Back in the carriage, Xu Zhi noticed that Zheng Yuanyuan was in a very good mood. She became even more curious about the person who had been talking to Zheng Yuanyuan earlier. She wanted to ask, but felt that it would be too abrupt to ask, and besides, once some things were said, there would be no room for reconciliation. So she suppressed her curiosity.
They first returned to the Yongning Marquis's residence. Upon arrival, they went to kowtow to the Great Madam. The Great Madam looked much older than before. After kowtowing, Xu Zhi sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), put her arm around the Great Madam's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Grandmother, we've made bamboo paper ourselves. I came back this time to send the bamboo paper from Lüzhou to the capital to sell. Our bamboo paper is so crisp and strong. I've prepared quite a lot for you."
The old lady said with a smile, "Our little Jiu is so thoughtful. Quickly, let me see if little Jiu has gained or lost weight."
He held Xu Zhi's hand and examined her for a long time before sighing slightly and saying, "You do look a bit thinner. You need to eat well; only by eating well can you stay healthy."
Xu Zhi nodded with a smile, while Ning Shi said with a smile, "I think our Ninth Aunt has grown taller again."
Xu Zhi smiled and said, "It has grown a bit taller. The clothes I made last year are a bit too small for me. Oh, by the way, Grandmother, I brought back some local specialties from Luzhou for you. I wrote down the recipes, and I'll have the cooks in your small kitchen make them for us to try later."
The old lady smiled and said, "I still remember when our Xiao Jiu and Xiao Qi came back from Hexi, Bai Ge'er told me that he wanted to learn how to cook those local delicacies and then cook them for me when he came back, so that I could eat all the delicacies from all over Daliang without leaving the house. Now, more than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. Every time our Xiao Qi comes back, he cooks a few dishes that he has learned to cook for me. He is a man of his word."
Xu Zhi said with a smile, "Seventh Brother is a foodie. When he goes to a new place, he likes to find those old-established restaurants. If he thinks it's delicious, he will pester the restaurant owner to tell him how it's made. I remember when we were in Miaozhou, there was a restaurant in the city that made fish well. He went there for several days in a row and wanted to go to the kitchen to see how it was made. The owner wouldn't let him, but he just kept pestering him until the owner had no choice but to tell him how it was made. If he didn't live in Miaozhou, the owner wouldn't have told him."
Everyone laughed when they heard this. Xu Bai, the youngest child in the family, was everyone's source of joy. Not only did Xu Bai bring gifts to everyone in the family every time he returned from out of town, but he also hired a security escort to deliver them to everyone during every festival.
After dinner, Xu Zhi went back to the Zheng residence with Zheng Yuanyuan.
When Xu Zhi was at the Xu family, she instructed Bai Ying to find out from Zheng Yuanyuan's servants about the man who spoke with Zheng Yuanyuan at Shili Post Station that afternoon. She learned that the man was the eldest son of the third branch of the Chengguo Duke's Mansion. She frowned, as she did not want her sister-in-law to fall in love with this man named Zong Chengping.
Zheng Yuanyuan had already returned to her own courtyard. Bai Ying looked at Xu Zhi, who was sitting cross-legged on the kang bed next to the bed, and said worriedly, "Miss, Miss Yuanyuan has known the eldest son of the third branch of the Chengguo Duke's Mansion for several months. Later, because Miss Yuanyuan was going to the capital to go to Miss Shen's estate, and the eldest son of the third branch of the Chengguo Duke's Mansion was going to their estate outside the city to supervise the spring plowing, they met frequently, and over time, they got to know each other."
Xu Zhi nodded and said, "I understand. Don't let Miss Yuan know that I know about this."
Bai Ying nodded, sighed, and said, "It's quite a coincidence. Granny Wang's health hasn't been very good since the New Year. At first, she could accompany Miss Yuan to the outskirts of the city, but later, due to the long journey, she couldn't take it anymore. And since the journey was very safe, Granny Wang stopped going. She only instructed the maids and servants who went with Miss Yuan to take good care of her. Miss Yuan wanted to keep it a secret from Granny Wang, so Granny Wang doesn't even know about this eldest son of the Duke of Cheng's family. Miss, judging from Miss Yuan's demeanor, it seems she's really fallen for him."
Xu Zhi had seen him from afar; he was the eldest son of the third branch of the Chengguo Duke's mansion, a handsome and talented man. However, Xu Zhi could not allow Zheng Yuanyuan to continue developing a relationship with him.
Xu Zhi sat with a sullen face. Bai Ying sighed inwardly and stood respectfully to the side. After a while, Xu Zhi said, "Sister Bai Ying, send someone to the Duke of Cheng's mansion to find out more about Zong Chengping. Don't worry about anything, big or small. Find out everything you can. Don't be afraid of spending money. We're not afraid of spending money right now."
Bai Ying agreed and quickly went down to arrange manpower. Xu Zhi stared at the glass lamp on the kang table, looking at the slightly flickering light inside the gourd-shaped transparent glass lampshade, while pondering how to deal with the matter between Zheng Yuanyuan and Zong Chengping.
The capital city is currently relatively calm due to the imprisonment of the eldest prince and the beheading of the third prince, but in reality, undercurrents are still surging. Moreover, since two of the princes who were originally the most competitive have withdrawn from the competition, the remaining princes are making even more ruthless moves behind the scenes.
The matter of Chen Yuyuan was known only to a few members of the Xu and Chen families. This matter must never be known to others, otherwise, Chen Yuyuan might become someone else's whetstone. Xu Di once analyzed with Xu Zhi that for Emperor Liang Cheng, he devoted himself to the country in his early years, and in his later years, all he had to do was hand over the country to his descendants. If anything happened to Chen Yuyuan, he would only choose one of the remaining princes who was outstanding. As for the Xu family and others, they would not be considered by Emperor Liang Cheng at all. Sometimes, emperors cultivate the path of ruthlessness.
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