After Zhao Rong came out of Qingjun's boudoir, he wandered around the backyard.

He had just left in a hurry, and his black hair was still loose, casually tied up with a rope. He wore a white inner garment and a green Confucian robe on the outside, and was fastening the belt of the robe as he walked.

Qian'er's footsteps and clear and melodious voice were heard from behind.

"Brother Rong'er, wait for me, I will help you get dressed..."

Zhao Rong walked faster.

How could he dare to have private contact with this little girl, especially since he had just coaxed his wife and taught her sword techniques and mantras last night.

Well, in the end I couldn’t help but give Qingjun a lot of surprises.

Of course, Zhao Rong was also kicked in the butt and rolled off the bed. His butt still hurts a little now. However, this exchange seems to be a big win...

Thinking of Qingjun's shocked and silly look last night, Zhao Rong grinned.

At the same time, he felt a little guilty.

So I decided to be a model husband, not to make my wife unhappy during the day, and to have a strong desire to survive.

Maids and dowries of ambitious ladies, please respect yourselves.

Along the way, Zhao Rong met many servants from Qinglianju in the corridor and greeted him. Some of them were very considerate and called him brother-in-law.

Zhao Rong smiled and nodded in response.

Soon, he and Xiao Qian'er, who was following him like a shadow, came to the hall of the back house together.

What came into view were three people in the empty hall.

Concubine Zhao Ling was among them.

She sat upright at the first seat in the hall.

In addition, there was a tall old man with a calm face and who looked like a butler.

A man holding a sword with a lazy expression, who looks like a hidden master.

At this time, the two of them were sitting above and below Concubine Zhao Lingfei, that is, on the left and right sides.

The tall old man had his butt half resting on the stool, his upper body slightly leaning forward, reporting something to Concubine Zhao Lingfei, who was also listening with a serious look on her face.

As for the man holding the sword, he was standing behind the chair in a nonchalant manner, with his waist bent and his hands folded together, resting on the highest point of the chair.

At this moment, he was raising his hand and yawning, seemingly uninterested in what the tall old man was discussing with Concubine Zhao Lingfei.

Zhao Rong knew the two extra people, although he hadn't seen them for a long time.

The tall old man is the steward of the fourth branch of the Zhao family of Da Chu where Qingjun belongs. His name is Zhao Kun, and he has no wife or children.

On weekdays, people in the mansion called him Uncle Kun or Grandpa Kun.

The man holding the sword, like Zhao Rong's mother, is a servant of the fourth branch of the Zhao family. His surname is Li and his given name is Bai. He is also a bachelor.

They are all old people left by the previous generation around Qingjun.

In fact, Zhao Rong, Qingjun and Qian'er were all quite afraid of Kunbo when they were young, because the old man was always serious and did things meticulously.

However, Kunbo was extremely dutiful. At least in Zhao Rong's impression, he had never taken advantage of his seniority to bully the young master, and he had always been devoted and dedicated to his wife.

It’s just… in Zhao Rong’s memory, Kunbo seemed a little cold towards him. Well, or rather, except for Qingjun and Qianer, the old man was mostly cold towards outsiders.

Sometimes Zhao Rong also wondered: they all grew up together in the mansion, so why were they treating him differently among the three?

Could it be that Zhao Rong bullied Qingjun and Qianer every day when they were children?

Oh, that's okay.

Zhao Rong nodded slightly.

At this moment, in the hall, after Zhao Lingfei and Kunbo talked for a few words, they turned to the yawning Li Bai and said:

"Uncle Xiaobai, thank you for taking the trip."

"It's okay, you're too polite, miss." Li Bai smiled brightly and waved his hand. "That brat is going down the mountain to take the assessment in Dali these days, right? I'm just on my way."

He paused and turned to look at the quiet Zhao Kun.

"We have some business in Qinglianju in Dali, and I need to go there recently to handle it. Qian'er and I will accompany him down the mountain to Dali for the assessment, and handle things along the way."

Zhao Lingfei nodded and was about to speak when she suddenly turned and looked towards the entrance of the hall.

"Qingjun, good morning."

Zhao Rong walked into the hall, looked around, and said with a smile: "Uncle Kun, Uncle Xiaobai, long time no see."

Zhao Qian'er followed behind him and greeted him crisply.

Concubine Zhao Ling glanced at her husband with an evasive look.

She pursed her lips and turned her face away, "Good morning, my dear."

Zhao Kun glanced sideways at Zhao Rong, still facing Concubine Zhao Ling, and nodded slightly.

Li Bai turned his head and looked Zhao Rong up and down carefully.

He had a bit of stubble on his face, giving people a sense of vicissitudes of life. He showed a look of disdain and curled his lips and said:

"Hey, isn't this our Zhao family's son-in-law who ran away from home, the one who doesn't live off others and is very ambitious? Why did you come back today? Did you forget to take something? This is too much."

Zhao Rong walked forward without hesitation, sat on the chair supported by Li Bai, and turned around.

He discovered that this familiar man holding the sword could hold the sword in this position. Well, he was definitely a master.

Zhao Rong glanced at the ordinary-looking sword in Li Bai's arms.

Immediately, he said with a straight face: "Xiaobai, how do you talk to your uncle?"

Li Bai: “…”

Zhao Lingfei, who was sitting in the first seat, couldn't help but curl up the corners of her lips.

Zhao Qian'er puffed and jumped behind Zhao Rong's chair, pushing Uncle Xiaobai without saying anything, "Move aside, Uncle Xiaobai, don't get in the way, I want to tie up Brother Rong'er's hair."

Li Bai glared at Zhao Rong, then turned to complain to the lackey-like little girl, "Xiao Qian'er, you are too partial."

Zhao Qian'er nodded as a matter of course. You are just talking nonsense.

Zhao Rong's frown relaxed, and he turned around and said with a smile, "Uncle Xiaobai, I did forget to take something. I was young and frivolous at the time, and I didn't know the sweetness of soft rice... No, I didn't know what the most important thing was."

Zhao Rong turned around and looked around.

His eyes swept over Qingjun who couldn't help looking at him, Zhao Kun who looked serious, Qian'er who tied his hair with her little hands and had curved eyes, and Li Bai who liked to bicker with him since childhood. It seemed that everything had changed, and yet nothing had changed.

Zhao Rong's gaze finally rested on Concubine Zhao Lingfei, and the couple looked at each other.

He nodded and said seriously: "From childhood to adulthood... the most important thing has never changed, it is right here, so I came back. Uncle Xiaobai, I owe you a pot of wine."

Zhao Rong spoke sincerely.

The atmosphere in the hall was quiet for a while.

Next second.

Bang——!

Li Bai patted Zhao Rong on the head and scolded him with a smile: "You little bastard, why are you stirring up love so early in the morning? Weren't the sweet words you said to the young lady in bed last night enough? That's too much, too much."

Zhao Rong rubbed his head, turned around and gave Li Bai an expression that said 'You are indeed a master as you even know the love words he said last night'.

Zhao Qian'er glared at Li Bai with her peach blossom eyes and punched him angrily.

The little girl yelled, "Stinky Xiaobai, you bully Brother Rong'er again!"

Li Bai's eyelids twitched, and he turned around and ran away holding the sword.

Zhao Qian'er puffed out her lips, picked up the comb with her little hands, held it like a knife, and ran after him with her short legs, as if she was determined to chase him to the ends of the earth.

When Concubine Zhao Lingfei first heard Li Bai's words, she seemed to remember what happened last night. She closed her mouth tightly and swallowed subconsciously.

At this moment, her cheeks were slightly red. Seeing Qian'er and Li Bai playing and leaving, she shook her head and said, "Two funny guys."

Concubine Zhao Ling glanced at her husband and paused, feeling that she had missed one person. Alas, the three of them were together again, and this time they were going down the mountain together. There would probably be some trouble in the future.

It was like this in the Duke of Chu's mansion. As an adult, Li Bai liked to play and quarrel with Rong'er and Qian'er, who were still children. Uncle Bai liked to trick Rong'er into buying him wine, and Rong'er would later mix some strange things into the wine, or add water or something like that. The two of them would fight back and forth...

However, Concubine Zhao Ling was not too worried about the three of them traveling together to Dali.

Zhao Rong glanced outside and sighed, "Hey, why is Xiaobai still acting like a child?"

Concubine Zhao Ling glared at him who was showing off.

Zhao Rong smiled.

Concubine Zhao Ling immediately stood up, walked behind Zhao Rong, and continued Qian'er's work, tying his hair with her bare hands.

The pale golden morning light passed through the skylight and sprinkled on her profile. Concubine Zhao Ling had a cold and aloof temperament, giving people an awe-inspiring feeling, but the teardrop mole under her left eye was very charming.

With a focused look on her face, she tied her husband's hair and put on a crown for him, while opening her delicate lips and reminding Zhao Rong of things to pay attention to after he came down the mountain.

While Zhao Rong was listening to his wife's sudden chatter, he raised his eyes and stared at the white clouds outside the skylight in the hall, lost in thought.

Nodding in response from time to time.

The couple spent time together peacefully, savoring this rare quiet morning and letting time pass by.

Finally, Concubine Zhao Ling paused, lowered her eyes and told her about asking Li Bai to join and accompany him and Qian'er down the mountain.

Zhao Rong had heard some words when he was outside the door before. Hearing this, he pondered for a moment and turned back to look at the woman who was gently tying his hair.

Nod gently.

Zhao Kun standing by didn't move at all, his eyes lowered, staring at the floor.

Not long after, Zhao Qianer and Li Bai, who had been playing around, finally returned to the hall.

The little girl walked in front with her hands behind her back, and the man with the sword followed her with a depressed look on his face, but he didn't dare to go beyond Xiao Qian'er and walked in front of her.

Soon, everyone returned to business.

Zhao Rong, Qian'er and Li Bai discussed the plan of going down the mountain to Dali, and agreed on a time for the three to meet up.

Afterwards, Li Bai and Zhao Kun saw that there was nothing to do, so they said goodbye and left.

Zhao Rong chatted with his wife in private for a while, and after being affectionate with her for a while, he prepared to leave.

Concubine Zhao Ling also had something to do today, so she couldn't accompany him anymore.

However, Zhao Qian'er had some free time and didn't want to go back to Taiqing Mansion too early, so her dark eyes rolled.

The little girl quickly grabbed Zhao Rong's hand as he was about to leave, and said crisply, "Brother Rong'er, where are you going? I'm free today, so I'll go with you."

Zhao Rong was still a little uncomfortable with her following him around, with maids and the like around.

Moreover, he has not forgotten the role of a model husband that he secretly determined to be.

Feeling his wife's gaze at this moment, Zhao Rong pulled his hand back calmly, and said seriously, "Stinky girl, stop making trouble. I have something important to do today."

Zhao Qian'er squinted at him and said, "When you were holding me in your arms this morning, you called me little sweetie. Now that I'm in front of someone, you call me a stinky girl."

The model husband Zhao Rong was frowning and ignored her. He quickly explained in detail to Concubine Zhao Lingfei who raised her eyebrows.

The latter nodded slightly and raised her bare hands to straighten the collar of Zhao Rong's clothes.

Zhao Qian'er seemed not to notice the awkward atmosphere between the young lady and the son-in-law. She pulled the hand of Zhao Rong, who was relieved, and said expectantly:

"Yes, what Brother Rong'er said is right, Miss, you must believe it. By the way, Brother Rong'er, where are we going to play today?"

Zhao Rong opened his eyes, glared at Xiao Qian'er who was adding fuel to the fire, and said unhappily: "I already told you that I have something to do, where are you cool..."

The little girl suddenly interrupted and asked Zhao Lingfei curiously, "Miss, I went to wake up Brother Rong'er this morning, and he talked in his sleep about promising not to press your head again. Hmm, what does that mean?"

“???” Concubine Zhao Lingfei’s delicate and fair face turned red all the way to her ears.

Zhao Rong: “…”

Facing his wife's murderous gaze, Zhao Rong grabbed Zhao Qian'er's hand, pulled her with a curious look on her face, and quickly fled out the door, leaving behind a sentence:

"Um... Madam, it's urgent. I have to leave first."

Zhao Qian'er happily watched Zhao Rong pulling her hand, tilting her head and saying, "Brother Rong'er, didn't you just ask me to cool down somewhere..."

Zhao Rong interrupted without even turning his head: "I'll go wherever it's cool, let's go for a walk."

He pulled the little girl along and escaped from his wife's cannibalistic sight.

Zhao Qianer had a pair of peach blossom eyes that curved into crescent shapes.

…

Half an hour later.

In the east city of Duyou, there is a bustling street with constant flow of carriages, horses and pedestrians.

Zhao Rong stood alone outside a shop, looking up at the sky from time to time.

He had just left Qinglianju on Wutong Street with Zhao Qianer when the little girl brought him to this "cool place"... to accompany her for a stroll.

Zhao Rong was a little helpless. Qian'er said she wanted to buy some things for going out, so he had to accompany her.

But when he thought about the approaching etiquette and art exam, his brother Yiwu and his classmates in Zhengyi Hall were seizing the time to prepare for the separation, while he was leisurely accompanying a girl shopping.

Zhao Rong couldn't help feeling a little guilty. He thought about sending the little girl away quickly and returning to prepare for the Fengshan ceremony with all his strength.

At this moment, standing outside this shop which he thought was flashy but frequented by many female monks, Zhao Rong did not accompany Zhao Qianer in.

He turned his head and looked inside the store, but still didn't see any sign of Zhao Qian'er coming out, so he couldn't help but shook his head.

At this moment, Zhao Rong suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar burly figure appearing outside the door of a shop opposite.

He looked closely at the burly man. Who else could it be but Gu Yiwu?

However, after seeing the scene clearly, Zhao Rong couldn't help but twitch his eyes.

Gu Yiwu was seen hugging a beautiful woman with a slender waist and walking out of the tall and imposing shop opposite. Behind him, the shop manager was seeing him off at the door.

A burly man with thick eyebrows and big eyes was walking out with his arm around a thin-waisted woman. He was talking and laughing, and his hands were not very honest.

Zhao Rong had a blank expression on his face. He silently took a step back and was about to slip into the store. However, immediately afterwards, Gu Yiwu, who was talking about something with the beauty next to him, happened to laugh loudly, hugged the beauty, and turned his head leisurely.

For a moment, Gu Yiwu was stunned.

The two of them made eye contact...

The scene was very embarrassing for a while.