Chen Qian naturally understood that Sixth Sister was trying to test him. He was displeased, but he said without changing his expression, "Sixth Sister, you can do as you see fit. While we are still in the capital, you should visit your sisters more often. Once we return to Yangzhou, it won't be so convenient."
Chen Qian's words were clearly a threat to her.
Sixth Sister was taken aback at first, then smiled faintly. "In that case, thank you for your consideration, sir."
The couple went into the inner room and sat down. Sixth Sister took out a royal blue satin purse and handed it to Chen Qian. "I embroidered a purse for you. It's not very well made, so please don't mind."
Chen Qian took it and examined it carefully.
Sixth Sister was being far too modest. Her needlework was a hundred times better than Xu Hui's, almost comparable to the embroiderers of the Heavenly Garment Pavilion. Therefore, his gaze towards Sixth Sister was somewhat amused.
No wonder she was so determined to marry Fang Ting; she certainly had the qualities.
"I've long heard that the young ladies of the Marquis's mansion are intelligent and virtuous, and I see that Sixth Sister's embroidery skills are already exquisite," Chen Qian praised. "It is truly my blessing to marry Sixth Sister."
That's natural. Originally, Liu Niang didn't expect that she would not slack off for a single day after honing her skills. Although she was aiming for the position of Marquis's wife when she first entered the Marquis's mansion, she felt that she could at least marry into a noble family, or at least marry a son born out of wedlock.
Unexpectedly, after several twists and turns, she failed to plan her future and ended up marrying Chen Qian in a confused way, entering a merchant family.
The sarcasm in Chen Qian's words was obvious, and Liu Niang was extremely angry, but she didn't show it on her face.
"You flatter me, sir." Sixth Sister's smile only grew warmer.
Especially at times like these, she needed to remain calm and composed; she was determined to thoroughly humiliate Chen Qian.
******
Ever since Lu Mingxiu finished talking about the Xu family, An Ran couldn't help but recall her past life.
After all, in her previous life, she had only heard of the Xu family's young master but had never met him, and couldn't be sure if Yu Zhou was him. However, Yu Zhou and his mother had visited Chen Li—if the Chen family had indeed played some shady role in what happened back then, would Chen Li have targeted the Yu family mother and son?
However, since Lu Mingxiu has already found this place, he should have sent people to protect them. Even though the Chen family is extremely wealthy, within the capital's territory, they are no match for the Marquis of Pingyuan.
An Ran was right. After finishing the morning court session, Lu Mingxiu greeted Chu Tianze and then traveled to Yu Zhou's house with Qin Feng and Ke Lin in a small entourage.
Just then, Yu Zhou was about to go hunting in the mountains. Lu Mingzheng was also worried that Yu's mother would not be able to handle hearing this, so he left Qin Feng and Ke Lin at Yu's house to help Yu's mother chop wood, while he went hunting with Yu Zhou.
"I was thinking of hunting a sable to make a fur trim for Ninth Sister's cloak." Lord Lu was quite adept at making up stories. He said gently to Madam Yu, "I thought Brother Yu would have more experience, so I came today to learn from him. It just so happens that Brother Yu is also going into the mountains..."
Upon hearing his words, Madam Yu praised him for his love for his wife and said that his wife was blessed. She also carefully instructed Yu Zhou that he should not do anything else in the mountains today but only help Lord Lu hunt.
When Yu Zhou saw that Lu Mingxiu had arrived with minimal entourage, he knew that Lu Mingxiu had come not merely to hunt. If, as Lu Mingxiu claimed, Anran's estate was nearby, he would have brought Anran and Nian'er with him. The fact that Lu Mingxiu had only brought two trusted subordinates suggested that he had received news about his father's situation.
Therefore, Yu Zhou did not expose the truth to her face. He agreed to his mother's request and went out with Lu Mingxiu.
Since the Yu family didn't have any horses for riding, Lu Mingxiu borrowed Qin Feng's horse and gave it to Yu Zhou. Yu Zhou thanked him and didn't refuse, mounting the horse with what appeared to be good riding skills.
Noticing Lu Mingxiu raising an eyebrow at him, Yu Zhou explained without hesitation, "I used to help people herd horses."
Lu Mingxiu nodded slightly.
Yu Zhou is a talented man, but it's a real pity that he's only busy maintaining the Yu family's livelihood. He could definitely achieve great things in the army. However, he's the only adult male in the family, Yu Sili is still young, and Yu's mother's health has always been poor. If he were to leave, he wouldn't be able to leave her behind.
If they can truly prove that they are from the Xu family and clarify the feud between the Chen and Xu families, Yu Zhou—or perhaps Xu Zhou—might just be able to acquire a large fortune.
Lu Mingxiu's father had heard that the Xu family had fallen apart overnight, and the confiscated assets were far less than expected, but the sheer amount was still astonishing. There were rumors that the head of the Xu family had foreseen the family's impending doom and had hidden away a portion of their wealth beforehand.
However, no one from the Xu family has appeared in recent years, so this rumor can only remain a rumor, occasionally mentioned by others.
If Yu Zhou is indeed a member of the Xu family, the Xu family will surely be revitalized under his leadership.
"I've already ordered people to investigate, and from nine years ago until now, there's no one with the surname Yu who has had business dealings with the Chen family," Lu Mingxiu said calmly as he rode his horse through the woods.
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhou understood, but a sense of despair also flashed through his heart.
Could it be that the Chen family patriarch wasn't lying to him? He naturally trusted the Marquis of Pingyuan's character. Although the young master of the Chen family, Chen Qian, was the brother-in-law of the Marquis of Pingyuan's wife, the Marquis of Pingyuan wouldn't protect them. If even the Marquis of Pingyuan couldn't find out about his father's contact with the Chen family, then they probably really wouldn't be able to find him.
“However, I have made a discovery.” Not wanting to keep people in suspense, Lu Mingxiu readily revealed his findings: “Eight years ago, the Chen family had contact with a man named Xu Cheng. I have already ordered people to do their best to gather information, and it sounds somewhat like your father.”
Xu Cheng?
Yu Zhou was also very surprised to hear this, as he had never heard his father mention it before.
“I shouldn’t have questioned the Marquis’s conclusion, but I’ve never heard my father or mother mention that my father used an alias.” Yu Zhou frowned slightly and said, “I suppose my mother wouldn’t have kept it from me. Over the years, our search for my father’s whereabouts has always been based on the surname Yu.”
Yu Zhou's father was named Yu Li, which is why his mother named her youngest son Si Li.
Lu Mingxiu nodded, and then asked, "Were your father and mother originally from this area?"
“No. I remember that my family moved here when I was three years old.” Yu Zhou recalled, “My mother was from Tongzhou Prefecture. After she married my father, my grandparents passed away when I was very young, and she lost contact with her family after that.”
Yu Zhou spoke of his mother with great ease and without the slightest hesitation. However, when he spoke of his father, Yu Li, he paused for a moment in thought.
“My father is from the south. I only heard that he fled to the capital because of a year of famine.” Yu Zhou frowned and said, “My father used to run a small business, selling medicinal herbs in the capital. Our family was doing quite well. Many people advised my father to expand his business, but he was content with the status quo and did not agree.”
"Suddenly, nine years ago, my father said he was going to do business in Yangzhou in Jiangnan, which surprised my mother and me. However, my father was very determined, saying that it would allow my mother and me to live a good life."
"After my father left, my mother discovered that she was pregnant with Sili. After receiving the letter that my father had gone to Yangzhou to do business with the Chen family, we heard nothing more from him. We sent letters to the original address, but they all disappeared without a trace."
Nine years ago, Yu Zhou's father suddenly decided to go to Yangzhou... Lu Mingxiu looked thoughtful. At that time, the emperor had already ascended the throne, and after a year of chaos, things had stabilized both inside and outside the court. Many people who were implicated in the case of the former crown prince and families who had been suppressed by Yun Xu had been exonerated.
If Yu Zhou's father was indeed the last surviving member of the Xu family, then it would make sense that he only started taking action nine years ago.
He had kept his business a secret from his wife and children, and dared not expand it, perhaps because he was afraid that others would discover his Xu family background and that his family's lives would be threatened.
Lu Mingxiu increasingly felt that this was a possibility.
"Brother Yu, have you ever heard of the Xu family?" Seeing Yu Zhou's blank expression, Lu Mingxiu knew it was normal that Xu Cheng hadn't mentioned it to protect his wife and children. Therefore, he told Yu Zhou everything he knew about the Xu family before concluding, "As for your father being a descendant of the Xu family, I'm only guessing at the moment, and further confirmation is needed."