Xiao Xin brought Xiao Shan and the middle-aged man who claimed to be his "uncle" back to the mansion, and only then did everyone realize what had happened.
This matter is a mixture of coincidence and inevitability.
A middle-aged man came to the door looking for his relatives. He started by saying that his sister was married in the mansion and claimed to be his maternal uncle. However, he was dressed in plain clothes. In the mansion, whether it was Xiao Lun, Xiao Xin, or Xiao Shan, the maternal uncles according to etiquette were the three masters of the Zhang family. None of them looked like him. The servants took him for a fraud. After hearing him just the beginning, they laughed contemptuously and chased him away.
At this moment, Xiao Shan and her maid slipped out through the side gate. Xiao Shan took Xiao Houye's belongings and said that she was leaving on Xiao Houye's orders. The gatekeeper hesitated and did not dare to stop her. The middle-aged man saw that she seemed to have some status and wanted to find a way to enter the mansion through her, so he secretly followed her.
Xiao Shan was truly going to the Marquis of Ji'an's residence. She might not have had any lingering feelings for Xu Huazhang, but he was the only suitable candidate she could see. When forced into a corner by reality, even if she knew it was a dead end, she would still go and bang her head against it until she broke her head before giving up.
But when the time came, the disadvantage of her infrequent outings became apparent. She had never been to the Marquis of Ji'an's residence before, but knew it wasn't far away, so she headed there without hesitation. However, she went the wrong way and wandered further and further astray. By the time she realized something was wrong, she couldn't even find her way back to the residence.
Xiao Shan panicked a little, so she asked her maid to ask for directions. Little did she know how much attention such a delicate and timid girl like her would attract. The old woman who gave her directions was a kind person, but the two boys who overheard her had bad intentions and followed her. When they reached a less populated area, they jumped out.
The middle-aged man initially didn't know what she was doing wandering around. It wasn't until she asked for directions that he realized she had gone the wrong way. He hadn't accomplished anything in half a day, and he was quite tired and felt rather unlucky. He had no choice but to follow her back. Unexpectedly, this gave him a chance to show off, so he stepped forward. The two young men weren't very brave. When they saw a man stepping forward, they said a few harsh words and ran away.
The middle-aged man naturally escorted them. Xiao Shan was frightened and just wanted to get home as soon as possible. She had no intention of looking for Xu Huazhang anymore. So, on the way back, she finally met up with Xiao Xin.
...
Xiao Shan was taken away by Lord Xiao and given a lesson, leaving Xiao Xin with a question.
When Madam Wei arrived after hearing the news, she was shocked and then confirmed that the middle-aged man, who was thin and somewhat frail and bore almost no resemblance to her, was indeed her younger brother, Xiao Xin's blood uncle.
“Father and Mother are gone, and my shameless wife ran off with someone else. There isn’t a single grain of rice left in the rice jar. I have no choice but to come and seek refuge with you, elder sister!” Wei Daxiong, the younger brother of Wei, cried with snot and tears streaming down his face.
Madam Wei remained largely unmoved, her reaction appearing somewhat slow: "—How could that be? Didn't you take a large sum of money with you when you returned to your hometown?"
“My father fell ill first, and then my mother also fell ill. In order to treat my father and mother, not only was all the money spent, but we also incurred a debt.” Wei Daxiong complained, “The debt collectors come to the door every day. That wretched woman can’t stand poverty. When I wasn’t paying attention, she ran away with a grain merchant who came from the county to buy grain.”
He kept calling his wife a "slut" and a "harlot," cursing her for cheating on him a hundred times over.
Xu Rong listened quietly.
Mrs. Wei didn't say much. She hadn't seen her younger brother for twenty years, and her eyes were filled with unfamiliarity when she looked at him. Only when he mentioned that their parents had passed away did her eyes well up with tears.
To be honest, her reaction was much calmer than Xu Rong had expected.
"Don't ever say you're Erlang's uncle again." After Wei Daxiong finished his long rant, Wei's expression calmed down a bit: "When you sold me, I was just someone else's slave. What family would treat a slave's relative as a relative?"
Wei Daxiong was a little anxious: "Elder sister, why do you say that? You are a concubine, the official documents have already been issued, and you have given birth to a son for his family. I heard from the young lady on the way that Erlang is quite promising now, he has already passed the county-level examination, and if he passes the provincial-level examination, people will call him 'Master' when he goes out—"
“That has nothing to do with you,” said Madam Wei. “If you don’t believe me, go and call the Marquis and Madam ‘uncle,’ and see if they kick you out.”
Wei Daxiong sullenly fell silent for a moment, but then couldn't help but say, "Big sister, how come you've become so complacent and hardened your heart? I'm your only brother, and you used to love me so much."
Madam Wei said softly, "Yes, your parents loved you too. They sold me to earn a living for you."
"...Big sister, what's with this 'selling' nonsense? It sounds awful. Look at what you're wearing and what you're carrying, isn't everything better than what others have? Your parents sent you here to live this good life for your own good." As Wei Daxiong spoke, he became even more self-righteous. "If you had married that cursed loner next door, you might not even have rice to cook right now. Besides, he's so unlucky; his whole family died young, and he might have cursed you to death too—"
"You!" Madam Wei's face changed. This was the most intense emotional fluctuation she had experienced since meeting Wei Daxiong. But she was gentle by nature and couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh. She could only stop him, saying, "You're not allowed to say anything more."
"Okay, okay, let's not talk about it then." Wei Daxiong was obedient and seemed to regret his words. He slapped himself and hurriedly said, "Big sister, let bygones be bygones. You're my only family now, so please help me out!"
After all, he was her own younger brother, so Madam Wei couldn't possibly send him away as soon as they met. She gave him several serious instructions, telling him not to talk or move around recklessly. Only after he agreed to everything did she let Xiao Xin settle him in.
In such a large mansion, relatives and friends would come to seek refuge all year round. There was a separate area in the outer courtyard set aside as a guest room, so Xiao Xin led him there. He had to inform Lord Xiao first, but Lord Xiao was taking this son seriously and wouldn't refuse him this small favor, so he readily agreed.
Wei Daxiong, oblivious to his place, still tried to peek in and speak to Lord Xiao himself. But Lord Xiao was too busy to pay him any attention. Wei Daxiong had no choice but to give up. On the way to the guest room, he was still persistent and kept nagging Xiao Xin to talk, mainly to complain and ask for money. This annoyed Xiao Xin so much that he looked quite unhappy when he returned to the courtyard.
"Second Young Master has been running around all day, let him rest for a while." Xu Rong poured him tea and offered a few words of comfort, "Did he say something unpleasant? Don't take it to heart. Even someone as good-natured as Auntie doesn't really want to talk to him."
How much affection can remain for a younger brother I haven't seen for twenty years?
Moreover, she had always felt that Lady Wei was not so willing to become a concubine in the Marquis's mansion, and now, from Wei Daxiong's words, she knew that not only that, but she may have also experienced a separation from her beloved.
"Second Young Master," she thought for a moment, then subtly reminded him, "Don't let him talk about those things from the past. If they get out, it might not be good for your concubine."
Xiao Xin drank the tea, his expression softened a little, and he nodded: "I'll go tell my aunt that in a few days, I'll give him some silver and send him away."
Lady Wei had already returned home. After resting for a while, Xiao Xin went to Li's residence. Lady Wei was easy to persuade and agreed immediately: "Second Brother, you can make the decision. That's what I meant too. Actually, they took a large sum of money from the Marquis's mansion back then. If they had managed it honestly, they wouldn't have spent it all—"
Mrs. Wei stopped there, after all, they were her deceased parents, and no matter how much sadness she had felt in the past, she couldn't complain anymore.
Regardless, with Mr. Wei's attitude, the matter is considered settled.
Meanwhile, on Xiao Shan's side, her commotion wasn't in vain. In his fury, Marquis Xiao confined her to her quarters, but after two days, perhaps fearing for her safety, he relented and stopped forcing her to choose between the two candidates. Instead, he came up with a new plan.
Potential talents exist not only in civil service but also in military affairs.
A scholar who passed the imperial examinations is not considered an official, but a military officer is always considered an official. It sounds better than the former, and it would be easier for Lord Xiao to promote him.
Of course, the son of a sub-prefect, as Xiao Qi described, is not an option. Xiao Shan is very picky, and if she ends up marrying into the same family as Xiao Qi, how could she be content? Unless the husband is young and promising and has already reached the position of sub-prefect, it would be more likely.
Perhaps Xiao Shan's bad luck in marriage had finally come to an end, because just as Lord Xiao had this idea, a suitable candidate happened to appear.
Not quite suitable, he's a bit too old, thirty-six, but has never married. It's said that he comes from a military family and joined the army when he was sixteen. At first, he had bad luck and spent more than ten years working hard on the frontier, farming. He couldn't earn any military merits and was dirt poor, so he couldn't find a woman to marry.
When the Annam rebellion broke out, the Duke of England mobilized troops from various places. This man was among those mobilized, but he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, achieving victories in every battle. His merits accumulated, and he quickly caught the Duke of England's eye. The Duke of England valued talent and was determined to promote him. He did not disappoint the Duke of England's expectations. Whenever he led troops, he could avoid traps that others could not avoid, and he could behead rebels that others could not defeat. The Duke of England valued him even more, not only recording all his military achievements but also keeping him by his side and treating him as a half-military advisor.
This man could barely read a few characters and had never read a single book on military strategy, yet he was a natural-born military strategist. He offered two strategies to the Duke of England, and the Duke won two great victories.
It was during those two previous victories, each of which included his name. During the last victory, he had already been promoted to the fifth rank.
Now, with the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms filling the air, the Duke of England's third report of victory has arrived in the capital. This time, it is not only a great victory but a complete triumph: the strongest of the Annamese rebel forces, the self-proclaimed king, has been beheaded, and most of the rebel army has been annihilated. The danger that has plagued Annamese for many years and threatened to devastate the southern border has finally been eliminated. This battle will at least ensure peace in the region for twenty years.
The person listed first in the list of meritorious service is Lin Ding.
He personally beheaded the rebel king, and as a reward for his service, he deserved a title of earl or marquis.
The Duke of England greatly admired this protégé he had cultivated and promoted. In a letter to his family that arrived in Beijing around the same time as the memorial, he revealed his intention to adopt him as his godson. He said that after the situation in Annam was settled, if the Emperor granted his permission, he would hold a banquet in Beijing to announce the return of the troops. He was telling Madam Zhang in advance so that she could be prepared and make some arrangements.
Lord Xiao was just finishing reviewing Lin Ding's resume when he heard the news and was stunned: This won't do!
He hurried off to find Madam Xiao.
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