Chapter 5 If the Duke does not abandon him, Chuan is willing to become his godfather. "Loyal and brave Earl and Lin..."

Jia Baoyu went to change his clothes first.

Although he had moved to the Grand View Garden several years ago, Grandmother Jia still left him and Lin Daiyu a house, and all their clothing and other necessities were provided.

Yuanyang personally led a maid to help Jia Baoyu wash up.

Knowing that Grandmother Jia was anxious, and that he had indeed returned late today, Jia Baoyu did not play with the maids. He politely thanked them a few times, quickly tidied himself up, and went out to pay his respects to Grandmother Jia.

"His manners are impeccable, no one can find fault with them," Madam Xing praised first.

Madam Wang had a faint smile of pride on her face: "Baoyu is kind-hearted by nature and extremely filial."

After Jia Baoyu greeted all the elders in the room and smiled at Lin Daiyu, he sat down at the table. A maid lifted the lid and served him rice.

"Actually, rice with tea would be fine, but this is such a sumptuous meal."

"Go out for a day," Madam Wang said. "You must eat well. You're at an age where you're still growing, and you can't afford to go hungry."

Everyone watched Jia Baoyu eat.

Jia Baoyu grew up surrounded by admirers, and he never felt awkward being watched by a room full of people while eating; he would talk animatedly and nonstop.

"I've really learned something new today. That general is twice my size, and his shoulders are this wide—even his horse is taller than me. But he's wearing a helmet so I can't see his face. I wonder what he looks like."

Xue Baochai laughed and said, "You should say less. Eat properly, or you might choke."

Jia Baoyu raised his eyebrows at Lin Daiyu again.

Lin Daiyu got up and poured him some tea. Afraid that he wouldn't sleep well at night, she only poured a small half cup and added some hot water: "You ordered tea-soaked rice."

"My sister knows me best." Jia Baoyu poured tea into the rice and explained to Grandmother Jia, "The rice was a bit dry, this is just right."

Grandmother Jia didn't seem to care much, but Lady Wang glanced at Lin Daiyu again, and Xue Baochai, who was sitting next to Lady Wang, saw everything clearly.

“Pin’er and Brother Bao grew up together since they were little, so they should be close.”

Sure enough, as soon as she said that, Madam Wang's lips drooped down a little more.

Jia Baoyu shoveled the rice into his mouth, put down the bowl, and laughed, "I'm full. That general was indeed very burly, but his armor and other equipment were all torn, with a large gaping hole in his chest, held together by chains, and covered in rust."

He guessed it was mostly bloodstains, but firstly, Jia Baoyu had never seen old blood before, and secondly, he was afraid of frightening all the girls in the room, so he just said it was rust.

Jia Baoyu described the burly general, the chieftain kneeling in the prison cart, the several carts of prisoners behind, and several carts of sharp weapons and other war spoils, then laughed as if trying to make up for it.

"It's not as lively as the general on the stage, so it's the same whether you watch it or not. The general on the stage is dressed in festive clothes, with colorful flags behind him, and he can even do somersaults."

These amusing and childlike words made Grandmother Jia laugh: "Next time we hire an opera troupe, let's find a martial arts actor who can sing the role of a general. It's October... Your master's birthday is in November. Although he's been sent away to work, let's hire an opera troupe to liven things up and celebrate your master's birthday."

Madam Xing wore a polite smile and glanced at Li Wan, who was also born in November, but was a widow, so that was that.

“Our family has a military background, so we should always respect the general,” Madam Xing retorted. “Although we always praise Baoyu for having the character of a girl, we shouldn’t actually raise him to be one.”

Grandmother Jia's face changed, and Wang Xifeng was so angry she wanted to grind her teeth. Did she really not want to live a good life?

Madam Xing didn't care much. Grandmother Jia was getting older and older. Who could she possibly keep in check?

What? The Wang family can take advantage of the old lady, and the Xue family can take advantage of the old lady too, but the eldest branch of the family, Madam Xing, can't?

Getting angry is nothing more than saying one thing—

"It's getting dark, and you have a long way to go. Go back and serve your master."

Upon hearing that her guess was absolutely correct, Madam Xing's smile became genuine. She stood up and curtsied, saying, "Please rest well, Madam. I'll be leaving now."

Madam Xing left decisively. Madam Wang only had one son, and she always felt that he was a disappointment in private. But being singled out like this, she couldn't get over it either.

"The chieftain was a devout Buddhist and had a kind and benevolent appearance. I heard that when they captured him that day, they killed his son right in front of him. How could they do things like that? Such excessive killing is not the mark of a blessed person."

After saying such a long string of words, Madam Wang felt a little better. She picked up her teacup to drink some water when she saw Madam Xing return, her expression somewhat subtle.

Madam Wang frowned, and Madam Xing stepped aside to make way for the old woman behind her.

The old woman held up a card in her hands: "It's a card from the Earl of Zhongyong. He says he has a past relationship with Lord Lin and wants to visit Miss Lin."

ah?

Who is the Earl of Zhongyong?

Everyone in the room looked at Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu shook her head: "I have never heard my father mention it."

Everyone then looked at Grandmother Jia.

There was no news at all, just the title of Marquis Zhongyong, and even Grandmother Jia couldn't do anything about it.

The quick-witted Wang Xifeng said, "I've never heard of a Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery... Could it be someone who was just appointed today, the one who presented captives at the Meridian Gate?"

Having just heard gossip, Madam Wang felt a little embarrassed. She said with a blank face, "Nowadays anyone can be granted a title. Our Wang family, who made great contributions to the founding of the country, was only granted the title of Earl."

These words sounded like a venting of anger, so Wang Xifeng quickly laughed it off: "I'll have Second Master inquire about it later, there's no rush to come back."

Grandmother Jia frowned and said, "Whose good daughter is receiving guests?"

She paused for a moment, then instructed Lin Daiyu: "Write a letter to decline, and be polite."

Lin Daiyu agreed, but said nothing more.

Xue Baochai glanced at Shi Xiangyun subconsciously. She always talked about going to the Prince of Nan'an's mansion and the Earl of Qingyang's mansion, which showed that the Shi family did not have the tradition of keeping girls at home.

Why didn't the old lady ask Pin'er to go and meet the person?

Surely it couldn't be that... the old lady took what the girl said about "the monk saying she can't see outsiders" seriously, could it?

Can you really believe what a monk says? Then why doesn't the old lady believe that monk?

"Alright, everyone disperse," said Grandmother Jia, then instructed Lin Daiyu again, "Go back and write a letter, be polite."

Lin Daiyu exclaimed "Good!" again.

Jia Baoyu, who always listened to his grandmother, chimed in, "It's only right that he doesn't see her; it just shows he doesn't understand any manners at all."

His words made Grandmother Jia hesitate.

Perhaps he wanted to associate with the Jia family, but because of his low social status, he didn't know how to do it, so he came up with an excuse.

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but resent her good-for-nothing children and grandchildren. They were so out of touch with the times, how could they possibly maintain the dignity of the Duke's mansion?

"Let's not refuse right away. Let's wait until Lian'er finds out and comes back before we talk about it."

Lin Daiyu exclaimed "Good!" again.

When Jia Baoyu saw her glancing at the invitation in Grandmother Jia's hand, he stretched out his hand and said, "Let me see what he wrote."

When the invitation reached Jia Baoyu, he laughed and said, "Alright, everyone disperse." Then he winked at Lin Daiyu: Let's go back and read it.

Grandmother Jia looked at her pair of jade ornaments with a smile, which only made Lady Wang look more gloomy and gloomy.

As everyone came out of Grandmother Jia's room, Madam Xing pulled Wang Xifeng aside to a corner.

"I advise you to loosen your grip. You finally managed to get two people into your household, and you've caused such chaos, making it impossible to have any peace. Qiu Tong comes to me every day complaining of being wronged. Even if she came back to sweep the floor, it would be better than this. Everyone in the household knows you're jealous. Are you determined to make that reputation a reality?"

Wang Xifeng was ill, and her face, which was originally pale, turned blood red from anger.

I never—

"It's no use telling me this," Madam Xing advised earnestly, though it was all an act. "Look at the maids in Baoyu's room, and then look at the maids in Lian'er's room. Not to mention the two wives of Bao Er, they've both been forced to hire servants because of you. Please, have some pity on the reputation of the eldest son's family, okay?"

Madam Xing watched as Wang Xifeng's face flushed red, feeling smug. Now she knew how unpleasant this feeling was.

“I never did,” Wang Xifeng finally said, forcing each word out through gritted teeth, “These two are doing very well in my room now.”

Madam Xing sighed: "If you had found two girls earlier, why would you have ended up like this? Qiutong was a gift from the master, and Second Sister is the younger sister of Madam You next door. Which one could you control? What were you doing all this time!"

After finishing her sentence, Madam Xing left, not caring what Wang Xifeng's reaction would be.

These people deserve to be wronged.

Hasn't Madam Xing suffered any injustice? The whole family says she's greedy for money, but what has she been greedy for?

The land rent was managed by Zhou Rui, a member of the second branch of the family.

The women's outings were managed by Zhou Rui's wife, who was from the second wife's household.

Who manages the monthly wages of the female relatives and maids? Wang Xifeng.

Who manages the external affairs? Jia Lian.

Madam Xing can't even manage her own courtyard, so where would she get the money?

She finally managed to get a job in the Grand View Garden's small kitchen, thanks to Qin Xian's wife, who was somewhat related to her maid, Wang Shanbao. But before she could even settle in, she was taken advantage of by Ping'er.

It turns out that the Wang family embezzled all the benefits, leaving her with nothing but a black pot.

Madam Xing glanced back and saw Wang Xifeng standing motionless, her brows furrowed and her face full of anger. She snorted coldly and cursed, "Serves you right!"

Meanwhile, at the newly established Dingnan Marquis's residence, Mu Chuan treated his subordinates to a delicious meal.

After the meal, it's time to get to know everyone.

General Li left home for the New Year, retiring to return to his hometown and being granted the title of Marquis. Apart from his sons and grandsons who remained in the army, his daughters and granddaughters who were married in the capital all returned with their husbands and children.

The room was bustling with people.

General Li introduced them to him one by one: "This is my wife."

Mu Chuan stepped forward and bowed: "Madam Marquis".

Mrs. Zhang smiled so much that her eyes narrowed.

"You've met all those in the army. As for those who stayed at home—this is my second son, who manages household affairs. And I don't need to introduce my grandson."

After his second uncle greeted him, Li Chengwu stepped forward and called out, "Brother Chuan."

"The eldest daughter's family, the second daughter's family."

Mu Chuan greeted them all. With so many children in the family, they certainly weren't all born to Madam Zhang alone. Fortunately, Li Chengwu had explained everything to him beforehand, so Mu Chuan didn't act impolitely.

"There are six granddaughters left at home. The two older ones are already married, and the two younger ones, one still needs to be carried and the other is just six years old. But they caught a cold these past two days, so I won't let you see them yet. This is Yixiang, and this is Yilan."

Mu Chuan took out red envelopes and gave one to each of the younger children. For the two who were not present, he asked Li Chengwu to give them to them: "The things are still in the box, take this as a substitute for now."

General Li laughed and said, "Take them all. There's no need to be polite with him."

After the introductions, General Li took Mu Chuan to the study, briefly inquired about the meeting with the emperor, and learned that he had also met the retired emperor. Knowing that there was nothing seriously wrong, he let it go.

"You're twenty-five this year," General Li remarked with emotion.

Mu Chuan was very familiar with General Li, so he didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "If you don't mind, I would like to become your godfather."

General Li was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

Mu Chuan continued, "Four years ago, I almost lost my life because of that arrow. It was the general who saved my life and gave me the name Chuan."

The original owner was named Mu San, the third child in his family. When he was seriously injured and on the verge of death, it was General Li who found him, took him back to the military camp to treat his injuries, and changed his name from San to Chuan, and from lying down to standing up, all in the hope that his injuries would heal soon.

Over the next four years, Mu Chuan rose rapidly through the ranks, from a charioteer to a vanguard general commanding tens of thousands of soldiers. Now, he has been granted the title of First-Class Earl, a title that, while not hereditary and limited to this generation, is still an achievement that is one in ten thousand.

General Li was his mentor.

"Haha!" General Li stroked his long beard and laughed, "You didn't fancy either Yilan or Yixiang, did you?"

Mu Chuan joked, "If a marriage doesn't go well, the couple will become bitter enemies. It's better to have a godfather so that you can be closer."

General Li had always held Mu Chuan in high regard; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to promote him so consistently. He looked at Mu Chuan with satisfaction, and after a long pause, said earnestly, "My three sons—"

"There are four now."

General Li immediately lost his seriousness: "Pingnan Town does indeed need someone who can navigate the court. Your three older brothers are good at fighting, but they are too honest and can't withstand the cunning schemes of civil officials."

He stood up and said, "We'll talk about the future later. Go and rest first. I've told them to prepare some hot water so you can have a good soak."

"Godfather—"

"Don't rush to call him godfather." This time it was General Li who interrupted Mu Chuan: "Let's talk about it after we've opened the ancestral hall and had some wine."

The two came out of the study one after the other, while Li Chengwu was still waiting outside.

“Grandfather, Brother Chuan.”

General Li patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "From now on, you can't call me Brother Chuan anymore, you have to call me Uncle Chuan."

Mu Chuan frowned and deliberately said, "It sounds like you're calling him Butler, but it's better to call him Fourth Uncle."

One more person suddenly became overjoyed.

A note from the author:

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