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

"Ziwen! Sit down quickly." The old general's voice was like a bell. When the footsteps of the girls disappeared at the end of the corridor, he turned around, waved his wide sleeves, sat down heavily, and handed the crucial letter to the old lady.

The old lady was about to ask, but she saw the old general's eyes shot towards Li Ziwen who had just sat down, with a serious expression: "What your grandfather said, is it what you think in your heart?" This question made the air in the room suddenly condense.

"That's exactly what I meant!" Li Ziwen's voice was low, but every word resonated. He straightened his back and met the old general's scrutinizing gaze without flinching. Those eyes, always filled with bookish air, now burned with a determined fire.

The old general remained silent, tapping his fingertips on the armrest of his chair. The old lady had quickly read the last page of the letter and looked up with disbelief in her eyes: "Is this true?" This incoherent question made everyone present itchy, and they wanted to snatch the letter and read it clearly.

The hall was so quiet that only the faint flickering of candlelight could be heard. The words that had long been brewing in Li Ziwen's heart finally broke free: "I will not let Mingrong suffer. I will protect her and marry only her. I beg the old general and old lady to grant my wish." These words were like a stone dropped into a quiet lake, causing all the leaning bodies and pricked ears to slowly relax.

"You kid want to marry my cousin?" Erlang suddenly jumped up and pulled Li Ziwen, who had just stood up to salute, back to his seat with a tone as sharp as a knife.

"Yes." Li Ziwen steadied himself, his voice growing firmer. "When I was in Yamen Village, I often came to visit. Besides discussing academic matters with Erlang, I also wanted to see her more. I admire Mingrong's calmness and composure, and I admire her tenacity even more."

His originally fair face flushed, and his speech quickened: "I had originally intended to seek marriage after I had achieved fame and honor, hoping that when I could serve the court faithfully in the future, I could find a way to restore her good name. Unexpectedly, you were rehabilitated and returned to the capital so early, leaving me with no chance to declare my love."

The passionate young man grew increasingly excited as he spoke, his initial shyness replaced by a sincere heart. "Originally, only my mother knew of this intention, and I told my grandfather before I went to Beijing. I'm sincerely seeking your hand in marriage, and the Li family is also sincere in theirs."

All eyes in the room were focused on him, and no one spoke.

"If I fail this time, I will work myself to the bone and strive for fame and honor for her. If I can be sent to serve as an official, I will take Mingrong with me and never let her suffer any injustice." In a hurry, Li Ziwen completely lost his previous scholarly demeanor. At this moment, he was clearly a man of iron will who was crazy about love and could not be pulled back even by nine oxen.

"Who in your family could possibly handle her?" the old lady suddenly laughed. She knew the girl who always accompanied her all too well. Mingrong might have been timid and self-conscious at first, but under her careful guidance over the years, she had developed a gentle exterior and a strong inner character. She seemed gentle in her dealings with others, but in reality, she repaid kindness with kindness, and was definitely not a pushover.

The old lady stared at Li Ziwen, and the more she looked at him, the more she felt that they were a perfect match. But remembering Mingrong's words, she could only say tactfully, "If you want to marry her, it's not enough for us to just agree. Young Master Li needs to be more patient."

Hearing this, Li Ziwen smiled: "I understand, kid. Even if I had to let her go back to Yamen Village with me and suffer now, I wouldn't want her to."

Seeing the old general's approving look, his confidence grew: "If I achieve success, I will marry her and take up my post directly; if I fail again in the next exam, I will not let her wait in vain. I can even be a teacher in the capital to protect her."

The old lady thought to herself: If this is true, then Mingrong has finally had her happy ending after all her hardships. Although she didn't say it out loud, her expression relaxed and she began to think about how to persuade the girl and find the best outcome for her.

Anyway, this girl has just reached the age of marriage, and it would be the right time for her to stay for another three or two years. As long as he is willing to wait, even if it doesn't work out in the future, Mingrong will not suffer any loss.

When Jing Chunxi arrived at the flower hall, he couldn't wait to turn around and hug Feng Jiaojiao tightly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and putting his face close to her neck, his voice filled with a sweet and coquettish tone: "Cousin~Cousin~"

Although this was the first time he called Feng Jiaojiao by this name, he did it with extraordinary naturalness and familiarity, as if he had practiced it in his mind thousands of times.

She hugged her for a long time before reluctantly letting go. Then she lowered her head and reached out to gently stroke Feng Jiaojiao's still flat belly. Her fingertips were cautious and gentle, and her eyes were shining with surprise and anticipation. "How amazing! I will be a cousin soon."

Seeing this, Mingzhu, Yanjie'er, and Xiaoyu, who were standing nearby, couldn't wait to come forward, vying to stretch out their hands and shouting crisply, "I want to touch it too!"

"I'll do it." Sister Jin reacted the fastest and put her hand on top before them. This action immediately made the two younger sisters very angry. They pouted and stomped their feet, with a look of dissatisfaction on their faces.

Feng Jiaojiao was surrounded by their enthusiasm, and two red clouds appeared on her cheeks, but she still opened her cotton-padded jacket generously and let several small hands gently caress her.

Her face was filled with a happy and gentle smile, and she explained softly: "It's still too early! I've been pregnant for just over a month, and the doctor said I can only give birth after late autumn." Her tone was filled with the shyness of a new mother, but also with beautiful expectations for the future.

Several people immediately started chatting and laughing, and the hall was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. However, they were all very well-mannered and naturally would not be so impolite as to start eating in advance. They just gathered together to chat and play.

"Sister-in-law, don't you know how many years older Mingrong is than Chunxi?" While speaking, Feng Jiaojiao looked at Jing Mingrong seemingly unintentionally and asked this question.

Just now, she was sitting in the first seat on the right, diagonally opposite Li Ziwen - the change in his expression just now did not escape her eyes, and she already had some guesses in her mind.

Unlike her more active cousins, Mingrong remained upright and graceful upon entering. Now, pulled by Jing Chunxi to sit beside her, she maintained her demure posture. When questioned, Mingrong answered honestly, "Mingrong is two years and nine months older than Cousin Xi. I was born in June." Her voice was crisp and clear, her words articulated clearly.

"I'm not that clear about that." Jing Chunxi shook her head slightly. She only knew that the exiled children were all over ten years old, but she had no idea how much age difference there was between them. She didn't expect Mingrong to remember it so carefully.

"Mingrong remembers everything Cousin Xi and I went through together." Mingrong's tone suddenly became extremely serious. How could she not remember? If it weren't for the help of Cousin Xi and the people from the General's Mansion, she would have died hundreds of times in that mountain stronghold just because of that one time she was sold by her closest relatives.

These words contain too many painful memories and are also filled with deep gratitude.

"That means you will be sixteen next month." Feng Jiaojiao nodded thoughtfully.

Mingrong wasn't bad looking, and after years of being around the Old Madam and the First Madam, she had long since shed her youthful naiveté, becoming a calmer, more composed person. It was just that children her age might have seen her as too formal, thinking she'd missed out on a life of innocence. They always seemed more mature than their peers.

Although she was only from a branch of the Jing family, she was more than qualified to marry a scholar or a minor official. Even though her family no longer had the support of elders, if anything happened, the General's Mansion would definitely help her.

In these days, officials from humble backgrounds may not necessarily marry daughters of high-ranking noble families. Even favored concubines' daughters can hardly get a chance, so they often settle for second best and marry daughters of side branches, which may give them a chance, but it may not be sincere.

But Li Ziwen was different, because she saw in Li Ziwen's eyes the same burning and affectionate look as when Dalang returned to Beijing and saw her again.

"Yes! Almost sixteen."

Mingrong responded softly as if talking to herself, but her eyes unconsciously looked at the parrot hanging in the corridor. Her gaze was distant, as if she was looking back at something through the colorful feathers, and seemed to be longing for something.