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The days passed by at a leisurely pace. Zhao Youyi was busy with military affairs and hardly ever got a full night's sleep. It was only when Xiao Qing brought Zhao Zhile to find her that she realized she hadn't been back to the General's Mansion for almost three months.
"Auntie!" As soon as Zhao Zhile saw Zhao Youyi, she rushed over. Her two little pigtails swayed back and forth, and the gloom in Zhao Youyi's heart was swept away.
"Why is Lele here?" Zhao Youyi picked her up and weighed her in his arms. "It seems the food at the General's Mansion is quite good; our Lele has gotten fat."
"Of course, the young lady spends all her time eating and sleeping in the mansion, just like before, never leaving the house," Xiao Qing explained with a worried expression.
Zhao Youyi poked the little girl's chubby cheeks. "That won't do. Although your aunt didn't like going out when she was little, she still practiced martial arts. Lele is still young and doesn't need to practice, but she can't stay cooped up in the mansion all day."
Zhao Zhile blinked her big, bright eyes and asked expectantly, "Then Auntie, will you take me to find Mumu?"
Zhao Youyi was somewhat surprised that she still remembered Chu Muqing. After all, children forget things easily. Zhao Youyi thought that Zhao Zhile's enthusiasm for Chu Muqing would fade after a while, but she didn't expect that the separation of these three months would only make this enthusiasm intensify.
Zhao Zhile didn't think that much about it. She simply thought Chu Muqing was good-looking, fair-skinned, and had all sorts of snacks. Also, the two were close in age, so she thought of going to visit Chu Muqing.
Zhao Youyi summoned Zhou Huaiyuan and Zhou Yaqing to inquire about the recent situation in the army. Upon learning that everything was stable, he decided to head to Virginia.
She left in such a hurry last time that she didn't even have time to see Uncle Zhao. She only sent him a letter asking him to settle down in Florida and use his dowry money to buy a shop for her to manage.
The time is almost right. It's time to go to Virginia to resolve the military's future funding issues. We can't just sit around and live off our savings forever.
"Lele wants to go to Virginia?" Zhao Youyi asked her.
Zhao Zhile nodded quickly, "Lele misses Mumu, and she misses her uncle too!"
Zhao Youyi was slightly taken aback when he heard the way she addressed him. It had been three months since they last met.
Recalling that night's kiss, Zhao Youyi regretted her impulsiveness and felt a headache over their relationship.
"You just don't want your aunt, right?" Zhao Youyi reached out and pinched her nose. Zhao Zhile happily wrinkled her nose and rubbed her forehead against hers.
"No, no, Lele misses Auntie the most! Auntie hasn't come home for the past few months, it's obvious that Auntie doesn't miss Lele!" The little girl pouted unhappily.
"I'm sorry, Lele, Auntie has been quite busy these past few months. I'll spend more time with you when I have some free time. When we get to Virginia, we can fly kites and pick fruit. What do you say, Lele?" Zhao Youyi explained apologetically.
Zhao Zhile nodded understandingly, "Father was like that before, he never came home!"
Zhao Youyi gently stroked the little girl's soft hair, gazing absently at the face that resembled Zhao Youli's by six or seven points.
It was three days later when Zhao Youyi finished dealing with military affairs and led Zhao Zhile and several guards to Fuzhou.
This time, Zhao Youyi did not plan to stay at the Chu Prince's Mansion. After all, she felt a pang of sympathy just looking at that fellow guarding the courtyard. Based on her understanding of Chu Chanyin, she guessed that he didn't have that many tricks up his sleeve. He just thought that the guarding courtyard was close to the main courtyard and had a large yard, which was suitable for her to stay in, so she let him stay there. But in other people's eyes, it was a different story.
Although Zhao Youyi hadn't figured out how to handle her relationship with Chu Chanyin, she didn't want to cause Chu Chanyin any more trouble.
Chu Chanyin practically controlled the entire Fuzhou, so as soon as Zhao Youyi and his party entered the city, he received a report from his subordinates. Chu Chanyin was handling official business in his tent when he heard the report. His hand paused while writing, leaving a conspicuous ink dot on the paper.
He originally thought Zhao Youyi wouldn't come to Fuzhou so soon, after all, the two of them had such an awkward argument last time. However, Chu Chanyin was still somewhat self-aware, and he knew that Zhao Youyi definitely wasn't coming to Fuzhou to see him.
Chu Chanyin recalled Zhao Youyi's suggestion to do business in Fuzhou and understood. He waved his hand at his subordinates and said, "Chu and the border regions are allies. Since General Zhao is here, let her go. There's no need to keep a close eye on her."
Ying Liu entered carrying a stack of new documents and happened to hear Chu Chanyin's words. He exchanged a glance with Yin Yi beside him and saw that Yin Yi's expression was strange, so he knew that Chu Chanyin was not in a good mood at the moment.
“Master, now that General Zhao has arrived, why don’t you go and greet him? You are, after all, husband and wife in public. It’s one thing to live apart, but it’s another for you to come to Fuzhou and not even go to see General Zhao. That’s not very appropriate, is it?” Ying Liu put down the document and carefully observed Chu Chanyin’s expression.
Yin felt that Ying Liu was really bringing up the most sensitive topics, constantly pricking the prince's heart. It wasn't that their Prince Chu didn't want to see Miss Zhao; it was clearly that Miss Zhao didn't want to see the prince. That's why she didn't send a letter in advance to inform him of her arrival in Fuzhou, as she had done last time. Obviously, she didn't want to meet the prince.
Chu Chanyin glared at Ying Liu, looking at his foolish appearance. He really didn't understand why his brother had chosen this idiot Ying Liu when he was training bodyguards for him.
Ying Liu was unaware of his master Chu Wang's inner thoughts, assuming that he was in a bad mood because of all the official duties. "Your Highness, General Su said he can help you share some of the official duties, as long as you give him the hot spring estate that you won from him last time."
Chu Chanyin casually picked up a document and threw it into Ying Liu's arms. Ying Liu caught it nimbly, scratched his head in confusion, and exchanged a glance with Yin Yi.
Chu Chanyin gave Yin Yi a wink, signaling him to drag this fool out. Yin Yi, receiving his master's hint, quickly put the document back in its place and, while pulling Ying Liu out of the tent by the back of his collar, said, "This subordinate takes his leave!"
Once outside the tent, Ying Liu looked at Yin Yi, puzzled, and asked, "Why did you pull me out? I still have things to say to the master."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he tried to rush into the tent.
Yin Yi quickly grabbed him, "Are you stupid? Can't you see that Master isn't in a good mood right now? Why do you have to bring up General Su's matter? Don't you know that the hot spring resort was the place Master was planning for Miss Zhao to go to?"
Now that something has gone wrong in their relationship, Zhao Youyi naturally wouldn't go to Chu Chanyin's hot spring villa for a bath. But that idiot Ying Liu brought it up in front of Chu Chanyin.
Ying Liu slapped his forehead, "I completely forgot! What a terrible mistake!"
Yin Yi looked him up and down. The two belonged to two different secret guard teams and did not interact much on weekdays. He really did not expect that Ying Liu would be so innocent and naive as to be selected by the previous generation to join the secret guard. So he lowered his voice and asked.
Ying Liu smiled sheepishly and told the truth: "At first, the young master didn't want to choose me, but later he heard that the master had a cold personality, so he chose me to make the master happy."
So it was a mascot after all. Yin Yi couldn't help but admire the foresight and deep love for his younger brother that his predecessor had shown.
When Chu Chanyin first returned to the palace, his father didn't care for him and his mother didn't love him. Despite being the proper master of the palace, no one paid any attention to him. Fortunately, Chu Yongxi loved his younger brother. He trained secret guards to protect Chu Chanyin when he was a child and even took time out of his busy schedule to have heart-to-heart talks with Chu Chanyin. He was more like a father than the late King Chu himself.
Chu Chanyin looked at the thick stack of documents, rubbed his temples, and wondered if Zhao Youyi would think of him.
After finishing his official duties, it was already late at night. Chu Chanyin hadn't returned to the palace for a while, spending these days with official business. Stepping out of his tent, he saw the bright crescent moon and felt the slightly cool night breeze, only then realizing that it was already autumn.
As the ancients said, "A day apart feels like three autumns," and now he truly understands that feeling.
We've been apart for three months, missing the summer. I wonder if I'll be able to meet her again in the fall?
Thinking of this, Chu Chanyin shook his head with a bitter smile, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth. He laughed at his own wishful thinking while he couldn't help but think of her smiling face.
Zhao Youyi, whom Chu Chan was secretly thinking about, was resting in the mansion purchased by Zhao Bo in Fuzhou. Her maternal grandfather's family were merchants, so they naturally knew more about business than she, a layman. Therefore, before coming to Fuzhou, she wrote to her maternal uncle, asking him to send a few trustworthy people to Fuzhou to help her manage the shops.
Zhao Bo's wife brought a bowl of glutinous rice balls to Zhao Youyi's study. Seeing her reading by candlelight, she couldn't help but say, "Miss, you shouldn't read at night. It's bad for your eyes. I noticed you didn't eat much for dinner tonight, so I took the liberty of making you a bowl of glutinous rice balls. Please try them."
Zhao Bo's wife's surname is Sun, and everyone usually calls her Aunt Sun. She has watched Zhao Youyi grow up and used to live with Zhao Youyi and Zhao Youli in Jiangzhou. She knows a little about the three of them's past.
Zhao Youyi put down his military book and smiled at her: "Auntie, you've gone to so much trouble. I've been missing your sweet dumplings while I'm on the frontier."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Sun beamed with joy. "I'm glad you like it, Miss. When the young master arrives, I'll teach him the recipe. Even if I'm not by your side, you can still enjoy this flavor!"
When the topic of her son-in-law came up, Zhao Youyi subconsciously thought of Chu Chanyin, and naturally also of the glutinous rice balls that Chu Chanyin made. The red bean filling was sweet but not greasy, and when you bit into them, you could feel their soft and chewy texture, sweet to the core.
"Did the young lady and the young master quarrel?" She had heard from the young lady that Zhao Youyi and Chu Chanyin had not seen each other for three months since they last parted. Moreover, when Zhao Youyi came to Fuzhou this time, Chu Chanyin did not come out to greet her. After staying in Fuzhou for several months, Aunt Sun had learned a lot about this Prince Chu through the gossip of the neighbors.
He has a good temper and a kind nature. He is gentle and has never argued with anyone. He is also very handsome. His brave and heroic appearance on the battlefield has won him many admirers. He is a rare and good man.
“It wasn’t really an argument,” Zhao Youyi said, taking a bite of a glutinous rice ball. The red bean paste flowing out seemed to warm her heart. “It’s just that I’ve come to realize that his kindness towards me stemmed from guilt.”
If it's not love, then she doesn't want anything else.
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