Madam Xiao was busy.
As the seasons changed and autumn grew cooler, the eldest son didn't sleep well at night and caught a cold. Madam Xiao was both distressed and angry, and punished the nannies and maids who were guarding him.
When Lord Xiao entered, she was still furious.
When Lord Xiao saw this, he suppressed his emotions and asked a couple of questions. He was indifferent to the child. Although the eldest son born out of wedlock was a headache, having many offspring was not a bad thing. In the end, he maintained a neutral stance and let Madam Xiao handle the matter.
“It’s impossible to keep a close eye on her,” Madam Xiao complained. “Yinniang is always thinking about going over there. How can she manage her well?”
Lord Xiao didn't get involved in this kind of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law battle. He let it go in one ear and out the other, listening to her complaints until he guessed that she was in a better mood before revealing his purpose.
Lord Xiao had shown unusual patience in order to ensure the success of this trip, but he still miscalculated.
"Whether or not to adopt a son is my father's decision, and it's also a matter for the Zhang family. Why should I interfere?" Madam Xiao initially didn't think much of it.
Left with no other choice, Lord Xiao coughed and explained his reason: "Shan'er's marriage has been unsettled for a long time. I think Lin Ding is a good match for Shan'er except for his age. After he returns to the capital with the army, I want to call him over and take a look at him in person. If there is nothing wrong with him, I will tell Shan'er about him."
Madam Xiao was taken aback.
Lord Xiao assumed she wouldn't object, so he made arrangements: "Go back to your parents' home and tell your mother-in-law to suppress the rumors about this adopted son. If they spread too much, it will be difficult to say anything once the person arrives in the capital."
The Duke of England has truly adopted Lin Ding as his godson, which means he and Xiao Shan are from different generations, so Lord Xiao is anxious.
"..." Madam Xiao sneered, "Whether you're easy to talk to or not has nothing to do with me. I thought the Marquis was in a good mood today, coming to listen to all this gossip of mine, so it turns out it's all for the sake of our precious young lady!"
"You're here again." Lord Xiao felt a headache coming on when he heard her voice. He frowned and said, "She's a young lady. Why do you always make things difficult for her? It's better to get her married off sooner rather than keep her at home and keep arguing with each other."
"Am I making things difficult for her? How could I dare to make things difficult for her!" Madam Xiao sneered repeatedly. "Ever since she was little, the Marquis has disapproved of me disciplining her. She would ask for leave every few days just to pay her respects. If I wanted to discipline her, the Marquis would stop me, saying that she was not well. Not to mention anything else, I don't even know what I have done to make things difficult for her!"
Lord Xiao was speechless; he could not deny this.
Madam Xiao's old and new grudges surged into her heart: "Counting from Lun'er, who in the family has been favored by the Marquis as much as she has? Now that I am old, if the Marquis wants to pamper her, he can do so. I can't stop him and I don't want to stop him anymore. But the Marquis not only tramples on my face, but also wants to drag my family into supporting her. I'm telling the Marquis, don't even think about it!"
"You, you really are—" Lord Xiao was embarrassed and a little angry. "What are you saying? What's with all this talk about carrying a sedan chair? My father-in-law doesn't need any more sons. My eldest and second brothers-in-law are both promising and have a bright future. There's no need for him to take in this adopted son."
"So the Marquis is definitely missing this son-in-law?" Madam Xiao retorted. "Hasn't the Marquis always thought that the eldest daughter is good? She's no less than the princess. Let her choose whomever she wants. Since that's the case, it's very easy for her to find a good son-in-law. There's no need to set your sights on my family."
Lord Xiao hesitated, his expression turning strange. He was no longer angry, but rather somewhat solemn. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something to Madam Xiao, but seeing Madam Xiao's furious state, where reason was completely overwhelmed by anger, he finally turned and left.
...
The negotiations between Lord Xiao and Lady Xiao failed, but word of the matter spread.
Xiao Shan found out, but she wasn't too happy: "You're over thirty? That's so old!"
“What does it matter if a man is old or not?” Aunt Ruan was more satisfied with this choice. “Ability is the best thing. If he really becomes a marquis, you will be a marquis’s wife after you marry into the family. That’s more in line with your status. It’s clear that the marquis has put his heart into this.”
"Besides," Aunt Ruan said earnestly, "Shan'er, you are indeed not young anymore. It's just that the Marquis and his wife have been fighting for years, which has delayed you until now. Alas."
Xiao Shan didn't like hearing this, but she knew in her heart that Aunt Ruan was right. She was in a daze for a while and began to accept it, but she couldn't shake off her girlish mentality and muttered, "I wonder what he looks like. If he's old and ugly, then... then how will I live my life?"
Aunt Ruan was also concerned about this matter—she mainly wanted to know as much information as possible about Lin Ding, so she went to ask Lord Xiao for help.
With the Zhang family's connections, this wasn't difficult. The Zhang family was also very concerned about this new member and was inquiring about the rumors circulating about him.
So Aunt Ruan and Xiao Shan soon learned that this Lin Ding was not only good at fighting, but also surprisingly handsome, the kind of person who could dress up as a woman and seduce a rebellious king.
Because it was related to battle reports, this information also appeared in publicly available memorials, making it absolutely reliable.
Xiao Shan blushed shyly, and Aunt Ruan continued to instill in her, "It's good to be older, they'll be more caring..."
Finally, she had no more complaints.
However, the people cannot return immediately. It is not so easy for the army to set off. Although the imperial decree has been approved, it will take at least one or two months. In addition, there is a long journey. It would be considered a success if they can return by the New Year.
...
Xu Rong was aware of these elaborate schemes and plans, but didn't pay much attention to them.
She doesn't have time.
On the last day of August, August 31st, the results were announced.
First place: Xiao Xin, 20 years old, a student of the Wanping County School.
The last part means that after passing the county-level examination, students will enter the county school to study. Xiao Xin actually didn't go for more than a few days. He had Mr. Su's one-on-one tutoring, which was much better than going to the county school and squeezing in with dozens of classmates. He wasn't the only one who went less often; some people simply traveled and studied elsewhere. As long as the gifts were generous, the county school's instructor would turn a blind eye.
Squeezed in the crowd, looking at the list, Xu Rong mechanically analyzed it in her mind. She felt that she was quite organized, but in fact, she was mostly in a daze. Even after getting into the car to go home, she was still a little dazed, as if she had drunk too much and could not find any sense of reality.
"Knock knock knock!"
"Good news! Your son, Xiao Huixin, has achieved the top rank in the provincial examination of Zhili Province during the Dingwu year!"
"Bang bang bang!"
The carriage was forced to stop in front of the Changxing Marquis's residence because the people bringing good news had blocked the main gate and the side gate. Judging from their attire and equipment, there were more than one group of people, at least three or four groups. In the short time the carriage was waiting, another group arrived from behind.
This group arrived a little late, but they had sharp eyesight—or perhaps they had been following the carriage all along the way, and upon realizing that they were on the same path, they knew they had found the main attraction, and they gathered around the carriage, loudly announcing the good news.
Well, not only could Xu Rong and Xiao Xin not enter the mansion, they couldn't even get off their carriage.
The head steward, who was still on the steps directing the servants to distribute lucky money, noticed the commotion outside and rushed over to scold, "Make way! Make way! The second young master is back! Let the second young master into the mansion!"
"Go there to collect your lucky money, don't block the Second Young Master's way!"
After some effort, the group was finally lured away, allowing the carriage to proceed through the side gate. The head steward, still worried, personally led the way until the carriage stopped. Xiao Xin helped Xu Rong down from the carriage, and only then did the head steward greet him with a smile: "Second Young Master, you've worked hard. Please go back and rest. You don't need to worry about these trivial matters outside."
He walked a little further with her: "Second Young Master, you don't have many capable servants around, do you? I have a young son at home. He's not very capable, but he's honest and obedient. If you don't mind, when you're free, I'll have him come and kowtow to you..."
Having said that, Fang hurriedly turned back to continue dealing with the mess outside.
Xu Rong and Xiao Xin walked for a while longer, and could still hear the noise of gongs and drums outside.
It was so noisy it gave her a headache.
However, she finally internalized the fact that Xiao Xinzhong had become the top scholar.
"Second Young Master, you—" She wanted to laugh, wanted to speak, but felt that nothing she said would be enough to express her feelings at this moment.
It wasn't just happiness; there were also some unspeakable emotions.
She once read a quote that said most people don't work hard enough to compete on talent, but now she knows that's not necessarily true.
Talent, if it exists, will appear from the beginning. It can be wasted or ignored, just like Xiao Xin in the past. If he hadn't picked up his books again, no one would have known that he had the potential to become a top scholar.
But it probably can't be earned through hard work. So-called talent is something given by heaven; what can be earned is sweat, diligence, and experience.
Like Xiao Xin and his classmates who truly studied diligently for ten years.
Don't believe me? Don't accept it? It's no use.
The facts are clear: once he gets going, he'll crush everything in his path.
If she were Xiao Xin's classmate, she might feel like vomiting blood.
But she isn't, thankfully she isn't, so—
"Ha ha."
Xu Rongle spoke up.
"Second Young Master, are you unhappy?" Xu Rong chuckled for a while, then turned his head and asked Xiao Xin.
It was only then that she realized Xiao Xin was unusually quiet. She recalled how, when they were looking at the list, there were all sorts of strange and bizarre reactions—laughing, crying, shouting, and making a ruckus.
The two of them went and returned quietly, so much so that many people around them, who were asking whether the top scholar of this year's imperial examination was at the scene to check the results, were unaware that they had just passed by them.
"I'm happy," Xiao Xin replied matter-of-factly.
Xu Rong: "..."
This doesn't seem like it.
She glanced at Xiao Xin again silently, confirming his expression, which was nothing but serious.
He didn't seem like a newly minted top scholar whose name was already written at the top of the list; rather, he seemed like a failed candidate who had just entered the examination hall and found that most of his books were still brand new.
"...Second Young Master, if you go out like this and your fellow test-takers see you, you might get beaten up." Xu Rong wondered, but couldn't help joking.
Xiao Xin turned his head.
He turned his head suddenly, but firmly, as if he had thought about it for a long time and finally made up his mind: "I have something to tell you."
"What--?"
Xu Rong stopped mid-sentence.
She froze.
Because she probably, maybe, or likely knows what he's going to say.
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