But I have already told him to speak directly, instead he is beating around the bush. If people who don't know the inside story hear it, they will think how much he cares about her brother.

Jiang Rao felt that she had seen through his thoughts clearly. She knew what such a smart man was thinking. A sense of pride suddenly emerged in her heart, prompting her to smile with a curved brow.

Don't blame her for being so proud, she's the only one who knows the inside story.

Jiang Jinxing came in breathlessly, lifting the curtain. Seeing Jiang Rao's smile, he thought she was laughing at him, and sat down angrily, "What's so funny? I won."

Jiang Rao restrained her smile. Wu Que followed Jiang Jinxing in and bowed to Rong Ting and said, "Give the young master three moves. The young master has practiced martial arts well."

Jiang Jinxing also knew that his victory was not glorious. He drank his tea and added hesitantly, "I am younger. I will give him three moves in the future."

There was a sweet chestnut aroma in the air. Jiang Jinxing moved when he smelled it and asked, "Is it sweet?"

Rong Ting: “Not sweet.”

Jiang Jinxing made a disdainful "tsk" sound, not quite believing it, and reached out to take it.

Rong Ting folded the folding fan in his hand and tapped Jiang Jinxing's sneaky fingers with the fan bone. "How are you doing with your studies?"

"Stingy, it's just a few chestnuts." Jiang Jinxing muttered, looking away, his eyes full of guilt. Seeing Rong Ting seemed to want to ask him about his homework, he hid beside Jiang Rao in fear, "Sister, sister, you see I have also competed in kung fu, I have learned it very well. I promise that when I go to Jiangzhou, I will not fall behind in any of my homework. Can you help me to ask for help, okay?"

Jiang Rao didn't buy into his trick and handed him the peeled chestnuts. Jiang Jinxing didn't take it and called her "sister" in a sticky voice, each word softer and softer.

Jiang Rao finally softened her heart and said, "I'll ask for you tomorrow."

Anyway, if he really didn't learn his lessons well, he wouldn't be able to pass the test of his parents even if she pleaded for him.

"Sister, I will buy you the most beautiful jewelry in all of Dazhao!" After some entanglement, Jiang Jinxing got what he wanted and left happily. Jiang Rao looked back and saw Rong Ting leaning against the back of a chair, with his head half tilted on his folding fan, looking dignified and lazy.

When she looked at him, he slightly opened his thin lips and spoke in a calm tone, but there was a hint of resentment in his expression for being ignored.

He whispered, "You really love your brother."

Jiang Rao had grasped this man's sweet-mouthed but treacherous character. She knew that he usually said soft words, but he was probably stabbing her in the heart.

It's okay to be jealous of others, but her brother...not to that extent.

"I only have this one brother."

She replied softly, walking closer to him.

Rong Ting took advantage of the situation and reached out his hand, pulling her in front of him. He lowered his head and buried it in her arms.

Seeing them getting close, Ming Shao hurriedly drove the magpie away and went out together.

The rustling sound of the curtains falling made Jiang Rao's ears turn red. She pushed his head in annoyance and said, "The change is outside."

Rong Ting didn't care what she said. He obeyed his own heart and held her waist tighter. "If you had another brother, would you love him this much?"

Jiang Rao didn't know where this strange and somewhat childish question came from, but she thought about it seriously and nodded, "Of course."

She changed the topic: "If it's my sister, it's the same."

Rong Ting laughed softly. He raised his head and tilted his face up, with a smile on his lips. He looked a bit like a young and lively boy. His two canine teeth were pointed, and his eyes were bright and well-behaved. He called, "Sister."

The voice is as clear and deep as ice.

Jiang Rao was stunned for a moment, and then her cheeks and ears immediately turned red, "You...you..."

She couldn't find the words to describe him for a long time. To say that he was shameless or shameless was not right. The shock was stuck in her throat. After saying the two words "you", she couldn't say anything else.

It was just like a scene from a storybook. While walking at night, I met a poor person asking for directions. I was kind enough to give him directions but he led me into a gutter. Then I realized that the person had ulterior motives in asking for directions.

Jiang Rao pushed Rong Ting's face and said, "How can you bully others like this?"

Rong Ting was not shaken at all. He still kept his face in Jiang Rao's arms affectionately, looking up at her with his beautiful, watery eyes.

He laughed in a breathy voice and risked his life to call her sister again. Jiang Rao was angry and raised her hand to cover his mouth. Rong Ting finally put on a serious expression, grabbed her wrist, and rubbed it with his long fingers.

He followed her movement to cover his mouth and kissed the palm of her hand, while looking up at her.

His thin lips pressed against her palm, and he said slowly, "My father-in-law and mother-in-law are old, so don't make things difficult for them. I always want more brothers and sisters in my heart, so that they can love me better."

The shopkeeper came to look for Ming Shao outside. Jiang Rao heard their conversation. It was time for the shop to close. She reached out with her other hand to the arm tied behind her waist and pushed it. "The shopkeeper should be here to give me today's bill. Please loosen your grip."

"The maid will take it, don't worry, I'm unemployed today, I'll take care of those accounts." Rong Ting liked to see Jiang Rao helpless with him, so he smiled comfortably, with a lazy and naughty look, "Niannian said that you would love me, why don't you want to spend more time with me?"

Jiang Rao: “…” She made it sound like a husband who was full of lies, saying he would return home on time but left his wife alone in the boudoir.

"It hurts...you."

She was not good at saying sweet words, and her face turned red after she said the first two words.

Rong Ting looked at her lazily. She knew clearly that he was a bad person, but her attitude remained the same as before. He buried his face in Jiang Rao's arms and murmured like a child, "The best jewelry in Dazhao, your brother can't buy it, the ones I make are the best, right?"

Jiang Rao suspected that if she said no, he would not let go.

When she lowered her head, she saw him in her arms, with his head raised, smiling, and looking like he was waiting to be coaxed.

Jiang Rao tapped his forehead helplessly, "In my opinion, what you do is the best."

Rong Ting was satisfied and let go of his hand.

…

Jiang Jinxing indulged in fun and fell behind in his studies. Even if Jiang Rao pleaded for him, Fourth Master Jiang would not allow him to leave the capital.

But he finally got what he wanted.

Rong Ting invited a Confucian scholar from the Imperial College to give him private lessons. Jiang Jinxing was thinking about going out of the capital for fun, so he worked hard for half a month and finally passed the test and got the approval of the Fourth Master.

He is a very fence-sitter. Yesterday, he was thinking about Rong Ting bullying his sister and wanted to seek justice. Today, he got benefits from Rong Ting, so Rong Ting became his good brother-in-law again. Before leaving Beijing, he said to Jiang Rao who came to see him off with great respect that he should be nice to his brother-in-law.

Jiang Rao had a smile on his face, but thought to himself, if his brother-in-law didn't want him to go far away, he wouldn't have hired a tutor for him.

Rong Ting was busy with official duties and did not come to see him off in person. When he returned home, he asked Jiang Rao, "Has your brother left?"

Jiang Rao held the gadget in his hand, a little absent-mindedly, and nodded vaguely.

Rong Ting looked at her for a long while, then smiled again, "But now that he's gone, there's nothing around me anymore, a brother or sister missing?"

"No need..." Jiang Rao felt a little scared when she thought of the tone in which he called her "Sister" that day. She took the initiative and glanced at Rong Ting. She felt more and more that it was because she indulged him too much that he became spoiled and his ability to act like a spoiled brat was improved day by day until it was perfected.

There's nothing wrong with being spoiled.

He is just very narrow-minded.

At that time, she was talking to her brother, and he was silent beside her, peeling chestnuts. He seemed to be concentrating on his work, but in fact he was listening to everything, remembering it in his heart, waiting for the settlement.

Miser.

She retracted her hand and put the little thing in her hand into her sleeve.

I was planning to give it to him today, but now it’s not necessary.

It was a miniature sword tassel with tassels hanging under the acacia knot. Her hands were not very dexterous, and she worked on it for more than a month, picking out the best-looking one from more than a dozen.

Now, I have to pick a day and give it to him when he is really well behaved.

The sky was dark in the afternoon. The north wind blew through the hall, blowing the leaves of the sycamore trees in the yard, and the wind made a whimpering sound.

There was an urgent summons from the palace, and Xuan Rongting was summoned to the palace to meet the emperor.

Jiang Rao did not receive the imperial edict with Rong Ting. Rong Ting had always been open and honest with her. After hearing the news, she came to the front hall to see, but did not show up. She was behind the screen the whole time and heard everything.

After the palace maids left, Rong Ting stood in the hall for a while and then went behind the screen.

Jiang Rao didn't say hello to Rong Ting when she came, but he knew she was there.

He gently rested his chin on Jiang Rao's shoulder, breathing softly and speaking softly, "Father's illness has become more serious."

Jiang Rao knew that he was not a kind-hearted person, and therefore knew that what he wanted at this moment was not comfort.

But his sigh sounded uneasy.

There is not much father-son relationship between him and the current emperor. What could make him uneasy?

She narrowed her eyes slightly and looked outside. The early autumn sky was clear blue and the air was filled with the fragrance of early blooming osmanthus flowers, but she could smell a hint of uncertainty and conspiracy.

When Rong Ting left the house, she hurried over to him, holding the sword tassel that she had not given away a few days ago, and hung it on the sword at his waist.

Rong Ting lowered his head, and when he looked up, his eyebrows slightly raised, looking at Jiang Rao, seemingly confused.

In fact, it was a love knot, given by a woman to her lover, but Jiang Rao just couldn't bring herself to say the word "love knot". In broad daylight, she lied, "This is a peace knot."

Rong Ting lowered his head and took a look. In order to make a hairpin for her, he had looked at many picture albums. He knew what the knot was at a glance, but he pretended not to know.

She is often careless, but when it comes to being delicate, she is more careful than anyone else.

Rong Ting smiled and raised his hand to pinch Jiang Rao's fair cheek. "It's just a trip to the palace, why are you so nervous?"

Jiang Rao grabbed the corner of his clothes, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, "I said, you are the path I chose."

Rong Ting remained silent, bent down slightly, and lowered his head, waiting for her next words.

When it comes to politics and strategy, Jiang Rao admits she is shallow and can't say anything impressive, so she just mutters some useless nonsense to him, "No matter where you want to go, I will accompany you and never look back."