Chapter 228 – The Road to High Office 28 (Corrections)

Chapter 228 - The Road to High Office 28 (Corrections)

Su Yuheng's reputation for being tough and intimidating in Yanjing was known by everyone. It was also because of this reputation that no one dared to propose a match for him as he neared the age of twenty...

When it comes to how Su Yuheng earned his intimidating reputation, his younger brother, Su Jinheng, played a big role in that.

Although Su Jinheng was sickly, he had been a troublemaker from a young age. He didn’t care for poetry or literature; instead, he loved playing with birds and taking dogs for walks, often wandering around Yanjing without a care.

Su Chengwen had few siblings. Besides his elder sister, who married into the Cheng State Duke's manor, he had only an older brother.

Su Chengwen's older brother was also a sickly scholar. When he was assigned to an official post outside the capital, he died, leaving behind a three-year-old son.

Thus, by Su Yuheng's generation, including his cousin, there were only three grandchildren in the Su family.

It could be said that the three Su family grandchildren were doted on like precious jewels by the elders, and given Su Jinheng's frail health, how could they bear to scold him?

As long as they weren’t breaking the law, the elders turned a blind eye to their actions.

It’s said that the elder brother is like a father. While the elders could turn a blind eye to Jinheng's mischief, Su Yuheng couldn’t. He knew that if no one kept Jinheng in check, the younger brother would act recklessly.

To urge his younger brother to improve, Su Yuheng often chased after Su Jinheng with a whip in hand.

When Su Yuheng struck, he really struck!

Su Jinheng often appeared with injuries at the Imperial Academy. When it was light, he might have two welts on his wrist, and when it was severe, he would have a swollen bottom and a limp.

Whenever the classmates at the Imperial Academy asked what happened, they always received the same answer — he was beaten by his elder brother at home.

Over time, everyone at the Imperial Academy knew how fierce Su Yuheng was, likening him to a mother tiger.

Su Yuheng's behavior wasn’t without reprimand from the Su family, but Su Yuheng was a sharp-tongued individual. Whenever the elders tried to advise him, he would counter with various grand principles, such as "indulging a child is akin to killing it" and "spare the rod, spoil the child," leaving Su Chengwen and the others both amused and exasperated.

There are no secrets in the Imperial Academy. Once the young masters of Yanjing spread the word, the upper-class official families naturally became aware of the formidable nature of the Su family's elder brother, and they would consciously avoid proposing marriage.

Of course, these were all private matters.

What truly made Su Yuheng famous was when, at the age of fifteen, he led the family servants straight to the Imperial Academy and gave the son of Censor Li a severe beating, leaving the boy bedridden for three days.

As for the cause?

It began when Li He, the son of Censor Li, gossiped at the Imperial Academy, saying that Su Yuheng was like a mother tiger and deserved to remain unmarried, destined to become a second wife.

Honestly, even if people didn’t approve of Su Yuheng, he was still an unmarried young master. Most people would avoid the topic out of respect, but who would dare say something like that out loud like Li He did?

Unfortunately, these words reached Su Jinheng's ears, and he confronted Li He in anger.

Su Jinheng was three or four years younger than Li He and, being frail, was pushed into the lotus pond during their argument.

Li He, relying on his older age, threatened the others not to rescue Su Jinheng, wanting him to "sober up" in the water and realize his place.

Su Jinheng spent a few moments in the lotus pond until his cousin, Su Jinyu, received the news, jumped into the pond, and rescued him.

Su Jinyu didn’t have time to confront Li He; he immediately took Su Jinheng to the academy's instructor and called for a doctor.

In the cold winter month, after spending a few moments in the water, Su Jinheng developed a high fever. Ordinary doctors didn’t dare to prescribe any strong medicine, only providing some cooling herbal teas.

The instructor arranged a carriage to send the Su brothers back home. Upon their return, Su Lao Ye (Old Master Su) immediately went to the palace to request an imperial physician.

Upon learning what had transpired from Su Jinyu, Su Yuheng stormed to the Imperial Academy... thus earning his fame.

The Su family and the Li family caused quite a stir in the court because of this incident. It wasn't until the Sage intervened, using the pretext that Li Deputy Censor had failed to teach his son properly, demoting him to Vice Censor of the Left, that the matter was finally laid to rest.

Unlike the Li family, which had many sons, Su Chengwen had only one. If this only son were lost, the Su family would be devastated, and the Li Deputy Censor would likely face a difficult time as well.

After all, when Su Jinheng returned home, an imperial doctor was on standby, and it took three full days for his high fever to break.

Xu Zeli caught the peach-colored winter jasmine flower and, in front of everyone, tucked a blossom behind his ear, revealing a gentle smile. "Do I look good?"

Su Yuheng was initially dazed by the smile but then fiercely said, "You look awful! Don't smile!"

The young ladies and gentlemen of Yanjing had long heard that Su Yuheng had been betrothed to a scholar from a humble background, and many had secretly mocked him, guessing that this scholar must be short and ugly to have remained unmarried at twenty-four!

Now, seeing the Tanhua (third-place scholar) on horseback, they exclaimed—they could have a chance too!

Xu Zeli didn't get angry. A gentle smile remained on his lips as he waved goodbye to Su Yuheng.

He still remembered from his previous life that Yuheng would always fiercely tell him not to smile outside. If he dared to smile like that outdoors, he would definitely find finger marks on his arm the next day.

"Tanhua, stop smiling. We're already far away," Wang Zhouyou said, eyeing Xu Zeli's gentle smile with suspicion. Who in their right mind liked such a fierce tigress?

In his opinion, although Su Yuheng was beautiful, she was far too domineering. She was always brandishing her whip, and just the thought of it coming down made his legs feel weak.

Looking at the Tanhua's slender, tall figure, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. "Tanhua, if you're being forced into this, just say so. I'll go beg the Sage to grant you a gentle and virtuous concubine."

Wu Tian Ding, seeing Wang Zhouyou talking to Xu Zeli, shot a cold glance in his direction. He tightened the reins and squeezed the horse's belly with his legs, causing the horse to jerk its head back.

Startled, Wang Zhouyou almost fell off his horse.

Fortunately, Xu Zeli was quick to support him. "Wu Tian Ding!" Wang Zhouyou turned around angrily.

Wu Tian Ding offered an apologetic smile, his voice filled with regret. "I'm sorry, Top Scholar, I accidentally squeezed the horse's belly just now."

With everyone watching, Wang Zhouyou couldn't explode, so he angrily flicked the reins, urging his horse to move faster.

Xu Zeli and Wu Tian Ding followed closely behind on their horses.

The news of Xu Zeli and Ding Yiqiang's success in the imperial examinations reached Qingshui Town, Heluo County, on April 18.

The sound of celebratory gongs and drums announcing the good news echoed throughout Qingshui Town as officials went back and forth to deliver the news to the Xu and Ding families.

Hearing the sounds of congratulations, Xu Zeping generously rewarded the two officials with five taels of silver.

The officials weighed the money bags in their hands and smiled as they congratulated Xu Zeping. "Congratulations to your family, Lord Xu Zeli, for achieving third place in the imperial examination. We wish Lord Xu Zeli a bright future and great success!"

After some small talk with the officials, Xu Zeli had Little Tiger distribute candies and announced loudly, "To celebrate my brother's achievement as Tanhua, my family will be hosting a three-day banquet at Yuelai Restaurant starting tomorrow. We invite all our neighbors to join us!"

..

This was what Xu Songshan had instructed before he left. If they hadn't returned by then, they were to hold a banquet and invite everyone for a meal.

As for the formal ancestral hall ceremony, it would be held when his brother returned, and a lucky date would be chosen to honor the spirits of their ancestors.

Xu Zeping knew that in the Great Jing Dynasty, after a new scholar achieved success in the imperial examination, the leave to return home for ancestral worship could last up to two months, depending on the distance.

Given the distance from Qingshui Town to Shang Jing, his brother should easily be able to take two months off for the ancestral visit.

The last letter from Shang Jing mentioned that his brother had set the date for the wedding ceremony on April 19.

The engagement ceremony was scheduled for April 10.

The engagement ceremony is scheduled for April 13th.

The wedding reception is set for April 19th.

The day before the wedding reception, there is also Su Yuheng's coming-of-age banquet.

After calculating, Xu Zeping realized that from the imperial matchmaking on March 10th to the wedding reception on April 19th, this wedding was rushed.

However, given the long distance from Qingshui Town to Yanjing, it was necessary to hurry things along.

Xu Zeping estimated that they should arrive home the day after the new groom's visit to his parents, so they would arrive around May 24th or 25th.

Upon receiving the message brought by Little Tiger, Xu Zebo and his wife immediately boarded a carriage to head to the Xu Mansion in Qingshui Town to help with the preparations for the next day's banquet.

Xu Songrui and her husband arrived in Qingshui Town the day after the banquet ended.

Before receiving the message, Xu Zeping had already discussed with the Ding family that the banquets would be held on separate days. As the elder brother, Xu Zeli's celebration would be first.

Ding Yiqiang, as the younger brother-in-law, would hold his later.

If both families held their banquets together, it would be overwhelming to handle the influx of merchants.

Although Xu Zeping said it was a flowing water banquet to thank the neighbors for their care, he still couldn't stop the merchants with ulterior motives from presenting extravagant gifts wrapped creatively to congratulate them.

During the three days of the grand banquet, Zhong Ye was responsible for registering and reviewing the gifts, categorizing them for when Xu Songshan and his wife returned to review and distribute them.

Xu Zeping, Xu Zebo, and Ding Yiqiang’s father hosted the male guests.

Jiang Yaya, Cheng Ge Er, and Ding Yiqiang’s mother hosted the female guests.

Xu Zeping had anticipated a lively scene, but he hadn't expected wealthy merchants from Hua Lake Prefecture and Yong'an Prefecture to come to offer their congratulations and build connections.

At first, he couldn't understand why, until a slip of the tongue by Zhong Ye's maternal uncle revealed the reason: "Ah Hye, you've really found a good match. Your fine nephew is marrying the eldest son of Minister Su's family! The Xu family is poised for greatness!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ye's hand trembled, causing a drop of ink to splash on the rice paper.

This remark caused a stir at the Yuelai Inn, making the merchants from Heluo County even more obsequious.

The merchants from Hua Lake Prefecture and Yong'an Prefecture were very polite. Their goal was to make connections, not necessarily to build a close relationship with the Xu family, but at least to avoid offending them and potentially gain favor.

Zhong Ye knew that Xu Songshan and his wife went to Yanjing for Xu Zeli's wedding, and he had thought it would be with a minor official of similar status. He hadn't expected it to be the Su family, who had produced Grand Councilors!

Traditionally, the Minister of Punishments would eventually join the Grand Council, so as long as Su Chengwen didn't make any fatal mistakes, it wouldn't be out of the question for the next Grand Councilor to come from the Su family.

Looking at the merchants with smiling faces, Xu Zeping began to understand why... With the Xu family now allied with the Su family, there would surely be many officials present at the grand ancestral ceremony when his elder brother returns. By then, it wouldn’t be a place for common merchants.