Tianliangyuan

Chapter 126 Do you want to ask your second brother, or Xie Sanlang?

Originally, everyone in the hall was happy for Xu Zhaozhao being granted the title of county princess, but now that the old lady had scolded her like this, who would dare to laugh anymore?

Wang Ruolan was dissatisfied, but for a moment she couldn't think of any words to refute it, because the old lady's idea was the same as that of most of the elders in the family.

Xu Zhaozhao smiled slightly: "Grandmother, Third Brother is a civil official. This brewing recipe sounds like a great achievement, but in the end, it's not exactly something to be proud of. Besides, even if Third Brother were to present this recipe, how would we explain that he made Hero Wine? Where would he find the time to do all that?"

Most importantly, my third brother entered officialdom through the imperial examinations, which is the proper path. He should earn his promotion through legitimate achievements, thus silencing any dissent in the court. Otherwise, how will the officials view my third brother?

Xu Zhaozhao had thought this through from the very beginning.

She attributed the credit for intercepting the affair between Prince Zhong and Jiang Ning to her elder brother.

That's because the eldest brother originally had a foundation in martial arts, and as the heir of a marquis's family, he was allowed to lead personal guards, which was beyond doubt.

He could recognize iron ore, and it was also beneficial to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, so it was the perfect opportunity for him to gain merit.

But Xu Junting is different.

People who have risen through the ranks through the imperial examinations based on their talent and learning, why do you insist on making them gain titles and honors by contributing formulas?

Isn't this looking down on them?

Scholars possess a certain aloofness and pride, which Xu Junting also exhibits, though it is not as pronounced.

Xu Zhaozhao dared to say that even if she pushed this prescription in front of her third brother, he wouldn't even give it a second glance.

Talented people are just that principled!

Wang Ruolan knew her son well and thought Zhaozhao was right: "Mother, Zhaozhao is right. Junting has just entered the officialdom and it is not appropriate for him to show off at this time. Junting is still young and will have plenty of opportunities in the future."

Li Shi finally realized that the old lady's anger was actually quite inexplicable.

Since last year, Zhao Zhao's wine has been highly sought after, making a fortune every day.

If Xu Zhaozhao really gave the credit to Xu Junting, the news of the elder brother taking credit for his younger sister would spread throughout the common people without the emperor even needing to send someone to investigate.

If that were the case, it would harm Xu Junting and the Marquis's mansion.

Li felt a chill run down her spine. Why had her mother-in-law become so confused lately?

Xu Zhaozhao didn't care about the old lady's criticism; it was simply that she was too old to understand many things.

As long as she doesn't cause trouble for herself again, that's fine.

Xu Zhaozhao can now be considered the wealthiest among the women of the Marquis's household.

Every few days, someone would carry a box into the door. If it wasn't for a few days, the doorman would feel a little uncomfortable.

"Miss, we've just tallied up one hundred strings of cash. Should we deliver it directly to the Marquis or to the Madam?"

"Send it to my mother. I'll bring it with me when I go to pay my respects later."

"Yes, ma'am."

One string of cash is equivalent to one thousand cash.

One hundred strings of cash is quite a lot.

For an ordinary family of four, if two people work, and they can save two or three coins a year, they are considered to be doing well.

Wang Ruolan was also managing the accounts. Her own businesses, plus those of the Marquis's family, were quite substantial. Fortunately, she was good at recognizing and utilizing people, so she was only busy for a few days at the beginning and end of the month.

"Your money came just in time. Your father was telling me the day before yesterday that some of his young men are getting married and he's short of money."

Xu Zhaozhao chuckled: "Does Father simply want to help someone, or is he going to lend the money out?"

"Who knows what he's up to! He took a string of cash from me the day before yesterday, and I don't know how long it will last."

Any family with a military officer, and one with even a modicum of conscience, would surely be reduced to selling their pants in poverty if they didn't have a virtuous wife to help manage the household.

Military generals led troops, but apart from those scions of noble families who came out to earn merit and seniority, most of them came from poor families.

They joined the army because they were attracted by the prospect of having enough to eat and receiving a military salary.

The problem is, military pay is the same whether you receive a hundred coins or ten coins; it all depends on whether your superiors and even their superiors have a conscience.

As far as Xu Zhaozhao knew, the Marquis's mansion still supported a number of disabled veterans. Xu Zhaozhao had taken some of them in before, but those people were still able to support themselves.

However, there is another group that has absolutely no ability to survive independently.

Xu Zhaozhao had never seen it with her own eyes, but she had heard her older brother mention it before, saying that someone had both arms broken, and someone else was injured in the waist and could only be paralyzed in bed, etc.

People like these can only live off the subsidies from the Marquis's mansion.

These men were all once Xu Han's personal guards.

If they are injured, disabled, or die, Xu Han will be responsible for them!

These days, even if the imperial court has pensions to issue, there's no explicit rule specifying how much to issue.

Generally, it depends on the emperor's attitude and the state of the national treasury.

Most of these wounded veterans live in villages outside the city. Some have families, and some do not. The Marquis's mansion arranges for people to come and take care of them. In short, they cannot let these subordinates who have gone through life and death together think that the Marquis's mansion has no conscience!

"Mother, I heard that my second brother is coming back?"

Wang Ruolan glanced up at her briefly, a hint of teasing in her eyes: "Hmm, are you looking for information about your second brother, or about Xie Sanlang?"

Xu Zhaozhao blushed: "Mother!"

Wang Ruolan laughed along, "Xie Sanlang was recalled by imperial decree, and your second brother is bringing him back with him."

Xu Zhaozhao recalled hearing about a lieutenant general in the Imperial Guard being punished, and a thought struck her: "Could it be that he's going to join the Imperial Guard?"

"Your statement is the same as your father's. However, everything depends on His Majesty's decision."

"understood."

Xu Zhaozhao thought about how busy her mother had been lately, and she was afraid that the wedding would be on the agenda as soon as her second brother arrived home.

Xu Zhaozhao then ordered someone to take out two sets of jewelry from her private treasury and went to find Xu Wanwan and Xu Tingting.

These two half-sisters were well-educated by their second aunt, and they were also good-natured and not scheming.

"Second sister, how could I accept this?"

“Take it. These were some gems that Xie Sanlang had sent back before. I picked out some of the less valuable ones and had them made into jewelry. Let us sisters wear them for fun first.”

Xu Wanwan was slightly surprised, not expecting her to be so blunt about 'not expensive'.

Isn't she afraid that the two sisters will overthink things?

Xu Zhaozhao wasn't afraid at all. She took a sip of tea and continued, "These gemstones are small, so I brought a few extra for each of you. Since we're not married yet, it's not appropriate for us to wear overly dazzling jewelry. These are perfect. You can wear them for fun, or they'll be appropriate for attending a banquet. If you need them, you can give them as a gift."