"It's my brother!" Zhao Zhi exclaimed happily, and tried to get up by supporting herself on the table. Seeing this, Shen Hanshan quickly got up and helped her to her feet.
Cui Shenghe entered the house shivering in the cold. Outside the courtyard, Cui Jiu instructed the servants to move the gifts to the storeroom. Upon hearing the commotion, Zhang Wan hurriedly lifted the cotton curtain and went into the courtyard to greet them.
"Shenghe, you've found some free time?" Zhao Shouzhen asked, while having someone prepare a bowl, chopsticks, and a chair for Cui Shenghe, and invited him to sit next to him.
"I just finished up over there, and then I remembered that today is the Winter Solstice, a time to have a reunion dumpling feast with my family." Cui Shenghe washed his hands in the silver bowl that Baozhu brought over, and gracefully sat down. Seeing that everyone was standing, he quickly said, "Please, everyone, sit down!"
As he said this, Zhao Zhi's bottom was already halfway down. She giggled and said, "There are no imperial powers or official positions here, Father. Don't be so reserved. Brother has been here more than once or twice."
Zhao Shouzhen chuckled twice and sat down with Shen Hanshan.
"Hanshan's body seems to have fully recovered." Cui Shenghe smiled as he looked at Shen Hanshan, who smiled back in response. "Your Yunchao is a blessed land, very suitable for recuperating."
"Then why don't you marry into our Yun Dynasty?" Cui Shenghe said casually, taking a bite and the delicious juice of the dumpling immediately filled his mouth. His eyes couldn't help but moisten. "Indeed, it's only when you eat dumplings at home that you can feel the warmth and human touch."
"Brother, eat more if you like it. Don't threaten people with your words. Shen Hanshan is my man now, and you have to get my approval before you can ask him to do anything." Zhao Zhi picked up a dumpling for him. "Try this one. You're late, and there are only one or two left in my bowl. If you had come any later, you would have only been able to drink the soup!"
Cui Shenghe laughed, and Shen Hanshan and Zhao Shouzhen both breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Shen Hanshan was stripped of his title, he was still a man of the Great Xuan at heart. The blood of the Great Xuan flowed in his veins, and if one day the Great Xuan and the Yun Dynasty were to go to war, he did not want to face his own motherland.
Zhao Shouzhen had lived in Daxuan for most of his life. Although he was temporarily living in Yunchao for the sake of his daughter, he still hoped to return to his fiefdom of Chaoyang County with Zhao Zhi after she gave birth.
So, when Cui Shenghe jokingly said that Shen Hanshan should marry into the Yun Dynasty, his hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly. Because the implication behind Cui Shenghe's words was that he wanted Zhao Zhi to stay in the Yun Dynasty permanently.
On the surface, he appeared to be seeking Shen Hanshan's opinion, but in reality, he was using a double entendre to probe Zhao Zhi's attitude.
After finishing the dumplings, Cui Shenghe called Zhao Zhi into his room alone, while Cui Jiu stood guard outside.
The candlelight flickered in the room, and Cui Shenghe's face was a mixture of solemnity and tenderness. He gently stroked the teacup in his hand, his gaze deep, as if he could see through the smoke in front of him and see a more distant future.
Zhao Zhi sat opposite him, the aroma of dumplings still lingering on her clothes.
"Brother, what's wrong? Why are you being so secretive!"
Cui Shenghe's gaze lingered on her for a moment before returning to her and saying, "Zhizhi, Father and Mother only have you and me as their children, so the throne can only be passed down to you and me."
"What do you mean by that, brother?" Zhao Zhi asked, puzzled.
“I want to restore your status as a princess to the outside world,” Cui Shenghe said. “As for your fiefdom, it will be Chunsheng County. The climate there is mild, with spring-like weather all year round. It is also adjacent to Chaoyang County, so it will be convenient for you to travel between Yunchao and Daxuan whether you want to stay there in the future.”
Zhao Zhi sat up slightly. She knew that Cui Shenghe wouldn't say these things to her for no reason.
"Brother, what do you want me to do?"
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