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  Today's breakfast was sumptuous, Jing'er stood by and smiled: "This porridge, soup and dishes were personally ordered by the king's concubine for the second lady."

  Chu Kei scooped up a spoonful of porridge and asked: "What kind of porridge is this?"

  "Steamed fish belly porridge, to nourish grandma's body, the soup is made with soybeans, yam and rabbit meat, and there are also fresh shepherd's purse." Jing'er replied.

  Indeed, it's all about nourishing the body... Chu Ke'er blushed and remained silent, while Zhu Yi Zhen chuckled beside her.

  The two of them finished their meal, Chu Kei put on a large red fox fur cloak with white crane down filling and changed into a pair of golden-red sheepskin ankle boots. Zhu Yi Zhen also wore a lotus green satin cape with golden thread embroidery and put on deerskin boots. The two of them left the courtyard and went up to the corridor.

  There are many corridors in the mansion, some open and some closed. On rainy or snowy days, walking through the closed corridors doesn't require wearing wooden clogs either.

  Although it's not necessary to pay respects, after all, she is a new daughter-in-law and can't be too unorthodox. Chu Keqi actually also knew that she should be obedient and submissive, as long as others didn't intentionally make things difficult for her, what ordinary daughters-in-law could do, she could also do.

  The two came to the side of Zheng Fei, entered the main room and took off their cloaks, then went into the inner room to pay their respects to Zheng Fei. After sitting down and drinking tea for a while, they listened as she softly but sternly reprimanded them for their disrespect yesterday.

  It's mainly that when they have guests at home, they don't know how to be reserved and should avoid certain things but still do them, losing face for the Duke's mansion.

  Chu Ke didn't mind, if someone had an opinion about her, no matter how well she did something, they would still find fault with it. So she always thought openly and just pretended not to hear it, letting it go in one ear and out the other. She drank her tea calmly, smiling brightly as she openly observed the Empress, but after observing for a while, she felt that there was something strange about it.

  Zhu Yuchen hadn't said anything yet, probably thinking the same as her, drinking tea with a normal expression. But after Zhengfei spoke for a while, his face gradually became unsightly, frowning and silent. Although Zhengfei was scolding them, she glanced at Zhu Yuchen's expression several times, seeing that he was very displeased, so she stopped talking.

  Chu Xue's eyes were clear and she saw it, turning her head to take a glance at Zhu Yi Chen, seeing that his complexion had returned to normal, Chu Xue felt extremely strange in her heart...

  Chenmo drank a mouthful of tea, and the two were about to bid farewell when Wu Ye Zhu Yizhong returned.

  When the maid came in to report, Chu Ke saw that the Empress had obviously let out a sigh of relief, as if she felt a sense of relaxation. With a look of excitement and joy, she hastily called out for her to come in!

  Zhu Yizhong walked in from outside, wearing a brand new sky blue satin cotton robe with a dark green satin cotton cloak draped over it. On his head was a hair crown inlaid with rubies, and around his waist was a half-inch wide rhinoceros leather belt. His feet were clad in thick-soled official boots. This made Chu Keqi, who was used to seeing Zhu Yizhen's casual attire, feel very unaccustomed, thinking that this fifth master should be dressed for an imperial court appearance.

  At the age of ten, he looked like a young man, not very similar to Zheng Fei, but rather similar to Zhu Yuchen, I think both brothers look like De Fu County King.

  He spoke eloquently, but his tone was a bit like that of the Empress, with an air of coldness and detachment. He treated Zhu Yuxuan with respect, but was somewhat chilly and dismissive towards Chu Keqian.

  When he came to pay his respects, he didn't even give Chu Ke a proper look in the eye. Although it's said that younger uncles and older sisters should keep some distance, this Fifth Master was too arrogant, with an air of cold pride all over him at such a young age, making Chu Ke very uncomfortable.

  After exchanging greetings, the Empress didn't say two words before she started asking Zhu Yizheng all sorts of questions. Chu Keji didn't like watching the mother and son's behavior, so she turned her head to look at Zhu Yizhen. Zhu Yizhen had been observing them, and when he met her gaze, he immediately bid farewell to the Empress and left with Chu Keji.

  The two of them then came to the side concubine's place. The side concubine complained to Zhu Yuxuan, "Why did you bring Chu Keqi out on such a cold day?" But then she pulled Chu Keqi and asked her repeatedly, "Did you eat breakfast? How much did you eat? Did you finish your porridge or leave some behind? How many dishes did you eat?" She asked in great detail. After hearing Zhu Yuxuan say that Chu Keqi's appetite was not bad, she was satisfied.

  This morning passed like this, and the two of them had lunch on the side of the concubine before coming out.

  Afternoon sunshine came out, warm and shining on people's bodies. What's strange is that the sun shines, but the snow is still falling, one or two flakes at a time, seemingly not in a hurry, slowly floating down to the ground.

  The two walked along the corridor to the backyard, Zhu Yuxuan softly explaining to her: "My fifth brother is twelve years old this year and is still in school. His teacher may also know, it's Cheng Lao Fuzi, the Taizi Shaofu, who served with my grandfather for decades and returned home four or five years ago after resigning from office. My fifth brother has been at his academy all along."

  Cheng Lao's husband asked, "Why didn't you invite Mr. to go home and teach him?"

  Zhu Yichan smiled and said, "Although my fifth brother is a prince of the imperial clan, we old masters have some strange temperaments and are not willing to bow our heads for the sake of power and nobility. Moreover, he has been the junior preceptor of the crown prince, and his family has an academy. Whoever goes to school must go to his academy."

  Chu Kei nodded vaguely.

  Zhu Yichan said, "Fifth brother has been cold and distant since he was young... but maybe it's also because he's not close to us." He didn't just say nice things, instead he calmly explained the situation: "He's young, so some things are written all over his face."

  Chu Ke smiled and said, "I didn't mind." She remembered the strange expression on Zheng Fei's face when she was lecturing, so she asked, "Hui Zhen, what kind of temper does Zheng Fei have at home?"

  Zhu Yichen slightly furrowed his brow, not quite understanding: "What temper?"

  Chu Ke asked directly: "Just now, Mingming was clearly scolding us, but I saw her secretly looking at someone's face, and later when that person's expression turned bad, she seemed to become somewhat fearful and didn't dare speak."

  Zhu Yichen nodded and said, "So it was that... Our manor is a bit different from others. The Duke has passed away, and although the Empress Dowager is my mother, there are some things she needs to listen to me about, especially when it comes to major events in the manor. She also sneaks glances at my expression, not wanting to provoke me too much."

  He said that, Chu Kei already understood: "Oh, I understand, the Three Obediences and Four Virtues also say, husband dies to follow son. The outside things are now settled, but the Empress has some questions to ask too... However, she still maintains her motherly demeanor..." She quickly realized the current situation in her heart, the Empress doesn't dare offend Yu Chen, yet still wants to grasp him, so from now on, it's possible that she will use some things to control herself.

  Zhu Yichan also thought of it and smiled: "Don't worry too much about the Empress, Mother has been with her for decades and understands her temper very well. She won't let herself be controlled by her. Besides, the Empress is not a person who excels at plotting..."

  Chu Ke looked at him with a mixture of emotions, half-smiling and half-crying, and after a long time, she murmured: "You can see it, brother... just by looking."

  Zhu Yichan smiled and said, "The mansion is actually quite quiet, just arrived, want to try to probe naturally have to probe once, after knowing the temper lived for a period of time, should be quiet also will calm down. We are juniors, should respect her, but she won't be too excessive."

  Chu Ke smiled and nodded: "I get it! Not being good at plotting, I can rest assured now......" She playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

  Zhu Yichan smiled and took her hand, placing it on his chest. He pointed ahead as they walked, laughing: "Up ahead is the largest garden in the estate, covering about 30 mu of land. It has everything, with a river running through it and a large lotus pond. There's also a bamboo forest, and all sorts of pavilions and buildings. If you take your time strolling around, one day won't be enough to see everything." He smiled at her: "If you get bored, you can come here for a walk. Our courtyard has a garden too. From the side door of our courtyard, you can pass through the side courtyard and get there directly. Nobody else can enter from that side."

  "Thirty mu! That's really big."

  Zhu Yucheng smiled and said, "There are four or five gardens of various sizes in the mansion. The main wife and mother each have their own garden, which can also be visited to see the differences. Mother's garden is especially fun in the summer with all sorts of artificial hills and ponds. When I was young, I liked to play there and would often hide in the caves of the artificial hills, calling for servants to find me."

  Chu Ke's lips curled up into a smile as she listened intently, suddenly feeling an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and warmth spreading throughout her body. A wave of happiness washed over her as she quietly listened to him recount his childhood stories, and for a moment, it felt like she had lived an entire lifetime...

  She quietly stretched out her other hand and also stuffed it into his hand.

  Zhu Yichen paused, placing her hands on his chest and embracing her waist as he stood there, gazing at her. She also looked up at him with an upturned face. The surroundings were a blanket of pure white snow, and his long eyelashes still held a crystal clear snowflake that trembled slightly, shining brightly in the sunlight. The two walked slowly along the corridor, the snow still falling gently, but much lighter now, with only one or two flakes drifting down from the sky from time to time.

  Along the corridor, they arrived at the large garden. Chu Xue was about to go down when Zhu Yuxuan hastily pulled her back: "The snow is still falling!" He smiled and looked at her: "Be careful not to catch a chill."

  Chu Ke smiled and pulled him towards the garden: "I'm not that weak, the snow has stopped. I want to take a walk!"

  Zhu Yichan was pulled by her down the corridor, and could only stretch out his hand to put the wind hat on her cloak for her. He looked down at the boots she was wearing on her feet, and tightly grasped her hand: "But let's walk a bit slower, don't fall."

  Chu Ke smiled and said: "Really!" But in her heart, it was especially sweet, smiling with curved eyes.

  Zhu Yichan looked at her smile, his heart beating faster, with the intention of doing something, he glanced around and saw that two or three maids were following him, and there seemed to be someone in the distance, so he had to dispel the idea and just clenched his fists tightly.

  Two people stand in the snow looking at the lotus pond, the entire surface of which has already been covered with a layer of white. Faintly visible are some remaining lotus stalks standing alone in the middle.

  "The lotus pond is so big that you can take a boat ride on it."

  "Sure, in the summer, there are those lotus-picking boats, people sit on them and shuttle back and forth in the pond water, picking lotus flowers and whatnot. If you like, we can take a ride." Zhu Yichen said with a smile: "I'll bring it along."

  "That boat is very narrow, right? I once saw someone who didn't often take boats get on that dragonfly boat and it flipped over as soon as they got on... Luckily it was a small pond, not deep enough to drown anyone, but it still gave me quite a fright." Chu Ke'er couldn't help but laugh at the memory, still looking a bit shaken: "I don't know how to swim! Northern girl!"

  "Just be careful when getting on and off the boat... If not, I'll carry you up." Zhu Yichen smiled and leaned close to her ear, whispering: "By then, my injury will definitely have healed."

  Now his injuries are inevitably linked to the intimate behavior of the two, Chu Ke's face suddenly became blood red, and in a snowy white background, she looked exceptionally beautiful. Zhu Yu Chen stared blankly, muttering to himself: "Shouldn't have come out..."

  The two were speaking when Zhu Yichen saw the few people in the distance walking slowly towards them, but they were still very far away and couldn't be seen clearly who they were, and they didn't care either.

  "Are there any other fun places?"

  "There are many fun places... On our side, a little further ahead, is a large open space with some grass. It's perfect for flying kites. In the spring, I'll take you there to fly one." Zhu Yichen pointed ahead, smiling and saying so.

  Chu Xue smiled and looked at him: "I always feel like a kid, now I finally have someone to play with!"

  Zhu Yichen smiled: "Since I was a child, I have never had brothers and sisters... There were a few who died early, no one accompanied me to play, I really still longed for someone to accompany me forever." He pulled her into his chest, stretched out his hand to gently stroke her face, and said in a low voice: "You must stay with me forever."

  Chu Kei covered her mouth and smiled, her face slightly flushed, smiling and saying: "I just want to run... can't run anymore."

  Zhu Yichan lightly tapped her nose: "Where do you think you're going?"

  "Just like that..." Chu Ke smiled with a hint of shyness, looking up at him with her face tilted upwards.

  Zhu Yichen couldn't help but lower his head and kissed her lips gently.

  A burst of coughing sounds came from not far away, obviously not made by the maid. The two of them looked over together and saw that the few people who were still in the distance had now walked onto the corridor on this side. Seeing Zhu Yuheng and Chu Keqi standing in the snow after getting off the corridor, those people also came down.

  Zhu Yicheng's face suddenly sank, Chu Keqi took a look and saw that it was several dressed-up girls with fluttering sleeves, and immediately reacted, thinking they should be the ladies from the Zhengfei's maiden family, surnamed Qiu.

  She took a deliberate look at the appearance of several people. The one in front, wearing a large red monkey fur cloak, had a face like a silver plate and skin as smooth as condensed milk, and was indeed handsome. The two behind looked like sisters, with identical melon-shaped faces and some freckles on the tip of their noses.

  Behind the three people, several maids carrying umbrellas and stools followed closely, walking straight towards the two of them. When they arrived in front of them, the one who was at the very front smiled and said: "Is this younger sister? She's really lovely!"

  Chu Ke heard her voice and immediately recognized it! This was the person who had just let out that ear-piercing cough, and also the woman who had wanted to see her own reflection in the bridal chamber that night! The same rude tone! Now hearing her call herself "sister-in-law", could she actually be Zhu Yi Xun's sister?

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