Spring comes later in Shangjing City than in the south of the Yangtze River. On the day Wei Hanzhang returned, it was drizzling, which added a bit of chilliness.

The granddaughter who had been fostered outside for fifteen years came back. The main gate of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion was opened early in the morning, and servants were waiting outside.

As soon as Wei Hanzhang got off the carriage, he was welcomed into the main hall. Marquis Zhongyong and his wife sat on the upper seats, and the six descendants, including legitimate and illegitimate children, were either standing or sitting, making the spacious main hall seem a little crowded.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Wei Hanzhang, or more precisely, on her face. The crowded hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Wei Hanzhang stood with her back straight and her eyes straight ahead, maintaining the demeanor of a lady from an aristocratic family, and kowtowed to her grandparents in the seat above her.

The loyal and brave Marquis Weiping came from a military background. He was an excellent commander of the army and had great prestige at home. Although he was nearly sixty years old, his eyes sparkled and he looked extraordinary.

He glanced at his granddaughter who was kneeling on the ground, his expression relaxed, and he nodded gently, saying, "Now that you are home, you can stay here with peace of mind. Let your mother take you out to meet your relatives more often."

The hereditary marquisate has been passed down for hundreds of years. In the complicated network of aristocratic families in the capital, there are probably many relatives everywhere.

Wei Hanzhang lowered his eyebrows and said yes.

Marquis Zhongyong gave a few more instructions and then stood up and left.

As soon as he left, the tense atmosphere in the hall relaxed instantly. Madam Liu, who was sitting beside him, smiled and waved, "Xiaojiu, come quickly and let grandma take a good look at you."

"I never thought that there is such a fairy-like girl raised outside our family." The middle-aged woman standing behind Liu smiled amiably: "I am your aunt. I heard that our little nine's nickname is Ranran?"

Wei Hanzhang's hands were held by Liu, so it was difficult for him to salute. He could only nod and greet her, smiling, "Yes, the Ran in the word 'soft and luxuriant'."

"She's a well-behaved child." Liu held her granddaughter's hand, looked at her carefully, and praised her kindly. She said to her, "Go meet your parents. We haven't seen each other for many years. Your father always misses you."

Wei Hanzhang followed her line of sight and looked down the hall, where he saw a beautiful woman with a pale face and tearful eyes looking at him. Next to her sat a handsome man. Although he was already over thirty, he had taken good care of himself and looked no more than twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

This should be the male protagonist. As expected, he has clear eyes and a graceful demeanor.

The couple's eyes were exactly the same at this moment, full of longing for their little girl when they first saw her.

Wei Hanzhang took a few steps closer and bowed deeply again. Before he could kowtow, he was lifted up by two pairs of hands and then entered into a soft embrace with a scent of medicine.

This is the embrace of her mother in this life, Jiang.

She looked indeed exhausted. She hugged Wei Hanzhang and tears started flowing without saying a word. Wei Heng tried to comfort her softly, but it was of no use.

The main hall was extremely quiet. Even the Marquis' wife Liu looked at her daughter-in-law crying without saying a word. The atmosphere was a little depressing for a moment.

Wei Hanzhang sighed inwardly, reached out to wipe her tears, and said, "Don't cry anymore, mother."

"Yes, Xiaojiu's return is a happy occasion." Aunt Qian smiled and stepped forward to ease the atmosphere. She patted Jiang's shoulder and advised: "Let her greet the uncles first."

Among the six branches of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion, only the first and second branches are brothers born from the same mother. Jiang had been married into the mansion for twenty years and got along well with her eldest sister-in-law Qian. Qian felt sad for her eldest daughter as she went through this disaster.

"My daughter knows." Wei Hanzhang nodded in response.

She stood up again and bowed deeply to her parents, and then, with the introduction of her aunt Qian, she greeted the elders present one by one.

My eldest uncle is the eldest son of Marquis Zhongyong. He was on a business trip and was not present. My eldest aunt, Qian, is the eldest daughter of Marquis Yongchang. They have three sons and one daughter. The daughter is the sixth, named Wei Hanshuang, who is sixteen years old this year.

When the two sisters met for the first time, Wei Hanshuang smiled at Wei Hanzhang with a beautiful and peaceful face.

The remaining families were all born out of wedlock. Qian took Wei Hanzhang to simply recognize their faces but did not introduce them in detail.

Instead, she specifically called out the seventh daughter, Wei Hansu, from the second room, who was still unmarried, and the eighth daughter, Wei Hanyu, from the fourth room, and told them that they, the sisters of similar age, could get together.

Wei Hanzhang took a special look at his half-sister, the daughter of the heroine of the original book, Wei Hansu. She must have been dressed up deliberately, with an elegant skirt and pretty facial features.

Seeing her looking at him, Wei Hansu bowed slightly. Wei Hanzhang helped her with a smile, and after saying "Seventh Sister", he said no more.

The Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's mansion was indeed flourishing, with several children born in the fourth generation. When Wei Hanzhang reluctantly recognized all the people, Liu, the head of the family, called her over again. "When I took her away, she was less than a year old, as thin as a kitten. Now she has grown into a big girl. How has your health been these years?"

Wei Hanzhang smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Grandma. Ranran hasn't had a serious illness since he was three years old."

Liu was very relieved: "That's good, then your parents should be relieved."

She was very fond of her granddaughter and praised her for a long time until she looked tired and said kindly, "You are reunited with your parents for the first time, so your grandmother won't keep you any food. You are tired from the journey, so go back and rest early."

Then she said to Wei Hanshuang, Wei Hansu, and Wei Hanyu who were standing beside her, "Tomorrow, all of you should come to my place and get to know each other well. We are all sisters, so don't be strangers to each other."

The four sisters responded in unison.

The mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery was very large. The family of three left the main hall and each took a sedan chair back to the courtyard where the second room was located.

The servants inside, along with Wei Heng's concubines, knelt on the ground to welcome the returning young lady.

It was the first time that Wei Hanzhang had seen such a grand scene. Although the Jiang family was also wealthy and powerful, it was not as good as the marquis's mansion with strict rules. At least, servants kneeling on the ground at any time would only appear in the Jiang family when the servants had committed serious mistakes.

She perked up a little, wanting to see who was the concubine Shen Yue, the heroine in the book who replaced her mother and became the mistress of the second house.

The heroine of the original novel, Shen, was the daughter of a minor official. When Wei Heng was exiled, she was offered to him by local officials. Three years after his term ended, Wei Heng returned to Beijing with the help of his family. By then, Shen had already given birth to Wei Hansu, and was deeply loved by Wei Heng.

Jiang's methods of governing the backyard were tough. As the legitimate wife, she had only one daughter, Wei Hanyue. The concubines in Wei Heng's backyard were still drinking contraceptive soup, but Shen came in with a child in her arms. Fortunately, it was a daughter. Otherwise, if a concubine's eldest son was born, no matter how generous she was, she would probably be angry a few times.

It didn't matter what she thought in her heart. Jiang was extremely tolerant towards her husband bringing back a concubine who had already given birth to a child. She accepted her with a smile and immediately arranged for Shen to have the contraceptive soup that concubines should have.

(End of this chapter)