In the flower hall, many girls returned one after another.

The Duchess was having a pleasant conversation with the Prime Minister's wife and others when she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure in the garden.

Looking closely, she saw her son, Lu Huaizhu, leading the two sisters, Shixian and Shixian, over.

The Duchess smiled knowingly and gave the Prime Minister's wife a meaningful look.

The Prime Minister's wife followed her gaze, paused for a moment, and then smiled.

"There's hope." The Duchess covered her mouth with a handkerchief and winked at the Prime Minister's wife.

Lu Huaizhu very gentlemanly lifted the gauze curtain and stood aside, gesturing for Nan Qianyue and the other person to enter.

Nanqianyue nodded slightly and walked in with a smile.

"Did the Poet Immortal have a good time?" the Duchess asked impatiently.

Nanqian Yue Chao bowed to her, saying, "The beautiful scenery in the garden is so pleasing to the eye that my sister and I were so captivated that we forgot to return. Fortunately, Young Master Lu led us back."

"Oh? What a coincidence." The Duchess's slightly ambiguous gaze darted back and forth between Nan Qianyue and Lu Huaizhu.

Lu Huaizhu walked over and greeted the Duchess and the other ladies, saying, "Mother, I'm going to Yifeng Pavilion now."

The Duchess nodded kindly, "Go then."

After Lu Huaizhu left, the Duchess then looked for Miss Lu and instructed the old woman beside her, "Go and call Yuhe here."

"Yes." The old woman responded and withdrew, only to encounter Lu Yuhe as soon as she stepped out of the flower hall.

Miss Lu's eyes were slightly red, and she walked quickly into the flower hall with her eyes slightly lowered.

"Mother, I'm late," she apologized softly.

The Duchess rose and pulled her closer, affectionately patting her back, and introduced her to everyone, "This is Yuhe, the second legitimate daughter of the Duke's mansion."

The Duchess did not mention the word "adopted," but simply stated Miss Lu's identity, which made it more convincing and showed how much the Duchess valued Miss Lu.

The ladies all offered their concern, and the Prime Minister's wife exchanged a few simple polite words.

Sitting next to the Prime Minister's wife, Nan Kezhi lowered her head little by little, her hand nervously clutching a handkerchief hidden under the table.

The sharp-witted Prime Minister's wife noticed her unusual behavior out of the corner of her eye, so she calmly took her hand and gently squeezed it.

Nan Kezhi looked up and met the eyes of the Prime Minister's wife, her eyes immediately reddening. "Mother..."

The Prime Minister's wife smiled reassuringly and said in a low voice, "You are also my daughter, don't overthink it."

Nan Kezhi bit her lip, and as soon as she lowered her head, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

The considerate Duchess noticed the commotion and smiled gently, "This must be Miss Nan the Second."

She was giving Nan Kezhi a chance to prove her identity.

The noble ladies of the capital were all present in the flower hall; this was a very good opportunity.

The Prime Minister's wife glanced gratefully at the Duchess, then gently introduced Nan Kezhi, holding her hand, "This is the second legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family, Kezhi."

With just one sentence, everyone understood and offered their blessings.

Not every legitimate mother would be willing to adopt such an old illegitimate daughter. The Duchess had no daughters, and with His Majesty bestowing a marriage upon Prince Anzheng, it was reasonable for her to be converted from an illegitimate daughter to a legitimate one.

But the Prime Minister's wife has a daughter, and more importantly, her daughter is very outstanding. Under such circumstances, she is still willing to give her illegitimate daughter to him, which shows that the Prime Minister's wife is broad-minded and the Second Miss Nan must also be a good girl.

The girl from Nanjing University is also reasonable; otherwise, how could she allow multiple younger sisters vying for her affections?

The young ladies also changed their attitude towards Nan Kezhi. Under the encouragement of the Duchess, Miss Lu came over with a cup of flower wine.

As the Duchess intended, she first paid homage to the poet Li Bai.

"Poet Immortal, amidst the blooming flowers of the garden, I raise a toast to you." She smiled sweetly, but upon closer inspection, a hint of shame lurked deep in her eyes.

For the first time, Nanqianyue found smiling so difficult. She forced a smile, raised her glass, and said, "Please."

She didn't say a word more.

Miss Lu seemed to sense something, glanced apologetically at Nan Qianyue, and then went to Nan Kezhi's side.

The Duchess had been observing Nan Qianyue's reaction. Having been through similar experiences, she roughly understood what was going on.

The poet might have had feelings for Prince Anzheng, and Prince Anzheng, needless to say, was pursuing the poet as everyone in the capital knew.

No one expected such a sudden bestowal of marriage.

...The Camellia Festival has ended.

The women returned to their residences, while the men went to compose poems together by the Heyang Lake.

I originally intended to invite Nanqianyue, but since she is a young woman, and even though I admire her poetic talent, I had to be mindful of etiquette, so I gave up on that idea.

——

Nanjing Mission.

Inside the luxurious carriage, Xiao Chen remained unconscious.

Because Ye Jian had given him a cup of sleeping potion, it was the Grand Tutor's idea.

They planned to wake Xiao Chen up once the delegation had gone some distance.

Ye Jian had lost count of how many times he had opened the car door to check on Xiao Chen, and this time, he was slightly startled by what he saw.

The lord, fast asleep on the soft couch, was smiling foolishly. He was probably having a sweet dream, probably about Miss Nan.

Xiao Chen did indeed have a very long dream, a dream that was the most beautiful memory buried deep in his heart...

—Outside a solitary wooden cabin in the mountains.

Xiao Chen calmly tugged at the swing ropes and then pressed his hand down on the seat.

Everything is working properly; it's finally fixed.

The corners of his lips couldn't help but curl up slightly.

Just then, Nanqianyue came bounding back from the mountains with a basket full of wild vegetables, humming a tune.

"La la la~~ Hmm hmm~~ La la~~~~"

Xiao Chen immediately withdrew his hand, his upturned lips curled up, and he walked coldly to the stove to start a fire.

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