The 114 men performed well and invited their families to visit them.

  After noon, Mrs. Yang excused herself due to physical discomfort and left early. Yang Qining's face was full of discontent, the palace flower on his head had disappeared, and his face seemed to have been crying, with a hint of hidden resentment. He saw it clearly but pretended not to know, smiling and sending them off personally at the Huahua Gate.

  After seeing off the mother and daughter, he turned his head sideways and said to Linglong: "I saw everything just now, tell me all about it."

  Linglong's throat was clear and crisp, "Just now, I was serving in the side hall, and I saw it clearly. Yang Tai Fu Ren came out from inside and called out Yang Niang. I secretly followed them out, and it seemed that Yang Tai Fu Ren was scolding Yang Niang for being infatuated and not knowing her own worth. She also told Yang Niang to throw away the palace flower on her head, the farther the better. Yang Niang refused, saying that San Yi had told her that whoever possesses this palace flower would be the princess of Jing Wang Fu. In between words, she also mentioned Your Highness." Linglong's face was filled with indignation and discontent.

  "As if nothing had happened, 'Let's just keep talking.'"

  Linglong continued, "That Yang young lady said that you, the princess, were not the one destined by the prince, but rather she was. Because she obtained that palace flower, Old Lady Yang was furious and asked where it came from. At first, Yang young lady only said she got it unintentionally, but later, under the severe questioning of Old Lady Yang, she finally told the truth." Linglong said disdainfully, "It turned out that the palace flower was actually given to Miss Yang by her third aunt."

  "What kind of god is this again?"

  Linglong replied: "It's the second wife of the Lord of the State, Xu, who is also known as Madam Xu. She is Yang Madam's own sister."

  It seemed like a sudden enlightenment, but soon became puzzled again, "Don't they get along with each other?"

  Linglong nodded, "It's definitely not harmonious. Madame Yang is a legitimate daughter, married well and has a promising son. Madame Xu is an illegitimate daughter, although her marriage is also good, but compared to Madame Yang, she is far inferior."

  With a nod, she finally sorted out the tangled threads in her mind. Yang Qining was indeed the legitimate daughter of the Hou Mansion, and her two elder brothers were also quite capable. Why would they not choose a good husband for her, but instead consider Li Xiao, who already had a wife? If this got out, it would be a laughingstock. The purpose of Xu Er Furen's instigation was clear: she wanted to ruin Yang Qining's reputation and humiliate Lady Yang.

  "What about the palace flower?"

  "It was taken off and thrown away by Mrs. Yang," Ling said, "Miss Yang got very angry and started crying. Mrs. Yang was so furious that she even threatened, 'If you dare to wear this palace flower again, I will disown you as my daughter.' This finally shocked Miss Yang. But Miss Yang was still very angry, covering her face and crying as she walked away."

  With a gentle sigh, she slightly lowered half of her heart and carefully handed the palace flower to Ruoqing's face. "This palace flower was thrown away by Old Lady Yang, but I picked it up when no one was paying attention. Your Highness, do you want me to hand it over to you?"

  After a moment of silence, she took over and said with a smile: "Thanks for your trouble, you're really rough but with some finesse." This little girl is not very good at serving people, but she's actually quite good at other things.

  Linglong was flattered and very happy, and then gave Ruxin a major piece of news, "Just now I saw that Yang girl seemed to be getting along extremely well with Princess Qing'an. Moreover, they huddled together and whispered many secrets."

  ……

  On the second day of the Lunar New Year, it was Wang Fu's turn to visit relatives. After having a meal at Cheng Wang Fu in the morning, they went to Qi Wang Fu in the evening. Since Qi Wang was younger, Jing Tai Wang Fei did not go again. Li Xiu, considering that Qi Wang Fei had almost become his own Wang Fei back then, only let Ru Qing go alone this time.

  The Princess of Qi, Mrs. Zhu, was indeed dignified and magnanimous, the Qi Wang Fu was managed in an orderly manner, the servants were respectful but not lacking in reserve and composure.

  However, Ruqin, who was used to the spacious and boundless Jing Wang Fu, where one had to take a sedan chair to get from one courtyard to another, suddenly entered Qi Wang Fu and found the narrow courtyards quite uncomfortable.

  Compared to the Jingwang Mansion, the Qiwang Mansion is not considered spacious. The three-entry courtyard has a few scattered houses at the end of the view, with no artificial hills or ponds, only man-made scenery, a few corridors, several pavilions, a number of small gardens, and six or seven exquisite small courtyards that make up the inner mansion of the Qiwang Mansion. Compared to the Qingchanghou Mansion, it is also much worse, but compared to the Fang Mansion, it is slightly wider.

  The Qi Wang Fu's population is still relatively simple, although it is said that there are six or seven concubines, they also have two or three concubines squeezed into one courtyard. The current Qi Wang Fei, Zhū Shì, has given birth to a son and a daughter, her figure is more plump than before, but her face hasn't changed much, however, it can be seen that there is some melancholy in her expression, with slight wrinkles between her eyebrows. She wears an iron-red embroidered autumn chrysanthemum dark patterned satin jacket, with a pomegranate red skirt underneath, looking steady and dignified. The slanted golden hairpin with ruby and gemstone inlays, mixed with the delicate hairpins, shines brightly.

  It is said that a woman with a hairpin and a step shake, must be gentle, quiet, calm, and her movements must be just right, in order to be charming and alluring, and the charm will be endless. With a hairpin on top of her head, she walks with small steps under everyone's gaze, a kind of touching and moving charm is born. It is also a kind of restraint, when walking, one must hold their posture straight, if they walk too slowly, there is no charming movement; if they walk too quickly, the hairpin will make a ringing sound, showing that they are **ignorant of etiquette.

  The Queen of Qi was solemn and dignified in her demeanor, with no such gentle charm on her hairpin, but she had a kind of dignified and steady grandeur.

  Before leaving, Li Xue answered her question, "Zhushi Mei is indeed beautiful and dignified, but unfortunately she lacks spirit. I believe that twenty years later, if the Qi Wang Fu has declined, she will definitely be in demand as a nanny."

  As for the dark scolding of him being thin, but at this time carefully observing King Qi's wife, Li Xiao's thin words are not unrealistic. This person is indeed too dignified, almost carrying all the rules and rituals on his back.

  The guests in the Qi Wang Fu were not many, and there was no lively atmosphere of New Year's festivities in the mansion. The large red lanterns did not hang from the main gate all the way to every corner like they did at the Jing Wang Fu. In the Qi Wang Fu, apart from the main gate and the main hall, there were no other decorations on the corridors or side doors. It seemed that the Qi Wang Fei was not a person who liked lively festivities.

  Today's guests, apart from the Rong couple, were only Fu Wangfei, Duan Wang Shizi Fei, and some minor noblewomen. Qi Wangfei introduced everyone to each other, and they exchanged polite greetings, nodding their heads in respect and exchanging a few humble words of courtesy. Among them, the ladies were particularly curious about Rong, who wore a rose-red jacket with white rabbit fur trim on the collar, cuffs, and hem, adorned with gold thread and silver lines, intricately embroidered with golden peony flowers. It seemed like only an imperial seamstress could have such exceptional skills. Her hair was loosely styled in a bun, secured with a jade-encrusted gold phoenix hairpin, and her forehead was adorned with a white ermine-trimmed headband set with rubies, which complemented her radiant complexion, exuding elegance and refinement.

  She looks great in this ermine-trimmed coat, the snow-white fur sets off her delicate face perfectly, especially the sable hat with a ruby gemstone on her forehead, which adds a finishing touch to her beauty, making her look elegant, stately and luxurious.

  Qingling is also inherently extraordinary and delicate.

  Everyone is envious of this woman, she was born well and indeed married well.

  As if seeing everyone, they seem to have a similar gaze focused on themselves, feeling a bit embarrassed, she didn't want to wear a thick plush onesie, but couldn't bear the cold, so she had no choice but to wear it thickly.

  Someone couldn't help but ask: "Sister-in-law, where did you get this forehead decoration done? It looks so good, I'll go and get one done tomorrow too."

  She rubbed her forehead with a bewildered expression, "This... I'm not quite sure..." In her room, there was a large pile of hairpins and headpieces, which should have been prepared beforehand. But when they were prepared, she really didn't know, and thought that Li Xiu's room had always been equipped with these accessories. However, from the meaning of Fu Wangfei, it seemed that this hairpin also needed to be custom-made or bought outside.

  She looked at the jewelry and clothes, seemingly bewildered, clearly having never ordered them herself. And seeing how new and beautiful these clothes and jewels were, she thought they must have been prepared long ago by someone in the palace, just waiting for her to wear them after entering the palace as a bride.

  The new bride is so valued, the family's life is... thinking of their own family, everyone can't help but feel gloomy, and with a mix of envy and admiration, they gaze at her wearing a brand new dress, feeling a slight heartache.

  The queen quietly sized up Ruyi, her expression slightly dimmed, but she quickly recovered and changed the subject. The others also felt that as a noblewoman (the queen), they were actually envying someone else, which was truly embarrassing. So they all started chatting and laughing again, and for a while, the host and guests were joyful and harmonious.

  After dinner, everyone dispersed. Ruo Xin was the last to leave because she had to make a courtesy call. When she returned from making the courtesy call, all the guests were gone. Just as she was about to leave, Princess Qi called out to her, "Eldest Sister-in-law, outside it's dark and windy, and it's even snowing, how could Brother Ruo let you come alone?"

  "Ah, my husband is a rough man, he doesn't know how to be gentle and courteous. How can I let him take care of you like your brother does? He's got a loud mouth, when he gets angry the whole house shakes, I don't dare let him escort you!" Half of this was true, Li Xiao was indeed frightening when he lost his temper. Besides, the Qi Wang Fu and Jing Wang Fu were not far apart, it only took half an hour by carriage to get there. Who needs a guardian angel anyway?

  And before she left, he didn't offer to pick her up, nor did he say that he would come to pick her up.

  The king's consort gazed at Ruqing's face, her eyes lingering on the delicate features accentuated by her forehead and large collar. A faint pang of pain arose in her heart as she watched Ruqing respond, yet she felt an odd sense of relief wash over her. Silently despising her own darkness, she carefully instructed Ruqing once more to be careful on the road, to hang the lanterns higher, and to have the coachman drive the horses slower, lest the road be slippery.

  As soon as they got on the carriage, they left the ceremonial gate, and after the carriage drove away from the Qi Wang Fu, although she had wrapped herself in a thick, crimson, embroidered fox-fur cloak, her hands and feet were still somewhat stiff with cold. Just as Xiangxiang was huddled together for warmth, suddenly there came the sound of horse hooves and the driver's voice outside, "Your Highness?"

  As soon as he heard the voice, he hastily poked his head out of the carriage window and indeed it was Li Xiao, wearing a black windbreaker with a mink fur trim, under a black warm hat, there was a handsome face that had been splashed wet by snow water.

  "How did you get here?" she cried out in a choked voice.

  Li Xiao got off the horse and down to the carriage, Xiang Yu and Xiaolan had no choice but to get off the carriage and squeeze into another one at the back with other wives and daughters-in-law.

  Li Xiu hastily got on the carriage, and a cold aura made Ruo Xin shiver. Suddenly, something warm and soft was stuffed into her hands, and she quickly asked, "What's this?"

  "Tang Bao Zi, you forgot to take it when you left." Li Xiao stuffed the Tang Bao Zi into her hand, "Hold on to it, look at you, your hands are all frozen stiff."

  "Is the king specially coming to pick me up?"

  Li Xiao couldn't help but say, "My wife is so beautiful, what if she gets kidnapped by thieves?"

  She thought to herself: "Black-mouthed crow." But she was still quite happy inside. This person actually knew how to pick her up and drop her off, coughing, he's made progress oh.

  However, offering kindness for no reason is either deceitful or thieving. The fact that they're braving the wind and snow to send you off, definitely doesn't have good intentions.

  "Isn't there a guest in the mansion? You've come all this way to pick me up."

  Li Xiao coughed lightly, "There is, but it's all from my father's side. I didn't have much fun standing around, so I thought of you." He dared not tell her that he had come specifically to pick her up. Although the weather was calm today, who could guarantee that there wouldn't be any unexpected events at night? Especially since his little wife had made a name for herself in the imperial court after making the rounds, those sycophants would envy him even more. He needed to be extra careful.

  As if indulging in his own emotions, he thought about how he used to be both intimidated and afraid of him before. The figure standing on the clouds had miraculously become his bedfellow, and it felt unbelievable. He became shy due to their intimate contact, his face slightly red as he struggled, "This is a car, can you please restrain yourself?"

  Li Xiu kissed her little face, the stubble on his chin made her cheek itch, dodging left and right but still couldn't avoid him, finally had to let him kiss enough.

  If the affection is not enough, finally, she simply holds Ruoxi in her arms and hugs her tightly to her chest, kissing her gently. Ruoxi gets angry and punches her with a fist, "I hate it! My hair is almost scattered. Can't you control yourself? This is outside, what if we go back to the Wang Fu later, do I still want to see people?"

  Li Xiang finally let go of her after holding her for a while, "Who told you to be so good-looking." He just couldn't help it.

  "Is it because I'm good-looking that you want to be nice to me?"

  Li Xiao pinched her nose, "We must be together until we are old and gray. Sooner or later, we will all grow old. Rather than growing old with teeth falling out, hair turning white, and a face full of wrinkles, it's better to take advantage of our youth and make up for lost time."

  "What if your beauty is no longer?"

  "You love beauty so much, you won't let yourself become unattractive. But even if you do lose your looks, it's okay, in my heart, you are the most beautiful." He didn't even mind her being like a little flower cat, how could he possibly mind her growing old?

  Just as things were getting a little better, "I fear that beauty is short-lived and love will soon come to an end."

  "You will always be my wife." He kissed her earlobe, holding it in his mouth and nibbling gently, "I promise you, I will never betray you for the pleasure of the lower half of my body."

  "Unexpectedly, this big rough man can actually say sweet words, I'm so surprised. But still cleverly not to get into trouble, leaning on his shoulder, softly said: 'Hmm, I believe you.'"

  His little wife leaned softly against his chest, her face gentle, the corners of her lips curled into a smile, and her flower-like dimples made Li Xiao's heart soften. He held her tightly and kissed her pale jade face. As she didn't like to apply too much powder on her face, she usually only applied fragrant oil and painted her eyebrows with ink, which smelled sweet and lovely. She couldn't help but want to rush back home and have a wild and passionate time together.

  After returning to the palace, she asked someone to bring a bowl of red rice porridge from the kitchen. She drank half a bowl and was left with less than half a bowl, which she really couldn't finish eating. She planned to put it aside for now and eat it after taking a bath. But when she came out of the partition, the table had been cleaned up. She couldn't help but ask Liuyue, "Where's my porridge?"

  Liu Yue didn't respond, and Lan Yin hastily replied: "The princess's porridge was drunk by the prince. The empty bowl has been sent to the kitchen." Seeing Ruo Qing stunned, she thought Ruo Qing still wanted to eat, so she added: "Does the princess want more porridge?"

  "Never mind, I'm full already. Where's Wang Ye?"

  "The king went to the eldest son's place and will be back soon."

  She nodded and asked her to bring a pot of tea for her daughter, then sat under the lamp, looking at the list of gifts received by the Wang Fu. It was indeed worthy of the Wang Fu, as the gifts they had received in the past two days were quite numerous. Some were from old King's former subordinates, some were from Li Xiao's subordinates, and most were sent by officials from all over the capital. There were also those who came to pay their respects from various estates, and all sorts of things were still piled up in the warehouse, waiting for her to find time to sort them out.

  Lan Yin went to the tea house and brewed a cup of jasmine tea. At this time, the boiling water had not yet opened, so she squatted down and added some charcoal to the stove. The fierce fire quickly boiled the water. She picked up the teapot, made the tea, and was about to take it in when Pin Lan suddenly came forward with a smile: "Sister, are you on duty tonight?"

  She glanced at her and nodded, "Yes, what's wrong?"

  "Then where do you guys usually sleep at night?"

  "Of course it's the pear blossom cabinet inside."

  Pinlan curiously asked, "Of course I know it's the pear blossom cabinet, what I'm asking is, if His Highness and Her Highness want to get up in the middle of the night to drink some water or something, do you all have to get up and serve them too?"

  Lan Yin gave her a strange look, "Before the princess rests, we need to put a thermos on the bedside table. The heat from the kang will keep it warm, so if the princess gets thirsty, she can just pour some out herself. Why do we need to get up?"

  Pinlan hesitated for a moment, "What if Princess Wang needs your service in the middle of the night?"

  Lan Yin's expressionless face replied: "Then get up and serve." Seeing that she still wanted to ask, her face turned stern, "What's the point of asking such details about what happens in the princess's room?"

  Pinlan smiled and said, "I'm just curious, after all, sister is a young lady from a good family, getting up in the middle of the night to serve the princess consort, then who will serve the prince?"

  Lan Yin said coldly: "Of course, the king will be served by the queen." She stared at Pin Lan and asked: "Why do you ask so many questions? Do you also want to serve the king?"

  Pinlan hastily waved her hand, "No, no, no. What status does the prince have? The people serving him are numerous. How could it be my turn?"

  She looked Lan up and down, then said slowly: "You're so delicate and clean, no wonder the madam would let you accompany her as a dowry. It's just a pity that you don't understand the princess's temperament." Then she ignored her and took the tea into the inner room.

  At this time, Ruqing was still reading the case files. After Lan Yin put the tea on the table, she didn't leave, and Ruqing couldn't help but feel puzzled, "Is there something else?"

  Lan Yin wanted to speak but hesitated, looking around to make sure no one was listening. She liked the quiet and peaceful atmosphere, so she never kept any servants in her house, but she knew that there must be someone eavesdropping from next door. Lan Yin thought about saying something, but she was afraid of being overheard, and once she spoke out, it would be like tattling. Just then, Qing raised his head: "If you have anything to say, just speak directly, won't keeping it in your heart make you feel uncomfortable?"

  Lan Yin thought for a moment, and finally just said: "That... these two days I've been watching Pinlan and Pinhe put on makeup and powder all day, walking back and forth in front of me, it's really annoying. But I don't dare say it out loud, so I was thinking of asking Your Highness to speak up for me, would that be okay?"

  If there was anything unexpected, she glanced at Lan Yin again, "You are a senior maid, and you have the right to reprimand the lower maids. If they don't listen to your teachings, I'll tell Mother Zhou, or it will be up to Xiangxiang." In Longxianju, there were two senior maids, Xiangxiang and Liuyue, and Mother Zhou was in charge of all the maids. Xiangxiang was in charge of the maids on Ruhua's side, while Liuyue was in charge of those on Lixiao's side. Not only did they have to serve their masters well, but they also had to manage and dispatch the lower-ranking maids, and even had the right to punish them. For minor mistakes, they would be reprimanded, and if they didn't change after repeated warnings, they would be punished by being slapped on the palm of the hand or made to stand facing a wall in contemplation. If they were to be expelled from Longxianju or sold off as punishment, it would require Ruhua's consent.

  There were twelve senior maids under Da Ya Tou, namely Yu Rong, Yu Fu, Xiang Ming, Yun Xia, Yu Qin, Ling Long, Shi Shu, Lan Yin, Yu Xia, Yu Dong, Xi Qing and Xi Huan. These twelve senior maids took turns to stay up at night to attend to Li Xiu and Ru Qing, and also had the right to reprimand the junior maids. However, they did not have the power to mete out punishment. If any of the junior maids misbehaved, after being reprimanded but still refusing to change their ways, the matter would be reported to Chen Xiang Liu Yue or Zhou Mama.

  The second-class maidservants were eight in number and were stationed at the secondary gate where they assisted the senior maids.

  The thirty-six third-class maids below had to listen to the orders of the senior maid, Da Yuerong or Guan Shi Ayi. They were also divided into two shifts, each with their own division of labor, but they could not enter the main house half a step. Pinlan and Pinhe belonged to the third-class maids, only responsible for transmitting messages in the outer corridor, very simple and easy work, on the condition that they could not leave.

  Lan Yin nodded and left after being told so simply. Of course, she wasn't going to scold Pin Lan, but rather to find Chen Xiang.

  ……

  Longxianju is the largest courtyard in the Wangfu, a three-advance and three-retreat siheyuan with the main house on the north side, while the west and south sides are wing houses. The west side has been cleaned up for Mengge to live in, and the south side is Li Xiong's inner study, where there is also a flower hall. When Li Xiong came out from Mengge's place and returned to the main house, he saw Ruhua wearing a thin shirt and a cloak sitting in front of the lamp reading something, and couldn't help but ask: "Not sleeping yet?"

  "Should we call someone to attend to you?"

  Li Xiao's face sank, "Does your own man still need others to serve him?" She said, throwing out a sentence "Come in and serve your husband bathing." Then she went inside.

  It was a while before she came to herself, and then she thought that as a wife, she should indeed attend to her husband. So she ordered Xiangmei to heat up some water, and then she went behind the screen and helped Li Xu take off his clothes, asking: "How did your clothes get dirty?"

  "Meng Ge refused to take his medicine. He was tricked into drinking it."

  Ru Qiong's hands paused for a moment, "Actually, most imperial physicians prescribe tonics to strengthen the spleen. Meng Ge is usually fine as long as he pays attention to his diet. Why bother drinking those bitter medicines that are hard to swallow?" The doctor who previously treated Meng Ge, Hu Daifu, had been beaten and his pharmacy smashed by Li Xiong's men, even the signboard was destroyed, and he was chased out of the imperial city. Now, it was the imperial physician from the palace who was treating Meng Ge.

  The imperial physician carefully treated the young master again and said that there was no serious problem, just need to pay attention during normal times, only prescribed some tonics for strengthening the body and spleen.

  Li Xuan said: "Good, I will follow your words."

  At this time, the woman had already brought hot water and poured it into a large wooden bucket. Li Xiao, who was only wearing his underclothes, said to her, "Your Highness can take a bath first, I'll go out for now." However, Li Xiao pulled her back and whispered in her ear, "Help me bathe."

  Although she was not satisfied, thinking that he had been behaving quite well these past few days, she decided to let it slide and consider it a reward. So she helped him undress, and after he sat down in the tub, she applied some fragrant oil and used a soft-bristled brush to gently scrub his back, lightly sniffing his hair. She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose in distaste and say, "You should really wash your hair, it's filthy." This man was truly unworthy of being a prince, he didn't care about hygiene at all. Since marrying him, she had only washed twice, basically going seven or eight days without washing, this dirty ghost.

  Li Xiu let down her hair and closed her eyes, forcing herself to reason, "What's this? In the past, when I followed my father on military campaigns, I wouldn't even touch water for ten days or half a month." Then she hummed, "Your second brother isn't necessarily cleaner than me either."

  "Second Brother has Second Sister to worry about." No matter how stinky a man is, only the person sleeping next to him can smell it. Although she and Zhiyi are close, they aren't intimate to that extent, right? What kind of vinegar is this man eating?

  This sentence made Li Xiao turn from anger to joy, stretching out his wet hand to hold onto the slender waist, "I love hearing you say that."

  As she was washing his hair, she suddenly slapped his hand and scolded, "Hey, be still."

  Although it smelled bad when I brought my nose closer, the water that came out wasn't too dirty. After washing his hair three to five times and then washing his body another three to five times, I grabbed a big towel and said, "Is that good enough?"

  Li Xiao didn't get up, "I haven't washed down there yet."

  Her face turned red like blood, and she said: "You're not handicapped, wash it yourself."

  Li Xiang loved to see her stomping foot in anger, a pretty face with a rosy complexion, especially lovely. She got up from the bucket, her strong body made Ruo Xin dare not look at her more, she hastily grabbed a large towel and threw it on him, then turned around and took out clean clothes for him to wear, and let him sit on the stool, personally taking the towel to wipe his wet hair.

  He changed into three clean towels, and then took the jade comb of Yuniang Flower to straighten his hair. After this one combing, his hair started dripping water again, so he wiped it with a towel, repeating this process several times until his hair stopped dripping water. He let it hang loose and waited for it to dry before resting.

  "Is anyone giving you trouble in the Prince of Qi's residence?"

  She sat down beside him with a smile, took a piece of apple and put it in her mouth, "No, the king is now a hot stove, who is brain-dead and making things difficult for me?" Only an idiot would do such a thing. Oh, of course, Yu Wangfei, Yang Qining, and Chen Shi, Li Ji's wife, these are really brain-dead.

  "If anyone dares to give you trouble, just tell me and I'll scold them on your behalf."

  As he thought of his past achievements, he smiled and asked: "I heard that you once whipped the husband of Princess Fuguo on the street?"

  Li Xiao hummed softly and said disdainfully: "Who made that upright son's mouth unclean, looking down on my mother's background."

  "Hey, it turns out that he's still a mama's boy. This son isn't even worth raising. 'What about the young master of Rongguo House?'"

  Li Xiao said with a light tone, "That scoundrel dared to tease Ying'er, he's really tired of living. At that time, Ying'er was not even ten years old yet."

  He's indeed a good big brother.

  "Is it true that you killed a maid with your sword at the age of nine?"

  Li Xiao couldn't deny it, "That lowly maid was bought by one of my father's concubines and dared to poison me. Why should I show mercy?" Then he turned his head, "What's the point of asking these questions?"

  Ru Qing said with embarrassment: "I also heard it from others and thought it was a rumor."

  Li Xiang raised her chin, "So this is also one of the reasons you don't want to marry me?"

  "Uh-huh." As a matter of fact, it's true. Of course, that's just one of them.

  Li Xiang softened his gaze, "Don't worry, I may not have a good temper, but I absolutely won't lay a finger on you." Then he added another sentence, "If someone dares to bully you, I'll definitely stand up for you. If it's a man, I'll beat him up a few times; if it's a woman, I'll slap her a few times."

  She took another piece of apple and put it in her mouth, "Don't worry, no one dares to bully me." In fact, she wasn't easy to bully either.

  Previously at Fang's house, Ruoshan often secretly tripped her up, and she would also find opportunities to retaliate. After being scolded by Fang Jinglan, Ruoshan still thought that she had accidentally let her father catch the wrong spot.

  Li Xiang caught her snowy wrist, put the apple slices in his mouth and scolded: "You deserve to be beaten, your own man doesn't serve you."

  It's really a big man, but as the emotions have never wanted to do something big woman, so he picked up an apple slice and stuffed it into his mouth. Li Xu nodded in satisfaction, "The child can be taught." Yu Qing stuffed another piece, although his mouth was not yet finished eating, but Li Xu still opened his mouth, unfortunately, Yu Qing turned back and stuffed it into his own mouth, then smiled slyly and playfully.

  Under the lamp, she was like a clean white silk dress, her face washed clean, like a peeled hard-boiled egg. Li Xiao couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her lips.

  He kissed her fiercely, as if he couldn't breathe, and after a struggle, he finally found his breath. Li Xiang continued to kiss her, and with both hands, he began to unbutton her clothes, saying "Let's go to bed..."

  Li Xiguo really carried her horizontally to the bed and said with a smile: "Your hair is still wet."

  "It doesn't matter, it will dry once you're done."

  As if blushing, she buried her head in his arms, letting him put himself on the bed. Li Xu stretched out his hand to pull away the bed curtains and began doing the most enjoyable thing he had ever done in his life.

  Afterwards, she lazily lay on Li Xiao's naked body, drawing circles on his sturdy chest. This man had a good physique, with broad shoulders and narrow hips, a standard clothes rack, but upon closer inspection, there were still many scars on his body, such as four or five places on his chest, including knife wounds and arrow wounds, especially the arrow wound on his shoulder, which looked quite fresh.

  "You're the prince, how come you have so many injuries on your body?"

  Li Xian took her soft little hand and kissed it on the lips, "In the early years, I followed my father King to fight battles and got some injuries. Later, I also went to Datong to kill enemies in battle, and was injured by a stray arrow. Fortunately, there is your leather armor, which did not hurt the vital parts."

  It wasn't until now that she remembered, in the early years, she had indeed heard from Guan Yixiang that the two pieces of cowhide armor she had sent to him were actually given to Li Xiong. For this, Princess Jingtao even thanked him specially.

  "Second Brother's body also has many wounds." As the situation creates heroes, military generals and civil officials are different. Military generals do not need to be sent out or accumulate experience to take on responsibilities. With superb martial arts skills and a bit of strategic thinking, those with abilities can quickly stand out in battles against rebels or invaders. Once recognized by someone, promotion and ennoblement become easy matters.

  He has a good understanding of the situation and has been recommended by General Fu and King Jing. With his own efforts, he also has real talent and knowledge, so at a young age, he can lead the military power of a region. However, being a general may look glorious on the surface, but who knows the blood and sweat that have been paid behind the scenes?

  However, in general, the commander-in-chief often goes to the battlefield to kill enemies, but still tends to strategize from afar. As the commander-in-chief, with over 200 elite soldiers fighting to the death to protect him, it's not easy for him to be injured by the enemy. Nevertheless, there is still a risk of being wounded by stray arrows or being surrounded and scattered by the enemy. It's likely that Li Xiao's injuries were mostly caused by stray arrows.

  Li Xiang heard her mention Zhiyi again, and unhappily hugged her tightly, gently patting her buttocks: "Zhiyi has his own wife to worry about. You just need to worry about me and that's enough."

  He's so romantic and has a great sense of humor, I've never seen a man who loves vinegar so much, and he's even the prince.

  "He's my second brother. My own flesh and blood second brother." She declared beforehand, if this man even wants to eat the vinegar of his own flesh and blood, it would be unbearable.

  Li Xiao hummed, "Fortunately, he is just your brother."

  Just as I didn't understand what he meant and was about to ask him, he suddenly changed the subject again. "Been busy lately?"

  He rolled his eyes and said it wasn't nonsense. In any wealthy family, when celebrating the New Year, everyone from top to bottom would be busy to the point of exhaustion.

  Li Xiao frowned, "Then why did you let Wu Guan Shi prepare old cowhide for you again?"

  "After the second brother's birthday, he will go to Datong, so I have to make two more soft armor to send him."

  "What about me?"

  "You're not even going onto the battlefield."

  Li Xiao was unhappy, "Then you won't see me off? How can you be someone's wife?"

  It seems that this man is not only a male chauvinist, but also really regards himself as a big shot. However, seeing his disappointed look, she comforted him and said: "Okay, okay, if I have time, I'll make you a hat, how about that?" Making hats is relatively simpler.

  "No, I want clothes." Li Xiao hugged her and kissed her face, "Just like the robe you made for Zhiyi back then."

  "Like a broken heart," "What's still missing in your closet?"

  "That's different."

  It seems that men can also be coquettish, she thought to herself, this being the first time she had encountered such a situation. However, she also knew how to handle it, "In the past when I was at my natal home, I often did needlework and ruined my eyesight. Now, even Mother Zhou doesn't allow me to do it at night. How about this, if there's free time during the day, I'll make some for you, okay? It's just that it will probably take some time." Why not make a set of summer clothes then, and finish them just in time for summer when they can be worn.

  Li Xī suddenly felt a heavy heart, unable to distinguish between sorrow and pity, so he just hugged her tightly, "Forget it, let's make hats instead. Do it during the day."

  She nodded and hugged him tightly, smiling: "I knew the king would be the most compassionate."

  Li Xuan sighed inwardly, knowing that this girl was good at speaking clever words and flattering people, but looking at her joyful smile radiating from within, he still felt a soft spot in his heart. Watching her genuine excitement, he couldn't help but smile too.

  "Tomorrow is the third day of the new year, relatives from your mother's side are coming. You need to be mentally prepared."

  It took her a while to realize, "......to family members, are you coming too?"

  Li Xiang stared at her eyes and nodded slightly, "Come every year on the third day of the new year."

  Digression

  Dead tired, really dead tired