[{"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-81":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},2307859,4510,"Chapter 81: He Family and the Ministry of Personnel","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-81",81,"\u003Cp>It was night again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Yongyi Marquis’s mansion in Bianjing, Xu Zaijing had just returned from his studies when Lady He had already left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mother summoned him over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By candlelight, Sun Shi fanned him with a fan, glancing at him, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maids and old women stood outside the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaiduan, Zaihang, and the others were not inside—the children must not know what Xu Zaijing had done, lest they grow arrogant from favor and invite disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu Lang, do you know why Lady He came to our mansion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mother, I know—it’s because of Elder Brother and his wife.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Your elder brother is still young, and your sister-in-law can conceive anytime. Lady He came to thank us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The imperial physician.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s Lady He’s son?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After I married your father, Lady He came to examine me at your aunt’s request, and after that, you children came one after another.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Sheng family’s aunt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many aunts do you have? By sheer chance, you saved her son’s life—of course she came to thank us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But how could the imperial physician tell his mother? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lady He is meticulous and tight-lipped. All these years, do you know how many illegitimate sons or daughters Master He has?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing feigned ignorance: “Two?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi shook her head: “None. But when Master He was young, he was famously promiscuous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing thought inwardly: Poisoning, of course. Even Qin Er, who knew nothing of medicine, managed to ruin Gu Yan Kai and Gu Ting Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who understands medicine better than Lady He?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you implying, Mother? Lady He...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You understand.” Sun Shi looked at her son, deep in thought, her eyes filled with satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Zaijing had keen eyesight—he had glimpsed Lady He from afar that day, an elderly woman with fair, plump skin and a constant smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’d never guess she was a ruthless woman who had taken lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For most of her life, Lady He had lived by one rule: if anyone made her even slightly uncomfortable, she’d make sure they felt no comfort at all, nipping every threat in the bud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wielded a fierce determination to control her own fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Lady He kill them herself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need. She merely dropped a few deadly prescriptions casually into the hands of her husband’s concubines, letting them fight among themselves. One died, the killer couldn’t escape death either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes: when the clam and the sandpiper fight, the fisherman wins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? Don’t fight? Lady He, as the mistress, says you fight—you fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady He’s visit brought not only gratitude but also a small booklet for Sun Shi, filled with remedies for regulating the body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People teach people, but events teach better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi hoped her children would observe and think deeply, so they wouldn’t suffer great losses later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Summer mornings brightened early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Sheng approached Gu Yan Kai, who was practicing his spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis, the father of the Mei girl has passed. The mother and daughter delivered the remaining silver to the outer courtyard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yan Kai stopped, walked to the weapon rack, and planted his spear upright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his head, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and after a dozen breaths said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Find a courtyard and settle them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Marquis. Also, the Yongyi Marquis’s family, the Xu family, has been promoted to Regional Military Commissioner of the Tianwu Army. Lady Xu says we should celebrate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do as Lady Xu says.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, the master and servant walked away. At the corner of the courtyard corridor, Gu Ting Yu emerged slowly, holding a blunt longsword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had come to practice swordplay for health, but overheard this conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His servant You Qing followed him, unable to meet his young master’s startlingly bright eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph. Another scheme to harm others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Gu Ting Yu walked alone into the courtyard and began a slow, graceful sword dance—his blade steady, no longer trembling like the wooden sword he once struggled to hold as a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Days flew by.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the weather began to cool, Xu Minghua was ordered back to the capital from the western front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He arrived weary from travel, bringing back many Xu family youths from Daizhou and relatives from the Sun clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xu household had been forewarned; that day, the entire family waited at the gate to greet him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua dismounted at the main gate of the Quyuanjie Marquis’s mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi’s eyes filled with tears as she gazed at her lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the war began, those few days had felt like years to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua looked at his family at the gate, his eyes brimming with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua walked forward, and family members greeted him one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, you’ve traveled far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, I’ve missed you so much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua patted Xu Zaihang and Zaijing, who had grown taller, glanced at his eldest son, then took Sun Shi’s hand and entered the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The family’s celebration, of course, needed no description.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the banquet ended that night,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>on the bed in the mistress’s quarters, Sun Shi told her husband in detail everything that had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially matters in the palace—there was no need to hide them from Xu Minghua.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing his wife’s account, Xu Minghua said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wondered—Cao’s elder brother has more battlefield merits than I do, yet why was I summoned to Bianjing? It seems my virtuous helpmate gave me a boost.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Shi, still shaken, said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was your son, not me. Truly, fortune and misfortune are intertwined—if the prince had truly come to harm, even a hint of our family’s involvement would bring disaster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Minghua comforted his wife, thinking inwardly: yes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, he continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Given this incident, Wu Lang is now firmly in the Emperor’s favor. His official rank, rewards, and even the future careers of our sons may all benefit from their younger brother’s fortune.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Empress still has too few children,” Sun Shi remarked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Empress is too old now. By the way, when I went to the office, the superiors treated me differently. These shrewd men—when they favor you, they make you feel like spring breeze, praising you down to the marrow of your bones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did they praise you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too much, too much—I can’t even repeat it. The office says that because the tax increase in Yangzhou was collected swiftly and efficiently, the Ministry of Personnel has awarded it. Hong Ge will come to the capital soon to receive his honor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When he arrives, shall we host a banquet? All the guests will be military officers—should we send an invitation to the Sheng family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Send it. Whether they come or not is their choice; whether we send it or not is ours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, the gatekeeper received many invitations and gifts, along with extra tips far exceeding the usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most invitations and gifts came from noble and military families, aiming to cultivate goodwill with this newly appointed high-ranking officer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few came from civil officials—only from Xu Zaijing’s aunt’s family and the Sheng family of Jiyin Alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking command of the Tianwu Army, the Yongyi Marquis Xu family sent out invitations, inviting those who had sent gifts to celebrate at the Xu mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once again, the street before the Xu gate and the courtyard were packed with carriages and horses—more guests than at Xu Zaiduan’s wedding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Xu Minghua’s status was no longer what it once was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Ting Yu and his two siblings followed their parents. As Gu Yan Kai exchanged pleasantries with Xu Minghua, Gu Ting Ye spotted the future daughter-in-law, Xu Pingmei, walking behind Sun Shi, learning how to organize a grand noble banquet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Ting Ye playfully nudged his elder brother, then felt a gaze—he saw Xu Zaijing watching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Ting Yu also saw the noble lady behind Sun Shi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long unseen, Xu Pingmei wore a silver-white silk autumn robe, a red plum-shaped hairpin adorning her forehead, her black coiffure making her face soft and radiant as a flower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her beauty made Gu Ting Yu’s heart tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pingmei glanced at the two brothers behind the Marquis—Gu Ting Ye, grinning mischievously at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked up again and saw Gu Ting Yu, taller now, his features combining the best of Qin Da and Gu Yan Kai: handsome, fair-skinned, yet with a sharpness in his brows and eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One glance, and she lowered her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Ting Yu didn’t dare stare at Pingmei either. After the greetings, the Gu family divided into male and female guests and entered the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the banquet began, the young men chatted in the courtyard—younger ones laughed and played, older ones spoke of court affairs and the imperial examinations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Ting Ye entered the courtyard and immediately spotted a figure—the eldest son of the Lu family of Lingguo, who had once clashed with him at the Qi State Duke’s mansion years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the Lingguo Duke’s family had grown ever more infamous in Bianjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet their instinct to cling to power remained intact; they came to this banquet to strengthen ties, hoping to secure positions for their younger relatives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the prince now growing strong, the Lingguo Duke’s mansion would not court Prince Yan—instead, they sought favor with the Xu family, who were close to the imperial uncle, the Cao family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who had bullied the young masters of the Duke Prefecture now dared only to target those of lower status; faced with the Gu family, who had just returned from triumphs in the north, he retracted his claws and became a cat to be toyed with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing Gu Tingye was skilled at tossing the pot, he summoned other noble youths, lavished praise on Gu Tingye’s technique, and openly claimed he had once been defeated by Gu Tingye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Tingye, being young, was swept up in the flattery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the main gate of the Hou Fu,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sheng Hong, just honored by the Ministry of Personnel, stepped down from his carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the “fine horses and luxurious carriages” by the roadside, Sheng Hong showed no hint of disdain; he adjusted his attire and walked smiling into the Xu Fu’s main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The author’s bowl has no oil; readers’ support eases a thousand sorrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please reward with monthly tickets and recommendation votes; the author begs, begs, begs, begs, begs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you to the great patron Yizhiyueshiliu for the 5000 reward yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you to all dear, lovely, kind readers for your repeated 100 rewards—I love you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(`) Sending heart!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yù and bàng are fighting—the author’s input method corrected him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1787,"2026-06-20T10:32:38.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9663b3989cc06ee3cef7c7395ff6bfd2bfff04a74320c6a1dfa4b17146418c07","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-82","i-am-the-xu-family-s-son-chapter-80",790,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-am-the-xu-family-s-son-cover.jpg"]