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

Chapter 863 Testing each other
Zhang Xijun saw Xu Hongji struggling to get up, and hurriedly tried to persuade him to stand up, but Xu Hongji refused, saying that Zhang Xijun came on behalf of the emperor and was an angel, and that as a subject, he should pay respect to the angel first, so how could he lie on the couch? He had to stand up and show his courtesy as a subject.

Looking at Xu Hongji's appearance, Zhang Xijun secretly laughed. He had known for a long time that Xu Hongji was indeed ill for many years, but his illness was not that serious. The appearance he put on now was half true and half false, and he was just deliberately putting on this gesture in front of him.

"This old fox!" Zhang Xijun thought to himself, but he was very polite in his words. He comforted Xu Hongji with a few words in a pleasant manner, and said that the emperor had said something to him specifically before he went south, in which the Duke of Wei was mentioned. The Duke of Wei was one of the six founding dukes of the Ming Dynasty. The Duke of Wei's Mansion was as old as the country and was a top noble of the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, the Duke of Wei's Mansion was related to the royal family, and they were all one family.

The emperor knew that Duke Wei had not been in good health in recent years, so he specifically told him to visit Duke Wei's mansion first after arriving in Nanjing. Since Duke Wei was ill, there was no need to insist on paying respects, which was what the emperor had specifically instructed when he left the capital.

In addition, Zhang Xijun came not only to visit Xu Hongji, but also brought greetings from the emperor, including some precious medicines and supplements from the capital. Hearing this, Xu Hongji burst into tears instantly, with a look of gratitude.

Although he did not salute, Xu Hongji still insisted on sitting up on the couch. Zhang Xijun sat beside the couch, took Xu Hongji's hand and started chatting with him.

At first, they just chatted about ordinary pleasantries, including talking about the merits and difficulties of the Duke of Wei's Mansion in serving as the garrison in Nanjing for so many years. In addition, they talked about the origins of the Ming royal family and the Duke of Wei's Mansion, and even talked about the many past events of Xu Da as a meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Xijun looked at Xu Wenjue who was standing aside, and said to Xu Hongji with a smile: "When I entered the mansion, I was received by the young master. The young master is indeed the legitimate son of the master. He looks very handsome and resembles the master. It is a blessing for the Duke of Wei's mansion that the master has such a son!"

"Your Excellency's words are too much. How can my son deserve such praise from you? I am just an average person, not as good as you say. I don't want anything else in my life. I just want my son to inherit the Duke of Wei after I die a hundred years later. I will be satisfied if he doesn't bring disgrace to our ancestors."

"Sir, you are too modest. I don't think the young master is as bad as you say. He is a rare talent, no ordinary person can compare to him. Moreover, he comes from such a noble family as the Duke of Wei's Mansion, so his future is limitless." Zhang Xijun said with a smile.

Xu Hongji denied it repeatedly and shook his head, saying that what Zhang Xijun said was untrue. He knew his son himself and knew that he was not a rare talent. He was just an ordinary person. It would be good enough if he could keep the family business in the future.

The two of them talked about this for a few words, and Zhang Xijun laughed. He turned to ask Xu Wenjue, who was silent, "I think the young master is a rare talent. I wonder what the young master thinks?"

"This..." Xu Wenjue didn't know how to answer for a moment. He secretly glanced at his father. In fact, Xu Wenjue heard everything Zhang Xijun said to him just now, and he was very happy in his heart.

In Xu Wenjue's opinion, he is not as bad as his father said. He is very happy when others praise him, and he often thinks so, thinking that he still has some strengths. However, Xu Hongji always opposes and belittles himself, which makes Xu Wenjue feel uncomfortable. Although he also knows that this is his father's humble words, it makes Xu Wenjue feel embarrassed to say it in front of outsiders.

Now Zhang Xijun asked him directly, Xu Wenjue was stunned and didn't know how to answer. In his heart, he wanted to agree with Zhang Xijun's judgment of him, but he was afraid of his father. After hesitating for a long time, he could only smile and laugh.

"This idiot!" Xu Hongji sighed in his heart. What was his son thinking? He didn't understand? He was obviously overwhelmed by Zhang Xijun's few words. He actually thought he was a rare talent.

Xu Hongji was already alert when Zhang Xijun came. He acted like this to tell Zhang Xijun that he was old and in poor health and basically no longer cared about foreign affairs. He wanted Zhang Xijun not to put effort into his side. He was a dying old man and didn't want to get involved in anything. There was no need for him to come to him. Everyone knew it.

But he didn't expect Zhang Xijun to be more difficult than he thought. He held his hand and talked a lot. Although he didn't mention anything else, Xu Hongji was a man who didn't know Zhang Xijun's intentions. Zhang Xijun came to visit him as soon as he arrived in Nanjing. It was obvious that he was trying to win him over. As for why he wanted to win him over? Wasn't it because he was the Duke of Wei and the garrison commander of Nanjing?

Xu Hongji originally wanted to play along with Zhang Xijun and then send him away when the conversation was almost over. But he didn't expect Zhang Xijun to be so cunning. He couldn't get any loopholes on his side, so he turned around and attacked his son. His son was also stupid. He was dizzy with a few words of flattery. Didn't you see that the corners of his mouth were curled up with joy?

"Did Lord Zhang's ancestral worship service for His Majesty go smoothly in Fengyang this time?" Fearing that Zhang Xijun would continue to talk about his son, Xu Hongji quickly found a way to change the subject.

"Thanks to your majesty, everything is going well for me in Fengyang." Zhang Xijun bowed and waved towards the capital and said with a smile, "When I left the capital, your majesty said some heartfelt words to me. If the war in Liaodong had not continued, your majesty would have planned to go to Zhongdu to offer sacrifices in person. Unfortunately, the world is not at peace, the local areas are not stable, and the people of our Ming Dynasty are in hardship. Your majesty is concerned about state affairs and cannot leave the capital, so I can only offer sacrifices on your behalf."

"But His Majesty said that after a few years, when our Ming Dynasty is stable, His Majesty will definitely travel south. By then, Duke Wei will be asked to assist His Majesty in the sacrifice on behalf of the nobles. Duke Wei is the head of the nobles of our Ming Dynasty. You should take good care of yourself. By then, His Majesty will want to meet with Duke Wei and have a good talk." "Are you serious?" Xu Hongji asked with his eyes wide open.

Zhang Xijun said seriously: "Of course this is true. Can I lie to your Majesty?"

"Your Majesty has been so kind and yet still remembers my lineage as Duke of Wei. I am truly grateful. I thank Your Majesty... Long live Your Majesty..." Xu Hongji's tears flowed again. He struggled on the bed and tried to bow down towards the capital, chanting "Long live Your Majesty".

But then Xu Hongji started coughing violently again, almost out of breath, and his old face turned red.

Seeing his father like this, Xu Wenjue panicked and ran out to call the doctor in. But Xu Hongji coughed and waved his hands, saying that he was fine, just too excited. How could an angel be rude here?

Zhang Xijun hurriedly persuaded him that his health was more important. Duke Wei had to be treated if he was ill. Why didn't he see a doctor just because of him? Moreover, he was ordered by the emperor to visit Duke Wei. If his visit made Duke Wei's illness worse, wouldn't it be a loss of purpose? He had to see a doctor and take the medicine. Only when he was well could Duke Wei continue to serve the country.

In this way, the doctor came quickly and treated Xu Hongji. After giving him some medicine, Xu Hongji's complexion became much better. Although he still coughed, it was not as severe as before. At this time, the doctor said that Duke Wei needed to rest. Zhang Xijun listened to the doctor's words. After the doctor left, he apologized to Xu Hongji and said that he really disturbed him today. Since he had already visited Duke Wei, he would not stay any longer. He hoped that Xu Hongji would take good care of his illness and he would come to see Duke Wei again after he got better.

Xu Hongji looked helpless. He held Zhang Xijun's hand and said a few more words, repeatedly thanking the emperor for his grace, etc. Then he asked his son Xu Wenjue to send Zhang Xijun out.

As soon as Zhang Xijun left, Xu Hongji, who looked dying just now, turned around and fell to the ground.

Xu Hongji didn't look like he was about to die. Although he was sick, his health was not that bad. After getting off the ground, Xu Hongji walked around the room a few times, frowning and wondering what he was thinking.

"Dad, you...your body...?" After an unknown amount of time, Xu Wenjue came back. As soon as he entered the house, he saw his father standing in the room, full of energy. The boy was stunned for a moment.

"Come here!" Xu Hongji waved at his son and asked him to come in and talk.

After Xu Wenjue entered the room, Xu Hongji grabbed his hand and asked in a low voice: "Just now when you escorted Lord Zhang out of the house, what did Lord Zhang say to you?"

"Nothing... nothing..." Xu Wenjue answered subconsciously, but his flickering eyes betrayed himself.

"Speak! What did he say?" Xu Hongji asked sternly.

Xu Wenjue was frightened by his father's serious look, so he stammered and told the truth. He told Xu Hongji that when Zhang Xijun was sent out of the mansion, the other party kept praising him, saying that it was a great blessing for the country that the Duke of Wei had such a son, and that in the future, the Duke of Wei's mansion would be inherited by Xu Wenjue, and the title of Duke of Wei would not only be passed down well, but might even be carried forward in his hands.

Xu Wenjue was overjoyed to hear these words. Xu Wenjue was a dandy boy, and he had always been suppressed by his father, who often called him stupid. Now someone praised him so much, how could Xu Wenjue not be happy? Moreover, Xu Wenjue himself thought so too. He felt that he was not stupid at all, but very smart. Zhang Xijun had a keen eye for people and saw his strengths at a glance. This Lord Zhang was really a good person, which made Xu Wenjue feel very good about Zhang Xijun.

After hearing Xu Wenjue's answer, Xu Hongji was silent. He took a deep look at his son and wanted to scold him but couldn't. This stupid boy was framed by Zhang Xijun with just a few words. He thought Zhang Xijun was a good person. Bullshit! If Xu Wenjue wasn't his son, would Zhang Xijun have to say these things? And who is Zhang Xijun? Although Xu Hongji had never dealt with him before, he had heard of Zhang Xijun's name a long time ago. How could a person who had been able to get along well with Wei Zhongxian since the Tianqi period, and who was free and easy after Wei Zhongxian's downfall, and who was now a popular person around the emperor, be an ordinary person? With Zhang Xijun's ability, ten Xu Wenjues tied together couldn't compare to him. How could Xu Wenjue be his opponent?

Xu Hongji's face looked very ugly, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. After a while, he waved his hand to let his silly son go down, and told him that he still couldn't go anywhere in the mansion during these days. After Xu Wenjue left, Xu Hongji's expression was extremely gloomy. He thought for a long time, sighed helplessly and shook his head.

(End of this chapter)