On the 14th day of August, the palace sent out rewards. All officials of the third rank and above in the capital city received mooncakes and other items from the palace.
The Anxi Marquisate also received three kilograms of mooncakes. Sima Hong looked at the exquisite mooncakes in the gold-painted mahogany food box and felt that they were not much different from the ones he had eaten in Tianshui before, except that they looked better. He could eat two of these small mooncakes in one bite. In terms of practicality, the palm-sized hard mooncakes made by the cooks in the military camp were more filling.
Looking at the mooncakes, Miao was filled with joy. She had just heard from her sister-in-law at Miao's house that even the Duke's Mansion, which had been aristocratic for generations, only received three kilograms of mooncakes. Her son was indeed promising and had won the favor of the emperor.
"This pound is offered before the spirits of your father, brother and grandmother, this pound is kept for everyone to share during the Mid-Autumn Festival tomorrow, and the remaining pound..." Miao thought for a moment and asked Sima Hong tentatively, "Will you send it to Commander Lu's residence?" It would be a good idea to maintain good relations with superiors, and also hope that Commander Lu could take care of Sima Hong on the battlefield.
Sima Hong waved his hand and said, "The emperor has given me mooncakes, so how can the Lu family not have a share? Keep it, it will be useful to me." Moreover, he didn't want to get too close to Lu.
In the evening, Sima Hong carried the mooncakes and got on the carriage. After the carriage disappeared into the night, Miao stood at the door and watched for a long time. She sighed and let Bixi help her back to the house. She could guess where this guy was going to send the mooncakes.
When Sima Hong arrived at Xu's house in the cover of night, lanterns were already lit at the gate. It was Dong Yuan who came to open the door. When he saw Sima Hong, he was stunned at first and chuckled twice, then he shrank his neck and ran back, fearing that if he ran too slowly, Sima Hong would take revenge on him and chop off his head.
Xu Mingye followed Xu Changqian to the Qi Mansion to deliver the wedding invitations. He went there in person to show his respect to Lord Qi. Only Madam Xu and Mingyu were at home.
Hearing that Sima Hong had come again, Madam Xu calmed herself down, told Lixiang to keep Mingyu safe, then she smoothed her hair and came out.
Seeing Madam Xu, Sima Hong bowed respectfully and said, "Mother-in-law, the emperor has given me three pounds of mooncakes today, and I came here to give them to you to try.
Sima Hong called them "father-in-law and mother-in-law" affectionately, and Madam Xu's scalp tingled when she heard it. She smiled politely and said, "My Lord, you are too polite. Since it is a noble gift from the emperor, you can keep it for your own use..."
Sima Hong smiled, handed the mooncake box in his hand to Dong Yuan, and said with a smile: "Good things should not be enjoyed alone." Seeing Mrs. Xu's embarrassed smile, Sima Hong said seriously with a serious face: "Mother-in-law, I know that you and father-in-law have misunderstood me. Miss Deng has nothing to do with me. Please rest assured."
Madam Xu didn't know what to say. She was secretly relieved. After experiencing Lu Hao's incident, her impression of Sima Hong changed greatly. But a young lady from Duke Deng's family suddenly appeared, which made her feel very uncomfortable. Since he already had a rich young lady, why did he come to provoke Mingyu? After hearing Sima Hong's assurance, Madam Xu believed him a little.
"How about... Your Majesty, come in and have a seat?" Madam Xu asked politely.
Sima Hong waved his hand and said with a smile: "No, it's getting late today. I'll go back first and visit you another day." After saying that, he bowed politely again and turned to get on the carriage.
Mrs. Xu didn't come to her senses until the sound of the carriage's wheels could no longer be heard. She told Dong Yuan to bring the food box in. Thinking back to Sima Hong's polite and respectful attitude just now, she said to herself, "This is not as bad as Ming Ye said! He has grown up after all!"
Mingyu's family had a very happy Mid-Autumn Festival this year. Mrs. Xu was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling and walked with brisk steps whenever she thought that after this Mid-Autumn Festival, she would have a lovely daughter-in-law by this time next year, and maybe even better, she would even have a grandson to hold.
After the family watched the moon and ate mooncakes in the yard, they went back to their rooms to rest. Mingyu finished her bath and came out with her hair still wet. Xu Mingye sat alone under the tree in the yard, leaning against the tree trunk with his hands behind his head, looking at the silver plate hanging high in the air.
Xu Mingye was wearing a white robe, and his black hair was tied loosely behind his head with a cloth belt. The bright moonlight poured on his body like water. He had fair skin, delicate features, and a nonchalant and naughty smile on his face. It was no wonder that Fu Lemei fell in love with such a handsome young man at first sight, and fell into the trap of a man named Xu Mingye without hesitation.
Mingyu tilted her head and looked. Others said that she looked alike with Xu Mingye and both took after Madam Xu. However, she felt that Xu Mingye's facial features were distinct and the lines were hard, while hers were softer.
"Little girl, what are you doing here, not sleeping in the middle of the night?" Xu Mingye saw Mingyu and said with a smile.
Mingyu pouted, walked over, sat next to Xu Mingye, and teased, "You're getting married in a few days. Are you so nervous that you can't sleep?"
Xu Mingye sneered, "Nonsense!"
Mingyu smiled, but the smile gradually faded. She pulled Xu Mingye's sleeve and asked seriously, "What happened that day? If it had nothing to do with you, as Brother Qi Su said, then why did those rascals insist that they saw you and not someone else?"
She is not a fool. Xu Mingye must have been hiding something from them these days.
Xu Mingye smiled and ruffled Mingyu's still damp hair. "It's okay to tell you." He looked at the bright full moon and said slowly, "Twelve years ago, the late emperor sent Qi Su's father to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to investigate the salt tax. Before he even entered Jiangsu and Zhejiang, he died for unknown reasons... Qi Su's mother couldn't bear the blow and died soon after. Qi Su was raised by his grandfather, and he only wanted to find out who killed his father."
"The late emperor doesn't care?" Mingyu asked in a low voice.
Xu Mingye shook his head. "The salt tax in Jiangsu and Zhejiang is missing several million taels of silver a year. There are too many people involved, and the late emperor didn't have the courage to take care of it. The emperor knew that Qi Su's father died unjustly, but he didn't want to mention it again. Giving Qi Su a sixth-rank magistrate was also meant to comfort the Qi family. Qi Su wanted to investigate it himself, and I saw him and that man go upstairs one after another. I was afraid that he would do something impulsive, so I followed him..."
Mingyu suddenly realized what was going on and shed tears for Xu Mingye. Why had he been the only one to let others see it
"You can't tell Brother Qi Su about this, right?" Mingyu asked in a low voice.
Xu Mingye shook his head and said calmly, "Of course not."
Mingyu recalled the two days of fear and nervousness she had felt in court, and she couldn't help but feel wronged and sad. She complained, "You are loyal, but have you ever thought about your parents? If you really go to jail, what will happen to your parents?"
Xu Mingye was filled with guilt and patted Mingyu on the shoulder. "Things have come to this. Even if I tell on Qi Su, it will not help. It is better for one person to go to jail than for two people to suffer together. If I leave Qi Su outside, he will not abandon me." The final imperial edict was also obtained by Qi Su and Lord Qi kneeling in front of the palace gate.
"What about now?" Mingyu asked.
Xu Mingye put his hands behind his head again, and said in a somewhat condescending manner, "Keep investigating. Who knows what else Qi Su can find out? This is an old case from more than ten years ago. It was handled flawlessly at the time. It was already very difficult for Qi Su to find this person."
However, just when Mingyu thought he was going to continue to sigh, Xu Mingye suddenly changed the subject. His handsome face was distorted, and he clenched his fists and said, "Qi Su, you idiot! I told him to be low-key and quiet when investigating cases, and not to be impatient and not to alert the enemy, but this guy just didn't listen!" He glanced at Mingyu angrily and said, "You all think he is good on weekdays. You really have no vision!"
Isn't it true? From childhood to adulthood, I guess Xu Changqian and Madam Xu often compare the steady and motivated Qi Su with Xu Mingye. Mingyu snorted back, curled her lips, and teased: "What does it matter whether we have vision or not? It's enough that Fu Lemei has good vision!"
Xu Mingye's handsome face turned slightly red. He flicked Mingyu's forehead while Mingyu wasn't paying attention and said nonchalantly, "Little girl, talk nonsense!" However, Mingyu noticed that the roots of his ears were bright red. He was really a proud peacock who said one thing and thought another.
On August 20th, the Fu family held two weddings with great fanfare. The entire Fu mansion was covered with red silk. The daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law were married on the same day. The guests who came to congratulate blocked the entire street. Fu Guang and Fu Xi, who were standing at the door to greet the guests, had frozen faces from smiling, and it took them several days to recover. The wedding procession stretched for two miles.
What is even more bizarre is that the two families that the Fu family formed today were said to have been relatives in the past. This messy relationship has been talked about privately by the guests for a long time.
The girl from the Fu family had four older brothers and three cousins. Seven handsome and dignified men rode tall horses and lined up in a row. When the groom Xu Mingye arrived, they tried to stop him for a moment and then took their sister to marry.
Seeing the girl being carried on her eldest brother's back, covered with a red veil and sitting in a sedan chair, and about to leave her parents' home to become someone else's daughter-in-law, Mrs. Fu was so reluctant that she cried with her handkerchief in her hand. However, just as she started crying, Yang, the eldest grandmother of the Fu family, came over in a hurry and urged, "Mother, hurry up, the Sima family's dowry has been delivered first, and the housekeepers are waiting at the door to deal with it. Le Mei has left a few dowry items behind, so we have to send someone to deliver them quickly. The wives of the Sun and Fang families have also arrived..."
Mrs. Fu was overwhelmed when she heard this. She quickly led her eldest daughter-in-law to the front yard. She was too busy to even cry about her daughter's marriage...