Jiang Shuyue arrived at the Nangong residence, where the gatekeeper was someone arranged by Qiuju.

Upon seeing Jiang Shuyue, the servant respectfully ushered her inside.

In the hall, Su Huai-ren and Lin Miao-shou were sitting at the Eight Immortals table talking.

Upon seeing Jiang Shuyue, the two simultaneously exclaimed, "Yue girl!"

Jiang Shuyue noticed their worried expressions.

She smiled faintly, "Uncle, Uncle Lin, Yue'er is fine. I'm afraid Young Master Nangong will have a hard time accepting this. I'll go in and see him."

Su Huai Ren walked towards Jiang Shu Yue with a solemn expression and said, "Girl, don't blame the Emperor. He has to consider not only romantic feelings, but also the future of every year."

"Yes, Yue'er understands. I don't blame him."

Jiang Shuyue: "..." I just want to chop him up.

Lin Miaoshou stood up and said, "Yue'er, you don't know how much of a blow that brat suffered today. I tried to go in and comfort him, but he didn't open the door even after I called for a long time. It made an old minister of Liang Kingdom very anxious."

"Uncle Lin, don't worry, give him time, he'll figure it out."

"How can I not worry? This child seems carefree, but he is very sensitive. I remember when he was a child, he didn't practice his skills seriously and was punished by his senior brother. He then hid in the back mountain by himself and picked up stones to throw into the pool."

Jiang Shuyue gave Lin Miaoshou a reassuring look, "It's alright, he's no longer that little boy."

Jiang Shuyue walked into the inner courtyard, where the red silk had not yet been taken down.

Everywhere she looked, there was joy. Looking at the bright red double happiness paper-cut window decorations on the window frame, Jiang Shuyue felt a pang of pain in her heart.

Those paper-cut window decorations were all carefully designed by her and the embroiderers, with the double happiness symbol surrounded by auspicious clouds and vermilion birds.

A gentle breeze blows, the red silk flutters high, and the large red lanterns sway under the eaves.

Perhaps it was due to her different state of mind, but a sense of melancholy welled up in Jiang Shuyue's heart.

As you walk through the corridor, you see men dressed as guards standing like wooden figures on either side of the road.

Stepping out of the corridor, Jiang Shuyue walked towards the courtyard where Nangong Zeyue lived.

At this moment, a guard raised his hand to block her way. "Please return, young lady. We are ordered by the Emperor to protect Young Master Mo's safety. No one is allowed to approach."

“I am not just anyone, I am Young Master Mo’s friend.” Jiang Shuyue did not remember Nangong Zeyue’s original name.

The guard remained expressionless. "Not even friends. Without the Emperor's decree, no one is allowed."

Jiang Shuyue strongly suspected that anyone else would do, but not her.

Jiang Shuyue didn't want to make things difficult for the guards, so she tiptoed and looked into the courtyard.

The courtyard gate was open, and there were guards inside.

"Not letting him see anyone isn't protection; it's house arrest!"

Seeing that there were guards both inside and outside, Jiang Shuyue couldn't help but say resentfully.

The guard was not annoyed. He clasped his hands in a salute to Jiang Shuyue and said, "Miss, you may not know this, but the Liang royal family has not yet established a crown prince. Some princes with ulterior motives have learned that the eldest prince is still alive and have already sent several groups of assassins to Wanling."

"real?"

Jiang Shuyue gasped in shock. So, Nangong Zeyue's journey home was going to be very difficult.

“Everything the small thing says is true.”

Seeing that the guard's expression didn't seem to be lying, and recalling the palace intrigue novels she had read, Jiang Shuyue couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for Nangong Zeyue.

No, she had to do something for him. Jiang Shuyue turned and left.

Jiang Shuyue returned to the courtyard and immediately began to busy herself. When Qiuju saw her return, she started rummaging through boxes and cabinets at her desk.

Qiuju thought her young mistress had been traumatized and was in a daze, so she said worriedly, "Miss, tell me what you need and I'll find it for you."

Jiang Shuyue lowered her head and opened the drawer without looking up, saying, "Go do your own thing, I'll find some novels about palace intrigue."

The wedding banquet at the manor was canceled, and with Madam Su helping to manage things, Qiuju had nothing else to do. Her only worry was that her young mistress was feeling depressed.

Seeing that her young mistress seemed perfectly fine, she became even more worried.

If Miss could have a good cry, at least she could release the pent-up frustration in her heart. She was really worried that Miss would get sick from holding it in.

A strand of hair fell across the young lady's forehead and onto her cheek, her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and she looked tired.

Jiang Shuyue took a stack of storybooks out of the drawer and began to search through them intently.

Qiuju's nose tingled, and her eyes welled up with tears.

To avoid letting her mistress see that she had been crying, Qiuju turned around and raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

Qiu Ju suppressed her sadness and walked over, taking Jiang Shuyue's hand and saying:

"Miss, don't bother. I'll have someone bring the food to your room in a bit. Eat a little and then lie down for a while. When you wake up, you'll feel better. If you still can't let go, I'll open a jar of wine with you tonight and we'll drink until we're drunk."

Jiang Shuyue turned her head and saw that Qiu Ju's eyes were still red.

He reached out and gently tapped her forehead. "Look at you, so full of yourself. We've both been through life and death, and this little emotional setback won't defeat your young lady."

"You say you'll drink until you drop, but why don't you say you can drown your sorrows in alcohol?"

Jiang Shuyue's words only made things worse, as Qiuju's tears streamed down her face like a burst dam.

"Miss, if you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in. I see you're acting like nothing's wrong, but you're clearly in pain."

“Silly girl, what’s the use of crying? Even if your young lady cries herself to death, it won’t change the fact that Sui Sui’s father is the Emperor and Nangong Zeyue’s identity is a prince of Liang.”

Jiang Shuyue sighed and continued, "Actually, if I calm down and think about it, even if I went to Liang with him, he would have to face his father and mother, the court officials, and the royal family would value offspring. His mother might not allow him to be with me for life."

"Miss, aren't you sad?"

Qiu Ju stared in astonishment as Jiang Shuyue calmly analyzed the situation.

Jiang Shuyue's eyes darkened. "How could I not be sad? I have feelings for him. He is understanding and has a handsome appearance. Your young lady is only human. How could she not be moved?"

“I even fantasized about having a daughter with him, with eyes and eyebrows like his, he would definitely be a good father.”

Jiang Shuyue gazed out the window with tenderness, as if she could see Nangong Zeyue chasing after the children and playing around the yard.

Jiang Shuyue sighed softly and said, "Fate is cruel. I'll just keep this feeling buried in my heart for now. As long as he's alright, I have no other desires."

Jiang Shuyue withdrew her gaze, lowered her head and continued searching. After a while, she found more than ten palace intrigue books.

She handed the storybook she had found to Qiuju.

"The palace guards won't let anyone in. Ju'er, go next door and try to get these books to him. Even if you can't hand them to him in person, you should at least watch the guards deliver them to his room."

Jiang Shuyue paused and then said, "Please pass on a message to him: if he wants to live, he should read more palace intrigue books. Royal children are not stupid; they will be plotted against and killed if they don't have eight hundred cunning schemes."

Qiuju took the thick stack of storybooks and hugged them to her chest. "This servant will definitely deliver them to the young master."

Qiuju went to find Gao Mu after leaving Xingyue Courtyard.

Accompanied by Gao Mu, they went next door, and unsurprisingly, they were stopped at the gate.

When Qiuju saw that no matter how much she pleaded, the guards wouldn't let her in, she stood on tiptoe and shouted into the courtyard, "Young Master Nangong, come out quickly! Miss has something to say to you!"