After dressing, Long Chen made his way to the grand dining hall with Zhu Rong and Xuan Yu following behind him. The hall was spacious and elegant, with intricate jade carvings decorating the walls and a large round table at the center that could seat twenty people comfortably.
The Long family was one of the four Duke families of the Wuyun Empire, holding tremendous power and prestige. However, unlike other noble families with countless relatives and branch families, the Long family consisted of only four core members: Duke Long Tian (his father), Duchess Yue Lianxue (his mother), Long Lianyun (his aunt and father's younger sister), and Long Chen himself.
This unusual situation made the Long family unique among the Duke families. To maintain the household, Duke Long had adopted around fifty young orphan girls from across the empire, now they ranging from fourteen to twenty-six years old. These girls served as maids in the Long family, but their treatment was exceptional—far better than what servants in any other Duke family could dream of. They only had to serve three people: the Duke, the Duchess, and Long Lianyun.
Long Chen was exempt from their service because he had his own six personal maids who attended to all his needs. These six were different from the household maids—they had been specially given to him by his father on his tenth birthday and existed solely for him.
As Long Chen entered the dining hall, several of the household maids were bringing out the morning dishes. They all wore elegant uniforms—light blue robes with the Long family crest embroidered on them. Despite being servants, they moved with grace and dignity, their faces showing contentment rather than the typical exhaustion seen in servants of other noble houses.
At the head of the table sat his mother, Yue Lianxue—a woman whose beauty could shake kingdoms.
She appeared to be in her early thirties, though she was actually much older. Her long silver hair flowed past her waist like a waterfall of moonlight, and her purple eyes held both warmth and authority. Her figure was perfect—mature, voluptuous, and graceful. She wore an elegant purple robe embroidered with phoenix patterns that hugged her curves while maintaining an air of nobility. Her face was so beautiful that it seemed carved by the heavens themselves—high cheekbones, full red lips, and skin as smooth as jade. A natural majesty emanated from her, yet when she looked at Long Chen, her eyes softened with motherly affection.
Beside her sat his aunt, Long Lianyun, his father's younger sister who was the same age as Long Chen—nearly eighteen years old. Despite being his aunt by relation, she looked more like she could be his twin sister.
Her appearance was breathtaking—long platinum-blonde hair that cascaded down to her hips like molten gold, and bright amber eyes that sparkled with mischief and youthful energy. Her figure was already fully developed despite her young age, with curves that could make any woman jealous and any man lose his composure. She wore a daring red and gold robe that showed off her shoulders and a generous amount of her chest, clearly not caring about modesty.
"Chen'er, you're finally awake! Come sit," his mother called out with a warm smile.
"Good morning, Mother. Good morning, Aunt Yun," Long Chen greeted them both as he approached.
Several household maids bowed respectfully as he passed. "Good morning, Young Master," they chorused softly.
Long Chen nodded at them with a smile, and they quickly returned to their tasks, though some couldn't help but steal glances at him.
"Good morning, little nephew~" Long Lianyun said in a playful, sing-song voice. "Did you sleep well? Or were you too busy with your little maids to get proper rest?" She winked at him teasingly.
Some of the household maids nearby blushed at the implication, though they tried to maintain their professional composure.
"Lianyun! Don't tease Chen'er so early in the morning," Yue Lianxue chided, though there was amusement in her eyes. "And lower your voice—you're embarrassing the maids."
Long Chen sat down between his mother and aunt, while his six personal maids—Bai Wei, Zhu Rong, Xuan Yu, Hua Xin, Han Fei, and Long Xue Ying—took their positions around the table.
The household maids began bringing out the morning feast—steamed fish with fragrant herbs, jade dumplings filled with spiritual beast meat, crystal clear soup that emanated medicinal fragrance, roasted phoenix chicken, jade rice that sparkled faintly with spiritual energy, and various exotic fruits.
A maid around twenty years old with gentle features carefully placed a plate of dumplings in front of Long Chen. "Young Master, these dumplings were made with the spiritual beast meat that the Duke brought back yesterday. Please enjoy."
"Thank you, Xiao Mei," Long Chen said with a genuine smile, remembering her name.
The maid's face lit up with happiness and she quickly retreated to bring more dishes.
As they began eating, Long Chen's mother suddenly spoke with a more serious tone.
"Chen'er, before we discuss anything else, there's an important matter I need you to handle when you visit the Xue family today."
Long Chen looked at his mother attentively.
"What is it, Mother?"
"When you go to see Xue Xianxian, I want you to propose a marriage on my behalf," Yue Lianxue said clearly.
Long Lianyun's eyes widened with interest, and even the nearby household maids couldn't help but pause in their tasks, curious about what the Duchess would say next.
"A marriage proposal?" Long Chen raised an eyebrow.
"For whom?"
"For Bao'er and Xue Xiantian," his mother replied, her voice warm with affection.
Long Chen's expression shifted to one of understanding and approval. Bao'er was one of the household maids who had been with the family for many years—she was around twenty-two years old now, with a gentle disposition and exceptional skills. More importantly, she was one of the few maids trusted to accompany Long Chen outside the Long family manor whenever he needed an escort or companion for public appearances.
Bao'er had grown up in the Long household since she was ten years old, rescued by Duke Long from an orphanage that was about to be shut down.
Over the years, she had become not just a servant but almost like an older sister to many of the younger maids. Her loyalty to the family was unquestionable.
Xue Xiantian, on the other hand, was Xue Xianxian's older brother—a talented young man around twenty-four years old who had achieved considerable success in both cultivation and business.
The Xue family was a prominent merchant family with strong ties to the Long family.
"I see," Long Chen said thoughtfully. "So Mother has been playing matchmaker?"
Yue Lianxue smiled gently. "I've noticed for some time that Bao'er and Xiantian have feelings for each other. Whenever Xiantian visits our manor on business, he always finds excuses to speak with Bao'er. And Bao'er... well, the girl's face turns red as a tomato whenever his name is mentioned."
Several of the household maids giggled at this, confirming the Duchess's observation.
"It's true, Young Master!" Xiao Mei, one of the younger maids, said excitedly before quickly covering her mouth, realizing she had spoken out of turn.
"It's alright, Xiao Mei," Yue Lianxue said kindly. "You're correct. Everyone in the household has noticed."
Long Lianyun leaned forward with interest. "Ohhh~ a romance! How sweet! Bao'er is such a lovely girl, and from what I've heard, Xue Xiantian is quite handsome and capable. They'd make a good match!"
"Indeed," Yue Lianxue nodded. "However, there's a problem. Bao'er is an orphan with no family to speak for her, and she's technically a servant of our household. Xiantian's family, while not as prestigious as ours, are still prominent merchants. For them to marry, the proposal needs to come from someone with status—someone who can give Bao'er the backing she needs."
Long Chen understood immediately. "So you want me to propose the marriage as a representative of the Long family, giving Bao'er the status of someone under our protection rather than just a mere servant."
"Exactly," his mother said with approval. "If you propose the marriage on behalf of our family, it shows that we value Bao'er and consider her worthy. It will give her the respect she deserves and ensure the Xue family treats her well."
"But Mother," Long Lianyun interjected thoughtfully, "if Chen'er proposes the marriage, doesn't that mean our family is giving Bao'er as a bride? Won't that create obligations?"
"It will," Yue Lianxue acknowledged. "Which is why I'm also preparing a generous dowry for Bao'er—cultivation resources, gold, jewelry, and even a small shop in the capital. She has served our family loyally for twelve years. This is the least we can do."
The household maids who were listening felt their eyes grow moist with emotion. This was why they were so loyal to the Long family—they weren't just treated as servants, but as people with futures and dreams.
Liu Mei, the head maid, stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Madam, on behalf of all the maids, thank you for your kindness toward Bao'er. Your generosity knows no bounds."
"There's no need to thank me, Liu Mei," Yue Lianxue said gently. "Bao'er has given us twelve years of her life. Helping her find happiness is the natural thing to do."
Long Chen felt a surge of pride for his mother. Despite her cold, dignified appearance in public, she truly cared for those in her household.
"I'll handle it, Mother," Long Chen said seriously. "I'll make sure Xue Xiantian understands that Bao'er has the full backing of the Long family. If he treats her poorly, he'll answer to us."
"That's my boy," Yue Lianxue smiled warmly.
"Wait, wait!" Long Lianyun suddenly raised her hand like an excited student. "Does Bao'er even know about this? Have you told her?"
"Not yet," Yue Lianxue admitted. "I wanted to secure Xiantian's agreement first. If he refuses, there's no point in raising Bao'er's hopes."
"He won't refuse," Long Chen said confidently.
"I've seen the way he looks at Bao'er when he visits. The man is clearly smitten."
"Speaking of Bao'er," Long Lianyun looked around. "Where is she? Shouldn't she be here if she's supposed to accompany Chen'er today?"
"Bao'er is currently helping prepare the carriage and gathering supplies for the Young Master's visit," Liu Mei explained. "She should be ready shortly."
"Good," Yue Lianxue nodded. Then she turned back to Long Chen with a more serious expression. "Now, Chen'er, about your other plans for today..."