"Auntie... Auntie..." Little Du Zhao called tenderly in a childish voice. She sat in Xu Shichu's arms. She pinched a piece of small flower cake into two halves with her short fingers and handed one half to Xu Shichu's mouth. Her black eyes looked at her expectantly, obviously wanting her to eat it.
Xu Shichu looked at the squashed cake with disdain and said, "Aunt doesn't want to eat it, Zhao Zhao, you eat it yourself."
Unfortunately, the little guy didn't know how to read people's expressions and still held up the snack stubbornly: "Eat! Eat!"
Xu Shichu finally closed his eyes and swallowed the snack quickly as if he was swallowing poison without even chewing it. Little Du Zhao, however, was so happy that he smiled like a trumpet flower. Seeing that his aunt had eaten the snack he shared, he stuffed the remaining piece into his own mouth contentedly.
The maidservant next to them couldn't help laughing when watching the fight between the aunt and niece. She didn't expect that the Madam was also unable to do anything with Young Master Du. It's true that there is always someone who can conquer you.
Xu Shichu herself was not quite sure what name little Du Zhao should call Xu Shichu. There were too many human relatives, and the names were complicated, which really gave her a headache...
Who knows what the grandson of my mother's cousin should call me? Xu Shichu scratched his head for a long time, and finally decided to simplify it and just let Du Zhao call me aunt.
Du Zhao was too young and gradually forgot about his parents. He became familiar with Xu Shichu, who accompanied him all day long. He followed Xu Shichu everywhere like a little tail, stumbling and refusing to let the servants carry him, insisting on running by himself.
Xu Shichu is careless and is not suitable for raising children. Du Zhao lets him do whatever he wants. He doesn't like to be held and likes to run by himself, so let him run by himself. He doesn't like to be fed and likes to eat by himself with chopsticks like his aunt, so let him eat by himself, even if he gets food all over himself...
"Aunt wants to go out and play today, Zhaozhao, are you going?" Xu Shichu teased him. As expected, little Zhaozhao's eyes lit up and he answered excitedly, "Yes!"
"Okay, let's go!" Xu Shichu held his chubby little hand, and didn't mind his short legs and slow walking speed, and the two of them walked out slowly.
He walked out of his own courtyard gate and along the corridor to the living hall. The scenery in the Prime Minister's Mansion was also extremely beautiful, but Xu Shichu seldom came out to appreciate it.
At this time, it is a good pastime to walk slowly with the children and enjoy the scenery of the mansion along the way.
When he arrived at the outer courtyard garden, Xu Shichu saw two young men in the pavilion at a glance. One was Luo Rui and the other looked a little unfamiliar.
The two of them also noticed her and her group. When she approached, Luo Rui stood up and saluted Xu Shichu: "Stepmother." Then he asked: "Is Stepmother also coming to the garden to appreciate the flowers?"
Xu Shichu shook his head: "No, I was just passing by here."
She looked at the strange gentleman curiously and asked, "Who is this gentleman?"
"He is my classmate and good friend. His surname is Qin and his given name is Zhixing. He is the top scorer in this year's imperial examination and is now serving as an official in the Hanlin Academy." To Xu Shichu's surprise, Luo Rui introduced him in great detail.
Qin Zhixing? Xu Shichu felt that this name was a little familiar. After thinking for a while, he suddenly realized that this was the male protagonist of this world.
It turns out that the male protagonist became the top scholar this year and officially entered the officialdom, starting his magnificent career path with steady promotions until he finally gained power over the world.
And now his official career has just begun, and he still needs to rely on Luo Rui and the Prime Minister's Mansion. He is relying on these relationships to slowly rise to the top step by step.
Of course, he was not an ungrateful person. In the end, he did not forget Luo Rui who had helped him a lot. They were classmates and friends when they were studying, and they supported each other when they served as officials in the same dynasty, forming a close common interest group, where they prospered and suffered together.
Simply put, Luo Rui is the male supporting role who successfully clung to the protagonist's golden thigh and ascended with the protagonist. Of course, his own background and talent are good enough, but only by standing on the side of the protagonist can he continue the glory of his Luo family.
Otherwise, if he becomes the enemy of the protagonist, no matter how prominent his family background is or how talented he is, he will only become a villain cannon fodder who will not have a good ending.
At this time, Xu Shichu was glad that Luo Rui had found the right person, allowing the glory of the Prime Minister's Mansion to continue. After all, she was the stepmother of the Prime Minister's Mansion and had a vested interest in the Mansion and shared the honor and disgrace with it.
If Luo Rui was the villain, Xu Shichu would have definitely found a way to divorce Luo Changqing and stay away from the Prime Minister's Mansion a long time ago.
"It turns out to be Young Master Qin. What a handsome and promising young talent." Xu Shichu praised with a smile.
As the male lead, Qin Zhixing naturally cannot be ugly. He is tall, has long legs, a handsome face, and is gentle and elegant. He is a handsome and elegant young man who is very popular with young girls.
"Brother Qin, this is my father's step-wife. The young master next to you is named Du Zhao, and he is my... cousin!" Luo Rui introduced his stepmother, and then introduced little Du Zhao with difficulty - the relationship between him and little Du Zhao was really complicated, so he had to call him cousin.
Xu Shichu subtly sensed that Luo Rui and he shared the same suffering, and couldn't help but chuckle. He shook Zhao Zhao's hand and said, "Zhao Zhao, say hello to your cousin Luo and this Brother Qin."
Little Du Zhao raised his little head curiously and looked at the two adults, and greeted them obediently: "Hello, cousin Luo, hello, Qin, brother Qin..." He called out stutteringly and in a childish voice, which made Luo Rui and Qin Zhixing couldn't help but soften their expressions.
"Hello, Young Master Du." Qin Zhixing replied with a chuckle. He bowed to Xu Shichu again, "How is Madam Luo?"
He looked at Xu Shichu with astonishment in his eyes. Obviously, he didn't expect Luo Rui's stepmother to be such a young and beautiful woman. However, it was just pure astonishment and there was no other meaning.
Xu Shichu exchanged a few words with them and then left.
She had no intention of offending the male protagonist, but she also had no intention of trying to please him. She would definitely be able to rise to prominence by following him, but she was just a girl in the inner chambers at this moment. How high could she rise to
As long as Luo Rui's relationship with him remains unchanged, she can benefit from it, so why bother to try to please him
Xu Shichu thought that her only connection with Qin Zhixing was that they were good friends and colleagues of her stepson, but she never expected that this relationship could become something deeper.
After Luo Yaqing got married, Luo Rui's marriage was also put on the agenda.
But Xu Shichu didn’t expect that Luo Rui would actually marry Qin Zhixing’s sister!
Although Qin Zhixing is the male protagonist and is destined to be a powerful official with great power in the future, he has just entered the officialdom. He is born in a gentry family. Although his ancestors have always been literate and have the reputation of being a farming and reading family, they are just literate landlords. Their identity and status are far different from those of the Luo family.
Logically speaking, this is not a good match. If Luo Rui wants to marry Qin Zhixing, he would be marrying someone of low status.
But Luo Changqing actually agreed, and Xu Shichu was shocked. Could it be that Luo Changqing saw that Qin Zhixing was extraordinary at this time and wanted to win him over in advance