Tong Cheng'er saw Yinzhen as soon as she entered, which was not surprising, as she had come specifically for this purpose.
"Greetings, Mother."
Then he moved slightly and said to Yinzhen, "Greetings, Fourth Prince."
Yinzhen said, "You're too kind, Consort Tong. Please get up."
Tong Cheng'er: "Thank you, Fourth Prince."
Tong Cheng'er got up and found a place to sit down.
Shumulu knew why she had come, so she asked knowingly, "Why did you come here?"
Tong Cheng'er said with a smile, "My daughter just wanted to come and see her mother."
Shumulu chuckled lightly, not exposing her true feelings: "You do have a filial heart."
Shumulu asked a couple of questions, mainly exchanging pleasantries with Yinzhen. After a while, Tong Cheng'er finally spoke up: "Mother, the flowers in the back garden are blooming beautifully. I'd like to go and see them."
Yinzhen added, "Enjoying flowers is wonderful! I also love admiring flowers. I wonder if I would have the honor of enjoying them with Princess Tong?"
Tong Cheng'er looked at Shumulu.
Shumulu felt somewhat uncomfortable, but she still agreed.
Manchus don't usually hold back when meeting after an engagement, so this isn't considered outrageous.
The two are getting married in six months, so it's good to get to know each other better.
With Shumulu's nod, the two went to the back garden together. Shumulu watched their departing figures, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
In the blink of an eye, her daughter has reached the age to get married. It feels like just yesterday she was holding her daughter and breastfeeding her!
How time flies!
Time flies, and before you know it, your child has grown up.
In the back garden of the Tong residence, Tong Cheng'er dismissed everyone, and Yinzhen also told Su Peisheng not to follow.
The two sat together in the pavilion, and no matter how beautiful the flowers around them were, their minds were elsewhere.
Tong Cheng'er had a lot of questions in her mind, so she asked him, "I heard that the royal princes are very careful in choosing their wives. I suppose the Fourth Prince must have investigated what kind of person I am. I'm just curious, how did I end up being chosen?"
Yinzhen joked, "Perhaps Father Emperor saw us embracing in public and was afraid it would damage your reputation, so he betrothed you to me."
Tong Cheng'er didn't believe this. Although she had lived in a daze all these years, she was not confused in her mind.
In particular, there was no rule in their family that prevented women from discussing politics. Although she never said anything, she had heard many of the Emperor's decisions and knew the virtues of the royal family. The Emperor would not care about the reputation of a mere concubine.
Tong Cheng'er asked earnestly, "Does Fourth Prince think I'm easy to fool?"
Yinzhen hadn't expected her to be so perceptive, and then he asked in return, "Then why do you think it was you?"
Tong Cheng'er shook her head: "I really can't think of a reason for that."
Yinzhen chuckled and said, "It can only be you; no one else will do."
Tong Cheng'er felt that these words sounded familiar, and thought about it for a moment.
She remembered that the male lead in many modern idol drama trailers had said similar things.
for example:
"No one but you will do."
"It can only be you, you are my only one."
You are my one and only.
"I believe that fate brought us together; we are each other's perfect match."
...
Although she doesn't have time to watch idol dramas, she can always see this kind of information on various public display screens.
Tong Cheng'er opened her eyes wide and said, "Fourth Prince, you really know how to joke."
The two have only met a few times, so this statement is rather ambiguous.
What Yinzhen said was the truth; in his case, no one else could do it.
"By the way, the courtyard I prepared for you is called Yaocheng Courtyard. Is there anything you would like to add? Also, what kind of flowers and plants would you like to plant in the courtyard? In addition, do you have any ideas about the layout of the mansion? You can tell me and I will let you change it."
Tong Cheng'er looked puzzled: "Are you serious?"
Yinzhen nodded: "Of course I'm serious."
Tong Cheng'er shook her head: "I don't have any special requirements."
After all, she wasn't married into the family yet! It wasn't appropriate for her to treat the Fourth Prince's residence as her own home and arrange things as she pleased.
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen did not continue the topic.
As Yinzhen spoke, he steered the conversation toward his dog.
"By the way, I don't know if you like dogs, but I recently got two Pekingese."
Tong Cheng'er was a little surprised to hear that someone who looked so aloof would keep a dog: "You don't seem like the type of person who would keep a dog."
Yinzhen: "Perhaps!"
Tong Cheng'er thought to herself that people who know how to raise dogs must be pretty good, so she smiled and said, "I like dogs, but I like cats even more than dogs."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen lied and said, "I also prefer cats, but keeping a cat doesn't sound good, so I haven't kept one."
Tong Cheng'er understood upon hearing this.
After all, nowadays Manchu men love keeping dogs and birds.
As for keeping cats, nowadays it's more of a preference for women in the inner quarters or empresses in the imperial harem.
Since they shared the same hobby, Tong Cheng'er casually remarked, "From now on, my cat is your cat, you can pet it."
Yinzhen was quite good at chatting. As they talked, he gradually made her feel like one of his own. She said this without thinking, and after she said it, Yinzhen couldn't help but smile.
Tong Cheng'er saw her smile and suddenly realized what she had said. She wasn't even married yet! How could she say something like "My cat is your cat"? Anyone would think she was in a hurry to get married!
That's so unreserved.
Yinzhen chuckled and said, "Then it's settled, your cat is my cat."
Since she had said it herself, Tong Cheng'er reluctantly nodded.
Yinzhen found it very interesting; chatting with her was much more interesting than doing official business.
"May I ask what our cats are like?"
Tong Cheng'er glared at him: "You're still my cat! Not our cat."
Yinzhen nodded indulgently: "Alright, from now on you'll be our cat. Let me explain again, what kind of cat is a cat?"
Tong Cheng'er thought for a moment and said, "My cat is named Bai Bai. She's all white and very spirited. Her eyes are especially beautiful, round and bright like a..."
"She gave birth to three daughters and one son. The daughters were named... and the son was named..."
When Tong Cheng'er talked about Bai Bai, she talked like anyone else talking about their own daughter, and she became quite talkative, chattering on and on. After she finished, she felt that she might have gone a bit too far.
So, feeling a little embarrassed, he said, "Did I talk too much?"
Yinzhen smiled and shook his head: "No, I like hearing it. You even gave the cats names! My dog doesn't have a name yet. I think the names you gave the cats are very nice. Why don't you give my dog a couple of names too? After all, my dog will be your dog in the future."
Tong Cheng'er felt a momentary flutter in her heart; this person was just too good at flirting!
What's yours is mine, what's mine is yours, and what's ours...
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