A prince's title is higher than a prime minister's, and a prime minister is naturally higher than a grand tutor. She was quite proud, neither servile nor arrogant, and stood out. I'm not one to use power to my advantage, and perhaps because I rarely see women from official families, I had a good first impression of Madam Hua.
"Mother~" Xi Zhi called out again. Granny Su shook the rattle drum twice, and I reached out and clapped with Xi Zhi's little hand. Only then did he smile.
"Madam, the Marquis is looking for you." Da Hui trotted out, always appearing silently.
"Haha~" Xi Zhi burst into laughter when she saw his expression. He was scared just now, but now he knows how to tease the people in the manor.
"Where is he?" I wanted to carry Xi Zhi there, but Xie Yuancheng was at Tingfeng Tower. He told me that this was a very important place. I asked Da Hui to take Granny Su back. We absolutely cannot let that chubby Tian Tian carry him.
They're all little kids; if I insist on carrying them even though I can't, Xizhi will suffer. I haven't had enough of holding my precious son yet, and now I have to go and get busy.
Granny Su was very careful with the child. Bizhu and I watched her and Dahui leave before heading to Tingfeng Tower. I was wondering why the Grand Tutor had come all the way from the capital. Did he have some connection with Xie Yuancheng?
"Bizhu, does our household have any connections with this Grand Tutor?"
“Madam, this is a real problem for me. The Marquis knows too many people. I only know a few from when I was writing to my sister.”
"Okay, let's go first."
Tingfeng Tower wasn't far away. We had barely entered when several men in black followed us, and they disappeared after we went up the steps. These men were quite cute, though we couldn't see their faces clearly.
"Ying'er!" Xie Yuancheng saw me come up and came out from inside, holding a folded flower petal in his hand. Inside was definitely a letter, which he asked Bizhu to deliver out of the mansion.
Bizhu was indeed the maid he personally chose; even her walk was different when she went out. I complimented Xie Yuancheng, saying that these men in black were quite cute.
"That's because you saved them before. Sometimes I wouldn't even give you face. But now you're very obedient and willing to stay in the manor."
"Stop talking nonsense. I never saved them. They were the ones who kept saving us."
Xie Yuancheng helped me inside. The skirt was too big for him. It looked beautiful on me, but walking in it, especially up the stairs, was really tiring.
“It was last time in the village. They had already given chase, but luckily you had some omens in your dream, and we made them retreat in time, saving their lives.”
"Yes, I almost forgot they were running very fast. Luckily they were alright. We're all human, accidents happen all the time."
“Their monthly allowance is the highest. Although they never collect it, I keep it in a place that everyone knows about, so they can collect it when they need it. Another reason why things went so smoothly this time is that these young men were very cooperative. They were never this well-behaved before.”
"You mean they used to be very violent, but now they've gained popularity?"
"Ying'er is clever. Let's talk about this later. Did you see Grand Tutor Jiang just now?"
“Yes, I didn’t know who he was. He was wearing official robes, the color of which was very formal. He must be a high-ranking official. It was only after Bizhu explained to me that I realized he was the Grand Tutor.”
"This little maid knows quite a lot. I won't intercept her letters with Anxiang next time; they're all trivial matters."
"They are young girls, and sisters. After not seeing each other for so many years, they would definitely miss each other a lot."
"Anxiang and the others are already on their way, but it's not advisable to meet them now. They will stay in Jinglin and the mansion in the northern suburbs for the time being."
"You really know what I'm thinking. All the time we've faced together before wasn't wasted at all!"
"Stop bragging!" Xie Yuancheng poured me tea: "If Xizhi hadn't pointed to the door and wanted to go out today, the steward wouldn't have let you leave. Grand Tutor Jiang wants to stay in the mansion for two days to see if our Mid-Autumn Festival is contrary to common sense."
"What? We live in a fiefdom. Why would a mere Grand Tutor like him come to visit?"
"He is the Emperor's man and a capable minister who assists the Crown Prince. Lu Fengjun is in charge of the other side. In the future, important ministers will come to Linyang from time to time. He is just very casual and takes his wife with him wherever he goes, which makes people feel more relaxed."
"His wife is quite proud, isn't she a legendary woman?" I was just curious, but when I saw Xie Yuancheng, my expression changed.
"Why are you asking about her?" Xie Yuancheng was very unhappy, but he still explained to me, "She is quite capable. She helped Jiang Yuan go from having nothing to becoming the Grand Tutor."
"Hmm~ She's a woman who brings good fortune to her husband. She has nothing to do with me. I just rarely see a woman who is neither humble nor arrogant, so I'm just curious occasionally. Also, their daughter scared Xizhi today, so I took a few extra glances."
“This child is just timid. I asked my mother-in-law, and she said that you were just like that when you were a child. You only secretly went to the military camp once, and that's when you became a little braver.”
I tugged at Xie Yuancheng's sleeve: "Back then, I was just a little kid with no brothers or sisters, so it's normal to be timid."
"You always find excuses for me. My sister has already gone to entertain them. Yan'er and Su Ling are the star attraction of the manor, so they will come along. Xi Zhi doesn't need to get involved."
"My youngest son is so outstanding, you're just being biased!"
“I’m being biased. What if this Grand Tutor takes a fancy to our youngest son and wants to arrange a marriage between us? Wouldn’t that ruin our youngest son’s happiness? I heard they dote on their daughters and give them whatever they want. Linyang is just starting out, and we can’t let our children get caught up in a marriage alliance.”
"I love you so much~ You think of everything so thoughtfully~" I threw myself into Xie Yuancheng's arms. I hadn't expected this. The officials in the court liked to arrange marriages between children, so it was better to meet less often.
Xie Yuancheng held me as we lay on the carved recliner. We were to attend lunch, which was why Li Ruowei had made the arrangements in advance. But I really disliked this kind of scene, yet I went anyway for the sake of my family.
"Hahaha~" We had just arrived at the door when we heard laughter from inside that was so loud it felt like the roof was about to be blown off.
From my angle, I could see Su Ling standing there holding Li Ruowei's hand. Yan'er really inherited Li Ruowei's good manners; she does everything so well. She's only a child under three years old, and her speech isn't clear yet, but she still smiles along with Pang Tiantian.
"Sister~" Su Ling could only call out to people. Yan'er went over and took her hand to stand in front of the chubby girl.
"I don't like this little sister, I want a little brother~ Little brothers are so cute." Fatty Sweetie said, and Madam Hua glanced at her before going to sit down.
"Little sister, I like you~" Su Ling smiled so hard at Yan'er. Although Yan'er spoke softly, I still understood her lips when I went in. It's good that the children like and support each other. I hope that Fatty Sweetie doesn't like the children in the family. It would be better if they had less contact.
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