The warm spring sun dotted the ground, illuminating every detail of those basking in its glow.
After several gloomy days, everyone seemed eager to get out. The streets were bustling with traffic and pedestrians. Even the women and young ladies who usually stayed indoors came out for some fresh air. The only place that remained as quiet as usual was in front of the Grand Censor Zhu Maonian's mansion.
Zhu Maonian was a legendary figure in the capital. His ancestors were military officials, with the most illustrious reaching the rank of first-grade Mighty General. However, even the most glorious families can't escape decline. After generations of weakness, they lost their place among the military elite and gradually fell from a prestigious family to obscurity.
Just when everyone was about to forget about the Zhu family, the new top scholar Zhu Maonian turned the capital upside down. No one could say where this top scholar had come from, but upon investigation, he was indeed a Zhu. His father had died early, leaving him and his widowed mother unwelcome in the Zhu family. His mother took him back to their hometown, where he followed the same path as ordinary scholars, step by step from childhood exams to where he was today.
How difficult was that path? In all these years, among the notable families in the capital, only Zhu Maonian had taken it and succeeded.
With both the foundation of a noble family and the solid base he had built himself, Zhu Maonian was favored by the late emperor, who appointed him as Grand Secretary of the Crown Prince's Palace, clearly intending to keep him for the crown prince's use.
He didn't disappoint the late emperor, proving both loyal and capable. When the crown prince ascended the throne, he became the new emperor's most trusted right-hand man. After years of harmonious cooperation between emperor and minister, he now held the position of Grand Censor, a first-grade official in charge of the Censorate and overseeing all officials. His stern demeanor made court officials both fear and resent him, naturally making fewer people willing to visit his home.
The side gate creaked open, and a man who looked like a steward walked out, turning sideways to instruct someone, "Take advantage of the good weather to clean the front of the gate..."
The steward suddenly stopped talking and turned his head towards the alley entrance.
"Steward Zhou..."
Steward Zhou raised his hand to stop the servant from speaking, listening intently to the approaching "clip-clop" sound. He quickly walked down the steps, his smile almost reaching his ears as he watched the tall horse galloping towards them.
"Uncle Zhou, I'm back!" The rider's voice, filled with laughter, announced her identity. Without waiting for the horse to stop, she leapt off. Although Steward Zhou had seen this a few times before, it still startled him, but he couldn't stop smiling. "Fourth Young Miss, you're finally back! The master and madam have been eagerly waiting for you!"
"Haha, Uncle Zhou, you're just flattering me. Every time I come back, my father wants to send me away after just three days!" The speaker was dressed in red, with her hair tied up high, swaying at the back of her head as she shook it. Her bright smile rivaled the warm sun above. It was none other than the Zhu family's fourth daughter, Zhu Changle.
"How dare I lie to you? You've been gone for too long this time, everyone's been missing you." Steward Zhou's smile lines deepened, infected by her smile. He slapped his forehead and turned to instruct, "Quick, go announce that the Fourth Young Miss has returned!"
"No need, I'm faster than you all." Zhu Changle patted the black stallion that had come to nuzzle her. "Prepare the best hay for Little Tail. He's tired from the long journey and has been in a bad mood with me. Oh, and Aunt Feng is behind, when she arrives, bring her to my courtyard."
"Yes, I'll remember."
After two years away, Zhu Changle couldn't contain herself. With a grin, she went to grab her luggage... Where was the luggage?
Zhu Changle was stunned. She walked around the horse once, rubbing her chin as she tried to remember when she last saw it. Unable to recall, she gave up thinking about it. She slapped Little Tail's rump and asked, "Where's my luggage?"
"Neigh, neigh..."
"You lost my luggage and you're still talking back!" Zhu Changle put her hands on her hips, confidently blaming the horse. "All the gifts were in there!"
Steward Zhou watched the Fourth Young Miss talking to Little Tail with a smile, thinking that the Zhu Mansion would finally liven up. Only when the Fourth Young Miss was home could the word "lively" be used to describe the Zhu Mansion.
The sound of hooves approached. Zhu Changle looked towards the sound. Against the light, she couldn't make out the rider's features, but she recognized the bundle in his hands. Her face lit up and she ran towards him with open arms. "My luggage!"
Before she could get close, the rider tossed the bundle into her arms, coughed lightly, and turned his horse to leave without delay.
"Wait." Zhu Changle called out, fishing something out of the bundle and tossing it to him. Seeing him reach out and catch it, she smiled. "Pretty quick. That's a thank you gift."
The man glanced at Zhu Changle, nodded, and accepted the fruit that represented her thanks. He lightly kicked his horse's belly and left.
Zhu Changle didn't dwell on this small incident. After years of wandering the jianghu, she had seen all sorts of odd characters. She grinned at Steward Zhou, picked up her luggage, and leapt onto the roof. As she ran across the rooftops, she shouted, "Father, Mother, Changle is back!"
The entire courtyard fell silent for a moment, then erupted into noise. "Fourth Young Miss is back!"
In the study, Zhu Maonian, who had been talking with his eldest son, brightened for a moment before composing himself. Sitting across from him in a wheelchair, the Zhu family's eldest son, Zhu Changwang, laughed. "How wonderful, our little Changle has returned with the sun."
Listening to the commotion outside, Zhu Maonian stroked his meticulously trimmed beard, hiding the smile at the corner of his mouth.
"They will surely make a move in the coming days. Father, we're running out of time."
Zhu Maonian nodded slightly, but his words were unrelated. "Such a ruckus, so unladylike. She's of marriageable age now, who would dare to take her!"
"Father, I heard that!" Zhu Changle poked her head around the door, her face so full of joy it seemed about to overflow, making everyone who saw her smile as well.
"Our Changle wouldn't settle for any of them anyway!" Zhu Changwang smiled at his spirited sister, then bowed slightly to their mother who had just entered.
"You've been gone for two years. If your master hadn't sent a letter, we would have gone to demand your return," Madam Zhu said, holding her much-tanned daughter and examining her from all angles, clearly pleased with what she saw.
"I didn't expect master to throw me onto that island either!" Zhu Changle pretended to cry as she complained to her family about her master's cruelty. "Two whole years! I just practiced and practiced there, not allowed to return until I finished training."
"That is cruel," Zhu Changwang nodded in agreement, then added, "But how else could he control a little monkey like you?"
"Exactly." Zhu Changle lifted her chin, brazenly admitting it. She didn't tell them that on the island, apart from wild monkeys, she was the only little monkey there. For two years, her only conversation partners were monkeys. Giggling, she pounced on her expressionless father. "Father, Uncle Zhou said you've been waiting for me so long your neck has grown. Let me feel how much longer it's gotten."
Zhu Maonian swatted away her hand. He wanted to scold her, but he was truly overjoyed at her return. He glared at her but only managed to say, "So ill-mannered."
"Hehe." Zhu Changle became even more ill-mannered, giving her father's precious beard a tug. She burst into laughter and quickly hid behind her mother, making faces at her father with a smug expression.
