Only Xiangru, who was next to Zhu Xinning, seemed unsurprised by this and even carefully observed Jing Zhe.
Miss's brother is so handsome!
Moreover, Xiangru was also present at the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering the night before last, but she left later when everyone boarded the boat. Therefore, she had a more direct and comprehensive understanding of Jing Zhe's poetic talent.
Looking at the two of them being so affectionate and well-matched, she suddenly had a thought: If only he weren't Miss's brother, then perhaps only someone like him could be a match for Miss.
Zhu Xinning thought for a while, then her eyes lit up.
"You're home?"
Jing Zhe nodded.
"Did you see Aunt Wu?"
"Um."
"You... Fifth Sister is here, right?"
"..."
Conversing with such a smart woman doesn't give you much of a sense of accomplishment, Jing Zhe nodded with a helpless smile.
When Zhu Xinning saw him nod, her eyes suddenly dimmed, as if she was thinking about something.
Seeing the bewildered looks on the Zhang family's faces, Jing Zhe quickly introduced them with a smile: "Uncle, Aunt, this is my second sister, Zhu Xinning!"
Second sister?
Upon hearing this title, the Zhang couple were initially shocked, but then felt relieved, as this explanation seemed much more natural.
"Second sister, this is the owner and his wife of Zhang Family Winery. We are very grateful to them for taking care of us and letting us stay overnight after we arrived in Jingzhou!"
After hearing this, Zhu Xinning bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Manager Zhang and Madam Zhang, for taking care of my Zhe'er during this time. If he encounters any difficulties in the future, Manager Zhang can come to the Prime Minister's residence to find me!"
This promise is far more valuable than knowing someone like a prefect. Zhang Xuexian was thrilled and quickly said, "Lord Zhu, you flatter me. In fact, Young Master Jing has helped us more since he came here. It's hardly a matter of taking care of us."
Zhu Xinning nodded and said, "I'm here today to take him home to stay. I'm sorry to have bothered you these past few days!"
"Second sister, where are we going?"
Jing Zhe hurriedly asked.
"Go to my sister's current house!"
The Prime Minister's Residence...
To be honest, it's not as comfortable as staying here.
Although he had never been there, seeing Zhu Xinning's troubled expression yesterday, he figured her days at the Prime Minister's residence weren't exactly pleasant.
However, since she brought it up in public, Jing Zhe would not refuse to embarrass her, so he had no choice but to agree.
Jing Zhe didn't have much luggage, and he packed it up in no time.
After saying goodbye to the Zhang family, they boarded the Zhu family's carriage.
Seeing Jing Zhe roll up the car window and look out with a nostalgic expression, Zhu Xinning said, "What's wrong? Can't bear to part with it?"
"It's alright, but I've always lived here since I came to Jingzhou, so I'm always a little reluctant to leave."
Is it because you can't bear to leave this family, or because you can't bear to leave a certain person?
Thinking of Zhang Xiaoyu's affectionate and reluctant look at Jing Zhe just now, Zhu Xinning felt a tightness in her chest.
"Forehead…"
Jing Zhe lowered the carriage curtain and looked at her with a smile: "What's wrong, Second Sister? Are you jealous?"
Zhu Xinning blushed and glared at him: "I'm your sister, why would I be jealous?"
Jing Zhe smiled and put his arm around her shoulder again.
"My older sister gets jealous easily!"
"..."
...
The carriage was moving slowly down the main street when Jing Zhe called it to stop halfway through.
"What's wrong, Zhe'er?"
"I'm going downstairs to buy some gifts!"
"No need, Zhe'er."
But Jing Zhe didn't listen to her and ran downstairs anyway. A short while later, he got into the car carrying several beautifully packaged gift boxes.
Zhu Xinning was still scolding, "Zhe'er, I told you not to waste money."
Jing Zhe smiled and said, "If it were my own, I wouldn't care what I did, but I can't let my sister be looked down upon!"
"..."
Zhu Xinning didn't speak, biting her lip and turning her head slightly away.
Xiangru clearly saw a glistening streak flash across her young mistress's face before disappearing.
A short while later, the carriage stopped.
When Jing Zhe got out of the car, he saw a huge mansion in front of him with its gate wide open and three large gilded characters written on a golden plaque above the gate.
The Prime Minister's Residence.
"Miss is back!"
"That's what the guard outside said."
Zhu Xinning nodded slightly, then led Jing Zhe in.
The courtyard is surrounded by pink walls and drooping green willows. Inside, there are three hanging flower gate towers and covered walkways on all four sides.
The courtyard is connected by pathways and dotted with rocks. It is less exquisite than the East Palace I visited yesterday, but it is still grand.
"elder sister!"
Suddenly, a chubby little boy of about five or six years old rushed out from behind the artificial hill and ran over.
Zhu Xinning patted his head, then smiled and introduced him to Jing Zhe: "This is Tang Wen, you can call him your younger brother."
Jing Zhe then realized that this guy must be the only son of Prime Minister Zhu Tong, while Zhu Tangwen, upon hearing his sister talking to the handsome man opposite him, suddenly felt a strange sense of crisis rising in his little heart.
The hand gripping his leg tightened, and he stared at Jing Zhe warily. Jing Zhe was even more annoyed and said with a wicked smile, "Call me Big Brother!"
"..."
Zhu Tangwen pursed his lips and remained silent.
"If you don't call out, believe me, I'll take your sister away from you?"
"..."
Although Zhu Tangwen was young, he knew more than other children because he was born into the Prime Minister's family. Every young man who came to his house had ill intentions towards his sister.
But those people were cowards, never daring to say a word, and his sister never gave them a friendly look, so he was never worried.
But this bad guy on the other side is different. Not only is he good-looking, but he also flirts with his sister in front of her. Most importantly, judging from his sister's expression, she doesn't dislike him at all!
This put Zhu Tangwen under unprecedented pressure, and he almost burst into tears.
Zhu Xinning glared at Jing Zhe and scolded, "How old are you? Why are you acting like a child? You almost scared him to tears!"
"Don't cry!"
Jing Zhe snapped at him again, "Dare to cry, and I'll take your sister away right now!"
He walked over and put his arm around Zhu Xinning's shoulder.
Zhu Tangwen's mouth fell silent instantly, his eyes filled with sorrow.
"Call me Big Brother!"
"Big brother..."
Jing Zhe patted his head with satisfaction, then glanced at Zhu Xinning triumphantly, "See? Education has to start from a young age!"
"..."
Looking at her two younger brothers, one big and one small, Zhu Xinning smiled happily.
Led by Zhu Xinning, Jing Zhe walked around the front yard and happened to see a middle-aged woman with a slightly mean face walking towards the front hall with a man he knew very well, chatting and laughing.
Zhu Xinning urged him to run up a few steps and call out.
"Mother, I've brought Zhe'er back."
The middle-aged woman tilted her head and glanced in this direction, then snorted coldly, completely ignoring her, and turned to leave.
After taking a couple of steps, he seemed to remember something and turned back.
"Tangwen, come here! Didn't I tell you? Don't hang out with shady people, they're useless! If you want to have fun, go hang out with your cousin!"
Zhu Tangwen glanced at Zhu Xinning with some reluctance, then lowered his head and walked away…
————
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