Noble Lady

"lady."

"Mother, we are back."

The three members of the Xue family, father and daughter, looked exhausted and stood at the gate of the Marquis's mansion, followed by maids such as Yuzhu.

Mrs. Xue, who had been waiting for a long time, was already in tears.

Xue Huai also stepped forward excitedly, "Dad, Sister! Luoluo."

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Mrs. Xue looked up and down at the father and his two daughters, and finally her heart was at ease.

Chen Mingxuan also came over to greet Madam Xue and was about to return home. "Marquis Xue, Madam Xue, I need to go back home to change clothes and rest. I will go to the palace to see the emperor later."

"Sir Chen, take care. See you in the palace later." Marquis Xue saluted him with a fist salute.

Chen Mingxuan bowed and said goodbye to everyone in the Xue family. As they walked down the stairs, their eyes unconsciously fell on the carriage.

There, there was a woman who had been avoiding him all the way.

When she left Haicheng County, she said to herself, "If we leave here, we won't have to see each other again."

And she did it along the way, refusing to see him from beginning to end.

Xue Chenyu glanced back and ignored her, going straight to talk to Mrs. Xue.

That was A Yuan and Chen Mingxuan's business, and she couldn't interfere.

After much hesitation, Chen Mingxuan finally walked to the side of the carriage and bowed to it, saying, "Miss Du, after this farewell, I'm afraid we won't meet again. Please take care."

He bowed, but was reluctant to stand up.

After waiting for a long time without any response from the woman in the carriage, he gave up and got on the horse.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard a woman's soft voice coming from the carriage, "I wish you a bright future and a smooth rise to fame. Take care of yourself."

This means saying goodbye to him.

Chen Mingxuan's heart sank, knowing that there was no way to have the best of both worlds. His eyes dimmed and he left with a sad smile.

Although Mrs. Xue was talking to her husband and children, she did not miss this scene. After Chen Mingxuan left, she asked softly, "Who is in the carriage?"

Xue Chenyu: "You've always known this." She looked innocent.

Mrs. Xue realized that Yu'er had only been friends with him for a few months. If she said she went south with him, then that meant...

Under her gaze, Du Jingyuan held Du Juan's hand, slowly got out of the carriage, walked up the steps, and came in front of Mrs. Xue.

At this moment, she no longer had the lively demeanor she had before, and was as dignified as a noble lady from Shengjing should be.

Xue Chenyu thought to himself: It’s finally installed.

"Madam Xue, Marquis Xue, A Yuan is here to bother you for a moment and will be back home soon."

"No need to do that. The Marquis' Mansion is your home. You can come anytime."

"Thank you, Mrs. Xue."

At this moment, Du Jingyuan completely met Mrs. Du's fantasy of her own daughter: gentle, quiet, and dignified. If Mrs. Du were here, she would probably scream with joy.

Mrs. Xue couldn't help but glance at Xue Chenyu secretly: How come you guys have become so rigid since you went out?

Xue Chenyu understood what her mother meant and almost couldn't help but tell her loudly, "She's just pretending."

But after all, Miss Du will still need to rely on this disguise to get things done.

She feigned melancholy and said, "I've seen aspects of life and death and human nature that I couldn't see in the capital, and I'm close to enlightenment."

Du Jingyuan: Why don’t you just say that you want to become a monk?

Madam Xue seemed to understand the letter but didn't ask further questions. "It's cold, and you've all been through the open air and must have worked hard. Come inside and rest."

"Madam, I still have to go to the Ministry of War." Marquis Xue said, "I will feel at ease only after I send Yu'er and the others here."

Mrs. Xue naturally understood his intentions, nodded, and then instructed: "Then go early and come back early, we will wait for you at home."

"it is good."

The Xue family's mother and son, along with four maids including Yuzhu, returned home in a lively manner, surrounded by many servants.

The two sisters first took a shower and changed their clothes to wash off the dust from the journey.

Du Jingyuan also went to take a shower and changed into clean clothes.

Then Mrs. Xue prepared the banquet and sent someone to invite them.

Mr. Lu and Mrs. Qi also arrived.

Only Marquis Xue was missing, but they were already sitting around a table.

Mr. Lu, who always valued reputation, official prestige and seniority more than anything else, apologized to Xue Chenyu solemnly when he met her.

"If it weren't for my poor judgment of people, I wouldn't have caused you so much trouble."

"Although you are known as a great scholar, you are still a mortal. You can only see the surface of a person, not their heart. How can you see through the evil heart beneath the skin?"

"Besides, people's hearts are fickle. He couldn't resist the temptation of wealth and fame and went astray. How can you blame the teacher who taught him? My daughter does have the ability to distinguish right from wrong."

After Xue Hou came back, they ate a hot meal around the stove and briefly talked about their experiences in the south for the past two months.

The speaker was Yuzhu. Although she was a maid, she had good eloquence.

They talked about how they were ambushed and assassinated before they arrived in Haicheng County, how they comforted the hungry people and distributed porridge and food as soon as they arrived in Haicheng County, and then how they encountered bandits who attacked the county government office at night before they even settled down.

Of course, the story also covered the riot at the theater, the arrest of corrupt officials, the capture of Zheng Duoqi who conspired with officials to steal and sell disaster relief grain, and the subsequent spontaneous organization of the people of Haicheng County, who presented them with plaques and sent them off on their journey home.

Oh, Chu Yao founded an orphanage to take in the elderly, children, women and children, and Xue Hou suppressed bandits in Miaoshan Village, etc.

She described those thrilling scenes at that time in such vivid and vivid ways.

There was also a girl named Xue Er standing next to them, dancing and helping to add to the story, which made people feel like they were there.

On the contrary, there is no need for Xue Chenyu and Du Jingyuan to pretend to be ladies.

Mrs. Qi listened with great interest and clapped her hands in applause.

Mr. Lu felt even more guilty when he heard Zheng Duoqi's name.

Xue Huai expressed regret as he listened, "Why didn't I go south with my sister? The experience along the way was so wonderful."

If I had known earlier, I should have gone with him. What a great training opportunity!

But only Madam Xue had a heart that was truly hanging and then letting go, hanging and then letting go, up and down for more than a dozen times.

For her, the safety of her husband and children is the most important thing.

They didn't expect that their journey would be so difficult, and they were on the verge of life and death every time.

After listening to Yuzhu's words, Mrs. Xue couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat on her back.

Marquis Xue had already grasped her hand. "Don't worry, Madam. Our Yu'er is very capable and can already stand on his own. Even Luoluo has the strength to protect herself."

Madam Xue wiped away the tears that were about to fall, took a deep breath, and said, "My Jiang Wanqing's child is naturally not incompetent."

Xue Xiaohuai felt pressured after hearing this: Ajie and Luoluo had returned from their training, making him seem more like a flower raised in a greenhouse.

He is the only man in the family. He was supposed to support his elder sister and Luoluo, but now he has become the least promising one.

Not as good as Ajie, not as good as Luoluo.

So, he went back and studied even harder!

If he doesn't work harder, even Luoluo will leave him behind. It's so frustrating.

After finishing a hot meal, Xue Chenyu was not idle either. He asked the servants to prepare a car and personally sent Du Jingyuan, the eldest daughter of the general's mansion who had "run away from home" for two months, back home.

What Du Jingyuan is about to face is Mrs. Du’s overwhelming rage.

However, as clever as Miss Du was, she realized the truth about facing the storm during her discussion with Miss Xue.

So as soon as she returned home, she showed her weakness to the enemy and cried, saying that she would prepare for the wedding well and put her family first in everything.

She had never shown such a weak side before, which made Mrs. Du, who had always regarded her as a dull stone, look at her with new eyes. She thought that she must have suffered enough outside and was afraid, so she did not make things too difficult for her.

This allowed Du Jingyuan to avoid the conflicts and crises she would face upon returning home, and she spent some time in peace.

However, that is all a story for later.