After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 311 Zhu Yixuan Returns

The butler was also completely baffled and quickly went out to inquire.

The New Year's Eve dinner ended abruptly due to the strange situation on Madam Bai's side.

When the butler arrived, he saw Madam Bai lying on the bed, her eyes vacant, silently shedding tears.

Granny Li stood respectfully to the side, her aged and numb face devoid of any expression.

The butler didn't know how to ask for a moment, and only stepped forward cautiously and said, "Madam, the kitchen has prepared a meal for you. How is it?"

Granny Li said coldly, "Madam has no appetite. Steward, you should go back first."

The butler left, full of doubts.

Granny Li advised, "Madam, let's not even talk about whether what the man in black said is true or not. The Zhu family is currently at its peak, and Zhu Yixuan is not here, so you have no way to verify it. Besides, Zhu Yixuan is skilled in martial arts, and we can't kill him."

"The eldest young mistress is still in charge of the household; there's nothing we can do!"

Liu remained expressionless and refused to listen to any advice.

At the same time, a caravan of about a hundred people slowly entered Zhaohua County.

The exquisitely decorated convoy separated from the caravan halfway through the journey and slowly drove until it stopped outside the gate of the Zhu residence.

Upon recognizing the visitor, the gatekeeper excitedly rushed into the mansion, shouting, "The eldest young master is back! The eldest young master is back!"

Zhu Yixuan helped Cen Mingzhu down from the carriage, saying, "Take it easy."

Cen Mingzhu smiled contentedly, looking around the house in front of her. "This is your home?"

Zhu Yixuan said indulgently, "This is our home."

Cen Mingzhu proudly raised her chin and strode up the steps beside Zhu Yixuan.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhu were overjoyed to see their son return with his distinguished daughter-in-law.

They set off firecrackers and notified all the relatives of the Zhu family, wanting the whole county to know that the Zhu family had married a woman from a prominent family.

“Mingzhu, although you have already held a wedding ceremony at the border, not many families here know that you got married. I was thinking of holding another wedding ceremony for you after the first month of the lunar calendar. What do you think?” Madam Zhu looked at Cen Mingzhu with a consultative and understanding expression.

Cen Mingzhu was fairly satisfied with Zhu Yixuan, and since the Zhu family was indeed more powerful than she had imagined, she obediently nodded in agreement.

Madam Zhu was all smiles and immediately had wedding invitations prepared.

Zhu Yixuan looked at Cen Mingzhu with concern and said gently, "You must be tired from the journey. I'll have my servants take you back to rest. You can come back later after dinner, okay?"

Cen Mingzhu had the same idea, and immediately left with her maid.

As soon as the man left, Madam Zhu jumped for joy. "Son, you're amazing! You married such a golden phoenix. Our Zhu family will surely rise to even greater heights!"

Zhu Yixuan said helplessly, "Mother, I know you're happy, but you don't have to make it so obvious. I'm the Grand Commander now, and I shouldn't leave the military camp so easily. Fortunately, the war is over, and my father-in-law is still stationed at the border, so it's not a problem for me to come back for a while. It's just that I have to leave after the spring."

"So soon?" Madam Zhu was reluctant, but she also knew that her son's future was important, so she did not try to stop him.

Zhu Yixuan nodded helplessly and asked, "Mother, what are your plans for Madam Ke and her son?"

Speaking of Ke Yunyun, Madam Zhu's expression softened considerably. "I gave her the land deeds and house deeds in Pingzhou because she had been with you and had given birth to a child for our Zhu family. I also gave her a sum of money, thinking that she and her child would have someone to rely on in the future. However, that woman did not take the child to Pingzhou, nor did she touch anything there. I don't know where she has gone to hide!"

Zhu Yixuan frowned. "Is she still not giving up?"

Madam Zhu shook her head. "It shouldn't be. I saw her leave Zhaohua County with my own eyes that day. There are many of our Zhu family's spies in the city. If she really came back, how could I not know?"

"That's good!" Zhu Yixuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Master Zhu solemnly reminded her, "The Ke family has nothing to do with you anymore. You must not mention them again, lest it damage your relationship with Cen." Madam Zhu agreed wholeheartedly, "As for Cui, I sent her to the prefectural city. Cen knows her background, so there's no need to worry about her too much."

After all, she hadn't mistreated the Cui family, so she wasn't afraid of them causing trouble.

Seeing that his parents had arranged everything in an orderly manner, Zhu Yixuan was completely relieved and then asked about the situation of Shen Yi and the others.

Master Zhu was clearly very interested. "I also want to ask you why they received imperial rewards and plaques even though they weren't granted official titles. Do we have any like that?"

The couple looked at Zhu Yixuan expectantly.

Zhu Yixuan shook his head.

The couple's disappointment was palpable.

Zhu Yixuan explained, "My military merits earned me an official position, but they didn't want the official title, so the emperor gave me a separate reward."

"I see." Master Zhu suddenly realized and sighed, "You can't have your cake and eat it too. Although the Emperor's reward is hard to come by, getting promoted is even harder. As long as you are an official, you will have the opportunity to make meritorious contributions and be rewarded in the future, so there is nothing to regret."

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhu felt relieved.

Seeing that they understood, Zhu Yixuan felt much better.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Father and Mother, send them a copy of the invitation as well."

Master Zhu nodded. "I understand."

On the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Shen Yi led his whole family to Dongmen Village.

Su Chunlin had already placed the whole roasted lamb on the rack. As soon as the carriage arrived near the Su family's residence, Su Tai and the others smelled the rich aroma of the roasted lamb.

Shen Yi quickly put Su Tai and the children down and parked the carriage.

The family was astonished by the row of whole roasted lambs next door as soon as they entered the yard.

"Father-in-law, how many sheep did you roast?" Shen Yi asked in astonishment.

Su Chunlin, who was busy at work, laughed heartily, "These are all ordered by others, a total of twenty-five sheep. The sheep were slaughtered on New Year's Eve and marinated for two days, so they are very flavorful. Two of them are specially reserved for you. You can eat them in two more hours."

Shen Yi immediately rolled up his sleeves and went to help.

Su Tai then took the child and hid in the main room.

Shen Yuezhang and his friends met up with Su Feng and his group, and they quickly got together. There were plenty of snacks and treats on the table, so they could have a great time without any adult supervision.

Su Tai glanced at the children and then ignored them, starting to chat with Ruan Xiaoyu.

Before long, several women from the Wan and Huang families also came over for a visit, making the house as lively as a market.

Su Tai was wondering why her family was so popular this year, but when she learned that several other families had ordered whole roasted lamb, the mystery was solved.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Yi's family enjoyed a good meal at Su Chunlin's place. The next day, Su Chunsen took them there for another meal. When they wanted to leave, Su Changxi stopped them, and they stayed in Dongmen Village for three days before heading home.

Fortunately, all the livestock in the family were entrusted to Xu's care, otherwise they would have starved to death.

When Xu saw them return, she hurriedly went to the door and took out an invitation. "A steward delivered it while you were away. He said he was from the Zhu family in the county town."

"The Zhu family?"

The couple looked at each other, and since Shen Yi was illiterate, Su Tai read it aloud.