Chapter 398: Brothers United, Their Strength is Unbreakable!

now that both my stepfather and father are leading troops, ready to march north at any time.Tens of thousands of troops marching north, that's tens of thousands of mouths to feed!She always had a vag...Grand Master Cui had been away from Jiangnan for so long that many in the new capital had forgotten about the Cui family. But after all, they were once a prominent family, equal to the Liu family, and someone finally remembered. They exclaimed, "Didn't Grand Master Cui's daughter marry..."

Perhaps remembering that this was not a glorious matter, he stopped speaking halfway through, leaving everyone feeling as though their throats were being choked.

It's really frustrating, neither up nor down!

Fortunately, Mrs. Cui not only wasn't angry but replied calmly: "That's right, I was previously married to the Marquis of Dingbei, but we divorced a long time ago. Now, I am simply Mrs. Cui."

Former Marquis of Dingbei's wife

Everyone was stunned into silence, unsure what to say. The atmosphere became awkward.

Jiayin seemed completely unaware of this, giggling and pulling Liu's hand, teasingly, "Aunt, I brought some fruit, haven't you seen them yet"

"Okay, look, just take a look! The fruits that our little Fu Ni likes are definitely big and sweet."

Mrs. Liu immediately told a maidservant to open the two baskets. The maidservant wanted to open the one in Dongmei's hand, but Dongmei dodged it, so the maidservant cleverly stepped back.

Mrs. Liu and the others originally thought there were fruits in the basket, but they never expected that there was only one basket, while the other contained two jade gourds and over twenty golden fruits!

This season, winter is just around the corner. All the gourd vines have been harvested clean. Where did these jade gourds and golden fruits come from!

Li Laotai smiled, explaining to everyone, "These are the last batch of golden fruits and jade gourds harvested in autumn. This child particularly likes to eat them, and his parents are very pampered, so they hid a few in the cellar."

Yesterday I opened one to try, and it was very good. Today when I came back, this child insisted on bringing some, saying she wanted to help the aunt host a banquet.

Jia Yin smiled and said, "Grandpa Liu likes to eat, and Uncle also likes to eat."

Finally, she pointed at the strange basket in Dongmei's arms and said, "That's a gift Fu Niu er sent to Uncle!"

Such a well-behaved and filial little girl, who wouldn't like her

Mrs. Liu squatted down and hugged Jiayin, gently patted her back, and smiled like a flower. "Thank you, Funiu, for remembering your Grandpa Liu and uncles. Your aunt will have someone take you to the front and give the gift to your uncle, okay"

"Okay!" Jia Yin turned around and waved to her grandmother and the others. "Grandma, Mom, Auntie, I'm going to play over there for a bit, I'll be back soon."

"Go now, don't be mischievous," Li Lao Tai instructed. Liu Fu-ren then had Tang Mamama lead Jia Yin, accompanied by Dong Mei, to the front yard.

Everyone sat back down, at a loss for words.

A clever young daughter-in-law then picked a safe topic and asked, "Why does the Princess call Lady Cui her teacher, and did the Princess usually study with Lady Cui"

This statement is also well-founded.

After all, Mrs. Cui is the only daughter of Grand Scholar Cui, born into a distinguished family with a literary background. She excels in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting from a young age, making her qualified to be the county princess's tutor.

Moreover, Mrs. Cui had come with the Li family, so she must have been close to them in their daily interactions.

No, Madam Cui said, "Not at all. Lord's eldest son asked my senior brother to be his teacher, and the county princess followed her elder brother, addressing me as Shigu (teacher aunt)."

Mrs. Liu quickly picked up the conversation and asked, "Sister-in-law, why didn't I see the children at home today"

"Those mischievous little ones have all been sent to Lu'an Academy to study," said Old Madam Li with a loving smile. "I suppose because I'm getting older, I can't bear to see children suffer and so I pamper them a bit."

"But how can a child become accomplished without enduring hardship Might as well send them all to the academy. With the strict guidance of the masters, even if they don't become talented, at least they should learn to be polite and cultured."

A woman asked, "Oh, has Lu'an Academy started accepting new students again I've been thinking about sending my son there."

"Yeah, the academies around here, only Lo'an is the best."

When talking about studying, everyone in the house chimed in, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

Lady Liu had her servants take the fruits, wash and cut them, and distribute them between the front and back courtyards.

The sweet fruits are even more beloved by all, so from studying they shifted to eating, drinking, clothing, and jewelry, making things even more lively.

In the front yard, in Old Master Liu's study, sat old friends of about the same age.

Having tea together, discussing current affairs and old times, is also a lively and harmonious affair.

When Liu Zhiheng brought the two Li brothers in, the old man personally introduced them.

The Li family came from a humble farming background, but in just two years they rose to become prominent members of the Tianwu aristocracy. Outsiders merely gossiped about their good fortune, believing it was simply luck.

But none of the old men in the house thought so.

Luck always favors the prepared. The Li family would never have achieved what they have today if they didn't possess real talent and ability.

Without mentioning other details, let's just say that the new variety of crops that helped the Liu family reach a higher level of prosperity was brought back from Quanzhou by the Li family. They secretly cultivated it together with the Liu family and eventually successfully reported it to the imperial court as a gift for the Emperor.

Where would an ordinary person find such insight and patience!

Each family's rise is forged through storms, hail, and even blades of blood. It's never achieved by sheer luck or fortune!

What moved them even more, and made them look upon the Li brothers with greater respect, was not only Li Zhensheng's courage in facing death and returning to his ancestral home, but also the brotherhood and love between the two brothers.

After the elder brother disappeared, Li's grandfather took on the responsibility of supporting the family.

Upon returning to his family, Li Zhensheng relinquished all credit and gave his mother the title of "誥命" (imperial order conferring honorific titles), and for his younger brother, he obtained a hereditary and irrevocable peerage.

When a family has such selfless and united brothers, how can they not prosper

Everyone sat down, drinking tea and chatting.

Li Zhensheng had the reputation of a talented scholar, and later became a businessman for over ten years. Recently, he often traveled to Quanzhou, broadening his horizons and knowledge far beyond ordinary people.

Li Lao'er had also read quite a few books. He was shrewd and tactful in his dealings, having escaped the famine from the north to the south of the Yangtze River. Life's hardships had made him increasingly down-to-earth and resolute.

The two brothers, facing a group of elderly gentlemen, showed no fear at all. They were polite and articulate, engaging in conversation with the elders, earning them even greater admiration.

Just then, the old master's chief attendant came in to report, "Grandfather, Princess Kangle is here, saying she has a gift for the eldest master."

Gongle County Princess

The old men didn't react at first, but Old Master Liu laughed, "Oh, it's Fu Niaoer! Come in quickly."

Having said that, he cleared up the confusion for everyone, "Princess Kangle is Lady Xin Ting Hou's adopted daughter, personally bestowed with the title of princess by the emperor, and also Lord Li's niece."

Suddenly, everyone remembered that Suijin Beach was the fiefdom of Princess Kangle!

By this time, Jia Yin had already walked in.

Perhaps the threshold was a bit high, her chubby legs struggled to lift, so she bent down and braced herself against the threshold, almost crawling over it.

The plump little girl, dressed in festive and beautiful attire, every move she made exuded cuteness, causing the elderly gentlemen in the room to smile broadly.

"Come here, little Fu Niu'er, let grandpa have a look, have you gotten even plumper" Old Master Liu also had granddaughters, but they lived too far away. This little girl, Jia Yin, was different. She wasn't unfamiliar at all and was truly adorable and well-behaved. He treated her like his own granddaughter.

He took Jiayin's hand, gently touched her budding flower, and introduced the elderly gentlemen present.

Jia Yin listened with a smile, greeting each grandfather one by one, unafraid at all, her mouth quick and nimble.

It's not that just because an old man has a long beard, he will live a long life. It's just praising that the old man looks serious, he must be a high-ranking official.

A group of elderly gentlemen were coaxed into smiles, and each gave a gift to the one they met.i Laosi could speak, Jia Yin and her mother had already come to Li Lao's side, one on each side, supporting her. They finally arrived.Jia Yin's face was extremely pale, her eyes burning with anger.Or...