It seems that he truly has a place in the Xiao family.
“You can’t call him ‘Young Master’ anymore,” A Bao reminded him. “You have to call him ‘Master’ now! Your young master has been appointed to an official position! But if it weren’t for our master, your young master might not have been able to stay in the capital to take up his post.”
Minghe nodded in agreement.
Xu Jingying's maternal grandfather was the prime minister of the current dynasty. Although he is now semi-retired and rarely attends court, his prestige remains. Even the emperor has to give him some face.
Otherwise, Xu Jingying wouldn't have been directly selected for the Hanlin Academy.
For the rest of the day, Xu Jingying was taken to meet all the elders and peers of the Xiao family. The relationships were so complex that they were comparable to the character relationship chart in "Dream of the Red Chamber".
However, after looking at the whole picture, you can actually see some things about Minghe.
That means the Xiao family are all mediocre, and the Xiao family's great cause is likely to be left without a successor.
Furthermore, after Xu Jin won back the Xiao family, Prime Minister Xiao feigned illness and refused to come out to meet him.
The entire Xiao family compound appears welcoming, but in reality...
As darkness fell, Xu Jingying did not stay at the Xiao family's residence, but went to her own "mansion".
It was called "Xu Mansion," but the plaque on the gate read "Zhang Mansion," and there wasn't a single servant inside.
Minghe tidied up a room, and that night, Xu Jingying held her in his arms.
Xu Jingying: "They still refuse to acknowledge my mother."
“…” Minghe let him hold her, not knowing how to comfort him.
“But they insist on putting on such an enthusiastic act,” Xu Jingying said with a smile, looking at Minghe. “Xu Jingying, do you know why?”
Minghe feigned ignorance, "Why?"
“Because they’re afraid the Xiao family will have no successor,” Xu Jingying pecked him on the lips, finding Minghe’s feigned ignorance utterly adorable. “So that when they meet the Emperor tomorrow, the Xiao family’s reputation won’t be too tarnished.”
"They felt that my mother had disgraced the Xiao family back then..."
Minghe: "...Young Master, do you hate the Xiao family?"
“I don’t hate them,” Xu Jingying said, his eyes devoid of any emotion. “My mother was a foolish woman, so of course I don’t hate the Xiao family.”
Minghe deliberately revealed a hint of doubt in her eyes.
Xu Jingying tapped the tip of his nose with her finger and said, "I not only don't hate the Xiao family, but I also don't hate the Xu family, and I don't hate my so-called father or my so-called vicious stepmother."
Minghe: "..."
“I just hate myself,” Xu Jingying hugged Minghe tightly, as if he wanted to meld him into his very bones, “I’m so useless, I’m so looked down upon.”
"Young Master..."
"Call me 'sir'."
"……grown ups."
Xu Jingying seemed to be suppressing something, pinching Minghe's body and tossing him around until midnight. When he woke up, he held Minghe in his arms like a treasure and coaxed him gently.
Minghe dragged herself to the palace gate and then waited for him without leaving.
After waiting for most of the day, he finally saw Xu Jingying come out wearing a light green official robe.
Light green, that's seventh grade.
"My lord!" Minghe, who had been waiting on the ground, saw him, scrambled to her feet, and stood up.
The people traveling with him were quite startled when they saw this.
A young official put his arm around Xu Jingying's shoulder and asked with a smile, "Are these people from your household? Why are they still squatting on the ground?"
The person said this with a teasing tone.
Xu Jingying seemed to think Minghe was a bit embarrassed, but he also remembered that when he took the imperial examination, Minghe had been waiting outside for him in the same way. So when he looked at Minghe now, he had a slight smile on his face.
The man still found it strange, but seeing that Minghe was pretty, he seemed to understand a little, so his smile became somewhat meaningful.
Minghe greeted him with a smile, first bowing to the official, then saying with a grin, "I am our master's page, here to take him home... home!"
"Oh, I see," the man looked at Minghe's face and had some impure thoughts, but he didn't want to reveal them in public, so he pretended to be kind and said, "Your master's performance today was really impressive. The Emperor praised him highly. Don't be fooled by your master's light green at the moment; tomorrow when he goes to court, he will be wearing dark green."
Dark green, that's sixth grade.
Upon hearing this, Minghe stared at Xu Jingying in astonishment, almost jumping up with excitement, "Sir, really!"
Xu Jingying was very impressed by Minghe's admiration and didn't care how embarrassing he was now. He said with some helplessness, "Really."
"Really, really!" The official leaned close to Minghe, almost touching his face. "Given how much the Emperor likes your master, perhaps one day he can arrange for a noble lady from a prestigious family for your young master to take home."
Minghe took a step back uncomfortably and frowned.
He thought to himself, "This man... has a bit of bad breath."
But the way he frowned.
Xu Jingying knew that Shang Li had figured out that Minghe was actually just a plaything in his bed, and that the purpose of saying such things was just to scare Minghe.
This is utterly baseless.
But he saw that Minghe was clearly frightened by those words, taking a step back and looking pitiful and helpless, but he was also somewhat pleased.
But for a servant like him, and a man at that, to actually dare to think like that is astounding.
When Minghe and Xu Jingying returned, they were both still somewhat dazed.
The sudden movement just now still makes him feel a little nauseous.
"Young...Master, isn't a sixth rank already quite impressive?" Minghe asked him.
“Well, how should I put it?” Xu Jingying was very patient with him. “Among the newcomers in the court, he is indeed quite capable.”
"Young Master is truly amazing!"
Xu Jingying did not correct him again.
The plaque was removed, and the words "Xiao Mansion" were put back on.
Minghe stared blankly at the words "Xiao Mansion" in a daze.
Xu Jingying did not explain to him.
Xu Jingying became... Xiao Jingying.
[Ding! Character information is about to be changed!]
[Ding! Character information updated!]
On the same day, a group of servants also entered the mansion.
During this period, several more people came to visit, all of them officials of moderate rank.
Some of them even sent Xu Jingying a few women, all of whom were quite attractive.
Xiao Jingying didn't refuse and accepted it.
That day, a woman named Xiuniang brought tea and entered Xiao Jingying's bedroom at night.
Minghe glanced at it from afar, then left.
Early in the morning, Minghe brought water into the room as usual. Xiao Jingying had already gotten up. On the bed, a woman with disheveled clothes was lying, as if she had been tormented.
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