Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts
Chapter 436

Xu Ming returned to the Xu residence and headed back to his own courtyard.

His residence was still the same small courtyard as before.

The Xu family had considered multiple times relocating Xu Ming to a larger courtyard. Given his rising status, continuing to live in such a modest place seemed unbefitting.

However, Xu Ming had refused every single time.

To him, the size of the courtyard didn’t matter; as long as it was comfortable, that was enough. He hadn’t even requested a single maidservant to attend to him.

That being said, his courtyard was still regularly cleaned and maintained by designated servants.

As Xu Ming stepped inside, he saw a pile of gifts stacked on the stone table in the center of the courtyard.

The maid Chunyan was in the middle of arranging them.

“Sister Chunyan,” Xu Ming called out.

“Ah!” Chunyan was startled and turned around, clutching her chest. “Young Master, you scared me to death!”

Xu Ming chuckled. “You’re still as timid as ever, Sister Chunyan.”

Walking over, he glanced at the gifts and asked, “Who sent all of these?”

“Who else? The officials from court, of course.” Chunyan handed him a gift list. “Since this afternoon, officials have been coming one after another to deliver gifts. The Old Ancestor wasn’t sure whether to accept them, so in the end, she decided to keep them under her own name. She also had this list compiled—take a look.”

Xu Ming took the list and skimmed through it, letting out a surprised “Oh-ho!”

“These officials sure are wealthy. Their extra income must be quite substantial.”

Chunyan smiled. “Young Master, what are you saying? Which official in the capital doesn’t have money?”

Then, she asked, “So, are you going to accept these gifts?”

Xu Ming nodded with a grin. “Of course. I have to accept them. If I don’t, I’m afraid some of these officials won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Chunyan didn’t quite understand what he meant.

She only knew that her young master had become a very high-ranking official, which was why so many people were coming to deliver gifts.

As for why these officials wouldn’t be able to sleep if he refused their gifts, that was beyond her comprehension.

But then again, she didn’t need to understand such matters.

“Take these gifts and the gift list, find a few other maids to help, and move everything to the Xu family’s storage room. Also, inform the Old Madam that no one is allowed to touch these items.”

Xu Ming gave his instructions.

“Yes, Young Master.” Chunyan nodded and quickly left to carry out his orders.

Before long, she returned with a few nimble-handed maidservants, who swiftly carried all the gifts away.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, even more officials arrived bearing gifts.

Xu Ming excused himself, claiming he was busy with official matters and couldn’t entertain guests. Instead, he had his “cheap father” go out to receive them.

Although his father had no real skills, he was quite adept at hosting and entertaining guests. After all, he spent his days either drinking with colleagues or visiting brothels with them.

Over time, he had become quite skilled at reading people and navigating social situations.

Xu Ming was sure his father would be more than happy to take on this task, as these officials would undoubtedly flatter him. And if there was one thing his father loved, it was being fawned over.

Of course, Xu Ming specifically warned him not to make any promises to anyone.

Xu Zheng waved him off with a casual “I got it, son, don’t worry,” before happily heading out to greet the guests.

By midday, the number of visitors started to dwindle.

Looking through the gift list, Xu Ming noticed several names of officials who prided themselves on being part of the “clean stream” faction—those who were known for their integrity.

Though their gifts weren’t as extravagant as others, it was evident they had scraped together quite a bit to afford even these modest offerings.

Xu Ming shook his head and once again instructed that all the gifts be locked away in the storeroom, along with the gift list. Everything had to be properly stored without a single mishap.

The Xu family’s Old Madam didn’t question anything. Instead, she personally oversaw the safekeeping of the gifts, even taking the time to count and inspect them herself, afraid that the servants might be careless.

Xu Ming took note of her actions.

Truth be told, he had never underestimated this Old Madam.

To have once been the official wife of the Duke of Xu, and to have lived for three hundred years, she was certainly no ordinary woman.

Her insight, experience, and the sheer number of people she had encountered over the years far surpassed most in the capital.

Not to mention, she had once followed the former Duke of Xu, carving a bloody path through chaos and war.

But that was a long, long time ago. Over the years, much of her ambition had been worn away.

Was she unaware of the state of the Xu family? Did she not know that the so-called “lords” of the household spent their days frequenting brothels?

Was she oblivious to the gradual decline of both the Xu and Qin families? Did she not realize that their continued existence depended solely on the Emperor’s past favor?

Of course, she knew.

But she had chosen to turn a blind eye, simply wanting to spend her remaining years in peace, fooling herself and her descendants with illusions of stability.

She was old—too old.

She just wanted to live out her final days in tranquility. Even if everything was nothing more than a facade, she no longer wished to trouble herself with it.

Besides, she understood that the more she maintained this illusion, the safer the Xu family would be.

Despite the family’s connections in the capital, few of its men held any real power.

Even those with some authority wielded only minor influence.

She knew that if things continued this way, the Xu family would decline. But at the very least, they would remain safe. And out of respect for the former Dukes of Xu and Qin, the Emperor would continue to turn a blind eye and ensure their protection.

But now, anyone could see that the Xu family had become the very center of the capital’s political stage.

And it was all because of one person—their family’s gifted prodigy.

One misstep, and both the Xu and Qin families could be utterly ruined.

The Old Madam could no longer afford to play dumb.

Especially now that power had returned to their hands, their many relatives from both families were surely stirring with ambition.

She knew she had to be the weight that kept everyone’s greed in check.

After an exhausting day, she finally returned to her chamber.

For the first time in years, she felt this drained—almost as if she had returned to those days of following her husband through hardship.

In the past, she had always wondered if the Xu family would ever produce someone capable of shouldering great responsibility.

But now, the entire court had to take their family into account before making a move.

The Old Madam wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

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