Chapter 699: Reactions from Various Families (Two Chapters in One)
The army returned to the capital and Xiao Yeyang returned to the capital. For every family in the capital, this day was destined to be an uneasy one.
Zhou Mansion.
Because Minister Zhou was arrested and imprisoned, Master Zhou and his wife Zhou Chengye went to Beijing after the New Year. At this moment, everyone in the Zhou family gathered around Old Master Zhou.
Old Master Zhou sat on a recliner with a sick look on his face. He looked at his eldest brother who was unable to take on any responsibilities and his grandson who had never experienced anything. He sighed and forced himself to drink the medicine.
The second brother is still in jail, he can't fall down now.
Master Zhou waited until he finished drinking before speaking: "Father, the army returned to the capital today, and with them came the young prince, Wen Tao, and Wen Kai. I heard that the three of them made great contributions in the northern border and now hold important positions in the Jinling Guard. Otherwise, Chengye and I should go to the Yan family."
Old Master Zhou shook his head: "The Yan family has just arrived in the capital, and they haven't sorted out the people and things yet. They may not be able to help us."
Madam Zhou Er quickly said, "Lord Yan may not be able to help, but Yan Wentao and Yan Wenkai of the Jinling Guards can definitely help."
Old Master Zhou fell silent and looked up at Madam Zhou who was silent.
Seeing this, Master Zhou sighed inwardly, and remembered that their family had rejected Yan Wentao in the past, and he looked quite uncomfortable.
Seeing his parents like this, Zhou Chengye said, "I'll go see Wentao and Wenkai. We haven't seen each other for a long time."
Old Master Zhou pondered for a moment and waved his hand: "Don't worry."
Hearing this, Mrs. Zhou Er became anxious: "Father, how can this matter not be urgent? The war in the northern border has been decided, and the emperor will definitely interrogate the Eight Princes' followers next. Once the Ministry of Justice convicts the master, it will be too late to think about doing anything."
Old Master Zhou glanced at Mrs. Zhou Er, who looked haggard, and didn't care about her attitude. He explained, "The more favors you use, the less you will get. Some people need to be used wisely."
"Right now, the second brother is imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. The officials in charge of interrogating them are from the Ministry of Justice. Even though Wen Tao and Wen Kai are Jin Ling Guards, they may not be able to intervene. We have to wait for the right opportunity."
"You've been so reckless that you've exhausted all your favors. In the end, you might not be able to save the second child."
After hearing this, Mrs. Zhou Er calmed down a little: "Father, it was my daughter-in-law who was rash."
Old Master Zhou didn't say anything. It was difficult for the second son's wife during this period. The eldest son's wife didn't often live in Beijing, so many things were handled by the second son's wife alone.
Outside, Zhou Jingwan and several girls from the second branch of the Zhou family were listening attentively to the noise coming from inside.
"Jingwan, didn't you tell us before that you have a good relationship with the Yan family? Can you help find those two Jinling Guards?" Zhou Jingyun, the eldest daughter of the second branch of the Zhou family, looked at Zhou Jingwan eagerly.
Zhou Jingwan pursed her lips and said nothing.
If she were in Zhongzhou, she would definitely agree without hesitation, but how could she have the face to see her third brother now?
Just when Zhou Jingyun was still trying to persuade them, Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou Er came out.
Mrs. Zhou looked at Zhou Jingwan with mixed feelings, especially when she thought about the evasive attitude of the Peng family, to whom her daughter was engaged, after her second brother was arrested. She felt very upset.
She also didn't expect that the Zhou and Yan families would switch positions so quickly!
Yan Wentao, whom she once looked down upon and sternly rejected, has now become her hope for saving her second brother.
Alas. If she could turn back time, she would definitely be more tactful in rejecting the Yan family's marriage proposal, and it would not be so embarrassing now.
Prince Ping's Mansion.
When Prince Ping returned from the palace, Ma came running over crying, "Prince, please go check on Chen'er. He was beaten so badly by Yeyang that he can't even get out of bed."
Prince Ping's expression changed, and he walked to Xiao Yechen's yard. Looking at Xiao Yechen lying on the bed with a pale face, Prince Ping's face was full of anger: "Is that rebellious son back?"
Ma wiped her tears and shook her head: "Not yet."
Prince Ping frowned. He had been kept in the palace by his royal brother for more than an hour. The boy should have come back long ago!
Thinking of how that bastard had said indifferently in the palace today that he wanted to be adopted out, Prince Ping became extremely annoyed and said to his servants, "When the young prince returns, ask him to come see me immediately."
When Ma and Xiao Yechen, who was lying on the bed, heard the title of Prince Ping, their eyes flashed.
Xiao Yechen frowned and lowered his eyes, hiding the emotion in his eyes.
Little Prince.
Even though he is now a legitimate son, the title of little prince still belongs to Xiao Yeyang!
Ma looked at her son, then at Prince Ping's expression, sobbing, "Your Highness, I know Yeyang doesn't like Chen'er and me, but Chen'er is his brother after all. He hit me so hard on the first day we came back. Who knows how much bullying Chen'er will suffer in the future?"
Prince Ping looked at Xiao Yechen, was silent for a moment, and said, "That bastard has had this temper since he was a child. When he was younger, he would fight with you even if he couldn't beat you. Not to mention that he has grown a bit more powerful now. You know he is like this, so stay away from him in the future."
Ma was stunned and stopped crying. She obviously did not expect that Prince Ping, who would become extremely furious whenever Xiao Yeyang was mentioned, would say this and make his son choose to give in.
Xiao Yechen struggled to sit up, lowering his eyes and saying, "Father, I understand. I will try my best to avoid my second brother in the future. I had a conflict with him today because I felt that my second brother was too unfilial to bring up the matter of adoption, so I couldn't help myself."
Prince Ping's expression improved a lot. He patted Xiao Yechen on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Father knows you are a good person. If that bastard had half the sensibleness of you, I wouldn't have to worry so much. Okay, take good care of him."
Seeing Prince Ping walk away without saying a word about punishing Xiao Yeyang, Xiao Yechen and Ma couldn't help but frown.
Xiao Yechen lay back on the bed: "Father, you still care about Xiao Yeyang."
Ma put away the weak look on her face and said calmly, "After all, we are father and son, blood is thicker than water. However, I can't care much about it. That little bit of affection will be gone once it's all gone."
Seeing his son's frown, he comforted him, "Today, your father was just shocked by Xiao Yeyang's remarks. Once this is over, nothing will change except that your father will feel embarrassed."
Xiao Yechen remained silent, his mind constantly thinking about the Xiao Yeyang he met this time.
He didn't expect that when they met again several years later, he didn't gain any advantage in the confrontation with Xiao Yeyang.
Attacking his brother would damage Xiao Yeyang's reputation, but compared to his voluntary threat to be adopted out, it was nothing.
This time he was knocked down without any resistance, which made many people laugh at him.
Thinking of the time when Xiao Yeyang was often controlled by him with words when he was a child, and there was no way to argue and the problem could only be solved with violence, he felt a little nostalgic. Now, Xiao Yeyang still gets angry when he meets him, but his fists are much harder than when he was a child.
"Ahem~"
Feeling the tearing pain in his chest, and thinking of Xiao Yeyang's sneering eyes, which were like a sharp sword piercing his heart, Xiao Yechen's eyes became sinister.
Dingguo Gongfu.
Duke Dingguo's smile never faded when he thought of the grandson he saw today. "Before, the eldest grandson wrote to me and told me how outstanding Yeyang had become. I didn't believe it. Now I see that the eldest grandson was too modest."
Everyone in the Guo family quickly echoed: "Isn't it? Standing in front of the army would be extremely impressive."
Duke Dingguo was talking to his family with a smile on his face. However, he had drunk some wine at the banquet and was old, so he soon felt sleepy. He then waved his hand and dismissed everyone.
Mrs. Guo deliberately lagged behind, and when everyone left, she immediately asked, "Father, when you brought up the matter of Ye Yang and Xue Ming,
Duke Dingguo was silent for a moment: "Of course I hope that we can become closer to Yeyang, but I'm afraid this won't be that easy."
Mrs. Guo frowned: "Even if father comes in person, it won't work?"
Duke Dingguo glanced at Madam Guo and said, "Don't you know the relationship between our family and Prince Heping's palace? This matter can't be rushed. Let me ask Ye Yang's opinion first."
Mrs. Guo quickly said, "Since ancient times, marriage has always been decided by parents and matchmakers. Ye Yang is still young, what could he know?"
Duke Dingguo was silent for a moment. "I think Yeyang is a very opinionated guy. This matter concerns his lifelong affairs, so naturally I have to ask his opinion." Seeing that Madam Guo wanted to say something else, he simply waved his hand and said, "Alright, I understand the matter. You can leave now."
Mrs. Guo left reluctantly. When she came out of the yard, she saw Guo Xueming waiting outside.
Guo Xueming looked a little uncomfortable, as she knew her mother stayed to inquire about her marriage with her cousin Ye Yang.
She is not young anymore. If she doesn't get married now, it will be even more difficult to get married in the future.
Mrs. Guo patted her daughter's hand and said, "Your grandfather said he would go and talk to Ye Yang in person."
Guo Xueming's expression relaxed for a moment, but then he looked a little worried again: "Mother, the Yan family has also come to Beijing, and Yan Yiyi has become the Princess of Shengping County."
Mrs. Guo was also a little troubled by this. "I really underestimated the Yan family." She paused and said, "Don't worry too much. Let's see what your grandfather says first."
Guo Xueming nodded: "My daughter listens to her mother."
Cheng'en Palace.
When Duke Cheng'en and Prince Jiang came back, they both looked unhappy.
Prince Jiang's face was gloomy. Thinking about how Xiao Yeyang had embarrassed him in public in the hall today, he was furious. "Doesn't that brat Xiao Yeyang think that just because he's made some achievements, he can look down on everyone?"
Duke Cheng'en glanced at his eldest son and said, "You shouldn't have spoken today." His eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Xiao Yeyang's temperament is different from Prince Ping's. He's been a rebellious person since he was young. The more you act like an elder, the more he'll fight back. What's more, what happened tonight is related to Xiao Yechen."
As he said this, he snorted and laughed.
"How can there be any brotherly love between Xiao Yeyang and Xiao Yechen? Prince Ping, today's incident was caused by him after all."
Upon hearing this, Prince Jiang showed contempt on his face: "If it weren't for my Jiang family, Prince Ping and the one in the palace would not be able to survive."
"Shut up!"
Duke Cheng'en interrupted Prince Jiang with a stern look on his face.
Seeing his father was angry, Prince Jiang quickly admitted his mistake: "Father, I said the wrong thing."
Duke Cheng'en stared at Prince Jiang silently for a long moment before speaking: "The Eighth Prince is dead, and there is no one left to hinder the Emperor. As an old man, you will have to protect the Jiang family from now on. If you don't want the Jiang family to be wiped out by you, never mention what you just said again."
Prince Jiang: "Son, I understand."
Lord Cheng En pondered for a moment and said, "Xiao Yeyang shouldn't confront him for the time being."
The Earl of Zhaode's Mansion.
In Old Lady Han's room, Uncle Han was talking about what happened in the palace today.
Old Lady Han didn't care much about the affairs of Xiao Yeyang and Prince Heping's Mansion, because even if she cared more, she couldn't get close to them. However, when she heard that two children of the Yan family became the Jinling Guard's pacification envoys, Old Lady Han became excited.
"Boss, you have a good eye. The Yan family made the right choice in this marriage."
Uncle Han smiled and said, "My son didn't expect the Yan family to be transferred to Beijing so soon."
Mrs. Han thought for a moment and said, "Let's call Xinran back tomorrow and find out about Wenxiu's two younger brothers. If they're not engaged and they're decent, maybe we can find a closer relationship."
Madam Han hesitated. "Mother, why don't we wait a little longer until Wenxiu passes the exam? Xinran has been coming back so often lately, I'm afraid my wife won't be happy."
Old Madam Han frowned, shook her head and said, "Xinran's mother-in-law is indeed of a poor background. Last time, our family kindly held a banquet to introduce the Yan family's daughters to everyone, but look at her. She had a stiff face the whole time and was very petty."
"As for that old lady Yan, let alone her, she couldn't get a word in what we were saying, which made me feel extremely awkward standing there."
Uncle Han frowned: "Mother, why didn't you tell me this before?"
Old Mrs. Han said unhappily, "Isn't this just considering their face?"
Uncle Han didn't quite believe it: "That shouldn't be the case. The Yan family has been serving as local officials for many years. It's impossible for them to be so unsociable, right?"
Old Madam Han shook her head and said, "How can officials from this place compare to those from the capital? And the Yan family is in such a situation. It's one thing for them to be from a humble background, but the mistress of the house is from a merchant family. Naturally, she lacks confidence. It's normal for someone without confidence to show weakness."
Uncle Han looked at Madam Han with a look of confirmation in his eyes.
Madam Han pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps my in-laws are not used to the socializing ways in the capital. They should just attend more banquets."
Uncle Han said quickly, "If there are any banquets in the future, you must bring your in-laws along more often."
Mrs. Han nodded: "I know." For the sake of her daughter, she would do the same even if the uncle didn't tell her.
Yang family.
Old Lady Yang's yard.
When Yan Siyu brought Yang Xiujun over, everyone in the Yang family had arrived.
"My sister-in-law is here. Come and sit here with me."
Madam Yang stood up and gave her seat to Yan Siyu.
Yan Siyu was very calm about this. She was humble at first, but after so many times, she became too lazy to give in. Ever since her parents' family moved to Beijing, not to mention her sisters-in-law, even her mother-in-law no longer looked at her with disdain.
Yang Xiujun was even pulled over by Old Lady Yang to sit next to her.
Looking at the aunts surrounding her mother with flattering looks on their faces, Yang Xiujun was a little dazed.
The treatment they received now was completely different from before. Even though she had experienced this situation many times, it still felt like a dream.
Just as Yang Xiujun was lost in thought, Old Lady Yang spoke up: "Fourth Wife, your family has been in Beijing for over half a month. When can our two families have a meal together?"
After the Yan family came to Beijing, only the fourth son, his wife and Xiuyun visited them. The other members of the Yang family had not met the Yan family yet.
Although Old Lady Yang felt a little uncomfortable about this, she could only suppress her unhappiness when she thought of what her eldest son said, that the Yan family was now more powerful than the Yang family and they had to go and pay a visit.
Yan Siyu knew that her eldest brother must have heard about Wen Tao and Wen Kai, which was why he was so anxious to meet his mother's family. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Mother, I'm afraid we have to wait until the results of the Spring Examination are announced."
Hearing this, the Yang family remembered that the eldest son of the Yan family had participated in this Spring Examination.
Thinking of the Yan family's sudden rise, Old Lady Yang couldn't help but feel jealous and asked, "Is this Wenxiu's first time taking part in the Spring Examination? I'm afraid he won't make the list this time, but don't be discouraged, he's still young after all."
Yan Siyu frowned and was about to say something when Yang Xiujun spoke: "Grandma, my eldest cousin is very knowledgeable and will definitely pass the exam this time." She finally understood that only if her uncle's family was good, she and her mother could live well at home.
(End of this chapter)
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