Chapter 491: Chai Madam wants a child??

The last quarter of the Si hour (11:00 AM).

Pan Lou Main Street was already lively,

and today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, so the street was full of people.

There were especially many people outside a wooden building on the street,

and under the plaque of "Four Treasures Studio," people were surrounded by three layers inside and three layers outside.

The onlookers were chattering,

"Why can't we go in?"

"Are things still sold at a 90% discount?"

"Move aside, what are you doing here if you don't read or write!"

"Buying this and reselling it can make money!"

At this time,

a middle-aged man dressed as a manager shouted at the shop door: "Everyone, everything in the shop has been sold out! Everyone disperse! Disperse!"

"Ah?"

"Came too late!"

"How come it's so fast!"

Looking at the few people who had just walked out of the shop, the surrounding commoners expressed their disappointment one after another.

"Disperse! Disperse!"

The shop manager continued to cup his hands.

After the crowd gradually dispersed,

the manager turned and walked in.

"Sigh!"

Looking at the empty shop, the manager sighed and waved his hand: "Close the shop!"

The few people who had just walked out hadn't gone far when an idler stepped forward and cupped his hands: "Do you want to sell the things in your hands?"

The few well-dressed people were full of things they had bought and shook their heads.

Not far from the Four Treasures Studio,

on the third floor of Pan Lou,

on the outer corridor outside the private room,

a few young men who looked like children of officials were talking about this excitement.

One of them looked puzzled and said: "I heard that it's the Chai family's shop. I know the Chai family brothers, they don't take the imperial examination, so what is this Chai family shop celebrating?!"

After speaking, he looked at the others: "Do you older brothers know?"

Hearing this, everyone on the outer corridor cast their eyes on one person.

"Brother Wu, your aunt is Madam Wu, you must know!"

One person said flatteringly.

The young man called Brother Wu closed his paper fan and tapped it on his hand. A smile appeared on his face, which was a bit similar to Liang Han's, and he pointed at the flatterer: "Hahaha! Brother Lu, actually I know a little bit!"

This "Brother Wu" was the cousin of Liang Han's uncle who worked in the Ministry of Revenue;

"Brother Lu" was the son of the official Lu Xingjun of the Censorate.

Watching the excitement on the street dissipate, "Brother Lu" gestured for everyone to return to the private room while smiling: "Brother Wu, tell us?"

As they spoke,

everyone returned to the private room and took their seats.

Liang Han's cousin smiled and said: "You all came to the capital not long ago, so you don't know. The late wife of the old Marquis of Xiangyang and the mother of Princess Pingning came from the Chai family! She is the aunt of the current head of the Chai family! Before, when the Chai family came to Bianjing to hold a banquet, it was at the Duke of Qi's mansion!"

"Oh..."

The people in the private room suddenly realized and nodded one after another.

"I heard that Qi Heng, the young duke of the Duke of Qi's mansion, passed the provincial examination at a young age. Is this a celebration for that?"

Someone spoke up.

Liang Han's cousin nodded with an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Brother Wu, for solving our confusion!"

Everyone raised their wine glasses one after another.

The group drank their wine and ate food.

"Young Master, we are back!"

At the door of the private room,

a few servants holding many stationery supplies said.

"Quick, bring them for me to see."

Liang Han's cousin said with a smile.

Soon,

the servants sent over the wolf-hair brushes packed in long wooden boxes.

"Hiss! Brother Wu, this is the best green-silk sandalwood wolf-hair brush! Was it really bought at a 90% discount?"

The last sentence was addressed to the Wu family servant.

"Replying to Young Master Lu, yes! When we bought it, we saw that the shop manager was heartbroken!"

"Hahahaha! This brush is worth more than ninety taels on weekdays, but now it can be bought for less than ten taels. Can the manager not be heartbroken?"

Wolf-hair brushes are not made of wolf hair, but of the hair on the tail of a weasel, which is hard and elastic.

The great calligraphers in history mostly used this kind of brush.

In the Four Treasures Studio under Chai Zhengzheng's name,

this kind of brush used valuable materials, and even at a 90% discount, it was nearly ten taels of silver,

while ordinary brushes cost no more than two or three hundred wen, so even if this kind of brush was sold at a 90% discount, it wasn't something ordinary families could buy. If you really bought one, you would make a fortune!

As they spoke,

the people in the private room looked at the many good things their servants had bought outside the screen, and the smiles on their faces grew even wider.

After everyone appreciated the good ink, paper, and brushes they had bought, Liang Han's cousin sighed:

"Alas, my family didn't invite such a good teacher as Scholar Zhuang, otherwise I would definitely have passed the provincial examination earlier!"

Hearing this,

everyone in the private room nodded.

The six students of the Sheng family school all participated in the provincial examination for the first time, and all of them passed, which was rare in Bianjing.

"Brother Wu, do you know how the Sheng family invited such a famous teacher as Scholar Zhuang?"

Xingguo Lane,

Ningyuan Hou Fu,

Front courtyard,

servants were sweeping up the firecracker fragments in the courtyard, and some were checking the silver in the red envelopes rewarded by the master.

In the hall of the backyard,

Bai Shi stood by the table with a smile, taking the serving trays handed over by Pingmei and Chang Mama and placing them on the table.

"Mother, let me do it!"

Pingmei said with a smile.

Bai Shi shook her head with a smile: "I remember when I was a girl in my maiden home, whenever there was a happy event, Mother would arrange the dishes herself. I'm happy today..."

Chang Mama beside Bai Shi nodded in affirmation with a smile.

Pingmei also nodded and took the other dishes brought by the maid.

"Mother, I'll do it too!"

Tingyi smiled and took the dishes from Pingmei's hand.

Bai Shi smiled, turned her head to look at the door and said: "Why hasn't the Marquis come back yet?"

Before the words fell,

Gu Yankai walked in with the smell of incense, followed by Gu Tingye, who had a look of pride and couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth.

Everyone in the hall curtsied one after another.

Gu Yankai sat at the table with a grand air and said: "Are the Fourth and Fifth branches not coming over?"

Bai Shi continued to serve the dishes, her smiling expression unchanged, and nodded: "Yes! They said they would gather together in the evening!"

Gu Yankai nodded.

Pingmei and Tingyi exchanged a look and looked at Bai Shi with admiration.

Gu Yankai looked at Gu Tingye, raised his chin, and said: "Everyone sit down! Madam, sit down too!"

Everyone took their seats.

Tingyi, sitting below Pingmei, looked

"Mm! Give it to him!"

Gu Tingye took the envelope from Gu Tingyi's hand and looked at his younger sister in confusion: 'How could it be so fast?'

"Pei Erge, Eldest Brother left this before he went to his post," Gu Tingyi said with a smile.

"Eldest Brother... he... did he think I could pass the provincial examination from the very beginning?"

Gu Tingye put away his smile, glanced at his sister-in-law Pingmei, and asked hesitantly.

Pingmei nodded with a smile, confirming it.

Gu Tingye lowered his head and hurriedly tore open the letter.

After sitting down, Gu Tingyi saw that her Pei Erge wasn't paying attention to her, so she looked at Pingmei with some nervousness. Pingmei leaned into Gu Tingyi's ear and said in an extremely low voice, "Don't worry, the other letter for if you didn't pass has already been burned."

Gu Tingyi nodded happily again and again.

Bai Shi helped Gu Yankai pour wine. Seeing Gu Tingye's wide eyes and gradually solemn expression as he read the letter, she asked with concern, "Ye'er, what's the matter?"

Gu Tingye solemnly tucked the envelope into his chest and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing, Mother!"

Gu Yankai, who was to the side, said, "Finished reading?"

Gu Tingye nodded.

Gu Yankai kept a straight face and raised his wine cup.

Bai Shi walked to Gu Tingye's side, poured a full cup of wine for him as well, and said with a smile, "Have a drink with your father."

Gu Tingye then stood up and raised his wine cup.

Gu Yankai said, "Passing the provincial examination is only the first step! There is still the metropolitan examination and the palace examination ahead! You must not become arrogant or slack off!"

"Yes, Father!"

"In the future, I will be busy with military affairs in the north, and your elder brother is in the northwest; the Gu family will need you to hold it up. Do not let your father or your elder brother down."

As he spoke, Gu Yankai moved his wine cup toward Gu Tingye, and the father and son drank a cup together.

"Brother, I'll toast you too!"

Gu Tingyi said with a smile, raising her cup.

At the Qi Duke's Prefecture,

in the back courtyard,

the courtyard was filled with gift boxes.

At the banquet in the room,

the person sitting in the seat of honor was not the Qi Duke, but the smiling Marquis Xiangyang.

On one side of the Marquis Xiangyang was the Qi Duke, and on the other was Qi Heng; Princess Pingning sat only below Qi Heng.

"Heng-ge'er! Good lad! You are much better than that youngest one of the Xu family today! Come, keep this old man company for another drink!"

Marquis Xiangyang said, holding up his wine cup.

Qi Heng hurriedly moved his sweet wine cup over: "Grandfather, how could your grandson compare to Jing-ge'er? He is the top-ranked scholar!"

After finishing his cup, Marquis Xiangyang looked at the Qi Duke and said, "Worthy son-in-law, you have seen the essay of the Xu family's youngest; how is the essay? Is he worthy of this first place?"

The Qi Duke nodded and said, "Father-in-law, Jing-ge'er's essay is magnificent. All the officials who graded the papers praised it, and it is on par with the second-place Sheng family's eldest son. He is certainly worthy of first place!"

Qi Heng pursed his lips in envy and did not drink the wine in his cup.

"Heng-ge'er, drink! This old man says you are better than him, and this old man naturally has his reasons," Marquis Xiangyang said.

After Qi Heng finished his wine, Marquis Xiangyang looked at the Qi Duke with a smile and said, "Our Heng-ge'er passed the provincial examination at such a young age, while the Xu family's youngest isn't even a government student at this age!"

The Qi Duke and Princess Pingning looked at Qi Heng with admiration. The Qi Duke even smiled and patted Qi Heng on the shoulder, saying, "Father-in-law... is right."

Princess Pingning picked up a piece of food for Qi Heng and said, "Heng'er, you must work twice as hard in the future and pass the imperial examination in one go!"

Qi Heng looked at the expectant eyes of the three elders and nodded heavily.

At the Marquis Yongyi's Prefecture,

in the ancestral hall,

the incense sticks in the burner sent up curling wisps of blue smoke,

and paper money and yellow spirit paper burned in the brazier before the altar.

Marquis Yongyi Xu Minghua knelt on a prayer mat, his face full of joy as he said in a low voice:

"Ancestors, Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, Mother! Our youngest son Zaijing has placed first in this year's provincial examination; our third son Zaizhang has placed fiftieth..."

Following Xu Minghua's low-voiced words,

the yellow spirit paper and paper money in the brazier before him burned fiercely, and the gray-black paper ash drifted into mid-air, floating above the forest of spirit tablets, with some swirling around Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang.

"Ancestors, please bless us. We hope that in the upcoming metropolitan examination, both children can..."

After speaking, Xu Minghua bowed solemnly before the forest of tablets, and Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang hurriedly followed suit.

After Xu Minghua stood up, he looked at the ancestral hall of the Marquis Yongyi's Prefecture with deep emotion.

Facing the ancestral tablets, Xu Minghua felt quite proud of himself!

When he is buried in the future, in the ethereal void, if he could speak with his ancestors, he could also pat his chest and laughingly boast of his own achievements:

'The gradual rise of the somewhat declining Marquis Prefecture has his contribution! Since the Xu family was enfeoffed as marquises, the top scholar of the provincial examination is his son. In the future...'

"Let's go."

Xu Minghua said.

Afterward, the three father and sons turned and walked to the doorway, each lifting the hem of their robes to step over the threshold and walk out.

The ancestral hall became quiet,

a breeze blew through,

and the candle before the tablet inscribed with 'Grandfather's Honorific' in the forest of tablets popped with a lamp-flower that was not obvious in the daylight.

Returning to the back courtyard,

the banquet had already been set.

Sun Shi, with a face full of joy, greeted everyone to take their seats,

and seeing Xu Zaijing's personal maids Qingcao and Yunxiang standing to the side, Sun Shi waved her hand toward the back.

Mama Zhu held a tray and walked toward the three somewhat bewildered maids with a smile.

"You have worked hard these days accompanying your young master to exercise and attend school! Qingcao has been with him longer, so her purse will be larger; for you two, it will be smaller!"

Mama Zhu, holding the tray, smiled and said, "Don't just stand there, take them!"

After Qingcao saw Xu Zaijing at the table nodding at them with a smile, she bowed to Sun Shi: "Thank you, Madam, for the reward!"

After taking the purses and feeling the weight inside, Qingcao, Yunxiang, and Huaxiang exchanged surprised glances.

Afterward, Sun Shi also rewarded Cuichan and the others who were by Hualan's side.

Not long after the banquet began,

a maid walked into the hall, bowed to everyone, and said, "Madam, several relatives have sent gifts over."

Sun Shi stood up, looked at everyone, and said with a smile to Xu Minghua, "It seems we cannot avoid inviting our relatives for a meal." Xu Minghua nodded with a smile.

"Mother, you rest! I will go take a look!" Hualan stood up and said with a smile.

Sun Shi nodded with a smile and said, "Good! Don't forget, let Zaizhang accompany you back to the Sheng family this afternoon."

Hualan bowed with a smile: "Yes, Mother."

After speaking, Hualan took her maids and walked out.

After Hualan rewarded the various stewards and servants who had delivered the gifts and returned, she gave the gift list to Sun Shi and leaned into Sun Shi's ear to say a few words.

After speaking,

Hualan returned to her seat.

Zaizhang looked curiously at Sun Shi and Hualan and said, "Mother, what is so mysterious?"

Xu Minghua also looked at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law inquiringly.

Sun Shi smiled, glanced at Hualan, and said, "It is that the Qiao family has sent a cart of sea bream, which is rare in the capital!"

After speaking, Sun Shi also glanced at Xu Zaijing.

Zaizhang said, "Oh! One live fish like this must cost more than ten strings of cash! Is it because of Qiao Jiulang before..."

Sun Shi nodded with a smile.

This interlude ended, and after the meal, they had a digestive drink.

After the children and daughters-in-law left, Xu Minghua and Sun Shi sat in the hall.

"What did Hualan say to you just now? And you were winking at Hualan?" Xu Minghua asked in confusion.

Sun Shi didn't speak, but waved her hand at Mama Zhu.

This action made Xu Minghua even more baffled.

After the hall was cleared,

Sun Shi said in a low voice, "The Chai family and the Rong family have both sent congratulatory gifts."

"Mm! It's just courtesy; why are you being so mysterious?"

Sun Shi pursed her lips helplessly, pulled the gift list from her sleeve, and slapped it into Xu Minghua's hand, saying, "See for yourself."

After Xu Minghua saw the details on the gift list, he raised his head in confusion and said, "Hiss! These gifts are too heavy. Could it be... Madam Chai heard of Jing-er's extraordinary nature and wants to have another child?"

Sun Shi angrily snatched the gift list from Xu Minghua's hand: "My lord, what are you thinking! Talking nonsense!"

"What Madam Chai wants is not a child, but a son-in-law!"

Xu Minghua had a sudden realization, raised his eyebrows with some pride, and asked tentatively, "Then the Rong family?"

Sun Shi rolled her eyes at Xu Minghua: "Mm!"

Xu Minghua's mouth curled upward: "Tsk tsk tsk! I have seen the children of both families! Our son is truly!"

(End of chapter)