Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 128 Jingqiu
That night, Zhu Shenzhui and Zhou Anmin had a good drink and spoke many of their inner thoughts over the wine. Zhou Anmin even drank too much and tentatively asked Zhu Shenzhui what he was thinking.

Although Zhu Shenzhui had drunk a little, his mind was clear, and he smiled and made up a random excuse. However, Zhou Anmin obviously didn't believe it, he looked at Zhu Shenzhui meaningfully, and after a moment he laughed and patted Zhu Shenzhui on the shoulder, saying that no matter what the younger brother wanted to do, he, as his brother-in-law, would help him.

Zhu Shenzhui was very moved by this sentence, but even so, he remained tight-lipped and did not reveal his inner thoughts. After all, what Zhu Shenzhui was thinking was really horrifying, let alone Zhou Anmin, I am afraid no one in the world would believe Zhu Shenzhui's judgment.

On the second day, Zhu Shencui slept until noon. After having dinner, he went to Pingshun City.

Zhou Anmin and his sister Zhu Xiuer still need to make some preparations, and they will set off tomorrow. Since they are here, Zhu Shenzhui has to visit Yue's family according to etiquette. Although they haven't gotten married yet, the marriage has been decided. It would be fine if he stayed in Pingyang, but now that he is in Pingshun, it would be unreasonable if he didn't go to Yue's family.

Carrying several newly bought gifts, Zhu Shenzhui entered Pingshun City. The Yue family had come here once before, and that was last year when they came with their sister and brother-in-law.

This time, Zhu Shenzhui found the place easily. After passing the street intersection in front and walking a short distance to the east, the ordinary house on the right was the Yue family.

"Sister...brother-in-law?" Just as he was about to walk over, a voice suddenly rang out. Zhu Shenzhu was startled and turned his head to look to the left.

"Are you... Xiancheng?" A young man with a familiar face. Zhu Shenzhu was slightly stunned when he saw him, but soon remembered who this young man was in his mind.

Isn't this my future brother-in-law Xu Xiancheng? I met him last time when I came with my sister and brother-in-law, and he left a deep impression on me.

"It really is my brother-in-law!" Xu Xiancheng took a few quick steps and came forward. He was just fifteen years old this year. Nowadays, people's age refers to their virtual age, so his actual age is only fourteen.

He was wearing a gray cloth robe and holding two books in his hands, and it seemed that he had just returned from outside.

He greeted Xu Xiancheng with a smile, and his eyes couldn't help but look at the book he was holding.

"I went to see the teacher earlier. I want to give it a try in the autumn examination this year." Xu Xiancheng replied with a shy smile.

Zhu Shenzhui suddenly realized that Xu Xiancheng was already a student. If he passed the autumn examination, he would be a scholar. If he passed the provincial examination, he would be a juren. Once he passed the ju, he could participate in the metropolitan examination. If he passed the metropolitan examination, he would be able to enter the officialdom. The subsequent palace examination would only result in a different ranking.

This is how scholars enter official careers, relying on their own abilities and luck to pass the exams step by step. But each step is not so easy to take, and many people have not succeeded after studying for a lifetime. Even Xu Xiancheng's father, Zhu Shenzhu's father-in-law, was only a scholar in his life, not even a juren.

Although Xu Xiancheng is young, he has more talent for studying than his father. Moreover, he passed the imperial examination last year and can be considered a child prodigy.

He couldn't help but praise him a few times. Xu Xiancheng was shy, and the young man felt a little embarrassed after hearing the compliments. After chatting for a while, he asked Zhu Shenzhui when he came to Pingshun, and whether he came to visit his home today.

Zhu Shenzhui smiled and told him that he had come yesterday. Because it was getting late, he stayed overnight at his sister's house outside the city. Now he had brought gifts after entering the city. As for whether he would come to visit his family, was there any need to say? In Pingshun, apart from his sister's family outside the city, his family was his only relative.

Chatting and laughing, the two men arrived at the door. Xu Xiancheng walked forward and knocked on the door twice, but a young girl opened the door.

Zhu Shenzui had never seen this girl before. She looked somewhat similar to Xu Xiancheng, with delicate features and a generous demeanor. Although her appearance was not particularly outstanding, she could be considered a pretty beauty.

When they opened the door, the three of them were stunned.

When the girl saw Zhu Shenzhui and Xu Xiancheng, she was a little confused for a moment. Xu Xiancheng was also quite surprised, as he did not expect that it was she who opened the door.

"Little brother, who is this..." As soon as the girl opened her mouth, Zhu Shenzhui immediately understood who she was. Wasn't this Xu Xiancheng's sister, his fiancée Xu Jingqiu? Although the two were engaged, if it weren't for the national mourning, they would have been married now.

In this era, marriage was a matter of parents' decision, and the two parties would not meet before the wedding. Only on the wedding day when the groom lifted the bride's veil could they see the bride's appearance. Although Zhu Shenzhu had heard his sister describe Xu Jingqiu's appearance, description was one thing, and seeing the real person was completely different.

Xu Jingqiu, who was standing in front of him, was of medium height. Although she could not be described as beautiful as a flower, she was pretty. Moreover, there was a scholarly air in her eyes and eyebrows, which made her look very elegant. In addition, she spoke in a graceful and elegant manner, which immediately attracted Zhu Shenzhu's attention.

Feeling Zhu Shenzhui looking at her, sizing her up and down, Xu Jingqiu suddenly looked unhappy. After all, she was an unmarried woman, and she was still engaged. If a strange man looked at her with such eyes, what else could he be but a pervert?
When did his brother make such a friend? Xu Jingqiu felt a little embarrassed and annoyed. Just as he was about to ask, Xu Xiancheng at the side spoke.

"Sister, this is my brother-in-law...the one from the Zhu family...haha, what a coincidence, we met him at the street corner..." Xu Jingqiu was stunned for a moment. She was stunned for a moment and suddenly exclaimed, then quickly turned around, covered her face and ran inside.

Before she even got married, she was already seen by her fiancé. If this gets out, it will be so embarrassing. As she ran, Xu Jingqiu was furious. Her younger brother knocked on the door without warning. Who knew Zhu Shenzhui would suddenly come? She didn't think much about it. She was cleaning up in the yard and subconsciously opened the door, and she met Zhu Shenzhui directly.

By the way, Xu Jingqiu had actually seen Zhu Shenzhui before, but that was when Zhu Shenzhui came to her house and she hid aside and took a sneak peek. The two had never met face to face.

Although he had seen him before, he only had a general impression of him. Moreover, Xu Jingqiu was very nervous when he took a peek at him at that time and did not dare to look at him carefully. So it was normal that he did not recognize Zhu Shenzhui at first glance.

Seeing Xu Jingqiu suddenly covering her face and running away, Zhu Shenzhui was stunned for a moment before he reacted and couldn't help feeling embarrassed.

On the contrary, Xu Xiancheng on the side disagreed. Although their Xu family was a family of officials before, the Xu family has long been in decline and is just an ordinary family in Pingshun City.

It's not unusual for a girl from an ordinary family to be in the limelight. There are only a few people in the family. You can't let your daughter be a young lady who does nothing, right? How can your family afford this? Not to mention that your elder sister Xu Jingqiu has been helping with housework since she was a child, and even in the gaps between studying, doesn't she have to do something?
"Let's go, brother-in-law." Seeing Zhu Shenzhui's embarrassed expression, Xu Xiancheng deliberately winked at him and grinned.

Seeing his appearance, Zhu Shenzui felt more favorable towards his brother-in-law. He laughed and returned to normal, patted Xu Xiancheng on the shoulder, and the two of them entered the yard.

When they got inside, the Xu family members who heard the noise came out. When old scholar Xu saw Zhu Shenzhui and his son coming back together, he was stunned, and then his face was full of smiles.

He had met this son-in-law before, and he was quite satisfied with him. Zhu Shenzhui was of high status, a member of the Ming royal family and a noble. He was handsome and had a good temper. In addition, Zhu Shenzhui was respectful and polite to him when they met last time, and he was also well-educated in his conversation. Having such a son-in-law was considered a great achievement for the Xu family.

What's more, he also learned the news that Zhou Anmin was transferred to the Qianhu Suo. This time, Zhou Anmin was promoted to a middle-level official of the Jinyiwei. He also heard that Zhou Anmin's brother-in-law, Wang Rong, Zhu Shenzhui's uncle, also became the commander of Luzhouwei.

In this way, although these are only changes of Zhou Anmin and Wang Rong, they are also related to Zhu Shenzhui. With these relatives who have high status and real power, Zhu Shenzhui's life will be much better in the future. In other words, their Xu family will also be able to benefit in the future.

"The son-in-law greets my father-in-law..." Upon seeing his future father-in-law, Zhu Shenzui hurriedly stepped forward to salute, presented a gift, and behaved in a respectful manner.

Seeing this, Mr. Xu was even happier. He cheerfully called his wife "good son-in-law" and asked her to take the gift Zhu Shencui brought and quickly invited him into the main house.

After entering the house, they made some tea, and the father-in-law and son-in-law sat down and chatted, with Xu Xiancheng accompanying them.

They asked about each other's recent situation, talked about their own family situations, and then talked about the fact that they had first visited Zhou Anmin this time.

They got along very well with each other. During this time, his future mother-in-law even came to visit and said with a smile that she would kill a chicken today and invite Zhu Shenzhu to stay at home for dinner.

Without waiting for Zhu Shenzhui to refuse, Mr. Xu made the decision for him, saying that he was very happy to have him here today and that he must accompany him for a few drinks. Zhu Shenzhui had no choice but to agree.

Before, Xu Jingqiu accidentally met Zhu Shenzhui, and the Xu family already knew that the two had met before their marriage, but no one mentioned it, as if it had never happened.

In the eyes of the Xu family, this marriage is a done deal. Their family is not a wealthy family, and this unexpected meeting was not intentional. It is nothing. Although Xu Laoxiucai is a scholar, he is not a pedantic person. The Xu family is not a rigid family. This kind of thing is tacitly understood by everyone, and there is no need to expose it.

During lunch, Xu asked Zhu Shenzhu about his wedding plan. Zhu Shenzhu had planned this before he came, and he told Xu that the wedding could be arranged in the second half of the year. After all, the national mourning had a great impact on the royal family, and it couldn't be done right away. In addition, he learned today that Xu Xiancheng was going to take part in the autumn examination, so the wedding could be arranged before or after the autumn examination, which would not affect Xu Xiancheng's review for the exam.

Hearing this answer, Xu was even happier. He quickly found the almanac and looked through it. After looking at it for a long time, he asked with a smile, "How about the tenth day of July?" This date is good, and the autumn examination this year is on the ninth day of August, which is exactly one month away. After their wedding, Xu Xiancheng can prepare for the exam with peace of mind.

Zhu Shenzhu had no interest in this marriage before, but after accidentally meeting Xu Jingqiu today, Zhu Shenzhu's attitude changed for some reason. Since Xu said the tenth day of July was a good date, then he would set that date and agreed immediately.

Seeing Zhu Shenzhui agreed so readily, Mr. Xu was overjoyed. He laughed heartily and drank a glass of wine. His face was flushed and he looked radiant.

(End of this chapter)