78 Aunt

"My people are not for my aunt to lecture."

During his stay in Ningyuan, Xiao Pingchuan kept a low profile and stayed at the Shen residence without going out. Everyone else was busy, but he stayed in the residence all day doing nothing.

He jokingly said to Shen Suqin, "I'm like Miss Shen's kept male concubine, spending my days alone in my empty room."

Shen Suqin smiled, her eyes crinkling, and pulled Xiao Pingchuan by the sash, leading him into the house.

"Since he is a male concubine, shouldn't Young Master Xiao fulfill his duties?"

Xiao Pingchuan: "I couldn't ask for more."

He said this while keeping his hands neatly placed at his sides.

Shen Suqin glanced down and teased, "Some people are good at talking big, they dare to say anything all day long, but when it comes to actually doing something, they back down."

Xiao Pingchuan laughed: "I still have some dignity, bringing a girl into my room in broad daylight."

"So, does that mean I don't want it, young master?"

The two were playing around when Yuanxiang arrived again.

"General, Aunt Zhao invites you both to her residence for dinner. She says that since arriving in Ningyuan, the family has not had a meal together."

Xiao Pingchuan sighed and asked Shen Suqin, "Do you want to go?"

Shen Suqin: "Go ahead."

The two returned to the general's mansion, and before they even entered the dining hall, they heard Aunt Zhao's imperious voice.

"This plate has a chip, remove it and bring out a new one."

"The chicken soup will smell fishy when it cools down. Take it away and reheat it. Remember to skim off the oil."

"With chopsticks arranged so neatly, how are people supposed to eat?"

Shen Suqin and Xiao Pingchuan stood outside the door, exchanged a glance, and Shen Suqin asked in a low voice, "Do you feel like this is your own home?"

Xiao Pingchuan was helpless.

She was, after all, his aunt, so he couldn't very well kick her out.

Shen Suqin pushed open the door and entered. She glanced around and saw Zhao's mother sitting in the seat of honor, with Zhao Yunxiang sitting next to her, while Aunt Jiang was standing and fiddling with chopsticks.

Although she and Aunt Jiang had never gotten along, she was, after all, the one who had taken care of Xiao Pingchuan since he was a child, so she couldn't let outsiders bully her like this.

He immediately turned cold and said, "Aunt, Aunt Jiang is an elder in the household. Even I don't dare to order her around casually. You'd better be careful."

"What? You can't even order a servant around when you come to my nephew's house?"

Shen Suqin pulled Xiao Pingchuan to sit down, and Xiao Pingchuan said coldly, "Aunt Jiang is not a servant, Aunt, please don't make things difficult for her. Aunt, you can go down, you don't need to serve us here."

Aunt Jiang apologized and left. Yuanxiang wanted to follow, but Aunt Zhao stopped her, saying, "I can't be used by my mother, but a maid will do. Don't go, stay and serve me my meals."

Yuanxiang had no choice but to retreat.

The table was laden with food, enough for more than ten people.

Shen Suqin felt a pang of sympathy and asked Aunt Zhao, "Does Aunt Zhao have such a good appetite at home too?"

Aunt Zhao: "It's barely enough. It's less than half of what we have at home. Ningyuan is such a small place, it's really not rich in resources."

Why did Aunt suddenly decide to go north?

"Of course I miss my nephew."

"If Aunt doesn't tell the truth, I might actually believe it," Shen Suqin said with a half-smile.

Aunt Zhao forced a smile and said, "Well, your cousin is of marriageable age, and there's no suitable match in Liangzhou. I thought her cousin might have someone here, so here she is."

“My aunt knows that the soldiers in Jin’an are all roughnecks, and they are probably not a good match for my delicate cousin.” Shen Suqin deliberately beat around the bush.

Aunt Zhao didn't want to say it outright, so she just said, "You need to have studied for a few years and have some insight."

"There are such people, but they are a bit older."

"Being old is not a problem, being old means being able to take care of people."

“Then I’ll have Mr. Ji come over when he has some free time, so that my aunt can also get to know him.”

"Ji? Isn't his surname Shi..." Aunt Zhao suddenly stopped talking. "I wonder what Mr. Ji does?"

"Him? He's the manager of our soap workshop. He used to be the steward for the Su family in Jiaozhou. He's very disciplined and has a handsome appearance, but he's a bit older, almost thirty."

With a loud bang, Aunt Zhao slammed her hand on the table and stood up, pointing her finger at Shen Suqin's nose and asking, "What do you mean?"

Shen Suqin leaned back in her chair and said lazily, "What do you mean, Aunt?"

Aunt Zhao was immediately furious and turned to question Xiao Pingchuan: "Aren't you afraid of bringing shame to the Xiao family by marrying such a woman? Yun Xiang is your own cousin, and you just let others treat her like this?"

Xiao Pingchuan's face darkened: "Aunt, watch your words."

"You're protecting her! You're actually protecting her! You've been married for so many days, and not only has she not given you a single child, but I've also heard that she's always out in public, hanging out with a bunch of men. Jin'an, you can't have a woman like that."

Xiao Pingchuan put the bowl and chopsticks on the table and said sternly, "My people are not for your aunt to lecture. Zhao Zhao and I are both busy and don't have time to entertain you. Aunt, you should go back early."

After saying that, he turned to Shen Suqin and asked gently, "Are you full?"

Shen Suqin nodded.

"Shall we go back?"

Shen Suqin: "Wait a minute," she looked at Aunt Zhao and asked, "Who told you that His Highness was in Ningyuan?"

Aunt Zhao glanced at Yuanxiang and said, "Nobody, I heard it from someone else."

Shen Suqin sneered.

She suddenly remembered: "Oh right, how is that Miss Zhou?"

Since she left the general's mansion, she has not heard any news about that Miss Zhou.

“I gave her some money and sent her back to her relatives’ home in Yongluo County,” Xiao Pingchuan replied. “Initially, she said that her family was all gone, so I said I would bring her to Ningyuan to take care of her. Later, Xu Youcai sent people to investigate and said that she still had a distant relative in Yongluo, so I sent her there.”

Shen Suqin: "You didn't tell me?"

"I thought you were so busy every day, you probably wouldn't care about such a small thing."

"You've become quite observant now; it seems you can learn it after all."

"Madam is right."

The two exchanged a few words as if no one else was around. Aunt Zhao must have calmed down by now, because she said softly, "Jin'an, your mother and I have a deep bond, and your cousin Yunxiang has always looked up to you as her cousin. Now that you are a general, you can't not help her."

“Aunt, it is important for a person to know their own limitations. His Highness’s status is not something someone like my cousin can afford to associate with. If you do not want to implicate the Zhao family, then let’s not bring this matter up again.”

Shi Ye's marriage was related to the fate of the nation and was not something he could decide on his own. Xiao Pingchuan also did not want to get involved in this marriage.

"If Aunt has had enough fun, she should take her cousin back home as soon as possible," Xiao Pingchuan added.

Aunt Zhao suddenly started wiping away tears: "Go back? Where can we go back to? Liangzhou has been suffering from drought since spring, and we can't grow any grain on our farm. Many people have fled, and your cousin and I had no choice."

Xiao Pingchuan and Shen Suqin exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt in each other's eyes.

"Liangzhou is experiencing a drought, why haven't we heard anything about it?" Xiao Pingchuan asked.

"Is there no governing official in Liangzhou? The people can't even find a way to ask for help."

Xiao Pingchuan looked serious. "Should we inform His Highness about this?" he suggested to Shen Suqin.

"Indeed, he is, after all, the crown prince of the country. If he doesn't step forward, who else can the people rely on?"

"Then I'll send him a message."

"Um."

Two or three days later, Shi Ye's troops entered the city, and Xu Youcai and Liu Zimu also returned.

Ningyuan is no longer the desolate place it was last winter. The city has seen a large influx of new residents, and new houses and roads are being built everywhere, creating a thriving scene.

As the procession entered the city, crowds of onlookers filled both sides, including even young girls.

"When did our city get so many young women and wives?" Xu Youcai asked Liu Zimu in a low voice from his horse.

Liu Zimou respectfully replied, "I am still young, General, please ask someone else."

"You're not small at all, kid. Shouldn't you ask your wife to help you find a wife?"

Liu Zimu suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, spurred his horse and rode away. When he reached Shi Ye's side, he whispered, "Your Highness, things aren't quite right today. Be careful later."

Shi Ye nodded, "There's no need to be nervous. After all, this is Xiao Pingchuan's territory, so no one will dare to do anything."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a woman in a light blue dress was suddenly pushed out of the crowd and stumbled toward Shi Ye's horse.

Shi Ye immediately tightened the reins and turned the horse around, thus preventing the person from being trampled off the horse.

Xu Youcai quickly dismounted, subdued the intruder, and said coldly, "Who is it?"

The girl seemed frightened and said in a delicate, choked voice, "I...I am General Xiao Pingchuan's cousin. I came to Ningyuan to visit relatives. Please, sir, have mercy."

Xu Youcai frowned: "You're from Liangzhou?"

"Yes."

Xu Youcai quickly released her, lifted her up from the ground, and said to Shi Ye, "Your Highness, she's one of us."

Shi Ye looked down at him. He had an air of nobility and a handsome face, which made Zhao Yunxiang blush.

"I'm sorry, I startled you, young lady." He said softly.

"No, it's nothing."

"General Xu, please make the trip to send them back. Also, please invite General Xiao along and have him come to the prefectural government office to see me," Shi Ye said.

Xu Youcai clasped his hands in a fist salute.

He escorted Zhao Yunxiang to the general's mansion, then rode directly to the Shen residence. As soon as he entered, he sneered at Ju Tao, "You didn't even tell me beforehand that someone from Liangzhou was coming. You made me lose face in front of His Highness."

Ju Tao said unhappily, "What are you talking about that makes no sense?"

Xu Youcai then recounted in detail what had happened on the street, "Just like that, this young woman fell at His Highness's feet, gazing at him with such affection, it was truly..."

Ju Tao also felt her face burning. "Don't tell my sister Qin about this. Don't upset her."

Xu Youcai scratched his chin. "Speaking of which, the Zhao family hasn't had any dealings with our general for a long time. Why have they suddenly come all this time?"

"They say Liangzhou is experiencing drought."

"Is that really the reason?"

Ju Tao shook her head: "I think it's an excuse. The Zhao family is considered wealthy in the area. No matter how much food is scarce, it won't be them."

"I guessed so." Xu Youcai glanced at the sun. "Sigh, enough chit-chat, is my general home?"

"Yes, I'm here in the backyard."

“Alright, His Highness is looking for him, I need to have him come with me to the government office.”