Chapter 97 Chapter 97 The Third Son-in-law of the Cheng Family

Chapter 97 Chapter 97 The Third Son-in-law of the Cheng Family

The seventh day of the seventh month is the Qiqiao Festival.

Che Han's garrison affairs have been completely settled, and the Governor of Sichuan finally has time to bring his wife to Beijing to visit relatives.

The Cheng family held a banquet on this day to entertain their in-laws.

The Governor's family of four arrived at Chengjiabao early. Cheng Yiyan personally welcomed them into the main hall. Just as he sent them in, he turned around and saw Pei Ji and Cheng Yixin coming in with a child. Mrs. Pei and Mr. Pei also arrived at the door. Cheng Yiyan immediately turned back to greet them.

Cheng Mingyu was urgently summoned to the palace by the emperor early in the morning. At this moment, the second elder Cheng Mingjiang and the third elder Cheng Mingjing were entertaining the two in-laws.

This was the first meeting between Mr. Pei and his wife and the Governor-General of Sichuan and his wife, so some greetings were inevitable.

Lu personally welcomed the two wives and her sister to the ancestral courtyard in the backyard.

The Cheng family's main room hasn't been this lively for a long time.

After drinking tea for a while in the front hall, I heard the butler come to report,

"Young Master, the Third Aunt brought Duke Lu back to Ning."

The three words "Duke Lu" flashed through Cheng Yiyan's mind, but he couldn't remember who it was for a moment.

Is Lu Xusheng alive?

He actually came. It had been an unknown amount of time since he last saw Lu Xusheng in Chengjiabao. Cheng Yiyan's face was filled with surprise.

While he was delayed, he noticed a figure quickly passing by him and coming out of the hall to greet him.

Meng Ruchuan saw his father heading for the gate, and as a son, he instinctively followed him.

Here, the Lu Mansion's carriage stopped at the gate. Lu Xusheng, holding little Jiusi in his arms, bent down and walked out of the carriage first. After getting off the carriage, two wet nurses immediately came to pick up the children. Lu Xusheng turned around and led Cheng Yian out of the carriage. When he turned around, he saw a long-lost figure walking down the steps with the gait of a dragon and a tiger.

"It's been a long time since we last met. I missed you so much, Lord."

The governor of Sichuan laughed and bowed enthusiastically.

Lu Xusheng was stunned, almost thinking he had walked into the wrong house. He raised his eyes and was sure that this was the Cheng residence. He was amused by the Sichuan Governor's enthusiasm and immediately returned the greeting.

"Governor Meng, I hope you are well."

"I'm fine. I'm doing fine. It's just that I got poked by that lackey from Northern Qi and it's still a little itchy."

When the Governor of Sichuan was attacking the capital of Chehan, he was accidentally stabbed in the thigh by the enemy, leaving a hole and a piece of bloody flesh. He went into battle again before his wound was fully healed, and as a result, he developed a chronic illness. In the past six months, he would suffer from pain whenever it rained or was windy.

The Governor of Sichuan was a hot-blooded man. If he could say that he felt a little itchy, then the pain must be unbearable.

All of these soldiers who went to the battlefield were made of flesh and blood; even Lu Xusheng himself had countless scars on his body.

Lu Xusheng said distressedly, "There is a doctor named Hu in the Imperial Hospital. He is a military doctor and is very good at treating injuries. I will ask him to come to your house to take a look at you later."

Cheng Yian also said, "I will go to the Yunnan Palace tomorrow and ask my mother to prepare some medicinal wine for you to soak."

"Thank you very much."

At this time, Meng Ruchuan also came over and wanted to pay full respect to Lu Xusheng like his father did. However, Lu Xusheng was one step faster than him and bowed to him.

"Second brother-in-law..."

Meng Ruchuan was stunned by the call of "brother-in-law". Recalling Cheng Yiyan's instructions that in the Cheng Mansion, people were judged by their seniority, regardless of their official positions. He didn't know how to perform this ceremony. During this hesitation, Lu Xusheng's ceremony had already been completed. Governor Meng was so angry that he glared at his son. Meng Ruchuan saw his father's murderous gaze and jumped away in fear. He bowed back to Lu Xusheng.

"Hello, General Lu."

When Cheng Yiyan followed him out, he saw a strange scene where the father bowed to the other party, while the son stood up to receive the greeting.

Governor Meng kicked his son in the knee, which was a severe blow. Meng Ruchuan fell forward. If Lu Xusheng had not helped him, Meng Ruchuan would have knelt down to pay his respects to Lu Xusheng.

Cheng Yiyan was in a state of confusion, he stood on the steps and arched his sleeves towards Lu Xusheng.

"Today Shenzhi finally has time to attend the banquet. The sun really rises from the west."

Lu Xusheng also came over and gave his brother-in-law a big gift in return, "Isn't this because you are willing to invite me? If you didn't invite me, I wouldn't dare to come."

In short, they just don't want to suffer losses.

Cheng Yiyan was so angry that his teeth itched, and he immediately pointed at the Governor of Sichuan.

"Governor, this is the Cheng family. You are the elder in the Cheng family, so don't worry about the formalities of the officialdom."

How can I let my in-laws give such a grand gift to my brother-in-law?

Lu Xusheng also echoed, "That's right, Governor Meng, once I enter the Cheng family, you should treat me as a junior."

"That's impossible, hahaha." Governor Meng laughed and waved his hands.

Recalling last year when Lu Xusheng arrived at the border battlefield, soldiers were waiting at the gate, wanting to catch a glimpse of this border commander. A large group of men were almost squeezed to the point of breaking their heads. Lu Xusheng's battle at Baiyin Mountain shook the world, and he became a god-like existence in the hearts of the soldiers. When he came to the barracks, the soldiers were very surprised. On that day, the soldiers in the Sichuan barracks formed a formation of 108 Arhats and implemented the chariot tactics to provoke Lu Xusheng one by one. Lu Xusheng used a spear to knock all of them off their horses.

Under his leadership, the soldiers of the Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu armies pacified the Che Khan, and this record went down in history. From then on, the three words "Lu Xusheng" became the belief in the hearts of the border soldiers. If they were asked to regard Lu Xusheng as their junior, would you ask the border soldiers whether they would agree?

The Governor of Sichuan refused to listen to Cheng Yiyan's nonsense.

He walked into the room facing Lu Xusheng. Cheng Yiyan shook his head helplessly and looked towards his sister. He saw Xiao Jiusi at first sight.

"Jiusi!"

Uncle and nephew are naturally close. Cheng Yiyan couldn't wait to hold little Jiusi in his arms.

"Hey, my little Jiusi, uncle is here just to welcome our little Jiusi."

Lu Xusheng had already stepped over the threshold. After hearing this, he could not help but stop and look back to see his son's reaction. As a result, he saw the silly little son happily throwing himself into his uncle's arms.

You are a shy kid.

How many times have you met this uncle?

Lu Xusheng's teeth were sour, "Brother-in-law, can you hold a child? Don't let Jiusi fall."

Cheng Yiyan glanced at him coldly, "I took care of both of my kids. Do you think I'm you? I can't even take care of my kids."

As he spoke, he teased little Jiusi in his arms again. Little Jiusi lay comfortably in the crook of Cheng Yiyan's arm and gave him a faint smile.

Cheng Yiyan was very pleased, "Our little Jiusi is the smartest. He knows that he is closest to his uncle." Looking at the little face that looks like his father,

"Don't use the surname Lu anymore. Use your mother's surname Cheng and live with your uncle."

Lu Xusheng glared at him.

Here, Governor Meng had already led Lu Xusheng into the main hall and even took the initiative to introduce him to Master Pei.

Although this was not the first time that Mr. Pei met Lu Xusheng, it was the first formal meeting between the two.

According to the rules, Lu Xusheng should pay respect to Mr. Pei as a junior, but seeing Governor Meng's attitude, it was obvious that he treated Lu Xusheng as an equal, so how could this be done? Mr. Pei took into account Lu Xusheng's high position and power, and thought that he should not be arrogant, so he also paid respect to him as an equal, just like Governor Meng.

Lu Xusheng once again returned the greeting, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and then bowed to Pei Ji who came over behind him.

"I've met my brother-in-law."

Then the father gave the gift and the son received it.

Funny scene.

Pei Ji calmly returned Lu Xusheng's greeting, "Hello, third brother-in-law."

Mr. Pei, who was led astray by the Governor of Sichuan, stroked the tip of his nose helplessly.

Cheng Yiyan handed the child to the wet nurse with a tired look on his face, asked someone to send Cheng Yian to the backyard, and asked someone to serve tea to Lu Xusheng.

Logically, Lu Xusheng should sit at the last seat. It's not that Cheng Yiyan is trying to make things difficult for him, but Lu Xusheng is the youngest brother-in-law. This is also a family dinner, so there is no reason for Lu Xusheng to sit at the top seat.

However, the Governor of Sichuan couldn't bear to see his commander sitting in a corner, so he kicked his son away and sat next to Lu Xusheng, talking to him about the sudden death of the "Prince of Nan'an" of Northern Qi. Meng Ruchuan glanced at his father's seat at the top. He couldn't sit on the same level with Master Pei, so he simply stood aside.

Cheng Yiyan sighed, stood in the corridor and called Meng Ruchuan over, then quietly pointed at Pei Ji.

"Learn from your brother-in-law."

Meng Ruchuan glanced at his brother-in-law. Pei Ji was sitting there drinking tea. He shook his head and said, "I can't learn it."

Cheng Yiyan: “…”

It was not until Cheng Mingyu returned home that the chaos was quelled. No matter their official positions or status, everyone had to obey him. Everyone stood up and bowed to him.

"I've met the Prime Minister."

"Master Cheng is well."

"Father-in-law."

Cheng Mingyu, dressed in a red official robe, stood in the corridor, bowed to everyone in the hall, and then went inside and sat at the head of the table.

"I am late. I hope you two relatives can forgive me."

After his arrival, the Governor of Sichuan obediently returned to his seat.

"Not late, not late, the banquet hasn't started yet." The Governor of Sichuan said with a smile.

Old Master Pei laughed dryly, stroked his beard and said nothing.

Cheng Mingyu was a very formal person. He greeted the guests in order, and first greeted Mr. Pei from his eldest son-in-law's family. Then he turned to the Governor of Sichuan and said, "I heard that Governor Meng was injured. My Cheng Mansion has some good medicine for treating muscle and bone injuries. I will ask Ruchuan to take it back and let the Governor try it."

Governor Meng bowed and smiled, "Thank you, Prime Minister."

"During the time Ruchuan was in the capital, he was trained by the chief assistant and became a completely new person. I would like to express my gratitude to the chief assistant for his training."

Cheng Mingyu laughed and waved his hands, "No, I just asked him to accompany me in the Cheng family school and study with the Cheng family's children. In his spare time, he also had to take the second young master of the Yunnan Palace to learn archery and hunting. His martial arts skills have never fallen behind, and his knowledge has also improved day by day. Ruchuan is a good child and he pays attention to everything he does."

The Governor of Sichuan glanced at his son and said in surprise, "I've always told you to study, but you just ignored me and thought I was trying to hurt you. It turns out that you have to wait for your father-in-law to teach you before you listen."

Meng Ruchuan laughed, "Dad, don't compare yourself with father-in-law. Whenever you come across a book that you don't understand, father-in-law can always explain it to you in a simple and clear way. You find it interesting and are naturally willing to learn. As for you, dad... well, just forget about teaching your son martial arts and don't mention studying."

Governor Meng was so angry that he glared at his son for being humiliated in public.

Cheng Mingyu greeted his in-laws, then it was his son-in-law's turn. He was very familiar with Pei Ji.

"I have asked someone to copy the books you requested last time. You can ask someone to get them from the library later."

Pei Ji stood up and said, "Thank you, father-in-law."

When it came to Meng Ruchuan, Cheng Mingyu gave him a lot of advice and then stopped talking. Finally, he looked at Lu Xusheng, who was sitting last.

What's more, Cheng Mingyu was used to his son-in-law confronting him in the court, so he was not quite used to seeing him sitting alone at the last seat.

Discussing state affairs with Lu Xusheng? Those were all unpleasant memories, and Cheng Mingyu didn't want to mention them.

Chat with Lu Xusheng?

Cheng Mingyu didn't know where to start.

Among the three sons-in-law, he and Lu Xusheng had spent the shortest time together, and Lu Xusheng had visited the Cheng family only a handful of times, but the two of them had the best understanding of each other.

How well do they understand each other?

The news of Cheng Yian being held hostage had spread throughout the government and the country.

What he and Lu Xusheng did at that time was purposeful.

First, they told the emperor that they were loyal to him no matter when or where.

Secondly, it also tells everyone not to use Cheng Yian as an excuse, as Cheng Yian cannot threaten the father-in-law and son-in-law, and it eliminates the possibility of outsiders targeting Cheng Yian.

There was no prior discussion, it was tacitly understood.

For example, the last time the Governor of Sichuan got into trouble, Lu Xusheng came to stir up trouble without any warning, but Cheng Mingyu took advantage of his trick and even secretly arranged for Su Shi to impeach Lu Xusheng to help him keep the limelight down.

Even though they had developed a tacit understanding of silently protecting An An, they were already used to being incompatible when facing each other, so much so that Cheng Mingyu felt a little helpless when looking at his son-in-law.

Cheng Mingyu paused and took a sip of tea.

Lu Xusheng saw his father-in-law's eyes lingering on him for a while, and he seemed to be in a dilemma, wanting to speak but not knowing where to start.

He laughed dumbly, bowed to Cheng Mingyu, and asked,

"Father-in-law, An An has always wanted a pond. Is there a way to bring a hot spring from Chengjiabao to Lu Mansion?"

The Cheng family and the Lu family are separated by half of the imperial city. Cheng Mingyu looked at him expressionlessly, "Do you think it's possible?"

The Sichuan Chief Inspector noticed the awkwardness of the father-in-law and son-in-law finding nothing to talk about, "Duke Lu, you can just accompany An An back to her parents' home whenever you want."

Meng Ruchuan nodded quickly, "That's right, General Lu, I often come to live in the Cheng Mansion. The Cheng family has a large yard and it's comfortable to live here. If you don't believe me, ask my eldest brother-in-law."

Pei Ji was willing to agree with him, "Thanks to my father-in-law's kindness, a spring was brought into our yard. Yi Xin takes a short bath every day, which is very good for her skin."

Lu Xusheng didn't respond, but instead looked at his brother-in-law calmly, his eyes seemed to say, "Please post an invitation to invite me."

Cheng Yiyan laughed out of anger and asked Meng Ruchuan, "Ruchuan, is the hot spring in your house comfortable?"

"It's comfortable, comfortable, so comfortable. Qiaoqiao and I don't even want to go back home after living here."

"How do you get here on weekdays?"

"Here we go."

Cheng Yiyan glanced back at Lu Xusheng and said, "See? Your second brother-in-law doesn't even need to send an invitation, but you still need to send one? Look at how capable you are."

Lu Xusheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly said,

"There is a way to solve this problem."

Meng Ruchuan poked his head out and asked, "What method?"

Lu Xusheng looked at Cheng Yiyan and said, "Brother-in-law, did you know that His Majesty has awarded me a house?"

"Um."

"It's right next to the Lu residence. I plan to merge my house into the old house. It will be very spacious and can accommodate many people."

"so what?"

"What I mean is, for An An's sake, why don't we just swap our residences. You, the Cheng family, move to the Lu family, and I'll move into Cheng's Castle with An An. This way, An An can take a hot bath every day."

Cheng Mingyu: “…”

Cheng Yiyan: “…”

Unable to bear it any longer, the usually good-tempered Cheng Mingyu looked at his son, "How did you get this post today? Did you let him stay?"

Cheng Yiyan was filled with regret, "For the sake of my sister and Xiao Jiusi, I wrote a letter to let him stay for a few days."

Cheng Mingyu said, "Remember to be more careful with your words next time."

Lu Xusheng: “….”

The Sichuan Governor laughed unkindly.

Before coming here, the Governor of Sichuan heard from his son that Lu Xusheng and his elder brother-in-law were not getting along. He did not believe it at the time, but now he saw it with his own eyes.

He covered his mouth and said to Lu Xusheng, "Duke, you can offend anyone but not your brother-in-law. It's a thankless task to offend your brother-in-law."

Master Pei had not expected that Lu Xusheng, who was so powerful in the court, would be so unwelcome in the Cheng family. He almost swallowed his tea with laughter.

Pei Ji was not surprised. After all, he had witnessed Lu Xusheng arguing with his father-in-law in the court. Even a vice minister of the Ministry of War privately asked him to act as a peacemaker and asked his brother-in-law to persuade Lu Xusheng not to bring resentment to the Ministry of War.

After lunch, the two families went back home.

It was a rare opportunity for the daughter and son-in-law to get together, so they were all invited to stay overnight by the Cheng family.

When the old ancestor heard about what happened in the front yard, he was the first to stand up and support Lu Xusheng.

"Xusheng, don't bother with them. You don't need them to invite you. Grandmother will personally invite you in the future. You can bring An'an and Jiusi back to live here often."

Lu Xusheng was just joking with his brother-in-law, how could he really ask him to send an invitation? "Grandma, your words are serious. As long as you give the order, your grandson-in-law will rush to your presence and pay his respects to you at any time."

The old ancestor loved him to begin with, and he was even more pleased to hear his words, "Just stay here and settle down. If Yan'er says anything bad about you again, I'll send him back to his parents-in-law's house."

Cheng Yiyan also has a brother-in-law, so he has to endure the pain of being blamed by his brother-in-law.

Cheng Yiyan complained,

"It is said that a mother loves her youngest son, and you love your youngest grandson-in-law. With him around, the rest of us just step aside."

The old man pointed to the antique shelf and said, "Hurry up and move to the side."

Everyone burst into laughter.

As dusk fell, the Cheng family held a family banquet in the ancestral courtyard.

As usual, a long table was set up, with the old ancestor sitting facing south, Cheng Mingyu facing north, and the younger generations sitting on the left and right.

When the food was served, Cheng Yiyan looked at his three brothers-in-law, feeling deeply moved, and stood up to toast them.

"This is the first time that my brothers-in-law have gathered together. Don't be polite tonight. Don't leave until you are drunk."