“I didn’t initially intend to beat him up; I just wanted to hear what he had to say to his godfather—”
After Lord Xiao left in anger, and Madam Xiao followed suit, Lin Ding, observing Xiao Xin's expression, carefully explained to the crowd, "Who knew that not only would he insult me and Sister Yu, but he also insisted on ruining Xiao Bao's future, saying we shouldn't even dream of letting him take the imperial examination. I just couldn't hold back—"
They beat him up thoroughly.
The British Duke waved his hand to stop him: "It's a done deal, no need to say more."
“Godfather, why don’t you stop worrying about it? I’ll go with him to the imperial court to file a lawsuit.” Lin Ding stopped arguing and said, “At worst, I’ll give up my military merits and use them to improve Xiao Bao’s future.”
“Nonsense,” the Duke of England rebuked him. “Who do you think His Majesty is, that you can bargain and get whatever you want? Besides, without a title to back you up, this will be even more difficult.”
Beating up Lord Xiao to vent one's anger is fine, but to truly resolve the issue, everyone will eventually have to return to the negotiating table. At that time, Lin Ding's status and position will be of paramount importance.
"Let it cool down for a few days, don't worry about it." The Duke of England made his decision. "I didn't have a long audience with His Majesty yesterday, but I heard his words and he was very impressed with you. The Ministry of War's assessment of your merits is also quite accurate. Don't think about those things for now. It's more important to prepare well and wait for His Majesty's summons."
He made the decision, and everyone had no objections, so they all dispersed for the time being.
Two or three days passed in the blink of an eye. The Duke of Yingguo did not make any rash moves, and the Xiao family also remained silent. Old Madam Zhang was worried and sent someone to secretly inquire about Madam Xiao. She received the news that Marquis Xiao was recuperating from his injuries.
...Lin Ding acted with restraint, only to avoid seriously injuring him.
With that, Madam Zhang was relieved. It seemed that Marquis Xiao was temporarily unable to do anything. As for the complaints in Madam Xiao's letter, she simply listened and let it go.
However, whether it was Lin Ding's bad luck or the fact that Lord Xiao, after being blinded by anger at first, finally regained his political wisdom, he sent a message through Madam Xiao the day before the audience: he would let Xiao Xin and Lady Wei go, but Lin Ding had to give up the title he might get.
It's difficult to be granted a noble title, but it's too easy to not want one.
One mistake during the audience is enough.
"That old bastard, he really is a scoundrel!" Lin Ding was furious. He didn't care about the Duke of Ying's presence and cursed him out loud, "If only I had given him a few more punches that day, we would have seen if he would still have these evil thoughts!"
“We cannot agree to his request.” After a moment of contemplation, the Duke of England said first, “He can break his word, and once you lose your title, you will never get it back.”
Peaceful times are a desolate period for military generals, but there was no second time that Lin Ding cut off the head of a traitorous king.
Lin Ding understood this principle, but his concern clouded his judgment, and he anxiously asked, "What about Xiao Bao? It's already late January, he can't afford to delay any longer."
The imperial examination is in February, less than a month away.
He said he could wait three years, but he was unwilling to let his son suffer this injustice.
The Duke of England also felt it was a pity. According to his observation, Xiao Xin's willpower was rare; he became more courageous after setbacks. While the adults were troubled by this, he buried himself in his books and was not affected at all.
Since he didn't fail, his chances in this subject are very high. If he misses it, who knows what the next time will be like? Besides, how many three-year periods does one have in a lifetime?
The Duke of England then gathered all his family members who knew the inside story to brainstorm ideas.
Grandpa Zhang and others generally agreed that they shouldn't give up the title, as it would be too much of a loss.
Even if Lord Xiao actually keeps his promise, he will still lose out.
But he couldn't figure out how to break this deadlock for the time being.
Lin Ding hesitated even more. He was full of wisdom on the battlefield and never hesitated to kill one person with one knife. But now he was trapped and even became dejected: "Father, no wonder you said that we can't fight and kill anymore after entering the capital. It is indeed different."
It's too difficult.
He longed to take up a knife and kill Lord Xiao, but he knew perfectly well that he couldn't do it.
Xu Rong was lost in thought.
She wasn't in a hurry because she still had Xiao Shan as her trump card.
She was considering whether or not to type it out.
If you manage to hit it, it's equivalent to revealing your blade. Whether or not to reveal it at this stage is a question.
"Rong'er, you seem quite composed. Have you come up with any ideas?" Old Madam Zhang called on her by name.
Xu Rong snapped out of her reverie and smiled, "Madam, not yet."
She decided not to reveal her hand yet; since it was her trump card, it should be reserved for last. Considering this was only the second round, she had a feeling it wouldn't end so easily.
However, she had something else to say: "The Duke, the Old Madam, the General, and the Marquis all know that the conditions they proposed are difficult—or rather, impossible—to be accepted, right? So why did they still propose them? Especially at this critical juncture?"
At what critical juncture?
On the eve of Lin Ding's audience.
Whether he agrees or not, Lin Ding will definitely react in some way—he might be angry, he might be indecisive, or he might be upset.
In fact, Lin Ding now possesses both qualities.
“If the general goes to the audience with this mindset, then the Marquis has already achieved his wish by about 80%,” Xu Rong concluded.
Lin Dingsheng was born into the city and spent his life in the military. This background meant that he was unlikely to be very good at etiquette. Although he had trained with the Duke of England, it was hard to say how much he could still retain when his mind was scattered.
The Duke of England's expression turned serious.
Lin Dingze was shocked and cursed, "—That old bastard! I thought he was just bad, but I didn't expect him to be so insidious!"
"Shut up!" the Duke of England sternly rebuked him. "Isn't this exactly what he wants? What if you bring it up to the Emperor tomorrow without realizing it?"
"Don't worry, Godfather, I won't let him have his way!" Lin Ding gritted his teeth and forced out the words.
His eyes were sharp as knives, but his overall demeanor had become calm. He was originally handsome, and he looked like a famous blade, very capable of holding his own in any situation.
The British official nodded in satisfaction: "You have a fine son and daughter-in-law, and your good fortune is yet to come. Don't worry."
Praising both Xu Rong and Xiao Xin, two juniors, is a rare thing for an elder of Duke Yingguo's rank, but it also reveals that if things don't go well, one should be prepared to miss this exam.
After he finished speaking, he looked at Xiao Xin, who stood up and calmly said, "Yes, I understand."
That concludes the short meeting; everyone dispersed and went home.
On the way back, Lin Ding was less talkative. He ate a quick meal, then went into his bedroom and fell asleep.
The next day, he put on a brand-new set of official robes that the Duke of England had sent and went to the palace with the Duke of England.
Xu Rong was also going out; she needed to return to the Marquis of Ji'an's residence.
She hadn't rushed to contact the Xu family before, intending to make some progress with Lord Xiao before returning, so as not to cause Madam Xu and Xu Huazhang any worry. But judging from this trend, it might not be that easy, so she decided to inform them first, to avoid any mishaps from their side.
After informing Madam Zhang, Madam Zhang arranged a carriage for her, and the carriage arrived smoothly at the Marquis of Ji'an's residence.
The gatekeeper was surprised to see Xu Rong, then quickly bowed and asked, "You've returned from Shanxi, Great Madam?"
As he spoke, he couldn't help but peek at her from behind his eyelids, clearly doubting the facade the Xiao family was using to cover up their true intentions.
But that's alright, in the end, we still managed to fool them.
Xu Rong nodded and walked inside. The servant hurriedly ran ahead of her to report the news.
Xu Huazhang was the first to come out to greet her. He ran even faster than the servant and almost tripped: "Sister!"
Xu Rong stopped on the road and smiled at him: "I'm fine. I'm back safely."
Xu Huazhang's eyes were slightly red, and he nodded repeatedly: "I know—I knew my sister would be alright!"
After dismissing the servant, the two walked inside together.
Xu Huazhang couldn't hold back any longer and started talking non-stop: "Sister, I was so worried. How could the Xiao family be in such a mess? Brother-in-law—can I still call him brother-in-law now?"
Xu Rong nodded: "Go ahead and call it that."
"Oh," Xu Huazhang responded, then lowered his voice impatiently, "How could he not be of the Xiao family bloodline?! Also, has he returned? Why hasn't he come over? Doesn't he need to give us an explanation?"
As he spoke, he puffed out his chest angrily.
Xu Rong answered him calmly, one by one: "No, his mother was forcibly taken into the household back then. She's back now. He needs to study, and he'll be taking the exam next month."
Xu Huazhang's anger subsided slightly, turning to surprise: "He still wants to take the imperial examination? Is he even qualified?"
"I'm working hard. If I don't succeed in this subject, I'll move on to the next one."
They chatted all the way to the main courtyard, where Madam Xu came out to greet them. Naturally, she couldn't help but put on a good cry again. Only after she finished crying could they sit down and talk.
Xu Rong learned from Madam Xu that after she left, Xu Huazhang had taken charge of the Xu family. He listened to what Xu Rong had told him through Bai Fu and refrained from clashing with the Xiao family. Apart from Madam Xu crying to Old Madam Zhang, he did nothing else. Therefore, even the servants in the inner quarters of the Xu family had doubts but did not know exactly what had happened.
After listening, Xu Rong nodded approvingly: "Brother Zhang, you've grown up."
Xu Huazhang wasn't very happy and asked worriedly, "Sister, what are you going to do?"
"It's alright." Xu Rong remained calm. "Today, the General—the Second Young Master's biological father—went to the palace to report on his merits. If all goes well, we'll talk to the Marquis later."
From another perspective, it wasn't a bad thing that Lord Xiao offered such an obviously treacherous condition; it meant that he had regained his senses.
Then he would realize that killing off Wei Shi and Xiao Xin would bring him no benefit other than venting his anger.
Xu Huazhang and his wife were both bewildered: "What biological father? What meritorious service?"
They didn't even know that Xu Rong had returned to the capital, let alone that Lin Ding was involved. So it was Xu Rong's turn to tell them.
“…That’s it,” she concluded.
Xu Huazhang and his wife were together again: "..."
The amount of information was overwhelming. After a while, Madam Xu, whose mind was relatively simple, was the first to digest it. She breathed a sigh of relief and happily pressed her hand to her chest, saying, "Rong'er, I knew you had a good destiny. I went to Xishan Temple to have your fortune told. The master said that your destiny is at least that of a marquis's wife, and you will definitely be able to turn bad luck into good."
Xu Rong: "..."
Well, this really is Mrs. Xu's characteristic love for her daughter.
Xu Rong couldn't help treating her like her own mother, but treating her like an ordinary relative didn't seem impossible.
"Rong'er, when will you two reach an agreement?" Madam Xu asked her anxiously. "Once you've settled this matter, I should hurry up and take care of Zhang'er's business."
Xu Rong glanced at Xu Huazhang and raised an eyebrow: "Hmm?"
"Is it Zhang'er and the second daughter of the Luo family?" Madam Xu said happily. "That child, he used to get anxious whenever you mentioned marriage, but while you were away, he's been going to see that second daughter all the time—"
"I did it because of my sister!" Xu Huazhang interrupted her, explaining, "My sister suddenly had an accident, and I was worried, so I wanted to find someone to help."
However, there are very few families with enough influence to help with this kind of thing. Apart from the Duke of England's mansion, Xu Huazhang could only find the Luo family. Moreover, the one he could actually rely on was not the Luo family, but the crown prince behind the Luo family.
“I contacted Miss Luo, and she’s a very kind person. She’s willing to pass on a message to His Highness the Crown Prince for me, but I’m afraid that if I act rashly, I might ruin my sister’s plans,” Xu Huazhang said hesitantly. “I’ve approached her several times, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to say it.”
Xu Rong nodded.
I understand. After searching high and low, the matter wasn't resolved, but the thread of fate has been reconnected.
She didn't speak, but her teasing look still made Xu Huazhang blush: "I... I didn't mean it that way, but—who knows?"
Xu Rong was touched by his words and was momentarily lost in thought.
yes.
She never meant it that way.
But—who knows?
**
Because she had inadvertently hurt her own feelings, Xu Rong no longer wanted to tease her spoiled younger brother. Afterwards, they reminisced about other things and called Bai Fu and the other maids over. The reunion of master and servant after the chaos naturally brought tears of joy.
When Xu Rong finally took his leave, Bai Fu wanted to go with him: "Grandma has no one by her side, I'll go with her to take care of her."
Xu Rong shook his head: "No need for now. The old lady has sent people over, and I am safe at the Zhang family's house. It's not too late for you to come back after the situation has settled down."
She returned to the Duke of England's residence alone.
Upon entering, I heard some good news: In the battle of Annam, Lin Ding was awarded the title of Marquis of Yongjing for his outstanding contributions. The imperial decree has been issued, and the accompanying residence is being selected by the Ministry of Rites and will be bestowed upon him soon.
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