The First Lackey Under The Empress

While the You family sized up the three people under the eaves, Zhao Dou'an was also scrutinizing these relatives from the west.

He wasn't wearing an official robe, just a relatively plain long robe, concealing the muscular lines of his body.

From his appearance, he looked more like a scholar than a military officer.

Coupled with his powder-like face, he indeed fit the stereotypical image of a "pretty boy."

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Beside him, You Jinhua and her daughter were also dressed in finery.

The plump and beautiful stepmother wore her favorite ink-green printed long skirt made of Shu brocade bestowed by the palace, looking extremely dignified and elegant.

Her black hair, styled into a married woman's bun, was adorned with heavy gold hairpins, and her hands resting in front of her were adorned with the jade bracelets that the Dong family had offered as compensation.

Paired with her fair and smooth hands, she truly had the charm of a noble lady from the capital.

Standing beside her mother, Zhao Pan's makeup was equally stunning today.

The girl's slender waist was bound with a jade belt, and You Jinhua had carefully styled her smooth black hair into the appearance of an official's daughter.

Her delicate oval face featured a pert, delicate nose and eyelashes like brushes.

Her bright eyes were like autumn water, and her lips were a light pink.

Because of practicing the correct martial arts techniques for the past few months, although still a novice, she had developed a girlish tenderness mixed with a heroic spirit.

It must be said that the Zhao family's three members were all very attractive.

In contrast, the visiting family of three paled in comparison.

The father and son were fine, after all, one had a rugged temperament, and the other was an unkempt youth who didn't care much about appearance.

But the bejeweled You Shi was immediately overshadowed upon her entrance.

Clearly, the woman was also a dignified noblewoman in her local family, but compared to You Jinhua and her daughter, she immediately appeared vulgar and petty.

You Zhande was also surprised, but after all, he had seen the world, and he spoke first:

"Jinhua… is that you?"

The call, filled with a hometown accent and "sincere" emotion, immediately ignited You Jinhua's sorrow for years of wandering in a foreign land.

"Second Uncle…"

You Jinhua's nostrils twitched, and she subconsciously hurried forward, tears glistening in her eyes.

More than ten years had passed, and the Second Uncle in front of her seemed to have not changed much, only aged a little.

At this moment, past memories exploded.

You Jinhua, with her gentle personality and concern for family, almost cried.

In her youth, those unpleasant past events seemed to have been washed away by time, diluted too much.

Her stepson and daughter did not understand why she would have such an attitude towards relatives who had not treated her well in the past.

But in You Jinhua's view, although the Second Uncle's family was indeed harsh in the struggle for family property, blood was always thicker than water.

She had married far away to the capital in these years and had lost two husbands.

The suffering she had endured during that time was truly unspeakable to outsiders.

People always beautify the past, and You Jinhua was like that, cutting off contact for more than ten years, and the initial hatred had faded a lot.

Therefore, when she suddenly received a letter from home, even if she guessed in her heart that the family members were probably not purely motivated.

Whether it was to curry favor or whatever, it was fine.

But in the end, she could reunite with her relatives in her lifetime.

For her, it was a kind of great comfort.

However, You Jinhua was no longer the girl of the past. After a slight loss of composure, she paid her respects to the two elders in turn:

"Jinhua greets Second Uncle and Aunt."

You Zhande showed a happy smile, and his wife, You Shi, also squeezed out a warm and false smile.

Playing the role of loving elders.

"This must be Lu'er."

You Jinhua looked at the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy next to her, who was already as fat as a pig, and asked curiously.

After You Lu'er came in, he looked around, sizing everything up.

When he saw the people, his gaze was fixed on You Jinhua and her daughter, somewhat dazed.

He subtly stared at the chest of You Jinhua, who was his "cousin."

His gaze then stuck to the girl Zhao Pan, who slowly followed behind.

Zhao Dou'an's eyes narrowed slightly, and a very subtle, somewhat cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

But he didn't speak.

— Today, in order to allow his stepmother to hold her head high and regain some face in front of her family.

He decided to play the role of an "obedient" stepson today.

Unless necessary, he would not disrupt his stepmother's hard-won reunion.

"Yes, Lu'er, quickly pay your respects and greet your cousin."

You Zhande laughed heartily and urged his youngest son.

The pig-like boy reluctantly lowered his head and called out:

"Cousin."

You Jinhua was overjoyed and then remembered something, turning to beckon Zhao Pan to come over.

She introduced her daughter's identity and asked her to greet them.

Zhao Pan wore a stern face, extremely resistant to these so-called relatives in her heart.

Especially the little fat boy's eyes, which made her uncomfortable.

But for her mother's sake, she patiently paid her respects and called out in turn:

"Second Grandpa, Second Grandma…"

Zhao Dou'an smiled and didn't intend to recognize the two elders.

Walking to Zhao Pan's side, he simply nodded and said:

"A few days ago, I heard that Aunt's elders were coming, but I didn't have time to prepare much. I only prepared a table of home-cooked meals. Please come in and sit down."

You Zhande then looked at the "master" he was trying to curry favor with today.

The head of the small family, who had traveled north and south and could be considered a figure in one area, showed an appropriate smile on his face and praised:

"This must be Zhao family's eldest son. He is indeed a man of dignified appearance."

In his words, he didn't treat him as a "junior" at all, but rather with some respect.

Zhao Dou'an smiled and was not surprised. He immediately invited the You family into the hall.

The maidservants busily served tea and snacks, and the two sides exchanged greetings and took their seats.

The fat boy frowned as he entered the house, glanced around, and covered his stomach, saying:

"Aren't you preparing food? I'm hungry."

As soon as he said this, the wealthy You Zhande's face changed slightly, and he scolded:

"How can you be so rude?"

Madam You was protective of her own, and upon hearing this, she was somewhat displeased, shielding the little fatty:

"What are you yelling at my son for?"

The atmosphere became slightly tense. You Jinhua subconsciously looked towards her stepson, only to see Zhao Du'an smiling as he said:

"It's alright. It's almost noon anyway. Mian Tao, go tell the cooks to serve the dishes. Let's eat and chat."

Mian Tao acknowledged and left.

A group of waiters from the well-known Ding Feng Restaurant, who had been waiting in the kitchen for some time, skillfully brought in the prepared wine, meat, and dishes.

Before long, a lavish and expensive table was set.

Madam You was greatly surprised. On her face, covered with a thick layer of powder to conceal wrinkles, her eyes blinked:

"Niece, this doesn't seem like your family's cook's skill…"

You Jinhua nodded with a smile:

"Fearing any neglect towards Second Uncle and Aunt, Eldest Brother hired a chef from a nearby restaurant."

No wonder… The family members showed expressions of realization.

Madam You sat at the table, her waist straight, and said with some disdain in her eyes:

"I was just saying, it doesn't look like it's homemade. So it's hired. That must cost a lot of money."

What she said sounded as if she was flattered.

In reality, it was full of superiority…

For large families, hiring someone to entertain guests is far less dignified than having a skilled cook at home.

It's not just about the taste of the dishes, but also a reflection of the family's wealth—

Only large and powerful families can afford to keep a group of cooks.

Hiring someone with money is undoubtedly a bit degrading.

These words, overtly and covertly, were comparing the strength of the Zhao family and the You family.

Zhao Du'an smiled and answered for his stepmother:

"It's alright, it doesn't cost much."

What he didn't explain was that he had only instructed his servants to say a word.

The manager of Ding Feng Restaurant, one of the best in the capital, personally brought the entire kitchen staff, with their own ingredients, to the door.

For this, they didn't hesitate to close the restaurant for a whole day.

Moreover, they refused to accept a single copper coin, only hoping to express their gratitude to Lord Zhao.

If they could receive a little favor in the future, they would be endlessly grateful.

It wasn't at all like Madam You thought, spending money to hire someone to come over.

"Oh, these tableware and utensils are quite interesting."

You Zhande had sharp eyes and a much larger perspective than his wife.

At a glance, he could tell that the porcelain used to hold the dishes was exquisite and finely crafted. He picked up a wine cup and examined it, surprised:

"Is this the mark of the imperial kiln from the previous dynasty?"

Madam You also hurried over to take a look and was stunned.

The imperial kiln was exclusively for the royal family. Ordinary people couldn't obtain it at all, and the price of those that flowed into the market was far higher than normal utensils.

Moreover, it was the previous dynasty's imperial kiln… This meant that this set of tableware was at least six hundred years old…

And it was a complete set. If it was real, it would be a priceless treasure.

An antique that should be collected.

Why would it be taken out for eating and serving dishes?

"Oh, this imitation is so delicate, it really looks impressive,"

Madam You smiled, pursed her thin lips, and advised:

"But niece, the truly wealthy families never use imitations.

It's just tableware for eating. Ordinary ones are fine. Why bother getting a set of imitation antiques?

It's fine among family members, but if outsiders who know about these things see it, they will laugh at us."

Although You Zhande felt that his wife's tone was inappropriate, what she said was correct, so he simply said:

"What are you talking about? Jinhua is just being hospitable."

The couple clearly regarded these utensils as fake.

After all…

The Zhao family lived in such an ordinary and unremarkable house, so it was obvious that they weren't very wealthy, and this guess became logical.

Zhao Du'an, his stepmother, and his younger sister exchanged glances.

They exchanged glances with slightly strange expressions and didn't say anything.

You Jinhua looked as if she was afraid of bumping into them. She knew that these utensils were real, indeed antiques from six hundred years ago.

Their value was extremely high.

It was Grand Tutor Dong who personally ordered his grandson, Dong Da, to bring them last time, as an apology to the Zhao family.

You Jinhua didn't understand antiques.

But she knew that the gifts sent by the dignified Grand Tutor couldn't be fake.

So she kept them in the cabinet, refusing to take them out for use, fearing they would be damaged.

This time, Zhao Du'an forcibly requested it and ordered the servants to take them out for use.

Firstly, to give his stepmother face.

Secondly… Zhao Du'an now possessed tens of thousands of taels of silver, and there would be at least tens of thousands of taels of subsequent dividends, so he didn't care about a set of porcelain.

It was just that time was tight, otherwise he would have bought a house first and moved.

"Hehe, that's right, we didn't consider it properly."

Zhao Du'an was too lazy to explain, just smiled, letting the family think whatever they wanted.

Madam You, having compared the two families twice in a row and felt that she had won, couldn't help but have her arrogance re-inflated.

She then looked at the jewelry on You Jinhua's body. With her eyesight, she didn't see any fakes, but she still advised:

"We're just seeing family, why be so grand? Is that a Shu brocade dress?

Even if your Eldest Brother is capable, I guess there aren't many at home.

You shouldn't wear it while eating, what if it gets dirty?

Niece, you're a mother now, you must learn to be the mistress of the Zhao family."

You Jinhua could only nod with a smile, accepting the elders' earnest teachings:

"What Aunt is saying is true, our family is small, not as many people as my maiden family."

Zhao Pan ate in silence beside her, lowering her head at this moment to hide her smile.

She really wanted to say that His Majesty's rewards to her Eldest Brother of silk fabrics were so many that they couldn't be used up even if they made many clothes.

Now they were piled up in the side room, and they were worried about being eaten by insects. Moreover, the family usually wore such clothes.

The You family came to the door, thinking they had found a sense of superiority.

But they didn't know that all their words and actions were exposing their own ignorance.

… …

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