Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

A thunderclap suddenly exploded in the sky above the Zong Mansion, making everyone's scalp tingle.

Zong Xian's expression was cold and sharp, his voice deep and resonant: "When did my Zong family suddenly acquire a cousin?"

Qinghe quickly explained the origin of Mingyi in a few words, and added in a low voice at the end: "It was you, Second Master, who allowed the young lady to enter the manor. Perhaps you have forgotten something."

Zong Xian's expression changed several times as he turned and gazed intently in the direction of Ming Yi. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.

Qinghe felt uneasy.

After a short while, Zong Xian's expression completely disappeared. He slowly released the hand that was gripping her and said, "I understand. You can go now."

Qinghe immediately felt the invisible pressure on her shoulders disappear, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly responded, holding the hairpin as she strode towards Mingyi.

Chang Yu, on the other side, was already sweating profusely. He quickly smiled apologetically and corrected himself, saying, "It was just a slip of the tongue, I misspoke. You are Miss Cousin."

He was a martial artist with excellent hearing, and he clearly heard Qinghe call him "Cousin."

He's so quick-witted; he realized what was going on in an instant.

A servant must uphold the dignity of his master.

Qinghe had already come to Mingyi and handed her the hairpin: "Miss, you left your hairpin behind."

Mingyi subconsciously raised her hand to touch her hair bun, found her own hairpin, and then glanced at the one in Qinghe's hand. "You've got it wrong, this isn't mine. My hairpin is still on perfectly fine."

Qinghe slapped her forehead, realizing, "I must have misread it. It must be something Aunt Wen left behind this morning, since she came by."

The eldest son's wife had two concubines, one surnamed Wen and the other surnamed Yu.

Wen Shi had a very low profile. Apart from paying her respects to Madam Zong on a daily basis, she rarely went out. Mingyi had hardly ever seen her.

"It's about to rain, Miss, you should go back quickly."

-

It did rain on the way back, and quite heavily.

Chang Yu, holding an umbrella, escorted the master and servant to the door.

Mingyi stood under the eaves, and Yuegui stepped forward to gently wipe the rainwater off her clothes.

"Thank you for escorting me, Steward Chang. You may go back now." Mingyi looked up at Changyu and added, "I was in such a hurry earlier that I didn't have time to thank you, sir. Please convey my thanks to Steward Chang."

Chang Yu stood in the rain with an umbrella in hand. The rain and mist obscured the complex expression in his eyes. He simply smiled and agreed, then turned and stepped into the rain, his figure quickly disappearing.

After Chang Yu left, Yuegui smiled and said, "Second Master is so considerate. He was worried that the young lady would get wet in the rain, so he had the steward personally escort her back. I really don't understand why anyone would say that Second Master has a fierce reputation and is unapproachable?"

Mingyi said, "Second Master must be very good to his family."

Yuegui nodded: "With Second Master's thoughtfulness and consideration, he will surely treat his wife very well in the future."

Mingyi didn't reply, her fingertips lightly touching the large raindrops falling from the eaves, and she said softly, "With this kind of rain, it's probably hard to see sunny days for the next few days."

"The weather is getting colder, I hope Ah Zhe can take good care of himself and not get sick."

Yuegui comforted him, saying, "Young Master will definitely be healthy."

Mingyi's younger brother, Ji Mingzhe, is currently studying at Bailu Academy, serving as a study companion to Liu's son. He can only return home once every ten days.

However, it's common for it to be a couple of days earlier or later.

Mingyi calculated the days and thought that she might be able to see her younger brother in the next day or the day after.

-

The following day, Lady Liu sent someone again to invite Mingyi to come over.

This time, however, they did not speak in the hall. Instead, Madam Liu gently took Mingyi's hand and led her into the inner room. Qinghe then brought over a long, soft pink silk dress and handed it to Madam Liu.

Madam Liu took the clothes and carefully held them up in front of Mingyi, speaking gently, "I always see you dressed plainly, which I find too bland and lacks the vibrancy of a young lady. I had these clothes specially made for you; go and try them on to see if they fit."

Unable to refuse, Mingyi had no choice but to follow the maid behind the screen to change her clothes.

Before long, Mingyi came out, and when Liu looked up at him, her eyes lit up.

The dress is embroidered with delicate light blue crabapple blossoms, neither gaudy nor vulgar, dignified yet retaining the gentle and bright charm of a young girl.

Madam Liu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, it suits you very well."

Mingyi was a little confused. Liu had been treating her too well lately, sending her clothes and jewelry...

Madam Liu said, "Tomorrow is Zongying's homecoming, and the manor has prepared a special family banquet. You should change into this outfit and come eat with us then, it will make you look a bit more radiant, instead of always wearing plain clothes. Otherwise, the old lady will think I've been neglecting you."

Zongying is the old lady's youngest daughter, who is very much loved. She is charming, lively, and doesn't have much of a mind of her own.

Mingyi and she got along quite well. When Zongying was about to get married, they often chatted together to relieve their boredom.

However, after Zongying went to her husband's family home, she couldn't come back often, so Mingyi's days at the Zong residence became very boring.

Now that she knows she will be seeing Zong Ying, Mingyi can't help but look forward to tomorrow.

-

On the day Zong Ying returned to her parents' home, the Zong family mansion became unusually lively.

Accompanying Zong Ying was her newlywed husband, Wang Yanlin.

Zongying has always been the old lady's most beloved daughter. Back then, the old lady went to great lengths to arrange her marriage, personally overseeing the process and screening out countless promising young men from prominent families.

Everyone thought that with such high standards, Madam Zong would surely marry her daughter into a high-ranking family, either a noble or a member of the imperial family.

But the ending was completely unexpected. In the end, the old lady chose the Wang family, which was of ordinary social standing and inconspicuous.

Given the Wang family's social standing, they shouldn't even be able to reach the threshold of the ancestral temple.

These people don't understand Madam Zong's good intentions. Zong Ying is simple-minded and has been too well protected since childhood, so she is unaware of the scheming and intrigue within the household. If she were to marry into one of those deeply entrenched aristocratic families, she would surely be bullied and wronged.

The Wang family was small, with no elderly mothers-in-law or sisters-in-law; only their son, Wang, lived there. The young couple could live a quiet life behind closed doors, content to maintain harmony and live a peaceful and comfortable existence.

Furthermore, Zong Xian has always doted on his younger sister and had long ago declared that he would never use Zong Ying's happiness as a bargaining chip.

Zongying is indeed living a very happy and fulfilling life now. Every time she comes back, her face is filled with a sweet smile, and she looks even more plump and rounder than before she got married.

"Where am I fat? If you keep teasing me like that, I'm going to really get angry! Mother, please be the judge, Second Brother is going too far!"

"You always try to put me down, saying such unpleasant things. No wonder you're still single!"

When Mingyi entered, she saw Zong Ying standing with her hands on her hips and her pink cheeks puffed out, bickering with Zong Xian.

A rare smile appeared on Zong Xian's face.

When Mingyi first saw him smile, she felt very unfamiliar with him.

When Madam Liu, who was sitting next to Madam Zong, saw Mingyi, she put down her teacup, smiled and waved to her: "Mingyi is here. What are you standing there for? Hurry up and come over to greet him. This is the Second Master."

Zong Xian's smile faded slightly as he looked in the direction of the sound.