Chapter 63: Settling the Female Officials, Discussions Among the Families

The banquet ended hastily due to the arrival of the female officials, and some of the ladies even left before eating.

“Sister Tian, you must be busy. There’s always another day. As long as you don’t mind us being bothersome, we’ll visit every day.”

“Sister Guan, what are you saying? I couldn’t ask for more. Let me see you out.”

Xu Nian held onto Wang Pingting and Shen Yan’s hands regretfully. “I haven’t talked enough with you two today. I’ll invite you over again in a few days.”

“Hmph, don’t give me these empty words. Just don’t forget our agreement.”

Wang Pingting glanced at Madam Guan ahead and whispered to Xu Nian.

Xu Nian smiled knowingly and made an OK gesture, which left Shen Yan momentarily stunned. Realizing her slip, Xu Nian awkwardly withdrew her hand and corrected herself, “It’s a deal.”

After sending off the guests, Madam Tian returned to the main hall to arrange accommodations for the two female officials. There happened to be a courtyard not far from Qing Teng Courtyard, which was just right for them. As for the girls’ academy, she planned to set it up in Xu Nian’s Qing Teng Courtyard.

Fortunately, Qing Teng Courtyard had plenty of rooms, so setting aside two for the academy was feasible. After arranging their residence, Madam Tian also assigned two young maidservants to attend to them. Liu Yun and Liu Qin, seeing the Xu family’s reserved manner, discussed with Madam Tian that they would take their meals in their own courtyard to avoid inconveniencing the household.

At Shou Zhu Courtyard, the Xu family was in the middle of lunch.

“Have the meals for the two female officials been sent over?”

“Don’t worry, Mother. Everything has been arranged.”

Only then did Madam Wang feel relieved, though she still reminded her eldest granddaughter, “You must study well under the female officials. But if it gets too hard, don’t endure it alone—tell Grandma. We’re not aiming high, so it’s fine if you don’t learn all those strict rules.”

Old Master Xu nodded in agreement. He felt his granddaughter was already good enough and didn’t necessarily need to go through all this.

Xu Nian happily nodded. “I’ll listen to Grandma.”

However, Madam Tian was more apprehensive. “I’m not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Judging by the expressions of the other ladies today, I suspect they’re considering sending their daughters over as well, but they just haven’t figured out how to bring it up.”

“Sister-in-law, are you worried that rejecting them would strain relations with those families?”

Madam Tian nodded slightly. During her conversations with the ladies earlier, she had learned some things.

The county magistrate was in the same position as the previous Xu family, without any backing. The assistant magistrate, however, had connections in the provincial capital. According to Madam Guan, he had spent a considerable sum trying to secure the magistrate position.

As for the education official’s family, Madam Tian had only heard gossip. Madam Cui said that Madam Zhu had been married for over ten years without bearing a child, while her husband had several illegitimate children. Her mother-in-law had been pressuring her to adopt one as her own, but Madam Zhu had refused. As a result, her position in the household was unfavorable.

Madam Guan’s family, on the other hand, had some ties to the Xu family. The senior official at the Zhenbei Royal Mansion was her clan brother, and it was his recommendation that had secured Xu Yaozu’s position as an assistant magistrate back then.

Xu Nian, however, wasn’t concerned about these matters.

“Mother, don’t worry. These female officials are from the royal mansion and hold official ranks. They’re not people that noble ladies can control as they please. As for whether they actually want to send their daughters here, we can’t even be sure. And even if they do, we can just ask the two female officials for their opinion.”

Madam Tian felt that her daughter’s words made sense, so she stopped worrying about it.

Meanwhile, the noble ladies who had returned home were all discussing the banquet with their husbands.

After Assistant Magistrate Fu finished his work at the yamen, he rushed home. Although he worked in the front office, word of what had happened in the back courtyard had quickly spread. He had heard that someone from the Zhenbei Royal Mansion had visited, and he was truly surprised to learn that the newly arrived county magistrate had ties to the royal mansion.

As soon as he got home, he didn’t even take off his official robes before urgently asking Madam Cui, “I heard that people from the Zhenbei Royal Mansion went to Magistrate Xu’s house today. Tell me, what exactly happened?”

While helping him change clothes, Madam Cui answered, “I heard that Miss Xu made a kind of tea that had miraculous effects on the princess consort’s old injuries. Because of that, she was rewarded with many gifts, and two female officials were even assigned to teach her proper etiquette.”

Assistant Magistrate Fu paused and asked in confusion, “Does this Miss Xu know medicine?”

“I have no idea. We didn’t have time to inquire before Madam Guan took us and left.”

Assistant Magistrate Fu let out a long sigh.

“In the future, make sure to interact more with the county magistrate’s wife.”

“Husband, I was thinking… should we send Wanling and Wanru to learn etiquette from the female officials as well?”

“Let’s wait and see…”

Meanwhile, County Vice Magistrate Shen was also asking his wife about the events of the day.

Madam Liu gave a much more detailed account.

“Husband, I don’t think the Xu family is as unconnected as they seem. Whether it’s the gift they gave to Yan’er when they first met or the refreshments they served to their guests, none of it was ordinary. Not to mention the way the girls in their household dressed. You always said that Magistrate Xu was very frugal and that the Xu family wouldn’t last long without backing. But now, look—someone from the royal mansion has come to visit! I think you should stop wavering and just focus on doing your job properly.”

“You! I only asked one question, and you won’t stop talking. Do you think I don’t want to do my job properly? The previous magistrate was a lesson in itself. If I don’t figure out the new magistrate’s background, what if I make a mistake? Do you want me to take the fall a second time? If it weren’t for the prince’s keen judgment, you and I would be dead by now.”

Madam Liu was reminded of those terrifying days and couldn’t stop her tears from falling.

“Enough. Now that we know the Xu family has a solid foundation, we should interact with them more. Have Yan’er build a good relationship with Magistrate Xu’s daughter. Who knows? We might even get closer to someone influential.”

Madam Liu opened her mouth to say something but ultimately remained silent. Meanwhile, Shen Yan, who had originally planned to show her father the ropework she had woven, lowered her hand from the door and quietly returned to her room, feeling dejected.

When Captain Wang arrived home, he saw his wife and daughter engrossed in playing with a bundle of strings. They were so focused that they didn’t even notice him entering the room.

“What are you two doing?”

“Oh my! Why do you walk so silently?” Madam Guan patted her chest and scolded him.

Captain Wang patted her twice in return and said, “You were just too focused.”

Madam Guan swatted away his hand, which felt as hard as iron. If he wasn’t careful, he might actually hurt her.

“Today, Pingting learned ropework from Miss Xu, and now she insists on practicing at home. Look at how she’s ruining all these strings.”

“If she ruins them, so be it. It’s not like they’re worth much.”

“Hehe~ Father, you’re the best! You and Mother continue talking—I’m going back to my room to study more.”

Madam Guan sighed as she watched her daughter run off.

“You just spoil her. Look at her—she’s already so grown up, yet she still walks around so carelessly.”

Captain Wang quietly listened while changing his clothes. He didn’t dare argue back—after all, he was still being blamed for teaching their daughter martial arts back then.

“How was your visit to the Xu family today?”

Madam Guan knew her husband was deliberately changing the topic, but she still spoke about what had happened at the Xu household. After all, there was something she wanted his opinion on.