Xie Ming

The east wing is all about Yan Ge'er's affairs; Xiao You has a knack for it, and he's getting all smitten with Jingyi.

Just then, a maid came to call, quoting Changting's words, saying that Zhizhong had arrived at the mansion and was waiting for them in the front hall.

Resentful, Xiao Liang had important business to attend to, so he had no choice but to compose himself and leave.

Wait for him to come around from behind, then turn and peek out.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Qiu Zhizhong had already settled down at the octagonal table and was quite imposing. The roast duck he brought from Nanjing had already been torn from its paper packaging.

Peanuts and small dishes of cold appetizers were arranged on the table.

Then, warm half a pot of old yellow wine.

Zhi Zhong, with his mouth full of grease, was tearing apart a duck leg, enjoying it with his wine, and devouring it with gusto.

Seeing this situation, Xiao raised an eyebrow and blurted out a string of curses.

"Hey!"

"You freeloader."

"Your nose is quite long."

"I only brought this one duck back from my trip to Nanjing, and you're not even going to be polite, huh?!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Xiao Jingchuan strode around twice and plopped down in front of Zhizhong.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Zhizhong didn't even raise an eyebrow, continuing to eat heartily.

"Who?"

"Who am I supposed to be polite to?"

"Knowing you like this kind of food, I've come myself to save you the trouble of asking someone to go through all that trouble! Isn't that much easier?!"

The brothers hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they started arguing and teasing each other.

"Give me a break. You're the Chief Censor of the Censorate of the current government, and look at your behavior."

After hearing this, he simply launched a personal attack, thus regaining the limelight.

Unfortunately, Zhizhong ignored him and didn't address the issue at all.

He hurriedly stuffed two mouthfuls of meat into his mouth, looking as if he was afraid that Xiao Jingchuan would snatch the food from his mouth.

Unexpectedly, this haste backfired, and the food got stuck in my mouth and I couldn't swallow it.

Zhi Zhong, on the other hand, didn't care at all.

He picked up the wine cup beside him and began to pour the warm wine down his throat.

After finally managing to get the words out of his mouth, he immediately blurted out a pretentious and affected poem.

"Buy a winding pond where ducks can fight, plant fragrant trees where orioles can hide."

"Hey, you want some too?"

"The roast duck at Shuixi Gate is the best. I bought it from that old shop I recommended to you?"

They shake their heads and sway their heads, which is infuriating. In the end, they kick someone when they're down, act innocent after getting a good deal, and even provoke others.

He ripped another leg from the roast duck and held it out to Xiao Lang's hand.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lang was speechless, but managed a forced smile and rolled his eyes.

"Yes!"

After he finished speaking, he took the duck leg that was handed to him, and then thought that the old monk Yao Zuyin was still watching the fun from his small bamboo chair.

So, I decided to use this opportunity to offer a duck leg to him.

"master."

Yao Zuyin sniffed twice, smelling the aroma, but quickly and comically waved his hand, keeping it at a distance.

"Roar, no, no!"

"Although this old monk is not strict in observing the precepts, I should still refrain from eating meat."

"You eat, you eat."

After some polite refusals, Xiao finished his formalities, and Ye had no choice but to withdraw his hand.

At this moment, Zhi Zhong, sitting at the table, casually composes poems and makes sarcastic remarks.

"The key to Nanjing roast duck lies in controlling the heat."

"The crust is golden-red, crispy, and glossy."

"It's grilled on the outside and simmered on the inside to lock in the juices, then topped with a sauce."

"Wonderful, wonderful."

"Master, you're missing out if you don't try it!"

Adding fuel to the fire, hence the playful banter.

Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Xiao Jingchuan devised a plan to belittle him and curb his arrogance.

"Alright, that's enough. Leave some for me."

"You come from a scholarly family, after all."

"The literati of Nanjing are devoted to refined tastes, and what they want to see is ducks playing in a shallow pond."

"Well, you've eaten it all."

"Look at the way they eat."

"Aren't you ashamed?" Never mind, just add a look of disgust and contempt.

Upon hearing this, Zhizhong slammed his hand on the table in a mock-serious manner, his eyes bulging and his expression conveying his displeasure.

"Hey, what kind of talk is that?"

"Ah, my eating manners are unseemly?" "My eating manners are unseemly, but that's all because of hanging out with you, you scoundrel, and picking up bad habits from that."

"I can't be bothered to talk to you. You're just wielding a ladle yourself, yet you're acting all high and mighty, praising me instead."

That retort was brilliant.

As they were talking, Gu Changting, who had been drooling over the duck, realized that if he didn't beg for more, the duck would be eaten up in the midst of the two people at the table laughing and arguing.

So the bird quietly took two steps closer, mustered its courage, and asked timidly.

"Hehehe, General, Young Master Qiu, I, I..."

But to his surprise, Xiao and Qiu were both interrupted and looked over at him.

There was no need to finish speaking; how could Xiao Jingchuan not know Chang Tingde's character?

So, without saying anything more, he waved his hand and shooed it away.

"Go away, get out of here."

Changting was rebuffed, but he refused to back down.

Xiao turned his head and sighed.

"Ugh"

"Okay, okay."

"Considering how diligently you've taken care of my family these past few days, I'll eat it."

Zhizhong looked up at Xiao's face and snorted.

"Ha, it's a wonder you even know that."

"How is it?"

"Did you go in and take a look?"

Has your sister-in-law woken up?

After arguing for a while, he finally said something serious.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Song lowered his voice, his hand casually brushing the grease off his sleeve.

"According to Hongyu, she took the medicine half an hour ago and then fell asleep again."

"It's quite heavy."

"I glanced at her twice and she seemed much better, but I didn't wake her up."

"At Changyan's place, Jingyi stayed up several nights in a row, keeping watch over him. I just checked on her, and her little face is rosy; she's much better now," Xiao Jiang replied.

Upon hearing this, Zhizhong also breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Yes, mother and child are safe and sound, thank God."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed another glass of wine, eating until he was completely full.

"Hehe, yes, yes."

"I must express my sincere gratitude to you."

"From what they say, you've been coming here every few days. The affairs of the court must be quite troublesome for you. I'm sorry to trouble you."

Joking aside, when it comes to being serious, I still have to say thank you.

Of course, Zhizhong didn't bother with his pretense.

"Hmph, don't give me that."

"You're so stingy, how dare you even open your mouth to eat half a duck?"

Seeking the meaning, Xiao Jingchuan chuckled, a warmth spreading through his heart.

Anyway, you're useless and can't be counted on.

"What?"

"I can't just let my wife, children, and elderly parents suffer because of you, can I?"

"Alright, let's stop here."

"Well then, I have something to say to you, so please think it over carefully."

Suddenly, Zhizhong changed the subject, seemingly straightening his expression, and said he had something to tell him.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fu lowered his shoulders, leaned forward, and asked in response.

"Oh?"

"What is it?"

Immediately afterwards, Zhi Zhongmou spoke out.

"Look at this."

"This time, both Yan Ge'er and his sister-in-law had high fevers and typhoid fevers that lasted for several days, and the whole household was in turmoil."

"But if we have to argue about right and wrong, listening to Uncle Xue's words, the ones who truly put in the effort and ran around doing everything were Hongyu and Jingyi."

"Of course, Hongyu goes without saying. As a dowry maid, she should be treated the same way."

“Ke Jingyi is different.”

"You saw it with your own eyes, your Changyan has been raised by Jingyi ever since he was born."

"Human hearts are made of flesh and blood."

"You don't think so? A perfectly good woman, just left out in the mansion, with no clear purpose."

"You just pack your bags and head north to Nanjing, how are those young ladies supposed to live with your family?"

This was done in a straightforward manner, as intended by the Zhongbang. (End of Chapter)