Chapter 611: As the saying goes, winter stores and spring sprouts [Thank you

In the evening,

Yutang Lane,

Marquis of Jiangyin's mansion,

Xu Zaijing and the others had already returned.

The Mamas and maids sent by the Zhou family of the Marquis of Jiangyin to make the bed for the Li family, except for the maids left to look after the bridal chamber, had all returned to the Zhou family.

In the hall of the backyard,

The two legitimate sons of the Zhou family had already drunk the sobering soup and were sitting on chairs talking to the Marquis of Jiangyin.

"Father, although I only drank with the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family and the Second Young Master of the Gu family, I observed that they are not only physically strong and skilled in martial arts, but also knowledgeable and eloquent."

"Since returning to the capital, there have been few noble sons I could chat with as happily as them."

Listening to the words of his eldest son sitting below, the Marquis of Jiangyin nodded with a smile.

"Father, at the banquet, the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family also chatted with me about how important the Jiangyin area is, and praised our family a lot."

"Second brother is right!" The Zhou family heir nodded, then continued with a thoughtful expression, "Father, the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family also quietly asked me about our family's relationship with Prince Tan and Prince Jing."

As soon as these words were spoken,

The smile on the Marquis of Jiangyin's face slowly dissipated.

Jiangyin is the throat of the Yangtze River and an important place in the south of the Yangtze, the first choice for military forces to cross the river north.

Xu Zaijing asking like this, I don't know if it was really unintentional, or if there was some other reason.

"How did you answer?"

"In the southeast, it's impossible not to have a relationship with Prince Tan's mansion! I naturally told the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family about the connections between our family and Prince Tan one by one."

Looking at the serious-faced Marquis of Jiangyin, the Zhou family heir continued, "Father, if I say it like this, will there be any problem?"

The Marquis of Jiangyin pondered for a moment and said, "No! The southeast is wealthy, and the officials and soldiers in the Imperial City Division are also capable. Even if you don't say it, if they want to inquire, they can find out."

"Then, Father, now that the Xu family is in a position of power, should we associate with them more?"

"The Hengjiang Water Army stationed in Jiangyin had quite a few corrupt officials uncovered in the past two years. Just the number of captains executed was seventeen! But the commander in charge has been undecided. I heard from the Sixth Young Master of the Liang family that the Tian family, Earl Huixian, also intends to let their clan members take charge of the Hengjiang Water Army..."

The Marquis of Jiangyin slowly shook his head and said, "Sigh! Since your grandfather's generation, our family has no longer been in charge of the water army, and old acquaintances have also had less contact. If you want to take charge of the Hengjiang Water Army, without people, it's difficult!"

The Zhou family heir and his younger brother looked at each other, bowed, and said, "Father, before, the number one water army in our dynasty was undoubtedly the Marquis of Jinghai's mansion! Although the Marquis of Jinghai's mansion was stripped of its title a few years ago, the descendants and old acquaintances are still there."

"Whether it is the Marquis of Xu's son-in-law Huyan Jiong, or the in-law Huyan Hai, they are all still leading the water army now!"

"The Li family and the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion have a good relationship..."

The Marquis of Jiangyin nodded and said, "You want to ask the Xu family to pass a message and invite some people from the Huyan family to Jiangyin?"

"Yes, Father. In this way, it can be considered helping the Xu family support their in-laws, and our family can also compete for the Hengjiang Water Army. If something really happens in the future, our family will have two strong armies, one water and one land, and it will be easier to achieve merit."

The Zhou family has been in the south of the Yangtze for many years, and their descendants have guarded Jiangyin.

Although most of the Madams they married were daughters of wealthy families in the southeast, they all settled in Bianjing after entering the Zhou family.

Therefore,

The Zhou family of the Marquis of Jiangyin naturally heard about Prince Tan's recent years of recruiting scholars and winning over generals of the garrison army through conversations between relatives.

"Father, it's just that the imperial court's entire energy was focused on pacifying the Bai Gao country before, otherwise Prince Tan would have been reprimanded and rectified to some extent."

"Now the situation in the north is unclear, and I don't know if there will be a war with Northern Liao! Our family has the responsibility to guard Jiangyin, so we must plan ahead!"

Listening to his eldest son's words, the Marquis of Jiangyin nodded repeatedly and said, "Good! After Fifth Daughter's marriage, it will be convenient for her to go to the Huyan family. Then ask the Xu family and Cao family to mediate, I imagine the problem won't be big!"

The next day,

The Li family welcomed the bride,

Although there were Zhou family disciples blocking the door, it was just for fun. Xu Zaijing and the others were both civil and martial, so they didn't spend much effort before entering the Zhou family gate.

When the bride said goodbye to her parents, the Marquis of Jiangyin and his wife were naturally teary-eyed.

The bride got into the sedan chair and went to the Li family residence, which was also a lively scene.

Because Xu Zaijing, Qingyun, and Li Taotie had a life-and-death friendship, they drank a lot at the wedding banquet.

It was fortunate that comrades from the Western Army like Wu Song and Wang Yan had all gone to the Northwest, otherwise Li Taotie might have been forced to drink so much today that he wouldn't even be able to enter the bridal chamber.

Although Xu Zaijing and the others also wanted to eavesdrop on Li Taotie's bridal chamber, the Zhou family Mamas and maids were very experienced and didn't let them get close to the bridal chamber.

By the end of the Xu hour (around 9:00 PM),

The gate of the Li family residence slowly closed.

Xu Zaijing, who was the last to leave, rode on the back of his little Li horse, looked at the red lanterns at the gate of the Li family one last time, then turned and rode away.

Actually,

When the grand ceremony ended in the afternoon, Madam Wu, who presided over today's wedding, and the Xie clan, Pingmei, Hualan, and others who came to help, had eaten the banquet and returned to their respective mansions.

Xu Zaijing and the others left so late because they were drinking.

Although it was almost the fourth month,

The night wind was still a bit cold.

Xu Zaijing was wearing a wind-blocking cloak, and there was quite a bit of alcohol in the air he exhaled.

In the night sky, the moon had not yet risen, and only the stars were twinkling.

Returning to the Marquis's mansion on Quyuan Street,

Cold water had already been prepared in the bathtub.

After Xu Zaijing returned to his courtyard, Mama Xia was busy adding hot water to the bathtub.

After Huaxiang tested the water temperature with her hand, Xu Zaijing stepped in to take a bath.

After washing up,

Xu Zaijing drank a bowl of sobering soup before going to bed, then lay comfortably on the bed and stretched.

Soon,

The lamps and candles in Xu Zaijing's courtyard were also extinguished, and only Mama Xia, who was watching the stove, still had some firelight.

Stars shifted and the moon moved,

The moon appeared in the night sky at the Zi hour (around midnight), slowly climbing to the high point.

Perhaps because of the moon,

Or perhaps because he drank too late,

Xu Zaijing didn't sleep very soundly this night. He kept dreaming, dreaming of spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums, illusory and blurred, and he didn't wake up even after a burst of comfort.

The bright moon hung low in the west,

"Cock-a-doodle-doo~"

I don't know whose rooster started crowing,

Xu Zaijing also opened his eyes, and then felt some discomfort in his crotch, it was cold...

"Sigh! These are the underpants I just washed and changed into last night!"

Xu Zaijing sighed to himself, then shouted, "Someone!"

"Young Master?" Huaxiang's voice sounded.

"Bring a pair of new underpants in, and bring a basin of warm water."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Huaxiang and her elder sister Yunxiang had been trained in a complete set of "personal maid discipline" since they were young. Hearing their young master's words, they understood what had happened in their hearts.

Huaxiang, holding the underpants and the warm water, came to Xu Zaijing's bed. Just as she was about to say something with some shyness,

"Go out."

"Ah? Oh! Yes, Young Master."

Afterwards,

Xu Zaijing was busy for a while, changed his clothes, and walked out with Huaxiang.

Racecourse,

Beside the wooden house,

Alan and Xunshu, who had just arrived yawning with dark circles under his eyes, stood to the side, listening to the movement in the field, and said, "Xunshu, why do I feel that the young master's exercise movement is bigger than usual today?"

Xunshu rubbed his waist and said, "Yes! Perhaps the young master's strength has grown again!"

"Oh!" Alan nodded, carrying a wooden bucket of water in each hand and walking towards the stable.

Xunshu, seeing this, also went to carry a water bucket, but after walking halfway, he hurriedly put the bucket on the ground and took a few deep breaths.

Afterwards, Xunshu went into the stable, and didn't run into Xu Zaijing at all.

Half an hour later,

Qingyun, rubbing his shoulders and back with a grimace, looked at Xu Zaijing, who was waving at him, and said with a trembling voice, "Young Master, I, I need to pee, you shoot a few rounds of targets first!"

Xu Zaijing looked at Qingyun's appearance and nodded, "Alright! Go quickly and come back quickly." Qingyun: "Uh..."

When Xu Zaijing finished exercising and left with Qingyun,

Alan also returned to the wooden house with an empty bucket, staring blankly at Xu Zaijing's back.

"Alan, what are you thinking about?"

Xunshu, panting, walked to the side and asked.

"Xunshu, when do you think Sister Qingcao will come with the young master?"

"No, Alan, you kid, are you interested in Sister Qingcao..." Xunshu asked in surprise.

Alan hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Don't talk nonsense! I'm not!"

Looking at Alan's anxious appearance, it didn't look like the shyness of being exposed, Xunshu asked with some confusion, "Then why are you asking this?"

"Creak~"

The wooden house door was opened, and Uncle Yin walked out limping, saying hoarsely, "Today is Huaxiang, tomorrow will be Qingcao."

"Oh, oh!" Alan nodded repeatedly.

After speaking, Uncle Yin looked at Xunshu's appearance, shook his head, and said hoarsely, "A beauty of sixteen is like crisp meat, with a sword at her waist to slay the mortal. Although no heads are seen falling, secretly she teaches the gentleman's bone marrow to wither."

Hearing Uncle Yin's words, Xunshu lowered his head in shame.

Looking at Xunshu's appearance, Alan smiled and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Restraint, restraint, haha!"

Xunshu patted Alan's hand: "Go away! Wait until you have a wife, then talk to me!"

Xu Zaijing left the Xu family after breakfast.

At this time,

Xu Zaijing's courtyard was still in darkness.

After some time,

The sky was bright, and the sun rose in the east.

The grape tree in the courtyard already had green leaves, trembling in the morning breeze.

Yunxiang, who had finished dressing up, walked out of Xu Zaijing's bedroom, carrying a copper basin of water at her waist.

Qingcao, to the side, was holding the bedding from Xu Zaijing's bed in her arms.

"Sister Qingcao, the young master is really something. He threw the underpants he changed last night into the water basin this morning. I can't even see where the stains are!"

Qingcao pursed her lips to the side and nodded, "Just put the underpants aside, but the young master insisted on throwing them into the water! It's like we don't know what happened."

While speaking,

Qingcao came outside, shook the quilt she was holding vigorously, and spread it on the wooden rack for drying quilts.

"By the way, Yunxiang, let me tell you a little secret about Alan." Qingcao looked around and lowered her voice.

Hearing this, Yunxiang, who was about to pour out the water in the copper basin, hurriedly put down the basin and leaned over to Qingcao's side.

Qingcao whispered to Yunxiang: "Like this, like that."

After listening, Yunxiang asked in surprise, "This, how does Alan know..."

Qingcao's eyes turned, "Perhaps he saw her a few times when our eldest young lady returned to the mansion."

After listening, Yunxiang's eyes were full of recollection, and after a moment she said, "This kid has a good eye!"

Qingcao nodded in agreement.

The next day,

Early morning,

Xu Zaijing brought Qingcao to the racecourse.

While stretching his limbs, Xunshu and Qingyun, who lived outside the mansion, walked towards this side from the direction of the main gate.

Under the lantern,

Xu Zaijing looked at Xunshu's complexion and said, "Xunshu, you... although winter stores and spring sprouts, you still have to be moderate..."

Xunshu lowered his head in shame.

Xu Zaijing turned his head and said, "Qingcao, go to my warehouse later and get some good medicinal herbs for Xunshu! Don't let him tire out his body."

"Yes, Young Master." After Qingcao responded, she looked at Xunshu's appearance and said, not knowing if she really didn't understand or was pretending, "Young Master, it can be seen that after getting married, Brother Xunshu has been working hard."

"Pfft~" Qingyun, to the side, covered his mouth and laughed.

Xunshu bowed and arched his hands with embarrassment on his face, "Thank you, Young Master."

"Hmm, take care of your body."

While speaking,

Xu Zaijing entered the room, hugged his armor, and began to let Qingyun help him put it on.

Just as he finished putting on the breastplate for Xu Zaijing, Alan walked towards this side from the stable door.

Coming close, Alan bowed and arched his hands to Xu Zaijing.

After Xu Zaijing nodded and returned the salute with a smile, Alan came to the wooden house door, turned his head to look at Qingcao to the side, and kept winking, moving his head to signal Qingcao to go to Xu Zaijing's side to speak.

Qingyun, who was buckling the shoulder guard for Xu Zaijing, looked up at Alan and said, "Alan, what's wrong? Did you get a stiff neck?"

Alan paused and said sheepishly, "No, no stiff neck."

"Then what's wrong with you?" Qingyun said again.

Qingcao looked at Alan at this time, her brain, which was a bit dazed in the morning, woke up at this moment.

"Yo, Young Master..."

Qingcao looked at Xu Zaijing with some embarrassment.

Xu Zaijing stretched out his other arm, let Qingyun put on the armor for him, glanced at Alan sideways, and said, "What's wrong?"

Qingcao smiled, looked at Alan, and said to Xu Zaijing, "Young Master, Brother Alan has something he entrusted me to tell you."

"Hmm, speak."

"Brother Alan has taken a fancy to Sister Qingzhi from the same village as the slave."

Xu Zaijing and Qingyun, the two of them froze for a moment.

"Qingzhi?" Xu Zaijing asked while looking at Alan to the side.

Alan looked at Xu Zaijing with embarrassment and nodded shyly several times.

Xu Zaijing sighed, "Your eye for people is really high!"

Qingyun shook his head helplessly and said, "Sister Qingcao, I thought it was you..."

Qingcao glared at Qingyun with embarrassment, stomped her foot, and said, "Brother Qingyun, you, what nonsense are you talking about! What about me!"

Qingyun, seeing this, smiled with some embarrassment.

"Qingzhi is by the eldest sister's side, is there no one suitable in the entire Marquis of Ningyuan's mansion?" Xu Zaijing asked with some confusion.

Before Qingcao, who was about to speak, could say anything,

Xu Zaijing raised his chin and said with a sudden realization, "Is it because of those things in the fourth and fifth branches of the Gu family, so no one in the Gu family dares to look for Qingzhi?"

Qingcao nodded repeatedly, "Young Master, that's exactly it!"

Qingyun, who continued to put on armor for Xu Zaijing, said, "Qingcao, before we went to Huixian Restaurant to eat, I saw that Buwei beside Young Master Qi also had some interest in Qingzhi!"

Qingcao looked surprised: "Brother Buwei? He..."

Qingyun nodded: "Qiuniang beside the Second Young Master Gu knows about this, didn't she tell you?"

Qingcao shook her head.

Alan was dumbfounded, his mind recalling the appearance of Buwei, the servant of the Duke of Qi's mansion, whom he had seen before.

Alan had been a horse servant since he was a child, his skin was dark from the wind and sun when he was young, and it was only after coming to the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion that he lived a good life. In terms of appearance, he could at most be called heroic and sturdy.

Before accompanying Xu Zaijing to the battlefield in Bai Gao, like Xunshu, he also had a few small scars on his face.

Buwei beside Qi Heng had been with Qi Heng since he was a child, and his food and clothing were very good, so he could be called tall, fair, and handsome.

And he had been on good terms with Qingyun beside Xu Zaijing since he was a child. While being capable and transparent in dealing with things, Alan could add that Buwei was eloquent.

Thinking of these,

Recalling Qingzhi's face that he had seen a few times,

Alan sighed with some frustration. If it were him choosing, he would choose Buwei, let alone Qingzhi being a girl.

"This kid Buwei, his future marriage partner will most likely be the personal maid of Young Master Yuanruo's wife. Qingzhi has no roots or foundation, Buwei's family won't agree."

Xu Zaijing said.

Hearing this,

Alan raised his head abruptly and said, "Young Master... what you said is true?"

"Hmm."

Hearing this "Hmm" from Xu Zaijing, Alan almost jumped up on the spot.

Xu Zaijing smiled slightly and said, "Although that's the case, you still have to see what Qingzhi says."

Alan's excited expression was still on his face, he was dumbfounded, and sighed with some worry, "That's true..."

"Fortunately, we have Qingcao in our family."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 612 =====