I wanted to finish showering quickly and go out, but Xie Yuancheng kept bothering me: "Go away, I want to shower by myself." I pushed his hand away. I've only just come back, and he's already being naughty.
"Ying'er, your sister and the others are waiting. It was supposed to start at nightfall, but it's been delayed by an hour. We need to hurry."
Xie Yuancheng started washing me without saying a word. My hair was all messed up. When I changed into my mourning clothes, I felt dizzy.
"Okay, I'm so dizzy~" I saw him still tying things up, and my eyes were getting blurry.
“Ying’er, we need to kneel for half an hour to an hour. This time we are inviting the spirits of our parents back to the ancestral hall in the mansion, so we need to go slowly.”
"I'm not the kind of person who holds grudges over these things~" I pulled him up and tied the jade pendant around his waist: "Alright, let's go."
As soon as we entered, we saw a large group of people kneeling in the dark. These must have been newly built; there was an altar and other sacrificial items, with a flat area underneath where cushions were placed.
Xie Yuancheng helped me walk forward, and we stood at the front, with red silk cloth hanging down, on which many sacrificial words were written. There were more than ten kinds of offerings. This was a very important occasion, and I knelt down following the priest's voice.
There was a bronze incense burner nearby, and I could smell the smoke from burning paper money from time to time. First, they recited the sacrificial text, then played mournful music and offered incense, followed by kneeling and bowing. I finally understood what he was bound to; my knees were really suffering.
Xie Yuancheng is just too thoughtful. If my in-laws in heaven knew, I'd probably never have peace in my dreams. I felt guilty, so I knelt especially earnestly.
This sacrificial ceremony was truly agonizing, lasting until almost midnight. Those following were former followers of the Ninth Prince, as well as men under Xie Yuancheng.
This is only a small part; many people will be able to settle down in Linyang from now on, without having to travel around or hide underground. I went back and asked Xizhi and Suling, but they were already asleep.
Li Ruowei prepared a small courtyard for the three little ones, planning to turn it into another place when they grow up.
"Sister-in-law, it's so good to see you back! I've been counting down the days, but I never get to see you."
"Yes, but Yu'er has to stay at the manor, otherwise the four children could play together."
"I know about this. Yu'er is now a prince, so he can't come for the time being. You should put your mind at ease."
Li Ruowei told me a few things, but it was getting late, so she didn't say much and went back to rest. Now that we're both at the manor, we have opportunities to meet every day.
I was just about to stretch when Xie Yuancheng came and carried me back. Our house has been changed a lot. Although the overall layout is the same, there is now a hot spring pool behind the house, and the drainage system in the mansion is all brand new.
The drainage system in Linyang City is more than half completed. All the cities are using the latest underground drainage system, and there are supplies placed at every point so that any problems can be detected quickly.
The city is estimated to be over 70 square kilometers in size, with three defensive walls inside, and the Marquis's residence in the middle. Outside, there are six more walls, making it as solid as an impregnable fortress, easy to defend and difficult to attack.
I don't know how Xie Yuancheng and the shopkeeper discussed it, but he only told me the general layout of the place, saying that my brain is not suitable for knowing too much, otherwise I would be more capable than him and wouldn't be with him.
I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I have so few worries. I just talk to the little ones every day. Most of the time, the nannies and maids help me.
"Yuancheng~ Aren't you being too childish~"
“I’m not childish enough. If I were, Ying’er wouldn’t have left me three times.”
"No more consulting the old almanac. When exactly did you start working on this? I have a feeling that such a big project can't be done in a day or two."
"Yes, at first I only told the teacher about the initial design, and he agreed. But as you said, the workload was huge. If it weren't for my master's help, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
"You're just keeping this from me~" I pulled the blanket over myself. Xie Yuancheng never sleeps under his blanket; he always tries to squeeze in with me.
“Ying’er~ Master said that although you are sometimes a bit slow on the uptake, if you become more capable than me, you’ll probably take a liking to me and want me to keep you in check and not let you stand out.”
"You can say things like that; you're obviously dishonest."
“That’s really what Master said. Last time in 2020, you were the first to notice something was wrong, and that’s when we started to walk the right path. Ying’er is an invisible powerhouse, and I have to keep her hidden.”
"I know, you're just making things up. Go to sleep, you'll be busy from now on."
I was just about to cover Xie Yuan with a blanket when he fell asleep. He falls asleep instantly; he was just talking nonsense to me a moment ago, and now he's asleep.
I reached out and touched his face; his skin was still soft, perhaps because we were both still young. I used to be so worried about getting old, but now, growing old here with him isn't so bad.
I went to find Xizhi and the others early in the morning. Yan'er is really a big sister now. When I was there last time, she was a little shy. Now she takes care of her younger siblings and arranges everything for them.
"Little brother, this is for you~" Yan'er gave Xizhi a small blue bowl, and then gave Su Ling a pink bowl: "Little sister, use this."
Li Ruowei and I stood to the side watching. They were actually playing house, and they were all acting quite convincingly. Granny Su said that they could all feed themselves, and although it was messy, it was much better than being fed.
After they've had enough fun, they go to the mansion to run around. There's grass there too, and once they're on the grass, they run around with their little toys.
Li Ruowei instructed Bizhu and the others to keep an eye on things. Now that there are more maids and nannies in the mansion, the little ones will all be looked after. I'm going to listen to Li Ruowei talk about the interesting things happening here.
We sat down a little to the side. Meng Anshi had gone out early in the morning, and Xie Yuancheng had just returned when he ordered his men to seal off the city walls.
Lu Fengjun was sent by the imperial court and has his own residence; he doesn't live with us.
"Lord Lu really went too far, actually abducting Lingwu." Li Ruowei still had a fierce look on her face when she mentioned him. She disliked the Empress's relatives.
"Sister, how are they now?"
"What else could happen? I heard that Lingwu has suffered a loss because she's been entangled with Lu Fengjun every day."
"I'll go see them another day." I was worried. If it really was Xie Yuancheng who did this, I had to go and atone for it.
"You'd better not go. If you do, my brother will probably start doing something bad behind your back again. That's just how he is, but he's really good to you."
You two have been together for so long, you can't dislike him just because he's a little bit naughty.
"Of course not." I felt sweat beading on my forehead; these two really are family.
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