Chapter 66 Family Banquet (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
The group returned to the Fu family home. The gates of the Fu family home were wide open to welcome Fu Mingzhu and her entourage back. Duke Jingguo, Fu Mingsong, Madam Wen, and several of Fu Mingzi's other sisters-in-law, nephews, and wives were all present.
As soon as Fu Mingzhu got off the carriage and saw the Duke of Jingguo, her eyes reddened: "Father, your daughter is unfilial!" She hurriedly tried to kneel down to pay her respects.
The Duke of Jingguo was also filled with emotion and hurriedly pulled Fu Mingzhu aside.
"You've grown up, but you're not as straightforward as you were when you were a child. Why bother with all this formality?"
Fu Mingzhu wiped away her tears, but a smile appeared in her eyes: "I'm sorry you had to see this."
After that, he greeted the others and introduced his two children.
Others might have been unmoved, but Madam Wen was moved to tears, holding Fu Mingzhu's hand tightly and refusing to let go: "It's only been a few years, how did you become so thin?" Madam Wen murmured this sentence over and over again.
With red eyes, Fu Mingzhu patted Wen's hand: "Sister-in-law, it's my fault. I haven't been able to come back to see you all these years."
Ms. Wen sighed, then carefully examined Fu Mingzhu's two children, and said softly, "You've had it tough too; you've raised these two children exceptionally well."
Fu Mingzhu took the handkerchief from the maid, wiped her face, and then said gently, "What do you mean by 'not easy'? Who in this world can have a smooth journey all the time? It's good that these two children are obedient."
Wen sighed again, then, as if remembering something, hurriedly asked, "Didn't you say there was another girl?"
When Fu Mingzhu mentioned this, her expression darkened, and then she forced a smile: "She fell ill on the way and can't stand the wind right now. She's sleeping in the car behind us. She'll see you again when she's fully recovered."
Having seen countless storms, Madam Wen naturally saw the problem, so she didn't ask any more questions, but simply patted Fu Mingzhu's hand and said, "It's good that you know what's going on."
After finishing discussing these trivial matters, they supported each other as they entered the backyard, while Fu Mingzi and Fu Mingbai followed the old man to the front hall.
"Did everything go smoothly along the way?" Duke Jingguo seemed a little excited, but his tone calmed down.
Fu Mingbo lowered his eyes: "Everything went smoothly, but my second sister really looks much thinner. She must have suffered a lot of grievances."
The Duke of Jingguo smiled and said, "It's alright if she's wronged, as long as she gets her revenge. I'm just afraid she'll get stuck in a rut and won't understand the principle of leveraging power. She'll just stubbornly fight to the bitter end. She's always been like this since she was a child. It's good that she knew to go home and ask for help this time. She's finally grown up a bit."
Fu Mingbo didn't speak, but Fu Mingsong interjected, "Mingzhu is stubborn, so don't argue with her."
Duke Jing glared at Fu Mingsong: "Since when did it become your turn to lecture me?"
Fu Mingsong pursed his lips and remained silent.
Fu Mingzi tossed the jade pendant at her waist back and forth in her hand, seemingly not paying much attention to their conversation.
Fu Mingsong looked at Fu Mingzi with some difficulty, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "Mingzi, your marriage with Miss Yang may have to be postponed. Miss Yang has suddenly fallen ill, which is not good."
Fu Mingzi's heart skipped a beat, and she stopped, holding the jade pendant in her palm.
"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow, looking surprised.
“I don’t know the specifics either.” Fu Mingsong frowned. “This morning, I was preparing your betrothal gifts when someone from the Yang family suddenly came and said that things might not go through today and that Miss Yang was not feeling well.”
He paused after speaking, seemingly hesitant, but finally said, "Mingzi, I'm not trying to be discouraging, but Miss Yang is probably beyond help. You should be prepared."
Fu Mingzi felt relieved. Ever since he learned that the Yang family had been keeping the matter from Miss Yang, he had assumed that the Yang family was going to use a substitution trick. If that were the case, he would probably have to make some more plans. But now that the Yang family had hinted at her serious illness, he had gotten through this ordeal.
Even so, Fu Mingzi still feigned shock, her brows furrowed as she stared intently at Fu Mingsong: "Big brother, what do you mean by this?"
Fu Mingsong also looked somewhat distressed. He glanced at the Duke of Jingguo, who had a somber expression but showed no intention of speaking. Fu Mingsong continued, "The Yang family are not people who lack manners. If it were a minor illness, they would not have sent someone to say so. Since they have come to say this, and before the bet was even placed, it must be a serious illness. In short..."
Fu Mingsong sighed again: "You're still young, don't think too much. You'll find someone you like in the future."
Fu Mingzi wanted to laugh to herself. Before, they said they were getting old and needed to get married, but now they said they were young and there would be good things in the future.
"Then how about the marriage alliance between our family and the Yang family?" Fu Mingzi lowered his eyes, his tone somewhat somber.
Fu Mingsong was extremely embarrassed at this moment. He glanced at the Duke of Jingguo again, but the Duke of Jingguo simply turned his face away and refused to look at him.
Fu Mingsong felt very embarrassed, but he still had to continue: "The Yang family means that they have a younger daughter who is about the same age as Zexi, and she would be the most suitable person to marry her."
Fu Zexi is Fu Mingsong's youngest son, and also a legitimate son.
“Zexi is only a year younger than me?” Fu Mingzi looked at Fu Mingsong with some surprise. This time, he was genuinely surprised.
Fu Zexi and Fu Mingzi were about the same age and had always hung out together since childhood. Later, Fu Mingsong couldn't stand it anymore and sent them to Baima Academy. However, Fu Mingzi was not obedient at all and was sent back by the teacher after only a few days.
Fu Zexi, on the other hand, has been able to stay put and has been studying at the academy. He hasn't been home for almost two months now.
Fu Mingsong was so embarrassed that he could hardly sit still. He stammered, "This is, yes, Lord Yang thinks Zexi is quite learned, so, so he is more suitable."
"If you thought Zexi was suitable, why did you send me in the first place?" Fu Mingzi was really annoyed. In the end, they didn't even like him. They probably only chose him because Miss Yang thought he was a playboy and would agree to her condition.
Fu Mingsong didn't know where to put his hands, and couldn't say a word. He could only look at the Duke of Jingguo.
At this point, the Duke of Jingguo finally spoke up: "Alright, stop making things difficult for your elder brother. What kind of reputation do you have? Don't you know who's in your heart? Marrying that girl is just delaying her life."
Fu Mingzi was furious: "Why didn't you say this when you were forcing me to marry someone before!"
Duke Jingguo was a little embarrassed by his retort, so he coughed lightly and changed the subject: "Alright, look at the state you're in! It's getting late, go back and rest. Let's leave it at that, and don't mention your affair with Miss Yang again."
Fu Mingzi was furious and turned around to walk out.
Watching Fu Mingzi's retreating figure, Fu Mingsong asked with some worry, "Father, will Mingzi's condition cause a rift between her and Zexi?"
Duke Jingguo snorted: "I know his temperament well. He's angry now because he's not happy that someone doesn't like him. If he were to actually marry her, he'd probably run away before he could. Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Zexi and Zeyu have been at the academy for quite a while now, and it's time for them to go home and visit. As for Zechen, he's just waiting to be appointed to an official position. You'll have plenty to do then."
Fu Mingsong nodded, his worry lessening somewhat, though it hadn't completely dissipated.
Fu Mingbo, sitting to the side, couldn't help but say, "The Yang family is going too far. They said before that they would arrange a marriage with Mingzi no matter what, and they wouldn't allow it to be anyone else. Now they want to change it to Zexi."
The Duke of Jingguo frowned and waved his hand: "Don't say such things again. I'm afraid that girl from the Yang family won't live long. Besides, it's not settled yet, so Mingzi isn't really engaged to them."
Fu Mingbai frowned, finally understanding the implied meaning of the Duke of Jingguo. He didn't want to pursue the matter any further, but he was afraid that outsiders would say that Fu Mingzi was a jinx to his wife, since the Yang family girl had fallen seriously ill just a few days before her engagement.
“I’m afraid that even if our family doesn’t mention it, other families will find out. After all, nobody’s a fool,” Fu Mingbo couldn’t help but say.
Duke Jing glared at him: "You think you know everything!"
Fu Mingbo hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head in a sullen voice, not daring to say anything more.
Fu Mingsong quickly intervened, saying, "Second brother's words do make sense, but at this point, we can only bury our heads in the sand. We can't control what others say."
Duke Jingguo sighed, looking somewhat annoyed: "Why is it so difficult for the fifth prince to find a wife? If I had known, I shouldn't have let him have his way back then. I should have arranged a marriage for him much earlier."
For a moment, the three men in the front hall all looked worried.
As soon as Fu Mingzi stepped out of the front hall, her face returned to calm, and she even put on a smile.
Although he was momentarily dissatisfied with the Yang family's attitude, it was just a momentary outburst of anger. Now that he's out of marriage, he's probably overjoyed.
However, the Yang family is truly ruthless, using their own daughter for marriage without any hesitation. But this is not their fault; such things are commonplace for aristocratic families like theirs. After all, it's impossible to survive for so many years without some tricks up their sleeve.
**
In the evening, the family had a reunion dinner; the man sat at one table, and the woman sat at another.
The three Fu brothers and the Duke of Jingguo sat at the head of the table, while Fu Zechen and his brothers sat around Mu Zhenyun.
Fu Zechen smiled and looked at Mu Zhenyun: "How old is Cousin Mu this year? What books have you been studying?"
Mu Zhenyun was a little nervous, but his voice was loud when he answered the question: "I'm thirteen, and I just finished reading the Four Books."
"Not bad, not bad." Fu Zechen smiled. "You're progressing a little faster than your nephews. You can study together in the future."
The nephews Fu Zechen mentioned were Fu Mingbai's legitimate son, Fu Qingyun, the eldest son of the second young master Fu Zejin, and his two sons, the eldest son by a concubine, Fu Qingye, and the legitimate son, Fu Qingzhao.
Fu Qingyun is the eldest grandson, and he is only seven years old this year. Fu Qingye and Fu Qingzhao are only five or six years old.
Upon hearing that he would be studying with a junior, Mu Zhenyun blushed and said, "I... I'm not very good at studying..." His voice trailed off, and he looked somewhat embarrassed.
Fu Zechen still smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? Zejin wasn't good at studying either, but now he's a dignified captain of the Imperial Guard. You are the eldest son of the Duke of Qian, and you will inherit the title in the future. Studying is just to understand principles. Do you expect him to become the top scholar in the imperial examination?"
When Fu Zechen said this, he glanced at Fu Zejin, who was sitting to the side and looked almost exactly like Fu Mingbai.
Fu Zejin frowned but didn't react.
Fu Zechen gave him a wink, and Fu Zejin reluctantly looked at Mu Zhenyun: "Big brother is right." His tone was completely devoid of emotion.
Fu Zechen sighed, realizing that his cousin was truly impossible to manage.
However, Mu Zhenyun seemed to greatly admire Fu Zejin and was not defeated by Fu Zejin's cold words. Instead, he asked very eagerly, "Is Second Cousin really a captain? How many men does he have under his command? How skilled are they in martial arts?"
Fu Zejin frowned even more deeply, giving Fu Zechen a reproachful glare, annoyed that he had caused her this trouble.
Fu Zechen couldn't help but laugh out loud, shrugged, and indicated that he was powerless to help.
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