[{"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-68":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},2307846,4510,"Chapter 68: The Yu and Zhu Family Villages [Thank You for Your Support! Grateful]","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>Traveling in ancient times was far more troublesome than today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only did one need to prepare dried rations, but also ample drinking water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the journey was long and no green grass or leaves were available, fodder for the draft animals had to be stocked as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Xu Zaijing’s master was accustomed to long journeys and had taught all these details to Qingyun and the other young servants and maids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Qinghu looked at the goods on the Xu family’s carts and silently approved of their thoroughness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this mourning trip, Sun Shi and the Xu family’s sons rode horses, while the maids sat inside the carts, driven by the young servants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the city, where crowds were dense, the convoy moved slowly; but after passing through Xincaomen, its pace quickened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the weather warmed, the number of travelers on the road increased greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passersby, seeing this procession of fine horses, riders clad in expensive cloaks, swords and powerful bows with arrows at their sides, and banners fluttering from the carts, quickly stepped aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distance from Bianjing to Xiangzhou was roughly four hundred li; Sun Shi’s party did not overexert their horses, traveling only seventy to eighty li per day before stopping at an inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the third afternoon, the group entered the courtyard of a roadside inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the inn’s courtyard, another official family’s convoy was unloading bedding, tea sets, and other household items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The inn’s clerks and attendants were eagerly helping to carry the goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunset approached, and the light dimmed considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The official family, seeing so many horses arrive—armed with swords and bows—became alarmed, fearing they were bandits or rogue soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone faintly shouted for the inn’s clerks and attendants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after the longtime head steward quietly reprimanded them did the maids gradually calm down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The head steward gave a few instructions to the maids, then stepped forward with hands folded and bowed to the Xu family:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Greetings, everyone. My family is from the Yu Cabinet Minister’s household in Bianjing; the Prefect of Xiangzhou is my eldest son. May I ask who you are?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Er snorted, and the Xu family dismounted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingyun called out clearly: “Old steward, we are from the Yongyi Marquis’s Xu household. There’s no need to worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? Then that’s good. If there’s anything we can assist with, please don’t hesitate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, old steward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the exchange, the inn’s clerks grew even more eager and approached the Xu family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dismounting, Sun Shi’s face looked pale—she was accustomed to comfort, and though she played polo, long-distance horseback riding was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servants on the cart brought out basins and foot-washing tubs and went to the inn’s kitchen to fetch water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing soothed his own dark stallion, but the horse showed no signs of fatigue; instead, it seemed excited, snorting repeatedly, as if it hadn’t run enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xu Zaijing entered the inn’s side rooms, his sharp eyes noticed the Yu family’s maids clutching expensive wooden boxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever was inside must have been valuable; one maid with a wart on her lip even opened one to peek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The head steward saw this and, as the Xu family passed by, muttered a few sharp reprimands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maid shot him a defiant glance, indifferent and glancing around as if she didn’t care a bit for the old steward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then she turned and saw Zhu Qinghu staring at her. Zhu Qinghu, having spent years in the military, despised such disrespect and insubordination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze—born from mountains of corpses and seas of blood—seemed to flay her alive, making the maid shudder in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having no ties to the Yu family, Xu Zaijing rose at midnight to add more fodder for his horses; seeing him, Zhu Qinghu smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At dawn, the Xu family resumed their journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They bypassed the prefectural city of Xiangzhou and reached its northern outskirts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just before dusk on the fifth day, they entered Zhu Family Village, surrounded by earthen walls two men tall, with only one entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the village, several elder clan members sat in a room discussing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhu Qinghu has been gone many days now. I wonder who the Marquis’s household will send.” One elder said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps they’ll send Duan Ge. He’s the eldest legitimate son, married already—he’s sufficient.” Another elder said, gazing at his teacup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fifth Grandfather, Sixth Grandfather—a mounted party has arrived outside the village!” A young villager rushed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have the able-bodied men take their swords and crossbows and go to the walls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of galloping horses startled villagers who hadn’t yet slept—after all, the northern border was currently in standoff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Qinghu called out at the village gate, and only then did they open it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group rode into the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xu Zaijing entered, he noticed not just his uncle’s household had hung white, but roughly six or seven other homes along the central path had done so as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing’s heart tightened—he realized his uncle wouldn’t have gone alone to the Western Army; he must have taken his own brothers and nephews.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bloody battle on the frontier had claimed how many fine young men from one village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing looked at his mother, Lady Sun; her face showed no surprise—she had heard such stories too often.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing of Lady Sun’s arrival, the wives of the Zhu clan elders came out to greet her; Xu Zaijing also saw his less-familiar Auntie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her face bore some resemblance to Xu Minghua, strands of hair loose at her cheeks, her clothes unwashed for days, stained and grimy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lady Sun, she showed no grief—her expression was blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister has come? Come inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After settling everyone, Lady Sun ignored the odor clinging to her aunt and sat beside her on the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve traveled so many days—go rest now,” Xu said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, sleep with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not tired.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For my sake, just close your eyes a little,” Lady Sun said, looking at her aunt’s swollen eyes, then glancing at Xiao Dan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Dan understood and went out to fetch a basin, boiled some water in the kitchen, and brought it in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Sun wrung out the towel and, as her own family’s relatives had done, gently wiped her aunt’s face—meticulously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she wiped her aunt’s dirty hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, she undid her aunt’s hairpin and re-braided her hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, she added warm water to the basin; Xiao Dan moved to help, but Lady Sun waved her off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Sun knelt down, removed her aunt’s shoes and socks, and as Xu sat on the bed, she asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How is home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Sun understood—her aunt’s grief had blurred her sense of time. She paused, then said: “Fine. Everything is fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After cleaning her aunt’s feet, Lady Sun dressed them in fresh socks and shoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Qinghu stood outside the room, watching through the curtain. His eyes, once dull, now brimmed with glistening tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Future, Qinghu must find a wife. You’ve met my daughter-in-law—what do you think of her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A well-mannered, good girl.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wonder what kind of girl Qinghu’s wife will be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu said nothing, her gaze distant, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Qinghu stepped out and saw his three cousins outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaiduan patted his shoulder; normally boisterous Xu Zhaizhang wrapped his arms around his cousin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing looked up at the night sky and sniffed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, seeing Xu’s refreshed appearance, the Zhu clan elders knew—the Xu family hadn’t come to go through the motions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relatives from nearby villages came to the village, learning that the Marquis’s Lady from the capital had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven days later, the Zhu family’s mourning rites ended—all were symbolic graves with clothing and armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing watched the grieving villagers and deeply understood the four words: “War is deadly.” If he ever took the battlefield, he could not afford caution—his own family might be the ones weeping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving, Lady Sun conferred with the Zhu clan elders; Xu’s condition would only worsen if she stayed in the village, so the Xu family would take her back to Bianjing for medical treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They also left five hundred taels of silver, saying plainly: “If you face hardship, come to the Marquis’s household in Bianjing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Xu’s dazed state, the convoy could not travel as swiftly as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group entered Xiangzhou city in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the city gate, the guards naturally scrutinized this party closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the standoff against Northern Liao ongoing, strict checks were mandatory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after verifying the Marquis’s seal and learning a fallen general’s widow was inside, the guards allowed passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>News of the Yongyi Marquis’s family entering the city reached the Prefect’s residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the Prefect’s residence, Yu Prefect—whose wife had died only two months prior—showed no grief, speaking with a woman dressed in lavish finery in his study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Husband, though the Xu family once declined, their third son now enjoys the Emperor’s favor and has married into the Ningyuan Marquis’s household. We should pay a visit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wife, you’re right. I’ll send a formal invitation immediately. These past years have been hard on you. When we return to Bianjing, you’ll be my rightful Lady.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t mind, but our two children have suffered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, the Prefect’s invitation arrived at the Xu family’s inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The city’s inn naturally offered far better conditions than the roadside one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Sun studied the invitation, then decided to send her three sons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Zhu Family Village lay under the Prefect’s jurisdiction; cultivating a good relationship with him would show the Xu family’s connection to the Zhu family—both to deter any mistreatment and to secure future favors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Xu Zaijing and his two brothers, along with Zhu Qinghu, arrived at Yu Prefect’s home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After submitting their visiting cards, they entered the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The banquet table included sons of other officials from Xiangzhou, such as the Assistant Prefect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Zhou dynasty favored civil officials, even they did not dare ignore the nobility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You look down on the nobility, but who knows which of his in-laws might trip you up on your official career path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xu family’s Xu Zaijing and his brothers deliberately sought to secure a powerful ally for Zhu Family Fortress, so the banquet ended with mutual delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Xu Zaijing and Zhu Qinghu went to freshen up and returned to the main hall, Zhu Qinghu’s eyes flickered, and he tilted his chin slightly toward Xu Zaijing as a signal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing looked over—it was the old woman with a wart on her lip at the roadside inn that afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you all for your support! Once again, thank you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Readers who wish to make a cameo may leave a comment—the author cannot guarantee roles (positive or negative) (chuckles).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1791,"2026-06-20T10:32:38.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4a46910fb9c7e95b09b255a1019a7841eb956434efc31ed874ec4a11f7468731","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-69","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-67",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]