Xu Qian then noticed that Zhao Siyuan had arrived. Seeing the man's attentive and considerate manner, Xu Qian didn't say anything. He was slightly relieved to see that Zhao Siyuan seemed quite used to it.
Zhao Siyuan was dressed in thin clothes. The man first asked her in a low voice if she was cold, and then, still worried, he took off his cloak and draped it over her. He then took her hand and walked towards Xu Qian.
Xu Qian was invited by the Zhao family steward to sit in one of the main seats, while Zhao Siyuan also sat in another main seat. Therefore, the man sat in the side seat next to Zhao Siyuan.
Originally, it was a meeting between officials. As Zhao Siyuan's husband, the man, being a member of the inner circle, should not have stayed there.
But Zhao Siyuan didn't say anything, because she and Xu Qian didn't have any state affairs to discuss, and besides, her husband had a special identity.
Zhao Siyuan, seemingly enjoying the drama, noticed the awkwardness between the two and asked, "You two brothers haven't seen each other in a long time, why don't you chat?"
Zhao Siyuan's tone, which suggested she already knew the answer, didn't elicit any response from the man, nor from Xu Qian.
"What's wrong? Haven't you made up yet?" Seeing the two of them like this, Zhao Siyuan became even more excited and turned to ask the man next to her.
The man just looked at her without saying a word.
Seeing this, Zhao Siyuan deliberately looked back at the man and said, "Xu Qin, how can you treat your brother Xu like this, as his elder brother?"
Yes, back when Xu Qian was not yet the prime minister, Zhao Siyuan always addressed Xu Qian as her younger brother, because she entered the court before him and was two or three years older than him.
However, Xu Qian always addressed her as Lord Zhao.
Zhao Siyuan's husband, Xu Qin, is Xu Qian's older brother. However, the relationship between Xu Qin and Xu Qian is a long-standing one.
Back then, Xu Qin fell in love with Zhao Siyuan, but Zhao Siyuan already had several concubines in her household. Xu Qin's parents had always only loved each other and looked down on people who were fickle, keeping concubines or concubines. Therefore, they did not agree to Xu Qin and Zhao Siyuan being together. Not to mention, there were rumors that Zhao Siyuan actually admired Xu Qian.
Xu Qin understood both of these points, but he insisted on being with Zhao Siyuan and left the Xu family on his own. Later, he became Zhao Siyuan's legal husband.
Although the Xu family was not a prominent family at the time, Xu Qian was an official in the imperial court, young and talented, and had a great reputation among the people.
Therefore, Xu Qin's actions caused a great uproar. Not only did court officials discuss the matter in front of Xu Qian, but neighbors and friends also inquired about it from Xu's parents.
Even ordinary people were discussing this matter.
The Xu family rose to fame because of Xu Qian, and then became the talk of the town because of Xu Qin.
Actually, the discussion wasn't about anything negative. Most people felt that Xu Qin was talented, but it was such a pity that he was willing to give up his future for love.
A small group felt that Xu Qin's autocratic behavior was a betrayal of his parents' kindness in raising him, which was truly incomprehensible.
Only a very small number of people believe that Xu Qin's actions were out of genuine affection for Zhao Siyuan, and therefore they highly praise their love.
But regardless of the circumstances, the only people discussed in this matter were Xu Qin and the Xu family.
Zhao Siyuan was already the Minister of Works at that time. She was capable, powerful, and highly respected, so no one talked about her; they all praised her.
This scene infuriated Mr. Xu, who was very proud of his reputation his whole life.
Xu's father had a fiery temper and cared a lot about his reputation, so he absolutely could not accept this kind of 'unfilial son' and the gossip about him. He immediately declared to the outside world, "Xu Qin is no longer a son of the Xu family!"
Words spoken in anger are only half true and half false. Xu's mother and Xu Qian both knew it was just said in anger, but Xu Qin thought it was true and immediately announced that he would no longer have any dealings with the Xu family.
This further angered Xu's father, causing him to fall ill, which turned into a serious illness, leading to his untimely death.
Unlike Xu's father, Xu's mother's attitude at the time was different. She knew Xu Qin's character and had met Zhao Siyuan. She was indeed a likable woman, and she was quite satisfied with her.
Moreover, she is Xu Qin's biological mother after all, so her attitude towards Xu Qin and Zhao Siyuan's relationship has changed somewhat.
However, Xu Qin's subsequent actions indirectly led to the death of Xu's father. The grief of Xu's mother can be imagined; she later died of depression. The Xu family was left with only Xu Qian, who was fifteen years old at the time.
At this point, the nature of the matter completely changed.
Now everyone not only thought Xu Qin was an "unfilial son," but a "scoundrel." Because of his own selfish love, he betrayed the love and expectations of his family and even caused the death of his parents. He was truly a despicable person despised by everyone.
Xu Qian witnessed all of this firsthand.
Although he knew that his father had a long-standing, incurable illness that caused his condition to worsen after being stimulated, and that it wasn't entirely Xu Qin's fault, Xu Qin was indeed partly responsible, and his mother had passed away because of it.
The sudden loss of both parents shattered the happy family in an instant.
He asked himself honestly, and he knew he definitely hated Xu Qin.
He was also affected by this incident, which made him afraid to face his own feelings, and he missed out on Chu Yanxi to this day.
But as time passed and he grew older, his hatred gradually faded.
Sometimes he wondered if things would have turned out differently if Xu's father and Xu Qin had sat down and talked things over properly, and hadn't been so absolute.
Later, when he was thirty-five years old, five years ago, he ran into Xu Qin while visiting his parents' graves.
Xu Qin didn't notice him. He simply put down the flowers in his hand, knelt in front of the grave for a moment, and then left.
When Xu Qian arrived at the tomb, all he saw was a sea of orange—the marigolds that Xu Qin had neatly arranged.
Orange was his parents' favorite color. Marigolds came from the Mo Dynasty. In Mo Dynasty culture, marigolds symbolize the bridge between life and death, and also convey kinship and longing.
Later, Xu Qian unexpectedly discovered his father's handwritten note in the study, and he finally understood why Xu Qin had been so resolute back then.
It turned out that after hearing the rumors, the father disregarded Xu Qin's admiration for Zhao Siyuan and the brotherly bond between Xu Qin and Xu Qian, and originally wanted to matchmake Xu Qian and Zhao Siyuan.
The father had always favored Xu Qian, even in this matter. That's why Xu Qin, who was eighteen at the time, left home in anger. Even though he felt guilty towards his parents, he still felt awkward towards Xu Qian.
Xu Qin's youthful impetuosity led to that outcome, and Xu Qian had no idea how he felt about it.
Xu Qian only knew that he had hated Xu Qin. And Xu Qin must have hated his father briefly; perhaps he just didn't know how to face him.
For example, even now, the two rarely meet, and when they do, it's only because of Zhao Siyuan. But their relationship has always been lukewarm.
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