The old lady said, "All land under heaven belongs to the emperor. This world belongs to His Majesty. Whoever His Majesty says is good, is good. Since His Majesty has bestowed a reward upon our family, it means that our family is good in His Majesty's eyes. I told you to keep a low profile and be careful with your words and actions so that you can safeguard the glory that His Majesty has bestowed upon our Marquis's mansion this time."
Seeing that the Marquis was listening attentively, the old lady continued, "At the beginning of the dynasty, there were so many noble families. How many are still around now? Of those remaining, how many are successful? Only by winning the Emperor's favor can our great family survive for a long time. How can we win the Emperor's favor? I think our Ninth Girl did a great job this time."
Lord Yongning said, "I never expected that sending some silk to Rao'er's family would bring such great benefits. There are only a few days left until the New Year, and it's too late to send more things over now. I will definitely send them some more things after the New Year."
The old lady nodded and said, "They are all children of the Marquis's family. Rao'er is suffering these hardships outside for the sake of our Marquis's family. The end of the year is approaching, so everyone in the manor must be well-disciplined. They cannot become arrogant just because we have received some benefits. Those who need to be disciplined should be disciplined, and those who need to be disciplined should be disciplined. Also, the masters of the manor must not be arrogant, whether they are drinking or doing anything else outside."
The Marquis nodded repeatedly, saying, "Mother's thinking is indeed thorough. I will make the arrangements right away."
News of what happened in the capital reached Hexi in no time.
Xu Di looked at the letter and other items Wei Lang had sent over and said in surprise, "Xiao Jiu sent these things to Wei Lang, and the Marquis's mansion received such a huge benefit?"
Xu Rao smiled and said, "What do you think? No matter what, we are all from the Marquis's mansion. We share the same fate. Our Emperor has long been thinking about giving us some benefits. Isn't this perfect?"
Xu Di said unhappily, "The benefits have been given to the Marquis's mansion, what does it have to do with us?"
Xu Rao said, "We should take a long-term view. We shouldn't worry about these things. There are many more things in the future that deserve greater recognition for us. Do you understand the principle that when the big river is full, the tributaries will be full? If the Marquis's mansion prospers, we will naturally prosper. If the Marquis's mansion fails, no matter how capable we two are, how far can we go?"
Xu Di said unhappily, "This is the most unsatisfactory aspect of feudal society. Everything is about clan. No matter how capable a person is, if there are a group of clansmen who drag them down, it won't work."
Xu Rao said, "That means we should put a tight rein on the Marquis's mansion from now on, so that they can properly restrain their clansmen. Once the backyard is settled, won't we be able to move forward with a lighter burden? Don't worry about this little bit of benefit; the benefits we'll reap later are much greater."
Xu Di gave a soft hum and said, "I'll accept it for the sake of those three thousand taels of silver notes."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaoci laughed heartily and said, "Your father said that we should return the silver notes to the Marquis when we go back."
Xu Di said seriously, "Whether he gives it or not is his business, and whether we want it or not is our business. Since he gave it, it means that he still cares about us, and he is happy to be a kind father and a good grandfather. That's enough. My father and I are both capable people. Do you think we would keep an eye on the little money of the elderly in the family? In the future, when I make a lot of money, I will give him money and buy him things so that he knows that I am a good person. That's enough."
Zhang Zhaoci shook his head and said with a smile, "You're just thinking about saving face instead of making steamed buns. But since you have this ambition, then work hard. Whether it's what you're doing now or your future imperial examinations, you should keep going."
Xu Di joked, "How can I stand it when you keep pouring chicken soup down my throat, one small bowl after another? Also, since Grandmother has no objections, let's get my marriage arranged as soon as possible. The sooner it's done, the more at ease I'll feel."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "I have already given Madam Li a heads-up. Our idea is not to spread this around yet, so that people won't say that your father is in cahoots with Lord Li and is controlling the power in Hexi."
Upon hearing this, Xu Di asked Xu Rao, "Father, what's wrong? Does your boss still have a problem with you?"
Xu Rao said, "I don't know their opinions yet. Last time, when I went to inspect my brother's village in the mountains, I received a letter asking me to go to a meeting in Ganzhou. Lord Li went in my place. When he came back, he said that the prefect of Ganzhou had a lot of opinions about me, but the assistant prefect thought highly of me. I've already thought it through. We're far from the emperor's reach, and we live in constant fear every year near Yanmen Pass. How can I have the extra energy to think about what they think of me? Just do my job well, guard my territory, and don't let those Northern Di people raid my home. That's victory."
The family of three talked until the wee hours of the morning before Xu Di finally went to his room to sleep.
After lying down, Zhang Zhaoci said, "Since you want to get engaged to the Li family's daughter, I think I should take Xu Di to their home before the New Year so that Xu Di can have a good talk with Yuexi. The girl is young, but quite mature."
Xu Rao said, "I'm thinking about what kind of betrothal gifts we should give. The girl is being raised well at home. After she marries into our family, she will have to help you with household chores, take care of Xu Di, and bear children for our family. We don't know what kind of life our family will lead. If things go well, we will have a glorious future. If things go badly, we might have our property confiscated and be exiled. There are always some risks involved."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaoci sat up and asked, "Is something about to happen?"
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