Most of the people in the capital went to the North City Gate, and the streets were deserted, giving a feeling of a deserted city.
While Xie Nanjia regretted not being able to see his father the first time, he was also proud of him from the bottom of his heart.
And my younger brother went to the battlefield at a young age. I believe that in the near future, he will grow up to be the next General Wu'an, make great achievements, defend the country, and ensure that the people of the Great Zhou live and work in peace and happiness.
They arrived at the Dingyuan Marquis' Mansion without any obstructions. Su Jincheng dismounted and handed in the visiting card, and the guard took the card to report to the Dingyuan Marquis.
Although he came to thank Zhao Jingyu, he could not avoid Dingyuan Hou, the head of the family. Moreover, Dingyuan Hou was now suspended from his post and was reflecting at home, so naturally he had to pay him a visit first.
After waiting for a while, the guard came back, followed by the newly appointed steward Song Ce.
In order to show his respect for the brother and sister, Marquis Dingyuan specially ordered Song Ce to come and greet them.
When Song Ce heard that it was Xie Nanjia who came, he naturally did not dare to neglect her and hurried out of the house to greet her.
Although he had lived in the Duke's Mansion for several days, no one knew about it except the old Duke and his wife and the young Duke and his wife, and no one else, including Su Jincheng, had ever seen him.
Su Jincheng only heard his mother say that his sister had arranged for his adoptive father and mother to work in the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, and he didn't know that the person in front of him was his sister's adoptive father. It was not until Xie Nanjia got out of the car and greeted Song Ce warmly that he reacted.
After Xie Nanjia exchanged pleasantries with Song Ce, he introduced him to Su Jincheng.
Song Ce looked Su Jincheng up and down, and praised him sincerely: "I have heard that Master Su is a young talent, a rare talent. Today I see that he is indeed worthy of his reputation."
Su Jincheng felt uncomfortable with the compliment and clasped his fists and said, "Mr. Song, you are too kind."
He always resented the person who stole his sister, but he could tell the difference between this matter and Song Ce, so he was very polite to Song Ce.
Song Ce had never been called "sir" before, and he was flattered. He even said he didn't deserve it: "My lord and your father and mother are all tolerant and kind people. I will trouble you to take care of Xiu'er in the future."
After chatting along the way, they arrived at the study of Marquis Dingyuan. Song Ce led the two of them in, then left and sent someone to inform Xiu'er's mother.
When they were chatting just now, Xie Nanjia said that after meeting the Marquis, she would go to Sijin Courtyard to see her and the young master.
Marquis Dingyuan hadn't seen Xie Nanjia for some time. When he saw that she was dressed like a rich lady and her appearance and temperament were even better than before, he couldn't help but look at her a few more times. He sincerely admired Zhao Jingyu's vision. Among so many maids in the mansion, he only took a fancy to Xiu'er.
The brother and sister paid their respects to Marquis Dingyuan. Su Jincheng explained his purpose and asked if the second young master was at home so that it would be convenient to invite him over so that he could thank him in person.
The fact that Zhao Jingyu scared away thousands of people on the street by himself had already reached Marquis Dingyuan's ears, so Marquis Dingyuan was not surprised at all. He smiled and said, "Old Duke is so polite. We are all family. Isn't it normal for us to help each other?"
As he spoke, he sent Jiuan to invite Zhao Jingyu over.
Zhao Jingyu was interrogating the assassin he had captured from the street in a secret room. When he heard that Su Jincheng had brought Xie Nanjia to thank him, he was so shocked that he didn't say a word for a long time. When he came to his senses, he was so excited that he threw the whip in his hand to the guard, rushed out of the secret room like a gust of wind, and hurried back to his room, asking Yiyun to change his clothes and comb his hair.
After combing her hair, she looked left and right in the mirror and asked Evian anxiously, "Does it look good?"
Only after getting Evian's affirmative answer did he go to the front yard with peace of mind.
Yiyun didn't know it was Xie Nanjia who came. She watched him walk away in a hurry and said to herself, "Why does the second young master look like he's going on a blind date when he goes to the front yard to meet the marquis?"
Arriving at the front yard, Zhao Jingyu followed Jiuan to the study. As soon as the curtain was opened, he saw Xie Nanjia sitting properly on a chair, with her hands folded on her legs. Her face had a very serious expression, just like a well-behaved lady from a noble family.
When she heard the sound of the curtain, a pair of black phoenix eyes immediately looked over alertly. After seeing that it was him, her smile instantly blossomed like a flower, her eyebrows and eyes were curved, her face was bright and beautiful, half happy and half cunning, and she suddenly changed from a lady from a wealthy family back to the cute and clever little girl.
Zhao Jingyu's heart melted in her smile, and he just stood there in a daze, lifting the curtain.
When Xie Nanjia saw his silly look, she smiled even more brightly.
Su Jincheng clearly felt that there was something wrong with the way he looked at his sister. He felt a little displeased and subconsciously wanted to go over to block his sister.
Dingyuan Hou secretly cursed his son for being useless and said loudly, "What are you standing there for? Is your tail caught in the door?"
Xie Nanjia couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Zhao Jingyu: “…”
Is there any father like you? You insult your son without considering the occasion.
Fortunately, he was thick-skinned and walked into the house calmly. He smiled slightly, clasped his fists towards Su Jincheng and said, "Master Su, we meet again so soon."
"Yes!" Su Jincheng replied, "Just now the scene on the street was chaotic and I didn't have time to thank you properly. This time I specially prepared a thank-you gift to thank you."
"Our two families are relatives, and it's too formal for Brother Su to be like this." Zhao Jingyu said with a smile, glancing at Xie Nanjia out of the corner of his eye, thinking that it would be better if the thank-you gift included Xiu'er.
Xie Nanjia knew him too well. She could tell what he was thinking with just one look. She stood up and greeted him with a look of anger and smile: "Thank you, Second Young Master, for helping me and my sister out of this predicament. My grandfather admires the Second Young Master very much and asked me to tell you to go play chess with him when you have time."
"Really?" Zhao Jingyu was extremely surprised and hurriedly returned the greeting, "Thank you very much, old Duke, for your appreciation. Please tell him that I will definitely visit you."
Marquis Dingyuan felt very uncomfortable with the two men being so polite all of a sudden, but because Su Jincheng was there, he couldn't be too casual. He frowned and lectured Zhao Jingyu, saying that it was good for him to be brave and righteous, but he should be careful about his methods in the future and not shout for war and killing at every turn, scaring people like a bandit or bully.
Su Jincheng didn't understand how Xie Nanjia and Dingyuan Hou and his son got along in private, and didn't find anything unusual.
In his opinion, his sister should maintain a polite distance from Zhao Jingyu, even if she used to be Zhao Jingyu's maid, and now Zhao Jingyu is a stranger like other men.
Several people sat there drinking tea and chatting. In order to create an opportunity for his son, Marquis Dingyuan used the excuse that he could not attend court recently and asked Su Jincheng about the emperor's diet and daily life with concern.
Xie Nanjia was very smart and took the opportunity to say that she wanted to go to the backyard to see the old lady, the fourth lady and the young master.
Zhao Jingyu then said that he also needed to go and pay his respects to the old lady, and could go with Xie Nanjia.
Marquis Dingyuan didn't wait for Su Jincheng to react and agreed without hesitation: "Okay, go ahead. This will give Commander Su and I a chance to talk quietly for a while."
Su Jincheng: “…”
I don't want to talk to you, I want to see my sister.
However, Xie Nanjia and Zhao Jingyu quickly pulled the curtain and went out before Marquis Dingyuan finished his words.
Su Jincheng watched the curtain sway and then calm down, and he always felt that something was wrong.
Dingyuan Hou immediately took up the tea and invited him to drink with him: "Commander Su, this is the top-quality oolong I just got, please try it and see how it tastes."
Su Jincheng: “…”
Zhao Jingyu and Xie Nanjia left the front yard and stopped when they reached a deserted place. Zhao Jingyu pulled Xie Nanjia's shoulders to make her look at him. After a moment of silence, he let out a long sigh: "Finally I see you!"
Xie Nanjia pursed her lips and smiled without saying anything.
She is not good at expressing her emotions, not as unrestrained as Zhao Jingyu, but she feels the same as Zhao Jingyu in her heart.
The two looked at each other for a long while before slowly walking forward side by side.
Zhao Jingyu asked: "Where do you want to go first?"
Xie Nanjia said without hesitation: "Sijinyuan."
"I knew it." Zhao Jingyu smiled knowingly.
"Know what?" Xie Nanjia suddenly remembered the ambiguous words he said in the general's mansion last time, and alarm bells rang in his heart.
What does Zhao Jingyu know? Does he know her true identity
This is impossible, she has never told anyone that she is Xie Nanjia...
No, she said, she had told Qin and Qin Wanru that night in the ancestral hall.
But her voice was not loud at that time, and Zhao Jingyu was far away, so he should not have heard it, unless he deliberately ran outside the door to eavesdrop...
"You..." She shuddered and looked up to meet Zhao Jingyu's eyes. That night he clearly promised her that he would stand far away and never come near her. Could he have lied to her
"Me what?" Zhao Jingyu asked with a smile, meeting her gaze.
Xie Nanjia couldn't make up her mind whether to confront him. After thinking for a while, she gave up and shook her head, saying, "Nothing, let's go!"
Zhao Jingyu said "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions. He walked towards Sijinyuan with her.
Since Xiu'er's mother got the news, she had been waiting eagerly in the yard. She walked around for who knows how many times before she heard Feng Lun shouting at the door: "Here she comes, here comes Xiu'er!"
Not only Xiu'er's mother, but everyone in Sijinyuan ran over.
"Xiu'er, Xiu'er..." Everyone rushed out to greet them, leaving Feng Lun and Xiu'er's mother behind.
When Xie Nanjia saw these people, he felt very friendly and chatted with everyone.
Everyone was very happy to see that she was still as easy-going as usual even though she had become a rich lady, and they surrounded her and led her into the yard.
Xie Nanjia finally saw Xiu'er's mother, called her "Mom" affectionately, and hugged her.
Xiu'er's mother burst into tears immediately.
Xie Nanjia asked her, "Mom, are you used to living here? Are you getting along well with everyone?"
Xiu'er's mother wiped her tears and nodded, saying that she was living very well here, getting along well with everyone, and that the young master was also very cute. She would definitely take good care of him and asked Xie Nanjia not to worry about her.
Hualou now manages the household together with the fourth young lady Lvliu. The old lady has someone clean up a small courtyard for them so that they can handle affairs together. If there is anything, the three of them can discuss it together without having to send someone to run and pass on messages.
In this way, she handles affairs during the day and has to go to the front yard to serve Dingyuan Hou at night, so she spends much less time in Sijinyuan, so Xie Nanjia thought of asking Xiu'er's mother to come and fill her vacancy.
The mother and daughter talked for a while, and after Xiu'er's mother's emotions stabilized, Xie Nanjia had the opportunity to greet Feng Lun.
Feng Lun looked at Xie Nanjia, who was dressed like a rich lady, and felt a little helpless for a moment, and even uncomfortable speaking.
Xie Nanjia understood his feelings. What she had wanted to say to him before was no longer necessary.
"Brother Feng!" Xie Nanjia called him, "Thank you for all the care you have given me in the past. No matter who I am now or in the future, you will always be the brother I respect the most!"
Feng Lun smiled with red eyes: "You don't have to say it, I understand everything, don't worry, I will protect the young master well."
"In that case, thank you very much, Brother Feng!" said Xie Nanjia.
The young master had been sleeping soundly, and Xie Nanjia was very sorry that she couldn't play with him. She watched over his bed for a while, but fearing that she would run out of time, she said goodbye to everyone and went to the old lady's Ci'an Residence.
Xiu'er's mother walked her out for a long distance, and when there was no one around, she said to her, "A few days ago, Hu Sanmu's wife came here suddenly, and your uncle Song happened to be at the front door. He recognized her and wanted to take her down, but she was so quick to react that she ran away before your uncle Song could get close to her. I have been worried about her these past few days, fearing that she would do something bad to us."
Xie Nanjia was very surprised. If Xiu'er's mother hadn't mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten about such a person.
"Why should we be afraid of her? She is a murderer on the run, and we should be afraid of her." Xie Nanjia said, "She must have come here to ask the madam for support. Now that the madam is gone, who else can she ask for? Tell Uncle Song to keep an eye out for her and send her to the authorities immediately if he is caught. Don't worry about the rest, I will make the arrangements."
After hearing her words, Xiu'er's mother felt relieved. She said goodbye to her reluctantly and returned to Sijinyuan.
Zhao Jingyu teased Xie Nanjia: "Now that you are a rich lady, you speak with a strong attitude."
Xie Nanjia said: "I was just as tough before I became a rich lady."
"..." Zhao Jingyu curled her lips and said jealously, "Does Feng Lun have any interest in you?"
"Yeah, I'm so good-looking and there are so many people who are interested in me. What's it to you?" Xie Nanjia deliberately angered him.
"You..." Zhao Jingyu was really angry and threatened her, "Just wait for me!"
"What are you waiting for?" Xie Nanjia asked curiously.
"I'll deal with you later!" Zhao Jingyu said meaningfully.
Xie Nanjiateng blushed, stomped on his shoe childishly, and then ran away quickly.
"You dare to step on me? You are a rebellion. Stop right there!" Zhao Jingyu shouted and chased her.
The two of them ran into Ci'anju one after the other.
Wei Jun: “…”
A pair of childish ghosts!
After many days, the old lady was very happy to see Xie Nanjia again. She warmly called her to sit on the couch, held her hand and asked her about her well-being.
This was the first time that Zhao Jingyu was ignored by her grandmother. She protested unhappily, "Grandma, you don't love me anymore!"
The old lady laughed: "You are just a poor boy, why are you competing with a girl for favor? Aren't you ashamed?"
Zhao Jingyu was depressed: "I was your sweetheart before, how come I became a bad boy after Xiu'er came?"
Everyone in the room started laughing.
Aunt Hua said, "The Second Young Master is going to get married soon, but he's still acting like a child."
Zhao Jingyu was stunned: "What do you mean, Madam? What kind of wife do you want to marry?"
Xie Nanjia also sat up straight unconsciously.
Aunt Hua smiled and said, "Second Young Master, you forgot. Didn't the old lady say a few days ago that she had found a girl from a good family for you? If you can settle down in the next two days, you will have to visit your relatives during the New Year!"
"..." Zhao Jingyu was stunned. He didn't remember this happening at all. He looked at Xie Nanjia guiltily.
Xie Nanjia stood up with a stern face and told the old lady that he wanted to go see the fourth young lady. After getting permission, he left without looking back.
"Hey..." Zhao Jingyu hurriedly jumped up and chased after him, "Xiu'er, Xiu'er, listen to me..."
(End of this chapter)