Upon hearing this, the middle-aged servant narrowed his eyes, showing no surprise on his face, as if he had expected it all along.

Zhao Qianlan looked at the familiar servant in front of her; it had been more than ten years since they last met.

Memories of the past flashed through her mind intermittently. Zhao Qianlan lowered her eyes silently, her expression unreadable, neither sad nor happy.

The servant in the middle, seeing her like this, simply smiled politely and said, "Madam, please... Master has been waiting for you for a long time."

Zhao Qianlan pursed her lips, gave the nanny beside her a reassuring look, and then followed the servant out of the courtyard through the back gate.

The back gate of the courtyard leads to a large bamboo grove. The servant was familiar with the area, and the two of them, one in front and one behind, avoided the crowds and weaved through the bamboo forest.

Soon they arrived at a secluded courtyard, which had the same layout as the place they had just stayed, but looked quite old.

It seems that after all the twists and turns, we haven't gone very far; we're still on the mountain of Heyan Mountain.

The courtyard was simple and rustic, with moss growing on the walls, and the trees on both sides were withered and yellow, with fallen leaves piled up in a corner.

Zhao Qianlan cautiously surveyed her surroundings, but the servant in front of her suddenly stopped at the entrance of the courtyard.

"The master is in the middle room. Please go in by yourself."

This man and woman, alone together, are on a sacred mountain like Heyan Mountain.

Zhao Qianlan hesitated in her heart and her face showed some hesitation, but when she thought of Song Xizhi's hateful face, and in contrast to her daughter's desperate cries, she thought of Song Xizhi's face.

She gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, stepped into the courtyard, and opened the tightly closed wooden door.

The wooden door creaked open, and Zhao Qianlan felt a wave of warmth wash over her, along with a familiar masculine scent.

That was the scent she remembered vividly from her teenage years.

The man on the soft couch heard the noise at the door, then turned his head and looked at Zhao Qianlan with a smile: "The person has arrived? Please sit down."

"Qianlan, you haven't changed much over the years."

Zhao Qianlan looked at the familiar face in front of her, but it looked more than ten years older than she remembered.

After all, he was Consort Liang's own brother. Consort Liang was once the most favored concubine in the palace, and Zhao Qingshu was also outstanding in appearance. Even after more than ten years, with a beard and fine lines around his eyes, he was still very refined.

...if you don't know his true colors.

Remembering his true nature, Zhao Qianlan felt a little scared. She picked a chair far away and sat down in front of Zhao Qingshu.

Her tone was polite yet ingratiating: "Cousin...it really has been a long time."

Zhao Qingshu narrowed her eyes slightly as she observed Zhao Qianlan's reaction: "Is there any need to be so afraid when talking to your lover?"

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft: "We're both in our fifties or sixties. It wasn't me who sent someone to find you. It was you who sent someone to beg me, asking if I was free, and that's why I agreed to your invitation."

"...Why are you putting on such a coy act again?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianlan felt flustered and hurriedly stepped forward, sitting on the soft couch opposite him. She then said, "Yes, it is I who am begging you."

"Cousin, please, for the sake of our past relationship, help me!"

Zhao Shuqing remained seated and unresponsive. Zhao Qianlan gritted her teeth and reached out to grasp his hand, which was resting on the square table: "Help me..."

Zhao Shuqing looked down at the two people's hands, a cryptic smile appearing on his face. He looked at Zhao Qianlan and asked, "How do we save them?"

Seeing that he had relented, Zhao Qianlan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thinking of Song Xizhi, she gritted her teeth and said, "I want that bastard! Song Xizhi, die!"

"I'm going to make her die a horrible death! I'll make Ruo'an trample this wretched servant under her feet! Just like she did to that wretched servant Su Mingyue before!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shuqing withdrew his hand, his expression playful: "That's different."

“Su Mingyue is just the eldest daughter of the Su family, a small family. Song Xizhi, on the other hand, is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis of Anding, the wife of a second-rank official. I dare not do anything to her.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianlan felt a soreness in her teeth. Overwhelmed by resentment, she stood up and sat down decisively next to Zhao Shuqing.

She held his hand tightly: "Aqing, if you can help me, I'm willing to do anything!"

Zhao Shuqing finally heard what he wanted to hear, so he squeezed Zhao Qianlan's hand tightly with one hand, turned around, and opened a small cabinet next to the soft couch.

As soon as the cabinet door opened, a dazzling array of trinkets was revealed to Zhao Qianlan.

It was filled with all sorts of small items, including long leather whips, candles, and red silk ropes...

If an ordinary person saw this, they would be horrified, but Zhao Qianlan had already anticipated it.

She blushed, lowered her eyes, and nodded: "I'm willing to do anything to make that bastard child suffer eternal damnation! I want to make her suffer eternal damnation!"

Zhao Shuqing burst into laughter, the sound echoing softly in the quiet bedroom. He took the red silk from the wooden cabinet, and naturally put his hand on Zhao Qianlan's shoulder, then began to undress her.

"You hate her that much?"

Caught off guard by his movement, Zhao Qianlan's eyes narrowed sharply: "You want to... here?"

Zhao Shuqing said casually, "I found this place on purpose, so you don't need to worry."

Zhao Qianlan was still incredulous: "But this is Heyan Mountain, and the Fengshan ceremony is about to take place. Everyone has to bathe and fast for five days... Aren't you afraid that others will find out?"

Without a word, Zhao Shuqing undressed her, his tone somewhat arrogant: "It's precisely because of the Fengshan Ceremony that bathing and fasting are required, which is why your husband wouldn't know!"

"If you don't tell and I don't tell, who else will know about this? Don't you think...it's exciting?"

Zhao Qianlan thought this made sense.

Anyway, it's just this once. After that, just pretend nothing happened, and no one will know about it.