Xu Changqian was silent for a while, then smiled at his grown-up daughter, patted Mingyu on the shoulder, and pulled Mingyu into the house, saying, "Are you afraid of running into someone from the Anxi Marquis' Mansion in the capital?"
Mingyu bit her lip and nodded. She knew in her heart that she was now a "fugitive" and it was not appropriate for her to appear in front of everyone. Mingyu's previous plan was to live in Lu'an, a quiet and peaceful little place, for the rest of her life.
Madam Xu, who was packing up in the house, heard her daughter's voice, turned around, and saw her husband and daughter enter the house. She glanced at Xu Changqian, who winked at her. Madam Xu immediately pulled Mingyu to her side and said loudly, "Don't be afraid! What else can the Marquis' Mansion do to us? We have me and your father!"
Xu Changqian couldn't help but shake his head and smile. After so many years, his wife still couldn't change her impetuous temper. She was just like the beautiful and bold girl who had tied mourning cloth on her head, rushed into the county government office without hesitation, and beat the drum to sue her relatives.
"Mingyu, you don't have to be afraid." Xu Changqian sat on the chair, pulled his wife and daughter over and said softly, "Your mother and I have discussed this early in the morning. Escape is not a solution. We still have to face the problem. Dad can't let you hide in Lu'an like a fugitive for the rest of your life. It's the Marquis' Mansion that is bullying us too much. No matter what, they are wrong. You haven't done anything bad, so why can't you stand in front of people with dignity?"
Mingyu's heart began to beat fast and she looked up at her father. Could it be that her father wanted to take the opportunity of going to Beijing to take up his new post to make peace with the Marquis's Mansion
Xu Changqian rubbed Mingyu's head and said, "Don't worry, your parents are here and will never let you suffer any grievances again. When we get to the capital, Dad will go find the wife of the Marquis of Anxi and make things clear to her. If the second young master is in the capital, let him write a letter of divorce, and we will have nothing to do with them from now on. If the second young master..." Xu Changqian shook his head and swallowed his words.
Mingyu's heart skipped a beat and she felt a chill in her heart.
"If the second young master is gone, then the Marquis's Mansion has no reason to stop his daughter from coming home." Xu Changqian continued. Although Mingye's description showed that the second young master of the Marquis's Mansion was a playboy, domineering and uneducated, he was brave enough to shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending the city when the enemy was at the gates and his father was killed, buying time for the people to escape. So he didn't want to see anything happen to him.
What's more, the Sima family has already produced two loyal martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country. If something unexpected happened to the second young master again, the Sima family would be extinct, which would be an absolute tragedy in the eyes of the ancients.
What Xu Changqian didn't tell Mingyu was that his daughter was only fourteen years old, a beautiful age like a flower. If something happened to the second young master of the Sima family, how could he bear to let his daughter be a widow for the rest of her life? Besides, he also wanted to make it up to his daughter. This time he had to open his eyes and not seek wealth and glory. He just wanted to find a loyal and reliable man for his daughter and marry her off openly.
"Don't be afraid, your parents are here! Once this is over, you'll be truly free. Whoever dares to talk behind your back, I won't forgive him!" Madam Xu hugged her daughter and comforted her softly. How could she let her daughter, whom she had finally found, be bullied by the Marquis's Mansion again!
Mingyu lowered her head, feeling warm in her heart, and hummed softly. Two hot tears fell on Mrs. Xu's shoulders and quickly disappeared into the fabric. From the bottom of her heart, she respected, trusted and relied on Xu Changqian and Mrs. Xu, but she did not regard them as her real parents. Until this moment, she realized that Xu Changqian and his wife had considered her much more than she had imagined.
No matter how rough the road ahead is, or how tough the attitude of the Marquis' Mansion is, she is not afraid, because her loving parents and brother stand behind her and support her.
Mrs. Xu hugged Mingyu and patted her back. She saw several large packages that her husband had packed and couldn't help but sigh, "Once you go so far, you may never come back. My mother's house is still there, and it won't be sold for a while. That's fine, anyway, the house is old and won't sell for much money. It's a pity to have those two shops prepared for Mingyu. They are shops that make money. You won't make much money if you sell them in a hurry."
Xu Changqian smiled and said, "When you get to the capital and settle down, you can go to the streets and rent two shops to do business. Your business will definitely be much better than in Lu'an."
Mrs. Xu laughed and nodded, "That's true." No matter how much she complained, she was happy for Xu Changqian because her husband had been promoted and his career ambitions had hope. Even if he had to leave Lu'an, where she had lived for half her life, and go to the completely unfamiliar capital.
Xu Mingye had been busy bidding farewell to his teachers and classmates in the academy these days. He took Mingyu with him to bid farewell to Mr. Qi and Qi Su early in the morning. Mr. Qi also wrote a calligraphy for Xu Mingye as a parting gift. The four characters "Too much is as bad as too little" were powerful and incisive.
Mingyu couldn't help but admire Lord Qi for his steady and powerful wrist when he picked up the pen despite his age.
After Lord Qi finished writing, he saw Mingyu tilting her head and looking at the calligraphy intently. He couldn't help but smile and said, "Mingyu girl, are you also interested in writing?" In Lord Qi's mind, Mingyu was a delicate little girl. In this era when women were considered virtuous if they had no talent, it was good enough for her to be able to recognize words, let alone calligraphy.
Xu Mingye suddenly had an idea and said to Mingyu, "Mingyu has been practicing calligraphy for an hour every day, and has not stopped for the past two years. Please write a few words for Master Qi and ask for your guidance."
Mingyu was stunned for a moment, and was secretly pushed by Xu Mingye before she came back to her senses, as if awakened from a dream. Lord Qi was a well-educated and prestigious scholar of the dynasty, and his calligraphy was superb. If she could get his comments, it would definitely be of great benefit to her.
After seeing Master Qi nod his approval with a smile, Mingyu went to the table, selected a thick brush, and wrote the word "静" (quiet) with a calm mind. After writing, Mingyu respectfully bowed to Master Qi and asked him for comments.
Qi Su helped Master Qi to the table and looked at Mingyu's calligraphy. Master Qi stroked his beard and nodded, smiling, "Your basic skills are good, you have style, and your handwriting is beautiful. If you practice for a few more years, you will surely become a great master."
This was already a very appreciative compliment. Xu Mingye looked at his beautiful and quiet sister in the morning light, his heart full of pride. However, he did not forget that he was still in someone else's house. He rubbed his sister's head modestly and said with a smile: "Thank you for the compliment, sir."
Master Qi glanced at the word "Jing" on the table again, and said with a regretful smile: "What a pity! If I had known that little girl Mingyu's handwriting was so good, I would have accepted her as my last disciple."
After hearing what Lord Qi said, Mingyu felt a little regretful. It would be great if she could learn calligraphy from Lord Qi. Unfortunately, they would leave for the capital in two days. She was afraid that she would never have the chance to meet this amiable old man in this life.
When Qi Su escorted them out, Mingyu also held a roll of rice paper in her hand. It was the calligraphy gift from Lord Qi. She and Xu Mingye each had one. Qi Su smiled and said, "Mingyu, you are really extraordinary. Grandfather rarely praises people like this. As far as I can remember, he has never praised anyone else like this, except for His Royal Highness Qin Junwang's paintings and your calligraphy!"
Mingyu's face was almost reddened by Qi Su's words. She smiled awkwardly and said, "That was Grandpa Qi's way of trying to make me happy. I still have a lot to learn!"
When approaching the gate of Qi's house, Xu Mingye turned around and stopped Qi Su. He bowed deeply, met Qi Su's surprised eyes, and said frankly: "Mingye is grateful for your care over the years. We will set off for Beijing tomorrow. This year's and last year's examinations have been delayed. The new emperor will definitely have to reschedule the examinations when he ascends the throne. I will wait for you in Beijing then!"
The last sentence was said forcefully, and looking at Xu Mingye's expression, it was full of sincerity. Qi Su smiled and nodded with a firm look.
Mingyu was the only one who looked longingly at her brother and Qi Su. The two handsome and gentle young men were pleasing to the eyes no matter how she looked at them, but the more she looked at them, the more she felt it was weird, as if they were two good friends who were reluctant to say goodbye... Mingyu could not help but cover her face. She was becoming less and less pure.
It was not until later that she realized that the "bad boy" Xu Mingye was not as reluctant to part with his friend as she thought. In the provincial examination, Xu Mingye ranked second, and Qi Su ranked first. Although this boy was a good friend of Qi Su, he was arrogant inside and was determined to compete with Qi Su again in the imperial examination. Lord Qi had seen Xu Mingye's personality long ago, otherwise he would not have given him the four words "too much is as bad as too little", for fear that he would bring this stubbornness to the officialdom and suffer the consequences.
After a few days of hard work, the Xu family packed up all their belongings into a carriage. After all, Xu Changqian was an honest official, so there was nothing valuable except a few boxes of clothes and bedding. Xu Changqian hired a bigger carriage to take the four of them, Dongyuan, Lixiang, and Mama Liu, three servants, on the road.
On the day of his departure, the people of Lu'an County knew that Xu Changqian was leaving, and the streets and city gates were filled with people who came to see him off. Many of them were white-haired old men, who were supported by their children and grandchildren. It was a very touching scene.
Xu Changqian got off the carriage and spoke several sincere words to the people. After bidding farewell again and again, he got on the carriage and left. He had been here for more than ten years and had a deep affection for every plant and tree here.
Even after walking far out of the city gate and lifting the curtain of the carriage, Mingyu could still see the people seeing Xu Changqian off at the city gate.
In fact, Mingyu had some complaints about Xu Changqian's integrity. When she arrived in Da Chu, she saw the luxury of the Anxi Marquis's Mansion. When the old lady celebrated her birthday, the money and gifts were flowing in like water, and the income was in the tens of thousands. On the contrary, Xu Changqian was an outlier. Until she saw the scene today, Mingyu sincerely felt that having an "outlier" father like Xu Changqian was also a kind of luck.
Isn't everything a matter of cause and effect? Who knows, maybe she and Lixiang were able to escape from Tianshui and return home safely, all thanks to the good deeds that Father Xu had done over the years, which resulted in good results. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to subscribe and give rewards on Qidian Mobile Network (). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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