Chapter 572

Winter morning,

Marquis of Yongyi's mansion.

Near the horse racing track in the outer courtyard, lanterns were lit in the stables, and there were faint sounds of horses chewing night grass and snorting.

Because it was the second day of the New Year,

the moon would not rise until the exact hour of Mao (6:00 AM), so there were only scattered stars in the night sky.

Without the moonlight, the morning light was somewhat dim.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo~"

I don't know whose rooster was crowing nearby; the sound traveled into the courtyard, making the inside and outside of the Marquis's mansion even quieter.

"Woof woof~"

There was another sound of barking from far away, but the large dog lying beside the wooden house in the Xu family didn't even lift its head.

The sound of footsteps came,

and Alan, who had finished feeding the horses and was wearing an old padded jacket, walked out of the stables while yawning.

When he arrived near the wooden house where he lived,

"Hmm?"

The two large dogs lying on the ground suddenly lifted their heads and looked toward the passageway leading to the inner courtyard not far away.

Alan followed the dogs' gaze and saw a lantern swaying and walking over in the darkness.

After bowing and cupping his hands toward the lantern, Alan pushed open the door of the house and walked in.

As the lantern not far away gradually approached, the two large dogs at the door stood up, their tails wagging like palm-leaf fans.

Soon,

the master and servant beside the lantern entered the wooden house.

When Xu Zaijing began to warm up, Huaxiang placed the bones wrapped in cloth into the food basins of the two large dogs at the door of the wooden house.

Immediately, the sound of dogs biting bones arose.

Rustle, rustle,

a burst of footsteps came,

and by the light of the lantern under the eaves of the wooden house, one could vaguely see that it was the personal guards of the Marquis's mansion living in the side rooms not far away.

"Greetings, Fifth Young Master."

Looking at Xu Zaijing, who was stretching his legs to warm up, the personal guards all cupped their hands in salute.

"Hmm, what are you practicing this morning?"

"Replying to Fifth Young Master, running together while wearing armor."

"Oh?"

Xu Zaijing stood up straight, looked at the personal guards in front of him who had wrapped their leather armor together with waistbands and carried them on their backs, and said: "Warm up, I'll join you!"

"Yes, Fifth Young Master!"

Hearing Xu Zaijing's words, the personal guards of the Marquis's mansion cupped their hands in response, and their faces all showed expressions of eagerness.

Those who could be chosen as Xu Minghua's personal guards were all elite soldiers who excelled in the army and had practiced martial arts since childhood; elite soldiers are naturally proud and unwilling to admit defeat.

Although they had seen Xu Zaijing's horsemanship and archery before, most of them still wanted to compete with Xu Zaijing.

Regardless of winning or losing, at least they could know how big the gap was between themselves and this Fifth Young Master with outstanding merits.

During the time they were talking,

Qingyun also walked over from the direction of the main gate. After hearing Xu Zaijing's words, he moved the armor of the two of them out of the wooden house.

While Qingyun was squatting to organize the armor, Xu Zaijing helped while asking the personal guards: "When you run together, what is your breathing method like?"

The personal guards who were warming up exchanged glances, and someone said: "Fifth Young Master, we'll follow yours!"

Qingyun smiled and shook his head: "If you follow the Young Master's breathing method, I'm afraid you won't be very used to it; it's better to follow your own!"

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded: "Qingyun is right."

Although the personal guards were somewhat unconvinced, they still stated how many steps they took to inhale and how many steps to exhale.

Carrying the tied armor on his back, Xu Zaijing said: "Good, form the team! Let's start."

"Yes!"

Subsequently,

the group lined up and began to run around the horse racing track.

After running a few dozen steps, the rhythm of breathing and pacing of Xu Zaijing, Qingyun, and all the personal guards began to become consistent.

With so many people inhaling, exhaling, and stepping together, the commotion was quite significant.

Whenever the group exhaled, a patch of white mist would float above the team.

As they ran, the morning moon rose.

In the team of personal guards running with Xu Zaijing, there were already people whose breathing rhythm had become disordered, and the expressions on their faces were also somewhat ugly.

"It's just exercise today, don't hurt your own bodies."

Xu Zaijing, whose forehead was slightly sweating, said in a clear voice.

Soon, there were personal guards who couldn't hold on, left the queue, slowed their pace to run for a while, and then stood on their knees, breathing heavily in great pain.

Subsequently,

the sun rose, and the sky was already bright.

From the beginning, the rhythm and speed of Xu Zaijing and Qingyun's steps had hardly changed.

But at this time, the number of personal guards who could keep up with their rhythm and speed was already less than six.

"You, Young Master! We, we can't run anymore."

The sweating personal guards shouted panting on the side.

"Good! Let's rest."

Xu Zaijing said with a calm breath, gradually slowing down.

Standing on their knees and breathing heavily the cold morning air, the personal guards of the Marquis's mansion exchanged glances.

Running like this in the army, the personal guards were usually the ones who exhausted their comrades.

Xu Zaijing's current appearance of slightly panting and looking relaxed was what they looked like in the army.

But they didn't expect that there would always be someone stronger; let alone Xu Zaijing, even Qingyun and the others couldn't hold on, and they were truly run into submission.

Huaxiang walked out of the wooden house and handed the warm water gourd to Xu Zaijing.

After Xu Zaijing rinsed his mouth, he said: "At noon, have the kitchen add a few hearty dishes for the personal guards; the money will come from me."

"Yes, Young Master." Huaxiang responded with a smile.

"Many thanks, Fifth Young Master."

Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded.

After a run, Xu Zaijing was also full of joy, played wrestling with the personal guards for a while, and then returned to his courtyard covered in dust.

After washing up and having breakfast, the mansion began to get busy.

In the morning, Alan and Xunshu accompanied Chu Zhan to ride horses outside the city to participate in the horse racing organized by Liang Han every second day of the New Year.

Whether they could run first or not was secondary; the main thing was to fill the numbers for Liang Han.

There were also maidservants and nannies busy moving things out of the Marquis's mansion warehouse and loading them onto the flatbed carts of the mansion, so that Xie Shi and Hualan could take them when they returned to their maiden homes.

Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang even ordered people early on to move the toys and gifts they had prepared to Sun Shi's courtyard.

Just past the hour of Chen (after 9:00 AM),

a precious carriage drove into Quyuan Street.

The gatekeeper of the Xu family took a look from afar and hurriedly let the servant enter the mansion to report.

When Pingmei brought her children out of the carriage, her relatives from her maiden home were all waiting at the second gate.

Before she even got off the carriage, Sun Shi walked to the side of the carriage: "Xing Ge'er, Yan Jie'er, come, Grandmother will hold you."

Before Pingmei could speak, Gu Shixing smiled and opened his arms: "Grandmother."

Seeing his brother call someone, Yan Jie'er also followed and called out in a crisp voice.

"Sigh!"

Sun Shi responded, holding the two children in her arms.

After Pingmei got off the carriage, she performed a curtsy toward everyone: "Father, Mother."

"Sister."

Xu Zaijing and Zaizhang called out with a smile.

After Pingmei nodded with a smile, she looked to the side: "Sister-in-law, Hualan, you two look really beautiful today!"

Xie Shi and Hualan couldn't help but laugh.

"Yu Yu Dagu."

Xu Xingdai looked at Gu Shixing in Sun Shi's arms and shouted loudly.

Xu Xingzhong and Yi Jie'er in Xu Minghua's arms also followed and called out.

"Sigh! Truly my good nephew and good niece!" After Pingmei finished praising the children, she said: "Hasn't Anmei come yet?"

Before the words fell,

Hualan looked toward the main gate and smiled: "She's here."

Pingmei turned her head to look and saw the carriage of the Huyan family also enter the main gate.

The Gu family's carriage left the second gate and headed toward the horse racing track, and the Huyan family's carriage drove over.

Soon, Anmei, holding her son, got off the carriage with a smile.

Xu Zaijing took the child from his mother Sun Shi's arms with a keen eye.

Sun Shi looked at her youngest son with approval, went up to meet them, and picked up her little grandson.

Subsequently, Xu Zaijing, with Gu Shixing sitting on his shoulder holding his head tightly, and holding Yan Jie'er and Xu Xingzhong in his arms, walked toward the inner courtyard "covered in children."

All the way, there was the sound of Gu Shixing's "Hahahaha" laughter.

Anmei, who was following behind, looked at her son in Sun Shi's arms: "Bi'er, when you get older, I'll let your Little Uncle carry you too!"

Huyan Bi didn't speak, but his eyes, which were very similar to Anmei's, turned around.

After entering the room, the children's shoes were taken off and they were placed on the couch, where there was a bed full of toys for the children to play with.

After Pingmei and Anmei, who had taken off their cloaks, were seated, they talked with their relatives from their maiden home.

"Why didn't the Second Young Master follow? Wasn't it said that you were going to the Sheng family?"

Xu Zaijing pressed Gu Shixing's head with one hand so that his nephew couldn't hit him, while turning his head to say to Pingmei.

Pingmei ignored her son being "bullied" and said: "Today, Aunt's family is going to the Marquis's mansion, and Cousin Second Young Master is also going, so Father-in-law let him accompany the relatives in the mansion first; he should be able to arrive in a while."

Xu Zaijing nodded with a smile.

After talking for a while, Sun Shi looked at Xie Shi: "Eldest son's wife, while the time is still early, you should hurry and set off too; don't let your in-laws wait anxiously."

"Yes, Mother." Xie Shi stood up and smiled.

When she wanted to pick up her son, Xu Xingdai shook his head and said: "Mother, I don't want to go to Grandmother's house! I want to play with Little Uncle and my cousins!"

Before Xie Shi could speak, Pingmei smiled: "Dai Ge'er, your Little Uncle is going to the study school in a while."

"Ah?"

Dai Ge'er looked at Xu Zaijing, who was nodding on the side, turned his head and reached out to Xie Shi: "Mother, I'll go to Grandmother's house."

Subsequently, after Xie Shi repeatedly ordered Pingmei and Anmei not to send her out, she left the room with her two children.

When Pingmei was talking to Sun Shi,

Anmei stood beside the Marquis of Yongyi, Xu Minghua, looked at her father who was holding his grandson with love, and asked a few questions about her husband.

"There are many things in the North, and many river channels still need to be dredged after the spring; your husband naturally has to keep public affairs in mind. This is also for your sake."

Anmei pursed her lips and nodded.

"Although you and your husband are both the youngest and have older brothers and sisters-in-law above you, you must also be attentive to your father-in-law and mother-in-law; you must respect and cherish them from the bottom of your heart, and don't lose your manners just because our family background is good."

The Marquis of Yongyi, Xu Minghua, has served as the commander of the Tianwu Army for these years, and later opened up territory in the North; to say he has the merit of conquering a nation is no exaggeration, and the soldiers he has commanded are far more than one hundred thousand.

Unknowingly, he had accumulated great prestige.

This kind of prestige made Anmei, who had married out, not dare to say much, and she just nodded again: "Yes, daughter knows."

"Hmm."

After Xu Minghua nodded with a smile, he looked at his grandson in his arms with love: "This boy, he looks just like your eldest brother when he was young."

"Father, do you still remember what eldest brother looked like when he was young?" Anmei asked tentatively.

"I remember what you all looked like when you were young." Xu Minghua smiled.

Anmei nodded with a smile: "Oh~"

"Go and play."

Holding his grandson who was not crying or making a fuss, Xu Minghua waved his hand and said.

Anmei performed a curtsy, walked to Pingmei's side and sat down, and while eating dried fruits, talked with her mother, sister-in-law, and sister.

Xingguo Lane,

Xiao Xiao Gongye of Qi's mansion,

Backyard,

Qi Heng stood in front of the clothes rack, looked at his clothes up and down, and said: "Buwei, how is this outfit?"

Buwei, who was standing on the side, bowed and said: "Replying to Young Master, these clothes were all carefully selected for you by the Princess; they are all very beautiful!"

Qi Heng smiled, touched the fabric on his body with some self-satisfaction, and said to the maidservant on the side: "What do you think?"

The maidservant lowered her head and didn't look at Qi Heng: "Young Master is handsome and dashing in whatever he wears."

Qi Heng pursed his lips with some helplessness.

Looking at himself in the bronze mirror again, Qi Heng touched the belt at his waist and said: "I think... let's change to another belt, let me see."

"Yes, Young Master." The maidservant responded.

After the belt was changed, Qi Heng touched the hairband on his head, looked at the somewhat mismatched color scheme, and shook his head: "Forget it, let's go back to the previous one."

Spreading his arms and letting the maidservant tie his belt, Qi Heng turned his head to look at Buwei and said: "How much longer until Second Uncle Gu goes to the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion?"

"Young Master, the Gu family relatives haven't been here long; I reckon we have to wait a while."

Qi Heng sighed and said: "Hmm! By the way, have someone look after that box of honey-floated crisp pear blossoms that we are taking to the Sheng family."

Buwei nodded: "Yes, Young Master!"

After Buwei finished speaking, he directed the maidservants to take away the other clothes and belts.

Just as the maidservants left, a steward nanny from the Qi family came to the door and said: "Young Master, the servant Zhique from Second Young Master Gu's side has come, saying that Second Young Master Gu is setting off now."

Hearing this, a smile instantly floated onto Qi Heng's face: "Good, good, good! I'll go immediately!"

After the steward nanny left, Qi Heng walked a few steps in the room, unable to hide his joy, and after waiting for a moment, said with a smile: "Let's go!"

Just as he took a step, Buwei behind him shouted: "Young Master! The cloak!"

Qi Heng took a carriage out of the Xiao Xiao Gongye of Qi's mansion, and while waiting on the street of Xingguo Lane, Buwei outside the carriage said: "Young Master, Second Young Master Gu is going on horseback."

"What?"

Lifting the carriage curtain, Qi Heng then saw Gu Tingye riding a horse and accompanying a carriage.

Seeing Gu Tingye riding closer, before Qi Heng could speak, Gu Tingye dismounted and walked quickly toward the Qi family carriage.

After stepping on the carriage stool and entering the Qi family carriage, Gu Tingye rubbed his hands and said: "Phew! It's still warmer in the carriage."

Looking at the confused Qi Heng, Gu Tingye continued: "Third Sister is going to the Xu family on the way with me."

"Oh oh, so Third Aunt is going too!"

Saying this, Gu Tingye lifted the carriage curtain and shouted toward the Gu family carriage: "Let's go!"

Putting down the carriage curtain, amidst the rumbling sound of the carriage, "Sniff sniff," Gu Tingye twitched his nose and said: "Yuanruo, why do I smell the fragrance of snacks!"

"Uh, Second Uncle, I brought a box of honey-floated crisp pear blossoms..."

Gu Tingye nodded repeatedly: "Yuanruo is still the one who thinks thoroughly."

The exact hour of Si (after 10:00 AM),

Sheng family in Jingyi Lane,

Main hall of the front courtyard,

Wang Ruofu pinched her handkerchief and poked her head toward the main gate to look.

Seeing that no carriage or horse had appeared yet, Wang Ruofu flicked her sleeves and said with some anxiety: "What time is it now, why haven't Hua'er and her family arrived yet?"

Nanny Liu on the side supported Wang Ruofu and whispered: "Madam, since it was said that all the young masters in the school are coming to pay New Year's calls today, it wouldn't be appropriate for our son-in-law to come over directly."

Hearing this, Wang Ruofu frowned and exhaled with some depression.

"Madam, don't have anger in your heart; it's not appropriate for the son-in-law and eldest young lady to come early, but they can leave late." Nanny Liu persuaded.

Wang Ruofu nodded heavily: "Hmm! If it doesn't work, I'll have Hua'er stay for a night."

Cairuan walked from the backyard, performed a curtsy, and said: "Madam, Wei Xiaoniang said the kitchen has already prepared everything, just waiting for your orders."

"Tell her to wait a while longer!"

Just as the words fell,

the servant near the main gate smiled and walked quickly toward this side.

Wang Ruofu exchanged a happy glance with Nanny Liu and said: "Cairuan, have the kitchen start; people are here!"

"Also, call Bo Ge'er and Changfeng over."

Cairuan hurriedly responded and went.

Qi Heng got off the carriage, held his head high, and looked at the Sheng family courtyard with a face full of joy, then scanned his clothes again.

Looking at Xu Zaijing walking on the side, Qi Heng smiled: "Jing Ge, are we going directly to the Shou'an Hall?"

Xu Zaijing shook his head and said: "Yuanruo, we have to go to Scholar Zhuang's school first to pay New Year's respects to the scholar, then go to the main hall in the backyard."

"Oh oh! Right!"

Qi Heng hurriedly nodded, looked toward the backyard of the Sheng family with a smile, and said: "Buwei, have someone send the snacks over first." Buwei hurriedly responded.

While talking,

the group walked to the second gate,

and after Zaizhang and Hualan greeted Sheng Hong, Wang Ruofu, and the others, the three of Xu Zaijing stepped forward to speak.

"Uncle Sheng, we are visiting today, sorry for the disturbance."

Gu Tingye, who was the oldest, cupped his hands and said.

Xu Zaijing and Qi Heng followed and repeated it.

"Eh! What are the children saying!" After Sheng Hong finished speaking with a smile, he turned his head to look at Changbo and said: "Bo'er, Feng'er, take good care of your classmates."

"Yes, Father!"

Changbo and Changfeng cupped their hands in response.

As the news of the arrival of Xu Zaijing and the others spread, several courtyards in the Sheng family's backyard became busy.

"Quick, quick, bring my Mo'er's cloak!"

(End of chapter)