"Okay, I'm glad you're back."

Seeing his eldest son kneeling and kowtowing to him as soon as he entered the hall, Situ Luoyun's eyes felt slightly sore, and he quickly stood up from his seat and helped him up.

"Xuan'er~"

Yuwen Tianqi called Situ Ye's nickname while wiping his tears with a handkerchief. After not seeing him for three years, his Xuan'er had grown taller and stronger.

"Dad~"

Situ Ye looked at Yuwen Tianqi with a complicated expression. From childhood to adulthood, his father had always taken very good care of him. Even when some young men his age laughed at his ugliness, his father would scold them and tell them that the fortune teller said he was born to be rich and noble, and those people were just jealous of him.

Situ Ye was always very filial to his father, rarely going against his wishes, but the only thing that caused a disagreement between the two was marriage. Unwilling to marry Xia Hou Yu, Situ Xuanye resolutely ran away from home to escape the marriage.

Time flies, everything seems to have happened just yesterday, but in the blink of an eye, three years have passed.

For three years, Situ Xuanye hid in the remote Huaqiao Village of Fufeng County under the pseudonym Situ Ye, leading a peaceful life; while Yuwen Tianqi suffered from the neglect of his wife, the open and covert ridicule of his concubines, and had to go to the palace from time to time to face the anger of Situ Guijun and the pressure of finding someone.

Obviously, in this game between father and son, Yuwen Tianqi was the loser, and Situ Xuanye also won with great difficulty.

"Master, it's a good thing that the eldest son is back. Don't be sad." Looking at Yuwen Tianqi who was wiping his tears, Yansheng couldn't help but remind him.

"Yes, look at me, I'm already old and confused. Xuan'er, come here quickly and let daddy take a good look at you."

Yuwen Tianqi pulled Situ Ye to sit down below him and carefully looked at his grown-up son. Seeing his bright, large and spirited eyes, his resolute face and his much taller and stronger body, he felt relieved.

"Xuan'er, tell me quickly, what's going on with Hua Qingcheng? How come you, the eldest son of the Prime Minister's Mansion, are going to be the second husband of a country woman?"

When this matter was brought up, Yuwen Tianqi was filled with anger.

"Tell Dad quickly, did that woman force you?"

Yuwen Tianqi thought about it and came up with only this reason. Otherwise, why would his son, who was so arrogant and looked down on even the daughter of a king of a different surname, fall for a peasant girl? The most infuriating thing was that the woman was actually a married peasant woman.

"Dad, it's not what you think. I..."

Situ Ye was about to explain but was interrupted by Situ Luoyun.

"Okay, Aqi, Ye'er just came back. Are you trying to force him away again? Ye'er came back from far away and must be tired. Let's go have dinner first and talk about other things later."

Situ Luoyun stopped Yuwen Tianqi's barrage of questions, stood up from her seat, walked out of the hall, and headed towards the dining room. Seeing this, Yuwen Tianqi had no choice but to suppress his doubts and confusion and followed her steps.

"Situ Xuanye, tell me quickly, what does Hua Qingcheng look like? Is my sister-in-law pretty?"

On the way, Situ Wanqing poked Situ Ye's arm with her finger and whispered to him.

"You don't even call me big brother, but you still call me by my name. How disrespectful! Is your Imperial College teacher being lazy? Is that how he taught you?"

Situ Ye flicked Situ Wanqing's forehead with his finger, giving his sister a slap on the face.

"Hmph, if you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me! Tomorrow I'll ask for leave from the teacher and personally see this Hua Qingcheng, the supernatural being who stole my brother's heart."

Situ Wanqing pouted, raised her chin slightly, and tilted her head to one side, looking very proud and arrogant.

"Better looking than you anyway!"

Situ Ye rummaged through the twin buns on Situ Wanqing's head, messing up her hair. He then laughed and walked forward on his long legs, leaving his sister behind, clutching her buns and stamping her feet in anger as she watched him walk back.

Although he had been away from home for three years, the distance between him and his family did not seem to have become estranged due to time and space. Situ Ye raised the corners of his lips slightly and was in a very good mood.

It was a rare occasion for the family to get together again, and Situ Ye, his mother, father and sister had a very rich and warm dinner in the dining hall of Qingxinyuan.

After dinner, Situ Ye spent some time in the garden digesting his food. Around 12:30 PM, Situ Luoyun had the housekeeper call Situ Ye to the study.

Looking at Situ Luoyun sitting at the desk, sometimes writing furiously, sometimes putting down his pen in deep thought, Situ Ye felt a little sad.

Standing before the large desk, he still stood tall and handsome, though his temples were now slightly gray. His mother, Situ Luoyun, was both the head of the household and a leading official in the nation, toiling away daily on state affairs.

"mother."

Situ Ye called softly.

"Yer, you're here."

Upon hearing this, Situ Luoyun put down the pen in his hand and looked up at Situ Ye who was walking towards him.

"Mom, this is Hua Qingcheng's visiting card. Please take a look at it first." Situ Ye handed over the card at the right time.

Situ Luoyun took the visiting card presented by Situ Ye. When she saw the beautiful cursive script on it, she was slightly surprised, but then she regained her composure.

"He's a man of good manners."

Situ Luoyun nodded as he read the post and gave a compliment.

"I know about this matter. I will be waiting for your wife's arrival in the mansion at 9:00 tomorrow." Situ Luoyun slightly closed her shrewd eyes, then opened them again, looked at Situ Ye meaningfully, and said slowly.

"Mom, do you mean... do you accept Hua Qingcheng?" Situ Ye was delighted when he heard that.

"I am satisfied with the etiquette." Situ Luoyun looked at Situ Ye who was sitting opposite him and nodded.

"As the saying goes, a person's handwriting reflects his character. Although her calligraphy isn't particularly outstanding, every stroke exudes a sense of dignity and openness. As for what she's like, we'll have to wait until we meet her in person tomorrow morning to find out."

"Okay, I believe Qingcheng will not let you down." Situ Ye looked at Situ Luoyun with a firm face.

"Yer, you... must have her?"

When Situ Luoyun thought about her son being eighteen, well past the marriageable age of fifteen, she felt a wave of helplessness and heartache. Her son had actually gotten married without even having a wedding ceremony.

But the rice was already cooked, Xuanye and Hua Qingcheng were already married, and judging by his appearance, it was clear that he was deeply in love. Well, the son was grown up and could not be kept. If Hua Qingcheng was not a particularly bad person, she would have helped Xuanye...

"Yes, mother."

Situ Ye responded decisively and resolutely.

"Okay, I understand this matter now. You must be tired after running around for a few days. Go back to the yard and rest."

"Thank you, mother. I'll take my leave now. You should rest early after you finish your work."

Looking at his son's back as he happily left, Situ Luoyun felt a slight pain in his heart, and inexplicably felt as if his cabbages were being eaten by pigs.