There were still crowds of people at the main gate of the Dou family, but the side passage behind the door was very quiet. There were two black-painted flat-roofed carriages parked side by side with curtains made of Xiangfei bamboo, and several unfamiliar servants were unloading boxes and baskets.

The box was amber in color, neither new nor old, but the wood grain was clear and flowing, and the four corners were covered with bronze cloud patterns. It looked simple, quiet, and a bit heavy.

"How luxurious! It's all made of rosewood." Dou Zhao heard Dou Dechang muttering softly as he walked beside her. She couldn't help but smile and took a few more glances.

The strong servants who were carrying the boxes and cages were no more than 27 or 28 years old at the oldest, and 18 or 19 at the youngest. They had solemn expressions and swift movements. They lifted the huge boxes and cages in their hands without blushing or breathing hard. It was obvious that they were trained in martial arts.

It was not uncommon for a wealthy family to have followers who were trained in martial arts when traveling outside, but it was rare to see followers like the one in front of him, who were all similar in height, weight, and dressed exactly the same.

It’s luxurious indeed!

Isn't he afraid of being robbed?

Dou Zhao smiled, and went around the flower hall with Dou Dechang and Wu Shan to visit his sixth aunt.

The black lacquered Ruyi door was wide open, and the bluestone corridor was exceptionally clean, as if it had been washed with water. The mynah bird hanging under the eaves flapped its wings, and the pomegranate tree next to it was in full bloom.

The maids and old women stood in the corridor with their hands hanging down, holding their breath and not daring to move. When they saw them come in, they blinked at them.

"Did you see that?" Dou Dechang whispered in Dou Zhao's ear, "The person who came to our house was not our cousin, but the emperor!"

Dou Zhao chuckled and managed to hold back his laughter. He and Dou Dechang and Wu Shan entered the hall one after another.

Dou Zhengchang stood respectfully beside Ji with his hands hanging down. Ji was sitting side by side with a young man in a moon-white Taoist robe on a Luohan bed inlaid with mica. Ji was holding the young man's hand and talking with a smile on her face.

Hearing the noise, both of them looked up.

Ji's smile was particularly brilliant, as if it flowed from the bottom of her heart, with undisguised joy, which was completely different from her usual introverted and low-key attitude, which surprised Dou Zhao. Looking at the boy next to her, he looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, tall and handsome, but not ordinary. However, he sat with a smile on his face, his expression was calm and peaceful, but his eyes were full of light, shining like stars and stones, giving people a feeling of "although he looks gentle, if you neglect him, he is not so easy to talk to." This contradictory temperament is unforgettable, and people even have the curiosity to take a peek.

Dou Zhao was secretly shocked.

This should be the poem.

She suddenly thought of the beautiful boy she met in Fayuan Temple.

One, two...there were more than she had seen in her previous life.

Dou Zhao couldn't help but glance at Dou Dechang.

Dou Dechang and Wu Shan both stared at Ji Yong with wide eyes, apparently not expecting Ji Yong to be such an outstanding person.

Over there, Ji had already greeted them warmly: "Wu Shan is here too! Zhi Ge'er, Shou Gu, come and meet your sixteenth cousin."

Ji Yong stood up with a smile and saluted to several people with elegant manners: "I am Ji Jianming of Yixing, Ji Yong."

Ji Yong already has a courtesy name... He is about the same age as Dou Dechang... Only young people who are particularly good at academics may be given a courtesy name in advance by their elders or teachers. Is this Ji Yong also very good at his studies?

Dou Zhao knelt down to return the greeting, and saw Ji pointing at Wu Shan with a smile and saying, "This is the son of Wu Hanlin, the top scorer in the Northern Zhili Academy Examination this year." Then she pointed at Ji Yong, "My nephew from my mother's side, the top scorer in the Southern Zhili County Examination in the Yimao year, when he was thirteen years old."

The champion at the age of thirteen!

Why hadn’t she heard of it in her previous life?

Has anything changed in this world?

Although she married into a noble family, she had heard of the names of top scholars and famous officials. Perhaps this person had mediocre qualifications when he grew up?

Dou Zhao pondered and felt that Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang's faces were a little pale. Even Wu Shan's smile became forced.

Ji Jianming seemed to know nothing, or he was used to such expressions. He smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for the compliment, aunt. I am just lucky." Then he quickly changed the subject, bowed to Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang, and said with a smile, "I have heard that the cousins ​​of the Dou family like to travel and have a wide range of knowledge. I am afraid that I will disturb you two when I go to Zhending this time."

Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang hurriedly bowed in return, but before they could say anything, Ji smiled and said, "We are all family, so you don't have to flatter them. They just like to play. If you want to go somewhere, just ask them."

Dou Zhao saw that Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang looked very embarrassed.

She was moved, and thought of the tone she used when she taught her son in her previous life. It was the same, praising others and belittling her son. As a result, her son did not learn from others, and would avoid them as soon as he heard the name of that person.

Dou Zhao had a vague understanding in his heart.

Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang were not narrow-minded people. Judging from the look of their Sixth Aunt, she must have praised Ji Yong and belittled the two of them in front of their sons, so that the two of them disliked Ji Yong before they even met her.

We must learn from this in the future!

Dou Zhao admonished himself.

After Ji Yong and Wu Shan exchanged a few pleasantries, Ji pulled Dou Zhao to her side and said with a smile, "This is your cousin from the Dou family. She is the fourth child in the family and grew up by my side. She is like Hui'er and Zhi'er. She is the closest to me. You should meet her too."

Ji Yong looked at Dou Zhao generously and called her "Fourth cousin" with a smile.

Dou Zhao was very grateful to Ji.

She must have felt that since she had no biological brothers, if she could make some relatives like Ji Yong, she would have someone to rely on in the future.

Dou Zhao called out "Cousin Ji" very sincerely.

Everyone sit down and drink tea.

Ji continued talking to Ji Yong.

From the tone of it, the Ji family is divided into five internal branches and eight external branches, and there are nearly a hundred direct descendants alone. I wonder how much more complicated the Ji family is than the Dou family.

No wonder Ji was able to handle heavy tasks with ease after marrying into the Dou family.

Dou Zhao was shocked when he heard this.

After a while, a maid came over and reported, "The Madam is hosting a banquet at the Green Court to welcome the young master, and she has invited the young masters and young ladies from several rooms to join us."

Green Courtyard is next to the main hall of the Dou family. Its doors are only opened when dignitaries come.

Ji's face was flushed as she led them to Green Court.

On the way, Dou Dechang whispered to Wu Shan: "If you are so amazing, why don't you continue to take the exam and get a top score? Why do you come to our house to show off?"

Dou Zhao pursed his lips tightly, afraid that he would laugh out loud.

In the Green Courtyard, not only the people of the Chang generation at home arrived, but also those of the Qi generation and those who attended the clan school all came. The women sat in the small hall on the west, separated by twelve black lacquered and inlaid screens. Ji Yong, accompanied by Dou Yuchang, sat in the large hall on the east with the others. As soon as the hot dishes were served, words praising Ji Yong kept floating into the west hall. In comparison, Wu Shan's first place on the list seemed insignificant and not worth mentioning.

Mrs. Wu and her daughter were also present. She asked Yu Er Niang about Ji Yong in a low voice without making any noise. After learning that Ji Yong had won the title of Jieyuan at the age of thirteen, she had to look at Ji Yong differently. When Ji Yong came over to toast and all the women praised Ji Yong for her outstanding talent, she smiled and glanced at her daughter. She curiously asked Ji Shi, who was sitting at the same table, "With such talent and appearance, I'm afraid the matchmaker has already made it difficult for her to get married, right?"

Ji and You Rong smiled proudly at Ji Yong who was being held by the Second Lady, and said with a chuckle, "Our ancestor doesn't want to see Ming get married so early." She tactfully acknowledged that many people had proposed marriage to Ji Yong.

Everyone nodded.

Grandma Xiu San even said: "For a man like this, even if I were a dull-witted person like me, I would carefully choose a good marriage for him."

Everyone laughed and the topic turned to Qi, who had just married into the family.

She was Dou Qijun's wife. Her father, Qi Baocheng, was a big landlord in the neighboring Quyang County. He was a classmate and friend of Dou Xiuchang. His family had produced several scholars, and could be considered a family of farmers and scholars.

Wei was beautiful and gentle. She helped Xiu San to take care of her younger siblings. She acted like an elder sister and was praised by the elders. She had a younger sister who was five years younger than her. When she came to visit last time, Guang Wu saw her and wanted to match her with her nephew. Everyone asked her about her.

Mrs. Wu sat quietly aside drinking tea, looking at Ji Yong's back as she walked out of the west hall with a slightly dimmed look in her eyes and she sighed softly.

Dou Zhao saw it all but said nothing.

In the next few days, brothers Dou Zhengchang and Dou Dechang took Ji Yong to travel all over Zhending County.

Dou Zhao, however, was worriedly serving his grandmother medicine at home - somehow, his grandmother caught a cold and had a severe cough, and even several doses of medicine did not help.

When people from Dongdou heard about it, they all came to visit the patient.

Ji also brought Ji Yong with him.

"He knows a little about medicine," she explained. "Let him check Aunt Cui's pulse, and we'll feel more at ease."

Dou Zhao nodded repeatedly and invited the Ji aunt and nephew into his grandmother's inner room.

Ji Yong checked the grandmother's pulse, looked at the prescriptions written by several doctors, and said with a smile, "It's okay, it's just a common cold. Take a few doses of medicine and the fever will be fine. You are too impatient. When the doctor's medicine didn't work after just two doses, you immediately changed doctors, which delayed her illness. The prescription written by this doctor is very good. Take a few doses and she should be cured."

Grandmother was restricted by Dou Zhao to lie in the room and rest. She had not gotten out of bed for several days and her body was stiff. After hearing what Ji Yong said, she joked with Ji: "I said I was fine, but Shou Gu didn't believe it. I saw that all the old ladies in the rich families were ruined like this."

Everybody laughed.

Dou Zhao was embarrassed.

She has always been worried about her grandmother's longevity.

But I can’t tell this to anyone else.

She lowered her eyelids.

Ji Yong said, "Fourth cousin, boiling medicine requires a lot of skills. I will boil some medicine for Aunt Cui. You can send a little maid to watch over her. She will boil medicine for her according to my instructions."

The Dou family is not a nouveau riche, how come they don’t know how to make medicine?

But Ji Yong had already said it, and she was too embarrassed to refute it directly. Besides, Ji Yong was a guest who came to diagnose Aunt Cui out of courtesy, and could not be treated as an ordinary doctor. Although he asked her to send a maid to accompany him, how could she really send a maid to follow him? Dou Zhao had to accompany him to the small ear room where the medicine was boiled.

After entering the ear room, Ji Yong stopped.

He asked Dou Zhao in a gentle voice: "I saw that you were hesitant to speak just now, but is there anything you can't say in front of my aunt and Aunt Cui?"