Chapter 662 - 243: Memory Recovery
Chapter 662: Chapter 243: Memory Recovery
After the Lantern Festival, Sheng Mingchuan prepared to leave the Capital City.
Chen Song and Xu Shiling were to travel with him.
Xu Shiling had limited leave. Staying in the Capital City for this long was already by the grace of Your Majesty; he couldn’t stay away forever.
Then there was Chen Song, who was on official duty. How could he abandon his post indefinitely? That job was the foundation of his livelihood. If he didn’t want to be constantly mocked for living off his wife, he had to stand on his own two feet.
As Chen Song was leaving the Capital City, Xu Su Ying wouldn’t be returning with him. They had previously agreed that she would stay in the Capital City for the first half of the year to accompany her parents, before returning to Xinghuai Prefecture in the second half to reunite with him.
De’an had originally planned to go back with them, but after a discussion among Xu Shiniang and his two brothers, they decided it would be best for De’an to stay.
While the Prefecture School in Xinghuai Prefecture was undoubtedly good, it ultimately couldn’t compare to the Imperial College in the Capital City. With their help, getting De’an into the Imperial College would be a breeze.
Mr. Xu himself had originally come from the Imperial College, and Xu Shiniang had served there in his early years. Moreover, Xu Yanlin had built a vast network of connections there, and Xu Yanhe was currently studying there. It was safe to say that with such connections, De’an would take to the Imperial College like a duck to water.
Furthermore, Chen Song was a grown man who was constantly busy with official affairs all day and rarely managed household matters. With Suying staying in the Capital City, he probably wouldn’t even bother going home, opting instead to live directly at the government office. If De’an returned, who would discipline him? Rather than letting him be led astray by individuals with ulterior motives while all alone, it was better to keep him right under their noses.
De’an wanted to argue that he wouldn’t be led astray so easily. He also wanted to point out that he was an engaged man, after all. Living in Xinghuai Prefecture meant he could still occasionally interact with Sheng Saya to ease his lovesickness. If he stayed in the Capital City, they would be reduced to exchanging letters. If this went on for a long time, what if Sheng Saya had a change of heart?
However, before he could voice these thoughts, he heard his future father-in-law say, "I plan to have someone send Lian’er over a bit later. From now on, I’ll have Kaiyan accompany Lian’er in the Capital City. I’ll have to trouble you to look after them."
De’an’s eyes widened in shock, unable to believe his ears. In contrast, Zhao Jing, Chen Song, and his three uncles from the Xu family all maintained calm expressions. Clearly, they had known about this arrangement all along.
He wondered, "Wait, did my father-in-law ever explicitly say this? Why don’t I remember it?"
De’an didn’t dare to speak up. It wasn’t until they were at the Ten-mile Pavilion, seeing off his father-in-law and his own father, that he turned to ask Zhao Jing, "Why did my father-in-law suddenly have this idea? Lian’er is his only son, and he’s still so young. How could he bear to part with him?"
Zhao Jing patted him on the shoulder. "It is precisely because he is his only son that he had to make such a ruthless decision.
"Sending him over now is the perfect timing.
"The Xu Family doesn’t have a child this young, so Lian’er will definitely be doted on when he arrives. Moreover, after spending a long time with the Xu Family, he will naturally develop a sense of closeness with them. Due to your presence, the Xu Family will also treat Lian’er well. Over time, one can develop feelings even from raising a dog, let alone a child.
"When the time comes, even if something unfortunate were to happen to Sheng Mingchuan, there would be no need to worry about the Sheng Family’s estate being divided up.
"As long as the Xu Family’s affection for Lian’er is genuine, and as long as you are around, they will guard Lian’er and the Sheng Family’s estate impeccably."
With Zhao Jing’s guidance, everything immediately clicked for De’an. Upon understanding the underlying intentions, his reverence for his father-in-law only deepened. The older generation truly was shrewd. The old man thought ten steps ahead for every step he took. In contrast, even decades from now, De’an feared he would struggle to match even two or three-tenths of his father-in-law’s foresight.
After Chen Song left the Capital City, Xu Shizai and his family departed the following day, returning to their post. They only left behind their eldest daughter, Xu Changyao, who had reached a marriageable age, asking the elderly Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Guo to help arrange matchmakings for her.
Xu Su Ying moved straight out of the Yulan Hall and went to live with the elderly Mrs. Xu. The elderly Mrs. Xu and Mr. Xu were getting on in years and had long since taken separate courtyards. Thus, Xu Su Ying keeping her mother company every day didn’t cause any inconvenience.
With the family suddenly empty, Xu Su Ying felt an aching void in her heart.
But soon, she had no time to dwell on her melancholy.
Yao’an’s schooling issue had yet to be resolved. Moreover, the Imperial Examination was about to begin, and scholars from all over the Wei Dynasty were flocking into the Capital City.
While walking down the street, Xu Su Ying heard many commoners near the casinos placing bets on the Imperial Examination. Some claimed that the Metropolitan Examination Champion would undoubtedly be the great-grandson of a certain prominent Confucian scholar. Others mentioned that a certain top scorer in the provincial examination from Jiangsu and Zhejiang was quite renowned for his literary talent. Furthermore, many pointed out that the sons and grandsons of the powerful Chiefs of Staff in the imperial court also seemed to possess impressive scholarly prowess.
It wasn’t that no one mentioned Xu Yanhe and Jing, but such mentions were exceedingly rare.