I really don't want to take shortcuts anymore

If Luo Qianhuai had not sacrificed his two younger brothers in time and begged him with red eyes to give him some time to prepare the dinner, he would have stayed in the house until tomorrow morning without any fear of being laughed at by his subordinates.

After gaining her freedom, she forced herself to get up, put on her clothes, called Xing Xuan, Xing Yi and Xing Wu, and told them about the arrangements for the dinner.

No one knew what kind of punishment they had received. They were walking normally, but their faces were pale, and they refused to say more no matter how much they were asked.

Luo Qianhuai didn't have the energy to care about them at this moment. After the three of them respectfully responded and left, she immediately fell down and slept until the lights came on.

Xing Xuan lifted the curtain and woke her up softly, "Madam, the two gentlemen have arrived, and the Marquis is having tea with them in the front yard."

In the main hall of the front yard, Master Mo, dressed in a moon-white satin robe, leaned lazily on the main seat, while Luo Xiao and Luo Zhao sat on the guest seats at the lower left and right sides respectively.

No one spoke and the hall was silent.

Wei Zhi walked forward silently and refilled the tea for Wei Xiao and Wei Zhao.

Although Wei Xiao felt that the tea was light and elegant, he did not come here to drink tea.

"My Lord." He clenched the box in his hand and broke the silence first:

"I was too busy to take a closer look when I returned home that day. After I returned, I found that the gift from the Marquis was too expensive. I dared not accept it. So please take it back, Marquis."

He stood up with the box in his hand and looked at the guard standing beside him, expecting him to take the box away, but the guard seemed not to have seen him. He just stood there motionless.

"My Lord..." Wei Xiao turned to look at Master Mo again, and heard him sigh softly.

"Since Brother Xiao is a student of Mr. Duan, he must be good at etiquette. Not to mention that today is a family dinner, even if we are outside, you should call me brother-in-law instead of following the crowd and calling me 'Marquis'."

According to Luo Xiao's heart, he didn't want to acknowledge this brother-in-law. He had to go back home in front of everyone that day, but now that the door is closed, there is no need to do so.

"My Lord, please don't joke. My surname is Luo, and my wife's surname is Jing. Although we grew up together, we are not siblings after all, so we naturally don't dare to claim any relationship with you. As for this great gift, I am even more ashamed to accept it."

When he said this, Luo Zhao also stood up and threw the long box onto the table:

"My brother's words are my own. The sword you gave me is indeed good, but I have just started learning swordsmanship and I don't have much use for such a good thing. Please take it back, sir."

Young Master Mo lowered his eyes, his cold and pale face was indifferent, the corners of his lips were slightly pursed, and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry, but his voice was still as low and cool as an ice spring:

"The surname thing was originally a way for my father-in-law to cover up the truth. You and my wife know the truth. Even if he was really adopted, after all those years of mutual support, it is only natural for you to call me brother-in-law. Otherwise, you don't have to force yourself to ask when you return home that day."

Seeing that Luo Xiao's face had turned red, Mr. Mo continued:

"I originally thought that both of you were clear-headed people who wouldn't act so pretentiously just for a title and some vulgar things. Now it seems that I might have been wrong."

Luo Xiao was young after all, and his face was completely red. He looked at Luo Zhao who was full of disapproval, and whispered:

"I was wrong before. But no matter what, this gift is too expensive. You and my sister are newly married, and although you have already entered the government, you still need money everywhere, so it is better to take back this shop."

The item hidden in the box was exactly the deed from an antique shop called "Zhibenzhai" located on the back street of Xijingdong City.

Yesterday, Luo Xiao went to Zhibenzhai to have an on-site look. He saw that the shop, with two floors, was built and carved with the finest red sandalwood from the outside to the inside, and it was filled with an aura of wealth. The items sold inside were rare and precious calligraphy and painting ornaments. There was a constant stream of people in front of the door, and everyone coming in and out was dressed in luxurious clothes. The daily turnover must be at least hundreds of thousands of gold.

If the deed was not in his hands, he would never have imagined that the owner of this shop was Xiang Hou Yu Chu, and he would never have imagined that he would give this prosperous shop, which could not be bought with money, to himself.

Of course, there is another possibility, that is, he accidentally took the wrong one.

Xianghou's financial situation was obviously not good, which could be seen from the cramped and simple Xianghou Mansion. So it was neither reasonable nor moral for him to accept such a generous gift. And if the other party really took it by mistake, he had to return it in time.

Master Mo smiled indifferently and waved his hand, motioning him and Luo Zhao to sit down. When he spoke again, he talked about something else.

"I heard that His Majesty had already performed the apprenticeship ceremony the day before yesterday, and called you and Gu Tang brothers and sisters?"

Luo Xiao was shocked and stood up: "This matter is secret. Everyone present at the time had received a gag order from His Majesty. How did Xiang Hou know about it?"

Master Mo still looked indifferent: "Ah Xiao called me wrong again, it's my brother-in-law."

"Then please tell me, brother-in-law, how did you know about this?" Luo Xiao's face was full of surprise.

Master Mo slowly picked up the teacup in front of him, brought it to his lips and took a sip before saying, "You still need to learn your Qi-nourishing skills from Master Duan."

"Master Duan?" Luo Xiao trembled and pointed at Mr. Mo: "You, how can you call Mr. Duan like this? Could it be that you and the old man..."

"Why, Master Duan hasn't told you yet that I was once taught by him. If we are to be honest, you and Gu Tang should both call me Senior Brother."

Luo Xiao looked at Master Mo sitting at the top of the table. His pupils shrank sharply and memories in his mind spun like a kaleidoscope. Many details that he had not paid attention to before slowly emerged in his mind.

"Sir, in the history of the Qing Dynasty, there are two different versions about the origin of Emperor Qing Yanzong. One version says that he is the biological son of Emperor Qing Xiangzong, and the other version says that the powerful minister Gao Bingxian had impregnated a maidservant of Emperor Xiangzong, implying that he is Gao Bing's bloodline. If there were differences between the official history and the unofficial history, it would be fine, but it is clearly the same book, so why are there differences?"

"Xiao'er, you asked a very good question. Although the pen of history is like a knife, it is people who hold the pen. They cannot experience everything in person, so they can only summarize the records of their predecessors into books. If the predecessors have two opinions, what can the historians do?"

"But sir, this is too frivolous. The one who compiled the History of the Former Qing Dynasty was Wen Shigong. This is really unimaginable."

"Haha, you are still too young. Wen Shigong was already a serious and upright person. After him, historians have been worse than the previous generation. Some have selfish motives, some obey orders from the emperor, or some just become the mouthpiece of the emperor. What you see is just what people with ulterior motives want you to see."