Wu Zhiyuan sighed again.
Xu Qing took the opportunity to ask, "How is your father now?"
"Father is now nearing seventy, and he is currently enjoying his twilight years in the Capital City."
Wu Wencai also smiled and said, "Uncle spends his days playing with his grandchildren, but what he misses most is this storefront on Underground Street and the years spent with Brother Xu in the funeral business."
Wu Zhiyuan sighed as well, "It's hard to leave one's homeland. Father has operated the Paper Mache Shop for most of his life; how could he easily let it go? Speaking of which, Father once joked that he would definitely ask Brother Xu to handle his funeral one day..."
"..."
Seeing their expressions change, Xu Qing proactively changed the topic: "When you both left the Jin Sect, you were already married. By now, your children must have grown up, right?"
Wu Wencai couldn't help but laugh, "More than grown up, Zhiyuan's children married early, and now he even has a grandchild who is two years old."
"Brother Xu, have you not settled down yet?"
"..."
Xu Qing was at a loss for words.
How do people have children faster than cats...
In just a few short years, Wu Yaohua has become a great-grandfather.
"Brother Xu is already over forty. Do you plan to continue running this shop on Underground Street?"
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and looked at the two.
The Wu brothers are not what they used to be.
Back then, Wu Zhiyuan received a letter from Zhu Huai'an, learned that Xu Qing and Wu Wencai had joined, and without a second thought, packed his belongings and went to the northern border.
Since then, Wu Zhiyuan has assisted the monarch all the way to achieving great success!
Now, Wu Zhiyuan has been granted the title of Marquis of Wencheng, appointed as Vice Minister of the Secretariat.
Wu Wencai, for stabilizing Jingzhou, has served as the Comfort Envoy of Jingzhou and the Strategy Envoy of Lingnan, and after returning to the Capital City to report his duties, he was appointed Assistant Minister and granted the title of Elder Jingcheng, sharing key responsibilities.
Xu Qing understood the weight of these positions.
In the eyes of the people of the Great Yan, the Wu brothers serving in the government and holding high positions is truly a remarkable family!
Yet, now the two suddenly asked about his future plans...
Xu Qing couldn't help but recall when Wang Liang, carrying the verbal order of Zhu Huai'an, came to invite him to 'come out of retirement'.
"Are you both also bearing Your Majesty's order, here to invite me to the Capital City to serve as an official?"
Wu Wencai praised, "Brother Xu's insight is sharp indeed; nothing can be hidden from him."
Wu Zhiyuan chimed in, "Your Majesty misses Brother Xu greatly and often reminisces about the days when Wencai, I, Brother Xu, and His Majesty drank and made merry in the Jin Sect..."
Xu Qing waved his hand, "Times have changed; the monarch is the monarch, and the ministers are ministers. How can things be as they were yesterday? You two need not persuade me. It's not that I'm refusing, but rather that I lack the talent and virtue to be competent."
"Besides, you both have achievements and reputations, while I am merely a Funeral Master with no skills beyond leading funerals, so what kind of official could I be in the Capital City?"
"The new dynasty is on the rise, and it would not be appropriate for someone from the funeral trade to enter the court as an official."
Seeing Xu Qing's firm refusal, the Wu brothers exchanged a glance and tacitly agreed not to press the matter further.
If it were anyone else, they would surely speak earnestly and emotionally, determined to fulfill His Majesty's entrustment.
But Xu Qing is different; besides His Majesty's order, the three share a private friendship, and the two brothers understood Xu Qing's aspirations from the start.
For now, they were simply using His Majesty's decree as an excuse for a reunion.
After staying one day, the Wu brothers returned to the Capital City the next day.
Xu Qing continued his life surrounded by cats, foxes, ghosts, and corpses.
However, the peace did not last long; just ten days after the Wu brothers returned to the Capital City, an unexpected guest arrived at his shop.
The person before him was about forty, wearing a cap that allowed freedom, his black hair bound tightly, hair was perfectly neat.
He wore a plain sky-blue satin robe, which at first glance seemed to belong to a wealthy man, but on closer inspection, appeared different.
Despite his common clothing, his posture was as upright as a pine tree, with a graceful and composed manner. He was either a high official or a monarch.
Xu Qing took a deep breath, thinking to himself that if there was one person he most wished to avoid seeing in the century, it was this middle-aged man before him.