The sky had completely darkened. The mansions on both sides of Dongxing Street were occupied by either high-ranking officials or wealthy families.
They naturally knew all about the funeral ceremony at Xingyuan Marquis Mansion tomorrow.
Out of dependence and respect, some people hoped to be taken care of by the Xingyuan Marquis Mansion in their daily lives, so they set up sacrificial road signs in front of their homes to express their mourning and respect.
Xue Zhongfu considerately asked his mother Hong Yingrong and elder brother Xue Yuanchu to go back to the inner house to rest, and he was enough to take care of the affairs outside by himself.
After the others returned to Xiangyun Hall, Xue Yuanchu was still bothered by the fact that Hong Yingrong seemed to be particularly trying to curry favor with Chen Jin, which made him a little unhappy, and his words involuntarily revealed a bit of stiffness.
"Mother, why bother arguing with him?" he said, a hint of disdain in his tone. "He's not Eunuch Li Fang, the seal bearer. He only won Your Majesty's favor because of his excellent writing skills. There are many people in the Imperial Household Department who are dissatisfied with him. I know of at least three or four."
These words undoubtedly revealed Xue Yuanchu's arrogant mentality as the future heir of the Marquis' Mansion.
Hong Yingrong stared at her eldest son. She had always thought Xue Yuanchu was a sociable and diplomatic man, who could easily navigate the powerful circles of the capital. However, at this moment, she suddenly felt that her son was a little stupid...
In her previous life, the succession of the marquisate was forced to be changed to after the three-year mourning period due to the impeachment of the censor. She also resented this at the time, thinking that those censors were making trouble out of nothing and deliberately making things difficult for the Xingyuan Marquisate.
However, after experiencing all kinds of ups and downs, she began to re-examine the incident.
Xue Yuanchu was unruly and extravagant, which indeed easily led to criticism.
If he had succeeded to the title at that time, given his personality, he would probably have caused more trouble.
She realized that the censor's impeachment might not have been a bad thing...
The third brother Xue Jiyan had been sitting there listening quietly today, but his impression of Chen Jin was completely different from that of his eldest brother.
"I'm afraid I can't fully agree with what you just said, brother. Eunuch Chen came to visit today, and from observing his words and actions, I felt that he had a remarkable demeanor."
"I didn't expect he'd endured such hardships before entering the palace. Anyone else would have given up, or even taken the risk of becoming a bandit. Eunuch Chen may have served in the inner court, but his words and actions are definitely not those of a frivolous or superficial person."
"Speaking of the current head of the Imperial Household Department, Eunuch Li Fang, he wasn't even in his thirties when he joined the department. Meanwhile, Eunuch Chen is only in his early twenties. He's a steady and reliable figure, and I'm sure he'll be promoted in the future."
"It's a pity that he couldn't take the imperial examination. Otherwise, it would have been easy for him to pass the imperial examination."
During the years that Xue Jiyan studied at the Imperial College, he met many children from aristocratic families who nominally came to study but actually just took the opportunity to make friends, socialize, and enjoy the pleasures of life.
After a few years, they fail the exam and often have to go home to inherit the family business and waste their time.
Now that he saw that Eunuch Chen was still able to strive for self-improvement in the face of adversity, he couldn't help but feel sincere respect for him.
Xue Yuanchu sat sideways, turning a deaf ear to his third brother's endless chatter, and just sipped his tea. His mind was now filled with the thought that he would soon inherit the title of Marquis of Xingyuan.
We must celebrate and feel proud of ourselves when the time comes.
After sitting for a while, he felt bored, so he politely bowed and took his leave, returning to the Lanyue Pavilion where he lived.
When he returned to the pavilion, he did not see Jiang Shuxiu. The maid Lai Xi told him that the young lady had just sent the two girls back to Fanghua Garden.
Xue Yuanchu was still annoyed by the lengthy argument between his third brother Xue Jiyan and him, so he told the maids to serve dinner first and not wait for Jiang Shuxiu.
Jiang Shuxiu returned to Lanyue Pavilion halfway through his meal.
Xue Yuanchu had no place to vent his frustration. He could neither blame his mother nor argue with his third brother, so his anger was directed at Jiang Shuxiu.
Before she entered the room, the chopsticks were placed heavily on the table.
"Don't think I don't know what you did," he said in a cold tone, "Did you slip a banknote into the maple tea you gave to Chen Jin just now?"
Xue Yuanchu's words revealed dissatisfaction and sarcasm: "Mother was so eager to do things for him that she took on a hot potato, which is fine. Now even you have learned to flatter, using the money from the Marquis' Mansion to curry favor with the eunuch."
His words became increasingly harsh and arrogant. "I heard that the people in the Imperial Household Department even made a ranking of first, second, and third ancestors. What's the matter? Now that your legitimate father-in-law is gone, you're so impatient to find a rootless eunuch to worship as an ancestor?"
Jiang Shuxiu didn't expect to be severely reprimanded by her husband as soon as she entered the door, especially the last sentence, which was clearly humiliating her as a woman in the boudoir.
At this time, the maid and the old woman who accompanied him were standing behind him. Jiang Shuxiu felt humiliated for a moment and his face turned pale in an instant.
She clenched her fingers tightly in her sleeves, trying her best to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.
Rui'er, the maid who came with the dowry, immediately realized that something was wrong. She quickly closed the door, took the maid and the old woman to the yard, and seriously warned everyone present.
"Everyone in Lanyue Pavilion, shut up about what happened just now."
Then, turning to the two accompanying maids, she reminded them, "You two are serving outside the courtyard, and the young lady usually gives you quite a bit of reward money. If you say a single word, you will suffer the consequences."
The two old maids were both knowledgeable people. They immediately responded respectfully, "We serve outside the courtyard. How would we know what the young master and the young lady are talking about in the inner chamber? Even if someone else asked, it's not right to say anything without having heard it."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com