[{"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-740":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},2308518,4510,"Chapter 740: Very Kind [Thank You! Again! 38k Words Owed]","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-740",740,"\u003Cp>At the main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the carriage where Elder Madam Sheng sat,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing and Zhaizhang bowed deeply: “Auntie Ancestor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Heng, Gu Tingye, and the others also bowed and greeted her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zezong glanced at Qi Heng, then at Xu Zaijing, and followed suit: “Auntie Ancestor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elder madam’s smile grew even warmer as she said softly, “You must be Zongge from the Lian State Duke’s mansion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Auntie Ancestor,” Zhaizhang smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good! Truly a distinguished young man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you for your praise, Auntie Ancestor,” Lu Zezong replied with a bow and a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After smiling and nodding, the elder madam turned to Xu Zaijing: “Jingge, did your maternal grandfather and grandmother come today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They did, Auntie Ancestor,” Xu Zaijing smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good! Let’s go,” the elder madam nodded with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elder madam’s carriage passed through, and the Sheng family’s carriages followed behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greetings, Auntie Wang \u002F Mother-in-law \u002F Lady.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing and the others bowed and bowed again, addressing Wang Ruofu with different titles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Mama, Caihuan, and others standing beside the carriage curtsied in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rulan, beside them, followed Wang Ruofu’s instructions and nodded slightly to Xu Zaijing and the others without showing her teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruofu cast a pitying glance at Zhaizhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lowering the carriage curtain, Wang Ruofu sighed: “Today, nearly every noble household in the capital has sent someone. Just look how hard your eldest brother-in-law is working! I wonder what your sister looks like at the second gate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, Cousin Jing is working hard too! I wonder if he’s worn out,” Rulan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What nonsense! Can this little thing tire out Jingge?” Wang Ruofu frowned. “Why are you so concerned about him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rulan shook her head, looking troubled: “Mother, you’ve never gotten up early to attend lessons—you don’t understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Ruofu’s carriage moved inward,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>while behind,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Bai and Chang Feng had not mounted their horses to follow—they remained halted at the main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing looked at Chang Zhi, seated before Chang Bai, and smiled: “Why did you bring Seventh Young Master like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Feng beside him said: “Seventh Young Master said he wanted to learn horseback riding, so Second Brother put him in front.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Sheng Changzhi bowed and greeted them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the last carriage, Mo Lan and Ming Lan also lifted their curtains and waved greetings to Xu Zaijing and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing beside Liang Han, Qi Heng grinned like he’d eaten a bag of happy nuts, staring at the Sheng family’s carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Mo Lan nod to him, Qi Heng smiled warmly and nodded repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This gesture made Mo Lan’s cheeks flush slightly before she lowered the curtain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yuanruo. Yuanruo?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Heng, snapping back to attention, looked toward Zhaizhang who had called him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Brother Zhang, what is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You and Tingye and the others go in—the guests have mostly arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! We’re coming right in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve worked hard,” Zhaizhang smiled and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the Xu family’s inner courtyard,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>in the spacious hall,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Dangzi was chatting with several ladies and official wives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I say, Sister Wu, today when I came to the Xu residence, I didn’t see you at the second gate—I thought you hadn’t come!” one lady laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Dangzi replied: “No choice—now that the Xu Marquis’s wife has two capable daughters-in-law, I don’t need to crowd in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister Wu speaks truly—the two ladies at the Xu second gate are clearly sharp and efficient! The way they speak, I feel as if bathed in spring breeze.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those in the hall nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, when the Yongyi Marquis’s mansion had events, the mistress Sun Shi usually took charge; the noble ladies of the capital rarely knew of the two daughters-in-law’s abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, they saw that Xie Shi and Sheng Shi were both formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, Sister Wu, I heard that the elder sister who married into the Sheng family will come today too?” someone asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, she’s coming today!” Wu Dangzi smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, several older ladies and official wives in the hall began whispering among themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elder madam was once the only daughter of the illustrious Yongyi Marquis’s mansion, raised from childhood in the palace under the Empress Dowager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After her coming-of-age ceremony, her daily comforts and expenses in the capital, thick with noble houses, were among the highest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, in her youth, the elder madam was proud and fiery, with clear likes and dislikes; she stubbornly married the third-place imperial scholar, stirring up the winds of Bianjing—stories of her still circulate today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, some who spoke of her did so with nostalgia and regret;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>others, with smug delight and cold mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many younger women today had only heard her name, never seen her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the murmurs around her, Chai Zhengzheng looked puzzled at those beside her: “Sister Tingyi, Fifth Lady, have you heard of this elder madam?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Madame Chai had spent most of her life away from the capital with her parents; Zhengzheng rarely heard stories of the past from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang’s Fifth Lady nodded: “My mother has mentioned her a few times.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyi smiled and nodded: “I’ve heard from the Xu Marquis’s wife.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rong Feiyan blinked, listening intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around at the noble ladies, Zhang’s Fifth Lady smiled: “Whenever I did something boastful, my mother would look at me with utter indifference.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I asked her several times why she was so unmoved—and she said, if you’d seen the Yongyi Marquis’s daughter in her youth, you’d be the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu Dangzi plays polo well enough, I hear she’s utterly obsessed with this elder madam.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah?” Chai Zhengzheng, who had seen Wu Dangzi’s polo skills, gasped in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyi smiled and pressed her lips together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rong Feiyan hesitated: “I’ve never seen this elder madam—I wonder what she looks like.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingyi smiled: “Since coming to the capital, the elder madam rarely goes out; when she has matters, Lady Hou usually handles them—we naturally haven’t seen much of her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang’s Fifth Lady thought a moment: “She’s probably like my mother—stern expression, frightening when she frowns.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And when she walks, maybe like Feiyan, chin raised like a proud little peacock.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rong Feiyan blushed: “I—I don’t!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah!” Gu Tingyi covered her mouth and laughed: “That’s not true at all—Elder Madam Sheng is very kind!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fifth Lady, what are you saying?” Xu Anmei walked over and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth Lady frowned, glanced aside, then brightened when she saw Anmei: “Ah? Sister Anmei. How come I didn’t see you before? We were talking about Elder Madam Sheng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I went to see Ningjie,” Anmei replied. “You’re talking about Auntie Ancestor? Hmm… let me tell you a little story about her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the expressions of Chai Zhengzheng, Rong Feiyan, and the others, Anmei smiled: “My little brother’s dragon steed? Auntie Ancestor rode it too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Rong Feiyan and the others could exclaim, Anmei continued: “The servants say that day, Auntie Ancestor rode faster than little Wu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah?” The noble ladies gasped again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, do you know Madam Kong?” Anmei continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rong Feiyan nodded eagerly: “Yes, yes! Madam Kong taught me for a while—so strict! Posture, etiquette, hanging paintings, tea, flower arranging, incense—I learned so much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anmei raised an eyebrow and smiled: “I heard that in the palace, many of Madam Kong’s skills were taught by my Auntie Ancestor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gulp.” Rong Feiyan involuntarily swallowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang’s Fifth Lady glanced around: “So this elder madam plays polo well, understands etiquette and incense, and comes from the highest family—oh my heavens—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I’d been born in her time, I’d probably have said a few snide remarks too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the noble ladies around her laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a maid’s voice called from outside: “Elder Madam Sheng and Lady Hou have arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>many in the hall turned their gazes toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1305,"2026-06-20T10:32:41.888Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e71a8f90506d48e019696fc4c691969e285dabf035249609a1304bc79c8ef175","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-741","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-739",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]