The eldest princess eventually passed away, leaving behind her fifth brother and sixth sister.

Prince Rui stood up. “Come on, Sixth Girl, let me show you around my manor and let you choose a courtyard.”

"Oh, any place will do, how could I trouble Your Highness to personally lead the way?"

"It's alright, a walk will help digest your food."

Qin Jingzhan, standing to the side: !

When he first arrived, a servant led him directly to a courtyard.

Just because the sixth sister loves to eat and caters to Prince Rui's taste? He loves to eat too!

The pavilions, terraces, towers, mountains, and gardens are all arranged in a well-ordered manner, with every spot offering a beautiful view, yet they are by no means merely piled up.

It was pleasing to the eye at first glance, and upon closer inspection, it revealed countless interesting aspects, which truly suited Qin Zhaoyue's taste.

"Um... Your Highness," Qin Zhaoyue rubbed her small hands together, "I have a question for you. How much silver did it cost to renovate this garden?"

"What, does Sixth Girl like it?"

Qin Zhaoyue nodded vigorously, "I love it so much! I have no great ambitions, I just want to be a rich and leisurely person."

"Having seen the prince's mansion and the life he lives today, it's exactly what I've always dreamed of."

Zhu Songxian glanced at her a few times but couldn't see any flaws; she seemed to genuinely think that way.

"The land in my garden is granted by the government, and many of the rare treasures were brought from the capital. Other miscellaneous items are probably worth about 500,000 to 600,000 taels."

Qin Zhaoyue: ……

Forget it, she still needs to save up her savings. She only has a little over 100,000 in cash, most of which is newly acquired.

As for the other properties in the capital, they were all bestowed by the Empress Dowager. If she was unhappy, she could use those properties as leverage, so whether they belonged to her or not was another matter.

Good heavens, we can't really wait for my eldest sister to inherit the throne, can we? Mother Empress seems to be in pretty good health...

While chatting idly, we were crossing a covered bridge when we suddenly saw a little girl sitting crookedly on a large rock by the bridge.

My calves swayed in the flowing water, and the gold bracelet with nine bells on my wrist jingled.

Truly, they stumbled and swam through the mud on their bamboo horses, their pearl-adorned arms illuminated by the lamplight.

Seeing people crossing the bridge, her eyes lit up instantly, and she ran over like the wind, ignoring the maid's calls.

Even from several feet away, Prince Rui quickly squatted down and spread his arms, while repeatedly shouting, "Slow down, be careful not to fall."

The little girl buried her head in Prince Rui's arms, each of her two buns adorned with a cloisonné enamel dragonfly, its wings as thin as cicada wings, trembling as if about to take flight.

"Daddy~"

When her youngest daughter's soft, sweet voice rang out, Qin Zhaoyue instantly narrowed her eyes.

The child looked to be only seven or eight years old. I thought she was her niece, but it turned out to be her sister!

Qin Zhaoyue crossed her arms and leaned back strategically, looking Prince Rui up and down.

Goodness, this man must be fifty years old, and his daughter is seven or eight...

Zhu Songxian caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, turned his head to look at her strange appearance, and was speechless for a moment.

"Tsk tsk tsk... The old man is still vigorous despite his age. He should still exercise restraint at this age..."

"Oh dear!" Zhu Songxian suddenly coughed, interrupting her. What was she saying in front of the child?

The unmarried girl knows quite a lot.

The little girl raised her head and timidly looked at the older girl beside her from her father's arms.

Zhu Songxian cleared his throat. "You've already met Brother Jingzhan. This is his sixth sister. You can call her Sister Zhaoyue."

Her big, bright eyes stared at him, "Sister Zhaoyue..."

"Eh~~" A soft, sweet voice rang in her ears, and Qin Zhaoyue's expression softened unconsciously.

The little girl is like a pink dumpling, so incredibly cute, I really want to sit on her... oh my!

What is Mingyi playing?

Upon hearing this, the little girl wiggled her toes, revealing the pearl necklace around her ankle.

"At noon, I made a bet with Bi'er to see if I could lure the old turtle from the bottom of the pond with the Eastern Pearl."

Qin Zhaoyue: ……

So this is what rich girls do? What about her playing mobile games and watching short dramas after dinner?

hateful!

He bent down, reached out his wicked little hand, and stroked the cute little girl's hair, and then... started to rub it!

"Oh dear." Little Mingyi pushed her hand away.

Knead again, block again, knead again...

Seeing the mist forming in the little girl's eyes, and her little mouth about to purse, the old prince quickly stepped aside to block the two of them.

"It's alright, it's alright, Sister Zhaoyue just really likes our Mingyi..."

After finally managing to appease the precious girl, he turned around and glared fiercely at Qin Zhaoyue.

Qin Zhaoyue had already straightened up, put her hands behind her back, and rolled her eyes upwards, pretending not to see anything.

Forget it, why get angry with a child? It's childish!

Mingyi had originally thought that having a stranger join in the fun would be great, but now she had lost all interest. She snorted and turned to run away.

"Hurry up and keep up, don't let Mingyi fall."

Once the little girl's figure disappeared from sight, the old prince withdrew his gaze, puffed out his beard and glared, releasing deep resentment.

"How old are you? How can you bully a child?"

"Hey... I don't like hearing that. What do you mean by bullying? I just couldn't help myself because my little sister was cute."

"Hmph! Hurry up, I'll take you to choose a courtyard!"

Watching the two stride away, Qin Jingzhan pursed his lips.

One person looked to one side, ignoring the other, as if they were sulking.

But if he was really angry, why would he still personally lead the way to choose a courtyard?

In less than two meals, Zhao Yue and Prince Rui's relationship became so natural?

Is it his problem? Is this his problem?!

Upon arriving at a place, Prince Rui waved his hand and introduced, "This is Xiefang Courtyard, a seven-story pavilion with a mountain-mountain-like structure. See if you like it."

The courtyard was built against a low hill, and twelve jade chimes could be seen hanging from the eaves.

The second-floor balcony is draped with bamboo silk curtains reminiscent of the Xiangfei style, and adorned with jade lotus seedpod wind chimes.

The courtyard is planted with ten-colored double-petaled hibiscus, a bronze vermilion bird holding a cup lamp is placed in the winding pond, and honeysuckle vines are planted against the west wall, bringing fragrance with the gentle breeze.

In the courtyard, a small pond has flowing water piped through a ceramic pipe, creating ripples on the wall that resemble swimming fish.

People said she could choose any courtyard she wanted, but Qin Zhaoyue was also sensible and wouldn't let them take her around so freely.

Moreover, this courtyard has a unique layout, beautiful scenery, and is quite interesting. It was clearly not chosen randomly; the owner put thought into it.

Qin Zhaoyue had no complaints whatsoever. "This place is perfect. It looks interesting."

"Hmph," this time the tone was much softer, "You do have some good taste."

Prince Rui stood with his hands behind his back, glanced at the dozen or so maids following him, and said, "Since you have brought quite a few people with you, I'll assign you a matron."

As he spoke, he glanced at the tall man who had been silently following behind, "This young man is strong and has a good physique."

Qin Zhaoyue nodded hurriedly, "Of course, his name is Ping An, brought from Fengjing. I'm not bragging, he's invincible among the seventh rank!"

Prince Rui almost choked. What good is being invincible at the seventh rank? What's there to be so proud of?

"Alright, make your own arrangements."