Tianliangyuan

Chapter 60 What an extravagant gift!

Xu Zhaozhao looked up at him. This person was not quite the same as she remembered. Perhaps it was because of the passage of time that the image of Xie Zheng in her mind had faded.

“I am also a scholar who has studied the classics. I know that Confucius did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits. You and I are only engaged, not married. I am not the closest person in your life, so even if you are truly destined to bring misfortune to your relatives, it will not affect me!”

Xie Zheng was amused by her words.

He brought it up himself after much deliberation; he needed to understand Xu Zhaozhao's true feelings.

Judging from her reaction now, you can tell that she really doesn't care.

"I got this by chance. I don't know what kind of jewelry you like. You can take it and play with it yourself."

Xu Zhaozhao looked down at the embroidered bag he took out, and without any suspicion, she took it, only to find that it was quite heavy!

"May I open it and take a look?"

"Of course, it was originally a gift for you. If you don't like it, I'll give you something else next time."

Xu Zhaozhao teased him with a smile, "What if I like it?"

"Then I'll find more similar things next time." Xie Zheng's ears turned a little red. This Xu Zhaozhao was so vivid, she seemed quite different from the little girl in his memory.

Xu Zhaozhao opened it and gasped in shock.

It was filled with all sorts of gemstones, and they were all quite large.

Xu Zhaozhao casually took out a ruby, which was not cut very well and had a strange shape, but it was much larger than her thumbnail.

Holding it in her hand and raising it slightly, the ruby ​​seemed almost blindingly bright under the sunlight.

And there was a whole bag full of these gems.

Conservatively speaking, there must be at least twenty or thirty.

"Isn't it inappropriate for you to give me such a valuable item directly?"

Xie Zheng asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with it?"

“What I mean is, there are other elders in the household.”

Xie Zheng then understood her meaning and said nonchalantly, "Grandmother is old and doesn't like these bright gems. As for the other aunts, Uncle will take care of them. I don't need to."

Xu Zhaozhao smiled but remained silent. She knew that although Xie Zheng was the third son, he was the future heir in the mansion because his father was the Duke of Protectorate, and Xie Zheng had been invited to be named the heir apparent many years ago.

However, Xie Zheng had been in Jizhou Prefecture for the past few years and had been serving in the army, so the servants and generals of the Xie family preferred to call him Young General rather than Young Master.

This title was earned by Xie Zheng through real battles on the battlefield.

Xie Zheng probably enjoys the glory he earned through his own efforts more than the title of "Crown Prince".

"How many days can you stay in the capital?"

"That depends on His Majesty's decree. I'm glad you reminded me in time yesterday, otherwise, I'm afraid someone might have taken advantage of the situation."

Xu Zhaozhao was certain that yesterday's events were deliberately orchestrated.

Has His Majesty punished you?

Xie Zheng shook his head: "No. His Majesty is wise. Even if that villain were to make false accusations first, he would not easily believe it."

The two chatted and laughed for less than an hour before being interrupted by Xu Han, who had just returned to his residence.

Xie Zheng was somewhat reluctant, but he also knew that the two of them were not husband and wife now, and indeed could not stay together for long.

"I've heard that your business is quite large now, and you plan to continue expanding. Do you have enough manpower? If you need anything, just let me know. I have some strong and capable guards who can be transferred over to help."

"Thank you. I will let you know if I need anything."

Wang Ruolan watched the two of them from afar, her smile never fading.

"Tsk tsk, look at this loving couple. I originally thought Xie Sanlang was a rough man who would be clueless about romance or have no patience to talk to a young girl. But he has surprised me."

Zhang stood beside her and said with a smile, "Mother, you're overthinking it. I see that my sister and Xie Sanlang get along quite well. Now I'm more curious about the bag in her hand!"

After saying this, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other and smiled.

As a result, Xu Zhaozhao turned around and saw them. She walked over to greet them with a little embarrassment.

"Oh, my little sister is still holding it and doesn't want to give it to anyone else. How valuable must it be? Oh, no, I'm not good at speaking. I should say that it was given to me by Xie Sanlang, and it must be priceless!"

Xu Zhaozhao said coquettishly, "Mother, look at my sister-in-law! Tell her what's wrong with her, why does she always make fun of me!"

His words drew another round of laughter from the group.

After Xu Zhaozhao sat down, she didn't hide anything and showed them the things.

Wang Ruolan was genuinely startled: "Isn't Xie Sanlang being a bit too extravagant? This bag of gems is priceless; is he including it in the betrothal gifts?"

Zhang chuckled to herself, "Mother, it hasn't come to that yet!"

Wang Ruolan thought about it and realized that it made sense; the two of them hadn't actually reached that point yet.

"So many gems, what's this?"

“I asked him, and he said it was just something for me to play with. He also said he didn’t know what kind of headdress a woman should wear, so he told me to figure it out myself.”

Zhang said with envy, "I never imagined that Xie Sanlang, a military general, could have such a delicate mind."

On the other side, Xie Zheng was summoned to the study by Xu Han.

Both uncle and nephew were military officers. After exchanging a few words, they went to the sand table in another room.

The two first reviewed the battles Xie Zheng had fought, and then began to predict what kind of crisis the border would face next.

Their conversation was interrupted when Wang Ruolan sent someone to invite them to dinner.

The men were drinking, and they all planned to do so in the outer courtyard.

Wang Ruolan, on the other hand, had her meal with her daughter-in-law and daughter in the flower hall of the inner courtyard.

"The old lady has been in a bad mood lately. She only showed her face briefly today before going back inside. She didn't even want to come out for lunch. I was thinking of going to keep her company, but she refused."

Wang Ruolan spoke these words after dismissing the servants in the hall. She didn't have any issues with the old lady, but she was worried that the old lady's unusual mood might be related to Xu Lin.

After eating a piece of beef, Xu Zhaozhao said, "Mother, I think Grandmother might be thinking about my cousin. She suffered so much before and has now been sent to the estate to be cared for. Grandmother has doted on her for more than ten years, and she has not seen her for so long, so she must be missing her."

Since the banquet at the Jiang family residence, the old lady has not seen Sun Qian again.

Actually, the old lady knew that Sun Qian's face was injured, and she didn't dare to look at her granddaughter's face.

But if you're also worried about it, isn't that a contradiction?

Wang Ruolan said sternly, "Zhaozhao, this is a matter for the Sun family. You must not interfere. And do not mention a single word about Sun Qian in front of the old lady."

Xu Zhaozhao realized that perhaps the old lady was deliberately waiting for them, the younger generation, to help her solve her problems!

Tsk, Grandma is so cunning!