MTL - My Stepmother is Soft and Charming

"It's not good to make Madam laugh. I'm stupid. I only found out about this after my mother-in-law mentioned it. So, Madam, please don't praise me any more. I don't have much room for shame."

"If there is an old man in the family, if there is a treasure, I must ask Mrs. Shao to come and sit at the banquet someday."

“Don’t worry, madam, my mother-in-law is still strong and she will definitely come to congratulate her when the time comes.”

Du Jingyi smiled, then took the list and scanned it casually. The handwriting was neat and the relationship was clear. He even wrote down who was in the other party's family, what his temperament was, and what he liked to eat and what his taboos were. He was indeed a careful person.

 It’s worth paying.

So he smiled and said something.

"Mrs. Shao is very attentive. I will definitely pay attention to these details when we have a banquet."

"Madam, you're too polite, but most of the official family members in Cezhou City are easy to get along with. Over the years, I haven't heard of any unpleasantness between any family. The only ones are the Xiong family and the Kuang family. There seemed to be some disagreements with Marshal Gu and the others in the early years, so you should be more careful when Madam posts."

"Oh? The Xiong family and the Kuang family? I haven't heard the general mention this before."

"When the Gu Jiajun was guarding Cezhou, these two families were originally with Marshal Gu. But for some reason, there seemed to be some unhappiness in the camp. So from then on, the Xiong family and the Kuang family He no longer interacted with the Gu family, and his descendants no longer joined the army. Instead, they were dedicated to studying as examiners. Therefore, the descendants of these two families in Cezhou City are quite prestigious. Although they are not as good as the General's Mansion, there are still many people. Naturally, it needs to be more powerful."

Hearing this, Du Jingyi knew something in his mind.

 There is no contact between them, and their descendants are not allowed to join the army. It seems to be quite a contradiction, so before Du Jingyi invites them, I'm afraid it's better to inquire carefully before making a decision.

“Thank you, Mrs. Shao, for reminding me. I know about this.”

 “It’s good that Madam has an idea.”

After sitting for a while, Mrs. Shao stood up and left. Du Jingyi did not tell her about the land in the east of the city because Du Jingyi knew that the most influential person in the Shao family was probably Mrs. Shao.

 You need to find the right person to do things quickly, accurately and ruthlessly, so I won’t let Mrs. Shao pass on the message in the middle. I will wait until I meet Mrs. Shao in person on the day of the banquet.

"Cherry, go and find Butler He. I'll leave the banquet to you and him. Jin'er will help you. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask Aunt Dou."

After hearing this, Jin'er was quite eager to give it a try.

As the saying goes, it is better to do it once than to hear it a hundred times, so she was happy to get this opportunity.

“Don’t worry, aunt, Jin’er will handle this matter beautifully!”

“Okay, if the banquet is done this time, you will be in charge of all the banquets at home in the future, which can be regarded as learning in advance.”

Jin'er smiled and nodded, not rejecting such experience.

Steward He and Qingtao have been entertaining guests in Sui'an City for many years. Such a scene is naturally easy to grasp, so they have nothing to fear.

After arranging these matters, Du Jingyi called for Liu Xun.

Now we are in Cezhou, so Liu Xun's actions are not as hidden as they were in Sui'an City, and he soon appeared in front of Du Jingyi.

 “What are your plans, madam?”

“Mr. Liu, do you know about the Xiong family and the Kuang family?”

“I know, they are all old families in Cezhou. When Marshal Gu was still guarding Cezhou, their two families were there.”

“Then do you know what happened back then that caused the Gu family to stop having contact with them?”

When Liu Xun mentioned this, he looked disgusted and immediately replied. "My subordinate also heard this matter mentioned by Lao Zheng. It seems that Xiong Kuang and his two men were not of good moral character. When they were under the old marshal's tent, they dared to exchange military items outside and then pass them off as good ones. To make profits, when the old marshal found out, he beat each of them a hundred times and expelled the Gu family army, making it clear that no descendants of the Gu family would have anything to do with them anymore!"

 Purchase inferior quality goods and make profits from them? !

How audacious!

You dare to steal things in the military camp and sell them. Isn't this making fun of the lives of the soldiers?

 No wonder the old marshal was so angry!

 “You made such a big mistake and you weren’t beaten to death?!”

“Originally they were going to be beaten to death, but these two people actually stood up to a hundred blows, so the old marshal didn’t have any more thoughts of killing."

 “Is there something wrong with the guy who plays the board?”

“The first and second masters fought it in person. Xiong Kuang and his two men were their lieutenants, and they had to save their lives many times.”

I see.

 You cannot ignore the grace of saving your life, but you must also obey the military orders before you.

I guess the two Xiong Kuangs were a little arrogant about taking credit, so they thought they would be able to enjoy some special benefits based on their merits after the incident. However, in the end, Marshal Gu was strict in managing the army, so he felt resentful!

"It is true that such families cannot communicate with each other. The general set out for Qiuhua Mountain in order to inquire about what happened back then. I wonder if the Xiong Kuang family will have anything to do with this matter?"

Hearing this, Liu Xun's expression became serious.

"Probably not. The Xiong Kuang family are both low-class people. If we want to harm the old marshal, it will be even harder than climbing to the sky."

“It’s better to send this news to the general. It’s good to have one more possibility.”

 “Yes, I understand.”

Liu Xun left immediately. After he left, Du Jingyi stood up and walked thoughtfully towards the west across the courtyard.

On the way, she said nothing and kept thinking about Xiong Kuang's family.

Jin'er also noticed it, so he asked one more question.

“Auntie, do we still need to post about these two families?”

“Don’t worry about it for the time being. Since my grandfather has strict orders not to allow the Gu family to interact with them, then follow it. If these two families insist on joining in the fun, then you must also think of a way to deal with it.”

 “Jin’er understands.”

The aunt and nephew walked for a while and then returned to the small attic.

The eldest aunt and the second aunt were leisurely watching the grandchildren playing around here, which was very interesting. When they saw the two coming, they smiled and asked.

"How was the conversation? Is Mrs. Shao easy to get along with?"

“She seems to be someone who is not difficult to talk to. She is very polite when meeting her, but she is still sincere. However, I accepted her favor and learned about Xiong Kuang’s family.”

“Xiong Kuang’s family? What’s going on?”

The person who asked this question was the second aunt. She had never been to Cezhou, so she was very curious when she heard this. However, the eldest aunt seemed to have some impression, so she squinted and thought about it.

"I remember that the two of them used to be the lieutenants of the uncle and his second uncle. They had a very close relationship. But for some reason, they suddenly stopped communicating with each other. I even asked the uncle, but he said that these two people annoyed my father-in-law. , so you are not allowed to mention it again in the future!”