binnovel Chapter 259 The older they get, the more stubborn they become, and the more extreme their ideas beco
Chapter 259 The older they get, the more stubborn they become, and the more extreme their ideas beco
Chapter 259 The older one gets, the more stubborn one becomes, and the more extreme one's ideas become.
After the incident with the startled horse, Xia's father and the others lost their appetite for street racing, and the Xia family returned to their guest house in the villa.
"There are so many people going to the capital, but there are also so many things going on," Xia's mother sighed sincerely.
When they went out on the street just now, they saw not only a frightened horse, but also someone shouting "Stop thief!" not far away.
"Isn't it said that the capital city is the safest place? But it seems to me... even more chaotic than our Anping County?" Xia's father lowered his voice, half-covering his mouth with his hand, and asked mysteriously.
Brother Xia and the others shook their heads.
"It's better to go out less, so as not to cause trouble again," Xia's mother said sincerely.
Xia Mo smiled helplessly.
Now is not the time to immediately comfort Xia's father and mother.
* * *
The next day—
The Xia family, who lived in Huangfu Qianbiewan, welcomed their guests.
Ma Yiyi, dressed in a gorgeous outfit, arrived in a carriage at the gate outside the villa and asked her maid, Feng Ma, to knock on the door.
"Who goes there?" the gatekeeper asked, opening the side gate.
“My wife is the third wife of the Marquis of Wei, surnamed Ma. She is from the same hometown as the Xia family who are staying here, so she wanted to come and see her fellow townsman,” said Aunt Feng.
The gatekeeper, unaware of the affairs of the Xia and Ma families, simply said, "Wait a moment," and closed the gate before passing the message inside.
"Let her go back to where she came from. We don't like her," Xia Mo said, looking at the gatekeeper and making her dislike for Ma Yiyi obvious on her face.
"Ah, yes," the doorman thought he had made a mistake, was startled, and hurriedly responded before leaving.
“Yes, let her go back to where she came from,” Xia’s mother replied sternly.
Ma Yiyi being turned away was exactly what she expected; she did it on purpose.
“If my uncle and aunt don’t want to see me, that’s fine. I’ll go back first and come to visit again in a while,” Ma Yiyi said, deliberately making her tone gentle.
Ma Yiyi deliberately let passersby hear what she said before getting up and leaving.
Ma Yiyi has ill intentions.
* * *
Two more days have passed—
"A distinguished person wishes to see you."
Outside the door, there was another visitor. This time, it was a man who spoke in a high-pitched, effeminate voice but was dressed in men's clothing—a palace eunuch.
"May I ask who this distinguished guest is?" the gatekeeper immediately recognized the voice.
The eunuch took out his token, and the gatekeeper's pupils contracted. He hurriedly said, "I'll go in and report right away. Please wait, Your Excellency."
Although the gatekeeper was on edge, he didn't forget that this was the Jiang Prince's villa, which was different from the other residences.
The eunuch Bai clearly knew who owned the place, and he wasn't angry.
About half an hour...
Xia's father and the others hurriedly went out to greet them.
"This humble one greets Your Excellency," Xia's father said, bowing respectfully to the eunuch Bai.
Brother Xia and Brother Xia deliberately told their parents that the eunuchs in the palace had all suffered hardships that forced them to undergo castration before entering the palace.
Xia's parents were kind-hearted, and when they heard this, their eyes showed more pity when they looked at the eunuchs in the palace.
This kind of heartache is different from sympathy.
"Excuse me, sir, who are we going to see?" Xia's father still hadn't left; he had to find out first.
“We are going to the Prince Jiang’s residence,” said the eunuch Bai.
“Okay,” Xia’s father said, and immediately relaxed when he heard that they were going to the Jiang Prince’s Mansion.
“You all come here,” said the white eunuch.
“…Yes,” Xia’s father didn’t understand why his youngest daughter had to go as well, but he still agreed.
As for the Jiang Prince's residence, they've seen the Jiang Prince before.
* * *
Inside the main hall of the Jiang Prince's Mansion—
A middle-aged man sat in the main seat, exuding the aura of a superior. Jiang Wang Huangfu Qian, facing the person in the main seat, did not have a seat and was still standing.
Xia's father and the others weren't stupid; they immediately understood the identity of the person sitting in the main seat.
Xia's father and mother were so frightened that their legs went weak and they knelt down immediately.
Brother Xia, Second Brother Xia, and Xia Mo reached out and helped their parents up.
"Father, Mother, the Emperor of this dynasty once decreed that those with official titles should not kneel before officials," Xia Erge whispered.
The overweight middle-aged man sitting in the main seat glanced at Xia Erge, his eyes full of criticism.
Xia Mo exchanged a subtle glance with Huangfu Qian and understood.
The overweight middle-aged man is the current emperor and also Huangfu Qian's father. He believes that Jia Daoren is a reincarnation of an immortal and wants to appoint Jia Daoren as the national teacher. However, Jia Daoren is always at odds with Huangfu Qian. They are now considered to be under the command of King Jiang.
She probably figured it out.
"I grant you permission not to kneel," the overweight middle-aged man said in a loud voice, but it was clear that he lacked strength.
Xia Mo understood again and glanced at Huangfu Qian without leaving a trace.
"I heard that you have developed a rice variety that yields 600 catties per mu, is that true?" the old emperor asked.
"Yes," Xia Erge stepped forward, stood in front of Xia's father and the others, bowed respectfully, and then responded.
Xia Erge's words and actions were impeccable.
"Is it true?" the old emperor asked in a stern, cold voice, his tone carrying a sense of oppression, as if silently saying: If I find out it's false, I will execute you without mercy!
"Yes," Xia Erge replied firmly.
The old emperor looked at Xia's father and mother.
Xia's parents immediately nodded in agreement.
"Yes, it was our idea. We just wanted to give it a try. We thought it was possible, we thought of everything, but we didn't expect it to actually succeed," Xia's father said nervously, his words becoming incoherent.
The old emperor looked at the nervous Xia's father, gazing into his sincere eyes, and could tell that he wasn't lying.
"Hmm, not bad. So, what are your plans regarding the rice yield of 600 jin per mu?" the old emperor asked again, his voice full of authority.
It seemed as if they would be beheaded if Xia's father and the others didn't answer correctly.
Xia's father and mother were already sweating profusely with tension.
“Naturally, we should spread the planting method,” Xia Erge said, his heart pounding with nervousness. But he knew he was the only one in the family with an official title, so he gritted his teeth and stood up to answer.
“Very good,” the old emperor nodded, then asked, “Is there anything you wish for?”
Xia Erge frowned almost imperceptibly, feeling that something was off about the old emperor.
"When we were studying how to grow rice, we didn't think too much. We just wanted to make sure everyone in the village had enough to eat. When you asked us if there was anything we wanted, we... didn't know how to answer," Xia Erge said vaguely.
“You are only a scholar now, yet you have already learned to use a government weapon. Someone like you, even if you become an official, you only want to be a high-ranking one,” the old emperor made his judgment without the slightest hesitation. As for whether his judgment would ruin someone else’s life, he didn’t care.
The older the emperor got, the more stubborn he became, and the more extreme his ideas became. In his view, he was the emperor, which meant that he had the final say in everything.
When Xia's father and the others heard the old emperor's assessment of Xia Erge, their hearts turned cold.
With such a assessment, how can Second Brother Xia possibly pass the imperial examinations?!
Xia Erge's hands, hanging at his sides, unconsciously clenched into fists, but he couldn't show any dissatisfaction on his face.