Chapter 702: Already Arrived [Many thanks! Bowing again! 36k words owed]

"The Master has arrived."

Outside the house, the little maid's announcement sounded.

The Old Madam finished reading the letter, folded it and placed it on the table, then turned her head to look at the doorway.

Looking at Sheng Hong, who had not changed his clothes and was still in his official uniform, the Old Madam smiled: "Hong'er, why be in such a hurry to come over? It wouldn't be too late to change clothes before coming. Sit."

Sheng Hong walked to the middle of the room, bowed to the Old Madam, and said: "Thank you, Mother! Son also heard some news about the Winter Solstice."

"Oh?" The Old Madam sat up straight, looked at Sheng Hong with great interest, and said: "Hong'er, is it about why the elephant turned toward the Marquis of Zhongshan's house that day?"

Sheng Hong, who had sat down, nodded repeatedly and said: "Mother, it is exactly this matter."

After speaking, Sheng Hong smiled at Mama Fang, who was serving him tea.

Putting down the teacup, Sheng Hong continued: "Colleagues from the Ministry of Personnel and officials from the Ministry of Rites have gone to the Elephant Breeding Office to question them."

"They said that during the Winter Solstice, the elephant riders at the Elephant Breeding Office, in order to make the elephants obedient, deliberately starved the elephants for two extra days."

"Coincidentally, on the viewing platform of the Marquis of Zhongshan's house, not only were there sugar-pickled radish strips, but the color of that daughter's cape was also somewhat like sugarcane."

Listening to Sheng Hong's words, the Old Madam nodded lightly.

Sheng Hong picked up the teacup, drank a mouthful of tea soup to moisten his throat, and said: "According to colleagues, people at the Elephant Breeding Office claim that an elephant's trunk is very long, and sometimes its sense of smell is even sharper than a dog's."

The Old Madam nodded and said: "So that is to say, because the elephant was hungry and smelled the scent of sugar and radish, it mistook the Sha family girl's cape for sugarcane, and that is how the slip-up happened?"

"Yes, Mother," Sheng Hong said: "Today, the Ministry of Rites even allocated some silver and sent it to the Marquis of Zhongshan's house as compensation."

The Old Madam nodded: "That also makes sense."

After finishing, the Old Madam looked at Sheng Hong's expression and said slowly: "Hong'er, what is it? Is there anything else?"

Sheng Hong raised his eyes to look at the Old Madam and smiled: "Mother, it is just that colleagues know that Xu family's Jingge'er is not yet engaged, so they stopped Son after work to ask a few questions."

The Old Madam smiled, looked at the letter on the table, and smiled: "What did you say?"

"Son did not say much; this is, after all, the family business of Cousin and the others."

"Hong'er, you did the right thing."

Sheng Hong drank another mouthful of hot tea soup, exchanged a glance with the Old Madam, and said: "Mother, there is one more thing, which is that the Zhang family of the Duke of England and the Marquis of Zhongjing are exerting effort to compete for a position."

Hearing this, the Old Madam's smile disappeared, and she frowned in confusion: "The Zhang family and the Zheng family? These two families have always been on good terms; if there is something, they can just discuss it, so how could they compete for a position?"

Sheng Hong hurriedly put down the teacup and said: "Mother, it is Son who did not explain clearly; it is that the Zhang and Zheng families are exerting effort together to compete with other families for a position."

The Old Madam nodded thoughtfully and raised her chin, signaling Sheng Hong to continue.

"The position these two families are joining forces to compete for is the position of the newly built cavalry in the north, and their opponents are the Gan family, the Tan family, and the Liang family."

"The Liang family? Is it the Marquis of Yongchang's mansion?" The Old Madam asked with some confusion in her eyes.

"Yes, Mother," Sheng Hong continued to explain: "It is to compete for Liang Jing, the eldest son of the Liang family. If the eldest son of the Liang family enters the cavalry, he can naturally bring the children of the Gan and Tan families with him. Before, the Marquis of Yongchang even went to the Ministry of Personnel to greet us."

The Old Madam's eyes darted and she said: "Then the Zhang family and the Zheng family... are they competing for the second son of the Zheng family?"

"Mother's words are exactly right."

The Old Madam nodded slowly: "One Duke and one Marquis against one Duke and two Marquises, Hong'er, how do you view this matter?"

Sheng Hong pursed his lips, his eyes full of thought, and said: "Mother, both sides are Dukes and Marquises of our dynasty; when it comes to connections, the three families' side is only slightly superior! But, Son feels that in the end, it still depends on seniority and meritorious service."

Hearing this,

There was a look of appreciation for Sheng Hong in the Old Madam's eyes, and she said: "Hong'er, you can think of this; very good."

Sheng Hong hurriedly bowed: "Thank you, Mother, for the praise."

The Old Madam smiled: "That newly built cavalry is where the son of the Huang family, the Earl of Shoushan, has taken on a major responsibility, and this son is the trusted deputy general of the Duke of England's heir, and also the son-in-law of the Marquis of Ningyuan."

"Others can tell at a glance that this is the Zhang family paving the way for their future little son-in-law. Liang Jing, I remember this child is the same age as the Xu family's eldest son-in-law, Yu-ge'er, right?"

Sheng Hong's eyes darted, and he nodded: "Yes, Mother."

"Compared to the second son of the Zheng family, does Liang Jing have any meritorious service?"

Sheng Hong said: "When reinforcements were sent to Beizhou previously, Liang Dalang was credited for his service! But when Zheng Erlang went to reinforce, he helped Dezhou wipe out the rebel troops along the way, so his merit is even greater."

Looking at the Old Madam, Sheng Hong continued: "Mother, having said this, actually the result..."

The Old Madam smiled: "Hong'er, not only that, you must also think more about the palace."

As soon as these words were spoken, Sheng Hong suddenly realized and hurriedly stood up and cupped his hands: "Mother, Son understands." Before, that old ancestor of the Tan family had offended the Empress.

"Hmm! Go," the Old Madam smiled.

As the lanterns were lit,

Weirui Pavilion,

In the room where the little maids stayed,

The maid Ginkgo walked in holding a tray.

She looked at Jiu'er, who was eating dried fruit, and said: "Jiu'er, just now I went to the main room to serve dishes to the Madam; why didn't I see your mother, Mama Liu?"

Jiu'er glanced at Ginkgo sideways and said: "The Madam has something to do, and my mother has gone to handle it."

"Oh! What are you eating? Is it delicious?"

Jiu'er pursed her lips with some disdain: "Here, want to taste it?"

"Alright!"

Thinking of her own mother's depressed look, Jiu'er sighed again.

Main room,

Bright yellow candlelight shone through the window.

Inside the room,

Under the dual effect of the floor heating and the incense burner, the room was very warm.

Sheng Hong, who had changed into home clothes, sat by the table eating dishes comfortably, while Wang Ruofu sat opposite, holding a wine pot with a smile in her eyes, preparing to pour a cup of wine for Sheng Hong.

Seeing Wang Ruofu's action, Sheng Hong hurriedly put down his chopsticks, raised his cup with a smile, and said: "Sorry to trouble you, Madam."

After pouring the wine, Wang Ruofu smiled: "What are you saying, Master! This is good wine sent by the eldest sister; Master, try it quickly."

Hearing this, Sheng Hong was slightly stunned, then raised his wine cup and took a sip.

After smacking his lips a few times, Sheng Hong nodded: "Hmm! Good wine!"

After finishing, he drank it all in one gulp.

Wang Ruofu saw this scene and smiled as she poured another cup for Sheng Hong.

Sheng Hong, who was supporting the wine cup, carefully looked at the attentive Wang Ruofu again.

The phrase "Offering favors without a reason, if not a traitor, then a thief" drifted leisurely through Sheng Hong's mind.

Seeing Wang Ruofu looking over with a smile, Sheng Hong returned the smile and said: "Have the children in the house been obedient these two days?"

"They are obedient!" Wang Ruofu nodded with a smile, picked up chopsticks to put food for Sheng Hong again, and said: "Master, try this; this is the cutlassfish pieces sent by Hua'er!"

"The method was also specially instructed by Hua'er, saying it should be marinated with salt, then coated with batter mixed with eggs, and deep-fried in oil."

Sheng Hong nodded with a smile and began to eat the fish meat with chopsticks.

A moment later, Sheng Hong nodded repeatedly: "Hmm! Delicious!"

Wang Ruofu, who was beside him, smiled, pursed her lips, looked at Sheng Hong, and said: "Master, it's the end of the year; are things in the office very busy?"

"Hmm," Sheng Hong replied while focusing on eating the fish meat.

Wang Ruofu blinked her eyes, swallowed her saliva, and said: "Master, I heard that the newly built cavalry in the north is already fully prepared?"

Sheng Hong put down the fish bone and looked at Wang Ruofu: "Why, does the Kang family nephew want to enter the army to seek a future?"

Wang Ruofu smiled, put another piece of fish meat for Sheng Hong, and said: "Jin-ge'er is not old; how could he enter the army? It is my sister who received a request from another family..."

A look of impatience flashed across Sheng Hong's eyes, but he still suppressed the thoughts in his heart and said: "Oh?"

Seeing that there was a chance, Wang Ruofu was greatly encouraged and continued: "It is the Liang family of the Marquis of Yongchang; Master, you know the character of Madam Wu, she is the most warm-hearted..."

Wang Ruofu spoke halfway, looked at Sheng Hong, who had put down his chopsticks and whose eye corners were twitching, and said in confusion: "Master, what is wrong with you?"

"The eldest sister-in-law, she said it was Madam Wu who requested her?" Sheng Hong asked Wang Ruofu with a fake smile.

"Uh, Master, sister said so! She also said that the eldest son of the Liang family..." Wang Ruofu, noticing that something was wrong, saw her ingratiating smile gradually disappear and did not continue.

Sheng Hong took a deep breath and said: "Madam, you know the background of the eldest son of the Liang family, right?"

Wang Ruofu nodded.

Sheng Hong said with anger that he could vaguely not suppress: "He is the eldest son of a concubine, and he has passed the imperial examination, and has performed meritorious service in the army; it is possible that he might inherit the title!"

"You think about it carefully, would Madam Wu help him plead for mercy!?"

Hearing this, Changfeng's figure flashed through Wang Ruofu's mind; if Changfeng could possibly inherit the Sheng family, she, Wang Ruofu...

Looking at Sheng Hong, who was glaring at her, after pondering for a moment, Wang Ruofu said sheepishly: "Na... naturally not."

"Still not too stupid!"

After Sheng Hong finished speaking, he raised the wine cup to his lips, then put it back on the table heavily and said: "Add some more things to what the Kang family sent, and send them back."

"Oh," Wang Ruofu said, lowering her head.

"Before, when the Kang family was lending money at high interest, the Old Madam had already warned you not to associate with the Kang family! If you still do this, I..." Saying this, Sheng Hong pointed at Wang Ruofu hatefully.

Later that evening,

Linqi Pavilion,

Lin Qinshuang held a hand warmer in her hand, looked at Zhou Xueniang beside her, and said: "Has that little maid who delivered the message been rewarded?"

"Little Madam, this servant gave a hundred wen."

Lin Qinshuang nodded, her mouth full of mocking smiles, and said: "Wang Ruofu, this idiot! It is only because she was born well that she became the mistress of the Sheng family!"

"If my family had not fallen, if there were any incense gatherings, a person like her would certainly lose face and then be trampled under my feet!"

Zhou Xueniang nodded in praise: "Little Madam is right!"

Lin Qinshuang caught her breath, looked in the direction of Seeing Mo Lan's bedroom, and said: "Mo'er has always been outstanding, and she often shows her face when participating in poetry gatherings in the capital; I hope she can marry into a good family!"

"The Fourth Da Niangzi will certainly be able to!" Zhou Xueniang echoed.

"Kang Wangshi, this vicious, treacherous woman, although she gave me two slaps before, looking at it over these years, she is actually my best friend."

"The messy things she made Wang Ruofu do, one by one, are all pushing Hong-lang toward my side..."

Saying this, Lin Qinshuang's hand holding the hand warmer slowly tightened, and she said hatefully: "And also pushing him toward that bitch in Jin'an Study."

Hearing this,

Zhou Xueniang hurriedly advised in a low voice: "Little Madam! Now it is different from the past! Wei Xiaoniang is not alone now; outside, there is Xiaodie, who married the younger brother of the Viscount's wife, and there is also her younger sister who manages the salt farm."

"The Seventh Young Master is also clever and eager to learn, and the Master is very concerned about him; you must not do anything stupid."

Looking around with a guilty conscience, Zhou Xueniang said in an even lower voice: "When Wei Xiaoniang managed the house, she did not make things difficult for our courtyard; I imagine she is not clear about the Yang Zhou matter."

Lin Qinshuang frowned and said: "She doesn't make things difficult for us because of Hong-lang!"

Zhou Xueniang nodded repeatedly: "Little Madam is right, but, as the years pass, we women..."

Lin Qinshuang looked at Zhou Xueniang, reached out and touched her own cheek, and sighed with some sorrow.

But after only being sorrowful for a while, Lin Qinshuang took a deep breath, straightened her chest, and said: "It's fine; when Feng'er passes the imperial examination in the future and Mo'er marries into a good family, I will still be able to stand firm in the Sheng family."

Placing the hand warmer to one side, Lin Qinshuang smiled: "Just let Kang Wangshi and Wang Ruofu make trouble; who knows, the power of managing the house might fall into my hands in the future."

"Little Madam's words are exactly right."

New Year's Eve,

Afternoon,

A grand exorcism procession of over a thousand people walked on the streets of Bianjing after leaving the palace.

This exorcism ceremony was originally a ritual in the palace to drive away ghosts and epidemics, so there were many Bianjing commoners following along the road.

The commoners kept patting their clothes, hoping to get the benefits of the royal ritual and help themselves drive away some disasters and illnesses.

In the exorcism procession,

Besides many people from the Ministry of Rites' Jiaofang Division,

There were also many palace guards with tall figures, wearing golden armor, wearing masks, and holding flags of various colors all around.

Among these guards, there was a sturdy man holding a flagpole.

This man also wore a mask and could not see his appearance, his gaze looking toward the street through the holes in the mask.

When he saw a noble youth riding a black horse, wearing a cloak, and talking to people on the street, the eyes behind the man's mask narrowed slightly, full of resentment.

This man only looked for less than a breath,

Suddenly,

That noble youth's gaze swept toward this side for no reason.

This change made the man hurriedly turn his head to look forward.

On the side of the road,

Xu Zaijing scanned the exorcism procession a few times in confusion, and seeing nothing unusual, he continued to turn his head and say: "Zong-ge'er, Dai-ge'er, do you still want to go to Zhuanlong Bay outside Nanzun Gate?"

Lu Zezong, who was riding a horse, pondered for a moment and shook his head: "Adoptive brother, let's not go; it was fresh the first time, but after going a few times, I feel they are all much the same."

Xu Xingdai nodded.

"Alright, then let's go back," Xu Zaijing smiled.

Saying this, the group turned their horses' heads and rode toward Quyuan Street.

Xu family back courtyard,

Sun Shi looked at Xu Zaijing and the others entering the room in surprise.

"Yo, why are you back so early today?" Sun Shi asked with a smile.

"Grandmother, we didn't go out of the city to Nanzun Gate; we watched for a while outside the Zhu Que Gate and came back."

"No wonder," Sun Shi smiled.

"Then, Mother, Zong-ge'er, Dai-ge'er, and I are going to set off firecrackers," Xu Zaijing smiled.

Xie Shi and Hualan in the room also smiled helplessly upon hearing this.

"How old are you now?" Sun Shi waved her hand with a smile: "Go, pay attention to safety."

Watching Xu Zaijing and the others leave the room with a smile,

Sun Shi sighed with a smile, exchanged a glance with her two daughters-in-law, and said: "Before getting married, no matter how you look at it, he is like a child."

"Mother is right! However, it is almost time!" Xie Shi smiled.

Hualan, who was holding her little sister-in-law Ningmei, also laughed upon hearing this.

Sun Shi nodded and said: "I hope so! I don't know if the Bai family younger sister will be unaccustomed today."

Xie Shi and Hualan, the two sisters-in-law, exchanged a glance and understood.

In the evening,

The sound of firecrackers could be heard from time to time all around.

During this time, in the palace in the north, large fireworks were also rising into the sky and exploding from time to time.

Xingguo Lane,

Marquis Ningyuan's Mansion,

In the main room of the back courtyard,

Yanran habitually placed both hands in front of her bulging belly and gave Gu Tingye a wink.

Gu Tingye looked at Yanran blankly, not understanding.

Seeing this, Yanran glared at Gu Tingye with disdain, turned around, leaned her head, and whispered to her sister-in-law Pingmei.

After listening to Yanran, Pingmei whispered: "It's all the same; there aren't many boys who are careful."

Saying this, Pingmei patted the buttocks of Xing-ge'er in front of her and whispered: "Go, find your grandmother for a hug."

"Oh," Gu Shixing said, holding a candied fruit, and walked to Bai Shi's side: "Grandmother."

After Bai Shi smiled and took it, Gu Shixing drilled directly into Bai Shi's arms.

In the first year of Gu Tingyi's marriage, Bai Shi, who was somewhat sentimental because she couldn't see her daughter, had a smile appear on her face when she was teased by Gu Shixing like this.

Chang Mama, who was somewhat touched on the side, also took a deep breath and looked at Pingmei and Yanran with great appreciation.

Keeping watch through the night,

Early morning,

Scattered firecrackers could still be heard around Marquis Yongyi's Mansion.

Xu Zaijing wore a cloak, lifted the cotton curtain, and walked out.

Lanterns were hanging in the courtyard,

Although the sky was dark, the light was quite good.

After taking a breath of cold air, white mist was exhaled from Xu Zaijing's mouth.

He looked up at the twinkling stars in the sky and called back: "Dai-ge'er, you guys hurry up and come out; we are going to sell our foolishness."

The children in the room responded one after another,

Xu Zaijing continued to look at the starry sky outside the house, and not knowing what he thought of, Xu Zaijing smiled slightly.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 703 =====