Fu Tinghan quickly said there was no need, "Our country is currently impoverished, and our wedding should not be extravagant. Therefore, the betrothal gifts and dowry should be kept simple, to avoid setting a trend that burdens the people."

Princess Hongnong asked, "Do you think you and Zhao Hanzhang can already influence the country’s customs and people’s ethos?"

Fu Tinghan frowned slightly, but his previously tense heart gradually relaxed. He finally raised his head to look at Princess Hongnong seated opposite him and said calmly, "Naturally, she is now the helm of the court, and her every action and word can lead the country’s customs and the people’s ethos. Besides her, local customs are mostly followed by the common people who emulate venerable elders and gentry, whereas the gentlemen and gentry often face the court’s norms."

Princess Hongnong quietly looked at him, and after a moment said, "I thought after these many years of war, you would have learned to be gentler, but it turns out you are still the same."

Fu Xuan, who had been sitting beside them, irritably set his teacup down with a thud, causing both Fu Tinghan and Princess Hongnong to turn their heads and quietly look at him.

Fu Xuan said, "Since the betrothal has been set, let’s arrange a time for our two families to meet. You can ask about the Zhao Family’s schedule, and I will visit with your mother."

Fu Tinghan slightly bent his body in response, and then the three of them fell silent again.

Truth be told, in all the years since coming to this world, this was the first time Fu Tinghan found himself in such an awkward and silent atmosphere.

To Fu Tinghan’s surprise, the most at ease among the three was Princess Hongnong.

She didn’t mind the father and son’s silence, turning her head to look outside the door, assessing the courtyard’s situation before saying, "Who usually manages this residence? Those branches are trimmed so poorly, this courtyard is the main hall, and yet they dared to plant some wildflowers and weeds in the flower bed. How long has it been since the rock garden was cleaned?"

Fu Tinghan was unable to answer.

Princess Hongnong frowned and asked, "Who is the steward? Have him come to answer me."

Fu Tinghan had no steward; these matters were handled by Fu An. To make it easier to handle affairs, he had always lived in the Zhao Mansion. This residence was a reward distributed to everyone after Zhao Hanzhang entered Luoyang, with Ji Yuan, Ming Yu, and even Chang Ning, among others, receiving one. So she gave him this house across from the Zhao Family as his residence.

However, he had always used it as a secondary residence, with only the main courtyard tidied up, while other areas were left unattended.

First, maintaining the house was costly, and secondly, manpower was still insufficient, and he did not want to expend energy on such matters.

Since Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan were welcomed back, he had someone tidy up a courtyard for them, but other than that, other parts remained locked and mostly unmanaged.

The courtyard and garden appeared somewhat disorganized, as if no one had lived there for a long time. Naturally, Fu Tinghan could not push Fu An forward, so he simply said, "The war just ended, and I have few people around me. I have always lived elsewhere, and this time, it’s because... Father and Mother returned, so I had people tidy up the residence."

"But it was someone I hired from outside, so it may not be entirely satisfactory," Fu Tinghan said. "I only had two courtyards cleaned up: one is the main courtyard where I will live, and the other is Changsong Courtyard where Father and Mother will stay. The other courtyards are locked, and even the garden has hardly been attended to."

"I didn’t think much of it before, but seeing Father and Mother today, I realized this was inappropriate. So I will entrust the management of this residence to Mother. If there are any changes needed, just instruct someone to make them."

Princess Hongnong’s eyes narrowed slightly, and beside her, Fu Xuan couldn’t help but glance again and again at his son, wondering if he really didn’t know his words were full of flaws and contentious points.

Fu Xuan racked his brain to find excuses for him, but eventually gave up and decided to first get him out of there. "It’s getting late; let’s discuss these matters later. We’ve been weary from our journey, so first..."

"You live in the main courtyard?" Princess Hongnong ignored Fu Xuan, intently asking Fu Tinghan, "Which courtyard did you just say your father and I will stay in?"

Fu Tinghan looked puzzled, "Changsong Courtyard."

He had carefully chosen that name, meaning longevity like a pine, and even Hanzhang said he picked it well.

Seeing his puzzled and innocent expression, Princess Hongnong couldn’t help but feel frustrated. She believed he was merely playing with her; how could he not understand the implication behind her question?

Fu Tinghan didn’t feel there was anything wrong with his arrangement, but he still respected the elder’s wishes, saying, "If Mother doesn’t like Changsong Courtyard, another courtyard can be chosen."

"Many courtyards, gardens, pavilions, and corridors in this residence do not have names, so you can arrange them according to your preferences." Fu Tinghan no longer wished to stay and wanted to find Zhao Hanzhang.

Princess Hongnong’s breathing quickened slightly, but her pride didn’t allow her to ask such a question directly, so she turned to look at Fu Xuan.

Fu Xuan turned his head aside, avoiding her gaze.

Princess Hongnong felt stifled and had to suppress her temper to ask Fu Tinghan, "How many servants are there in the residence?"

Fu Tinghan was momentarily stunned before shaking his head, "There are no servants."

"What?" Princess Hongnong was unable to comprehend for a moment.

Fu Tinghan explained, "I only have Fu An by my side, but I can’t leave him in the residence as I need him to attend to me. The rest are personal soldiers. I can leave two squads in the residence; Mother can call on them for assistance."

"Call on them?" Princess Hongnong laughed in exasperation, asking, "You, a Chief of Staff — no, not mentioning the Chief of Staff position, you are the eldest legitimate grandson of the Fu Family, yet you don’t even have two servants at your side?"

Fu Tinghan sighed, "When we were fleeing, we got separated, and only Fu An stayed with me all along."

Even Fu Xuan couldn’t help but turn back to look at him and asked, "Why not buy more people?"

"Why buy?" Despite residing here for four years, Fu Tinghan still wasn’t accustomed to some rules of this place and retained his modern habits, "I don’t need servants."

Princess Hongnong’s voice became sharply, "You don’t need servants?"

Fu Tinghan nodded firmly, "Having just Fu An is enough."

If Fu An, who had always followed him, wasn’t around, he wouldn’t even need Fu An, as he could handle many things himself. Tasks he didn’t want or couldn’t handle could also be completed by personal soldiers around him.

Zhao Hanzhang also rarely needed servants, more often relying on her personal soldiers.

Among the servants, only Ting He was frequently used.

Seeing Princess Hongnong’s displeased expression, Fu Tinghan still couldn’t comprehend the reason for her irritation and only wanted to leave more.

Restless, he shifted slightly before finally following his desire to stand up, "There’s still work to do at the Ministry of Personnel; I’ll go handle governmental affairs first. Please carry on, Father and Mother."

After speaking, he respectfully saluted before leaving.

Hiding outside, as soon as Fu Tinghan emerged, Fu An immediately trotted over to follow, trailing behind Fu Tinghan as they exited the residence. He eagerly snatched the horse from Shi Hongtu’s hands and uncharacteristically attempted to help Fu Tinghan mount.

Fu Tinghan pushed his hand away, grabbing the saddle and leaping onto the horse by himself. Once seated, he looked down at Fu An in confusion, "What’s wrong with you?"

Fu An immediately moved closer to the horse, raising his head and looking at Fu Tinghan pleadingly, "Young Master, you genuinely don’t know?"

Fu Tinghan silently looked at him.

Alright, it seems the Young Master truly doesn’t understand.

Fu An wore a pained expression and said, "According to propriety and reason, the Princess and Prince Consort should reside in the main courtyard."

Fu Tinghan frowned, "This residence was bestowed upon me by the court, not them. Shouldn’t the owner reside in the main courtyard?"

Fu An blinked, seemingly acknowledging that such a statement wasn’t wrong either.