The pregnant woman pressed down on the wife, and the cousin collapsed into the prince's arms.

Little did she know that this was a token of love given to her by Rouge's cousin, Li Shuo.

Although it is simple and unadorned, it was carved by Li Shuo bit by bit by hand.

_

Since Pei Jingnian had promised his mother to inquire about Duan Huaiqing's character, although he was very unwilling, he had no reason to go back on his word.

Deep down, he hoped to find some fault with Duan Huaiqing so that he would have a reason to talk to his mother and ask her not to marry his cousin to him.

To everyone's surprise, after inquiring for a long time, it turned out that Duan Huaiqing was indeed a person of high moral character.

First, he did not curry favor with those in power and rarely attended banquets, even if invited by someone of higher rank.

Secondly, he was devoted to his work, and it is said that he often stayed up late at night annotating papers at the Hanlin Academy.

Third, they were simple and frugal, wearing coarse clothes and eating simple meals.

Although, to put it bluntly, these could be described as "pretentious," "bookworm," or "miser," Pei Jingnian couldn't bring himself to say them!

At least in Pei Jingnian's eyes, these were all advantages...

Pei Jingnian was not giving up and decided to meet Duan Huaiqing in person. He chose an evening and went from the Ministry of Personnel to the Hanlin Academy. He did not rush forward but waited for Duan Huaiqing to finish his shift and then silently followed behind him.

The bluish-gray clouds hung low, and a fine drizzle fell. Zhu Sheng held an umbrella for Pei Jingnian beside him. When he saw Duan Huaiqing, he couldn't help but gasp, "Master, this young master Duan is so shabby! Even his umbrella is patched. If Miss Pei marries into his family, won't she suffer?"

Pei Jingnian stared intently at the distant figure. Just as rumored, Duan Huaiqing was slender and wore a faded long robe. He held an oil-paper umbrella with two light brown patches on it.

Pei Jingnian was born into a wealthy and influential family, and in his mind, it was indeed hard to imagine that an umbrella could be patched...

He couldn't help but recall, hadn't his mother said the Duan family was quite well-off? How could this be...?

However, when he heard Zhusheng's last words, his heart tightened for some reason.

My cousin... well, it's one thing to be frugal and simple, but if Duan Huaiqing is really that stingy, I'm afraid we should really find out more about his family background.

He glanced at Zhusheng and said, "Let's go, follow them."

For some reason, when the young master looked at Zhu Sheng, he felt a chill run down his spine. Had he said something wrong?

He didn't say anything.

The master and servant followed silently behind Duan Huaiqing, and Pei Jingnian didn't know what he wanted to see.

Perhaps he just wanted to see a sufficient and reasonable reason to dissuade his mother from marrying Shen Yunshuang to Duan Huaiqing.

To his surprise, after walking for a while, he saw Duan Huaiqing go to a wonton stall on the street corner. It turned out that because of the rain, an elderly couple was busy packing up the tables and chairs, and they seemed a little flustered.

When Pei Jingnian saw Duan Huaiqing step forward without saying a word, he helped the elderly couple tidy up. Finally, perhaps seeing that they were old and still struggling to make a living, and that they were soaked from the rain, he took out some silver from his pocket to give to them.

"Young Master Duan... he really is a good person." Zhu Sheng's mouth was slightly open, clearly shocked by the scene.

He hadn't expected Young Master Duan to be so compassionate. He was already soaked to the bone from helping the elderly couple.

However, after he finished speaking, Pei Jingnian's mood clearly became even lower.

Pei Jingnian did not step forward again, and said, "Return to the residence."

_

When they returned to their residence, Jinlan Courtyard sent someone to invite them, saying that dinner had been prepared.