Xie Lu is now in his forties. Although he experienced the wars and turmoil of his early years, he does not look old.

Moreover, he was naturally handsome, and in his youth he was a dashing young man whose looks rivaled those of Pan An. Now that he is a bit older, his figure has not changed, he has only grown a beard and fine lines around his eyes, which makes him look even more elegant.

If one compares their own prince to new tea, which is refreshing and leaves a pleasant aftertaste, then Master Xie is like a jar of aged wine, which becomes more and more fragrant the more you savor it!

Then look at their princess; she really doesn't seem to like tea much. She prefers plain water to tea.

Oh dear, this is terrible!

Granny Qin slapped her forehead suddenly. "Stop it! Don't think about such nonsense!"

Today, Xie Lü and Xie Liwei went to check out the manor outside the city. Of course, this was just the first one; there were several more manors to visit later.

"Just have someone take me tomorrow. I'll bring Mingyue along so he won't have time to play around in the capital and I won't have a good time explaining it to his wife."

"Father rarely comes to the capital, so I should keep you company and talk to you as much as I can."

"Yes, yes! Take me with you tomorrow too! I want to go too!" Song Yaozhu ran in, lifting her skirt, her eyes bright.

Xie Lu was momentarily dazed; for a fleeting instant, he truly believed he had seen his daughter.

"No! No!" Granny Qin interrupted, her mind racing. "Your Highness, have you forgotten? We just received visiting cards from several ladies, and they're coming to visit tomorrow. How can you leave?"

Song Yaozhu was disheartened. If she hadn't slept in late today, she might have gone out with her father.

"I know you two are newlyweds and you don't want to be away from Ali for too long, so I'll return her to you right now!" Xie Lu laughed heartily, patted Xie Liwei on the shoulder, and said, "It's settled then. Tomorrow, Mingyue will go out with me!"

Then he waved his hand and went back to his own yard.

Song Yaozhu watched his retreating figure, her lips pursed into a thin line.

When Granny Qin saw her expression, she was terrified!

Princess Consort! You actually like Mr. Xie's type?!

Xie Liwei glanced at her and said to Granny Qin, "Give the order that we have hot pot for dinner tonight, one spicy hot pot and one plain hot pot, and set them up in Juanyun Courtyard."

Hearing that they would be having hot pot that night, which meant another chance to spend time with her father, Song Yaozhu was delighted. Then she noticed that Xie Liwei's shoes and clothes were wet, soaked with snow and covered in mud.

"Go take a hot bath, don't catch a cold," she said with concern.

Seeing that she had her own prince in her eyes, Granny Qin breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The princess has such a broad mind!

In the evening, they not only ate hot pot, but also played mahjong with the Xie family until midnight.

Even the Xie family patriarch couldn't help but sigh, "Aren't we being a bit unbecoming of teachers by indulging ourselves like this?"

“We’re human too, we need to relax. Besides, we weren’t caught by the students, and we weren’t patronizing prostitutes or gambling, so what’s wrong with that?” Xie Lu said, throwing down a two of coins.

Song Yaozhu looked at the cards in her hand. How could something from Yixing be called a gambling tool?

"Oops, I accidentally won with a low hand!" Song Yaozhu pushed the tiles aside and stretched out her two small hands: "Quick, pay up!"

Xie Mingyue, who was reaching for her money with a crooked mouth, muttered under her breath, "Isn't this the right time to lose?"

"Xie Xiaoli, if you feed the cards to your wife again, get out of here!" Xie Lu was also furious. Playing cards is fine, but who do you think you are to bully because you don't have a wife?

Song Yaozhu smiled as she awkwardly accepted the loose silver, then tentatively moved half of it to Xie Liwei's side.

"To show respect to the prince."

Xie Liwei glanced at the small amount of loose silver and said, "No need, take it and spend it."

Song Yaozhu unceremoniously shoved the small handful of silver back into her hands; she was indeed short of money right now!

Seeing her stuff the small handful of silver into her purse like a little squirrel, Xie Liwei's eyes held a hint of amusement.

The Xie family members at the card table looked at each other in surprise. Oh my goodness! The iron tree has finally blossomed!

Only Granny Qin was anxious, fearing that the man was in love, but she was not!

Waaaaah~ How can she face her dead masters?!

Song Yaozhu had a great time and bid farewell to the Xie family elders with satisfaction before returning to Tingxue Courtyard with Xie Liwei.

After washing up, Song Yaozhu went to bed, while Xie Liwei remained asleep on the chaise longue. However, things were different now. Before, when she shared a bed with Xie Liwei, she could remain expressionless and completely focused.

But now, she felt the atmosphere between the two of them was very strange. It was odd, an inexplicable awkwardness.

Awkward, right? Not really, since Xie Liwei's attitude towards her hadn't changed much. Not awkward, right? She herself felt extremely awkward.

It can only be said that she has changed!

Xie Liwei, behind the screen, had already turned off the light and lay down, but she was wide awake. The heat in the room seemed to rise to her cheeks. She tossed and turned in bed, utterly confused as to why she felt so awkward being with Xie Liwei.

Before, she loved being with him the most. She didn't have to hide her true self, didn't have to pretend in front of him. His gaze was always filled with a clear...foolishness?

No, that's not how it's described.

With her eyes closed, Song Yaozhu pictured Xie Liwei's face as a teenager. When he looked at her, a smile always played on his lips, and his eyes brimmed with undisguised joy.

Every time they met eyes, Song Yaozhu felt joyful, because his eyes were filled with nothing but her.

The admiration, affection, and fervent camaraderie of youth are made without any concealment.

But now, his eyes have changed. Gone is the passion a young man should have; he has learned to hide his emotions. His gaze has become cold, and his feelings are no longer easily read from his eyes.

well......

Xie Liwei, lying on the chaise longue, frowned as she tossed and turned in bed, sighing. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was the one who had suffered a crushing defeat tonight.

Ignore her, go to sleep.

The next day, Song Yaozhu woke up early. Knowing that Xie Lu and Xie Mingyue were going to the manor that day, she instructed Granny Qin to have pastries and hot tea prepared. She also told her the names of a few dishes and asked the head kitchen to make one for them to take on the road.

Granny Qin blinked her cloudy old eyes, feeling distressed.

Oh dear, even when the Prince went out yesterday, the Princess wasn't this attentive! Could it be that Master Xie is truly different?

She completely forgot that Song Yaozhu was still dreaming when Xie Liwei left yesterday.

At the stroke of midnight, the ladies who were going to deliver invitations to Song Yaozhu arrived one after another.

There was no snow today, the sun was shining brightly, and the sunlight was warm and pleasant.

Song Yaozhu couldn't stand being inside the house to roast the embers, so she asked someone to set up a screen and a charcoal brazier in the yard, intending to chat while basking in the sun.

When Song Wenyue learned that Song Yaozhu had chosen the Prince's Garden as the venue for receiving guests, her face darkened, and she immediately said, "Since you don't welcome your younger sister, why did you accept the invitation and make me bring my mother along? You know that my mother and I have just recovered from a serious illness, yet you make us freeze outside!"