I knew of my older brother Jun before, but even though I saw him every day, I didn't have any particular feelings about him.
Wearing the official robes of a sixth-rank official today, and with the second and third place scholars standing beside him, Jiang Sheng realized how handsome her eldest brother was, only slightly less so than her androgynous fifth brother.
I wish there were more smiles.
It was at this time that Jiang Sheng and her brothers discovered that their eldest brother was not happy. Beneath his seemingly calm face lay a hint of loneliness, and there was no smile in his eyes.
“I can understand why the second and third place winners are all sullen; no one would be happy to be with such outstanding top scholars.” Zheng Ruqian clicked his tongue in amazement. “But my eldest brother is sullen; he’s borrowed a few hundred taels of silver from someone.”
“I think it’s more than a few hundred taels of silver,” Fang Heng shook his head. “It must be several thousand taels.”
As everyone knows, Xu Mo, the eldest brother in the family, is the one who feels most guilty towards his younger siblings. Apart from earning a hundred taels of salary when he was working as a secretary, he has never made any other contributions to the family and even has to eat and drink what his younger siblings provide.
Although he had decided to support his family, Xu Mo was still most concerned about money and most annoyed when others asked him for money.
Several times, his classmates from the Imperial Academy asked him to borrow two taels of silver, but he refused them all with righteous indignation.
If he were to borrow several hundred taels of silver, the top scholar would have to break off all ties with him.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, Xu Mo looked up and looked around, finally finding her younger siblings' little heads peeking out of the wide-open window.
"Big brother." Jiang Sheng stood on tiptoe, swinging her arms, her body swaying precariously. "Big brother, I'm here. Can you see me?"
Fortunately, Fang Heng reacted quickly, grabbing her skirt and then pulling on the back of her clothes.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, I'm choking." Jiang Sheng's tongue almost got stuck.
Fang Heng blushed slightly and quickly switched to supporting her, with him and Zheng Ruqian each contributing half of their bodies to protect their not-so-tall little sister.
Wen Zhiyun was peering out of another window, unaware that a murder had nearly occurred nearby.
These little guys.
Xu Mo's heavy heart was relieved. Not wanting his younger siblings to worry, he forced a faint smile.
"ah……"
Someone was so excited that they screamed, thinking the top scholar was smiling at them.
Xu Mo quickly looked away and continued marching without glancing to the side.
Unfortunately, that smile had already been imprinted on the hearts of the young ladies in the vicinity, and countless purses and handkerchiefs fell from the sky, even the scholars in the vicinity were not spared.
Sun Xiaosheng, the runner-up, was already gritting his teeth, his eyes revealing jealousy.
Fang Yuan, who ranked third in the imperial examination, was still able to maintain his composure, but he no longer had his previous warm smile.
"I never expected the top scholar to be so popular," someone muttered behind him, filled with envy.
Fang Yuan seemed to remember something, and then gave a cold laugh.
Is it popular?
Perhaps some flowers are destined to be exceptionally beautiful, but also destined to wither early.
However, for flowers and plants, the one that blooms for a long time is the real winner.
The parade was to last for two hours. By the time they passed Youranju, it was already coming to an end. Jiang Sheng asked Jiang Jizu about it and learned that the scholars would return to their homes after the parade. So she decided to go back to the second courtyard.
But before leaving, she felt a little reluctant and asked softly, "Where is Father? Where is Father going?"
While they were waiting for the parade, a number of people from the Jiang family arrived and conveyed to Jiang Jizu the matter of the Fang family forcing donations at the Taihe Hall.
As a general who fought on the battlefield, Jiang Jizu never interfered in family affairs and respected his younger brother's decisions in every way.
The fact that Jiang Jizong sent someone to find us now indicates that the matter is somewhat serious.
“Of course it is…” Jiang Jizu remembered something and changed his words, “Of course it is to take Nannan home.”
"Really, Father?" Jiang Sheng's joy turned to hesitation. "Second Uncle is looking for you. There are important matters at the Jiang family. Father, you should go and attend to them. I can go home by myself."
She really wanted her father to be with her, but she couldn't take him away from her; the Jiang family needed her father more than she did.
“Your second uncle will handle the Jiang family’s affairs.” Jiang Jizu took her little chubby hand. “Daddy doesn’t usually get involved in the Jiang family’s affairs. Daddy is only responsible for fighting and killing the Tartars at the border.”
People who are away from home most of the year only have so much time to spend at home.
He was about to leave and wanted to spend more time with the children.
A little longer is good too.
Jiang Jizu eventually got into the carriage with Jiang Sheng. They returned to the second courtyard amidst laughter and chatter. Just as they tied the reins, they heard Zhang Xianglian calling out to Xu Mo from outside.
It seems the parade is over and my older brother is back.
Jiang Sheng jumped down happily, but before she could say anything, she heard a clap of thunder.
"I saw Xiao Wu."
Xu Mo was still wearing his official robes. He caught a glimpse of his neighbor looking at him out of the corner of his eye. He quickly returned to the courtyard and said to his younger siblings who followed him in, "I saw Xiao Wu. He's in the capital."
This was like a bolt from the blue, shattering the spirits of the four siblings and leaving even Jiang Jizu, who was preparing to take his leave, in a state of shock and uncertainty.
What kind of place is the Imperial City? It is the home of the royal family, the most mysterious and unpredictable mansion in the entire Dayu Dynasty, and the supreme place in the hearts of ordinary people.
"This, how is this possible?" Wen Zhiyun stammered.
They considered countless possibilities, they speculated about Changyan's identity, and they thought about the difficulties of the fifth brother, but they never expected that he would be in the capital.
"Could it be...could it be that Fifth Brother was captured and castrated?" Jiang Sheng's expression changed drastically, and she was so heartbroken that she was about to cry.
She only learned last year from reading storybooks that the eunuchs in the palace were castrated and their behavior would gradually become feminine.
The beauty of a long banquet, where masculinity and femininity remain unchanged, finds its explanation at this moment.
Her fifth brother was actually her fifth sister?
"What are you thinking?" Xu Mo was both amused and exasperated. "He's not a eunuch."
"What...what is that?" Jiang Sheng asked, her eyes red-rimmed. "What happened to Fifth Brother? Is he still alive? Is he still healthy?"
After receiving Xu Mo's affirmative nod, she turned from sorrow to joy, saying, "It's good that you're alive and healthy."
Even Wen Zhiyun breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart.
Xu Mo was slightly taken aback, but then he began to feel relieved. No matter what happened to Xiao Wu, whether he acknowledged their sibling relationship or not, he was still fine and alive, and that was enough.
The details that were previously overlooked are now being picked up.
If Changyan truly didn't acknowledge him, he could have simply denied the jade pendant; his subsequent words seemed more like an attempt to distance himself from him.
If the Fifth Prince were not the one holding the banquet, there would be no need for him to deliberately turn his back and not show his face, or even refuse to look at him.
Rather than the idea that his fifth brother abandoned them, Xu Mo was more inclined to believe that he was facing difficulties and couldn't contact his siblings in the courtyard.
But what difficulties could he possibly have?
The discussions among the scholars during the investiture ceremony still lingered in his ears, and the Fifth Prince's awkward situation was clearly visible to the naked eye. Xu Mo couldn't suppress his excitement, "The Fifth Prince may be in trouble. We have to help him. We can't just ignore him."
How can I help?
Donations were required for the Spring Festival banquet, but the Fifth Prince had no money and refused to acknowledge them as his relatives.
Then the only option is to send the money over discreetly.
Xu Mo's gaze shifted slightly, finally settling on Jiang Sheng, whose face was filled with relief.
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