Cheng Kai frowned, and Xu Yao glared at him fiercely, making Cheng Kai feel very embarrassed.

Seeing Cheng Kai's expression, Xu Bai immediately understood what was going on; it was nothing more than the Qingping Marquis's mansion stirring up trouble again.

It was Xu Bai who, relying on his young age, went to the Qingping Earl's Mansion and argued for a long time, which made Xu's grandfather find a way to send Cheng Kai to Liaodong Prefecture. Who knew that this journey of more than a thousand miles still couldn't stop the Qingping Earl's Mansion from wanting to cause trouble.

Xu Bai's mind raced as he figured out the reason. Looking at Xu Gao, who was both ashamed and angry, he realized that his older sister was not a person who could stand up for herself. He had already built such a framework for her, yet she still managed to get those people from the Earl's Mansion to send people to him to disgust him.

Xu Bai scooped Tuan Ge'er up in one go, let him sit on his shoulders, and said with a grin, "Tuan Ge'er, come on, you take your seventh uncle to see what kind of people those Hong Liu are. Your mother is the mistress of this mansion. If she, the mistress, is bullied, then there is no reason for it. I have never heard of the mistress of the household being bullied in her own home."

Hearing Xu Bai's words, Xu Gao's face turned even uglier. She was afraid that her husband Cheng Kai would look bad, so she stole a glance at him. Cheng Kai's face was dark and gloomy, and she didn't know what he was thinking.

Xu Yao's eyes lit up, and she followed Xu Bai, who was carrying Tuan Ge'er, out of the courtyard with great interest. Chen Yuyuan looked at Cheng Kai apologetically, then turned around and followed Xu Bai with interest.

Before Xu Gao could react, the children swarmed to the courtyard gate. Xu Gao quickly went to Cheng Kai's side and said anxiously, "Husband, stop them! What kind of behavior is this?"

Cheng Kai, his face dark, said calmly, "What's the point of stopping me? I just want to see how the lady of the house is bullied in her own home."

Xu Gao was surprised by Cheng Kai's words and his eyes widened in surprise. Cheng Kai sighed and said, "Wife, why did we come all this way here? The conditions here are nowhere near as good as in the capital. If I were in the capital, I could probably do a better job here. I brought you here so that you could live a comfortable life. Since we've sent people to serve us, please check if we need more people in the kitchen or for cleaning. If we do, keep them; if not, send them back. It's not easy for the three of us to live here; there's no need to support idle people."

Xu Gao immediately understood the meaning behind Cheng Kai's words, and his eyes involuntarily reddened.

Seeing Xu Gao's expression, Cheng Kai felt a pang of sadness. His wife was a good person in every way, but she was too concerned about saving face. Little did she know that in that family, face was the least valuable thing.

Cheng Kai understood perfectly well what those two flamboyant people sent by the Marquis of the capital meant. They were just there to gather information and, incidentally, to annoy his wife. At first, Cheng Kai didn't pay any attention, just wanting to see how his wife would handle it.

Cheng Kai was stationed at the border, with the vast fertile plains of the Great Liang behind him. He needed a very stable rear, which could not only be provided by Liaodong Prefecture but also by the Great Liang Dynasty itself, as well as by his wife, Xu Gao.

As a noblewoman from the capital, Xu Gao was excellent in terms of temperament, personality, and manners. However, she was too thin-skinned and often couldn't bring herself to admit her mistakes. Because of this, she was really manipulated by her mother-in-law for the first two years after marrying him.

In Cheng Kai's view, those so-called "manipulations" were actually quite insignificant. However, since it concerned the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and the reputation of the young couple, Cheng Kai knew very well that if their reputations were ruined and they were branded as unfilial, their future would also be affected.

After finally coming here and enjoying a few years of carefree life, who knew that the Earl's Mansion would send over two people specifically to serve him, one of whom had served Cheng Kai before Cheng Kai got married.

Cheng Kai doesn't go home often throughout the year. The two men have been living in this mansion since they arrived in Liaodong, and half a year has passed. They haven't even seen Cheng Kai's face, let alone served him personally.

Both of them came with a mission, and as the days went by, they became anxious. In their anxiety, they became somewhat shameless and caused some trouble that gave Xu Gao a headache.

Cheng Kai held Xu Gao's hand and said with a smile, "Wife, let's go and take a look. Abo and the others are still young. Let's not make things too complicated."

Xu Gao quickly agreed, tears welling in his eyes, a smile on his face, but feeling very relaxed as Cheng Kai pulled him outside.

Xu Bai carried Tuan Ge'er on his shoulder and, following Tuan Ge'er's directions, went out of Xu Gao's courtyard and headed to a side courtyard at the back.

The courtyard where Xu Gao lived was rented by Cheng Kai and Xu Gao after they came to Liaodong. The courtyard had five courtyards, but there were several side courtyards in the back. There was a stable on the left, and even a martial arts training ground at the very back.

Liaodong Prefecture is home to many families of border soldiers. Many families have martial arts training grounds in their homes so that their children can learn literature and martial arts from a young age. The courtyard that Cheng Kai rented was specifically for border soldiers, so all these facilities were naturally provided.

The two maids sent by the Marquis of Qingping lived in one of the side courtyards.

Yan Hong had served Cheng Kai since she was a child. Even when Cheng Kai moved to a separate courtyard in the outer courtyard, Yan Hong followed him from the back courtyard to take care of him. Yan Hong was born into a family; her parents were servants of the Qingping Earl's Mansion. Her father even rose to the position of second-class steward in the mansion, holding considerable influence. Back then, her father used his connections to send her to serve in the courtyard of the eldest son of the mansion, with the intention of having Yan Hong become Cheng Kai's concubine in the future.

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