The Great Chu was established for only over forty years, and there were four emperors in total. Although the time was short, there were many century-old families in the capital, and the Xu family was one of these century-old families.
As early as the previous dynasty, the Xu family had two Jinshi, and their careers were always prosperous. At that time, the Xu family was very prosperous for a while, but it was a pity that the descendants were not ambitious enough and could not live up to the glory of their ancestors. As early as when Xu Lin's father was in charge, the Xu family had already declined and lived on the property left by their ancestors.
Just like those declining aristocratic families that look glamorous on the outside but are dilapidated on the inside, the Xu family is also on a downward spiral.
The old lady of the Xu family is now in her early fifties, with a lot of white hair on her head. She is sitting in the yard basking in the sun, wearing a half-worn gray silk robe embroidered with a dark pattern of the word "Fu".
Looking at the narrow courtyard, the old lady couldn't help shaking her head and smacking her lips. The original Xu Mansion was much bigger than it is now. When she first married into the Xu family, the house on the other side of the courtyard wall still belonged to the Xu family. Unfortunately, it is now someone else's home. In total, the funeral of Xu Lin and his parents-in-law cost a lot of money. The Xu Mansion was already in deficit, and this time it was even more shaken. In the next few decades, his son donated money to marry a wife, and he spent money on big and small things. He earned less and spent more, so how could he afford to buy back the house that was sold
The Xu family's house was left over from a hundred years ago, and it has only been occasionally repaired over the years. The gray and mottled bricks of the courtyard wall are exposed, and even the red paint on the pillars of the porch has almost fallen off, making it look shabby and decadent.
The old lady stared with a pair of shrewd eyes, looked around, and pouted. The more she looked, the more annoyed she felt. Even at her age, she couldn't feel at ease.
Just as the old lady dozed off, her son Xu Changgong hurried over with his head down. He looked up and saw that the old lady had closed her eyes and seemed to be asleep. He shouted, "Old lady, wake up! Something big has happened!"
The old lady was suddenly awakened. She was very unhappy and asked with half-closed eyes: "What's the matter? Look how anxious you are!"
Xu Changgong said, "My eldest brother has sent me a letter. He has been promoted by the emperor to the rank of fifth-rank doctor of the Ministry of Rites, and will be coming to the capital to take up his post soon!"
The old lady's eyes, which were half closed, suddenly opened completely. She stared at Xu Changgong and asked, "Is this true?"
Xu Changgong nodded, unable to hide the sourness and jealousy in his tone, and said: "That's right, I watched it several times, afraid that I read it wrong, this is a double-level upgrade!"
The old lady remained silent for a while, and the roots of her teeth began to feel sour again.
Seeing that his own mother didn't say anything, Xu Changgong couldn't help but say, "Brother is so far away in Lu'an, how could the emperor know how he is as an official? I think it's because the Sima Marquis's Mansion produced two loyal heroes, and the emperor showed mercy and rewarded him because he and the Marquis's Mansion are relatives! A few days ago, I heard my colleagues talking about how the emperor mentioned the Anxi Marquis' Mansion several times, praising them for being a loyal and heroic family, and both father and son sacrificed their lives for the country."
"So what?" The old lady was not happy. "No matter how jealous you are, you are not the relative of the Marquis of Anxi Mansion! Good things will never happen to you!"
It would have been fine if this matter had not been mentioned. As soon as it was mentioned, Xu Changgong became furious. It was obvious that his daughter Xu Mingrui was the eldest daughter of the Xu family and her age was more suitable. However, the old lady in the Marquis's Mansion insisted on having her eldest brother's daughter. Although his mother was a concubine, he was also the legitimate son, and Mingrui was also a legitimate daughter. How was she inferior to Xu Changqian's daughter!
When the Xu family heard that the Marquis's Mansion was going to marry the Xu family, they were so happy that they couldn't sleep. In the end, they were so happy for nothing. They only wanted the daughter of the eldest son Xu Changqian! Even if Mingyu was too young to be suitable, they would not give in to Mingrui.
Although the Xu family was filled with resentment, they did not dare to say no to the Marquis's request and immediately went to inform Xu Changqian. However, Xu Changqian was not happy about this good thing that others could not even ask for. He hesitated for a long time and asked others to inquire before he reluctantly agreed. This really hurt Xu Changgong.
"Brother, that stubborn idiot, is really blessed with endless luck!" Xu Changgong snorted. First, he became a relative of the Marquis's Mansion, and then, when the world was at peace, he got the benefit of the Loyal Marquis' Mansion and was promoted twice. The emperor said it in a nice way because of his outstanding achievements. If his achievements were really good, why didn't he promote him in the past ten or twenty years
The old lady waved her hands, "Alright, alright, stop complaining! Do you think the Marquis' Mansion is easy to deal with? At the end of the year before last, when Tianshui was occupied by the Tartars, the Marquis' Mansion fled back to the capital, but they didn't see Mingyu! It's been more than a year, and I haven't heard about how the Second Madam of the Marquis' Mansion is doing... I think the position of the Second Madam of the Marquis' Mansion is very fierce. If you want to sit there, you have to be lucky enough!"
Xu Changgong fell silent upon hearing this. Everyone knew that the wife of the Marquis and the eldest grandmother had returned, but the second grandmother was missing. He vaguely heard that she was stuck in Tianshui City and couldn't get out. It was possible that the Marquis was in a hurry to escape and left Mingyu alone in Tianshui in the chaos.
He really couldn't bear to let his beloved daughter Mingrui suffer that kind of pain. But when he thought about his elder brother getting a fifth-rank official hat for free with the help of the Marquis's Mansion, he felt as uncomfortable as if he were scratched by a cat. If the Marquis's Mansion wasn't so picky, he should be the fifth-rank doctor now!
As the two were talking, Xu Changgong's wife, Mrs. Hu, came over with her daughter Mingrui. Xu Mingrui was one year older than Mingyu, and was in her prime. Seeing the old lady, Xu Mingrui immediately called out coquettishly, "Grandma!"
When the old lady saw her pretty granddaughter, all her worries were thrown away. Her face was as bright as a chrysanthemum and she quickly pulled her granddaughter to her side.
Hu smiled and asked, "What are you talking about?"
Xu Changgong told the story of Xu Changqian's promotion to the capital again, and emphasized his own speculation at the end. Hu couldn't help but curl her lips and clench her teeth tightly. How come good things always happen to others one after another!
Xu Mingrui had no reaction to the promotion, but her reaction was similar to her parents'. When the Marquis's Mansion came to propose marriage, everyone thought that she, the eldest daughter of the Xu family, would become the second wife of the Marquis' Mansion. Some envied her, while others congratulated her. But who knew that in the end, the Marquis' Mansion would fall in love with her cousin whom she had never met! As soon as the news came out, she became the object of ridicule from all sides, and fell from heaven to hell overnight!
So even though Xu Mingrui has never met Xu Mingyu, this does not stop her from hating Mingyu to the core. She wishes Mingyu had never appeared in this world. It was this annoying girl who made her a laughing stock. If it weren't for this girl, wouldn't she be the second wife of the Marquis' Mansion
It was not until later that she vaguely heard that Mingyu might have died in the city when the Tartars broke through Tianshui that she felt a little relieved and was somewhat glad that the Marquisate did not choose her. However, now that Xu Mingyu had died, she was not at peace and had earned a fifth-rank doctor for her father, which made her heart waver and unbalanced.
"Okay." The old lady spoke, interrupting everyone's thoughts, and looked at Xu Changgong and said, "I'm afraid your eldest brother has also received the imperial edict, and will arrive in the capital in a few days. After all, he is the eldest son of the Xu family, and now he is more promising than you two brothers..." At this point, the old lady couldn't help but glared at her sons. They were both good-for-nothings and caused her a lot of worry.
"This family will have to rely on him in the future." The old lady sighed sadly.
Xu Changgong was somewhat embarrassed by his mother's glare, but he was also somewhat unconvinced. What was wrong with him? If he had a daughter who was the second wife of a marquis, he could also be promoted! He had no money and no connections, so how could he be promoted? When his eldest brother passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, he was so glorious that everyone thought he could bring honor to the Xu family, but in the end, he still stayed in the countryside for nearly twenty years.
Mrs. Hu suddenly had an idea, her eyes sparkled, and she said hastily, "Brother has been the county magistrate in Jiangnan for so many years, how much private money must he have saved? I heard that Jiangnan is a land of fish and rice, the people are rich, and the officials are all very well-off. It's easy to make a lot of money!"
"Yes!" Xu Changgong quickly agreed, "Doesn't my sister-in-law's family run a business? She's the only daughter, and all the huge family property belongs to my brother, right?"
When Xu Changqian and his wife fell in love, he just wrote a simple letter to his family in the capital, saying that he was getting married and that his wife came from a small merchant family. He had a tense relationship with Mrs. Xu and his two younger brothers, so the letter was not very intimate or detailed. Xu Changgong always thought that his elder brother was coaxing them. In fact, his elder sister-in-law's family was rich, and he just said that because he was afraid that his two poor brothers would come to him to ask for money.
The old lady was not without her own thoughts. She originally disliked Xu Changqian, the eldest son, very much. His existence reminded her of her status as a second wife all the time. However, after so many years, the old lady's arrogance in her youth was long gone. Everything in the house was tattered, and the expenses were high and the income was low. If she could get money from Xu Changqian, she would not mind reconciling with this "son". After all, she was the elder and nominally Xu Changqian's mother. It was only natural for a son to give money to his mother!
Thinking of this, the old lady immediately became serious, knocked on the armrest of the chair, and instructed her son and daughter-in-law, "Listen carefully, your eldest brother and his family are coming home this time, you must treat them well, this family will rely on your eldest brother in the future!"
Xu Changgong and Hu immediately said yes with a smile. The meaning of this "hope" is self-evident.
At this time, the Xu family was on the road with a few carriages of silver in their hearts. The "upstarts" Xu Changqian and his family, who were shining with gold, were heading north with their shabby luggage. In a few days, they would reach the capital. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to subscribe and reward on Qidian Mobile Network (). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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