Chapter 115: Who could blame them when their family had produced such a formidable figure?

Chapter 115: Who could blame them when their family had produced such a formidable figure?

It seems that every major family has one or two profligates; the Sun family's was this Seventh Son. Skilled in indulgence, he recently lost money at the gambling house and, in desperation, stole his father's porcelain to sell.

Fearing capture, he dared not pawn it in the capital but thought to sell it in a shop on the outskirts of town. Yet just outside the city gates, his wares were smashed by a passing ox cart, the porcelain shattered, and the one who collided with him too poor to pay.

In a fit of rage, he took the matter to the magistrate of Jingzhao. That magistrate was a shrewd man, well-acquainted with the city's rakes and could tell at a glance that the cart driver was at fault. Without a second word, he had the man arrested.

"The Seventh Son is now beside himself with worry," whispered Sun Xinjue's attendant, "The porcelain is gone and his gambling debt remains unpaid."

Sun Xinjue snorted, "He deserves it."

But as it was a disgraceful matter for the family, Sun Xinjue chose not to disclose it to Xiao Yuchen, merely saying that since it concerned a relative, a simple notice would suffice to release the person from custody.

Having honed his observational skills over time, Xiao Yuchen guessed there was more to the story, but he didn't ask. Instead, he produced a banknote worth five hundred taels of silver, offering it as compensation for the porcelain.

Sun Xinjue, of course, refused to accept it. Xiao Yuchen was considering how he might later return the favor with a gift of equivalent value when a young man of about eighteen or nineteen burst in. Spotting the banknote on the table, he pocketed it without a word, declaring, "Big brother, this is their compensation to me, I'm taking it!"

Having said that, he dashed off. Sun Xinjue was both infuriated and embarrassed, knowing full well the porcelain wasn't worth five hundred taels. But with the money taken, he resolved to send gifts to the Marquis of Yongning's mansion in recompense.

With the matter resolved, Xiao Yuchen took his leave and returned to his residence, while Sun Xinjue sent word to the magistrate to release the imprisoned individual.

By the time Xiao Yuchen returned to the Marquis's mansion, the eldest Lu had been released from prison. Old Man Lu and the couple Lu Daqiang, seeing their son free, were moved to tears, having feared they might never see him again.

On this occasion, the entire family knelt and kowtowed to Xiao Yuchen, unable to be stopped by any means.

Seeing the matter through to the end, Xiao Yuchen arranged for a carriage to take the Lu family home. Afterwards, he went to the rear courtyard to see Tang Shuyi. He recounted his visit to the Sun family, then asked, "Mother, why involve yourself in this matter?"

Tang Shuyi replied, "Tell me,

Xiao Yuchen paused briefly before responding, "Is mother being cautious just in case? But even if they were alive, we have nothing to fear."

Tang Shuyi sighed, but how could one overlook the formidable figure that had emerged from that family? The protagonist of that book was the eldest grandson of that family. In the story, he rose from poverty, and upon reaching the capital, first became a disciple of the great scholar Fang, then participated in the imperial examinations and emerged as the top scholar of his year.

He then entered the Hanlin Academy and, within a year, caught the emperor’s eye and was promoted to the Central Secretariat. Subsequently, he seized a marquisate and ultimately joined the cabinet, becoming a renowned statesman of his era.

Such a character was not someone Tang Shuyi could afford to overlook, though it wasn’t exactly fear that he felt. However, he had no desire to offend him either. The best outcome would be for everyone to get along well. But it was uncertain what the other party thought.

That same old saying – she had extended her goodwill, now it was time to see what they would do when the moment came.

"There's no need for apprehension," Tang Shuyi responded to Xiao Yuchen, "It's just a convenient gesture, a way of building good karma."

Xiao Yuchen nodded, and Tang Shuyi added, "Tomorrow I’ll make a trip to the Marquis of Wuyang’s residence and inform your maternal uncles about this matter."

The old marchioness's maternal family had the right to be informed of this affair.

Meanwhile, Old Man Lu and Lu Daqiang's family of three sat in the warm carriage, whispering among themselves.

Sister-in-law Lu said, “I didn't expect that marchioness to actually take care of our affairs. She really is a great benefactor.”

Lu Daqiang turned to his son, Lu Niu, and asked, "Did the marquisate spend any money?"

“According to the servants of the Sun family, the heir of the marquisate compensated the Suns with five hundred taels of silver,” replied Lu Niu.

“My goodness!” exclaimed Sister-in-law Lu in shock before lowering her voice and asking, “Five hundred taels? Are you sure it’s five hundred?”

Lu Niu nodded, and the Lu family fell silent, having never seen so much silver in their lives. After a while, Old Man Lu said, “Let’s just keep this in our hearts.”

That’s all they could do, keep it in their hearts; even selling their entire family wouldn’t cover five hundred taels of silver.

………

The next day, Tang Shuyi, accompanied by Xiao Yuzhu, visited the Marquis of Wuyang’s residence. Upon seeing Xiao Yuzhu, the marchioness hugged her tightly and said, “Just yesterday, I was saying that after the New Year, when your mourning period ends, I’ll have the girls take Yuzhu out to have some fun.”

Tang Shuyi smiled and said, “She’s been looking forward to it. We bought a horse a few days ago, and she’s just waiting for the weather to warm up to learn riding.”

The Marchioness of Wuyang laughed heartily and, looking at Xiao Yuzhu, said, “Learn well, and after you've mastered it, you can join us in playing polo. Your grandmother was quite skilled at it back in the day.”

Xiao Yuzhu nodded with a smile, and the marchioness patted her head and had some girls her age take her to play. After the young girls left, Tang Shuyi chatted with the Marchioness of Wuyang about family matters, then said, “Aunt, you must be aware of the matter concerning my father-in-law’s previous wife, right?”

Lady Wu of Wuyang nodded, "What, has the person been found?"

Tang Shuyi shook her head, "No, but a brother from her maternal family had some trouble and sought out our Marquis' estate."

She recounted the incident between the Lu family and the Sun family and added, "Since they've come to us, we can't ignore them. Besides, it wasn't a major issue, so I sent Yuchen to the Sun family. After that, the person was released."

"You're always so cautious," Lady Wu of Wuyang said, "It's been decades without any news, what can be done even if they're found? Your father-in-law is no longer with us, just give them some money, you're already too kind-hearted."

In her heart, Tang Shuyi thought, who asked them to have such a formidable person in their family?

"I just found it quite pitiable," Tang Shuyi said.

Lady Wu of Wuyang didn't take the matter seriously and started discussing other topics with a laugh, "Several families have inquired about Yuchen's marriage prospects. What are your thoughts? Why not host a banquet after the mourning period, to choose a suitable match?"

Tang Shuyi couldn't help but smile wryly, being attractive indeed made one popular!

"I'm thinking of waiting until after the imperial examination to consider his marriage," she said, "We're all family here, you know what kind of person he is. He's going to be the head of the Marquis' estate in the future; there's a lot he needs to learn and practice. Let's wait; after all, it's not too late for a man to marry at twenty."

"That's true," Lady Wu of Wuyang agreed, "Experiencing more will help him shoulder responsibilities. Traveling abroad isn't a bad idea either. What about Yuming, what do you think?"

"His temperament needs even more refinement," Tang Shuyi said.

Lady Wu of Wuyang laughed, "Yuming is still young, he'll improve as he grows up."

………

After chatting for a while, Tang Shuyi took Xiao Yuzhu and bid farewell to return to their estate.