Murong Hui nodded, neither humble nor arrogant, and said, "Your Highness, I was fortunate enough to come in second place."
Everyone was slightly surprised, and the old lady's eyes lit up when she heard this. "Haoyun, come over and greet your cousins!" This grandson was her biggest worry right now, and building a good relationship with Murong Hui would only benefit him...
This young man comes from an unremarkable family; what merit or ability has he possessed to make a name for himself in Jiangnan? Bai Haoyun reluctantly stood up and greeted, "Greetings, cousins."
Murong Xuan and the others curled their lip again, thinking that the Bai family's ability to change their tune with the wind must be an ancestral skill.
Seeing that his younger brothers remained silent, Murong Che had no choice but to play the good cop again. With the Crown Prince still present, he couldn't let the conversation fall flat, so he slowly began, "Cousin, you are truly a talented young man. If it weren't for this unexpected event, you would have easily gotten first place. Hui-di still has much to learn from you."
Hearing the praise, Bai Haoyun's expression softened. He then realized that his older cousin made a lot of sense. If Murong Hui could get second place, then this year's exam must not have been difficult, and there was less competition among his peers. If he had taken the exam seriously, he might have actually gotten first place.
"Big brother is right," Murong Hui rolled his eyes inwardly. Judging from Bai Haoyun's expression, did he take his brother's words to heart? Was he still fantasizing about getting first place in the exam? Why did Sister Xiao have such a silly younger brother?
Seeing Bai Haoyun's serious expression, Murong Che was speechless. Any normal person could hear the sarcasm in his words...
Chu Tianyou smiled and slowly said, "With such results in the autumn examination, Fourth Young Master, the provincial examination should not be a problem."
Murong Hui calmly replied, "Then I accept Your Highness's auspicious words."
Seeing that the pleasantries had been exchanged, Murong Che stepped forward again and slowly began, "Your Highness, Madam and Uncle, with Xiao's wedding approaching, we've come today to speak with her privately..."
Bai Linan's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded gently. "That's only right. My nephews, please make yourselves at home."
Once the siblings returned to Liuli Courtyard, they finally relaxed. Spending time in the front hall with Bai Linan and the others, engaging in forced pleasantries, had been exhausting.
Murong Shuo smiled, "Lanxiang and Qingzhu, you two girls, hurry up and bring some tea. Your brother must be very thirsty."
The fragrant orchids and green bamboo originally grew in the Murong family's garden, so the arrival of the young masters naturally delighted them. They readily agreed and happily went to prepare tea and refreshments.
Murong Xuan also spoke calmly, "It must have been difficult for you, elder brother."
Bai Chuxiao blinked and said with a grin, "But Hui-di can't play with that idiot Bai Haoyun, I'm afraid you'll catch his 'catch'."
Murong Che glared at his unruly younger siblings, clearly annoyed. They hadn't come here for idle chatter.
"Little Sister Xiao, you are our only daughter in the Murong family. Your marriage is a big event, and we, as your older brothers, naturally want to contribute to your dowry."
After saying that, Murong Che took out a square wooden box, and Murong Xuan and Murong Shuo quickly took out similar wooden boxes as well.
Each of the three wooden boxes contained 100,000 taels of silver notes. Bai Chuxiao exclaimed in surprise, "Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, how can this be?" While their maternal grandfather had amassed considerable wealth through his campaigns in his younger days, and the Murong family was also quite well-off, all her brothers were still single, and they would have many expenses in the future.
Murong Che smiled slightly, "Sister Xiao, please accept it. The Murong family doesn't have much business, and we can't come up with much ourselves. You've always liked money, so after thinking it over, we still think it's better to give you silver notes directly."
Bai Chuxiao felt a warmth in her heart and slowly said, "That won't do. I like money, but I don't lack it. You two haven't married yet, so you should keep the money. And you're about to marry Sister Xihan, so I can't accept the money. You should take it back and leave it for Sister Xihan to spend!"
Murong Xuan sighed, "Sister Xiao, you make it sound like we gave you 100,000 taels of silver and you're penniless. This 100,000 taels was also at the behest of your sister Xihan."
Murong Shuo chuckled and said, "Little Sister Xiao, don't you know how much wealth Grandfather has? Just accept it without worry."
Bai Chuxiao felt both touched and amused. "Third brother, even if Grandfather has a lot of money, it will eventually run out. It can't withstand us spending it recklessly." How could they let their parents live off them? However, she knew her third brother was just joking.
Murong Hui scratched his head, took out a book, and slowly said, "Sister Xiao, I don't have any money, so I won't give you any silver notes."
He's still young and doesn't yet have the right to manage large sums of money independently. His monthly allowance is fixed; even if you sold him for 100,000 taels, you wouldn't have that much.
Bai Chuxiao's eyes brightened slightly. "The Record of An's War, this is a unique copy!" It was written by the most capable general of the founding emperor who unified the country. She had always wanted to read it, since the era of cold weapons had its own fighting methods, and what she had learned in her previous life might not be applicable now. However, there was only one copy of the Record of An's War, and even her maternal grandfather didn't have one.
Murong Hui chuckled twice. "Mr. Guangli of Bailu Academy is quite fond of me. I saw this book at his place by chance, and I knew my sister would like it, so I asked him for it."
Bai Chuxiao felt a warmth in her heart. It wasn't surprising that Mr. Guangli, a great Confucian scholar of the time, possessed such a rare book. However, such a rare book couldn't be measured in money. Murong Hui spoke of it so easily, but it must have taken a lot of effort for Mr. Guangli to give it to him.
"You're so thoughtful, Hui-di. I really like it."
Murong Che smiled and said, "Brother Hui is only thinking of your Sister Xiao. He didn't even want us older brothers to see it first after he got it."
Murong Hui said nonchalantly, "This is a gift, so naturally we should give it to Sister Xiao first. If you want to see it, wait until Sister Xiao has seen it first."
Bai Chuxiao smiled gently and said softly, "Big brother, second brother, third brother, fourth brother, thank you all."
Such an important event as a wedding cannot be accomplished without a capable female relative to manage it. However, the Empress Dowager cannot leave the palace, her rank is not high, and she has few capable people around her. After much deliberation, Chu Tianze decided to invite the eldest princess to handle the arrangements.
The eldest princess was more than happy that her seventh brother was willing to trouble and trust her, and without hesitation, she brought several head maids from her household to the Prince of Yan's residence.
Chu Tianze chuckled helplessly, "Eldest Princess, you're in trouble."
The eldest princess smiled slightly, "What are you saying? I'm more than happy that you're willing to be close to me, your elder sister. I heard that General Murong has also returned?"
Chu Tianze nodded. They hadn't tried to hide it when they picked up Murong Yuan, and quite a few people knew about it. However, after Murong Yuan returned to the capital, he simply stayed quietly at the Murong residence and didn't go out at all.
"My elder sister will be able to see her on the wedding day." Having been raised by the late Empress since childhood, it's normal for her to be close to the former subordinates of the late Empress's family. I imagine General Murong would be very happy to see my elder sister.
The eldest princess chuckled softly and slowly began, "Actually, I've never met General Murong either. It's just that Mother used to always reminisce about the days she spent with General Murong and General Wan in the military camp... Now, things have changed so much..."
Chu Tianze comforted her, "Sister, there's no need to be sad. General Murong misses the late Empress just as much as you do."
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