Upon hearing this, Chen Jinheng's eyes flickered slightly. He quickly walked to the Second Prince, pulled him into his arms, gently patted his slender shoulder, and greeted him in a deep voice.
"Zhiyan, it's been a long time. How have you been? Are you feeling any better?"
"Thank you for your concern, cousin. The imperial physician sent by Father Emperor is very effective."
"My leg ailment has improved considerably; in the past six months, I have been able to walk slowly on my own."
"That's good! That's good! Zhiyan, your cousin believes you'll get better. You must believe in yourself! Don't give up!"
"With my cousin's blessing, I will definitely work hard."
"Now, we are not only cousins, but also brothers-in-law, which means we are even closer than family!"
"Yes! I never imagined that I would become brothers-in-law with my cousin. This must be what people call fate!"
As the two exchanged pleasantries, Butler Fang strode over, anxiously saying...
"Eldest son-in-law, second son-in-law, the old lady invites you two over for a chat."
Seeing Uncle Fang looking around, Madam Lu tactfully reminded him,
"Then, eldest son-in-law and second son-in-law, hurry over there! And while you're at it, also meet the uncles and elders of the Gu family!"
Chen Jinheng raised an eyebrow, respectfully cupped his hands in farewell, and said,
"Mother, Aunt Fang, Aunt Mai, my husband and brother-in-law must take their leave to pay their respects to the old lady. Please enjoy your meal!"
After saying that, he grabbed the Second Prince's arm and followed Steward Fang toward the main courtyard.
Inside the main courtyard, Gu Cixiu sat upright in the main seat, with the old lady of the Gu family beside him.
In the lower left corner are Gu Cixu, the eldest uncle of the Gu family, and Gu Ciyu, the third uncle. In the lower right corner is Gu's only daughter, Aunt Gu.
My eldest uncle runs a tea business in the Jianghuai region, while my third uncle runs a copper mine business in southern Xinjiang. My aunt's husband's family is the owner of Zuixianglou, where the banquet is held.
The three families usually do business together, and only come to Beijing to get together during the Chinese New Year.
Taking advantage of the Gu family's daughter's wedding, he did not return to his hometown after the New Year, but stayed at the Gu family's residence in Beijing for a while longer.
The children from the three families, who were all around the same age, wanted to rely on Gu Cixiu's connections to come to the capital to study at a school.
Inside the main courtyard, seeing that the person hadn't arrived yet, the eldest uncle, who always valued rules, showed some displeasure in his eyes. He impatiently tapped the table and complained.
"Second brother, your two sons-in-law are really quite arrogant."
We, the elders, have been left waiting here for half an hour. And now there's not even a trace of them.
Upon hearing this, Gu Cixiu, embarrassed, pulled a smile and explained,
"Brother, please calm down. They must have been delayed by something at the garden. Uncle Fang has already gone to inform them, and they should be on their way!"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Gu raised an eyebrow, picked up a pastry from the table, put it in her mouth, and teased everyone,
"Big brother, second brother, you don't know yet, do you?"
Our Luo-jie and Xue-jie married a son from a family of meritorious officials, and the other is the second prince of the current emperor.
It's normal for her to put on airs! After all, she's marrying into a higher social class! How could she possibly look down on a merchant family like ours?
As soon as Aunt Gu finished speaking, Uncle Gu looked disdainful, picked up the orange next to him, peeled it, and said angrily,
"Hehe, so what if we're merchants? Every time someone is in trouble, it's always us merchants who help them out."
"Still looking down on us? Humph!"
"Second brother, I heard that your eldest son-in-law is the second young master of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion!"
How did you manage to establish a connection with the scion of such a distinguished family?
"If my dear nephew ever rises to great heights in the future, don't forget to look after your uncle!"
Gu Cixiu is a low-key person, and his career is the worst among his brothers. Now, because his two daughters have married into wealthy families, he has gained some face among the Gu brothers.
Upon being praised by his third uncle, Gu Cixiu's face lit up with a smug smile.
"What are you saying, Third Brother? We are all brothers, and I will naturally look after each other."
Actually, this marriage arrangement originated from the mother of my first wife.
Back then, when we were on our way to the capital, we happened to meet the old lady of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion when we passed by a post station.
The old lady of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion fell seriously ill and was saved by my mother-in-law. In order to deepen the relationship between the two families, she arranged this childhood betrothal with the Gu family.
"We were supposed to have a wedding last year, but then the second young master had to go with the Marquis to quell a rebellion in the northern frontier, so it was postponed until now."
"What a coincidence, it just happens to coincide with Xue'er's wedding. Hehehe!"
Gu Cixiu casually glossed over the matter of the two sisters' arranged marriage, to avoid gossip.
Upon hearing this, Third Uncle seized the opportunity to step forward, picked up his wine glass, and congratulated him, "Come on, Second Brother, I wish you double happiness!"
After saying that, he downed the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp.
My third uncle was a drunkard. One cup wasn't enough for him. He also drank several cups of fine osmanthus wine with the help of Madam Jing, my eldest uncle, and Aunt Gu.
Madam Gu frowned, seeing that her third uncle was already quite drunk, and quickly ordered someone to bring over some hangover tea.
"At his age, he still drinks excessively and has no respect for elders. Doesn't Madam Qin keep an eye on him?"
Half an hour later, Uncle Fang finally arrived with Chen Jinheng and the Second Prince.
Chen Jinheng took the Second Prince's arm with one hand, stepped over the stairs, and walked into the main courtyard.
Uncle Fang bowed and introduced the seated elders to Chen Jinheng. Chen Jinheng nodded slightly, brushed aside his skirt, and knelt on the ground to respectfully greet him.
"Your son-in-law Jinheng greets the old lady, father, eldest uncle, third uncle, and Aunt Gu."
Chen Jinheng performed the deepest bow with utmost respect. Gu Cixiu's eyes flickered, and he quickly stepped forward, bowing to help Chen Jinheng up.
"It is truly commendable that my son-in-law, a son of a meritorious official, can still be so courteous and respectful!"
"Father-in-law, you flatter me. My father always taught me to respect my elders, and this is what I should do."
A maidservant brought a teacup to Chen Jinheng, who held the teacup with both hands and respectfully handed it to each of the elders seated at the table.
The uncle took the teacup from him, his eyes filled with appreciation, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, nephew-in-law."
After exchanging greetings, he retreated to the seat next to the Second Prince.
Because of his status as a prince, the second prince only stood while bowing.
"Zhiyan greets Father-in-law and all elders. I am truly ashamed that I am unable to serve you tea due to my eye ailment!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Cixiu looked at the gentle and refined Second Prince in front of him, whose eyes were covered by a thin veil, and quickly called over a servant to help him to his seat.
"Your Highness is exaggerating. You suffer from an eye ailment, yet you still made a special trip to accompany my daughter to her homecoming ceremony. I am very pleased with you."
"Thank you for your understanding, father-in-law!"
After the sons-in-law had exchanged greetings, Gu Cixiu returned to his seat of honor and asked in a deep voice,
"Son-in-law, is Luo'er being dutiful to her elders in the Gu family?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jinheng's eyebrows twitched slightly, and a smile spread across his face.
"Father-in-law, rest assured, Luo'er is well-educated, gentle and virtuous, and is very much loved by the elders of the Marquis's mansion."
Having heard the satisfactory answer, Gu Cixiu smiled slightly and nodded.
"That's good! Luo'er has been well-behaved since she was little, and I hope my son-in-law will take good care of her."
"That's for sure, Father-in-law. Don't worry, she'll live just as well in the Marquis's residence as she did in the Gu residence."
Upon hearing this, Gu Cixiu smiled, his heart leaping with joy.
"With these words from my worthy son-in-law, I am relieved!"
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