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

Jing Chunxi also looked at Xu Zize with a questioning look, his long eyelashes casting a shadow under his eyes, wondering what he was up to.

But he said to Pu Ge'er again, "Pu Ge'er, you want to get married before your sister? Don't you want to spend time and think about decorating the new house for your beloved? Do you want to be a hands-off boss and let Brother Xiaokang take care of everything?"

There was a mischievous smile in Xu Zize's eyes when he said this, and his fingers tapped lightly on the rosewood table beside him, making a light "thu thu" sound.

Pu Ge'er's face flushed, even the tips of his ears were stained crimson. He waved his hands hastily and argued, "That's not what I meant. Your Highness the Crown Prince must have misunderstood." His voice gradually faded, and he almost choked on the last few words.

"Call me Brother Xiaokang." Xu Zize said it again, but he said it with a smile. He reached out and rubbed Pu Ge'er's hair, making the boy's neatly tied hair crown a little crooked. Pu Ge'er tilted his head in dissatisfaction, as if he didn't want to pay attention to him.

"That's right, doesn't my cousin live in the front yard? Does he have to come into this yard every now and then? Is he trying to have three burrows?" Mingzhu interrupted.

"That's right, just send a servant to clean it every day. It's better to leave it empty." Jin Jie'er also chimed in, twisting a handkerchief in her hand, but stealing glances at Pu Ge'er's expression, while thinking in her mind, since this yard is empty, can they live next door to their cousin.

"Okay, Brother Xiaokang was just kidding you! If my brother Pu really gets married, I will come back in the middle of the night to help." Jing Chunxi tried to smooth things over, holding up her skirt and walking quickly to her brother's side.

She reached out to straighten his messed-up hair, then glared at Xu Zize again, frowned slightly, made a gesture, and bit her pink lips to tell him to shut up.

There was an unconcealable smile hidden in those angry eyes, shining brightly in the sunlight, making Xu Zize's eyes and mind silent and still.

In the following days, Jing Chunxi's plan to return to Qingshan Villa was interrupted by a series of grand happy events, and had to be put on hold for the time being.

However, within just three days, three imperial decrees came from the palace like a torrential rain, shaking the entire capital.

The first was to promote Tao Chengrui to the rank of Duke of Ning to show the emperor's favor; the second was to arrange a marriage for the newly promoted duke with Jing Mingyue, the legitimate daughter of General Jing.

The third one followed closely, which was in response to the request made by Old Lady Jing who personally went to the palace to ask the Empress Dowager, granting an imperial decree to marry Jing Congjun, the eldest son of the Jing family, and Feng Jiaojiao, the daughter of Minister Feng.

These two marriage decrees, one from the emperor and the other from the empress, were delivered to the solemn and awe-inspiring General Jing's mansion on the same day, as if they had been pre-arranged.

In an instant, there was a constant stream of traffic in front of the mansion, and officials and their wives came to congratulate in an endless stream, making the stone lions in front of the gate even more festive.

The concierge was busy collecting invitations and calling out names, and the mansion was filled with noise and laughter. The air was filled with compliments such as "a match made in heaven" and "double happiness". This extreme noise and glory lasted for several days.

In this festive atmosphere, the three families of the man and woman had a tacit understanding and were all willing to take advantage of the emperor's great grace to hold the wedding as soon as possible.

Therefore, the "Six Rites" process, which could have been simplified at will due to the imperial gift, was done in the opposite way by the two families. They made the event more grand and comprehensive, and tried their best to show off, as if they wanted to push the attention and envy of the whole city to a new peak.

The Tao family prepared Jing Mingyue's marriage with great fanfare. They hired the most prestigious matchmaker in the capital, the "Golden Mouth Matchmaker," but this still wasn't enough to demonstrate their sincerity. One day, Ningguo Duke Tao Chengrui asked for leave from the headmaster and personally visited the Jing family.

Accompanying him is not only his younger brother Tao Chengzhi, but also a heavyweight figure - the current Crown Prince Xu Zize.

Xu Zize, as a prince, came in person to support his cousin. This honor spread throughout the capital in an instant. No one dared to question the small number of people in the Tao family, and there was no more gossip about the family background being unworthy.

The Empress's reward arrived at the right time and was extremely thoughtful. It not only enriched Jing Mingyue's dowry, but also did not neglect Feng Shilang's mansion in another marriage. The two rewards had the same regulations, demonstrating the Empress's fairness and kindness.

The Jing family was also unwilling to be outdone when seeking a young lady from the Feng family for their eldest grandson, giving their in-laws enough face. The betrothal gifts were so generous and the amount of money was so staggering that they naturally couldn't be displayed openly and had to be kept in the dark.

It was commendable that the eldest wife of the Jing family, Zhuang, had condescended to personally go to the residence of Minister Feng to propose marriage for her son. Naturally, she was accompanied by Princess Anping, Jing Chunxi.

The appearance of the princess undoubtedly raised the standard of this marriage proposal to the extreme, silently announcing to everyone that the Jing family attached great importance to this marriage and was extremely satisfied with Miss Feng.

On this bustling day with proposals and betrothal gifts and many guests, the backyard of the Jing Mansion was relatively quiet.

Jing Chunxi accompanied his aunt back from Feng Mansion and felt a little tired. He used the excuse of changing clothes to temporarily leave the hustle and bustle of the front hall and walked alone along the corridor to where he lived - which was also the courtyard where his mother lived before she got married.

The fragrance of flowers drifted across the corridor, slightly dispelling some of the heat. She was gazing at a chrysanthemum in full bloom outside the corridor when she heard a very soft voice behind her calling, "Xi'er."

The voice was gentle and low, yet so familiar that it made her heart tremble slightly. Jing Chunxi suddenly turned around and saw a tall and graceful figure standing in the swaying shadows of flowers. Who else could it be but Xu Zize, who was supposed to be drinking and chatting with the male guests in the front hall?

He had obviously avoided the others, not even bringing a single eunuch with him. Dressed in the usual attire of a prince, his face looked even more strikingly handsome. Though a hint of alcohol lingered between his brows, his gaze towards her was clear and focused, filled with undisguised tenderness.

"Brother Xiaokang?" Jing Chunxi was surprised and looked around subconsciously. Seeing that there was no one around, he whispered, "Why are you here? In front..."

"My eldest cousin and Erlang are handling it up front, so it's okay." Xu Zize took two steps forward, closing the distance between them. His voice became lower, but more tender.

"Xi'er, Brother Xiaokang just...just wanted to see you. Seeing how lively they are today, I feel...happy for my cousin, but I can't help but think of you and me."

Jing Chunxi's cheeks flushed slightly. She lowered her eyes, staring at the cloud pattern embroidered on the hem of her skirt, and said softly, "Brother Xiaokang, be careful with your words."

"There's no one else here, Xi'er, so please allow me to speak a few words from my heart, okay?" Xu Zize's eyes locked onto her, his tone carrying a barely perceptible pleading. "Looking at today's ceremony of accepting the bride price, the three letters and six betrothal gifts, it's so grand and magnificent. I'm thinking that when I, Xu Zize, come to propose to you one day, it will be ten, a hundred times more grand than this."