Chapter 26: Uncle Gui, Old Marquis, and Secret Letter
Perhaps it was Chen Yi's imagination, but on the way from Chunhe Garden to the quiet residence where the old Marquis lived in the central courtyard, the servants and maids of the Xiao family looked at him with much friendlier eyes.
Even the uncles and aunts from the second branch of the family greeted him politely, first saying "Good morning, young master," and then calling him "second son-in-law."
I know some of them, and I don't know others.
Fortunately, Xiao Wuge was there, so he wouldn't be embarrassed.
Wang Lixing and the others behind him saw this and walked to a secluded spot, saying familiarly, "Second son-in-law is much more popular in the mansion now."
Old Ge, always outspoken, chimed in, "Not to mention the gentlemen and ladies, even I admire the young master's talent. You know, I was very moved by his elopement..."
Before he could finish speaking, the armored soldier next to him quickly covered his mouth.
Wang Lixing turned around and glared at him, then whispered an apology to Chen Yi, "That's just how the third brother is, please forgive him."
Chen Yi waved his hand and said without any hesitation, "It's alright, it's alright. I was bewitched before. If I had known that the Xiao family would treat me so well, I would not have run away from the marriage."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lixing and the others exchanged glances and gave each other a thumbs up.
Aside from his talent and learning, the second son-in-law also had an excellent temperament. If it were anyone else, they would probably have made a ruckus long ago after being confined for several months.
Not long after.
Accompanied by Xiao Wuge and others, Chen Yi passed through the central courtyard's porch and was greeted by an elderly man with a hunched back carrying some miscellaneous items.
Chen Yi and Xiao Wuge stepped aside, and Wang Lixing and the others bowed to him in a military salute: "Uncle."
The old man seemed to be hard of hearing, and walked away with a limp as if he hadn't heard.
Chen Yi glanced at him a couple of times, then suddenly remembered something and asked Wang Lixing, "Uncle Gui?"
Wang Lixing's expression was slightly strange, and he replied in a low voice, "Uncle Gui is an old man of the Dingyuan Army and used to be a bodyguard in the old Marquis's tent."
Chen Yi nodded knowingly and walked forward, saying, "No wonder you were so respectful."
Wang Lixing and the others followed. "Speaking of which, Uncle Gui is also a pitiful man. In the last battle when the old Marquis defeated the barbarian king's army, Uncle Gui was seriously injured, but fortunately he received timely treatment and is out of danger."
"I thought that returning to Shuzhou would bring me promotion and honors, but it just so happened that the Protectorate General and the Provincial Administration Commission were being reorganized. Many of the veterans' military achievements were biased, and Uncle Gui's merits were completely lost."
"Later, the old Marquis felt sorry for him, so he let him stay in the Marquis's mansion and even let him get married and have children."
As Chen Yi listened to Wang Lixing recount that past, he soon arrived at the gate of the quiet mansion, his mind mostly on Uncle Gui.
This "Uncle Gui" should be the elderly servant that Pei Guanli mentioned earlier. Given the twists and turns that have happened to him, it's possible that he might become dissatisfied with the Xiao family and develop disloyalty.
Just as Chen Yi was about to ask someone to announce his arrival, Xiao Wuge waved to the guards at the gate and pulled him directly into the courtyard.
"Grandfather, your brother-in-law has come to see you."
Chen Yi followed and walked around the screen wall, glancing at it.
The courtyard is smaller than Qinghe Garden, but it has many more flowers and plants. There are two rows of grape trellises on both sides of the bluestone path, with seedlings climbing on them and various grasses and trees below, and a stream flowing through it.
From afar, he saw three elderly men sitting in the pavilion on the south side of the courtyard, drinking tea and playing chess.
One of them had a gaunt face and a burly build, but it was obvious that he was physically weak.
The other two sat opposite each other on either side of the chessboard.
One man was impeccably dressed and exuded an air of nobility, but at this moment his eyebrows were slightly raised as he looked smugly at the old man opposite him.
The last person, whose face Chen Yi couldn't see, he could only hear cursing: "Even if you are a Duke, you can't take back your moves like this. This is the third time!"
"What do you mean by taking back a move? I call this a tiger dozing off."
"You hit me..."
Before the two could argue, the burly old man stopped them, then beckoned Xiao Wuge over, his eyes fixed on Chen Yi.
Although his eyes were cloudy, Chen Yi could still see the scrutiny in his gaze.
Without further ado, Chen Yi calmly greeted them: "Chen Yi greets the old master, Duke Zhang, and Mr. Sun."
Before the old Marquis could say anything, Zhang Xuan, who was thinking about how to take back his move, pushed the chessboard aside and said, "Oh? Your grandson-in-law is here?"
Sun Fu suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and a tightness in his chest, and almost got up to strangle the old man.
However, he knew there were younger people present, and thanks to his own cultivation and knowledge, he held back and turned to look at Chen Yi.
Lord Xiao gave them a sidelong glance before gesturing for a servant to bring Chen Yi a chair. "Sit down and let's talk."
Chen Yi bowed again before walking over and sitting down, his expression quite calm.
Although it was his first time meeting the old Marquis, the old Duke, and Mr. Sun, Xiao Wuge had mentioned them frequently in recent days.
Therefore, Chen Yi had a general understanding of the temperaments of the three elders, and he only needed to sit upright.
After observing him, Sun Fu's earlier frustration from the chess game dissipated, and he nodded, saying, "Not bad, not bad. I can see that you've truly studied to the core."
Zhang Xuan interjected, "Scholarly airs?"
"You old scoundrel, you..."
Lord Xiao said helplessly, "I'm saying, you two old folks are arguing and bickering in front of the younger generation. Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"
"He dares?" Zhang Xuan looked at Chen Yi and asked with a forced smile, "Do you know who I am?"
Chen Yi secretly raised an eyebrow. This old Duke seems to have a lot of opinions about me?
"Lord Gan Guogong".
"Wrong, I am your father's sworn enemy!"
oh?
Chen Yi suddenly realized that this was the root of the problem, and smiled, "My father did not mention it to his juniors, please forgive me, Duke."
Zhang Xuan was taken aback, pointed at him, and glared angrily, "You young man, you really have no fear..."
The old Marquis Xiao, who was standing nearby, quickly stopped him, "How old are you? Do you still think of yourself as a child?"
"But what he just said... Chen Xuanji doesn't take me seriously?"
"You're overthinking it."
Lord Xiao gestured for Sun Fu to pull the man away, but Zhang Xuan remained silent and walked towards the side room with a dark expression.
After the person left.
Seeing that Chen Yi remained calm, Old Marquis Xiao shook his head and laughed, "You little rascal, were you doing that on purpose just now?"
Chen Yi grinned, "You can't hide it from the old man."
Although he found Zhang Guogong's attitude strange, it did not stop him from "fighting back".
Of course, he knows his limits and won't make it too obvious.
Lord Xiao chuckled, "Not bad, he's someone who won't suffer a loss."
"However, if Chen Xuanji were here, he would probably slap you twice."
"My son-in-law would like to hear the details."
"These are all old stories. Six years ago, the barbarians marched eastward and plundered the Jiaozhou area..."
The old Marquis did not hide anything and spoke of the feud between Duke Zhang Xuan and Chen Xuanji.
Simply put, Chen Xuanji, who was then serving as the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangnan Prefecture, failed to allocate grain to support Jiaozhou in a timely manner, which displeased Zhang Xuan.
Thus, the two became enemies.
However, as far as Chen Yi knew, Chen Xuanji was then sent by the Emperor to the Western Buddhist Kingdom, and now he probably really doesn't remember the conflict with Zhang Xuan.
After saying that, Lord Xiao smiled and said, "That old fellow only cares about the matter, not the person. If you have time, you can write him a poem and I guarantee you'll make him smile from ear to ear."
Chen Yi hesitated slightly, but replied, "I've got it."
After a few casual words, the old Marquis Xiao did not keep him any longer. When he learned that the old Marquis wanted to leave the mansion for a stroll, he readily agreed.
"What's past is past. Jinghong has already forgiven you, so naturally I won't hold a grudge."
"But now that you're with the Xiao family, you should rest assured and avoid places like the south of the city."
Chen Yi nodded in agreement.
If he hadn't been thinking of going out for some entertainment, he wouldn't have gone to any brothels or entertainment districts.
Not long after, Chen Yi left the quiet house with Xiao Wuge.
After pondering for a moment, Lord Xiao asked to invite Zhang Xuan and Sun Fu over.
Duke Zhang Xuan rushed over, eagerly asking, "How did it go? Did your grandson-in-law agree?"
Sun Fu laughed and scolded, "You are also a Duke, how can you scheme against a junior like this? Aren't you ashamed?"
Zhang Xuan, far from being ashamed, said with pride, "If I could get a poem just like Lao Xiao's, I would risk everything."
Lord Xiao glared at him, "You old rascal, I can tell you're up to no good the moment you bend over."
"Go ahead and enjoy it. Chen Yi has agreed, but we'll see how you handle things afterward. They come to pay their respects, and you, instead, bring up Chen Xuanji."
"Don't worry, don't worry, I know what to do..."
...
After leaving the quiet residence, Chen Yi, along with Xiao Wuge and the others, went straight back to the Spring Lotus Garden. Along the way, they occasionally overheard some gossip:
"The second son-in-law's birthday poem has spread throughout Shuzhou City. I heard that many scholars feel it's a pity that someone with such talent would marry into our Xiao family."
"What's a pity? The family treats the son-in-law quite well."
"That's true, but it's hard to silence what people say. I wonder if the second young lady is still angry that her fiancé ran away from the wedding."
"It's probably not possible..."
There are no secrets in a home; if you don't deliberately try to stop things, they will naturally become known to everyone very quickly.
Fortunately, these words were mostly positive, so Chen Yi didn't pay much attention to them.
But when he arrived outside Chunhe Garden, he saw Uncle Gui, with his hunched back, walking out of Jiaxing Garden.
Um?
Chen Yi paused, and said naturally, "Brother Xing, please prepare to get off the carriage. I will be going out of the manor with the young marquis in a little while."
If he remembers correctly, he would come over before dawn to clean up the clutter in the backyard.
Something unusual must be going on—it seems that the secret letter sent out by the "Hidden Guards" earlier has received a response.
(End of this chapter)
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