“Mother, you don’t need to think too much. My eldest brother is staying here for two reasons: first, for peace and quiet to recuperate, and second, because he wants to spend more time with me.”
"His Majesty was grateful for his serious injuries on the battlefield and gave him a year to recuperate after his leg healed. Next year, my elder brother may be sent to the frontier by His Majesty."
“He just didn’t want anyone to bother him, which is why he told us not to reveal his identity. My husband and I also considered whether to tell you, but we were worried that you might accidentally leak the information. After all, ordinary people like us would never meet someone of that identity in our lifetime.”
"Yes, you're right. If we find out, we'll definitely be exposed when we meet the Prince. Not to mention anything else, we'll have to kowtow as soon as we meet him." Old Man Zhou sighed and nodded.
When Old Man Zhou spoke, the others nodded silently. What he said made sense. They had heard the news this morning, and their minds were still in a state of confusion.
Xu Shun had been doing business outside for many years and was quite bold. He was doing better today and had always been very diligent. At this moment, he was the first to realize what was happening.
“Actually, I think we should just continue to interact with the Prince as usual. If, as my sister-in-law said, the Prince has no other relatives, then we, the Zhou family, are now his relatives. If those of us who are already familiar with the Prince suddenly become overly respectful to him, the Prince will feel uncomfortable and find living here boring.”
"After all, he stayed in this town to live more freely and to avoid being bothered by others. Look at how Xiaoquan and Xiaomai used to interact with the prince. Just do the same thing. Don't kneel down and perform grand salutes every time you meet him."
“As for you, my parents-in-law, when you see the prince, you can still call him Young Master Yun. In the prince’s eyes, you are his sister’s parents-in-law, and you are his elders. If you kneel down and kowtow to him when you see him, he will be in a very difficult position.”
After Xu Shun finished speaking, he looked at Li Mai and asked, "Sister-in-law, do you think what your brother-in-law said is acceptable?"
Li Mai nodded, "Okay, everyone should just do as my brother-in-law says. My older brother is actually very down-to-earth, and besides, this isn't Beijing, it's not a formal occasion, so let's not be so formal, otherwise my older brother will really feel uncomfortable."
Old Man Zhou and Mrs. Zhao exchanged a glance and smiled. "Alright, let's do it that way."
Finally, they reached an agreement. Zhou Quan and Li Mai were tired after a busy day, so they took Zhu Zhu and Xi Que back to their little courtyard to rest.
Because the pregnant woman had to avoid suspicion and couldn't see the bride today, Li Mai stayed at the Yun residence before Yun Chang left to fetch his bride. After helping her elder brother get dressed and seeing him off to the wedding, she took the opportunity to rest for a while.
After hearing the music and celebrations coming from her neighbor's yard as they took their bride, she went straight back to her own yard through the side gate.
Anyway, as long as she avoids meeting the bride today, everything will be fine. In fact, Yun Chang and Xu Changhuan both felt that it was unnecessary, but Li Mai heard from the elders that this would be bad for the bride's future fortune, so she insisted that it would be fine if she didn't meet her sister-in-law today.
After Xu Changhuan was married and entered the bridal chamber, Li Mai went to attend the wedding banquet and ate the meal before returning to the Zhou residence to rest under Zhou Quan's escort.
However, before going to sleep, Li Mai still took Zhou Quan and Zhu Zhu into the space and let the father and daughter each cultivate for an hour before leaving the space to rest.
On the third day, after drinking the homecoming wine with Yun Chang and Xu Changhuan, the Xu family head and Xu Changle and the others bid farewell to Zhou Quan and Li Mai on the fourth day and left Qing Shi Town to return to Tian Xiang Village.
Starting next year, the head of the Xu family plans to lead the remaining members of the Xu clan to renovate Tianxiang Village and officially rename it Xu Family Village.
Because the case was solved and the Emperor cleared the name of the Xu family, some of the clan members who had moved out shamelessly moved back.
They had almost run out of money, so they went to the Xu family head and begged for several days. Finally, they were forgiven and accepted by the Xu family head, who allowed them to move back to their previous courtyard.
Originally, the head of the Xu family did not intend to take him in, but Yun Chang gave him an idea, saying that he would need people to renovate the village, clear land on the nearby mountains, grow grain, flowers and grass, and raise sheep.
Since these people are willing to come back on their own initiative, it's good that we have laborers. From now on, let them earn money from him through their labor. Whatever they need, they can buy it themselves in Yingzhou City. In the future, the master family must not use the excuse of being clansmen to take care of them in the way that they are supported by the master family.
The head of the Xu family obeyed his son-in-law in everything.
Yun Chang also arranged for people to go and protect him and take care of him.
Just like the people he arranged for Li Mai, he also arranged ten people for the Xu family head.
This would allow the veterans to live with Master Xu in their old age, and also provide Master Xu with some martial arts practitioners to protect him and help the village.
Now that both daughters are married and Madam Xu has been exonerated, all of the Xu family head's life's wishes have been fulfilled. The meaning of his remaining life is to build up Xu Family Village, plant vegetables, grains, and grass on the hillside, raise sheep, and send one to the emperor every year.
After Xu Changhuan married Yun Chang, Yun Chang would take Chu Yan, Zhong Hui, and their master to the back mountain every day.
On the second day after the wedding, Yun Chang saw that the Zhou family treated him as before, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Xiao Mai and the other family members would kneel down and call him "Your Highness" when they saw him, and he wouldn't know how to deal with them if that happened.
Xu Changhuan didn't concern herself with Yun Chang's affairs. She just wanted to be a good wife. When Yun Chang wasn't in the mansion, she would basically accompany Li Mai to the shop to do business.
Or occasionally he would go with Zhou Tao to Madam Qi's place to practice the zither.
Madam Qi knew that she was the Princess Consort of Yun, so she naturally did her best to teach her to play the zither.
She never imagined that she would become Princess Yun's teacher in her lifetime, and she was very happy.
Those in the town who knew about Yun Wang's identity dared not spread it around. Therefore, the knowledge of Yun Chang's identity was limited to those who attended the wedding banquet that day and some people who had come into contact with them, which did not cause any chaos in the town.
As everyone is busy with their own things, the New Year is drawing ever closer.
This year, Zhou Quan's family plans to spend the Spring Festival in town.
Old Man Zhou went to the workshop with Zhou Lin every day to help out, while Madam Zhou stayed at home making clothes, bedding, pillows, and diapers for her unborn grandchildren.
Because it was uncertain whether Li Mai would give birth to one or two children, and whether the child would be a boy or a girl, Zhao prepared extra of everything.
Originally, Li Mai said that the embroiderers in the workshop could prepare these, but Zhou Shi let Li Mai take the soft cotton cloth home, saying that she was free anyway and would make them for her grandchildren by hand.
Li Mai let her have her way.
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