Chapter 82: My Son Bears the Bearing of a Great Emperor (8)

Old Xu did not want to become someone remembered by Cui Ge.

He was utterly vexed at the moment, and yet the young man came to his door with the token in his hand.

The boy, barely thirteen or fourteen, was neither quite grown nor truly a child, and his looks were decent, even his bearing was admirable. Yet his clothes spoke of poverty—washed so many times they had faded, the hems of his trousers beneath his long robe bore the unmistakable marks of mending. Once, his family had been one Xu had hoped to attach himself to; how had they fallen so low?

Old Xu had been tempered by experience. With a broad smile, he asked a servant to escort his esteemed nephew to rest, then returned to the inner courtyard, brows furrowed, burdened with worry.

Madam Xu was already waiting for him.

“My lord, you wish for a Xu daughter to marry into the Qin family. I do not object; we have many daughters, and to marry off one or two is no matter. But Yinglan’s marriage cannot be handled so carelessly. Yinglan is the elder sister of Yingshi, your only true son. The twins have always been close. If you wish not to harm your bond with Yingshi, you must treat Yinglan well.”

Old Xu rolled his eyes in silence. “What nonsense are you talking? Just find a female relative from one of the collateral branches, as long as she bears the Xu name and is somewhat related to us, who would really marry off their own daughter? The Qin man isn’t even a Cui; he’s merely Cui Ge’s brother-in-law, Cui Ge his little brother-in-law. Is it worth it for me to rush and send my own daughter to be his concubine? Besides, how long has Qin Youde been here? His reputation for debauchery is already known far and wide. Why curry favor with him? He’s useless.”

Madam Xu knew that Old Xu likely would not send his own daughter to be a concubine; he had too much pride for that. But there was always the chance of the unexpected.

Now that she had his assurance, Madam Xu explained her purpose: “I speak of the Wen boy who came today. The Wen family fell long ago. Once, like the Cui family, they were noble. The Cui family has risen again, but the Wen family is left with only this boy. Moreover, the Cui family was always the main line, while the Wen family was a collateral branch. Now they seek to rise again by borrowing our influence.

Though I was close to the Wen boy’s mother, many years have passed. The marriage agreement made back then—I absolutely cannot consent to it now. Yinglan is my daughter and yours. You know her nature since childhood; how could she agree to marry a fallen scholar from a destitute household?”

Old Xu grunted, still distracted. Who had time for such matters? His worries were about the emperor’s personally led campaign and the chain reaction caused by Cui Ge’s arrogance.

“Are you even listening to me?” Madam Xu was instantly displeased at his attitude.

Old Xu, though strictly managed by his wife, could occasionally assert himself, as now. He impatiently brushed off Madam Xu’s hand. “If you don’t wish to marry off our daughter, should we simply beat the Wen boy and throw him out? If you wish for people to say you’re opportunistic, arrogant in success, ruining your son’s future and your daughter’s reputation, then go ahead.”

He left, hands behind his back, full of worry, leaving Madam Xu bewildered.

She truly could not understand what he was so anxious about all day. His official rank was neither high nor low; in court, he barely had a voice and was not valued by the emperor. He himself dared not speak much, fearing the erratic emperor would imprison him. He dared not speak in court, yet at home he acted as if burdened with the cares of the nation—who was he performing for?

A few days later, an invitation to a Xu family banquet arrived in Qin Ye’s hands.

Qin Ye was lounging in the sun, petting his sleek, clean, and odorless big black dog.

The steward delivering the invitation did so respectfully.

Qin Ye had attended many gatherings, but none were particularly enjoyable. Everyone both looked down on him and tried to curry favor, believing him a fool who couldn’t see through their disdain.

It was tedious.

But this was the first invitation from the Xu family.

According to Qin Ye’s understanding, this Xu family was the very one where the female lead resided.

The stories of young boys and girls—these were older than his own brood. His eldest was barely ten, while the heroine should be in her early teens. The larger the household, the earlier they began selecting matches.

Many girls were betrothed and married at twelve or thirteen, living with their husband’s family until fifteen or sixteen before sharing a room. Some parents, reluctant to part with their daughters, kept them until coming of age before matchmaking.

For noble families, there were always suitors hoping to marry their daughters. After all, the prestige of such families increased one’s own standing.

Qin Ye had heard a rumor upon entering the capital: a certain Duke, newly risen, first sought to trace his ancestry. Afterward, he sought to marry a daughter from the illustrious Zheng family for his son. The Zhengs set many trials, and their pride nearly led to enmity.

That feud should have been inevitable, but the Zhengs offered a collateral branch daughter as a concubine to the Duke’s heir. When the principal daughter grew up, she would marry as the official wife—not hindering the Duke’s hopes for grandchildren, nor offending the Zhengs, who would not tolerate the birth of a legitimate son before their daughter entered the household.

It was a concession from the Zhengs. The Duke accepted.

The Zhengs had lost much of their power, their reputation sustained only by past glory, but their intangible prestige forced even a Duke to bend and flatter.

The Xu family was not as prominent as the Zhengs; their daughters weren’t sought by a hundred families, but there was no worry about marriage. Old Xu was, after all, Minister of Rites.

Xu Yinglan’s marriage was not yet settled, but Madam Xu had begun searching for matches.

Yet at this moment, Wen Baiyu arrived with the token, unsettling Madam Xu.

Her unease stemmed from the fear that Old Xu, for the sake of appearances, might truly accept the match and marry their daughter to Wen Baiyu.

That, Madam Xu could never accept.

Thus, Wen Baiyu temporarily stayed at the Xu household, while Old Xu instructed Madam Xu to host a banquet for Qin Ye.

He sought out a colorful pheasant, intending to gift it to Qin Ye.

After all, Qin Ye was known for his love of cockfighting, and the pheasant was both fierce and beautiful—a perfect gift.

Qin Ye was indeed pleased—only the big black dog saw through it all; whether colorful or pitch-black, it would all become a dish in the end.

In the midst of feasting, a commotion arose behind them.

Old Xu, proud as ever, frowned and barked, “What’s all this noise? Do you not know I am hosting Master Qin today?”

A servant whispered in his ear, and Old Xu’s face darkened, though he forced a smile as he apologized to Qin Ye. “Forgive me, something has happened at home. I must excuse myself for a moment.”

“Ah, if I go with you, then you won’t be left alone, will you?” Qin Ye grabbed his arm.

Old Xu looked at his hand, then at Qin Ye’s sunny face—unable to tell if Qin Ye was truly simple-minded or merely pretending.

Normally, when the host excuses himself, the guest graciously allows him to attend to his affairs, without prying. Yet Qin Ye acted as if eager to witness a spectacle.

The two stared at each other; Old Xu, unable to free himself, was forced to go along.

Xu Yinglan, whip in hand, was beating someone. The servants urged her to stop, but she ignored them, lashing the boy below again and again.

“How dare a ruined wretch come here to claim kinship? Today I’ll teach you what happens when a toad covets swan meat.”

Xu Yinglan had always been spoiled, her mother doted, her father indulged—she had never known disappointment.

Suddenly hearing that someone arrived with a token, claiming to be her fiancé, and that her father allowed him to stay in their home—Xu Yinglan exploded. Her dream was to become a noblewoman in the palace, not to be tied to a fallen household.

Upon receiving the news, she could not be stopped, disregarding all propriety, and charged straight to the courtyard where Wen Baiyu stayed.

Without distinguishing reason, she sought to beat him first.

Wen Baiyu’s family fell when he was young; his father took up gambling, unable to keep a penny in the house. After losing everything one drunken night, his father stumbled into a river and drowned—thus ending his misery.

His mother, gravely ill, died soon after, entrusting him with a jade pendant she had hidden, which his father had not found and pawned. She instructed him to seek kin in the capital.

Wen Baiyu had not come to marry into the Xu family; he simply had nowhere else to go.

Yet encountering Xu Yinglan, whether he sought kinship or not, he incurred her wrath. If he sought it, she hated him; if he did not, she hated him more, thinking herself generous for not minding his poverty, only for him to reject her.

In short, Wen Baiyu could do nothing right.

But he was truly desperate, seeking refuge in the Xu household—a mouth more or less mattered little to them, and could be seen as an investment; should he achieve fame in the future, it would be no harm to them.

"Stop," Old Xu shouted, his voice deep and resonant, but it was useless—Xu Yinglan paid him no heed.

"Don’t think my father’s arrival can stop me. Today, I’ll make sure you can’t get out of bed."

Old Xu cherished his daughter deeply, otherwise he wouldn’t have chosen a courtesy name for her in advance, unlike other families who simply called their daughters by numbers until marriage, when they received proper names.