Chapter 340 The Lian Family
However, inside Jinzhou Prefecture, there were lights and decorations everywhere.
Red silk, plaques, gong and drum teams, red flags, the whole city was immersed in a festive atmosphere.
Military reports from Bianjing City have arrived, and the people of Jinzhou Prefecture all know that Xu Zhenying has taken control of Bianjing City. As the starting point of Xu Zhenying's hegemonic career, Jinzhou Prefecture, especially the old base Lan County, is full of red flags flying. Some people even spontaneously wear red clothes to celebrate. Every household puts up window decorations and buys New Year's goods. Some villages even raise funds to hold buffets, as if they are celebrating the New Year in advance!
Xu Zhenying's wooden elephant carvings are sold out and are almost in short supply.
Although everyone was very confident that Xu Zhenying would unify the world, they estimated that it would take at least another five years. They never expected the situation to change so quickly that they reached Bianjing City in less than a year after marching north.
However, amidst such overwhelming excitement, there is a sense of apathy.
The reason was simple: all senior officials of Jinzhou Prefecture, as well as important departments such as the Medical College, Research Institute, and Xishan Camp, had to move north.
Although His Royal Highness Prince Zhao now wants to retain it temporarily, especially the medical school, the students enrolled are all from nearby and it is not easy to move them to Bian Jing suddenly, but after the medical school in Bian Jing City is built, the focus of the medical school will definitely be moved north.
They had already started packing up a few days ago, especially the Jinzhou Prefecture government office, which was basically vacated.
Important things from the research institute were also loaded onto trucks and taken away.
At the research institute, Dr. He stayed at the Jinzhou branch, while Qiu Ju-niang took her whole family north to build a new campus.
It has to be said that Jinzhou Prefecture suddenly seemed to become deserted.
The people of Jinzhou Prefecture have always considered themselves as people of the imperial city. They were once the emperor's feet, but now that Xu Zhenying has gone north, all that is left for them is the dream of prosperity.
The entire political center was officially transferred to the city of Bianjing.
This made the people of Jinzhou Prefecture feel a strong sense of loss.
And today is the day when the large army leaves Bianjing City.
When I woke up early, I heard the sound of heavy traffic. All the soldiers were out, shouting and maintaining law and order in the city. Important items and archival materials were loaded on nearly one or two hundred carriages, and there was no end in sight.
Today, almost all the people in Bianjing City were out, and the traffic in the city was completely paralyzed. A large number of people went out to see him off. Not to mention the representatives from various towns and villages who heard the news early and rushed to see him off.
Jinzhou Prefecture was more lively than ever before.
The person in charge of this migration to the north was Xu Yinxi. She, Fang Xun, Fang Ningmo and others handed over all matters to the newly appointed Lord of Jinzhou Prefecture, and confirmed the luggage of everyone in the Xu family, especially those from the third branch.
Now Xu Degui and Miao are not serving as officials in the court, but are just idle at home. However, because Xu Zhenying has already reached Bian Jing and will ascend the throne soon, the status of the third wife has naturally risen. Some people with more ulterior motives have even begun to call Xu Degui the emperor and Miao the empress dowager.
The officials of Jinzhou Prefecture were fine. They all lined up and used their official positions to visit the two of them.
But the rich families in the city have endless ways of using tricks, and they are willing to take advantage of any opportunity. They even bribed the old maid who took care of Xu Degui and Miao with a large sum of money, just to find out the itinerary of the two people and have a chance encounter.
There were only three people taking care of the two of them: a servant who was responsible for running errands, an old nanny who took care of their food and daily life, and a young maid.
The Xu family didn't like extravagance. Even Xu Zhenying only had a secretary to look after him, no maid or other servants to take care of his daily life. The rest of the Xu family followed suit, so how could they dare to surpass Xu Zhenying?
Therefore, the Xu family did not have many servants. At most, the entire family had only ten servants. These ten servants were carefully selected and trained before they were assigned to their posts.
Fortunately, these two people knew their own limitations and their own limits after being disciplined and educated by Xu Zhenying for a long time. They reprimanded these people and this bad habit was barely stopped.
However, because of Xu Zhenying's successful Northern Expedition, the entire Xu family seemed a little agitated.
Especially the younger ones from the second house, they walked with a breeze, calling each other "Sixth Sister" all the time, and they seemed a little proud.
Xu Yinxi had no choice but to take time out of her busy schedule to repeatedly criticize the three concubines.
The three concubines also knew that this was a critical moment, so after returning home, they warned their children to remain calm and not to cause trouble at this critical juncture.
This team was ten miles long, with Lu Fei leading the charge and Zhou Bo bringing up the rear, each leading two thousand elite soldiers.
The carriages of the third wife and grandmother Huang were in the middle, enjoying the highest level of security and surrounded by the crowd.
The others were various officials and their families from Jinzhou Prefecture.
Everyone knew that if they went north, they would be granted titles of nobility and appointed as prime ministers, and their status would change. They would then become official officials in Beijing!
Not to mention, this trip is definitely to accept the reward.
Therefore, the team was enthusiastic, the atmosphere was warm, and there was laughter.
The carriage set out from the city gate, and people along the way stood on both sides. There were a large number of people who came to see him off, at least tens of thousands of people.
They all lined up on both sides of the road, and tacitly cleared the middle road. As the large group set off, the wheels slowly moved forward, and the crowd cheered loudly.
"After this...I'm afraid Your Highness won't come back again, right?"
"Of course! Bianjing City is the real emperor's capital. How can our Jinzhou Prefecture compare with them?"
"There's no need to belittle yourself! Our Jinzhou Prefecture is where your Highness made his fortune, so it's naturally rich in spiritual energy. Transportation is also well-developed, and the location is only slightly worse than Xingyuan Prefecture. But we started here earlier, and we have many talented people and beautiful scenery. With such a good piece of land, why would your Highness leave?"
"This brother is right. After all, there have been many cases of capital relocation in history. I think we should jointly write a letter to Her Highness, asking her to consider moving the capital to Jinzhou Prefecture!"
"That's a good idea!"
This man's words immediately aroused a chorus of agreement.
Every inch of land is worth a lot of money under the emperor's feet. If the capital can really be established in Jinzhou Prefecture, the land price in Jinzhou Prefecture will definitely rise sharply.
Therefore, the people of Jinzhou Prefecture naturally wanted to establish their capital here and enjoy the feeling of being a citizen of the capital city for once in their lifetime.
"It's hard to say about moving the capital. Now that the large army has left, I think they'll most likely end up in Bianjing. Instead of thinking about moving the capital to Jinzhou Prefecture, I think we should think of something more practical."
"What's real?"
"For example, going to Bianjing City to do some small business?"
Someone immediately scoffed, "What kind of business is this? Bianjing is the imperial capital. The common people there have seen everything."
"You're ignorant. Everything in our Jinzhou Prefecture is new. Who has seen it before? Let's not talk about selling things. Let's just say we go to Bianjing City. I know pinyin, so at the very least I can be a teacher."
"Ah, that's a brilliant point! Previously, whenever His Highness conquered a place, he had to implement comprehensive education, and teachers were always in short supply. Just think about it: what's the point of the common people of Bianjing living right under the imperial city walls? Have they ever seen pinyin? Have they ever learned arithmetic? This seems like a good idea to me!"
"Yes, follow His Highness, there will always be opportunities to make money!"
Someone in the crowd immediately looked thoughtful, as if considering the feasibility.
The people from the third branch, who were surrounded by the crowd, were naturally like the moon surrounded by stars. Grandmother Huang sat in the largest carriage and kept lifting the curtain to wave to the people who were seeing them off.
The old man waved goodbye to his old friends with tears in his eyes, and then took Miao's hand: "Alas, I never thought that I would have such a happy life in this life. I didn't expect that I would benefit from the Sixth Girl in my old age. This Sixth Girl, I knew she was no ordinary person since she was a child. Who knew... this... this would become the emperor! It's a pity that your second uncle is not here, otherwise she would have a place among these high officials today!"
Miao's expression changed when she mentioned Xu Deyuan, but she recovered instantly. "Yes, it's my second brother who is unlucky. Mother has to take a good look at him."
Huang sighed, "I have to take a closer look. Especially that girl Yinxi, she's already in her twenties and still hasn't found a husband. This time when I go to the capital, I have to find her a good husband."
Huang didn't dare to talk about Xu Zhenying's marriage.
Although the old man is old, his mind is not confused.
She had long realized that no one in the Xu family could control her, Xu Zhenying.
Miao could only smile apologetically.
The group slowly headed north amidst the autumn colors.
The entire team took about twenty days to arrive at Bianjing City.
It has to be said that from a distance, the appearance of Bianjing City has disappointed many people.
There are many people in their team who have never left the southwest in their lives, so they are full of yearning for what people call "the most prosperous place in the world."
But when we got there, we found it was bare, with only a not very high wall. Compared with the solid walls of Jinzhou Prefecture, the walls of Bianjing City always looked a little disappointing.
Especially the loess road at the door, when you walk on it, the dust flies everywhere and your mouth is full of dust.
Before they got close, they heard someone in the team talking.
"Oh my god, this is Bianjing City? It looks so ordinary——"
"That's right. Compared to the city walls of Jinzhou Prefecture, it's too short, isn't it?"
"Isn't it said that Bianjing is the most prosperous city? Why does it seem that it's not the case to me?"
"Don't say that. Where is our Jinzhou Prefecture? Where is Bianjing City? Our Jinzhou Prefecture is full of cement roads, so running is stable and fast. As soon as we entered the territory of Bianjing City, my horse's speed slowed down."
"Hey, hey, hey, look, there are so many people at the city wall. Are they here to greet us?"
Soon, Lu Fei returned to report to Xu Yinxi that countless civilians were waiting for them at the city wall. This made the people in the car overjoyed. Miao also leaned out and asked, "Did His Highness bring people with him?"
Xu Yinxi said, "Your Highness is very busy and I'm afraid he can't get away. Oh, I think I saw my cousin!"
When Miao saw the familiar figure at the front of the crowd, she immediately shouted excitedly, "Hui Ming!!"
But Xu Yinxi was the first to see Feng'er. She quickly waved to her, "Feng'er!"
The old people in the Xu family hadn't seen Feng'er and Xu Huiming for a long time. At this moment, they all got out of the car and surrounded them, chattering non-stop.
Feng Er was also extremely happy, and she just wanted to look at everyone, "Yin Xi! Fang Xun! Ning Mo! An Ping!"
There are too many familiar faces.
Feng Er also bowed respectfully to Miao and Xu Degui: "Master and Madam, how are you?"
"Okay, okay, we're all fine. I heard that you staged a coup in the palace all by yourself and were nearly killed by a volley of arrows. Oh my god, when I heard this news, I couldn't help but say Amitabha. You girl, you're so brave!"
Miao was half-angry and half-blameful. Feng'er blushed slightly and said, "This is what I should do. Thank you for your praise, Madam."
Xu Huiming stepped forward and said to Miao with a smile, "Mother, why aren't you worried about your son?"
"How can I not worry about you? The longer you're gone, the longer I worry. What's more, you two are out there doing the most dangerous things. I worry about you two day and night!" Miao grabbed Xu Huiming and examined him from head to toe. "My dear, you've lost weight. Now that the world is finally at peace, our family won't have to be separated anymore!"
Xu Huiming said, "It's my fault for making you worry. But you're right, mother. From now on, our family will never be separated again!"
"Oh!" Miao couldn't help but wipe her tears with a handkerchief.
Feng'er, on the other hand, was chattering non-stop with her old friends.
It had been several years since they last met, so naturally they had endless things to talk about. For a moment they even forgot that the main force was still waiting.
Lian was sitting in the carriage. She glanced at the crowd and saw several familiar faces.
She was slightly startled, and Xu Lezhi asked, "Mother, what's wrong?"
Lian's expression remained unchanged. She only said in a deep voice, "Your grandfather and aunts are here."
Xu Lezhi didn't have a good impression of her aunts. She said bitterly, "What are they doing here? When we left Bianjing City that year, they didn't even come to see us off, as if they were afraid of being implicated by us. Now that we have returned in glory, they are swarming around us like flies! Mother, I don't want to see them."
Lian sighed, "Once we're back in Bianjing, there's no way to avoid this. I can't hide from them forever. Now that your eldest sister has a bright future, I'll also take a step forward. I can't give others something to talk about."
Xu Lezhi still couldn't hold back his expression and glared hatefully at the group of Lian family members who quickly surrounded him.
"Fifth sister!"
"Akira!"
That was Lian Dehai's voice.
When she first heard this voice, Lian Qiuzhi, who had experienced a lot, couldn't help but have tears in her eyes.
Thinking back to when they were exiled, her father had been trying his best to rescue them, and even gave her some silver and money before leaving. Lian Qiuzhi's father still had nothing to say to her, so Lian Qiuzhi had been in Jinzhou Prefecture for many years, and the person she missed most was her father.
Especially when she saw Lian Dehai's graying temples, Lian Qiuzhi couldn't hold back her tears. She immediately jumped off the carriage, dragged a few children with her, and quickly walked to Lian Dehai, kneeling down and greeting him: "Father, the unfilial daughter Lian Qiuzhi is back——"
Xu Yinxi, Xu Lezhi and Xu Fuwei naturally remembered their grandfather's kindness, and at this moment they bowed sincerely.
"Okay, okay, okay, the children are all fine. Come and let grandpa recognize them." Lian Dehai pulled all the children up, and his eyes naturally fell on Lian's face first.
Although the fifth daughter was now dressed in coarse linen clothes, she was imposing and had a sharp look in her eyes. She was completely different from the woman in the harem before she was exiled.
"This must be Yinxi. The girl has grown up so much that grandpa almost didn't recognize her!" Lian Dehai wiped his tears and held Xu Yinxi's hand.
This person is even more amazing. It is said that he has already taken the position of prefect and may replace the position of prime minister of that old fox Han Zongyun. Although Lian Dehai feels a little complicated, he is more proud.
He even deliberately ignored the short hair of Xu Yinxi, Lian Qiuzhi and others.
I heard that this is a fashionable hairstyle among women nowadays. It is not only convenient and easy to maintain, but also less likely to get lice. It is especially suitable for rural women and women like them who go out to work.
Okay, we are all half members of the Lian family.
This made him a new elite in Bianjing City.
While other ministers were still worried about whether they would be persuaded to resign, Lian Dehai seemed more calm and composed.
He had already figured it out clearly: he was already sixty and there was no hope of promotion. He might as well vacate his position quickly.
With Lian Qiuzhi and Xu Yinxi, mother and daughter, supporting the court, are you still worried that the Lian family will not prosper?
Therefore, those in the court who were well-informed visited the Lian family early in the morning.
Xu Yinxi bowed slightly, "Grandfather, how are you? I greet all the aunts and my aunt."
Miss Lian San quickly grabbed Xu Yinxi's left hand, while Miss Lian Si, who had hurried back, grabbed her right hand, trapping Xu Yinxi in the middle.
Xu Yinxi looked at the friendly and flattering faces in front of her, and her heart was already calm. She had already gotten over the shallow idea that when she returned home in glory one day, she would trample under her feet all those who looked down on her.
In the past, she had even fantasized about how she would make the aunts from the Lian family who had looked down on their second branch look bad when she returned to Bianjing City in glory.
It's ridiculous to say, but now all she wants to do is maintain the superficial friendship and never let this group of people affect her career.
"Oh, this is Xi girl, you've grown up so big! Back when you were exiled, you were only fifteen or sixteen. I was so anxious back then that I begged everyone I should have begged, met everyone I should have met, and even caused your husband's family to despise you for a while." Third Aunt Lian wiped her tears and spoke earnestly, "I wanted to see you off on the day you left, but I was too sick to get out of bed, so I missed you. It's really fate that can play tricks on me."
Even the fourth aunt couldn't stand her sister's behavior. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and she secretly wondered in her heart that her sister had been hypocritical for decades.
The fiercer he fought with the fifth sister in the past, the lower his attitude is now.
Even Fourth Aunt wiped her eyes with a handkerchief soaked in ginger juice, then said with red eyes, "You've suffered so much. Now that you're home, you don't have to worry about anything. Your grandmother was so happy when she heard you were back that she couldn't sleep for several nights. She even prepared a place for you to stay. I, your aunt, went to see it this morning. It's clean and you can stay here when you arrive."
Xu Lezhi looked at Xu Yinxi who was surrounded by the Lian family. She pursed her lips and frowned, "They are all flatterers who look down on the weak!"
Xu Fuwei said, "Second sister, please keep your voice down! Don't let Grandpa and the others hear."
Xu Lezhi was unconvinced. "It's the truth, why are people saying it? If Grandfather really cared about us little ones, why didn't he come up and ask about my situation? They all just want to surround my eldest sister. Aren't they just attracted by the little power she holds? My eldest sister is also confused. She has been an official for many years, why can't she even see through their little thoughts?"
Xu Fuwei frowned and said nothing.
She and Xu Meixiao went away to study when they were very young, and they had little contact with Xu Lezhi. Especially since Xu Lezhi got married early, the two sisters felt like strangers.
Xu Lezhi seemed to be a person who was isolated from the entire Xu family and was not close to anyone.
Needless to say, Xu Fuwei actually looked down on her second sister from the bottom of her heart.
Not only is he stupid, he also can't understand the situation and speaks without restraint.
No wonder His Highness likes it.
Xu Fuwei stepped forward respectfully and smiled sweetly at the Lian family. "Fuwei greets my grandfather, aunt, and uncles."
When the Lian family's aunts saw the twelve or thirteen-year-old Xu Fuwei, they naturally liked her very much. The two aunts pulled her on both sides and asked her all kinds of questions, which made Xu Lezhi very angry again!
Humph, the whole family looks down on her!
She doesn't want to be relatives with the hypocritical Lian family!
After only a moment's delay, the city gate was completely jammed. As the commander-in-chief of this northern migration, Xu Yinxi could only say to Lian Dehai with regret, "Grandfather, I have official business to attend to. I must first take my men to the palace to report to His Highness. I can't delay too long. Once my mother and I have packed, we will definitely come to visit."
The more Lian Dehai looked at Xu Yinxi, the more satisfied he became. He couldn't help but tell her, "Don't worry, official business is more important. His Highness is probably waiting for you right now—"
Lian's aunt also said: "Good girl, you go first. We have already arranged a place for you to stay. We will not let you worry about anything. When you come back, there will be hot soup and hot tea to drink!"
"Thank you, Grandpa, and thank you, Aunt."
Xu Yinxi bowed like a man, then consulted with the third branch of the Xu family before swiftly climbing onto his horse. He waved his arm and shouted at the crowd behind him, "Everyone, don't waste any more time! Hurry and enter the city! His Highness is waiting for us in the palace!"
At this shout, everyone obeyed and moved.
Feng'er and the others squeezed into the carriage, waved to the people who came to greet them, and shouted at them with a smile: "Go back, go back, there's nothing to see, don't block up here——"
All the soldiers in the team were in position, in perfect order.
Among them are many heroic female soldiers.
Even the Third Aunt was so jealous that her teeth were aching. She said sarcastically, "This Xi girl has such great power now!"
Even the fourth aunt was genuinely envious: "This girl... is truly amazing..."
The Lian family's aunt sighed, "Back then, everyone in Bianjing laughed at Fifth Sister for not being able to give birth to a son. Because of this, she endured so much bitterness, so much cold stares, and so much ridicule. Now, a little girl like Xi is worth ten sons in other families. I wonder who in Bianjing would dare to laugh at Fifth Sister anymore?!"
Lian Dehai stared at Xu Yinxi's receding back, feeling proud but also regretful: How could such a good girl not be his granddaughter!
How nice it would be if the last name was Lian——
However, the aunt of the Lian family suddenly frowned and said, "Hey, why don't you see my brother-in-law?"
This reminder brought everyone back to their senses.
Yes, Lian and the three girls all saw it, but why didn’t they see Xu Deyuan?
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