The Marquis held his wine cup, pondered deeply for a long time, and then said to Xu Di, "You eat here, I'll go and see your great-grandmother in her courtyard."
Watching the Marquis's hurried figure, Xu Di finally breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Di could actually understand the Marquis's feelings. The heir only held the title of the eldest son because of his status as the legitimate heir. In fact, the heir's talent was not that great, otherwise he would not have stopped at the title of a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination). It was said that the title of Juren was actually obtained by the Wu family's former Tanhua (third-place scholar) who dragged the heir to get it.
Many sons of noble families in the capital did not pursue the imperial examination path. Some would rely on their family connections to seek a reward from the emperor, slowly working their way up in military camps for several years before finally earning a rank. Very few actually took the imperial examination. The heir apparent had this idea in mind back then, which is why he did not study seriously. However, the third-ranking scholar from the Wu family understood his nephew's shortcomings very well. Even if the Marquis passed the title to him, he could at most only maintain it. The third-ranking scholar from the Wu family originally hoped that the heir apparent could carve out a path for himself through the imperial examination under his tutelage. Even if he did not become an official in the future, his reputation would still be good. Unfortunately, the heir apparent was not cut out for it. Heartbroken, the third-ranking scholar from the Wu family went to Jiangnan and opened an academy.
The Crown Prince is a kind-hearted person with no outstanding abilities, but he can consider other people's feelings when he does things. However, he is not very decisive and is easily swayed by others. This is what Xu Di fears most. If someone gets a clue from the Crown Prince and does something irreversible, the Marquis's Mansion will be embarrassed, and it may even drag the entire Marquis's Mansion into an abyss of no return.
Xu Di breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the Marquis had taken his ideas seriously. After working all afternoon, he finally felt hungry and quickly picked up his chopsticks to taste each dish. He had to admit that the cook in the Marquis's small kitchen was very skilled; the dishes were delicious and visually appealing. Xu Di ate until he was full and then went to his mother's courtyard in the inner quarters.
When the Marquis arrived at the Old Madam's place, the Old Madam had just served the meal. The Old Madam knew that the Marquis had been busy receiving managers from all over the country these past few days, and he was very busy and tired. Seeing that he was not in a good mood when he came over at this time, she asked Granny Shen to go to the kitchen and instruct her to make a stomach-soothing soup, and also to give the Marquis a bowl of rice and a bowl of porridge.
The rice was steamed with rouge rice, which smelled delicious. The porridge was made with rouge rice, and the resulting rice soup was thick and sticky. Even the Marquis, who had no appetite, found the aroma appetizing and managed to eat a bowl of rice with a few side dishes.
After the meal, Granny Shen and her servants cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, and then served a soup made from several kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs specially prepared by Zhang Zhaoci. The old lady said, "This is a health-preserving soup that Zhaoci prepared for me. You should also have a bowl. I don't drink tea at night, because it makes it hard to fall asleep."
After taking a couple of sips of soup, the Marquis put down the bowl and said, “Mother, the Heir Apparent has been frequently interacting with the First Prince’s people lately. I think we should talk to him about what’s been happening in the manor so he can be prepared.”
Upon hearing the Marquis's words, the old lady asked in surprise, "Why did you suddenly think of this? Has something happened?"
The Marquis relayed the main points of his conversation with Xu Di, and then said, "Mother, the Crown Prince is my child, and I know his temperament very well. This child is kind and honest. I explained things to him clearly, letting him know the seriousness of the matter, so that he will have a better understanding of what kind of people he should associate with in the future."
The old lady sighed and said, "My lord, these are all our children. Everything we have done is for them to have a stable and peaceful life. This manor will eventually be handed over to the heir. Since you have made your decision, then you should have a good talk with the heir and make him understand the seriousness of the matter. At best, the glory of our manor will come to an end; at worst, our family will be destroyed."
The Marquis nodded, and the old lady said, "Also, investigate the servants around the young master thoroughly, including those who have been born into the household for generations. Some people have become too arrogant."
Upon hearing the old lady's words, the Marquis was startled and straightened his back immediately, asking, "Mother, have you discovered something here?"
The old lady said, "One of the young master's servants, his whole family originally came from the estate. This family had been in the Marquis's mansion for generations. Because this child was clever and quick-witted, they used the connections of several people in the mansion who had known each other for many years to send the child to the mansion. I heard that a few days ago, this servant's whole family redeemed themselves and returned to their hometown. I have checked, and the servant's ancestors' hometown is the same place as our Marquis's ancestors. For generations, they were servants in our ancestors' family. Later, our ancestors became wealthy and came to the capital with them. However, they made a mistake, and that's why the whole family was driven to the estate."
The Marquis listened with a serious expression and said, "Mother, this matter is not so easy. Please allow me to investigate it thoroughly."
The old lady said, "You've worked so hard; the whole family is on your shoulders."
Upon hearing the old lady's words, the Marquis's eyes immediately reddened. Seeing the Marquis's appearance, the old lady pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and said, "I know the burden on your shoulders is heavy, and I know you carry a lot on your back. But you are the support of this whole family, and everyone depends on you to lead them through life. I know you are tired. If you really can't hold on any longer, come and find me, and I will help you carry the burden."
The Marquis wiped his eyes with a handkerchief and said with a smile, "Mother, no matter how bad your son is, he is still a man who has been on the battlefield. Why should I care about these things? I can handle it."
The old lady said, "You're over fifty years old, and you still have to carry this burden every day. It breaks my heart to see you like this. I still have some capable people under me. If you need more help, just tell me."
The people under the old lady's command were all from the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion. The Marquis of Yongyi's mansion had a team that had been passed down through generations. Their kung fu skills were passed down from grandfather to father, and from father to son, and so on. On ordinary days, everyone did what they were supposed to do, but when something happened, they could simply gather their team and do something.
The Marquis had only heard of this team and had never seen it before. The token for mobilizing the personnel was in the hands of the old lady, but she had never used it all these years.
The old lady said, "The sooner the better. Quickly send someone to bring the young master back and investigate the people who serve him. The young master has been staying at home for the past few days. I'll talk to him about these things, so you don't need to worry about it."
The Marquis was most pleased that the old lady could step in. All the children in the manor, whether it was the heir's generation or Xu Di's generation, liked this old lady, and they listened to what she said.
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