After Chang'an Hou had dealt with the affairs of his family exhaustedly, he personally went to An Jingzhi's house to invite his family to a banquet.
The Marquis of Chang'an and his wife were very polite to them, showing them the utmost courtesy, and even apologized for wasting so many days.
The other party was polite, and An Jingzhi and the others gave them enough face, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
After Marquis Chang'en and his wife left, Zhang Sanlang and Zhang Xiaoxiao stayed behind to talk to An Hehua.
An Jingzhi didn't go out today and just stayed by her side to keep her company.
Seeing that Zhang Sanlang was absent-minded, he asked, "Sanlang, what's the matter?"
Zhang Sanlang really didn't know who to tell his true feelings. He looked at An Jingzhi and then at An Hehua.
Zhang Xiaoxiao was still quick-witted and said directly: "It's still Big Brother's business."
Zhang Sanlang didn't hesitate and immediately said, "Brother Jingzhi, why do you think my brother hates us so much? He hates me, but why does he treat Xiaoxiao like that?"
"Father has already told me."
"Originally, our father's title was meant for my eldest brother. He actually thought that my father often took me to the military camp to train me so that I could inherit our father's title in the future. He got jealous and so he had Xiaoxiao and I kidnapped."
"My father has already requested permission from His Majesty. Originally, the title could have been inherited without a reduction within three generations, but my father personally went to the palace to request His Majesty to reduce the title."
"My eldest brother was originally eligible for the title of Earl, but now he can only take over the title of Viscount."
"My father also asked for a favor, asking His Majesty to grant me a marriage."
"From now on, I will rely on my own ability to pass the imperial examination and become a civil servant."
The fact that Marquis Chang'en personally asked the emperor to grant him a marriage must be a good thing. As long as Zhang Sanlang works steadily and steadily in the future, he will surely rise to a high position.
Brother Zhang Sanlang schemed and calculated so much that he lost his title of marquis and became a viscount, which was a direct downgrade of two levels.
For someone who dared to plot against his own brothers and sisters for the sake of a title, this could be considered a punishment. However, the greatest punishment would only become clear after the other party inherited the title.
"Do you think your father's punishment is not enough?" An Jingzhi asked.
"No," Zhang Sanlang shook his head. "I know it's hard for father too. We are all his sons. Father found a way out for me and punished my eldest brother. That's enough."
"Humph, he shouldn't even inherit a title!" Zhang Xiaoxiao said, "Now he's still complaining about my father being unfair at home every day. He was sent to the military camp by my father."
"If you ask me, this is definitely unfair. My third brother and I almost died, and he just lost a little wealth. Dad is really biased."
"Xiaoxiao." Zhang Sanlang scolded softly.
"Humph!" Zhang Xiaoxiao snuggled up to An Hehua, "What did I say wrong?"
It was not easy for An Jingzhi to make any judgment on such family affairs, after all, he was not involved.
"Since your father has made the decision, why are you worried?" An Jingzhi asked.
"I just can't understand why my eldest brother could be so cruel just for the position of Marquis? Besides, I never wanted to compete with him for anything."
An Jingzhi patted his shoulder gently and said, "The key point is not whether you have thought about arguing with him, but what he thinks."
"Now that it has happened, you have to accept it. Father has already found a way for you. Now you should focus on how to walk the future path instead of dwelling on the past."
"That's right, Third Brother," Zhang Xiaoxiao said, "Dad has already said that when you get married, we will divide the family property between you and we won't have to interact with each other anymore. You must study hard and don't let Mom down."
Zhang Sanlang also understood that if it weren't for his mother's tough attitude, perhaps his elder brother's title would not have been reduced so severely.
It seems that Zhang Sanlang's elder brother still inherited the title, but in fact it is just an empty shell. All the connections of Marquis Chang'en were given to Zhang Sanlang.
"Jingzhi, is this dress suitable for mother? Is it too flashy?"
An Hehua was wearing a dark purple robe, which was a new dress that An Jingzhi had made for her in the capital. She would wear this dress to attend the banquet at Marquis Chang'en's mansion later.
An Hehua looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She felt a little awkward no matter how she looked at herself. She thought it would be more comfortable to wear linen clothes.
"Mom, what's so ostentatious about this? There are people dressed like this everywhere in the capital."
"Okay, hey, I was born poor. I don't feel comfortable wearing these nice clothes."
An Jingzhi smiled and said, "Mom, there's no such thing as being born poor. Once you wear more and get used to it, it will become natural. Good days are yet to come."
"Mom, we are already living a good life." An Hehua said with a smile.
An Jingzhi thought to himself: Better days are yet to come.
At the thank-you banquet, there were only Marquis Chang'en, his wife, and Zhang Sanlang and Zhang Xiaoxiao's family.
An Hehua, who was originally feeling a little uncomfortable, felt a little relieved when she saw Zhang Xiaoxiao and Zhang Sanlang.
At the table, Marquis Chang'an and his wife toasted An Hehua and An Jingzhi many times and warmly invited them to eat.
"Little Brother An."
Before leaving, the wife of the Marquis of Chang'an was talking to An Hehua in front.
Marquis Chang'en took a token and a box and walked to An Jingzhi.
"Take this token. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me with the token and ask for help. I will definitely help you."
"I know you're planning to start a business as an escort agency. The money in here is my salary for joining your agency. You can keep the money you make and don't have to share it."
An Jingzhi opened the box and saw a stack of bills. He calculated the value of the bills and found that they were worth three thousand taels.
He gave money in the form of shares. Investing in Ping An Escort Agency was equivalent to having a backer, and this backer would not use him to distribute dividends.
Together with this token, this thank-you gift is really huge.
Originally, Marquis Chang'en was planning to give the silver directly to them, but after observing that they were all honest people and had no intention of asking for favors in return, Marquis Chang'en also sent people to investigate the affairs of the Ping'an Escort Agency, and only then was he willing to support him from behind.
"My Lord," An Jingzhi said, "this is too precious."
Marquis Chang'en looked at the scene in front of him where Miss Zhang and her brother were supporting his wife and An Hehua on either side, and a smile appeared on his face.
"No matter how important it is, it's not as important as my children. Please accept it. Otherwise, how can I feel at ease?"
Now that the other party has said so, what else can An Jingzhi say?
"By the way, I heard from Xiaoxiao that your adoptive mother is looking for someone. Can you tell me the details? I'll help send someone to look for her."
"Thank you, My Lord." An Jingzhi thanked.
He recounted in detail what happened between An Hehua and Xie Guangwu.
"Forty years? That's not easy." The first thing Marquis Chang'en thought of was the lady that Xie Guangwu was looking for.
But he knew very little about this matter and was not sure about anything, so he could only wait for someone to come back and ask.
"Forty years is indeed too long. Whether we find it or not, we must thank you for your help, Lord."
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