Aunt Xiu raised her head, revealing a charming expression. Her brows furrowed slightly as she said, "How could you forget why Princess Jinyi came to our house? Although the eldest lady is married, she has always been in contact with Empress Jing'an in the palace. Think about it, you and the eldest lady are sisters, so Empress Jing'an will definitely look at you differently."

Hearing this, Xu Xia's face flushed and she propped up her chin as she thought about the days to come.

When Aunt Xiu lowered her head again, a strange look appeared on her face, which disappeared in an instant.

Upon returning to the Marquis' residence, Xu Lin first made a detailed briefing in his study regarding his appointment. After a banquet, he was taken to the ancestral hall, where he paid respects to his ancestors and then met with the elders of his clan. He then found time to visit his teachers and classmates. However, due to time constraints, he was unable to hold a banquet, which he would do upon his return to Nanjing. In total, he remained at home for two days before departing for Quanzhou to take up his new post.

On the day of departure, the prefect of Jiangning Prefecture came to see him off, along with several friends and classmates. Together with the people from the Marquis's residence, a large group of people saw Xu Lin off to the ship. The Marquis's wife and Xu Wen both wet their handkerchiefs and watched the ship sail away with reluctance in their eyes.

After seeing Xu Lin off, Sheng Shu arrived in Jinling. His face was slightly pale, but he was in good spirits. He greeted the elders who came to greet him and bowed respectfully. Not only was the Marquis's eyes brightened at the sight of Sheng Shu, but even the Marquis of Yongyi praised him profusely.

When they returned to the mansion, Lord Yongyi and Sheng Shu were riding horses. The Marquis's wife exclaimed, "You're already trying to steal my grandson from me before we even get through the door."

Seeing Sheng Shu getting on the horse with great experience, Lord Yongyi praised him, "You are worthy of being the blood of my Xu family. I'll see your archery skills when we get back home." After that, he spurred his horse to a quick ride. Sheng Shu hurriedly followed, followed by Sheng Ting.

The topic of conversation between the mother and daughter in the carriage naturally revolved around Sheng Shu. Upon learning that Sheng Shu had already become a student and would take part in the provincial examination tomorrow, Mrs. Hou praised Xu Wen for her good teaching.

After returning home, Sheng Shu met his cousin Xu Jiang and presented him with the gift he had prepared. After lunch, the two children, who were not much different in age, became familiar with each other.

In the afternoon, Lord Yongyi took Sheng Shu and Xu Jiang to the training ground. Although Xu Jiang was only five years old, he could already draw the bow. Although his arrows were a little off, his posture was straight and he kept trying. Sheng Shu was a few years older, so he naturally hit the target eight out of ten times, which made Lord Yongyi exclaim repeatedly, "Good, good, good!"

After correcting some details of Sheng Shu's bow drawing and explaining some techniques to Xu Jiang, the three of them stayed at the archery range for more than half an hour before leaving.

Afterwards, Lord Yongyi checked Sheng Shu's Kung Fu. Seeing that Sheng Shu had mastered the horse stance for half an hour, he couldn't help but pat Sheng Shu on the shoulder and said, "What a pity, Brother Shu is going to be a civil servant. It would have been much better if he had practiced martial arts." After saying this, Lord Yongyi sighed deeply.

The imperial court favored civil officials over military ones, and the marquisates that had their roots in military power had long since lost their former glory. Even the Ningyuan Marquisate, whose generations of founding heroes had shed their blood on the battlefield, was not appreciated by the court, let alone the Yongyi Marquisate, which had fought only a few battles. Studying literature was fine; judging by Sheng Shu's eloquent speech, he seemed destined for a smooth future.

Xu Jiang was young after all, and within three quarters of an hour his legs gave out, and he stopped in his horse stance. Marquis Yongyi didn't get angry, but pulled Xu Jiang aside and said, "Don't worry, Kung Fu isn't something you can achieve overnight. With steady, daily practice, you'll achieve it over time."

Xu Jiang, with a childish face, nodded in acceptance and replied in a crisp voice, "Grandfather, I will study diligently every day and fight on the battlefield in the future."

Touching Xu Jiang's furry head, Lord Yongyi nodded and said, "Okay, well said!"