The yamen was very busy, he went there yesterday.
Luo Shenyuan filled a bowl of soy milk and drank it, saying, "I've asked for leave."
"Ask for leave?" Yining asked back. Who did he ask for leave from? Was there something urgent at home?
Luo Shenyuan looked at her, raised his head and said calmly: "You have to go back home today, have you forgotten?"
"...Returning home?" I really forgot! I clearly asked my mother-in-law to prepare everything yesterday, but I forgot about it when I woke up this morning. Maybe it's because I was too distracted last night.
Mother Lou and Mother Fan came in with a smile to greet Yining, saying that they had prepared everything for the visit. However, they were a little surprised to see that the young lady was still dressed casually, because one cannot dress too simply when visiting one's parents.
Yining quickly asked them to come over and help her do her makeup again.
Madam Fan personally recombed Yining's hair, styling it into a beautiful heart-shaped bun and accessorizing it with a ruby-studded gold hairpin. Zhenzhu ordered the maid to get the stables ready for the carriage. Songzhi didn't come with the dowry; she was old enough, so Old Madam Wei chose a young and capable housekeeper to marry her off. Daimao, now second in command in her chamber, hurriedly selected two gold-plated jackets for her to choose from.
Zhenzhu and Daimao were given a good scolding by the two elders. They were both maids, yet they hadn't even bothered to remind their masters to return home. The two maids were both elderly women who served Wei Ling, and maids like Zhenzhu and Daimao could only accept the scolding, bow their heads and agree, while their subordinates had to work quickly.
Luo Shenyuan saw Yi Ning's face wrinkled and angry. He twitched his lips slightly, afraid that she would be even more angry if she saw him laughing, so he put away his smile and said, "The carriage is ready, no need to tell me anything more."
By the time he finally got on the carriage, Yining was already wearing a bright red jacket with auspicious patterns on the sleeves, which looked much more solemn and bright than usual.
It was already late when they left, and the carriage was moving fast. Yi Ning saw him reading another document, and for a moment she didn't know what to say, so they sat in silence. The carriage swayed, and she almost fell down, but Luo Shenyuan reached out to steady her. She said, "Thank you, Third Brother."
Luo Shenyuan nodded and said you're welcome. Silence fell on the carriage again, and Yi Ning began to make small talk, "I played dominoes with Madam Cheng yesterday and lost over a hundred taels of silver..."
He finally raised his head, closed the book and looked at her: "You lost a lot, is it fun?"
"Losing money is no fun. It was my mother who dragged me into the game—she lost even more than I did, and she was so upset that she sent Ruixiang back home to get another two hundred taels of silver to continue the game."
Both of them are spendthrifts. Most people can't afford to lose as much as they do. Fortunately, he can still make money.
Luo Shenyuan nodded and said, "You guys have nothing to do in your spare time, so playing Pai Gow wouldn't be bad. Oh, and I've even had someone make a set of white marble chess pieces. You can continue learning how to play chess with me."
Yi Ning thought to herself, "Playing Pai Gow isn't bad, after all." The tone clearly showed disdain for such folk activities as playing cards. She wanted her to continue to be influenced by the fine arts with him.
The carriage creaked to a stop, and the maid outside said with a smile, "Third Young Master, Young Madam, we have arrived at the Duke of Ying's mansion."
Yining smiled and took his hand: "Third brother, it's time for us to get off the bus."
He saw her holding his arm without saying anything, but he kept his elbows flat to make it more comfortable for her to hold him.
Today, the Duke of Ying's residence was preparing early for the return visit. The kitchen in the outer courtyard was already preparing lunch at noon. The residence was bustling with activity, as the relatives from the Wei family's maternal side had also arrived.
The servant announced that the young lady and the new son-in-law had returned, and Wei Ling quickly changed into a brand new silk robe with a right lapel and went to the front hall.
From a distance, he saw Yi Ning, who was only as tall as her husband's shoulders, standing next to Luo Shenyuan. She was wearing a bright red jacket, with a rosy complexion and a bright look. Yi Ning came forward and knelt down to kowtow to him. When the girl returned home, she would bring her new husband to visit her parents, worship the ancestral temple, and recognize relatives. Wei Ling felt sorry for the girl and quickly helped her up. He missed her very much after not seeing her for a few days and was worried that she would not be used to the food and accommodation. But seeing that she seemed to be living well in the Luo family, he smiled a little reluctantly and said, "I'm glad you're back!"
Come to think of it, Yining has lived with the Luo family for more than ten years, so how could she not be used to it?
Wei Ling looked at Luo Shenyuan. Yi Ning had just walked him in with her arm around him. Luo Shenyuan wasn't wearing his official robes today, just his everyday clothes.
He has contact with Zeng Heng. What is the purpose of this contact?
No matter what he did with Zeng Heng, once it became known, he would inevitably be suspected of treason.
Why would he betray Zeng Heng and help him? Is it really because he is Yining's father?
Wei Ling had his doubts, but they were all politicians after all, though he lacked the orthodoxy of civil servants like Luo Shenyuan. He asked Yi Ning to go and pay her respects to Old Madam Wei first, then raised his hand and asked Luo Shenyuan to sit down beside him. He smiled and said, "Yining is young, and she's a bit adept at managing household affairs, but not at other things. I hope you'll be more tolerant of her. How has she been doing these past few days?"
"Don't worry, father-in-law. She lives up to her name, a perfect match for the family." Luo Shenyuan also smiled. "She is young, and I pity her very much."
"You're her third brother, so it's hard for you to marry her," Wei Ling continued. "By the way, there's something I don't understand about the incident at Pingyuan Fort that day. The Oirat tribe was planning to ambush me at Pingyuan Fort, something even my scouts didn't know about... How did you know that?"
Luo Shenyuan smiled silently and put down his teacup. Wei Ling finally began to doubt him. No matter how capable he was, he couldn't possibly have his spies everywhere. In fact, more often than not, his spies were targeting court officials, especially important departments and hubs. It was difficult to get rid of a border guard that had been under the control of a general for a long time. Zeng Heng was an exception; he did have some kind of cooperation with Zeng Heng.
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