Being able to grow old together with Guo Zimu and Murong Yi, while also solving the matter on the side of the Princess, King Luo Rong’s mood was as bright as spring. When he heard about going to the Grand Marshal’s residence, Guo Zimu hesitated a bit. King Luo Rong comforted him, saying, “The people in the Grand Marshal’s residence understand the rules. Yunan and Shijing, along with the children, are there. Don’t worry. If you want to wear a mask, just wear it.”
Guo Zimu didn’t understand. “Why are Shijing and Yunan staying in the Grand General’s residence? There are so many people in the Grand General’s residence and they can conveniently return to their own home.” King Luo Rong laughed and said, “They must know about the two of us. They won’t come to disturb us.”
Guo Zimu immediately blushed. King Luo Rong embraced him, sighing deeply. “Before, I made you suffer.” In the hall, the Emperor never responded to the matter of granting the Immortal Water and King Luo Rong was actually a bit sad. It wasn’t because of the Emperor’s decision, but because he realized that he still couldn’t accompany Guo Zimu to old age. Fortunately, he had miscalculated.
Guo Zimu immediately asked, “Now that you’re not getting old and the Crown Prince’s health is better, will someone propose a marriage for you? Suggest you take a concubine or advise you to take a second wife?”
King Luo Rong quickly stepped back, solemnly saying, “Before I met you, I never had such thoughts. Now that I have you, I would never entertain such thoughts.” If it were someone else, with Guo Zimu’s appearance, they would only be troubled by too many admirers. Where would they be like him, worrying that his “old and ugly” self would be unfaithful? Feeling sorry for the source of Guo Zimu’s self-esteem, King Luo Rong suddenly remembered something and immediately went into the bedroom. After a while, he came out with a locked lacquer box.
Pulling Guo Zimu to sit down, King Luo Rong unfastened a key from his waist and, along with the box, pushed it in front of Guo Zimu, saying, “From now on, the mansion will be managed by you.” Unexpectedly, Guo Zimu’s expression changed immediately, and he angrily pushed the box back, saying, “I don’t want it!”
Realizing that Guo Zimu misunderstood, King Luo Rong quickly grabbed his hand and reassured him. “Listen to me first.” Pausing, King Luo Rong sighed. “The princess has always been devoted to Buddhism and most of the internal affairs of the mansion have been handled by the steward and various managers. Sometimes when the crown prince is in good health, he also takes care of some matters. But I’m really not good at internal affairs.”
“Now that the crown prince’s health has improved, he can’t stay in the mansion all the time. Whether for the mansion or for others, the crown prince needs to appear in public. Although there aren’t many internal affairs in the mansion, it’s still our family’s private property. We can’t always let outsiders handle it. People’s hearts are the hardest to control. If the crown prince wants to check the accounts, judging from his tone, he’s afraid of causing trouble.”
“For the external affairs of the mansion in the future, let the crown prince handle them. But for internal affairs, I will trouble you, Zimu. Moreover, you are the rightful lord. If you don’t manage the household, you will be ridiculed by others. My Zimu is so good, how can I let those outsiders laugh at him? The servants are very good at reading the atmosphere. I am not strict enough on weekdays. If you don’t manage the household, they will think you have no status in the mansion and take advantage of my absence to bully you in secret. Also, in the future, when it is known, I will be regarded as a person with an internal lord who can manage the household.”
Guo Zimu stood up, walked to King Luo Rong, and sat directly in his lap. King Luo Rong smiled and hugged him tightly. If Shao Yunan saw this scene, he would definitely exclaim, “Oh my God, I can’t take it anymore. Goosebumps all over!”
Guo Zimu embraced King Luo Rong’s neck and said, “I may not be as good as Yunan in making money, but I will try my best to manage the mansion well. I don’t want to handle matters that require me to make a public appearance. I will leave those to the crown prince or tell you about them. But you have to promise me one thing.”
“Anything!” Even though he had become younger, Guo Zimu would always be King Luo Rong’s “little” husband. Guo Zimu lowered his head and said, “In the future, if you find someone else you like…” His mouth was covered.
How could he possibly like someone else? That was something that could never happen! King Luo Rong directly stood up, held Guo Zimu, and strode into the bedroom. It was already dark and it was time to rest!
Putting him on the bed, King Luo Rong eagerly said, “Zimu, give me a child.” Guo Zimu’s movements stiffened and the fiery gaze in King Luo Rong’s eyes retreated by half. Guo Zimu hugged him, burying his face and asked anxiously, “Can’t we not have children?” Taking a deep breath, King Luo Rong kissed him and began to take action. “Are you afraid of pain?”
“Yes, I’m also afraid of pain. Yunan is afraid of pain too.”
“Then let’s not have children. Giving birth for men is extremely dangerous. If you don’t like it, we won’t. I was thinking that if you had a child, you would be more at ease.”
“I’m at ease as long as you come back for dinner every day.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll come back every day. If I don’t come back, I’ll take you with me.”
After that, King Luo Rong didn’t speak anymore. He would use other methods to dispel Guo Zimu’s anxiety. Guo Zimu, who was afraid of pain, would not give birth. Although he hoped for a child with Zimu, Zimu’s wishes were the most important! King Luo Rong continued to stride forward on the road of pampering his wife, without hesitation.
In the Grand Marshal’s mansion, upon hearing that King Luo Rong, Guo Zimu, and the Crown Prince would visit the next day, Shao Yunan was very happy. He and Wang Shijing had already discussed it. In the near future, besides going to the Weng residence and visiting his adoptive father, he would resolutely not go out. The three children also obediently stayed in the mansion.
However, Brother Tiger and Little Gold felt a bit restrained. They wanted to enter the space, but with many people and prying eyes, Shao Yunan could only ask them to endure. Fortunately, the mansion was very spacious and there was a large martial arts training ground. The three divine beasts had almost taken over the training ground and the mansion echoed with the roars of the Tigers (Brother Tiger) every day.
The Old Marshal issued an order forbidding anyone in the mansion from disturbing the Loyal and Brave Marquis family. Therefore, Shao Yunan was now brewing tea in the Old Lady’s room, with all three elderly individuals present. The Old Marshal didn’t have his own courtyard, while the courtyards of the Old General and his wife were adjacent. This allowed the Old Marshal to take turns spending the night in the rooms of both.
When Shao Yunan learned that the Old General’s male wife and the Old Lady were siblings, he was truly astonished. In ancient times, there were complex rules regarding marriage, but in some places, there was an unusual openness. If such matters occurred in the modern era, they would undoubtedly face moral condemnation. However, in this context, it is considered quite normal and even became a well-regarded story.
Wang Shijing, accompanied by the people assigned by the General’s Mansion, went to the newly granted Marquis’ residence (to receive rewards). The officials from the Ministry of Rites were already waiting there. As for how to renovate the Marquis’ residence, Wang Shijing, who understood his partner best, had already made arrangements.
He and Shao Yunan would return in two months and by then, the people from the General’s Mansion would continue to supervise the construction based on his drawings and requirements. If everything went smoothly, they could celebrate the New Year at the Marquis’ residence.
However, the original Hengyuan Marquis’ residence was already quite large and Emperor Yongming had bestowed two more residences. Although the other one was smaller, it was still much larger than the Wang family’s residence in Xiushui Village, or rather, Zhongyong Village. Connecting the two properties would likely create an area that could easily get someone lost.
As King Luo Rong and Guo Zimu were coming, Shao Yunan insisted on personally preparing the food. While brewing tea, he discussed the menu for the next day with the three elderly individuals. In reality, it was his unilateral proposal, as whatever he made, the three elderly people would surely enjoy. Shao Yunan engaged in conversation with the three elderly individuals and in the Ansi Courtyard, Su Chenyi stopped the head housekeeper overseeing the cleaning of the house.
With the Empress returning to the palace, the Ansi Courtyard needed to be rearranged. Shen Bing was hoping that in the future, after Shao Yunan was recognized, Ansi Courtyard could welcome its true master. Therefore, she paid special attention to this matter and had the servants transplant many flowers and plants.
As soon as Su Chenyi arrived, Shen Bing guessed the purpose of his visit. She asked the servants to leave and then said, “Chenyi, you came to find me. It’s related to young master Wang, right?”
With this mention, Su Chenyi immediately became excited. “Sister-in-law! Is he Zhan An?! He really looks like Little Eldest Uncle! I inquired and master Wang Shao is said to have been born in the 32nd year of Kangsheng, adopted at a young age, not knowing who his biological parents are. Sister-in-law, he is Zhan An; I can feel that he is Zhan An!”
“Sister-in-law?!”
“Chenyi, calm down first.” Shen Bing grabbed Su Chenyi’s arm, saying affectionately, “This matter was originally not something Dad wanted me to tell you, fearing that you couldn’t bear it.”
“Sister-in-law?!”
“Chenyi, listen to me first.”
Su Chenyi restrained his tears and nodded vigorously. Shen Bing pulled him to sit in a chair and continued. “You can see the resemblance between master Wang Shao and Little Eldest Uncle. How could Dad not see it? On the day they arrived, Dad, Little Eldest Uncle, and Mom suspected his identity.”
“He doesn’t remember anything before he was seven or eight years old and there are no ornaments he wore when he disappeared. We can’t just recognize him as family because he looks like Little Eldest Uncle when he was young. Dad has sent people to Yongxiu County, asking Dai Jiang to capture and interrogate the people from the Shao family about his identity. If he really is Zhan An, Dad will definitely make arrangements for the Dai family to recognize him.”
Su Chenyi covered his face and cried silently. The lost child was a pain he couldn’t touch in his heart and now, that child might be right in front of him!
Sighing, Shen Bing couldn’t help but comfort him. “Little Eldest Uncle is getting older, the children can’t see it, but when I saw him, I also felt he looked familiar. After taking the Immortal Water, he can see even more clearly now. That child really looks like Little Eldest Uncle. Among our children, only Zhan An looks the most alike and this was explicitly stated by our late maternal grandparents. I think we’re probably not wrong this time.”
Su Chenyi wiped away his tears… his heart in pain. “How can I endure it? Twelve years, I lost him for twelve years…”
“Just endure a few more days. Dai Jiang will definitely be able to send back news very soon.” Su Chenyi took a deep breath, suppressing his tears. After holding back his tears, he still worried. “Will he blame me? Blame me for not taking care of him?”
“No.” Shen Bing explained. “Dad said that as long as it’s confirmed that he is Zhan An, he will definitely recognize him as ours. But you must endure it for now.”
Su Chenyi nodded, but the pain in his heart was unbearable. Shen Bing could only pour him a cup of tea and let him calm down. At this moment, a servant came to report. “Madam, the Lady of the Prime Minister’s Mansion has sent a greeting card.”
Being able to grow old together with Guo Zimu and Murong Yi, while also solving the matter on the side of the Princess, King Luo Rong’s mood was as bright as spring. When he heard about going to the Grand Marshal’s residence, Guo Zimu hesitated a bit. King Luo Rong comforted him, saying, “The people in the Grand Marshal’s residence understand the rules. Yunan and Shijing, along with the children, are there. Don’t worry. If you want to wear a mask, just wear it.”
Guo Zimu didn’t understand. “Why are Shijing and Yunan staying in the Grand General’s residence? There are so many people in the Grand General’s residence and they can conveniently return to their own home.” King Luo Rong laughed and said, “They must know about the two of us. They won’t come to disturb us.”
Guo Zimu immediately blushed. King Luo Rong embraced him, sighing deeply. “Before, I made you suffer.” In the hall, the Emperor never responded to the matter of granting the Immortal Water and King Luo Rong was actually a bit sad. It wasn’t because of the Emperor’s decision, but because he realized that he still couldn’t accompany Guo Zimu to old age. Fortunately, he had miscalculated.
Guo Zimu immediately asked, “Now that you’re not getting old and the Crown Prince’s health is better, will someone propose a marriage for you? Suggest you take a concubine or advise you to take a second wife?”
King Luo Rong quickly stepped back, solemnly saying, “Before I met you, I never had such thoughts. Now that I have you, I would never entertain such thoughts.” If it were someone else, with Guo Zimu’s appearance, they would only be troubled by too many admirers. Where would they be like him, worrying that his “old and ugly” self would be unfaithful? Feeling sorry for the source of Guo Zimu’s self-esteem, King Luo Rong suddenly remembered something and immediately went into the bedroom. After a while, he came out with a locked lacquer box.
Pulling Guo Zimu to sit down, King Luo Rong unfastened a key from his waist and, along with the box, pushed it in front of Guo Zimu, saying, “From now on, the mansion will be managed by you.” Unexpectedly, Guo Zimu’s expression changed immediately, and he angrily pushed the box back, saying, “I don’t want it!”
Realizing that Guo Zimu misunderstood, King Luo Rong quickly grabbed his hand and reassured him. “Listen to me first.” Pausing, King Luo Rong sighed. “The princess has always been devoted to Buddhism and most of the internal affairs of the mansion have been handled by the steward and various managers. Sometimes when the crown prince is in good health, he also takes care of some matters. But I’m really not good at internal affairs.”
“Now that the crown prince’s health has improved, he can’t stay in the mansion all the time. Whether for the mansion or for others, the crown prince needs to appear in public. Although there aren’t many internal affairs in the mansion, it’s still our family’s private property. We can’t always let outsiders handle it. People’s hearts are the hardest to control. If the crown prince wants to check the accounts, judging from his tone, he’s afraid of causing trouble.”
“For the external affairs of the mansion in the future, let the crown prince handle them. But for internal affairs, I will trouble you, Zimu. Moreover, you are the rightful lord. If you don’t manage the household, you will be ridiculed by others. My Zimu is so good, how can I let those outsiders laugh at him? The servants are very good at reading the atmosphere. I am not strict enough on weekdays. If you don’t manage the household, they will think you have no status in the mansion and take advantage of my absence to bully you in secret. Also, in the future, when it is known, I will be regarded as a person with an internal lord who can manage the household.”
Guo Zimu stood up, walked to King Luo Rong, and sat directly in his lap. King Luo Rong smiled and hugged him tightly. If Shao Yunan saw this scene, he would definitely exclaim, “Oh my God, I can’t take it anymore. Goosebumps all over!”
Guo Zimu embraced King Luo Rong’s neck and said, “I may not be as good as Yunan in making money, but I will try my best to manage the mansion well. I don’t want to handle matters that require me to make a public appearance. I will leave those to the crown prince or tell you about them. But you have to promise me one thing.”
“Anything!” Even though he had become younger, Guo Zimu would always be King Luo Rong’s “little” husband. Guo Zimu lowered his head and said, “In the future, if you find someone else you like…” His mouth was covered.
How could he possibly like someone else? That was something that could never happen! King Luo Rong directly stood up, held Guo Zimu, and strode into the bedroom. It was already dark and it was time to rest!
Putting him on the bed, King Luo Rong eagerly said, “Zimu, give me a child.” Guo Zimu’s movements stiffened and the fiery gaze in King Luo Rong’s eyes retreated by half. Guo Zimu hugged him, burying his face and asked anxiously, “Can’t we not have children?” Taking a deep breath, King Luo Rong kissed him and began to take action. “Are you afraid of pain?”
“Yes, I’m also afraid of pain. Yunan is afraid of pain too.”
“Then let’s not have children. Giving birth for men is extremely dangerous. If you don’t like it, we won’t. I was thinking that if you had a child, you would be more at ease.”
“I’m at ease as long as you come back for dinner every day.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll come back every day. If I don’t come back, I’ll take you with me.”
After that, King Luo Rong didn’t speak anymore. He would use other methods to dispel Guo Zimu’s anxiety. Guo Zimu, who was afraid of pain, would not give birth. Although he hoped for a child with Zimu, Zimu’s wishes were the most important! King Luo Rong continued to stride forward on the road of pampering his wife, without hesitation.
In the Grand Marshal’s mansion, upon hearing that King Luo Rong, Guo Zimu, and the Crown Prince would visit the next day, Shao Yunan was very happy. He and Wang Shijing had already discussed it. In the near future, besides going to the Weng residence and visiting his adoptive father, he would resolutely not go out. The three children also obediently stayed in the mansion.
However, Brother Tiger and Little Gold felt a bit restrained. They wanted to enter the space, but with many people and prying eyes, Shao Yunan could only ask them to endure. Fortunately, the mansion was very spacious and there was a large martial arts training ground. The three divine beasts had almost taken over the training ground and the mansion echoed with the roars of the Tigers (Brother Tiger) every day.
The Old Marshal issued an order forbidding anyone in the mansion from disturbing the Loyal and Brave Marquis family. Therefore, Shao Yunan was now brewing tea in the Old Lady’s room, with all three elderly individuals present. The Old Marshal didn’t have his own courtyard, while the courtyards of the Old General and his wife were adjacent. This allowed the Old Marshal to take turns spending the night in the rooms of both.
When Shao Yunan learned that the Old General’s male wife and the Old Lady were siblings, he was truly astonished. In ancient times, there were complex rules regarding marriage, but in some places, there was an unusual openness. If such matters occurred in the modern era, they would undoubtedly face moral condemnation. However, in this context, it is considered quite normal and even became a well-regarded story.
Wang Shijing, accompanied by the people assigned by the General’s Mansion, went to the newly granted Marquis’ residence (to receive rewards). The officials from the Ministry of Rites were already waiting there. As for how to renovate the Marquis’ residence, Wang Shijing, who understood his partner best, had already made arrangements.
He and Shao Yunan would return in two months and by then, the people from the General’s Mansion would continue to supervise the construction based on his drawings and requirements. If everything went smoothly, they could celebrate the New Year at the Marquis’ residence.
However, the original Hengyuan Marquis’ residence was already quite large and Emperor Yongming had bestowed two more residences. Although the other one was smaller, it was still much larger than the Wang family’s residence in Xiushui Village, or rather, Zhongyong Village. Connecting the two properties would likely create an area that could easily get someone lost.
As King Luo Rong and Guo Zimu were coming, Shao Yunan insisted on personally preparing the food. While brewing tea, he discussed the menu for the next day with the three elderly individuals. In reality, it was his unilateral proposal, as whatever he made, the three elderly people would surely enjoy. Shao Yunan engaged in conversation with the three elderly individuals and in the Ansi Courtyard, Su Chenyi stopped the head housekeeper overseeing the cleaning of the house.
With the Empress returning to the palace, the Ansi Courtyard needed to be rearranged. Shen Bing was hoping that in the future, after Shao Yunan was recognized, Ansi Courtyard could welcome its true master. Therefore, she paid special attention to this matter and had the servants transplant many flowers and plants.
As soon as Su Chenyi arrived, Shen Bing guessed the purpose of his visit. She asked the servants to leave and then said, “Chenyi, you came to find me. It’s related to young master Wang, right?”
With this mention, Su Chenyi immediately became excited. “Sister-in-law! Is he Zhan An?! He really looks like Little Eldest Uncle! I inquired and master Wang Shao is said to have been born in the 32nd year of Kangsheng, adopted at a young age, not knowing who his biological parents are. Sister-in-law, he is Zhan An; I can feel that he is Zhan An!”
“Sister-in-law?!”
“Chenyi, calm down first.” Shen Bing grabbed Su Chenyi’s arm, saying affectionately, “This matter was originally not something Dad wanted me to tell you, fearing that you couldn’t bear it.”
“Sister-in-law?!”
“Chenyi, listen to me first.”
Su Chenyi restrained his tears and nodded vigorously. Shen Bing pulled him to sit in a chair and continued. “You can see the resemblance between master Wang Shao and Little Eldest Uncle. How could Dad not see it? On the day they arrived, Dad, Little Eldest Uncle, and Mom suspected his identity.”
“He doesn’t remember anything before he was seven or eight years old and there are no ornaments he wore when he disappeared. We can’t just recognize him as family because he looks like Little Eldest Uncle when he was young. Dad has sent people to Yongxiu County, asking Dai Jiang to capture and interrogate the people from the Shao family about his identity. If he really is Zhan An, Dad will definitely make arrangements for the Dai family to recognize him.”
Su Chenyi covered his face and cried silently. The lost child was a pain he couldn’t touch in his heart and now, that child might be right in front of him!
Sighing, Shen Bing couldn’t help but comfort him. “Little Eldest Uncle is getting older, the children can’t see it, but when I saw him, I also felt he looked familiar. After taking the Immortal Water, he can see even more clearly now. That child really looks like Little Eldest Uncle. Among our children, only Zhan An looks the most alike and this was explicitly stated by our late maternal grandparents. I think we’re probably not wrong this time.”
Su Chenyi wiped away his tears… his heart in pain. “How can I endure it? Twelve years, I lost him for twelve years…”
“Just endure a few more days. Dai Jiang will definitely be able to send back news very soon.” Su Chenyi took a deep breath, suppressing his tears. After holding back his tears, he still worried. “Will he blame me? Blame me for not taking care of him?”
“No.” Shen Bing explained. “Dad said that as long as it’s confirmed that he is Zhan An, he will definitely recognize him as ours. But you must endure it for now.”
Su Chenyi nodded, but the pain in his heart was unbearable. Shen Bing could only pour him a cup of tea and let him calm down. At this moment, a servant came to report. “Madam, the Lady of the Prime Minister’s Mansion has sent a greeting card.”
