Chapter 100

Chapter 100

The last time they met briefly in the Menxia Province, Young Master Xie was in a state of desolation and was too embarrassed to recognize Xie Shao. Now that he had decided to come today, he had prepared himself mentally.

He glanced at the two people holding hands and the carriage parked in front of the door, smiled and asked, "Third brother and sister are going out?"

They didn't know he was coming today, but since he was already at the door, the two of them couldn't leave.

"No hurry." Xie Shao invited him in, and treated him the same way as before in Fengcheng, as if all these changes had never happened, and his tone was as relaxed as usual, "Grandmother has mentioned brother several times, and is waiting for brother."

The eldest son paused for a moment and asked, "Is grandma okay?"

"I was exhausted from the journey. I lay down for two days when I first arrived in Dongdu. I have gotten much better recently. After all, I am old now and not as good as before."

Xie Shao didn't say it explicitly, but how could Young Master Xie not understand the reason? Such a big thing had happened in his family, the family was almost wiped out, her father was gone, and she had suffered a great blow. How could she possibly be in good health?

Young Master Xie remained silent and said nothing else. He followed Xie Shao all the way to the old lady's yard.

Knowing that the old lady had something to say to the eldest son, Xie Shao and Wen Shuse sent the person to the door and did not go in, but stayed outside waiting.

Madam Xie had just taken the medicine, and Nan Zhi was helping her to lie on the couch for a while when she heard the maid outside come in to report, "Madam, the eldest master is here." She was stunned and hurriedly ordered, "Please come in quickly."

He turned around and sat back on the couch, staring at the door curtain in the inner room. A moment later, footsteps were heard from outside. The maid outside opened the curtain, and soon a person came in from behind the bead curtain.

The last time the old lady saw Mr. Xie was at his farewell banquet. He was full of energy and his face was dazzling. The old lady still remembers it. She didn't have the heart to throw cold water on him. Before he left, she only told him one sentence, "Be an official and be down-to-earth."

But in the official career, it is not that simple.

Now the light on his body dimmed, and his face lost its luster. He looked much thinner. Old Madam Xie felt sad and said, "You have lost weight."

The eldest son also saw the old lady. The spirit she had in his memory was gone. She looked several years older overnight. He couldn't help but feel sad. He stepped forward, lifted his robe, knelt in front of Old Lady Xie, and kowtowed, saying, "I am an unfilial grandson. I come here to greet my grandmother."

"Get up quickly." Old Madam Xie bent down, helped the man up, and let him sit next to her.

Although Mr. Xie was a stupid man, he was still her biological son. She hated him for his short-sightedness and narrow-mindedness when he was alive. But now that he was gone, all the right and wrong had gone with him into the grave, and all that was left was the sadness of an old man sending off a young man.

The second wife was in poverty before, and now the first wife has taken over. As the elder, I always worry about the one who is not doing well.

Nan Zhi served the tea, and Young Master Xie took a sip and put down the teacup. Then Old Lady Xie asked gently, "Tell grandma, how have you been recently?"

Everyone can imagine how he is doing.

After the first branch of the Xie family met with misfortune, he lived in darkness for a while under the control of Yuan Ming'an. Later, the Yuan family was destroyed. Although no one bullied him anymore, his father had betrayed the prince, and people around him kept a distance from him. No one asked him how he was doing. When they met him, they just exchanged a few pleasantries and avoided talking about his family affairs. Only today did old lady Xie ask about it.

It felt like a needle pierced his heart, but Master Xie remained calm and smiled, "It's all good, Grandmother, don't worry."

"You are my own grandson, how can I not worry about you." Old Madam Xie said, "After the destruction of the Yuan family, the family was returned to the Yang family. Concubine Yang had no sons, only three princesses. If she wants to have a place in the palace in the future, she can only rely on joining the prince. In the previous fight between the former prince and the prince, the Yang family and my Xie family both contributed. Your second uncle and your third brother have received due rewards, and the Yang family has also been promoted to several official positions. It can be said to be a win-win situation. Now the Xie and Yang families are equal in the court."

"Before, the Yang family was able to get along with my Xie family in harmony because they both had the same goal. But once there is a conflict of interest, everyone will be on guard. Who would be willing to help the other side become stronger?"

"Your father's incident has ruined your future. The Yang family doesn't want to get involved, and your second uncle can't get involved either, so you have become the forgotten person. How could your grandmother not know what kind of life you have lived? I am asking you now because I want to tell you that the survival of the family is important, but don't forget that you are also my grandson. If you have any suffering, you should not tell others. When you come to your grandmother, you don't have to be stubborn anymore."

Old Madam Xie's voice was gentle, and every word she said was filled with love for him. It was the first trace of affection and love that Young Master Xie had felt since he left Fengcheng and came to Dongdu. Slowly, redness appeared in her eyes.

Life is unpredictable. Although everything we experience is a part of our growth, the feeling of falling from heaven into the mud is really unpleasant.

No one asked him.

His father died, his mother went crazy, and he thought that there was no place in this world where he could relax and take shelter, and no one would care about him anymore. He could only move forward alone, and he dared not shed a single tear until now, for fear that if he shed tears, he would be defeated by panic and cowardice.

Now, after hearing what Madam Xie said, he knew that there were still people in this world who truly cared about him and were thinking about him. He finally couldn't hold on any longer and his expression slowly began to collapse.

Madam Xie saw how upset he was, and continued, "Officials who serve the people don't necessarily have to climb to a position that everyone is paying attention to in order to demonstrate their value. Take the guards at the city gates, for example. They may look insignificant, but once the enemy breaks into the city gates, they are the first to defend their country. To their country and the people, shouldn't they be called heroes? As long as you care about the world, have the ability, and take things step by step, you can achieve your own success no matter where you are."

"You are my grandson. My Xie family never admits defeat. Grandma believes in you. You can live a good life."

Xie Shao and Wen Shuse waited in the yard for half an incense stick of time, and then they heard faint crying sounds coming from inside.

That day, Young Master Xie stayed at the Xie family for lunch. Old Madam Xie, Pushe Xie, the Second Madam, Xie Shao and Wen Shuse were all there. At the dinner table, Pushe Xie asked him about his current situation. He planned to bring him up to the Ministry of Chancellery after this storm had passed. In the future, the fortune of the first house would depend on him.

After Young Master Xie cried for a while, he relaxed a lot, as if he had let it go, and he was no longer shy when talking to them.

In the afternoon, Xie Shao sent him to the door. Before getting on the carriage, the eldest son suddenly turned around and said, "In terms of vision and talent, I am not as good as the third brother. I wish the third brother great success in his ambitions in Dongdu."

On the second day after returning, the Xie family received a message from the eldest son Xie. The eldest son Xie went to ask the prince for pardon and begged to return to Fengcheng to continue serving as the county magistrate to atone for his father's sins.

The prince agreed.

Young Master Xie rushed back to Fengcheng a few days ago. He did not say goodbye to the Xie family. He only left a letter and entrusted Pushe Xie to take good care of Old Madam Xie.

His father has passed away, his mother is insane, and his second younger brother is unable to take on the responsibility, so the family cannot do without him.

Returning to Fengcheng is his best choice. His grandmother is right. No matter where he is or what position he seeks, as long as he has his country in his heart, he can make a contribution to the people of the world.

Not long after Young Master Xie returned to Fengcheng, the Eastern Palace issued a notice.

The prince adopted Pei Qing as his adopted son, changed his name to Zhou An, appointed him as the governor of Zhongzhou, and returned to Fengcheng to take over the prince's palace.

As soon as the notice came out, there was an uproar in the palace. Those who knew the situation thought it was reasonable. Pei Qing was seriously injured when he first arrived in Dongdu, and Prince Jing stayed by his side for two days without taking off his clothes, and even changed the dressings himself.

Before Pei Qing fully recovered from his illness, he blocked the former crown prince's troops for Prince Jing, saving Prince Jing's mansion from disaster. After a few interactions, they spent every day together, and they were more like father and son than father and son.

Afterwards, Prince Jing was named the Crown Prince, and people from the Xie and Yang families who had made contributions were rewarded, but Pei Qing's reward remained silent.

Unexpectedly, there was a great blessing behind it.

The uninformed ministers, considering the previous experience of the crown prince, dared to remind the crown prince, "Your Highness, don't forget how you got to where you are today."

The prince smiled generously, thinking of this. He also knew that many officials in the court were worried about this. "If the crown prince is not virtuous in the future and follows the old path of the former crown prince, why not hand over the country to a wise ruler?" Without waiting for the officials to persuade him, the prince had made up his mind and said bluntly, "The most taboo in the dynasty has always been suspicion. Suspicion is a sign of demise. Cutting off your own wings in advance will only let others see your weakness and take advantage of the opportunity to swallow you up. The Zhou family has few descendants, and the two uncles in Hebei and Hexi have been executed and there is no one to take care of them. The former crown prince's Dongzhou and my Zhongzhou are all unguarded. If this goes on, my Zhou family's country will either be conquered by the Liao Kingdom or replaced by one of you. Whether it is a civil war or an external enemy, the common people will suffer. Now Zhou An is guarding the fortress for me in Dafeng, cutting off the Liao Kingdom's idea of ​​taking advantage of the situation. What's wrong with that?"

When the ministers heard the words "who among you will replace me", they all bowed their heads to the ground and no one dared to say a word.

After the notice came down, Pei Qing just waited for the Crown Prince Zhou Kuang to get married.

The sworn brothers of the past have become his own brothers. Zhou Kuang has a straightforward personality and does not have the suspicion that his ministers mentioned. He enjoys it and is extremely happy. "From now on, I am the elder and you are the younger. When you see me in the future, you can no longer call me the prince, and you can't call me by my name. Just call me brother."

Pei Qing is actually older than him. In the past, Zhou Kuang called him Brother Pei, but now his status has changed and it's the other way around.

Zhou An glanced at his smug look and felt really awkward. He glanced away and managed to utter a sentence after a long while, "Brother Zhou."

Zhou Kuang was relentless, "What's the difference between calling me Brother Xie and you being so shy? I'm not like you. I can change my words right away, Second Brother..."

Zhou An was annoyed by him and ran to find Xie Shao.

The day after tomorrow is Zhou Kuang’s wedding. No one has been here to restrain him for the past two days. Zhou Kuang has a rare moment of free time, so he also slips out of the palace.

Arriving at Xie's house, as soon as they entered Xie Shao's courtyard, they heard a familiar voice, "When will he come out? All the property of my Cui family was lost in it. Do you know how expensive kerosene is? That group of profit-seeking people raised the price. This time I was squeezed clean by them. I bought all the property in the city and gave it to Zhou Kuang. He promised to pay me double for all the expenses afterwards..."

Zhou Kuang had one foot in, but immediately pulled it back. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, the person who was talking in the yard suddenly turned around and saw a piece of robe with his sharp eyes, "Hey, the Crown Prince is here, why are you running... Zhou Kuang!"

Eighty percent of the money spent on the battle of Fengcheng was from his Cui family. Even though the battle was won, the Cui family was bankrupt. The money Zhou Kuang promised him had not arrived yet. Seeing that the richest man in Fengcheng was about to change his name, Cui Nien had no choice but to kill Dongduo to get the money.

When I arrived today, I found Xie Shao first. After learning that he was not bankrupt and had such a magnificent house in Dongdu, I felt envious and jealous, and my heart became more and more anxious.

The man chased him to the hallway. Zhou Kuang saw that he could not escape, so he retreated. Looking at Cui Nie who was standing opposite him with an expression of surprise, he said excitedly: "When did Brother Cui come? Why didn't you send someone to inform me so that I could come and pick you up."

Cui Nian's mouth twitched, looking down on his pretense, and teased: "The Crown Prince is busy with palace affairs, how dare I trouble you."

The four great playboys of Fengcheng in the past have now gathered in Dongdu. Since the Xie family is not bankrupt, Xie Shao has become the organizer of the party. There is nothing to entertain them in the mansion, so he simply invites them to Mixian Tower.

Wen Shuse is not here today. Three days from now will be Zhou Kuang and Ming Wanrou's wedding day, so he went to Ming's house early in the morning.

The four of them left Xie's house in a mighty procession and got on the carriage.

Zhou Kuang had been arguing with Cui Nian all the way. When they arrived at the Mixian Tower, the two had not yet come to a conclusion. Cui Nian sneered at his stinginess and said, "You are the grandson of the emperor. You can't default on a mere one million taels of silver. If you are short of money, don't you still have the Crown Prince? I will go to find the Crown Princess tomorrow..."

He did go.

I have been here for a long time, but he has not come to the palace. He must think that I am easy to bully. "I told you long ago that your account is wrong. I can't settle it for you. If you want to settle it, you should calculate it carefully. Don't use the tricks of profiteers on me. I have no objection if you add one tael to nine taels to make it an integer. I will give it to you as profit. But you can also make it an integer with five taels and one cent, or six taels. Where is your conscience? How can you cheat your brother like this..."

“Isn’t this rounding off?”

Zhou Kuang sneered, "Where is it? I don't see where it is."

"It's not that I don't want to give it up, it's just that I don't have any..."

Talking to a profiteer was really exhausting. Zhou Kuang felt a headache. He turned around and pulled Pei Qing over. "If you have anything to say, talk to my second brother. He will be in Fengcheng in a few days anyway. You can settle the matter with him slowly."

"Second brother?" Zhou Kuang was the youngest among the four people. Where did the second brother come from? Cui Nien was stunned and had no idea what to say.

After Pei Qing finished explaining for him, Cui Nian was stunned for a long time.

He had heard from Xie Shao about the several people's visit to Dongdu, and knew that Pei Yuanqiu died in Nancheng. During his lifetime, he abandoned his wife and children and ignored Pei Qing and his mother. Later, when he had no children of his own, he returned to Fengcheng, intending to bring Pei Qing to Dongdu to continue the bloodline of the Pei family.

Who knew that he would never get what he wanted until his death.

Pei Qing recognized the prince as his adoptive father, changed his name and surname, and no matter how glorious he became in the future, it would have nothing to do with the Pei family. This time, the Pei family was completely cut off from the incense, which could be considered retribution. "Zhou An, this name is good..."

After realizing what was going on, he felt something was wrong. "So you all are either high-ranking officials or royal relatives, and I'm the only merchant?" Cui Nien looked frustrated. "I'm just an honest commoner, and you still have the nerve to deduct my money..."

Pei Qing, however, showed no sympathy. "Bring the account book with you. Stay at my place tonight and I'll settle the bill with you."

The three of them walked behind and continued to argue. Xie Shao, who was in front, entered the Mixian Tower first and called the servant over to ask, "Where is the young master?"

Wen Huai had been busy since he entered the Mixian Tower. Uncle Wen had handed all the accounts to him. He could only sleep two or three hours a night, not to mention thinking about going home. When he saw Xie Shao, he remembered that he had been tricked by him last time, and the table of wine and food he had "invited" him to eat. His face darkened, but before he could get angry, Xie Shao said, "Please arrange a table of wine and food, brother. I am entertaining friends today. I will put down the bill first, and I will settle it with Xiaoxian."

The fairy of mourning comes to marry, can she marry?

The couple had no good intentions. After all, they were commanders with a monthly income of 300 guan. How could they afford to eat for free? "No need to marry. I'll deduct it from the dividends."

"Hey, isn't this Mr. Wen San?"

Wen Huai leaned over and recognized him. It was indeed his friend, the dandy young man from Fengcheng who had come to cause trouble in Dongdu. He teased him in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged as he smiled and greeted him, "Mr. Cui."

"Why are you in Dongdu?" Cui Nien asked him around, "Are you here to look for work?"

Wen San smiled and said, "Yes, I opened a restaurant."

My dears, here we come~ (Hundreds of red envelopes~)