PDLP Chapter 10 The Xu Family
Chapter 10 The Xu Family
The three remained silent for a long time before finally arriving in Anlu County as darkness fell.
Upon learning the news, the Xu family immediately came out to greet them.
Of course, the entire Xu family wouldn't come out; instead, they would send their butler to greet them.
This action was naturally due to Gu Feixue's sensitive identity.
Otherwise, given her status as the Crown Princess, the entire Xu family would have come out of the city to welcome her.
At this moment, she is merely the head of the Hidden Rain Pavilion, a martial arts force, and also an antique dealer.
The reason why Gu Feixue was able to establish Cangyu Pavilion in Yongzhou was not because she was particularly capable.
It's not that she's particularly good at appraising antiques.
This was largely due to the presence of a large number of former princelings in Yongzhou.
The Xu family belonged to the Crown Prince's old faction and had obviously funded Cangyu Pavilion.
As a prominent and influential family, it is quite normal for them to hedge their bets.
On one hand, Xu Qian, the head of the Xu family, seized the position of family head fourteen years ago and killed a large number of his family members to offer as a token of loyalty to the King of Qi.
Upon hearing the Crown Princess's summons, he also provided resources for her to establish the Hidden Rain Pavilion.
Gu Feixue's visit to Yongzhou to meet with various former members of the Crown Prince's faction served two purposes: to thank them for their contributions and to reassure them of the situation and inquire about the Crown Prince's whereabouts.
At this moment, the end of the year has passed, and the time is the eighth day of the first month of the Wuji calendar, 1670.
It just so happens that this day is also the 65th birthday of Xu Qian, the head of the Xu family.
Xu Tianyi followed Gu Feixue into the Xu family's gate.
The Xu family is indeed a prominent family in Anlu, occupying more than 300,000 square meters of land.
In short, it's a medium-sized residential community. If they were to build apartment buildings, they could probably build over a hundred.
Of course, the Xu family didn't have more than a hundred buildings. Inside, there were many artificial hills and streams, pavilions and towers, squares, dormitories, martial arts training grounds and other places.
Xu Tianyi followed them, partly because he wanted to learn some powerful moves from Gu Feixue and her daughter. He also liked the Ice Cold Flying Shadow technique very much.
On the other hand, it's also about figuring out their own identity.
After all, how could he allow his household registration to still be registered under the name of a servant of the Qian family?
As a household slave, one's status and position are obviously very low.
They were just slaves, beings whose masters could kill or beat at will.
When you go out and people ask you questions, you feel inferior.
This is also why Xu Tianyi challenged Gu Qinghan – to improve his standing in their eyes.
After the group arrived at the Xu family's residence, the old manager of Cangyu Pavilion immediately led the caravan into the Xu family's backyard to settle in.
The convoy brought some gifts with them.
In the past, your Xu family would never have had the face to send gifts from the Crown Princess.
The situation is different now, and there is still no news of the crown prince, so naturally we have to humble ourselves.
Inside the hall, Xu Qian, the head of the Xu family, was sixty-five years old, but he was still in good health and looked like he was in his forties, with very little gray hair.
There are quite a few members of the Xu family. You should know that more than ten years ago, Xu Qian killed a large number of his own clansmen.
There were still thirty to fifty people in the hall at that moment.
But there were clearly far fewer men.
He smiled broadly: "Sect Leader has come from afar, and the Xu family should have come out of the city to welcome you, but the situation is complicated at the moment, so we can only do this. It is truly Xu Qian's fault for being negligent, please do not blame me, Sect Leader..."
This statement contains a sense of disdain.
Ordinary people couldn't hear it, but Gu Feixue heard it clearly.
After all, she had once been the Crown Princess, so she knew a thing or two.
What does it mean to not blame someone?
If you are truly loyal, you should say, "Please punish me, Lord."
Now, Xu Qian is not even willing to put on a good show, which shows that he doesn't have much expectation for the Crown Prince and is somewhat perfunctory.
"Heh... Patriarch Xu, you're too kind. I've come to congratulate you on your birthday and also to thank all the families for their support of Cangyu Pavilion."
Gu Feixue spoke casually, and Xu Qian knew that Gu Feixue was somewhat displeased when she heard the word "support".
He coughed twice and quickly became more respectful: "Sect Master, please take a seat!"
After saying that, he stepped aside, wanting Gu Feixue to come forward and sit down.
Gu Feixue waved her hand: "Enough, we are guests, how can we overstep our bounds? Please let Patriarch Xu make the arrangements."
Xu Qian gave an awkward smile and quickly led Gu Feixue to sit on the left.
The rest of the Xu family members all looked somewhat unfriendly, but as if they had received a warning from Xu Qian, they did not dare to utter any sarcastic remarks.
After sitting down immediately, Xu Qian began to speak.
"Since you are new to the Xu family, Master, let me introduce you."
He smiled broadly and began to introduce them one by one.
"These three are my children, Xu Wannian, Xu Wanfu, and Xu Wan'an..."
The three stood up and bowed, while Gu Feixue sat upright and nodded.
Although she had lived in seclusion in the Moon Wheel for many years, after returning to the Wuji Empire, Gu Feixue still felt that she was the Crown Princess and of high status, and couldn't let go of that pride to stand up and return the greeting.
In this world, people are divided into different classes. The Crown Princess is of the upper class, so naturally she would not return gifts to the offspring of her subordinates.
The three had ordinary looks, but were dressed elegantly and tastefully, each with their own unique style, and were all around 1.75 meters tall.
They were somewhat displeased with the woman in front of them. In their eyes, she was nothing more than a businesswoman, or at most a martial arts master.
So even though they tried to hide it, you could still tell some of their emotions.
Gu Feixue already wanted to leave. She didn't want to do any of these things, and she didn't want to see these people.
But she had no choice; she needed to ask for favors and live on the support of others, so she had to come here.
Xu Qian also wanted to get rid of this troublesome Crown Princess as soon as possible.
Today, I'm just here to go through the motions.
With that in mind, neither of them exchanged many pleasantries.
Xu Qian immediately continued, "Sect Master, to the left is my grandson Xu An, and his three granddaughters, Xu Qian, Xu Wan, and Xu Ling..."
Xu An immediately stood up. As the eldest son of the Xu family, he was tall, had an extraordinary bearing, and was young and handsome. At least, he was more polite than his three uncles and father.
Moreover, his expression remained unchanged, and he appeared calm and composed.
"Xu An greets Pavilion Master. I've long heard of your return from the Moon Wheel, and I'm quite curious about it. If given the opportunity, I hope to accompany your caravan to the Moon Wheel for a visit..."
"Young Master Xu, you're too kind. Next time you visit Moon Wheel, you're welcome to join me..."
Gu Feixue looked at him with newfound respect, while also comparing him to Xu Tianyi standing beside her.
Xu An appears to be a cultured man, while Xu Tianyi appears to be a martial artist.
In terms of clothing and personal demeanor, Xu Tianyi was completely outshone.
But in her heart, Xu Tianyi was someone she trusted more.
Xu An did not sit down, and casually continued to inquire, "Sect Master, if I may be so bold as to ask, are these two young masters and ladies related to you?"
Upon hearing this question, Xu Qian, the head of the Xu family, frowned slightly.
Xu An was always calm and composed. Logically, he shouldn't have asked any more questions at this moment, since the Pavilion Master would naturally introduce the matter later. Asking now would make him seem impatient.
Why is he in such a hurry? Could it be that he has taken a fancy to that girl?
Sure enough, Gu Feixue guessed what had happened.
"This is my daughter, Qinghan, and the other is Young Master Xu Tianyi. When my Cangyu Pavilion caravan was passing through Qingniu Mountain in Anlu, we encountered bandits from Qingniu Mountain who were robbing us. This young master charged into the fray with his sword. Seeing his righteousness, I took him with me."
This was Xu Tianyi's request; he asked her to help him verify his identity.
To see if I have any connection with the Xu family.
If there are connections, then it would be good to get myself on the list, so that I can be considered a member of the Xu family, and my status will change from slave to gentry, which will be beneficial to my future development.
After all, there's no need for me to show off and embarrass myself everywhere, and I don't like troublesome things. My status can save me a lot of trouble.
Everyone hates landlords, and everyone wants to be a landlord; this is human nature.