Xiao Bei said cheerfully, "Exactly, my name is Xiao Bei, and yours is Xiao Nan!"
Upon hearing this Xiao Chaihuo considered it, and then nodded: "Okay."
The name was originally given by Xiao Bei, as he didn’t have a formal name to begin with.
Xin He chuckled and said to Wu Zhanggui, "Thank you for your hospitality today. We don’t intend to stay long, so Mr. Wu should go about his business."
"Are you leaving already, Madam? Let me arrange for someone to accompany you." Wu Zhanggui hastily offered.
"No need for that. I am hardly alone," Xin He chuckled, glancing at Xiao Bei and Xiao Chaihuo before saying, "Let’s go."
The two children obediently followed behind Xin He.
Wu Zhanggui courteously escorted Xin He out of the restaurant.
It wasn’t until they climbed into the horse carriage that Xiao Bei confessed to Xin He, "I’m not sure why, but I just don’t like Wu Zhanggui very much."
Xin He was taken aback before she laughed, "What nonsense are you talking? What did Wu Zhanggui do to offend you?"
Xiao Bei mumbled, "It’s not that he offended me. It just seems like he is overly enthusiastic towards both my sister and me... almost to the point where it doesn’t feel sincere."
Xin He laughed and ruffled his hair, "If Xiao Bei doesn’t like him, then we’ll just avoid him when we come to Guilinju in the future."
Blinking his eyes, Xiao Bei asked, "Does sister like such people? Why do you trust and heavily rely on Wu Zhanggui? I feel like he has never been truly sincere."
Amused, Xin He responded, "You silly child, business isn’t about sincerity. It’s all about mutual benefit. I trust and highly value Wu Zhanggui because he may be profit-oriented, but he isn’t opportunistic. He may be a toady but at least he has a clear mind and knows what he should do. He is quite clever."
"So sister doesn’t mind his insincere treatment towards you?"
"Where in the world can you find 100% sincerity? As long as there is a shred of sincerity mixed in with some flattery, I don’t necessarily mind."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Bei furrowed his small face: "Are truly sincere people really that rare? But I feel that sister is entirely sincere towards me, and big brother too!"
Xin He responded gently, "Exactly, it’s because sincerity is rare, that it is precious. Xiao Bei, you should cherish it. Just as your sister cherishes you, you need to learn to appreciate those who treat you with complete sincerity."
Xiao Bei was slightly stupefied. It seemed like he was somewhat understanding, yet also somewhat perplexed.
Li Nan lowered his gaze, seemingly lost in thought. Would there also be someone out there who would treat him with absolute sincerity?
——
Returning to the manor, they found out that Marquis Mu has returned.
Xin He told Xiao Bei and Xiao Nan to go to bed. Then she headed towards her own courtyard at a brisk pace.
"Why are you back so early?" Xin He asked, pushing the door to the study where she found Marquis Mu casually flipping through a book under the light.
Glancing at the book in Marquis Mu’s hand, Xin He was surprised to find it’s a book on romantic tales!
Xin He looked at Marquis Mu with curiosity, not expecting this man to be interested in such things.
Marquis Mu seemed to understand something from her gaze and laughed helplessly, "What are you looking at? I’m just browsing through it because you love reading these kinds of books."
He was curious about what exactly in these books so captivated his wife, causing her to cling to them day in and day out. But having flipped through a few pages today, he found the content not just boring but trivial, filled with extremely sentimental romance. He didn’t understand how she could stand such drivel. Scholar-bureaucrats of the period were fond of penning such rabble.
Xin He laughed and asked, "Do you like it?"
"It’s awful," Mu Houchu answered frankly.
Xin He stared, then put the book away: "From now on, leave my books alone!"
Marquis Mu chuckled, finding her low tolerance for critiques rather amusing.
His study was filled with classified documents, and she was free to peruse them as she pleased. Yet when it came to her collection of folk tales and assorted books, she wouldn’t let him touch them. Who knew this little woman could be so bossy.
After she put away the book, Xin He seemed to remember something and said, "how are the arrangements in the capital?".
"Everything is under control. You just wait and see," Marquis Mu replied with a subtle grin.
Seeing his calmness, Xin He knew there shouldn’t be any problems. So she chuckled, "By the way, lady Song from the second branch of the Song family sent me an invitation today. She wants to visit me in two days."
"The Song family? Why are they sending someone here?" Marquis Mu furrowed his brows.
Xin He knew what he was worried about. Nowadays, Marquis Mu didn’t completely trust the Song family. He was worried they might have ulterior motives, and naturally, didn’t want her to have too much contact with them.
Xin He laughed, "I know what you’re concerned about. But Lady Song from the second branch and I just get along well, there’s nothing else. She doesn’t even know my true identity. More importantly, I think there’re big problems within the Song family itself. Although the main branch, the second branch, and the third branch are of the same family, they seem to be divided, like two separate households. As for the incident with Song Xi, the second and third branches of the Song family had absolutely no idea."
What she meant was, only the main branch of the Song family had attracted Marquis Mu’s attention. The other two branches, on the other hand, weren’t that closely related to the main branch.
Marquis Mu nodded, "I have found out a bit about the internal affairs of the Song family too. Over the years, on the surface, the Song family appeared united, but they had long developed disputes secretly. Although Patriarch Song and the second elder of the Song family were full brothers, they had some differences in opinions on certain issues. Especially after living apart for so many years, their brotherly affection had worn pretty thin."
Xin He thoughtfully nodded, "I see."
"Setting aside the Song family for now, there is another important matter at hand," Marquis Mu said.
"What is it?" Ji Xin He asked.
"The Great Prince is coming to Yu State," Marquis Mu announced solemnly.
"The Great Prince? What is he coming for?" Xin He asked.
"On the surface, it seems like an anti-bandit operation, but the actual motive... I’m afraid we all know what he’s after. It seems the Emperor can no longer tolerate me even in Yu State," Marquis Mu expressed, his eyes becoming a shade darker.
"Who exactly is this Great Prince? I’ve heard he is the eldest son of the Emperor and born of the Empress, but unexpectedly, a seven-year-old prince born to Consort Jin occupies the position of the Crown Prince, which should have belonged to him by right. In that case, he shouldn’t be the Emperor’s favorite, right?" Xin He inquired.
"The Great Prince is the Empress’s own son, but the Empress’s origin is humble, known to everyone. The Emperor has always been ashamed of it, naturally, he doesn’t favor the Great Prince. So it’s only natural that the position of Crown Prince wouldn’t fall into his hands," Marquis Mu elucidated flatly.
When the current Emperor was young, he was an insignificant prince born of a low-ranking consort, who the late Emperor hardly acknowledged having as a son. When it came time to arrange his marriage, the late Emperor casually settled the matter. Whenever the current Emperor looked at his Empress now, it reminded him of how the late Emperor looked down on him in the past. Naturally, he would hardly be lenient.
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