[{"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-61":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},2307839,4510,"Chapter 61: Gossip and Youyang","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-61",61,"\u003Cp>In the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around ten o’clock, the Si hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The alley where the Yu family lived was packed with carriages and sedan chairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Yu had served as an official for decades; though he would never be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple like the old Lord Wang, he had countless disciples and pupils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Colleagues from the Kang, Shen, Lu, and Wang families—all longstanding family friends—sent their ladies and daughters-in-law to pay their respects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every prominent noble household in the capital had sent someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent years, as the Yongyi Marquis House gradually improved its fortunes, more people began speaking to Sun Shi, no longer treating her as an outsider in the noblewomen’s circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because in the Great Zhou Dynasty, civil officials were subtly regarded as superior to military officials, the families of civil and military men, unless bound by marriage, mostly formed two separate groups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around Sun Shi and her daughter-in-law stood mostly noble households, so they could not openly discuss military families’ ladies; thus, a certain official’s wife across from them might become the topic of conversation among these noblewomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Lady Wang of the Kang family stepped out from inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once she boarded her own carriage, the noblewomen on this side began buzzing with gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi and her daughter-in-law strained their ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They faintly heard someone say that this lady had been a pampered, golden-spoiled child in her natal home—so much so that she had cried and thrown tantrums until she seized her sister-in-law’s dowry offering, the Child-Granting Guanyin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi exchanged a glance with the Lady of Xuanmen Marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several years ago, the Xuanmen Marquis had given away most of his family’s wealth as dowry to marry off his daughter, repaying a life-saving debt—his act of gratitude and righteousness had become a celebrated tale in Bianjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his family’s status had genuinely declined; still, the male heirs remained, and all they needed was to continue studying or join the military to earn merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Lady of Xuanmen Marquis rarely mingled with those wealthy women adorned in gold and jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at necessary gatherings, Sun Shi and she had gradually grown familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lady of Xuanmen Marquis whispered: “I heard that the Child-Granting Guanyin was the very one her sister-in-law’s mother had prayed for, kneeling step by step from the temple. Her family was powerless, bullied, and had no choice but to swallow the humiliation whole.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Such a sincerely sought object—how could they forcibly take it? Doesn’t that damage their karmic virtue? Why doesn’t the Lady Wang herself rebuke her daughter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who knows? But Kang Hai Feng’s official career is finished now—during his father’s mourning period.” The Lady of Xuanmen Marquis gave her a knowing look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With a husband like that, wouldn’t his household be full of concubines?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard this Lady Wang has poured much of her own dowry into his affairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah? So this woman is somehow distantly related to our family too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lady of Xuanmen Marquis froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miss Xie Er’s face lit up with the stunned delight of a spectator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lady of Xuanmen Marquis thought inwardly: ‘Did I just gossip about someone’s relative right to their ear?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Sun said: “My husband’s aunt’s daughter-in-law is this woman’s own sister.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Jinshi from the Sheng family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lady of Xuanmen Marquis’s expression brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew the story of the Yongyi Marquis’s only daughter who married into the Sheng family—this connection was not close at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard her brother is about to be posted outside the capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard it’s Runzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, the mourning procession slowly moved forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the funeral hall, they saw a little girl, four or five years old, dressed in mourning robes, kneeling quietly; mothers with children felt a pang of sorrow and their eyes grew damp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When everyone began to leave, Sun Shi and her daughter-in-law walked out together with the Lady of Xuanmen Marquis, and Miss Xie Er whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother-in-law, I don’t think the Fan family’s visitors here seem like influential relatives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lady of Xuanmen Marquis whispered: “They say Master Yu’s son is a troublesome one—he throws lavish banquets for his colleagues, using nothing but Lady Fan’s dowry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah? Such a scholarly family...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group murmured quietly as they departed from the Yu household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Xu Zaijing arrived in the courtyard, the two women were still speaking of how lavish Lady Fan’s dowry had been in her youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They also heard the name of the girl who had lost her mother young: Yu Yanran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thousand li from Bianjing, in Youyang, a Sheng family carriage train was slowly heading toward the Sheng ancestral home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The train carried the official ladies just picked up from the docks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This trip to Youyang had been forced upon Lady Wang by Old Madam Sheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Yangzhou, Lady Wang’s dowry manager had botched business affairs, and Lin Qin reported it to Sheng Hong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Hong and Lady Wang had a furious argument, and he stripped her of household management authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the Sheng family’s accumulated estates and shops were now placed under Lin Qige’s temporary management.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lady Wang still retained control over her own dowry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet whenever the Sheng family’s assets or social obligations required the mistress’s presence, Lin Qige’s appearances quickly spread through the ranks of Yangzhou’s noble and official ladies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes, a concubine appearing in public was an insult, a sign of contempt toward one’s partners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since Sheng Hong was now Yangzhou’s Assistant Prefect, no one dared speak out openly; among colleagues, they merely called him a romantic, unrestrained man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet among the principal ladies of Yangzhou, resentment ran deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could not directly blame Sheng Hong, so they turned their scorn onto Lin Qige and Lady Wang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Qige had thick skin—no matter how harsh the words, she smiled through them, and besides, she rarely needed to appear in public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lady Wang, as Sheng Hong’s principal wife, had to attend social events, banquets, and ceremonies—so she bore the brunt of cold remarks and sneers from rival noblewomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruofu came from a generations-long official family; though raised by her uncle and aunt, she had been doted on since childhood—how could she endure such humiliation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She quarreled more fiercely with Sheng Hong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the situation deteriorating, Old Madam Sheng used the excuse of missing her old sister in Youyang to make Lady Wang accompany her, bringing Lady Wang’s children to the Sheng ancestral home in Youyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the gate of the Sheng ancestral courtyard, Lady Li of Sheng Wei naturally welcomed them warmly—but her warmth met a cold shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the moment Lady Wang stepped into the Sheng ancestral courtyard, her face had been drawn and sour; even upon entering the main hall, she did not let Hua Lan or the other children greet anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Madam Sheng ordered Sheng Wei’s daughters, Shu Lan and Pin Lan, to come forward and meet them; the sisters were lively, their eyes bright, and they knelt in unison:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shu Lan\u002FPin Lan, greetings to Old Madam, greetings to Auntie, greetings to Sister\u002FHarlan, greetings to Brother Changbai, greetings to Sister Rulan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Lan and the others smiled and bowed or knelt in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shu Lan, take the younger ones outside to play,” said Lady Li of Sheng Wei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Play? A merchant’s daughter, wild and unruly—don’t corrupt my children!” Lady Wang rolled her eyes, pulling Hua Lan close, and glared at Lady Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shu Lan’s smile froze; her hands and feet hung uselessly, and she looked to her mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pin Lan stood stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Lan, hearing her mother’s words, looked around at the excruciatingly awkward main hall and exclaimed angrily: “Mother!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Changbai, seeing his aunt’s grim expression, bowed deeply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie, please forgive her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Li forced out a strained smile and said nothing harsh in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Li came from a merchant family; she was accustomed to seeing merchants’ lowly status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, her sister-in-law’s family was no ordinary household—her father was enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple; his disciples could crush the Li family with a flick of their fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Li could not even see the heels of their household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she naturally dared not argue with Lady Wang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her, Liu Mama glanced at Old Madam Sheng and quickly helped her daughter rise from her seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Madam, Lady Wang, my mistress has been overwhelmed by exhaustion—please forgive her. I’ll take her to rest immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Madam Sheng nodded and waved her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Wang knew she had spoken foolishly; catching her mother-in-law’s displeased expression, she quietly withdrew from the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard Shu Lan is betrothed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Madam Sheng smiled at her sister-in-law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Sheng’s expression did not change—Lady Wang’s behavior meant nothing in her long life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Old Madam Sheng’s question, she smiled warmly and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Recently, a child prodigy emerged in Youyang—he passed the prefectural examination at only twelve and became a scholar. After some matchmaking, the betrothal was arranged.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s a poor child—lost his father young; his mother washed clothes for others to pay for his studies.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Old Madam Sheng looked surprised:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? At such a young age, already a scholar? Truly a brilliant future! Having endured hardship, he must have greater compassion for others—what a fine family. Shu Lan, come here, let me look at you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shu Lan hesitantly stepped closer to Old Madam Sheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had seen clearly: even that fiery, haughty auntie had to bow to this grandmother’s will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pin Lan returned to her mother’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good child, when you marry, I don’t know if this old woman will still be alive. Su Qin, bring me my hairpin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She placed the hairpin, brought by Fang Mama, into Shu Lan’s hands: “Your auntie suffered insults in Yangzhou—don’t let it trouble you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shu Lan, staring at the unfamiliar hairpin, quickly bowed: “Old Madam, I don’t—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shu Lan, take it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, thank you, Auntie’s Elder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sisters-in-law spoke at length, then had dinner together after nightfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Mama, who served Wang Shi, said her mistress was unwell and had eaten in her own room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That evening, Wang Shi was summoned to the elder lady’s chamber, where Sheng Laofuren sat upright on the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Daughter-in-law pays her respects to Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm, sit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Mother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve been married into the Sheng family for years—have I ever made you stand by the rules, bowing morning and night?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother is most benevolent; you never have.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you harbor resentment toward me for not blocking Lin Qinshuang from entering the household?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s silence, Wang Shi said: “I do not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether you do or not—it doesn’t matter to me, this old woman.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Back when you and your husband were harmonious as lute and zither, things were peaceful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you grew arrogant from favor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You barked orders among the ladies of the inner quarters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you took bribes from others to settle their disputes, you thought you could whisper in your husband’s ear and sway his official conduct.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When he refused, you threatened him with your Wang family connections.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And what came of it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And what of your close ties with the Prefect’s wife in Quanzhou? What came of that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final question came out as a sharp rebuke from Sheng Laofuren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shi flinched, leapt from her chair, and stood respectfully beside it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In Quanzhou Prefecture, your conduct nearly ruined your husband’s reputation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Had he not been sharp-witted and observant, would he have been promoted to Assistant Prefect?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know who the wife of Zhu Anren (a seventh-rank titleholder) is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know how many noble sons she has disciplined with her ruler?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many of her students passed the imperial examinations?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And further!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When the Sheng family’s business in Quanzhou was completely swallowed up, you never reflected on your own faults—only screamed and cursed in the inner quarters, blaming your husband.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Qinshuang took advantage of your negligence, yet instead of repenting, you’ve begun acting up here in the Sheng ancestral home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a grand display of authority!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You ignore the face of your elder sister-in-law!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve stripped the elder branch’s daughter-in-law of all dignity—she dares not even speak! You’re truly impressive! Don’t you recall how much of the year-end dividends your son Wei received? Did he lose even half a cent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you trying to make the Sheng brothers turn against each other?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each of Sheng Laofuren’s words pierced Wang Shi’s heart; with every sentence, her face grew paler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, I—I was wrong,” Wang Shi knelt before the elder lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your husband is now a fifth-rank Assistant Prefect of Yangzhou. Household matters still rest with him. If you continue like this, one day he may cast you off—and even your Wang family won’t dare speak up for your past deeds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, I was wrong! I’ll go apologize to my sister-in-law tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shi said, trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it’s already dark, Mother. Your daughter-in-law takes her leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the room, Sheng Laofuren caught her breath. She had grown angrier with every word; had it not been for decades of tempering and cultivated composure, she might have screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lady, calm yourself—you’re no longer young.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My daughter-in-law truly…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The elder lady has a straightforward nature; don’t take it to heart. Here’s a letter just sent from the elder branch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did it come from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sent from Bianjing to Yangzhou, then delivered by fast horse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you, dear readers, for your generous tips! Once again, thank you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you all for your support. Today’s update: six thousand characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(`) Sending you a heart\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2267,"2026-06-20T10:32:38.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","76ae5fc2ab441697001122fec8c8a51e0d4efbef16799be3074ce91166d91a7f","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-62","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-60",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]