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  "Do you want to be like Empress Dowager Cixi?"

  Hua Ru was taken aback, "How could you think of such a thing, husband?"

  "You won't be worse than her."

  "Hubby really knows how to appreciate me, though..." Hua Ruochu smiled sweetly, "I'm glad to be praised by hubby."

  The maids in the house couldn't help but stifle their giggles whenever money was mentioned at home.

  Qī Yòu took in their expressions, the atmosphere in this courtyard was vastly different from that of the Qī Manor, causing him to unconsciously relax a lot. These maids were all well-behaved but not stiff, and from their light footsteps, one could tell they were in high spirits, which was something the servants at the Qī Manor lacked.

  "Don't worry, husband, I won't show up in person, and I'll just let Manager Ma do some small business, which won't attract other people's attention. At least the expenses of this other courtyard every month will be solved by them."

  "Except for the monthly allowance I give to grandma, I'll also give you some every month, so don't worry about not having enough."

  Is this... for her family's use? Hua Ru Chu couldn't help but laugh, pulling every facial feature into a smile. "Qi You, I'm not short of money. My mother gave me a stash of money, aside from half a box of gold, there's also a stack of silver notes, enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life. But as you've seen, there are many people in this separate courtyard, and having them idle around every day isn't good either, it'll only lead to trouble. It's better to give them something to do, even if we don't make money."

  Is this the reason why she has won the loyalty of her subordinates? She would think for them, take their affairs as important matters to be solved, and not care about money... Yes, who wouldn't go all out for such a master.

  "There's no need to tell Grandma about this." After a pause, Qi You added another sentence, "Unless you want to take over the household."

  "It doesn't matter if there's no jumping character."

  "It doesn't matter, just let others have their way, even if you suffer a bit, don't make a scene."

  "I will warn them."

  After seeing the two finish their conversation, Yun Shu hastily stepped forward, "Young Master, it's time for dinner."

  The two of them moved seats, not because they had run around the tea garden for a while, but because they were in high spirits after leaving the Qi manor. Hua Ru had even eaten an extra bowl of congee at breakfast.

  At noon, the two of them rested in the bridal chamber for a while, and after avoiding the sun's strongest rays, they strolled around another courtyard.

  "When I first moved in, this house was quite empty and desolate. Now it looks much better."

  "Your tone is not right."

  "Ah, you've seen through me."

  Seeing her relaxed expression, Qi You blurted out without thinking, "You can come here often in the future."

  "Really?" Hua Ru Chu stopped in her tracks and stared at him intensely.

  Qī Yòu didn't regret it at all, instead he was delighted by the unexpected turn of events. "Alright, you can say that you're doing this for the Crown Prince, Grandmother won't make things difficult."

  She took advantage of it and Hua Ruochu felt that her future might not be all dark after all, this husband of hers was indeed more indulgent towards her.

  "Qī yòu, able to marry you is my fortune."

  This sentence is as serious as it was at the beginning, Qi You also felt it. He had never heard a sentence that would make his heart beat so fast before. His usually sharp mind also slowed down. He wanted to say "I'm lucky to marry you", but this sentence came back and forth in his throat and couldn't be said. He had never been so tongue-tied.

  The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward, and Hua Ruochu felt a little regretful for blurting out those words. Although they weren't exactly sweet nothings, they were practically the same thing.

  What's most important is that she didn't get a response, which is the most embarrassing thing. Of course, she wasn't disappointed, Qiyou's silent treatment was nothing new to her.

  She said something like that but the other party acted as if they hadn't heard it at all. Even someone with a thick skin like her felt embarrassed.

  "Alright, let's go take a look over there then. If we're out for the first time and return late, it won't be easy to explain to grandma either."

  "Alright."

  Returning to the mansion, the two of them first went to the main courtyard to pay their respects. Being treated with such leniency was due to the Crown Prince's influence, and Hua Ruyue felt grateful for it.

  "Grandma is safe and sound."

  "Understood?" The old man looked at Sun with satisfaction, able to understand the rules even at this hour.

  "Yes, it's worrying Grandma."

  Lao looked at Qi You and said, "Go to the study room, Old Master is waiting for you there."

  "Yes." After a glance at Ruchu, Qiyou walked towards the study. Having seen through Ruchu's disguise skills, he didn't have much worry about her anymore.

  Put down the account book and rubbed his eyes, Lao Dai was still a bit tired. "You can share some things with Yu'er, Grandma is very happy. Take good care of this tea garden, don't let the prince down."

  "Yes, Sun Sheng."

  "I grant you the freedom to come and go as you please, but be more mindful of the things that need attention, so as not to give others something to talk about."

  "Yes."

  Hua's gentle and obedient appearance pleased Lao, who pointed to the chair and indicated, "Sit down, don't stand, Shuang Qi, bring a cup of tea for the young master."

  "Yes, elder."

  "This tea is refreshing to drink, but it can't be drunk at night, or you won't be able to sleep."

  Didn't she remind you not to drink tea at night? Hua Ruochu blinked, should he admit his mistake?

  Forget it... anyway, it's too late at night to drink now, whether I say it or not makes no difference. Hua Ru covered her eyes with her eyebrows.

  Accompanied the two elderly people to have a meal, and then accompanied them in conversation. Of course, it was Huajun who spoke with the old man, unless he mentioned Qiyou's name, otherwise he wouldn't say a word. The old master closed his eyes and meditated, seemingly not listening, but the atmosphere in the house was not right.

  They bid farewell and walked away from each other, a half-step distance between them.

  With a keen eye, she saw the person standing at the intersection ahead, Hua Ru Chu pinched her handkerchief to cover the smile at the corner of her mouth. In ancient times, there was Nian Shi inviting Fourth Master for dinner, now there is Zhi Ruo blocking the road, it seems quite rhythmic.

  Qī Yòu also saw the people waiting ahead, his eyebrows unconsciously furrowed together, and his footsteps slowed down.

  "I'll go to the study first to take care of some things, leave the door open for me."

  Hua Ru was taken aback for a moment, then immediately reacted and nodded in agreement.

  He walked right past her without even a glance at Zhi Rou.

  She was still in a daze, but fortunately she was quick-witted and immediately turned to face Chao Hua like before and paid her respects, "Slave pays respects to Young Master."

  "Hold back your smile, Hua Ru's voice was warm as she asked 'Is there something important that you're waiting for here?'"

  Zhi Ru bit her lip, as if infinitely wronged, "It's all my fault, Madam. Your body has never been in good health, even when you're sleeping, you're still calling out for me, your servant... I'm the one who... it was all my own doing, please don't blame Madam."

  As he spoke, he suddenly knelt down with a thud, the sound of which made people feel a sharp pain.

  "Hurry up, it's Green Willow's good fortune that you can think for your master like this."

  She still wanted to make demands, Yun Shu walked up and without saying a word, forcibly pulled her up, smiling and said, "Zhi Ruo, my family doesn't blame you, you should hurry up, the most pitied person, you have to take care of your aunt every day, it's already tiring, if you keep kneeling like this, your body can't take it."

  Zhi Ruo struggled several times but couldn't break free, and she had a plan in mind. Her guess was correct, although she looked gentle and weak, the big servant girl by her side was actually skilled. In the future, she needs to be careful not to let others take advantage of her weaknesses.

  "Yes, knowing is more than thanking, and thinking is more than sympathizing."

  "You've had a long day, get some rest early, you still have to attend to the young master later." As she spoke, she also cast a seemingly unintentional glance at Zhi Ruo, with a hint of hidden pleasure.

  Hua's face turned red, and she nodded slightly at Zhi before leaving.

  Although they sent her off with a smile, in their heart they couldn't help but feel resentment. They risked being scolded by the master to wait here, and finally the person arrived, but not a single benefit was gained, it's as if she hadn't been seen at all. Today's efforts were all in vain, next time's opportunity won't be so easy to find.

  "Prepare water, I want to take a bath."

  "Yes."

  "Thinking of Qi Youyi's clothes also getting muddy, Hua Ruochu said to let the kitchen boil some more hot water, Master might need it later."

  Yun Shu went out and gave an order, letting Qiu Jian and others go to the ear room to make preparations. She supported her to sit in front of the dressing mirror and untied the restraints on her head.

  "Give me a good head massage, I've been keeping my hair tied up so neatly every day, it's giving me a headache."

  "Look at the hair bun on that side, it's not ready yet. Yun Shu gently pressed and massaged her scalp with her ten fingers, saying "The women in Hebei province all have such tight buns, we learned for several days before passing the test of our aunt, but in Yangzhou, we don't need to be so strict, a loose bun is both comfortable and beautiful."

  "In the future, just let me wear it loose in the house, and I'll tie it up when I need to go out."

  "Yes."

  "The water is ready."

  Hua Ru hastily got up, couldn't wait to strip off and step into the large wooden tub, water overflowing, let out a comfortable sigh, he was truly an easily satisfied person, just a hot bath and he was content.

  Yun Shu took the soap and started washing her hair. To prevent herself from dozing off, she said something irrelevant, "Spring Jade has also gone out for a while, do you think it's time to let her come back to your side?"

  "No rush, I'm not there, those people in the other courtyard will be uneasy at heart, let Chunyu stay there for a while, that's it. Cloud Book, from now on, you and the others take turns going to the other courtyard to keep watch, with you all there watching over me, I can also feel at ease. Besides, being in the other courtyard is better than being cooped up in this inner courtyard, even if I have to disguise myself as a man and be reckless for a while."

  Yun Shu's nose turned sour, and she couldn't control it, so her voice was nasal. "Yes, I'll arrange it."

  Hua Ru couldn't help but laugh when she saw her expression, which looked like she was about to cry but was holding back. "What's with this face? Do you think I'm having a tough time now?"

  In private, Yun Shu was no longer so restrained, his voice low but with a hint of resentment, "Compared to before, the life you're living now is..."

  "Alright, walls have ears, let's not talk about it anymore." Hua Ru Chu patted Yun Shu's shoulder with a splash of water, "Although I've changed my way of life, I'm not unhappy. Once you adjust your mindset, every day is just passing by. The past can't be relived forever, getting married and having children are all part of the journey... Qi Xuan has already exceeded expectations in many ways, Yun Shu, one should learn to be content, otherwise they will never be happy."

  Next chapter is about eating meat, seeking pink. (If you like this work, welcome to subscribe and reward, your support is my greatest motivation.)

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