Chapter 71

Early in the morning, Lady Wang hurriedly sent someone to summon Xu Hao. As soon as he arrived, she immediately said, "I have something to instruct you. It's not even dawn, and several families of dukes and marquises have sent people to report deaths. You are the only man in this household, so you must go into the city to pay your respects. Here is the list; take it."

Xu Hao reached out to take it. In the past, for weddings and funerals among the wealthy families in the capital, his family would follow the lead of the other mansions, just showing a little respect. Now, however, they had sent people to inform them personally. According to the principle of reciprocity, such matters could not be ignored in the future, and who knew how much silver would be needed.

Indeed, Lady Wang seemed a bit embarrassed as she said, "I just distributed the monthly allowance yesterday, and the accountant said there isn't much cash left in the treasury. I only have about a hundred or eighty taels of loose silver, which I need to keep for your second sister and Cuixia to buy clothes. So, take a hundred taels of cash from home, and once you get to the city, go to the shop and withdraw six hundred taels of official silver. For the Duke's family, send two hundred taels, and for the Marquis's family, one hundred taels. In total, for the four families, it's six hundred taels. Use the remaining hundred taels to buy incense, paper money, and other offerings to send to each family. You must handle this properly; your hard work will be remembered by the matriarch."

"I understand," Xu Hao replied. At this moment, he couldn't say much, nodded, and turned to leave.

He knew that Lady Wang wasn't short of money but didn't want to use her private funds. He felt a bit resentful. Most of the gifts received went to her, but the return gifts had to be borne by the family. While this was the proper etiquette, it still made him uncomfortable. Moreover, she had asked for seven hundred taels of silver at once. If more people died in those families, would they have to keep sending silver?

Furthermore, he hadn't even found out the identity of the deceased. If it was just a concubine or a favored maid, wouldn't sending silver be a waste?

Xu Hao stood there for a moment after coming out. He had no intention of taking money from the family shop and didn't plan to curry favor with those wealthy families. A token gesture would suffice. Even if Lady Wang found out and scolded him, he wanted to see how the family would react. If they got too angry, he might move out and live separately.

In the end, he took fifty taels of silver from the accountant and set off for the capital with his men. He sent the boys to find out the addresses and identities of the deceased, then bought some incense and paper money and headed directly to the Duke of Liang's residence.

When he reached the street outside the Duke's residence, he saw that the entire street was lined with colorful pavilions, a traditional custom for both weddings and funerals. The altars inside were filled with paper flowers and offerings, and the servants were dressed in white mourning clothes. Over a hundred monks and Taoist priests carried ritual instruments, chanting and walking in circles, while countless burning incense and paper ashes flew through the air, shrouding the street in smoke.

Xu Hao was startled. He wondered who had died to warrant such a grand funeral. Could it be Lan Yu's father? He handed his horse to a guard and walked in, carrying a string of paper money.

The mourners were arriving in a steady stream, and the offerings were being carried into the mansion one after another. Compared to them, Xu Hao looked the poorest, but he didn't care. Lan Yu didn't have much time left; why waste money on a dead man?

In fact, he felt sorry for Lan Yu. He was a national hero, but his reputation had not been restored after his death. If Lan Yu hadn't died, perhaps Zhu Di wouldn't have had the chance. However, Lan Yu's reputation and power were too great. It was said that he had a bad temper and often executed officials. It was uncertain whether he would have deposed Zhu Yunwen and installed his own nephew as emperor once he had the power.

While lost in thought, Xu Hao observed the mourners. From their gait and posture, most were officials, and the young masters of wealthy families, who were mostly recognizable, had come with their elders and nodded to him.

The mourners entered the mansion in waves, and the ten mourning pavilions at the entrance served as waiting areas. In this environment, the officials, who valued their status, mostly exchanged a few words and waited silently, while the young masters and their friends whispered to each other.

Xu Hao noticed that the officials were registering and presenting their offerings on the left side, as the left was traditionally more prestigious. He walked to the right side and saw two young men in front of him: Zhan Yu and Yu Manting.

Just then, Yu Manting turned back and, upon seeing Xu Hao, nodded to Zhan Yu. Zhan Yu turned around and smiled, "It's Brother Xu, what a coincidence."

"Indeed, a coincidence. Greetings, both of you," Xu Hao thought to himself, "How could it not be a coincidence? Three rivals meeting here."

Zhan Yu asked, "Did you come alone?"

Xu Hao nodded, "None of the elders at home are here, so I came to pay my respects."

Zhan Yu said, "We're in similar situations. Yu and I also came to represent our families."

Xu Hao smiled. He knew that Yu Manting's situation was similar to his, while Zhan Yu's father, due to his high position, couldn't come and had sent his son instead.

By now, Yu Manting had already handed over the gift lists, and the servants had carried the offerings into the side gate, with the manager standing by and smiling in thanks.

Xu Hao regretted coming early. He was sure to be ridiculed. Despite this, he steeled himself, handed over a string of paper money, and placed a ten-tael silver ingot wrapped in white paper on the table.

The manager was stunned, glanced at Xu Hao, and his smile faded. Yu Manting chuckled mockingly and said to Zhan Yu, "See that? The Xu family is really generous."

The manager, seeing this, asked coldly, "What do you mean by this, young master?"

Xu Hao glared at him and sneered, "What? Too little?"

The manager thought, "Of course, it's too little. Do you think this is enough to feed a beggar?" However, with so many guests around, he had to be patient. "Not at all, not at all. Please state your name, so we can note it for the return gift."

Yu Manting watched the scene with amusement, while Zhan Yu, being kind-hearted, feared that Xu Hao might offend the Lan family due to his youth and inexperience. He quickly said, "He came in a hurry. His family must have already sent someone."

The manager understood and smiled, "So this is a personal gesture from the young master. Thank you."

Many people around them had noticed this scene. As Xu Hao was the common enemy of the young masters, some took the opportunity to mock him. One person said, "Is that ten taels of silver? Ha! He hangs out with the imperial princes all day and has plenty of imperial treasures. How stingy!"

Others joined in, but Xu Hao pretended not to hear. He said seriously, "I represent my entire family. To avoid any conflict of interest, I am now a sword-bearer in the imperial guard, and your family is the residence of a great general. Therefore, I cannot send too many gifts. I hope you understand."

After saying this, Xu Hao turned to face those mocking him and said coldly, "Who just called me stingy? If you have the courage, state your name. I will immediately report to the emperor and see how much your family has sent. I warn you, if anyone violates the etiquette, we, as guards, will enforce the law."

This silenced many people, and some even backed away, fearing that Xu Hao would remember them.

Others were not afraid. It was just a matter of social courtesy, and the emperor couldn't blame them. However, if this guy reported them, it would be unpleasant, and they all cursed him in their hearts.

Yu Manting, about to retort, was pulled back by Zhan Yu, who whispered, "Don't speak rashly, or you'll bring trouble upon yourself."

Yu Manting was startled. Recently, Xu Hao had become a prominent figure in the capital, and it was said that he was known to all the princes and princesses of the various princely houses. He had many channels to reach the emperor. It was better to offend a gentleman than a small person.

Seeing that he had suppressed the mocking, Xu Hao thought, "Even if everyone despises me, that's better. I hope all the officials and nobles will distance themselves from us. It's better than going to our deaths together."

So, Xu Hao raised his voice and said loudly, "In my position, I must act according to my duty. From now on, the residence of General Lan will be an example. The Xu family will only show the proper respect as friends and relatives, and will not privately associate with officials and military officers. Goodbye."

He turned and left without caring what they thought. He then went to the other families, presenting ten taels of silver and a string of incense and paper money, without entering to pay respects, and left under their disapproving gazes. He treated everyone equally, regardless of their status.

After finishing, Xu Hao was intercepted by the manager of the Xu family before he could leave the city. He was taken back to the mansion.

In the study, Xu Huizu slammed his hand on the table and said sternly, "The whole city is spitting on the Xu family for seeking fame and profit. Do you realize that you represent the entire Xu family? This is outrageous and reckless!"

Xu Hao, not afraid, explained slowly, "The family is in financial difficulty, so I had no choice but to take this approach. I don't plan to associate with them anyway, so I might as well offend them all at once, saving endless social obligations."

Xu Huizu's anger suddenly vanished, and he stared at Xu Hao for a long time before laughing bitterly, "You are indeed a smart person, far better than your shortsighted elder brother. However, such cunning and scheming are not advisable. This time, you have disgraced the entire Xu family. If you needed money, why didn't you come to me? At the very least, we could have followed the usual practice and supplemented your gift."

Xu Hao was surprised by Xu Huizu's change in tone and looked up, saying, "This is just my humble opinion. I understand the difficulties of the family. Now that the elder uncle has taken a military position, it's best for us to act independently. If anything happens to one side, the other can still preserve its strength and support each other in the future."

"Do you know something?" Xu Huizu stared at Xu Hao intently, asking, "Do you know something?"

Xu Hao was startled but remained calm, "Elder uncle told me to observe the world more closely, so I paid more attention."

Xu Huizu thought he had learned something from Zhu Gaozhi and sneered, "Your sources are quite good. You and your fourth uncle are both focused on the Yan王府. I warn you, as a minister, you must be loyal to the emperor and the country first. Family ties come second. Now, the Yan Prince has secretly reported that the Duke of Liang is arrogant and lawless, while the Duke of Liang has accused the Yan Prince of amassing troops and becoming too powerful. This struggle between the dragon and the tiger is uncertain, and the emperor's decision could cause a storm in the capital. We must be extremely cautious. The Xu family must remain loyal to the emperor. If the emperor orders me to arrest the Yan Prince in Beiping, I will do so without hesitation. So, I tell you, Xu Hao, stay away from the brothers Zhu Gaozhi and Zhu Gaoxi. If you get too close, you might be arrested and executed as a rebel along with them!"