The eldest grandson of the Marquis's family is getting married, which is a joyous occasion. The family has already sent wedding invitations to relatives far away.
The Xu family's ancestor followed the founding emperor in his uprising, traveling all over the country. Later, several of his descendants settled down in the capital. In fact, the Xu family's ancestral home was in Jiangnan, a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, thousands of miles away.
When the Xu family ancestors prospered, they naturally wanted to give back to their hometown. They helped build the ancestral hall and acquired some land. The annual produce was used for various clan activities. When Di Ge'er got married, they naturally sent a letter to the villagers in their hometown. Three days before the wedding, the steward, who had already received the letter, led people to the post station in the suburbs of the capital to pick up the relatives from their hometown who came to attend the wedding.
Because a marquis was born into the Xu family, they funded the establishment of a school for the clan in their hometown. The children of the clan could study and learn to read for free. Those with high talent who wanted to continue their studies would also receive financial support from the clan if they took the imperial examinations. Over the years, the clan has indeed produced several successful candidates in the provincial examinations. As for the highest degree in the imperial examinations, so far, only Xu Xuyao has achieved this.
When relatives arrived, they naturally came over to kowtow to the old lady first. The old lady received them in the main hall of her courtyard. Not only was she there, but all the female relatives of the family, from Wu Shi to Xu Zhi, were also present.
The woman who brought the women of the clan was the clan chief's wife, a talkative woman in her fifties. Despite seeing the splendor of the mansion, her eyes remained clear and honest. The other women following behind her were different; they kept praising the place as they walked. The clan chief's wife turned around and whispered a few times to scold them.
Upon seeing the old lady, the clan chief's wife knelt down and said, "I kowtow to my aunt. My aunt is still so healthy and strong."
The old lady quickly had someone help her up, and said with a smile, "I'm getting old, and I'm not as good as I used to be. Please sit down. Is everything alright at home?"
The clan chief's wife sat on a stool next to the old lady on the kang bed, and said with a smile, "Everything is well at home. Congratulations to the old lady. Our Di'er passed the imperial examination a few years ago and is getting married. In two more years, he will also pass the imperial examination like the Third Master and become an official."
The old lady had stayed in her hometown for a period of time. During that time, the late emperor was old and frail, and the several adult princes were fighting tooth and nail for power. After the old lady's father-in-law passed away, the old lady discussed it with the old marquis and decided to close the mansion, arrange for guards to watch over the house, and the couple took all the family members back to their hometown.
My hometown is a small mountain village. Everyone in the village is surnamed Xu. Although a marquis came from our clan, because it is far away, although some villagers do business or study in the county town, no one has ever bullied others. This is also related to the old lady.
The old lady's father-in-law was a muddle-headed man. He had turned the Yongning Marquis's mansion into a mess, and some good-for-nothings had also emerged from his hometown. After the old lady returned to her hometown, she found that the family's atmosphere was not good. She and the old Marquis worked hard to rectify the situation. Decades later, the family's atmosphere had finally improved a lot.
When the old lady returned to her hometown, the current clan leader was not yet the clan leader, but he was already married. The current clan leader's wife had naturally met the old lady. Seeing that the old lady was in a good mood, she picked out some people or things that the old lady remembered and talked about, which made the old lady laugh heartily.
Xu Zhi and her sisters sat behind Zhang Zhaoci and the others, watching the clan chief's wife and her entourage with curiosity.
Xu Zhi had been in contact with the women of Hexi since she was very young, so she naturally didn't think much of them. However, the other young ladies in the manor had lived in the Marquis's manor since they were young, and the furthest they went was to the estate in the suburbs of the capital. Even when they went to the estate, they only stayed in the courtyard, so they naturally had no close contact with such people.
Xu Tong stood next to Xu Zhi and whispered to Xu Zhi, "Look at that lady, her clothes don't fit her well."
Xu Zhi knew that her hometown was thousands of miles away from the capital, and it was not easy to have such an opportunity to go out. Xu Zhi did not respond, but stopped Xu Tong from continuing with her eyes. When Xu Tong was about to speak again, Yao Shi turned around and glared at her, and she finally quieted down, lowered her head, and did not say anything more.
These family members were arranged to stay in the guest courtyard in the front yard, where they were served by maids and servants. The old lady introduced her family members to Lu, the wife of the clan leader. Ning held Lu's hand and called her "Auntie" very affectionately. She and Wu were of the same generation, but Wu was rather aloof. Lu was also good at judging people. After exchanging greetings with Wu and her sister-in-law, Ning intentionally made friends with them and they had a very pleasant conversation.
The woman surnamed Lu brought her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. The clan chief's family was actually quite well-off. One of their sons had become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination). However, because he failed the Jinshi (the highest level of the imperial examination) twice, he had already secured a position as a county magistrate in a small county in the south with the help of the Marquis's mansion. He was diligent, knew what was good for him, and most importantly, he had the powerful backing of the Marquis of Yongning's mansion. His superiors treated him quite well.
The granddaughter brought along this time was the daughter of this scholar's family. The fifteen-year-old girl was as beautiful as a flower. She stood gracefully behind her grandmother, her head bowed and her eyes darting around, but her big, bright eyes were curiously taking in everything she could see in the room.
Xu Zhi and Xu Tong were looking at this girl. When Madam Lu introduced her earlier, she said that this was her granddaughter, named Xu Li, the eldest daughter of her son Xu Fang. She was already engaged, and Madam Lu wanted to broaden the child's horizons by bringing her out.
The others were clearly dressed as women. One was Lu's youngest daughter-in-law, and the other two were the wives of several clan elders from the village. The old lady smiled at them and said, "The children would never hear such things if we talk about them here. Xiang'er's family, let the children go out and play. We can talk here."
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