After Zhen Heng finished speaking, he felt too embarrassed to face his father's teasing gaze and almost fled back to the study.

The study is bright and clean, filled with the faint scent of ink. The pleasant chirping of birds on the branches outside the window adds a bit of liveliness to the silence.

In fact, Zhen Heng is not a hot-tempered person. He always looks calm and composed in front of outsiders, otherwise he would not have been given the title of Mr. Yu.

This time he was indeed impulsive, but instead of feeling annoyed, he felt so happy in his heart that he almost wanted to hum along with the singing of the birds outside the window. He only felt that the sun was shining and the scenery was beautiful.

Zhen Heng came to the desk, took out the scroll from the secret compartment and slowly unfolded it, looking at the girl with snow-white skin and black hair in the painting. As he looked at it, he could not help but smile.

Perhaps it was fate that destined him and her, which was why there was such a coincidence.

During dinner, Mrs. Zhen couldn't help but say to Zhen Shicheng, "Why do I feel like Heng'er is walking unsteadily today? He's not as steady as before."

Zhen Shicheng stroked his beard with a smile: "Young man, it's not good to be too serious."

Madam Zhen was a smart woman. She understood the meaning of what he said. She glanced at Zhen Shicheng and said, "What do you mean? Are you and your son hiding something from me?"

Zhen Shicheng sent the maidservant standing by and said, "I have taken a fancy to a girl——"

"What?" Before Zhen Shicheng could finish, Madam Zhen reached out and grabbed his ear. "You've taken a fancy to a girl? Haha, how come I didn't know that you were so thoughtful at your age? I see you're not going to keep this beard anymore, right? Then I'll go back and burn it with candles."

Zhen Shicheng gasped in pain: "Let go, you have to wait for me to finish talking. We are an old married couple, and you don't even have this much trust."

Mrs. Zhen let go of her hand with a sullen face.

Zhen Shicheng rubbed his ears and said, "I mean, I found a pretty good girl and I want to get her back for our Heng'er to be his wife."

"That's better." Madam Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. After she calmed down, she thought about it for a while and became angry again, "Heng'er is so weird today. Did you mention it to him?"

"Ah." Zhen Shicheng evaded the question and didn't dare to say how many times he had mentioned it before.

Madam Zhen raised her hand and poked Zhen Shicheng: "How can you be so great? You didn't discuss such an important matter with me? What is the background of that girl, what is her personality like, and what is her family like? So many situations need to be carefully inquired, and you just told Heng'er so carelessly? Wait——"

At this point, Madam Zhen's heart sank, and she said with murderous intent: "I know what kind of personality Heng'er has. He won't be happy with just a few words from you. Could it be that -"

Zhen Shicheng couldn't hide it, so he said honestly, "I took Heng'er to see that girl today."

"What!" Madam Zhen was so angry that her face turned black, "Zhen Shicheng!"

Zhen Shicheng looked outside and begged, "Keep your voice down. It would be bad if the maids heard it."

Madam Zhen sneered: "So what if they heard it? It's not like they haven't seen you kneeling on the washboard before."

Zhen Shicheng: “…”

"Are you so careless to bring Heng'er to meet someone else's girl? On the other hand, it's not right for this family to be so careless as to let their daughter meet Heng'er—"

"No, I asked Heng'er to dress up as a servant." Zhen Shicheng risked his life to explain.

Mrs. Zhen was so angry that she couldn't speak.

"Since Madam feels it's inappropriate, then forget it. We can talk about it later when we find a suitable one. Anyway, I don't think Heng'er is in a hurry to get married." Zhen Shicheng said, taking a step back.

Mrs. Zhen was unhappy when she heard this: "How can we let Heng'er decide on such an important matter as marriage? If he says there's no rush, then there's no rush? He's already grown up, and all he does is read books and wander around. What kind of nonsense is that?"

When talking about her son's attitude towards getting married, Mrs. Zhen lost her temper again.

She was really worried that her son would wait until he was in his twenties before getting married. Since both father and son liked the girl, maybe she was really good.

"Whose family is that girl from?"

When Zhen Shicheng heard that his wife was moved, he quickly told her about Jiang Si's situation.

Mrs. Zhen frowned after hearing this: "I heard people mention this Miss Jiang when I was having a small gathering with those ladies."

The reputation doesn't seem to be very good.

She had broken off an engagement before and had not had any mother to teach her since childhood, so she didn't really care about the fact that the title of the Duke of Dongping would be cut off for three generations.

The Zhen family was originally just an ordinary wealthy family. Her family was a neighbor of the Zhen family and they grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Later, Zhen Shicheng entered the officialdom through the imperial examination and rose step by step with his outstanding abilities. Only then did the Zhen family squeeze into the current circle.

After hearing Mrs. Zhen's concerns, Zhen Shicheng smiled and said, "Women only focus on these trivial things."

Mrs. Zhen was unhappy when she heard this: "How can this be considered a woman's opinion? Who wouldn't consider these things when marrying a wife?"

Zhen Shicheng said to his wife seriously, "Mei Niang, a girl like Miss Jiang will be able to stand up and support the family if it encounters any misfortune."

Their family is not one of those big families with a long history. It can be said that they have achieved their current status because of him alone. In his opinion, the eldest daughter-in-law's ability to stand up when encountering problems is more important than being obedient and docile.

Mrs. Zhen was silent for a long time, and she agreed with Zhen Shicheng's words: "In this case, I will find a chance to meet Miss Jiang."

Zhen Shicheng's visit led to Jiang Si being called to Ci Xin Tang.

"Grandma, is there something you want to talk to me about?" Jiang Si asked after greeting Old Madam Feng.

Old Madam Feng looked at Jiang Si and saw that her expression was calm and it was difficult to tell what emotions she was feeling. She was slightly startled.

Could it be that she had made a mistake in the past? This granddaughter was quiet, but she turned out to be a shrewd person, and she actually won the favor of the Shuntian prefect.

There are differences between noble families and noble families. Some families are of noble status and have extraordinary influence in the court, and such families are naturally coveted by everyone. However, for someone like the Earl of Dongping, who is far away from the center of the court and only receives a salary on time, it is far less glorious than an official with real power.

This is also the reason why the second branch of the Dongping Marquis's Mansion is more valued by Old Madam Feng.

Master Jiang Er is a Shaoqing of the Imperial Household Department, a fourth-rank official. When things really get tough, he can be as useful as the eldest master.

Old Madam Feng had always looked up to the Second House, but after Jiang Qian returned to her parents' home, her mind had changed subtly. Now that she saw that Jiang Si had quietly won the favor of a third-rank official, and thinking back to how the Prince of Yongchang personally sent Jiang Si out not long ago, her attitude towards Jiang Si suddenly changed.

Hearing Jiang Si's question, Madam Feng smiled kindly, "Nothing. Grandmother remembered that your grandmother's birthday is coming soon, so she asked the steward to buy some fabrics. You can pick out a few pieces that you like and make some clothes. By the way, it's time to buy new jewelry. If you have nothing to do, go to the Treasure Pavilion and buy anything you like. I'll put it in the account of the Bo's Mansion."

"Thank you, grandma. I know now."

Thinking of his grandmother's birthday, Jiang Si couldn't help but look forward to it.

She will be able to see her elder sister soon.