outside, and some who borrowed the identity of Wu Daniang's servants had also entered the Hou Fu.

However, the groom's identity in the Xu family was that of a Zizhou clansman of the Xu family who had been injured in the chaotic army; his posture was such that even the old servants of the Yin family could not distinguish him, so naturally, no one suspected him.

Back then, the groom was also meticulous in his thinking; he had never revealed his horse-judging skills in front of others, his exquisite martial arts were known to few, and the family's horse trading was always done in his eldest brother's name.

Because Great Zhou only had one horse-raising ground in Lingzhou, horses were all supplied to the Great Zhou cavalry, and fine horses from the northern lands were extremely scarce.

And the Yin family, relying on the horse-trading business and the reputation of a noble family, was still able to get by in this Bianjing.

It was during the Yin family's most prosperous time that the groom met Xu Minghua, the nominal yet somewhat impoverished legitimate son of the Yongyi Marquis, at a gathering of nobles, and also met the eldest young master of the Dongchang Marquisate.

After several poetry gatherings and elegant assemblies, the second young lady of the Dongchang Marquisate and the groom became acquainted, and the eldest young master of the Qin family was happy to see it happen and did not block it.

Before the incident, the matter between the Yin family and the second young lady of the Qin family was tacitly approved by both families.

Later, the groom judged an unremarkable fine horse in the northern lands and raised it at home; he even showed it to the eldest young master of the Qin family, jokingly calling it his betrothal gift.

Unfortunately, one knows a person's face but not their heart.

The Yin family found a buyer they were satisfied with who offered a higher price, the Prince Yong Manor, and declined the offer from the Prince Jing Manor.

Although he acted meticulously and did not go directly to Prince Yong's fief, but instead took a detour through Haizhou, his tracks were still hidden, and he was ambushed.

If it weren't for the fact that the groom's display of martial arts was mostly for fitness in the garden, he likely wouldn't have been able to withstand the attacks of those fierce assassins; he was also accustomed to swapping identities with his own pages and servants.

Only then did he escape this fatal disaster.

Afterward, the groom was busy avoiding pursuit and could not return to Bianjing; he could only go north after his wounds healed. After much bumping and wandering, he happened to reunite with Xu Minghua by chance, had his life saved, and entered the Marquisate.

Back then, the eldest young master of the Qin family said the groom had encountered the Northern Liao cavalry and been abducted to Northern Liao, saying he had a way to save him, but it required silver.

Because of the Qin family's deception, the Yin family spent money to save the groom, but the silver was thrown into a bottomless pit!

The groom's eldest brother loved his younger brother very much and naturally did not hesitate to exhaust the family fortune.

Unfortunately, it ended in the Yin family's downfall and the destruction of the family, with collateral clansmen being exiled, leaving only Qingyun to drift in Bianjing.

After the groom returned to the capital, he thought it over; it was likely that the Qin family and Prince Jing had colluded in this matter, because the younger sister of the wife the eldest young master of the Qin family later married was a secondary consort of Prince Jing.

Thinking about it, the groom was truly just a piece of fat meat in the eyes of others back then.

Xu Zaijing also knew this; the groom did not avoid Xu Zaijing when telling Qingyun these things.

He believed that such a self-disciplined apprentice who was willing to endure hardship would not be someone who was talkative and unable to keep secrets.

It could also be considered giving him a lesson.

The listener Xu Zaijing thought to himself at the time: "My master, this is the tribulation of the Women's Kingdom; he didn't make it through."

The Xu family members walked out of Yuqing Temple.

Except for Xu Zaijing, everyone else's faces were already full of exhaustion.

Qingyun was at this time parking the carriage at the entrance with the servants of the household.

Everyone boarded the carriage, and Qingyun rode his horse to Xu Zaijing's side, whispering: "Just now, the Qin family came looking, asking me if I remembered the Yin family."

"Don't bother with them; who knows what kind of black-hearted schemes they have again."

The Xu family motorcade left Yuqing Temple and set off on the return journey.

On this stretch of road before entering the city, wealthy young masters would occasionally gallop by on horses, whistling as they came.

Unanimously, they would all be attracted by the fine horse Xu Zaijing was sitting on.

However, very few people provoked Xu Zaijing, because many of the youths saw the large cloak that Xu Zaijing had put back on his body.

One must know that even the Empress was extremely fond of this cloak.

A purple lambskin cloak was very rare in Bianjing; such attire was not something they could afford to provoke.

A few days after returning to Bianjing.

The news of the Yongyi Hou Fu Xu family visiting the Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries of Bianjing for two days had spread.

The reason was still that the publicity of the Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries had become the content of gossip among the inner-chamber ladies in the capital.

After all, the contrast between the previous downfall of the Yongyi Hou Fu and the current lavish spending of gold and silver was quite obvious.

Xu Zaijing finished his studies and came to Sun Shi's courtyard with his brothers.

Following behind was a small maid named Qingcao.

The three brothers saw Wu Daniang sitting in the seat of honor with their mother and bowed to pay their respects and greet her.

"Daniang, greetings."

The maid beside Wu Daniang returned the salute.

"Oh, good children, no need for so many formalities. Sister, these three children of yours look truly good."

Xu Zaiduan stood up and looked beside his mother, asking curiously:

"Little sister, where is your elder sister?"

"Brother, elder sister is shy and has returned to her own courtyard."

"Ah?"

"Someone has taken a fancy to your elder sister."

Wu Daniang said with a smile.

The eldest, Xu Zaiduan, had already had his marriage arranged, with the wedding date set for after the new year.

As the second of the Xu family, Xu Pingmei's marriage could also begin.

In these two years, the Xu family had already shown signs of improvement, slowly becoming worthy of their name.

The eldest, Zaiduan's wife, came from the Xie family, considered a collateral branch of the Xie family among the old Wang and Xie families, with deep foundations in Jiangnan and many in-laws.

There were also those in the clan who were in business; marrying into the Xu family could be considered marrying up, after all, Xu Zaiduan was to inherit the Yongyi Hou title in the future.

Marriages were always the command of parents and the arrangement of matchmakers; as younger siblings, it was not easy to listen to more.

After finishing the formalities, they exited Sun Shi's room.

Qingcao also wanted to leave with her young master, but was ordered to stay in the room to serve.

Wu Daniang looked at Qingcao standing at the door; she already knew that this was the young girl Xu Zaijing had newly selected.

She secretly praised Xu Zaijing for being clever in her heart, and then Wu Daniang smiled slightly in her eyes, raising her voice a little to speak about those families interested in marriage.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 50 =====