The capital, the residence of the Minister of Rites.
Xu Guangqi, who is already sixty-six years old, seems to have exhausted all his strength after a busy day of business.
He was supported by his grandson and sat at the dining table, looking at the delicious food on the table, but he had no appetite at all.
Xu Guangqi had only one son, named Xu Ji.
But Xu Ji was a good childbearer, giving birth to five sons and one daughter.
Now Xu Guangqi is an official in the capital, while Xu Ji is taking care of the housework in his hometown.
Among the five grandsons, Xu Erjue, the second oldest, served in front of Xu Guangqi. The remaining four are officials from other places and some are studying for the imperial examination.
Xu Erjue helped his grandfather sit down. Seeing that the old man didn't want to move his chopsticks at all, he naturally knew the reason.
He was also very sad inside, but he still had to take care of the elderly.
"Grandpa, please eat as much as you can. The government is very heavy. If you continue to act like this, how will your body be able to cope with the food?"
Xu Guangqi just muttered.
"These are my favorite dishes. Every time I ate, she would chirp next to me. Oh my, it's like a bird, so nice."
Xu Erjue quietly turned away, wiped his eyes, and said hurriedly: "My little sister knows that her grandfather is thinking about her, so she will definitely come back soon."
Xu Guangqi swallowed quietly and asked feebly: "Is there no news yet?"
Xu Erjue deliberately lied, but he knew that he would never be able to deceive this old man.
"My grandson has sent people again, don't worry, we will definitely find my little sister."
Xu Guangqi slammed the table and spilled the soup everywhere, but he didn't care.
"How are you still looking for it? How long has it been? My poor granddaughter..."
"grandfather……"
Xu Erjue tried hard to persuade him, but before the words came out, he cried harder than Xu Guangqi.
Among the siblings, he and Xu Ruolin have the best relationship.
There was no news from Xu Ruolin, and he was the saddest one.
During these days, Xu Erjue spent a lot of money and sent servants to various places in Jifu, hoping to find news about Xu Ruolin.
You want to see people when you are alive, and you want to see corpses when you die.
But now it's good, there is no news.
Deep in his heart, there was always a voice telling him that Xu Ruolin was probably gone.
But he still held on to the chance, just in case.
Xu Guangqi's attack today also made him collapse.
When the grandfather and grandson were grieving, a servant suddenly rolled in and rushed in, completely ignoring etiquette.
"Master, Master Sun, Miss Sun...Miss Sun...she...she's back!"
It's like a strong wind passing by, sweeping away thousands of dark clouds.
Xu Guangqi and Xu Erjue raised their heads in astonishment and looked at the servant blankly, as if they were hearing hallucinations.
Xu Erjue was young after all, and asked tremblingly: "You...what did you say?"
There was no need for the servant to reply. There were hurried footsteps outside, and then a white butterfly rushed in almost like flying.
"Yaya, second brother, I'm back!"
The entire room suddenly became bright and bright, which also brightened the faces of Xu Guangqi and Xu Erjue.
Xu Guangqi seemed to be in disbelief. He rubbed his eyes, then rubbed his eyes again, staring at the longing figure, trying hard to bring his consciousness back.
However, Xu Erjue moved quickly, ran over, grabbed Xu Ruolin from head to toe, and looked at her carefully.
"Little... little sister, where have you been? Do you know how much my grandfather has been thinking about you these days? If you don't come back, my grandfather will..."
Xu Ruolin couldn't hold back her tears and nodded crazily.
"I know, I know everything. Second brother, I thought I would never see you again."
Xu Guangqi finally came to life and tried hard to stand up, but he was so dizzy that he couldn't do it.
"Nanny, my daughter..."
Xu Ruolin hurriedly broke away from Xu Erjue, ran to Xu Guangqi, knelt in front of the old man, and hugged the old man's legs, just like before.
"Yaya, your most beloved granddaughter is back!"
Xu Guangqi reached out his hand and stroked Xu Ruolin's smooth hair, feeling the familiar scent of family members and really burst into tears.
"It'll be good to come back, it'll be good to come back."
A joyous family reunion was taking place here. The servant was a little embarrassed, but he still said: "Master, Master Sun, Miss Sun did not come back alone. Master Hou, the Minister of War, and Master Yin Liu of Shuntian Prefecture also came to visit."
Xu Guangqi was stunned.
"Nian Tai and Ruo Gu are here?"
Xu Ruolin said hurriedly: "Yaya, I came back with the two elders."
Xu Guangqi had no time to ask more questions, so he hurriedly said: "Hurry up and open the middle door and welcome the two adults in."
Not long after, Liu Zongzhou and Hou Xun entered hand in hand, followed by a middle-aged scribe.
"Mr. Xuanhu, I haven't seen you for a long time. You are in good health!"
Liu Zongzhou and Xu Guangqi are old acquaintances, and they talk more casually.
Hou Xun was very respectful.
"At the end of the study, Hou Xun came to pay his respects to Duke Xuanhu."
Xu Guangqi didn't dare to take Qiao, so he rushed to greet him.
"Hahaha, Niantai and Ruogu are rare visitors. I'm here today. It's so wonderful. You two helped me find my granddaughter. It's a great kindness that is hard to repay."
Liu Zongzhou laughed and said: "This Mr. Xuan Hu has misunderstood. Regarding Miss Xu, Ruogu and I were just acquainted with each other. The person who really saved Miss Xu was someone else."
It seemed that there was a story behind this. Xu Guangqi vaguely noticed something, but he didn't ask further. Instead, he looked at the middle-aged scribe.
The man came up to worship.
"Zhang Zhenxiu, who entered the school at the end of his career, met Duke Xuan Hu."
Xu Guangqi returned the gift politely.
"It turns out to be Zhang Shaoqing."
When a distinguished guest came to the door, it was still a benefactor. Xu Erjue personally served good tea, and the host and guest sat quietly.
"Nian Tai said there was someone else who saved this child?"
Liu Zongzhou explained the matter, and then said: "That young hero Zuo Menggeng, although he is among thousands of troops, he is also brave and extraordinary. If it weren't for him, Miss Xu would be in trouble."
Xu Guangqi and Xu Erjue were so frightened that they broke into a cold sweat while listening to the process.
Xu Ruolin clung to Xu Guangqi and was still frightened when she thought of what happened that day.
"Yaya, Zhiliu and Lao Huang are no longer among the rebels. We really can't save them."
Xu Guangqi nodded silently and sighed: "It was a great courage for that young man to save you. When you look back, you must thank him properly."
Hearing what he said casually, Liu Zongzhou and Hou Xun looked at each other, and Hou Xun spoke.
“Mr.
A person like this would naturally not talk nonsense.
Since it is exported, it must have a deep meaning.
Xu Guangqi's eyes narrowed, he looked at his granddaughter and couldn't help but think a little more.
At this time, Xu Ruolin also said: "Yaya, people say that your Western learning is unparalleled in the world, but I'm afraid, that's not necessarily true now. That Zuo Menggeng has profound insights into all kinds of Western learning. My granddaughter actually won the prize after receiving your true inheritance." He doesn't."
Xu Erjue couldn't help it.
"How can I talk nonsense, little sister? My grandfather's knowledge is vast and he has learned everything. How can a mere young man become so good if he started learning from his mother's womb? Besides, the son of a warrior can see several Westerners. Human? Could it be that my little sister was coaxed by him? "
Xu Ruolin has a strong personality. When she was questioned like this, she couldn't bear it immediately.
"Okay, Zuo Mengeng and I have learned a lot this time. We can have a test."
Xu Guangqi quickly dissuaded him.
"You girl, didn't you see the elders are here? Give your brother some face, but don't make it difficult for him to step down."
Only then did Xu Ruolin realize that the situation was not right, she spat out her sweet tongue, saluted several elders, and then turned around and went to the back hall.
Xu Guangqi talked a lot with Liu Zongzhou, Hou Xun, and Zhang Zhenxiu before sending them away.
After returning, the old man sat quietly and fell into deep thought.
Xu Erjue walked around happily.
"It's great that my little sister is back safely. My grandson immediately sent a letter to his family to make them feel at ease."
When he didn't get a response from Xu Guangqi, he couldn't help but look around in confusion. Seeing that Xu Guangqi was deep in thought and silent, he couldn't help but ask: "Grandpa, is there anything wrong with this?"
Xu Guangqi woke up and looked at him angrily.
"You are stupid too. Why don't you think about who Liu Niantai and Hou Ruogu are and why they came to visit today? Is Ruolin, a mere girl, really worthy of their visit?"
Xu Erjue was confused and couldn't help asking: "Then what are their intentions?"
Xu Guangqi saw clearly.
"With these two great men standing up personally, do you think our family can still neglect that boy named Zuo?"
Xu Erjue couldn't figure it out.
"Then Zuo Menggeng is only the son of Yidusi. How can he think of Duke Tai and Duke Ruogu to work for him?"
Xu Guangqi looked at nowhere.
"Liu Niantai is obsessed with academics, which is quite acceptable. Hou Ruogu is an old demon in the officialdom and has a vicious vision. Since he is like this, it means that the young man named Zuo must be outstanding."
He seemed to have thought of something again, and then said: "You haven't noticed that your sister has been back for a while, how many times has she mentioned Zuo Mengeng? She has a very proud and arrogant temper. Has there been any man that she fell in love with before? ?”
Xu Erjue was startled.
"Grandpa, are you saying that my little sister... must not do it. Even if the man named Zuo saved my little sister's life, is he, a son of Dusi, worthy of joining my Xu family?"
Xu Guangqi chuckled, already understanding everything.
"The son of Du Si is naturally nothing. But with Liu Niantai and Hou Ruogu standing on the platform, who dares to underestimate him?"
Xu Guangqi was not only great at Western learning, he had been in officialdom for many years without failing, and he was also extremely powerful in his mental skills.
"Your sister is no better than me. She has learned all the Western knowledge from me. But she praised the boy named Zuo very much. I guess he is not a good guy."
Saying that, Xu Guangqi quickly made up his mind.
"I'll make my decision after I ask my daughter about it."
