"This... can't be that bad, can it?" Dean Zhou found it hard to believe. After all, what servant in this world wouldn't want to regain their freedom?
Moreover, although the Mu family has fallen on hard times, with Mr. Tang around, as long as Mu Xu isn't completely hopeless, it shouldn't be too difficult for him to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar.
If they marry a good wife and have several children, the Mu family can recover most of its strength in less than twenty years.
He suddenly remembered that the pageboy had said the canteen had stopped providing meals for Mr. Tang's courtyard, and his heart skipped a beat.
"Brother Tang, you wouldn't have taken your anger out on the Li family because of Mu Xu, and thus developed a grudge against them, would you?"
Mr. Tang was already annoyed with the Li family, and upon hearing this, he immediately retorted, "It's not that I've created a rift; it's that they find this old man annoying and disgusting. Li Jiaren has also left for Xindu to take up his post. They're just discarding the donkey after it has served its purpose and kicking away the bridge after it has been crossed!"
Dean Zhou frowned and whispered, "Brother Tang, to be fair, the Li family has always been cautious and thoughtful in their actions. They would rather suffer losses than be accused of being ungrateful."
"In the past few years, because Jiaren has been learning to write with his left hand from you, the Li family has not only sent you generous gifts during festivals, but also taken extremely good care of you for your daily meals. I don't know how many people in the academy envy you."
"Is there some misunderstanding here? Should I step in and help mediate?"
Mr. Tang snorted coldly, wanting to say something more, but ultimately feeling somewhat guilty, he could only mutter a few words.
"Of course the Li family is at fault, they're wrong for giving birth to a vixen who bewitched my grandnephew!"
His voice wasn't loud, but Dean Zhou was close enough to hear most of it.
Dean Zhou's expression changed immediately, recalling that day's birthday banquet when Mu Xu left with the princess...
"Brother Tang, if you don't want to become mortal enemies with the Li family, then you absolutely must not say these words a second time!" Dean Zhou was truly anxious, and he slammed his teacup down.
"Brother Tang, you know that the Li family values Princess Kangle the most, not the Earl and his brothers, or even Jiaren and the others!"
"The Li family will not hold anything against you because of your past kindness in teaching Jiaren to write. However, the Li family will absolutely fight to the death for the one thing you did to offend Princess Kangle."
"At that point, not only will I be unable to intervene, but even the Emperor himself won't be able to do anything. If you speak again, you'd better think it through!"
Mr. Tang looked unwell, but he had to admit that what Dean Zhou said was true.
He remained silent for a long while before asking, "Then tell me, am I just supposed to stand by and watch Mu Xu like this, clinging to a young girl and not striving for anything? How can I face my ancestors in the afterlife?"
"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Mu Xu doesn't seem stupid; he must have some plans for the family. Besides, the Li family's children and grandchildren are extremely united, supporting each other, and have never had any conflicts or quarrels."
"Mu Xu is truly lucky to have become the son-in-law of the Li family!"
Dean Zhou sighed deliberately, looking envious, and said, "If I had any promising children or grandchildren, I would want to find out the Li family's intentions. I didn't expect your nephew to beat me to it!"
But Mr. Tang wouldn't listen to advice and stubbornly replied, "If you want to fight for it, then fight for it. Our Mu Xu doesn't care. If Mu Xu wants to marry and take concubines and have more than a dozen children in the future, the Li family has a pretentious rule against taking concubines, so we simply cannot agree to it."
"Besides, the Li family is powerful; who knows how they might bully Mu Xu? I disagree! As long as I'm alive, I won't let Mu Xu marry a Li family girl!"
"The Li family is clever enough to send Mu Xu into a caravan in the southwest, and he won't be back for two or three months. They're gauging my reaction, thinking I'll agree to the marriage then! Hmph, dream on!"
Dean Zhou gritted his teeth in anger, truly not wanting to try to persuade him anymore.
Just then, there was another knock on the courtyard gate, and three or four gentlemen walked in one after another. They were all people who often visited Mr. Tang.
Mr. Tang and Dean Zhou both thought they had come to visit the patient, so they quickly arranged for them to sit down in the hall and served tea.
Unexpectedly, one of the gentlemen, after drinking tea, asked, "Brother Tang, why did you suddenly invite us all over? It's not to discuss your nephew's school enrollment, is it?"
Another slightly plump old gentleman chuckled, "Don't worry, we'll make sure to teach him rigorously. Who knows, in five or six years, he might even become a scholar!"
Everyone laughed, but Mr. Tang and Dean Zhou looked completely bewildered.
Mr. Tang immediately asked, "Mu Xu sent a letter saying he's already gone to the southwest and won't be back for several months. I didn't say he wanted to enroll, did I?"
The gentlemen were surprised, and one of them said, "That's not right. The one who invited us over just now was your grand-nephew."
“Yes, I wouldn’t mistake it!” the other person echoed.
Mr. Tang was overjoyed and exclaimed, "What? The kid's back? Does he really want to go to school?!"
Dean Zhou's eyelids twitched violently, and he quickly stood up and said, "You all go ahead and do your work. I'll go home for a bit and be right back."
Before he could even leave, Mu Xu had already arrived, followed by a middle-aged man in a blue robe.
The man looked somewhat haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well the night before.
But he had a thin face, dark eyebrows and deep eyes, and looked like he had a cold and serious temperament.
Mu Xu led the middle-aged man into the house, bowed to everyone, and then introduced the man behind him, "This is Mr. Su. Back in Jiangbei, he was a neighbor of our Mu family from the same county. He used to visit our family quite often, but now he has settled outside Xindu."
"Many people in our hometown have praised Mr. Su for his integrity and uprightness, and for always adhering to the rules. Today, I have come to invite Mr. Su to do this important thing, and of course, I would like to trouble you all to be witnesses."
Dean Zhou and the other gentlemen quickly greeted Mr. Su and then invited him to sit down.
Only Mr. Tang was pale-faced, his lips trembling, and he couldn't move.
Mu Xu glanced at him and said seriously, "Gentlemen, as you all know, our Mu family was slaughtered by barbarians in the north, and I am the only survivor. Thanks to the Marquis's rescue and the Li family's shelter, we have peace today."
"I was entrusted by the Marquis to serve as a guard in the Li family for three years, both to repay his kindness and to quell the resentment in my heart."
"Unexpectedly, at the birthday banquet the other day, I met my third uncle, who had left home many years ago. Logically speaking, this is a joyous occasion, and I also plan to take care of my third uncle and visit him often in the future."
"But my third uncle tried his best to interfere with my repayment of the debt of gratitude and wanted me to leave the Li family. I disagreed, and he went to the Li family in private and spoke ill of them. He was very rude."
"I have no choice but to say one thing today: please, Third Uncle, do not do anything that is against the rules in the future."
"No, don't say it!" Mr. Tang's eyes were full of anger and despair as he struggled to shut Mu Xu's mouth.
But Mu Xu showed no pity and continued, "Back then, my third uncle ignored my grandfather's objections and insisted on leaving home, even breaking off a marriage agreement that had been made for many years, causing a lot of trouble for the family."
"Later, when the family encountered trouble and wanted to seek his help, they could not find him anywhere. My grandfather was extremely disappointed, so he took it upon himself to open the ancestral hall and erase my third uncle's name from the family genealogy."
"At the time, we invited the heads of various families in the county to be witnesses, including Mr. Su."
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