The attendant accepted the order and left. The Duke of Ningguo looked down at the few sheets of paper on the table and couldn't help but sigh.

When Lu Mingzhang returned to his own courtyard, he saw Xu Gui sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) checking the dowry register. She whispered, "Later, the Duke's servant will come to deliver the silver notes. You can accept them."

Xu Gui looked at Lu Mingzhang with surprise and suspicion. Lu Mingzhang chuckled twice and told Xu Gui what had just happened. Although Xu Gui was young, Lu Mingzhang told her everything. Lu Mingzhang felt that if two people were to live together, there should be no secrets. If everything was out in the open, they could discuss things together. Thinking about the future, having someone to discuss things with made Lu Mingzhang's heart burn with excitement.

That afternoon, one of the Duke of Ningguo's attendants quietly arrived at Lu Mingzhang's courtyard. This courtyard was located in the far corner of the backyard, and it took a quarter of an hour to walk to the front residence, making it very inconvenient to come and go. It had been abandoned until now. It was only because Lu Mingzhang was getting married and needed his own courtyard that the Duke of Ningguo arranged for people to renovate the courtyard and make it into a new house for Lu Mingzhang.

Because it was so remote, the Duke of Ningguo's attendant concealed his whereabouts all the way and did not encounter anyone.

The servant gave Lu Mingzhang a silver note for six thousand taels of silver and told him to pack his luggage, saying that the Duke's mansion would send guards to escort the eldest son and eldest daughter-in-law to Hexi.

After seeing off the servant, Xu Gui looked at the thick stack of silver notes with surprise in his eyes and said to Lu Mingzhang, "You delivered the silver notes so easily?"

Seeing Xu Gui's unusually charming and innocent appearance, Lu Mingzhang smiled and patted her head, saying, "I'm right, it's that easy. Tomorrow we'll go back to our parents' home. You can see what we need to prepare. After we go back, we'll pack our things and head to Hexi. It's a long way to go, far away from here."

Xu Gui could sense Lu Mingzhang's deep disdain for this so-called home from his words.

Lady Ningguo was reclining on the kang (a heated brick bed) listening to the servants talk about Lu Mingzhang going to the accountant to ask for money. After listening, she sneered twice and said, "He doesn't even hand over the money he earns outside to the family, yet he has the nerve to come and ask me for his allowance. If he doesn't come, fine, but if he does, just say you don't have any."

The old nanny serving Lady Ningguo leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Madam, do you really want the eldest mistress to stay?"

Lady Ningguo felt a bit resentful thinking about the conditions she had agreed to. As the lady in charge of the household, she had to have control over every aspect of the inner quarters. This eldest son was the only one she could control. He was born to a concubine because she hadn't given birth to a child after three years of marriage. Her eldest son was born when the eldest son was over a year old. This eldest son was a thorn in Lady Ningguo's side.

Lu Mingzhang was clever and quick-witted from a young age and was greatly favored by the old Duke. After all, this eldest grandson of a concubine was someone he had longed for. After the old Duke passed away, the Duke's wife began to suppress him and forced him to join the army. She originally thought that a child of ten years old, who had not practiced martial arts since childhood, would die on the battlefield because swords and spears have no eyes. Who knew that he would actually earn the title of general.

The Duchess disliked the current out-of-control situation. Naturally, she hoped that Xu Gui could stay, so that she could use Xu Gui to keep Lu Mingzhang in check. After all, Xu Gui was in the inner quarters, and Lu Mingzhang had to go through her to communicate with Xu Gui.

However, Lu Mingzhang actually persuaded the Duke to give up his family property. On the surface, they would not divide the family property, but in reality, he would separate Lu Mingzhang from the family. The Duke, for reasons unknown, actually agreed.

Lady Ningguo looked at the teacup in her hand with disdain. The Duke's mansion had been having a harder time in the past two years than in earlier years. They had to cut back on expenses wherever possible, and even the tea they were buying was not their favorite from previous years.

Lady Ningguo said to the old woman, "Go and arrange for two people to go with them when they are about to leave."

The old woman nodded and went to make arrangements.

Lady Ningguo looked at the teacup in front of her. The tea looked cool, but the taste was still lacking. She couldn't help but sigh softly.

Lu Mingzhang looked at Xu Gui sitting opposite him, thought for a moment, and said, "If we are leaving, the manor will definitely arrange for someone to go with us to Hexi. You can pick them up. Once we get there, how to arrange things is still up to us, isn't it?"

Xu Gui nodded, made a few marks on the booklet, and said to Lu Mingzhang, "Husband, I have a dowry house in the capital. There are some things that are inconvenient for us to take to Hexi, so I would like to put them in the house."

Lu Mingzhang thought for a moment and said, "I also have a house in the capital, but everyone in this mansion knows where it is, and the people guarding that house are also from this mansion. I haven't been there for quite some time. This time, time is tight, and there's no time to deal with those people. So, as you said, put the things in the house you brought as part of your dowry. You'd better choose the people guarding the house carefully."

Xu Gui nodded and said, "I asked my wet nurse and her family to help me look after the house. Hexi is too far away, and my wet nurse is not in good health, so it's good for her to stay in the capital and take good care of herself."

This was the first time the young couple had lived like this on their own, and they didn't have any experienced elders to guide them. They could only plan carefully, thinking about all sorts of things.

Xu Gui had originally thought that after marrying Lu Mingzhang, she would have to come up with solutions for everything herself, which gave her a headache. But now, the two of them were sitting face to face, working together to come up with ideas for their future life. Actually, when she thought about it carefully, there was nothing to worry about. With each other relying on each other, would the days ahead still be boring?

Seeing his newlywed wife writing and drawing in the booklet with such seriousness, Lu Mingzhang smiled and said, "Take a break first. There's plenty of time. We'll figure out how to solve whatever comes up. Why do we have to think ahead of everything? Put down your pen and let me take you for a walk in the garden."

Xu Gui put down her pen, thought for a moment, and said, "Husband, let's not go to the garden. If we run into people, we'll have to talk a lot. It's better if we take this opportunity to see what we have on hand. If I have a clear idea of ​​what we need, we won't be at a loss when we get to Hexi."

Lu Mingzhang thought of Xu Gui's words, which actually made a lot of sense. How many people in this mansion were truly on good terms with him? If he encountered them outside, their words would be full of sarcasm, wouldn't that make him feel uncomfortable?

Seeing Lu Mingzhang's thoughtful expression, Xu Gui smiled and said, "Anyway, once we leave, we'll be guests when we come back. Or is it that you, sir, still have some attachment to this mansion?"

The last sentence was said jokingly, and Lu Mingzhang couldn't help but laugh.