An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

As Xu Zize and Jing Chunxi finished their steps, they saw a group of people rushing out from the threshold. They were of varying heights, weights, and bodies. All of them wore student scarves and moon-white gowns. A dozen of them blocked the gate.

"Sister, you didn't come to the college to see me after you came back, so I kept waiting." The one rushing in the front was Pu Ge'er. He was wearing a student uniform, a silver ribbon around his waist, and the jade hairpin in his bun swayed as he ran.

His eyes were red as he lunged forward, and before he could finish his complaint, a dark figure stepped aside to block his way. The figure stood tall and straight like a pine tree, and the coiled dragon jade pendant dangling from its waist shone with a warm luster in the sunlight.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Pu Ge'er suddenly stopped and exclaimed with a hint of surprise.

But his shout startled the people behind him. Everyone stopped in their tracks and the originally noisy scene suddenly became quiet.

Several younger students nearly bumped into the people in front of them, and were hurriedly grabbed by their sleeves by their companions.

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Princess Anping." Everyone saluted in unison, their voices rising and falling. One young man was so nervous while saluting that he almost tripped over his own clothes.

The others swallowed their words of "Sister, cousin, Miss Chunxi" which had already been on their lips, and everyone except Pu Ge'er bowed respectfully.

A little boy with a pigtail took a curious peek, but was immediately held down by the person next to him.

Xu Zize raised the corners of his lips slightly, raised his hand to signal everyone to stand up, and said in a clear voice like a spring: "There is no need to be polite, students."

When he turned to Pu Ge'er, his eyes were a little more gentle: "Don't you see how busy your sister is when she comes back? Didn't she ask Qingfeng to pick you up as soon as she was free?"

He patted his shoulder and said, "The gift is at the General's Mansion. Go back and claim it tonight. I heard that you performed well in the academy. If you want any extra rewards, just tell me." He naturally put his arm around Pu Ge'er's shoulder, and his gesture was so intimate as if he was treating his own younger brother, which made the other students envious.

"Brother Erlang, Brother Silang, Brother Wulang and the rest of you are back too." Jing Chunxi lifted her skirt and took two steps forward, greeting those who saluted her one by one.

The five in front are members of the Jing family. Each of them has beautiful features and when they stand together from oldest to youngest they look like a detailed figure painting.

Erlang was the tallest and oldest of the students. He wore a moon-white robe with a jade pendant dangling from his waist. He stepped forward and called out softly, "Cousin Xi." He gave a standard bow, his gaze unbiased, but with a slight curve at the corners. His smile was a stark reminiscence of Jing Changning in his youth.

Si Lang rushed forward, wanting to get closer, but Er Lang calmly tugged at his sleeve. Er Lang whispered something, and Si Lang immediately stopped his movements. Instead, he rushed to Pu Ge'er's side, not forgetting to bow in the direction of the eldest prince: "Your Highness, do you still remember me? I am Si Lang of the Jing family. I've met you a few times in Yamen Village, and I even ran with you."

Then he didn't leave, acting like one of us.

A moment later, Wu Lang, Jing Congxin, and Jing Congyu joined them. The five young men, wearing matching long gowns, stood together like a row of bamboo shoots. Wu Lang and Jing Congxin were the most composed, their shoulders never swaying in their every movement.

"Brother Chengzhi, nice to meet you again." Jing Chunxi turned to Tao Chengzhi who was standing on the outside. He took a step forward and saluted again. He was already a full head taller than Jing Chunxi, and looked less youthful.

He maintained just the right amount of respect as he saluted. "Greetings, Princess Anping," he explained in a clear voice. "My eldest brother is still studying hard at the academy, refusing to come out and rarely returning home."

As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily glanced behind Jing Chunxi, and when he found that no one was approaching, he seemed a little disappointed.

Jing Chunxi chuckled at the sight, knowing that he must want to know what his future sister-in-law, Jing Mingyue, looked like. She deliberately lowered her voice and said, "My cousin Mingyue is here too, and she's behind!" She deliberately dragged out the last syllable.

Tao Chengzhi felt a little embarrassed when someone saw through his inner thoughts. He nodded, took two steps back and continued to stand aside, no longer trying to peek outside.

"Let me see Pu Ge'er's classmates." Jing Chunxi made a gesture to scan the crowd, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping across the faces of the young men. Then, two people stepped forward. The older one was about twelve or thirteen years old; the younger one was about the same age as Pu Ge'er. They looked about the same, and they could easily be brothers.

"Does Princess Anping still remember us?" the older youth saluted, his voice filled with anticipation. The other followed suit, his eyes sparkling as he hesitated to speak, his gaze filled with excitement.

Jing Chunxi frowned slightly, and the gilded hairpin swayed gently at her temples: "Look at my memory, which mansion are you from?" She shook her head helplessly. The two people in front of her seemed familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen them.

"Princess Anping, don't you remember? These are my two younger brothers." Feng Jiaojiao and Jing Mingyue then slowly walked up the stairs. In this situation, Feng Jiaojiao naturally couldn't call Jing Chunxi her sister.

Seeing the disappointed looks on her two younger brothers' faces, she couldn't help but laugh as she explained, "This is Mingming, and this is Langlang. They've changed a lot, haven't they?" She gestured with her hands, "They've both grown quite a bit taller."

"Indeed," Jing Chunxi suddenly realized, covering his lips with a smile, "both of your faces have become longer. Maybe studying is hard. Now that I've introduced you, I feel that after losing weight, you look a bit like Sister Jiaojiao."

She reached out and compared their eyebrows and features, "Especially these eyes, they look just like they were cast from the same mold."

Mingming and Langlang were finally happy.

Pu Ge'er finally came to his senses and squeezed over from beside Xu Zize: "Just hearing their names, I know they must be related to the Sister Jiaojiao that my sister mentioned."

He raised his chin proudly. "It just so happened that we got along well, so I invited them to come along."

Then he turned to Feng Jiaojiao and bowed politely: "Sister Jiaojiao, I am Jing Qingpu - Pu Ge'er." He deliberately dragged out the tone, making everyone laugh.

Pu Ge'er then introduced several classmates he invited one by one. They were all humble and polite, well-mannered, and seemed to be people worth associating with.

Finally, Jing Chunxi smiled and said, "Today you have been introduced to each other, and you will be our guests from now on. Please visit us more often and don't be strangers." Her voice was as gentle as jade, and there was a faint smile at the corner of her eyes, which made people feel that she was very hospitable.

"Qingfeng, Luying, take the young masters in to have a look first." Xu Zize frowned slightly and glanced at the servants who wanted to come forward to serve.

He has always disliked the pomp and circumstance of being surrounded by people, and he hated it even more when students were restrained because of his status. He didn't want anyone to disturb his rare meeting with Xier.

Seeing this, Mingyue immediately grabbed Feng Jiaojiao's wide sleeves with her slender fingers and pulled her to quickly step over the high nanmu threshold.

She turned around and deliberately raised her voice and said, "Let's wait inside for Ling'er and the others to come and watch it together." Her tone was light but she deliberately avoided looking at her.

Seeing Xiaoyu following the princess like a little tail, with her pink satin shoes almost stepping on the princess's skirt, Chuntao hurriedly pulled Xiaoyu's narrow sleeve.

Xiaoyu blinked her almond-shaped eyes in confusion, obediently stepped back seven or eight steps and stood beside Chuntao, but her eyes were always following the princess's figure.

The two of them stepped down the steps and stood side by side. The two figures, one dark and one pink, were particularly eye-catching in front of the vermilion gate, yet also unusually harmonious.

They all looked up at the gate of the Rong Enbo Mansion at the same time. The three-meter-high vermilion-painted gate tower stood majestically, and the four large gold-plated characters "Rong Enbo Mansion" on the lintel shone brightly. The powerful imperial calligraphy still carried the imperial majesty when the plaque was bestowed.

The eaves on either side of the gatehouse resemble phoenixes spreading their wings, ready to take flight. Six glazed ridged beasts crouch at the corners, casting a multicolored halo in the morning light. The intricately carved lotus branches and leaves on the doorposts are lifelike, meticulously polished by skilled craftsmen.

A pair of majestic white marble lions stand before the gate. The left lion steps on a hydrangea, while the right lion pets its cub. Their eyes, inlaid with fine obsidian, stare intently at visitors from every angle.

The most exquisite of all were the eight palace lanterns hanging on either side of the gatehouse. Their frames were intricately carved from red sandalwood and covered with a tribute of cicada-wing gauze from the south of the Yangtze River. The gauze was painted with flowers of the four seasons: peonies in spring, lotus in summer, golden chrysanthemums in autumn, and red plum blossoms in winter. Even though the lanterns were unlit, they moved with the sun's shadows.

The nine bluestone steps in front of the door are polished to a mirror-like finish, and each step is engraved with dark patterns to prevent slipping, which makes it both elegant and practical.

Xu Zize turned his head and glanced sideways, "Xi'er, are you satisfied?"

Jing Chunxi smiled slightly, stepped forward, and gently stroked the delicate patterns on the doorpost. "This gate looks majestic, but it is actually elegant in every way, demonstrating the principle of combining strength and flexibility. Thank you, Brother Xiaokang, for your thoughtfulness. Xi'er likes it very much."

A pair of perfect lovers stood facing each other, both smiling, like a vivid picture. Even Xiaoyu, who was standing beside them, was stunned by the scene.