As the Chinese New Year was approaching, there were numerous things to prepare. Everywhere became bustling, decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, exuding an air of joy.
The officials dispatched from the capital to various regions successively returned to the capital.
The eldest brother among the sworn brothers of Lin Yuan, Wu Ya, and Wei Xing was Wei Ming. He was sent to serve as the prefect of Lu Ling two years ago. Now that his two - year term was up, he was back in the capital and presumably would not be sent away again.
Since the eldest brother was back, Lin Yuan naturally wanted to visit him. Afraid that Yi Zhici would be bored at home alone, Lin Yuan took her along.
When they entered the private room, Wei Ming, Wei Xing, and Wu Ya were already waiting. They were all stunned when they saw Yi Zhici, especially Wei Ming. He was taken aback and asked, "Who is this?"
Yi Zhici behaved gracefully and said, "Hello, elder brother. I'm Lin Yuan's wife, Yi Zhici. Please take care of me."
Wei Xing, who had never seen Yi Zhici's gentle and elegant side before, stared blankly. He whispered to Wu Ya beside him, "Is this the princess? Is this the princess who dressed as a man in Golden Jade Hall? Why does she seem like a different person after getting married?"
Wei Ming shook his head and sighed, "I never thought that among the four of us, Chong Jin would be the first to get married. The world is really unpredictable."
Yi Zhici turned to Lin Yuan and asked, "Why is it unpredictable?"
Wei Xing interrupted, "Because the third brother has always avoided women like the plague since childhood."
Lin Yuan gave him a fleeting glance, and Wei Xing immediately fell silent.
The meal was a lively one. Wei Ming was very satisfied with Yi Zhici, his sister - in - law, and praised her highly. Actually, there were only two criteria for Wei Ming to be satisfied.
One was that she had to be good - looking. There was no need to mention this, as Yi Zhici could attract people's attention even without makeup. The other was that she had to listen to Lin Yuan and be docile.
The second point really amazed Wei Ming. He originally thought that the prestigious Princess Yuyang, who had been doted on by the all - powerful Marquis Jing since childhood, would be extremely arrogant, hot - tempered, disobedient, and always put on airs.
But Yi Zhici had no other flaws except being a bit picky about food. Moreover, with Lin Yuan's supervision, she was not so picky anymore.
Lin Yuan picked up some green vegetables and put them on Yi Zhici's plate. Yi Zhici pouted unhappily. Lin Yuan gently coaxed her, and then Yi Zhici reluctantly put the vegetables into her mouth and swallowed them with difficulty.
After eating, she even acted coquettishly, showing two shallow dimples on her cheeks.
"Come on," Wei Xing couldn't stand it anymore. "Can you two be more affectionate when you get back to the mansion? Can you consider the other three people here who don't have wives?"
Lin Yuan replied calmly, "We're not being overly affectionate. This is how we usually are."
Wei Xing quickly changed the topic and said, "Third sister - in - law, do you know that the first time I went with the third brother to beat someone, it was a lecher. Isn't it funny? I never dreamed that the third brother would ever be involved with a lecher."
Yi Zhici was puzzled. "What lecher?"
"It's that Du Wenting. Didn't the third brother tell you?" Wei Xing said cheerfully while gobbling down his food. "I wanted to beat Du Wenting when he went to molest Miss Yueci before. I didn't expect the third brother to be even more eager. He dragged me to Du Wenting's mansion right after we came back from the Flower Mansion last time."
Wei Ming frowned. "You went to the Flower Mansion?"
Wei Xing quickly shook his head. "I didn't. I never go there."
Wu Ya exposed Wei Xing. "He's the one who goes there most often."
Wei Xing covered Wu Ya's mouth while pleading with Wei Ming, and the scene was in a complete uproar.
Yi Zhici turned to Lin Yuan with a mischievous smile and said, "So it was you who beat that 'impotent' guy."
"Yes," Lin Yuan said seriously. "He deserved it."
Yi Zhici laughed so hard that she could hardly straighten up.
After all, this was a gathering among brothers. Yi Zhici thought she shouldn't stay for too long. She was afraid that she would annoy others if she stayed any longer, although she thought she and Lin Yuan hadn't done anything too intimate.
However, Lin Yuan's gaze was always on her. He either picked up some food for her or asked if she was cold. Although they behaved like this at home, Yi Zhici felt a bit embarrassed when there were others around. Moreover, Lin Yuan didn't participate much in the conversation among the three men but mainly took care of her. Yi Zhici thought this was a bit inappropriate.
"Lin Yuan, I'll go out for a stroll," Yi Zhici whispered in Lin Yuan's ear. "If I go far, I'll go straight back to the mansion. If I don't go far, ask Mu Feng to call me."
"Okay. Wrap your cloak tightly. Don't catch a cold."
"Got it."