Chapter 009

An inadvertent word "Aunt" brought up a sad past. While Zhan Yue and the others were thinking about their own things, only Zhao Youze was still concentrating on eating his own food.

He held the chopsticks, listened attentively for a while, and suddenly asked: "Why don't you eat? And aunt, why are you sighing?"

Zhao Youze's hearing was much more sensitive than that of ordinary people because of his eye disease. He couldn't hear the sound of other people using their chopsticks, so he was naturally surprised and said, "I think my aunt's cooking is delicious. If you don't eat anymore, I will eat it all."

"Since it's delicious, then eat more." Princess Ruyang couldn't help but be moved. She looked at Zhao Youze with a loving gaze, and the bitterness at the corners of her mouth slowly disappeared, replaced by a gentle smile. "After two days, auntie will open a small stove for Yuankang alone, okay?"

Zhao Youze grinned, his face flushed white, and nodded happily.

Seeing how happy A-di was, Jiashan gently rubbed the soft whorls on Zhao Youze's head and said, "You need to eat more. Come over this afternoon to copy the "Duren Jing" with me. You need to eat enough to have strength."

Hearing this, Zhao Youze's hands trembled a bit, he held the chopsticks tightly, and said obediently, "Oh, OK."

Princess Ruyang couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

With Zhao Youze's joke, the mood of the few people finally calmed down a little. Although Zhan Yue still frowned slightly, the lines and angles on his face were not as stiff as before.

Even when Jiashan reached out to touch Zhao Youze's head, he looked at him for a moment without blinking, until Jiashan withdrew his hand.

Zhan Yue himself didn't realize that just now, there was a hint of cautious greed in his eyes.

After everyone finished their meal, a maid came to clean up the dishes.

Zhao Youze grew up in Changle Palace since he was young. Concubine Jing always let him take a nap for an hour at noon. Now it was time, and Zhao Youze yawned as usual. Princess Ruyang saw it and hurriedly sent a maid to take him back to rest.

The autumn afternoon sunshine is still warm and bright like gold in the wheat fields.

Princess Ruyang personally made a pot of tea and poured a cup for Zhan Yue and Jia Shan, who both accepted it politely. Ruyang took the water to boil the teapot again, but she seemed absent-minded while doing it, and her eyes turned to Zhan Yue from time to time.

Zhan Yue was very sharp-eyed and sharp-eared. He held the teacup in his palm, frowning: "Aunt, if you have anything to say, please speak directly."

Unexpectedly, his insight was so sharp. Princess Ruyang glanced at Jiashan first, then smiled and said, "It's not a very important matter."

She looked at Zhan Yue with a clear gaze: "Yan Qing is not married yet, right?"

Zhan Yue pursed his lips slightly and looked at Jiashan calmly.

Jiashan seemed unaware. She was lowering her head and blowing away the tea foam in the tea.

Zhan Yue then said, "Not yet."

Ruyang nodded slightly and did not ask any more questions. After all, she was a person outside the secular world. Although she was concerned about Zhan Yue's life, it was impossible for her to force him to get married like other women and children.

However, after Princess Ruyang said this, Zhan Yue didn't dare to stay any longer.

After he finished his tea, he found an excuse to say goodbye to Ruyang and Jiashan, and his back seemed a little anxious.

Jiashan, who shared his feelings, saw Zhan fleeing for the first time. He couldn't help laughing and said, "I didn't expect that aunt would worry about these mundane things. I thought you were now oblivious to the world outside and just wanted to live in peace."

Ruyang put down the teapot: "I don't want to care about it."

She looked far away, and said with a hint of sadness and sighing, "He is now the commander of the capital. It seems that he is indeed enjoying a glorious life. But when I look at him, I always feel that there is no one in this world who truly cares for him and only cares about him."

Princess Ruyang recalled the slightly pale face of Zhan Yue when he called her "Aunt", and couldn't help but say with pity, "If there is no warmth left in his heart, I'm really afraid that Yan Qing will go astray in the future."

How many of those children from declining noble families are truly willing to live a mediocre life? Princess Ruyang was just afraid that the case of the Yongding Marquis's Mansion would become a burden that Zhan Yue could not get rid of.

He is now in a high position, and she is even more afraid that he will make the restoration of the Fu family his top priority and be used by others.

Jiashan thought about it.

She actually knew who Zhan Yue had married in his previous life. From her memory, her surname seemed to be Feng, and she was the daughter of the governor of Huguang. The woman was weak and kind, and her appearance was not particularly dazzling. At least not worthy of Zhan Yue.

Jiashan remembered that in the previous life, after Zhan Yue married Feng, he never took in any concubines, nor did he accept any beautiful girls offered by others, even though Feng had no children.

But when the two of them appeared outside, they were not as affectionate as she thought. They were always in a state of treating each other with respect.

Yes, treat each other with respect.

Jiashan and Feng had met each other a few times at the family banquets of the Duke of Anguo's mansion in the past. Feng was also from a prominent family, and her words and deeds were indeed impeccable. Whenever she met Zhan Shaoying and Jiashan, she would always ask a few polite questions. As a woman, Jiashan also read her love for Zhan Yue in her eyes.

But what about Zhan Yue?

Jiashan recalled carefully that he seemed to be the same to everyone he met - cold and distant. If there was any difference in his attitude towards Feng, it was probably that in addition to being cold, he also showed a little more respect.

But respect should not be a man's attitude towards his beloved woman.

Jiashan sorted out her thoughts and said, "It's probably difficult to leave some warmth in Zhan's heart."

"You don't know," Princess Ruyang whispered, "this child is actually a loyal person. Every New Year's Eve, he would give me some small gifts. Over the years, he has never missed a single one."

"It's hard for him to remember me, his aunt, in his heart." Princess Ruyang said with a look of regret on her face. She couldn't help but bring up the past and said, "If the old marquis were still alive, Yan Qing would probably have achieved more than this today."

Jiashan was slightly startled, and really wanted to tell Princess Ruyang that the golden scales were not just fish in the pond. In the future, Zhan Yue would not only be the commander of the capital.

Even without the protection of Marquis Yongding, he can still bring honor to his family and will still be the most dazzling general in the world.

Thinking of this, Jiashan stared into Princess Ruyang's eyes and said with a smile: "Don't worry, aunt. I think Lord Zhan is upright and will not be swayed by those treacherous ministers. Besides, how can the blood of the Yongding Marquis Fu family be black?"

Ruyang's expression improved a little, and she nodded and said, "That's true."

She turned her gaze towards Jiashan and smiled slightly: "I saw that he seemed to be quite relaxed when he played chess with you today."

"Maybe he can listen to one or two of your words." Ruyang looked at Jiashan calmly.

Jiashan was slightly surprised. She had never expected that Princess Ruyang would have such an impression of her. She asked, "Really?"

Jiashan suddenly thought of the last time he met Zhan Yue in Dongzhimen in his previous life, and his kind words "Tell her to take care of herself".

Jiashan paused for a moment before saying, "Then I agree to your request, Aunt. If there is a chance in the future, I will ask for your help in front of Master Zhan."

"See if he has someone suitable for marriage in his mind."

Ruyang smiled and said, "That's good."