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

Chapter 227: Outstanding Young Man

A few days after his son's full-month celebration, Xu Jingqiu's younger brother Xu Xiancheng came to Pingyang City.

The Autumn Garden has ended, and Xu Xiancheng did not pass the exam this time. Logically, Xu Xiancheng should be in a bad mood after failing the exam, but in fact, when Zhu Shenzhui saw Xu Xiancheng, he found that this boy was cheerful and did not seem to be hit by the failure at all.

"You kid, why are you still smiling when you didn't pass the exam?"

"Brother-in-law, look at what you said. Only God knows whether I will pass the exam or not. How old am I this year? I was lucky to pass the exam last time. If I pass the exam again this time, I will be eligible to participate in the joint exam. Once I pass the joint exam, I will pass the palace exam and become a Jinshi and enter the officialdom. How many Jinshis of my age can there be in the world?"

Xu Xiancheng smiled and shook his head: "I have no intention of passing the imperial examination this time. Even if I pass by chance, I will not take part in the imperial examination immediately. After all, I am still too young. It is really too early to enter the officialdom at this age..."

Shaking his head, Xu Xiancheng continued, "Think about the time when Zhang Taiyue was a young scholar, he took part in the provincial examination, but he failed due to the obstruction of Huguang Governor Gu Lin. Could it be that Lord Gu did this because he couldn't bear to see Zhang Taiyue pass the examination? Was he jealous of Zhang Taiyue? Quite the opposite! Lord Gu did this because he loved talents. He didn't want Zhang Taiyue to pass the examination so easily at such a young age. He hoped that he would hone his skills and become a great talent."

"I am not talented. I think I am not as talented as Zhang Taiyue. But I know that being successful at an early age is not a good thing. It is better for me to calm down and settle down for three years, and wait for the next exam. Then everything will come naturally."

Zhu Shenzhui didn't expect that his young brother-in-law would say such a thing, and he couldn't help but look at him with admiration.

To be honest, from before their marriage to now, Zhu Shenzhui and Xu Xiancheng have only met a few times, and each time they met they only chatted for a few sentences, and the contact between the two sides was not deep.

Zhu Shenzhu had a good impression of Xu Xiancheng. He thought his brother-in-law was different from ordinary scholars and had some ambitious ideas. But he never expected Xu Xiancheng to say such a thing and have such an idea, which surprised Zhu Shenzhu.

"What does my father-in-law say?"

"My father naturally supports me, so you don't have to worry, brother-in-law." Xu Xiancheng replied with a smile, and then asked impatiently: "Where is my nephew? Come on! Let me take a look."

"Haha, come on, I'll take you to see. This kid can eat and sleep well. Your sister is taking care of him in the house." Zhu Shenzhui greeted him with a smile, took him into the yard and went straight to the house.

After entering the house, Xu Jingqiu was very happy to see her brother and quickly invited him to sit on the kang. Xu Xiancheng was not polite and took off his shoes and got on the kang. Then he saw the child on the inner side of the kang. The little guy was sleeping soundly after eating. The face of the child, who was more than one month old, had grown up. His eyebrows and eyes were very similar to Zhu Shenzhui. His two little hands were raised high to his ears. His little mouth moved in his sleep, as if he was still feeling the taste of milk. He looked at Xu Xiancheng very curiously.

"Sister, my nephew really looks like my brother-in-law!"

"Look at what you said, how could your brother-in-law's son not look like him?" Xu Jingqiu said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Xu Xiancheng immediately laughed when he heard it and raised his hand to scratch his head.

"Is everything okay at home? How are grandma and mom and dad?"

"Everything is fine at home. When the news of the birth of the child reached our family, my parents were extremely happy. My grandmother even burned incense and candles to the Bodhisattva, and said happily that it was the Bodhisattva who blessed my sister to give birth to a son, and asked the Bodhisattva to bless my little nephew to be healthy and free from disasters."

Listening to her brother talking about family matters, Xu Jingqiu's face was full of smiles, but also of longing and sadness. Since marrying into the Zhu family, Xu Jingqiu has never seen her family again. First, Pingyang and Pingshun are not close, and it takes several days to go back and forth. Second, it is not easy to make a trip. Grandma is old, and my parents have to take care of her at home. They can't leave her alone at home, right?
As for visiting them, Xu Jingqiu had thought about it, but after marrying into the royal family, she could not just go back to her parents' home. According to the royal family's rules, she had to report in advance before she could go. Xu Jingqiu was pregnant and it was not convenient for her to walk long distances, so she was delayed.

Now that the child is born and even the full moon banquet has been held, his grandmother and parents have yet to see the child. This cannot help but make Xu Jingqiu think a lot.

Zhu Shenzhui held Xu Jingqiu's hand and gave her a reassuring look. Zhu Shenzhui had planned this a long time ago. Winter was approaching, so it would definitely not be possible this year. He would take his wife and children to Pingshun when the road became easier to travel in the spring of next year.

It is possible to go to Pingyang by yourself at any time. After all, the identity of a royal family cannot stop Zhu Shenzhui. Every time Zhu Shenzhui travels, he uses an alias or other identities, and never travels with his royal family identity. Anyway, his alias and other identities are real, and Wang Rong and Zhou Anmin are behind him when he travels in Shanxi, so nothing will go wrong. Even if he goes to the grassland for business, there will be no problem. But it is different to take your wife and children back to your parents' home. This is a legitimate trip. The royal family of the Ming Dynasty has rules, and you cannot leave your fiefdom without permission. Although Zhu Shenzhui's royal family status is not high, it is only a middle and lower-level royal family title, which is much freer than the high-level royal family such as princes, dukes, and generals, but if he takes his wife and children away from Pingyang without reporting, it will be a crime once the court knows about it.

Zhu Shenzhui's hint made Xu Jingqiu feel relieved, and the smile on her face was much more relaxed. Xu Xiancheng, who was standing by, noticed this. He didn't say anything, but he was very happy in his heart. His sister and brother-in-law were in love, and now they had a nephew. This was the best thing for his sister. He, as a younger brother, could also feel relieved. Moreover, his brother-in-law had no airs of a royal family since they met. He was not only good to his sister, but also to himself and his parents. As a younger brother, he was naturally happy that his sister had such a marriage.

Xu Jingqiu was very happy about Xu Xiancheng's arrival. After giving birth, Xu Jingqiu's mood improved a little, and she seemed to have a little bit of postpartum depression. Although it was not serious, Zhu Shenzhu still kept it in his heart and helped Xu Jingqiu find a way to recover.

Now that Xu Xiancheng was here, the joy of seeing her brother instantly washed away all the slight melancholy, especially when Xu Xiancheng said he would stay here for a while, Xu Jingqiu was even happier. She said directly that winter was coming soon, so she would let Xu Xiancheng stay until the beginning of next spring, and then they and Xu Xiancheng would go back to Pingshun to visit their parents.

This suggestion was agreed by Zhu Shenzhu. It was naturally no problem for Xu Xiancheng to stay for a few more days. The Zhu family's current conditions were no better than before, so there was no problem in supporting one more person. Moreover, Xu Jingqiu's recovery would be faster with Xu Xiancheng around. Why not agree?
After a little hesitation, Xu Xiancheng agreed to the suggestion of Zhu Shenzui and his wife, and thus he stayed there.

His residence was in the wing next to Zhu Shenzhu's. The room had been tidied up and was fully furnished. What surprised Xu Xiancheng was that there were quite a few books. Apart from the Four Books and Five Classics, most of these books were history books, miscellaneous books, and even military books. Xu Xiancheng was never a bookworm. He liked to read miscellaneous books on weekdays. When he saw these books, he couldn't help but pick up one and read it. He was fascinated for a while.

"Little brother, is there anything missing in your room? If there is anything missing, just tell me and I will ask someone to arrange it." Xu Jingqiu talked a lot with his brother. When his brother went to the next room to put the luggage, Xu Jingqiu, who was a little tired, lay down and fell asleep.

After she fell asleep, Zhu Shenzhui looked at the child again and saw that the child was still sleeping soundly. He got off the kang quietly, went out, turned right and went to the next room.

As soon as he entered the room, Zhu Shenzhui started asking. At that time, Xu Xiancheng was holding a book and reading it intently. Zhu Shenzhui didn't even notice him when he came in. He only looked up when he heard his voice.

"Oh... brother-in-law, you don't have to worry. Everything is ready in the house. I also brought my luggage, so I don't need anything."

"Okay, you stay here first. If you feel like you need anything, just tell me. We're all family, so don't be polite."

"Haha, brother-in-law, don't worry, I won't be polite with you. If I want something, I will come to you directly." Xu Xiancheng said generously without being pretentious. This attitude made Zhu Shenzhui very satisfied.

Seeing Xu Xiancheng holding a book in his hand, Zhu Shenzhui asked him what he was reading. Xu Xiancheng smiled and said that he saw many books in the room when he entered the room, so he took one to read. He didn't expect that he would be so fascinated by it that he didn't even come back to his senses when Zhu Shenzhui entered the room.

As he said this, he closed the book in his hand and showed it to Zhu Shenzhui. Only then did Zhu Shenzhui see the title of the book written on the cover. Wasn't this book his own "Jixiao New Book"?

This wing room was usually used by Zhu Shenzhui as a study room. Today, when Xu Xiancheng came, he temporarily cleaned up this room. Anyway, it was a study room, and Xu Xiancheng was a scholar, so the books inside were not moved out. But Xu Xiancheng didn't take any other books, but took this book.

"Can you understand this book?" Zhu Shenzhui asked curiously after sitting down.

"I have heard of General Qi's book a long time ago, but this is the first time I have seen it. I just read some of it, and I can't say I understand it, but I can say I have gained a lot of insights." Xu Xiancheng replied embarrassedly.

"Oh, then tell me what you have realized?" Zhu Shenzhui immediately became interested. He had bought this book a few years ago and he would read it from time to time in recent years. He couldn't say that he knew all the contents of the book by heart, but he knew them in great detail.

Moreover, when Zhu Shenzui was trying to train troops in Wangjia Village before, he combined the methods of later generations with what was written in this book and tried it himself. Although due to the lack of actual operation, some things were not done well, especially the formations and the use of war described in the book, he had never understood it before. It was not until later that he invited Lao Jin and others from Yiwu. These three veterans started training troops in Zhaowuling. Zhu Shenzui witnessed the actual operation with his own eyes, and with their explanations, he finally realized the exquisiteness of what was written in this book.

When Zhu Shenzhui asked, Xu Xiancheng did not refuse and immediately talked about his own feelings. Zhu Shenzhui did not care at first, but as Xu Xiancheng opened his mouth, the more he listened, the more surprised he was. He never thought that his brother-in-law actually understood the content of the book so deeply. Not only did he speak clearly, but he also had unique insights on some key points, which really surprised him.

(End of this chapter)