The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"I brought it back from Yipinlou. Didn't you go to Songhelou? Why did you bring something back from Yipinlou?"

Chunchao looked at Shen Tingzhi in confusion. Yipin Building and Songhe Building were not in the same place at all. One was in the east and the other in the west, and the distance between them was not close.

"Nothing, it's just that something happened. Your Second Young Master and I were in Songhe Tower and almost couldn't come back."

"Then I felt that Songhelou wasn't very good, so I switched to Yipinlou. When I met the housekeeper while having dinner, I realized that Yipinlou was my own."

This was not the first time that Shen Tingzhi had experienced an assassination attempt. In Ganzhou, such things happened once or twice a year, and he had long been accustomed to it.

"What, he was assassinated?" Compared to Shen Tingzhi's calmness, Chunchao was so nervous that he was about to explode. This was in Shangjing City. His second young master was assassinated in broad daylight, and in Songhe Tower?

What is in those people’s heads? Are you sure it’s not stones but brains?

Who is the second young master of his family? He is the second young master of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, the elder brother of the Queen Mother, and the uncle of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

You can't say you can walk around arrogantly in the capital, but it is true that everyone has to be courteous to you.

If the assassination happened anywhere else, Chunchao would not be surprised, but if it happened in Shangjing City, in broad daylight, it would be a complicated matter.

"Yes, that's right." Shen Tingzhi no longer wanted to explain what happened today. "Go and bring Mu'er and An'an here. After they have some snacks, I'll send them back to the palace."

Seeing that Shen Tingzhi was unwilling to say more, Chunchao didn't dare to ask any more questions and she quietly left.

Soon the two children were brought in. An An was still the same as always. When she saw her second uncle, she struggled and refused to let the wet nurse hold her, but wanted Shen Tingzhi to hold her.

Who could resist the eagerness of a human cub to throw itself into their arms? Especially when it's a cute, sweet, and soft little girl?

Shen Tingzhi took Li Muyan from the nanny's arms and said, "An'an, do you miss your uncle?"

"Oh." Li Muyan seemed to understand her second uncle's question. She stared at Shen Tingzhi with her big black eyes, and her little hands were poking her second uncle's face dishonestly.

Shen Tingzhi was not angry either. The more he looked at his two good babies, the more he liked them.

"Mu'er, come and eat your snacks. After you're done, your second uncle will take you back to find Mother."

Shen Tingzhi teased the little one in his arms, and did not forget to take care of the big one in front of him.

"Yeah." Li Muyang nodded obediently, let Chunchao wipe his hands with a handkerchief, then took a piece of hawthorn cake and put it in his mouth and started eating.

"It's delicious. The hawthorn cake made by Sister Dongyang is the best." Li Muyang shook his head happily after eating the delicious food.

"Did Dongyang do it?" Shen Tingzhi looked up at Chunchao and asked in confusion.

"Yes, the dim sum recipes in Yipintang are now all made by Dongyang." Chunchao nodded. When it comes to delicious food and making delicious food, Dongyang is definitely the best person Chunchao knows.

Shen Tingzhi felt choked for a moment. The snacks he thought were rare and had specially brought back were actually available at home. Wasn't this purely unnecessary?

Li Muyan, who didn't understand what her second uncle was thinking, looked at her brother eating the pastries with big mouthfuls, and her mouth was watering with envy.

She patted her second uncle with her little hands, then pointed at her brother who was eating cakes, and finally turned around and looked at her second uncle with pitiful eyes.

Shen Tingzhi was amused by Li Muyan's eagerness to eat something good, and his mood instantly became happy.

He looked at the greedy girl in his arms, raised his head to the nurse and asked, "Princess, can you have some cake now?"

"In reply to the Second Young Master, you can still eat some softer pastries, but the princess has a weak stomach and can't eat too much."

When Shen Tingzhi heard the nanny say that Li Muyan could eat some pastries, he picked up the almond cookies on the table without hesitation, broke off some and put them into Li Muyan's mouth.

This almond biscuit melts in your mouth and is perfect for Li Muyan.

Li Muyan achieved her goal and ate the pastries. While squinting her eyes and enjoying the food, she did not forget to smile at her second uncle.

Shen Tingzhi's heart was melted by the little girl in his arms.

"An An, is this almond biscuit so delicious?" Seeing the little girl so happy after eating just a little almond biscuit, Shen Tingzhi couldn't help but reach out and pinch Li Muyan's little face.

Although it has only been a month or so, Li Muyan has become much fatter than when she was first brought home, and her face is chubby with the baby fat that a child should have.

The pink and tender little girl who was eating happily understood what her second uncle said. She smiled and nodded at him, and kept making "howls" in her mouth, communicating with her second uncle in baby language that he could not understand.

"Oh, you little girl." Shen Tingzhi quickly broke off another piece of almond biscuit and put it into Li Muyan's mouth.

Shen Tingzhi looked down and saw his nephew staring at him with a resentful look in his eyes. He didn't know why he suddenly felt guilty. He quickly smiled at Li Muyang and said, "Mu'er, what's your favorite snack among these?"

Li Muyang, who had felt a little disappointed seeing that his second uncle was only close to his sister, suddenly brightened up when he heard Shen Tingzhi's question.

"I like all of these. Sister Dongyang's pastries are the best."

"Since you like to eat it, let Dongyang make it for you every day from now on." Shen Tingzhi looked at Li Muyang and suddenly felt sour in his heart.

This child had a very hard life in the past. He was alone in the palace with no one to love him, and he lacked a sense of security.

We must love this child twice as much in the future. The love that was once lost cannot be regained, but more love from now on will make up for what is missing in his heart.

After the two children finished their snacks, Shen Tingzhi personally sent them back to the palace.

Of course, Shen Tingzhi couldn't just swagger into the palace like that. Although he was the queen's brother, according to the rules he wasn't allowed to enter and leave the harem at will.

Therefore, Shen Tingzhi dressed up before entering the palace this time.

After returning to the palace, when Li Muyan saw her mother, her second uncle Shen Tingzhi suddenly stopped liking her. She clapped her hands and threw herself into her mother's arms.

The mother and daughter, who haven't seen each other for two days, naturally want to spend some time together.

Seeing his sister being so intimate with his niece, Shen Tingzhi felt happy.

In the past, whenever he thought of Shen Tianjiao being alone and helpless in the deep palace, he felt very sad as a brother. Now, his sister has these two little guys to accompany her, and life will not be so hard anymore.

After sending the two children out to play, the brother and sister finally had some time to talk to each other.

"Jiaojiao, I heard that you asked Zuo Beichen and Qiu Tong to lead the caravan out of the customs and go to the surrounding countries to do business?"

Shen Tianjiao looked at Shen Tingzhi and smiled, saying, "I was thinking of telling you this in person. Who is the quickest to tell you first?"

"Chunchao said that. You can punish her later." In front of his sister, Shen Tingzhi was always in a very relaxed state.

People who usually don't joke around often start to joke around with their sister.

"I've spoiled this girl a bit too much. When she returns to the palace, I'll teach her a lesson and tell her that you, my second brother, told me to do this."

Shen Tianjiao, who had many brothers and sisters in her previous life but never enjoyed the affection of siblings, really likes the current atmosphere between brothers and sisters.

"Oh, no, no, no, don't do this. I can't afford to offend that girl."

Shen Tingzhi was still counting on Chunchao to sort out everything in the Zhenbei Marquis. If Chunchao got angry and ran away, no one would do the work, and he would be the one who would be exhausted to death in the end. He would never do such a losing business.

Shen Tianjiao looked at her second brother who was waving his hands in fear and said with a smile: "Second brother, so you are afraid of someone too?"

"Ah!" Shen Tingzhi sighed and said, "You have no idea how Uncle Han has been doing as an official all these years. Not only are the things in the warehouse piled up like a mountain, but the accounts of all sizes in the mansion are also piled up as high as a mountain. All these things need to be sorted out."

"I don't have the energy to take care of these trivial matters right now. If I offend your chief maid, and she quits, what should I do then?"

"There is no one suitable to be a housekeeper in the mansion right now. I am really overwhelmed by this."

Han Ming is a warrior by nature. You can let him fight on the battlefield, but the job of a housekeeper requires great patience and carefulness to do well.

Although Han Ming was the housekeeper before, he also had a steward brought by the wife of the Marquis of Zhenbei from her mother's family to assist him fully.

However, the steward died of illness a few years ago. Without this help, the internal affairs of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion began to become a mess.

It is indeed not an easy task to get everything back on track.

Although Chunchao can help, this is not a long-term solution. Chunchao cannot stay in the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion forever, and Shen Tianjiao cannot do without her.

Shen Tianjiao looked up at her second brother, and the idea of ​​finding wives for her brothers once again came to Shen Tianjiao's mind.

The Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion is so big, but it is not a good idea to have no mistress to manage the household expenses.

Before my brothers came back, this matter was brought up again and again, but it was always shelved. This time, we have to put it on the agenda and get it done as soon as possible.

You have to choose carefully among the young ladies from the meritorious families and aristocratic families in the capital, because not everyone is qualified to be the daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

"Jiaojiao, what's wrong with you? What are you thinking about? You're so lost in thought." Seeing Shen Tianjiao not speaking for a long time and thinking about something with her head down, Shen Tingzhi thought that she had something bothering her again.

No one would have thought that Shen Tianjiao was thinking about finding wives for them brothers at this time.

"Ah, nothing?" Shen Tianjiao looked at Shen Tingzhi and smiled like a little fox.

This made Shen Tingzhi feel uneasy. He knew that this girl must be up to something.

"Jiaojiao, there's something wrong with your smile." Shen Tingzhi narrowed his eyes and looked at Shen Tianjiao and said, "Tell me the truth, what are you thinking?"

"What do you mean by 'What evil ideas am I having in mind?'" Shen Tianjiao glared at Shen Tingyi in dissatisfaction.

Although she was indeed thinking about how to marry off all her brothers, no, how to get her brothers to bring wives home, but such things could not be discussed before everything was ready.

Otherwise, if she told him in advance, he would find all kinds of excuses to reject her. Her brothers have been used to living a carefree life in the northern border for many years and are not yet ready to start a family.

"I was thinking about finding a new housekeeper for the Zhenbei Marquisate. Uncle Han is old and it's not easy for him to work hard. When he comes back from Yanzhou this time, I will let him live with my father in his old age."

Shen Tingzhi nodded. Han Ming was indeed no longer suitable to be the steward of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion.

Now that Li Muyang has become the crown prince, the Zhenbei Marquisate has become the target of all the aristocratic families.

Han Ming is a straightforward person and he has offended people without realizing it, which will make the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion a target of public criticism.

The Zhenbei Marquis Mansion now needs a loyal and tactful housekeeper who knows how to deal with those aristocratic families, but such a person is really hard to find.

"Don't worry, I already have a candidate in mind. Once he passes the test, I will have him sent to the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion to do hard labor."

Now, working as a housekeeper in the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion is really no different from doing hard labor. A large number of accounts need to be reorganized, and everything stored in the warehouse needs to be sorted out one by one and re-registered and stored.

There are also many places in the mansion that need to be renovated and maintained, and the servants also need to be trained and redistributed. So much work is much harder than doing hard labor.

When Shen Tingzhi heard Shen Tianjiao say that a candidate for housekeeper had been chosen, he breathed a sigh of relief. Being a housekeeper was much more difficult than fighting a war or competing with others.

"Okay, our Zhenbei Marquis Mansion really needs a housekeeper who can manage things and deal with those people."

Shen Tianjiao smiled and poured a cup of tea for Shen Tingzhi, placed it in front of him and said, "Second brother, you just asked Zuo Beichen and Qiu Tong about taking the caravan out of the customs to do business together. Do you have any ideas?"

Shen Tingzhi almost forgot about the important matter after being interrupted. "I don't have any ideas, but after so many years in the Northern Frontier, my second brother has made many friends from other countries and ethnic groups."

"I thought they would encounter many dangers on their journey, so I introduced these people to them. This way, if they encounter any problems in the future, they can provide more help."