Chapter 5: Casual Conversations with the Xie Family

As for the legendary struggles among wives and concubines, they are completely absent in the current Xie family. This is because the Xiao family is exceedingly formidable, perfectly overshadowing the concubines in every aspect.

At that time, Xie Shuyuan had already married into the Xiao family, and their affection for each other was not to be mentioned. As for the sudden appearance of this cousin, they naturally expressed their polite refusal. However, in the end, Old Madam Xie could not resist the pleas of her own brother and actually allowed Jiang to enter the residence

However, compared to Xie Shuyuan, the elder of the Xie family in the capital is even more noteworthy. This is because the elder Xie currently holds the position of Minister of Personnel, and the Ministry of Personnel has long been referred to as the foremost among the six ministries, overseeing the assessment and promotion of officials. Xie Shuyuan possesses formidable capabilities, and with such a powerful father backing him, even the governor of Jiangnan Province must respectfully address him as Brother Xie.

According to Xie Qingxi's profound observation, it can be stated with absolute certainty that this Sixth Young Master is merely a natural child who knows nothing but eating, drinking, and sleeping, completely different from her, who is an old wine in a new bottle

Xie Qingxi understood that as long as she did not act recklessly, given her status, her future was still very promising

However, now the greatest joy for Xie Qingxi every day is to tease Xie Qingzhan. Yes, it is that unfortunate fellow, the sixth young master who was born ten minutes earlier than her, the one who is her fraternal twin.

She quickly embraced Xie Qingmao and coaxed, "Our Mao Ge'er is truly obedient, studying so diligently; in the future, he will surely achieve the same success as his father, placing high on the examination list."

Initially, Old Lady Xie also hoped to marry her off as a legitimate wife. However, given the current situation of the Jiang family, anyone who could marry her would be quite remarkable, even if they were merely a scholar. Therefore, the Jiang family sought the help of their aunt, allowing her to enter the residence to serve her cousin.

Xiao family invited Xie Qingmao to stay for dinner, and only then did they allow his companions to lead him back to the front courtyard. However, before leaving, Xie Qingmao came to see his younger siblings again. His younger siblings had grown up to be fair and tender, no longer resembling the unattractive appearance they had at birth, which made Xie Qingmao feel that he liked them even more now

Before long, a little boy lifted the curtain and entered. He was dressed in a royal blue brocade robe, with a gold and jade necklace around his neck, to which was tied a longevity gold lock adorned with eight treasures. His fair, tender, and rosy little face bore a somewhat serious expression

However, after drinking it twice, Xie Qingxi was willing to settle for the wet nurse's milk, as the goat's milk here was simply too gamey

As for this concubine, the one that Xie Qingxi is most familiar with is Aunt Jiang. It is worth mentioning that Aunt Jiang is actually a first cousin of Xie Shuyuan. By bloodline, Xie Qingxi should refer to her as a cousin. However, this Aunt Jiang has had a rather unfortunate fate; when she was born, the Jiang family was still a prominent official family in the capital.

The good times did not last long. When her father was sent to a remote area, a major incident occurred. Due to the urgent military situation in the northwest, ten thousand cotton garments were urgently requisitioned from the local area. Who would have thought that half of these garments were stuffed with moldy cotton? The number of soldiers who died from freezing on the northwest battlefield might not even be as high as those who perished in battle.

After Xie Qingxi had been here for half a year, through various casual conversations with the wet nurse, she finally had a general understanding of the current situation in this household

"A son does not suffer hardship; the teacher says that only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one become a person of distinction." It would not be surprising if an ordinary person said such words, but it is precisely the six-year-old Xie Qingmao who speaks them. With a delicate, fair face, long, thick eyelashes, and a charmingly youthful appearance with red lips and white teeth, he speaks with the demeanor of an old scholar, which even the dignified Xiao family cannot help but find amusing.

Regarding this matter, the Yong'an Marquisate nearly fell out with the Xie family. It was only under the guarantee of Xie Fang that the Jiang family would henceforth be regarded merely as relatives of the concubine and could no longer consider themselves as the maternal family. Thus, the matter was put to rest

At this moment, she truly felt that time was passing very slowly. Over the past six months, she had hardly stepped out of this room.

After he left, Xiao Shi held Xie Qingxi and poked her nose, saying: "You little girl, how old are you, and you already know how to tease your second brother."

Xie Qingxi casually let out a bubble of milk. Back then, she was unwilling to drink from the wet nurse, which nearly drove the Xiao family to the brink of desperation, almost prompting them to have someone personally feed her. It was Granny Shen who persuaded them, stating that there was no such custom in the family. In the end, Granny Shen found two goats from the village and had them milked daily to provide Xie Qingxi with goat's milk to drink

Xie Qingmao observed that Xiao was wearing a smile, finally revealing a hint of childlike charm. His pair of round, dark eyes sparkled as they fixed on Xiao, nearly melting her heart.

Xie Qingxi blinked her eyes, gazing at the doorway, feeling an indescribable sense of regret in her heart

"Mao'er, you just got out of school." Xiao Shi reached out and pulled her son into her embrace, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and said: "Look at you, drenched in sweat. The sun is still strong outside. Next time you come over to your mother’s place, take your time walking."

The little old-fashioned member of the Xie family has arrived

When Aunt Jiang returned to the capital, it coincided with Xie Shuyuan being named the top scholar. She watched from a distance through the crowd as her cousin rode on a tall horse, while the young girls beside her joyfully discussed how handsome the newly appointed top scholar was, with a face like jade and a demeanor like a graceful young gentleman.

The maids and servants below no longer dare to move about casually or chat freely, and the mothers in the kitchen also refrain from showing favoritism. Even a few of the women who usually carry themselves with pride have learned to adopt a more low-key approach to life

Of course, Xie Qingxi is unaware of these matters at present; she only knows that Aunt Jiang has a significant background, but her own mother is equally not someone to be trifled with.

In terms of the great and glorious task of continuing the family line, only Xiao alone has overshadowed all the concubines and secondary wives in the household, as she has given birth to three sons and one daughter, while all the other concubines combined have only borne three daughters, not a single son.

Zheng Tai, travel well; Zheng Tai, come again next time

It seems that she has become accustomed to Xie Qingxi's occasional outbursts; at this point, Xie Qingzhan no longer cries as he did at the beginning, which makes Xie Qingxi involuntarily feel a sense of loneliness in life akin to snow.

"The second young master has arrived, please pay your respects to the second young master." Just as Xie Qingxi was boredly blowing milk bubbles, she heard the voices of the maidservants paying their respects outside.

Xie Qingxi deliberately reached out to pull Xie Qingmao. He intended to embrace Xie Qingxi, but was pushed away by the maid beside them. In the end, Xie Qingxi still climbed onto him using both hands and feet, seizing the opportunity to spit a mouthful of saliva all over his face

Because Xie Shuyuan was assigned to Suzhou, the population of the Xie family in Suzhou is quite simple, consisting only of the descendants of Xie Shuyuan.

The person who has arrived is none other than Xie Qingxi's second brother, Xie Qingmao. At present, Xie Qingmao is merely six years old and has just started school this year. While Xie Qingxi is unaware of the others, he has perfectly emulated the mannerisms and speech of a scholar, appearing as a complete little bookworm.

Xie Qingxi was very suspicious. The reason why the Xiao family so easily agreed to let Aunt Jiang manage the household might have been to convey this very thought, making Xie Shuyuan understand that there was a vast difference of ten thousand between her and Aunt Jiang.

At that time, Aunt Jiang was only twelve years old. Seven years later, after the late emperor passed away and the current sovereign ascended the throne, granting amnesty to the world, the Jiang family finally had the opportunity to return to the capital. However, by this time, Aunt Jiang had already become a nineteen-year-old spinster

At this point, Jiang had long ceased to be the shy young girl who blushed at the mention of marriage. The torment of exile and her dissatisfaction with life had already eroded the remnants of her former noble status as a young lady. Upon entering the Xie residence and seeing that even the second-tier maidservants were dressed better than she was, Jiang no longer wished to return to her previous days of hardship

It can be said that the marriage between Xie Shuyuan and the Xiao family is a perfect combination of power and aristocracy

Speaking of Xie Shuyuan's legitimate wife, the Xiao family, who is also Xie Qingxi's biological mother, has quite a remarkable background. The Xiao family hails from the Yong'an Marquisate in the capital and is the legitimate second daughter of the current Yong'an Marquis. Before Xie Shuyuan achieved the title of the top scholar, the Xiao family had already arranged a marriage with the Xie family. After Xie Shuyuan successfully passed the imperial examination, the two were wed.

Currently, the head of the family, Xie Shuyuan, who is also Xie Qingxi's biological father, is a successful candidate in the imperial examination. At under thirty years of age, he holds the official rank of Fourth Grade, indicating a very promising future.

At this moment, the young maid Su Yun, who was by Xiao's side, brought up the sour plum soup that had already been prepared. Although it was still September, Xiao felt sorry for her son, who worked hard every day at school, and had someone prepare an ice bowl for him daily

After Xie Qingxi had just figured out the identities of her parents in this life, she excitedly woke up in the middle of the night for several nights in a row, secretly smiling to herself. Perhaps she had done too many good deeds in her previous life, and the underworld, considering that she had died an untimely death, allowed her to be a reincarnation expert in this life.

Under this sweeping rectification movement, the Xie residence has evidently achieved significant results, and Xie Shuyuan, who deeply feels these effects, has praised the Xiao family several times, both directly and indirectly.

At that time, the late emperor was enraged and immediately ordered the execution of the principal offender. Although the Jiang family was deeply implicated, under the efforts of Xie Fang, they were ultimately sentenced to exile for three thousand miles.

Since Xie Qingxi is still a small infant at this time, there are occasions when Xie Shuyuan comes over and does not avoid discussing matters with the Xiao family in front of these two infants. As a result, Xie Qingxi has indeed overheard quite a bit that should not be seen or heard

Beside her, Xie Qingzhan turned over, his eyes, like obsidian, bright and round, staring intently at Xie Qingxi. After Xie Qingxi let out another bubble, she slowly extended a hand and scratched Xie Qingzhan.

Xie Xiaozheng was startled by his sister's sudden enthusiasm, and his fair little face instantly turned a shade of purple. He wanted to wipe his drool but felt embarrassed. In the end, when he stiffened his little face to excuse himself, even the Xiao family could no longer hold back their laughter

Since six months ago, when she personally witnessed the live duel between the two aunts, her days have suddenly become leisurely. This is because her mother, Madam Xiao, swiftly resumed her management of household affairs after the end of her confinement, and under the management of the Xiao family, the Xie residence has cleared away the chaos of the previous six months

As for the other concubines, it is rather straightforward. Aside from Aunt Fang, who has given birth to a daughter, the other concubines have not borne any children. Therefore, the Xie family can be considered to have a simple household.

The Xie family has strict rules, and Xie Qingxi, being the only daughter of the Xiao family, has been raised with utmost care since birth, akin to a precious jewel. The young maidservants around her have grown up in the household and do not dare to engage in idle chatter. However, the wet nurse, not being a member of the household, takes the opportunity to chat during her leisure time, which has thus benefited Xie Qingxi.

Although Xie Shuyuan comes from the background of a successful scholar, he does not exhibit the stereotypical pedantry of a scholar. On the contrary, his actions and speech convey a certain nonchalance and ease. It is unclear from whom this second young master has learned his somewhat naive demeanor

Although at that time Xie Shuyuan was merely a lowly juren, he was the top scholar of Zhili Province, and his father was a man of real power. Such an ambitious young man would certainly attract the attention of any family in the capital with eligible daughters.

As soon as Xie Qingxi entered, the people immediately began to chirp with joy, expressing their delight.

At this moment, although Xie Qingmao glanced at his younger siblings several times, he still stood there, respectfully greeting Madam Xiao, saying: "Son pays his respects to you, Madam."