When Xu Zhi returned to the mansion, she was quietly invited to her courtyard by someone arranged by the old lady of the Zheng family.
After Xu Zhi entered the room, she saw the old lady of the Zheng family sitting on the large kang (a heated brick bed) by the window, with several items on the kang table in front of her.
Xu Zhi quickly curtsied and said, "Greetings, Great-Grandmother."
Old Madam Zheng quickly asked Xu Zhi to sit opposite her. Only then did Xu Zhi notice that on the kang table were half a ruyi knot and a jade pendant that looked quite old, though neither of them were of very high quality.
The old lady of the Zheng family said, "Yuan-ge's daughter-in-law, you will be setting off for Yuezhou early tomorrow morning. Your great-aunt has a few things to tell you."
Upon hearing that she was to be given instructions, Xu Zhi quickly straightened her back. That morning at home, her grandfather had called her to the study in the front yard, and his opening remarks were also these same words.
Seeing Xu Zhi's appearance, the old lady of the Zheng family couldn't help but smile and said, "Take these things with you to Yuezhou and give them to Yuan Ge'er. These are the descendants of the group of people who followed his grandfather back then in our Pingxi Marquis's mansion."
Xu Zhi only understood the meaning of Old Madam Zheng's words after digesting them properly. That morning, her grandfather had just told her that Zheng Rong, the second son of the Zheng family, had once led a group of men to the battlefield. After Zheng Rong died on the battlefield, the group of men disappeared without a trace. Who knew that they would be in the hands of an old lady.
Xu Zhi's eyes widened in surprise. The old lady of the Zheng family said, "There are some things here that cannot be explained in a few words. Take these two items and this letter with you. When you get to Yuezhou, give them to Yuan Ge'er. He will naturally understand."
Xu Zhi nodded, and the old lady continued, "One group of people has already gone to Yuezhou, and another group will set off with you and Yuan'er early tomorrow morning. There is also an old steward, a servant, who used to go to his hometown in Jizhou to handle matters. He will go with you tomorrow. After you pay your respects at the ancestral hall there and have your name written into the family genealogy, head straight to Yuezhou. Don't linger there."
Xu Zhi quickly agreed. The old lady took out a small box from her side. Seeing the small box, Xu Zhi felt quite complicated. She felt that all the elders in the family had the same thoughts. When the children went out, they were always worried that the children would not have enough money.
The old lady of the Zheng family said, "Take this money with you. It wasn't easy for you and Yuan-ge'er to go all the way to Yuezhou. Use this money for your settlement expenses."
Xu Zhi quickly declined, saying, "Grandma, really, there's no need. We have money."
The old lady of the Zheng family said, "Your great-aunt is getting old and will be staying in this courtyard from now on. This money is of no use to you. You should keep it with you. You and Yuan-ge'er will have to take care of Yuan-jie'er. Yuan-ge'er's wife, Yuan-jie'er will have to rely on you, her sister-in-law, to take care of her in the future."
Xu Zhi said, "Great-aunt, elder sister-in-law, wet nurse, it is only right that I take care of Yuan-jie."
The old lady of the Zheng family gently pushed the box in front of Xu Zhi and said, "Take it. Consider it my last memento for these two children as their grandmother."
Xu Zhi glanced at the small box, then looked at Old Madam Zheng with a worried expression. Old Madam Zheng looked into Xu Zhi's bright eyes and her heart softened. She sighed and said, "Yuan-ge's daughter-in-law, our Pingxi Marquis's Mansion is different from other families. Although it is a marquis's mansion, and we have the imperial edict and certificate bestowed by the late emperor, the title and the imperial edict and certificate were not awarded to the same person. Do you know why?"
Xu Zhi shook her head. This was a secret of the Pingxi Marquis's mansion. Xu Zhi knew that the iron certificate of the Yongning Marquis's mansion was enshrined in the family ancestral hall in the backyard of the house. During festivals, the Marquis would personally go to the family ancestral hall to make offerings.
The old lady said, "Although our Pingxi Marquis's Mansion was granted the title of nobility along with the four dukes and eight marquises in the capital, the imperial edict was taken back by the emperor at the time because our ancestor chose the wrong side."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi straightened her back even more. Seeing Xu Zhi's solemn expression, Old Madam Zheng smiled and said, "These are all things that the old Marquis Pingxi wanted to entrust to the next generation before his death. It's just a pity that your great-uncle passed away suddenly back then, and he didn't have time to tell your uncle about these things. Later, because I was disheartened, I stayed in the Buddhist hall and didn't think about these past events much."
With a distant look in her eyes, the old lady of the Zheng family said, "The reason we were able to retain our title was because we received an imperial pardon from the founding emperor. Our Pingxi Marquis lineage rose to power on the battlefield and had helped the founding emperor escape danger many times. The founding emperor was a kind man, so he gave the Pingxi Marquis family a pardon. However, due to the improper handling by our ancestors, the imperial pardon and the pardon were taken back by the court. It took two more generations for the Marquis family to regain the ability to fight on the battlefield."
Xu Zhi had naturally heard that the second son of the Zheng family, who was both a scholar and a warrior, had saved the late emperor's life on the battlefield. However, she did not know that the late emperor had actually given the imperial edict to the Marquis of Pingxi's mansion.
The old lady of the Zheng family said, "Your eldest uncle is not an ambitious man. The future of the Marquis of Pingxi still rests on Yuan-ge's shoulders."
The old lady of the Marquis of Pingxi sighed and said, "Your great-aunt is entrusting these matters to you today in the hope that you will explain things clearly to Yuan-ge after you go to Yuezhou. There are also several land deeds for shops and estates here, which were used by our Marquis of Pingxi to settle those people who returned after following your grandfather to the battlefield. Originally, your great-uncle wanted to use these things as capital for our Marquis of Pingxi's mansion, so that the sons of the mansion could make meritorious contributions on the battlefield again."
For some reason, Madam Zheng's face turned pale. Xu Zhi quickly poured her a cup of hot tea. Madam Zheng held the cup in both hands and said, "Your uncle was raised by his grandmother since childhood. In the end, only this bloodline of the Marquis of Pingxi was left. The old Marquis of Pingxi suffered a relapse of his old wounds on the battlefield and passed away on the way back to the capital before he could finish many things. Yuan-ge's daughter-in-law, I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but after your uncle married Xiao Chen, he entrusted this Marquis's mansion to Xiao Chen. I dare not entrust the things that your great-uncle entrusted to me before he passed away to the two of them."
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