At 4:45 PM the next day, Benjamin and Jimmy arrived at Huibinlou.
"Liu Qing, Liu Hong".
The brother and sister were very excited and surprised when they saw Benjamin and Jimmy.
Liu Qing stepped forward and hugged Benjamin, "You're finally back!"
"Uncle Benjamin!" Upon seeing Benjamin and Jimmy appear, Mianyao, who was upstairs, immediately ran downstairs.
When Benjamin saw Mianyao, he was stunned. "What are you doing here?"
Mianyao smiled and said, "Of course I knew you were coming back, so I was waiting for you here."
Immediately afterwards, Mianhua arrived with Mianzhi, saying, "Uncle Benjamin, welcome back."
"The three of you are all here, but where are your parents?"
Mianhua explained, "They're all busy; they didn't have time to come out today..."
Liu Qing said, "Benjamin, you can stay here tonight. You can go see Xiao Yanzi and the others tomorrow."
"That suits me perfectly."
"Oh, by the way, let me introduce you. This is my fiancée, Jimmy."
After everyone introduced themselves, Liu Hong and Jin Suo both liked Jimmy very much and were happy for Benjamin, who was finally getting married!
"Liu Qing, my master..."
When Benjamin said this, everyone's smiles disappeared. Liu Qing said, "I'll take you there."
Liu Qing led Benjamin and Jimmy to Lang Shining's tombstone, saying, "If you have anything to say, talk to your master properly."
After Liu Qing finished speaking, he walked away.
Benjamin looked at Giuseppe Castiglione's tombstone, his mind replaying everything that had happened between him and Castiglione in the palace.
"Master, I'm back."
"I came back too late and missed seeing my master one last time..."
Jimmy stepped forward and said, "Master, I'm Jimmy. You should still remember me..."
"Don't worry, I'll be there to watch over Benjamin from now on, and I'll make sure he's safe and sound!"
-------------------------------------
After spending the night at Huibinlou, Benjamin took Jimmy to the palace early the next morning.
Mianhua and the others left for class even earlier.
"Benjamin/Jimmy greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Queen."
No need for formalities.
Yongqi stood up and walked up to Benjamin, saying, "Benjamin, how long are you planning to stay this time?"
Benjamin sighed helplessly, "Maybe I'll stay for three years..."
"After I received the news of my master's passing, I naturally could not marry Jimmy."
“You have the custom of observing mourning for your relatives, and so do we.”
Little Swallow said, "So, you're planning to marry Jimmy in three years?"
Benjamin nodded. "That's right."
Little Swallow silently calculated in her mind that Benjamin would be 33 years old in three years.
If he had married earlier, his children would probably be older than Mianhua's children by now, and might even be older than Hanxiang and Mardan's children.
Although Liu Qing and Benjamin were born in the same year, Liu Qing was about half a month older than him. Now Liu Qing's son is 5 years old, but there is still no sign of Benjamin.
Jimmy seemed to understand what Xiao Yanzi was thinking and said, "Don't worry, I'll wait with Benjamin."
Yongqi said, "Benjamin, now that you're back, hurry up and go to Ruyi Pavilion. Huang Lvlan is still waiting for you."
"As for your master's matter..."
Benjamin saw Yongqi's eyes and understood what Yongqi was about to say. He quickly interrupted, "You don't need to blame yourself. This is not the kind of thing you wanted to see."
"You said back then that if Master knew I went back to find a partner, he would be happy for me."
So, don't overthink it.
Afterwards, Benjamin took Jimmy back to Ruyi Pavilion.
Huang Lvlan from Ruyi Pavilion was naturally overjoyed to see Benjamin return.
They also handed him a letter that Giuseppe Castiglione had written to Benjamin, saying, "Benjamin, by the time you come back and read this letter, I should be long gone."
“Listen to me clearly. Since you’re going back to get married, you can’t let this journey go to waste. The wedding date you originally planned will be held on time.”
"Don't let my actions delay your wedding. I won't be at peace if I do, or as the Chinese say, I'll die with my eyes open in disbelief..."
"Get married and have children as soon as possible, and I'll have no regrets once I've settled down."
After Benjamin finished reading the letter, Huang Lvlan repeated it in the same tone as when Lang Shining wrote the letter, which made Benjamin reluctantly shorten the wedding date originally set for three years later by half.
At noon, after Simon finished his teaching tasks for the day, he headed towards the Ruyi Pavilion.
"Ben, it's been a long time since I've seen you!"
The two brothers hugged, and Benjamin laughed, "How are you doing here?"
"Very good!"
Judging from Simon's smiling face, it was indeed as he said.
"Ben, I already really like this place, so I really don't want to go back!"
Benjamin was somewhat surprised. "Really?"
Simon nodded firmly, "Yes!"
“I was originally an orphan, and staying here is nothing bad for me.”
Benjamin smiled and said, "If this is your own idea, I will support you!"
-------------------------------------
In the evening, Yongqi hosted a small welcome party at Shufangzhai for Benjamin's return and Jimmy's arrival.
Yongqi raised his glass, looked at Benjamin, and said, "Benjamin, this is a toast to you. Welcome back to our big family!"
Little Swallow next to him raised her glass and looked at Jimmy, "Jimmy, welcome to our big family!"
Everyone ate and drank well and had a great time.
Benjamin was already a little drunk. "I really didn't expect that so much would happen in just under two years since I left..."
Yongqi sighed, "That's life."
"Often, we feel like there will be many more 'futures,' but in reality, we often don't know whether happiness or an accident will come first..."
Little Swallow chimed in, "Back then, if it weren't for Father Emperor's swift action, who knows how many people I'd be dealing with now..."
Yongqi sighed helplessly, "Little Swallow, you're talking nonsense again!"
"I didn't!"
"Back then, that person..." Xiao Yanzi was about to say the name when Yongqi covered her mouth.
Yongqi knew that Xiaoyanzi was referring to Chen Zhihua, but Chen Zhihua was already married to Yongrong and had a son.
This old story is really not suitable to be brought up again.
If those deaf people hear this, the rumors will ruin everyone's lives!
Benjamin remembered that Xiao Yanzi meant Chen Zhihua!
But he remembered that back then, Emperor Qianlong had betrothed Chen Zhihua to Yongrong.
However, judging from Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi's expressions, he knew that these things wouldn't affect them.
Xiao Jian said with a smile, "Benjamin, it's been a long time since I've heard you play the violin. I'm in a good mood today, why don't you play a tune?"
Benjamin nodded. "No problem!"
Everyone took out their respective instruments and began to play "Dang" together.
Ah~ Ah~ Ah~
When the mountain peaks have no sharp edges
When the river stops flowing
When time stands still, day and night become indistinguishable
When heaven and earth and all things turn to nothingness~
..."
A high-pitched song resounded throughout Shufangzhai.
Little Swallow stood on the table, "...riding horses to gallop and sharing the world's splendor, singing songs to express the joy in my heart..."
"Little Swallow, come down quickly!"
Yongqi never expected that the drunken Yanzi would climb onto the table and sing loudly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com