Seeing that his mother didn't allow it, Chai Zixiao grabbed Xu Lanyin's clothes and burst into tears.
The eldest princess coaxed, "Cousin Aunt has something to do back home, she will come to accompany you tomorrow."
Xu Lanyin had never dared to be intimate with Xiaozheng's wife because she was afraid that Chai Jingjing would be jealous. She really wanted to take him home to stay for a day. After hearing the eldest princess's statement, she had no choice but to agree.
She picked up Chai Zixiao and said with a smile, "Those people brought you many gifts. There's the beautiful clothes that Grandma Xu...oh, that's my great-aunt, made for you, the silk cords that Sister Jia wove for you, the wooden pony and purse that Uncle Ting and Aunt Yue bought for you, the agate red fish that Uncle Zhao bought for you, and a lot of food. I'll bring them all to you tomorrow."
When he heard that there were so many gifts, Chai Zixiao let go of Xu Lanyin's neck with tears in his eyes.
When the carriage arrived at the Xu family's gate, the lights were already on. Xu Lanyin and Zhangqi got off the carriage and gave the driver two more silver ingots.
Xu Qingyan was drinking and eating with Xu Lanzhou, Zhao Wu, and Qin Ru in the outer courtyard.
Xu Lanyin sat down to eat and recounted what she had learned. First, the eldest princess had adopted Qin as her adopted daughter, officially recognizing her on the tenth day of the lunar month. Once her identities were confirmed, she would be adopted by the eldest wife. Second, old Shen's body had been thrown into a mass grave, to be fed to wolves or dogs, and guarded by secret guards. Third, while Chai Zhengguan seemed to have preserved his innocence, they would find an excuse to expel him from the clan someday.
These three pieces of news made Xu Qingyan and his companions extremely happy. They were sighing at how good Chai Zhengguan's outcome was and discussing how to deal with him when he returned home.
Xu Qingyan sneered, "I told you, how could the princess tolerate Chai Zhengguan harming Chai Zixiao and coveting their property? Their actions are definitely more ruthless than ours. No matter how much we hate Chai Zhengguan, we can't kill him because he is Yanmei's biological father."
Zhao Wu spent his daytime watching the trial in Jingzhao Prefecture. He said that the He family mother and son's confessions in Jingzhao Prefecture were the same as those they had given before the Hebei Provincial Procuratorate. Although no verdict had been given today, according to the Jingzhao Yin, they would inevitably be caned and exiled to the north.
He guessed that the people in the Princess's Mansion would not let them off so easily. If he bribed the escorting bailiffs, the two men would probably die of illness before reaching the place of exile.
Qin Ru was invited by Prince Consort Chai to the second house of the Chai family this afternoon to supervise the people sorting out the dowry. He said that he would be at the Chai family during the day for the next few days, fearing that the Chai family would transfer the property. At night, he left two stewards at the Princess's Mansion, and he also left a servant there to watch over it.
Several of Old Shen's children wanted to reserve Old Shen's dowry first, but Qin Ru disagreed and insisted on returning the dowry that Chai Zhengguan and Old Shen had embezzled from Qin Huiniang before discussing other things.
Still regretfully, he said, "Back then, our Qin family gave my great-aunt a dowry totaling nearly 100,000 taels of silver, a truly magnificent sight. Before my cousin's mother's accident, she even gave Chai Zhengguan 2,000 taels of silver every year as a filial tribute. But now, we're lucky to be able to collect 50,000 taels of silver."
At the mention of money, Xu Lanyin instinctively glanced at Xu Lanzhou. Xu Lanzhou had improved considerably, biting his lip but ultimately remaining silent. But his flushed cheeks and the anxiety in his eyes betrayed both his excitement at the sudden increase in wealth and his deep sorrow at the loss. Though he remained silent, everyone could see his anxious expression.
Xu Qingyan was very dedicated to educating his eldest son, and he gave him a lot of advice.
For example, no matter how much silver you have, whether it's more or less, you should maintain a positive attitude. A good man doesn't eat the food of a divided family, and a good woman doesn't wear her wedding dress. If you have the ability, go and earn it yourself. The lives of your loved ones, your family, and your own future are far more important than money. Look at Chai Zhengguan and Old Shen, who resorted to unscrupulous means for silver, ultimately sacrificing themselves and their descendants. This is because Prince Consort Chai, with his power and influence, pushed the blame onto Old Shen. If the matter had been handled impartially, Chai Zhengguan would have been beaten and imprisoned, and their family would have been even more disgraced...
Xu Qingyan seemed to be talking to everyone present, but he was actually targeting Xu Lanzhou. He was worried that his son would be too much like his father and would go astray because of money.
Xu Lanzhou saw what happened to Chai Zhengguan and Old Shen, and knew how they had persecuted his mother. After hearing his father's words, he nodded quickly, and his anxiety was obviously much less.
The same words, when spoken by different people, had different effects. Xu Lanyin had told him many things before, but perhaps because this elder sister's previous performance was too unsatisfactory, Xu Lanzhou always refused to listen.
Xu Lanting and Xu Lanyin's words are much more effective than Xu Qingyan's.
They talked until midnight before returning to their rooms to rest.
At night, everything is quiet, and the only sound you can hear is the rustling of bamboo leaves in the yard in the night wind.
Xu Lanyin lay in bed, unable to sleep. She felt that Zhao Wu should come find her. She missed Zhao Wu, too, very much. Although they had only been apart for a day and a night, her time in the Princess's Mansion was not easy.
Since crossing over, Xu Lanyin has only been able to confide all her worries to Zhao Wu, and only Zhao Wu can calm her bewildered and frightened heart. Unlike her previous life, when her parents were her best refuge, especially her father, to whom she could confide all her worries.
In this life, her stepmother was in poor health, one brother was uncaring, and the other was too young, leaving her as the primary supporter of the family. Later, her stepfather returned, adding a "second mother" and a half-sister. The relationship between father and daughter remained distant, and she had never considered relying on her stepfather.
Only Zhao Wu was the warmest brother before the engagement, and the future husband after the engagement. She could share her joys, sorrows, anger and happiness with him.
Suddenly, Xu Lanyin's window frame rang, followed by two wild cat calls.
Xu Lanyin smiled and got up. She had already put on her clothes and took out a cloak.
Xu Qingyan wasn't Qin. He could guess that Zhao Wu was coming to see her, not even necessarily following her. So the two of them definitely couldn't talk in her boudoir; they should just talk openly outside.
Zhao Wu thought so too. He lived in Xu Lanzhou's yard, right next to Xu Qingyan's yard. If he ran out, there was no doubt that Xu Qingyan would follow him.
But he missed Xu Lanyin so much. He finally understood the meaning of the phrase "a day stretches three years into a year." He couldn't wait until tomorrow; he wanted to talk to her alone today.
Zhao Wu smiled brighter than the starry sky and whispered, "I miss my sister. Let's go for a walk in the garden." He then instructed, "The night wind is strong, put on your cloak."
Xu Lanyin nodded.
Before leaving the courtyard, Zhao Wu pinched Xu Lanyin's little hand, then quickly let go, fearing that Xu Laoyao's eyes were watching them and would suddenly jump out.
The two of them passed through three moon-shaped gates and arrived at the small garden. The Xu family's garden was small, only about an acre in size, with a small pond in the center. Now that it was cold, and without the hostess to take care of it, the garden was devoid of flowers and plants, mostly trees and bamboo, making it seem even more desolate and bleak.
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