Yun Qing frowned, realizing that she had taken on a very hot potato.

Seeing the change in her expression, the man tensed up: "My lord, did I say something wrong?"

I don't know why, but the title just slipped out, and the leader only realized it after he finished speaking.

"It's okay, thank you."

Being a servant in the palace is no easy task; one must always be mindful of the thoughts of those in power. Yun Qing, not wanting to make things difficult for anyone, boarded the carriage after learning of the matter and then ordered, "Go to the Li residence."

Having not left the palace for a long time, Yun Qing realized how much had changed in four years. The buildings around the palace had been almost completely renovated, and some roads had been altered, but the road to her residence remained the same.

The people selling their wares along the way were all beaming with joy, seemingly living a very happy life.

Unbeknownst to her, Xie Rang was still ensuring that Da Xi was running smoothly. Thinking of this, Yun Qing's heart sank again.

This sentiment is undoubtedly precious.

He knew what she wanted, and he tried his best to give her that.

While I was pondering, the carriage swayed and bumped until it arrived at the back gate of the mansion.

Many things haven't been resolved yet, and Yunqing isn't suited to be ostentatious. Besides, she has a rather low-key personality, so she should go back and check things out first.

She sent a message back early in the morning through Qingjiang. Uncle Jiang and Diancui had been waiting at the gatehouse for a long time. When they saw the carriage stop, they all came to greet it.

"Young Master?!"

Diancui blurted out the name instinctively, but when she looked closely at Yun Qing, she froze: "Huh?"

"It's a bit complicated, let's go inside and talk about it."

Although there are few people here, you never know when a passerby might walk by, so it's really not a good place to have a conversation.

Yunqing and Uncle Jiang exchanged a glance. The wise steward then pulled Diancui aside and led her inside.

"I did have a bit of an accident when I went out four years ago, but these kinds of things are hard to explain... But luckily I learned something from it, so it wasn't a complete loss."

The month back in the modern world was simply the perfect opportunity for Yun Qing to cheat.

Relying on the system's abilities to exchange for things little by little was too slow, so she found some useful things, slowly understood and memorized them, and wrote them down on paper when she had nothing to do in the palace. A bad pen is worse than a good memory, so she wouldn't forget them.

Some things are more reassuring to entrust to your own people.

Xie Rang is already too busy with many things, and Yun Qing shouldn't add to his burden.

Having been away for four years, her grasp of the current court situation has greatly diminished. During this time, she has reviewed many documents to make up for her lack of theoretical knowledge, but if she wants to return to the court, these documents alone are not enough.

Uncle Jiang, the head steward of the Li family, examined the items Yun Qing had taken out closely and was immediately taken aback: "This..."

Yun Qing carefully selected and wrote down a wide variety of things, including agriculture, industry, and commerce. She only chose some that could be implemented immediately, but even so, the total number was still quite large.

Uncle Jiang couldn't even imagine where their young lady had gone all these years since she disappeared.

"Uncle Jiang, don't worry, there will be more in the future. I learned all of these myself, and they are all from legitimate sources."

Yunqing didn't want the old man to keep guessing, so she could only say some words to reassure him.

"Miss is so amazing!" Diancui was a servant who had learned to read and write since childhood. After reading the contents, she immediately realized that this was extraordinary. She volunteered, "Miss, I have been learning to manage shops for the past few years. Could you give me these documents to handle?"

"Yes, you can decide." Yun Qing had no objections. Those who could work at the Li residence were all truly capable and competent; she wasn't worried. However…

Yun Qing smiled helplessly: "I can't stay in the manor for too long for now. I'll have to trouble Uncle Jiang to take care of these things."

The little brat is keeping a close eye on people, and he might run to the Li residence every day. Yun Qing thought about it over and over, but couldn't come up with a suitable solution for the time being.

Speaking of this, Uncle Jiang's face showed worry: "So, His Majesty knows your identity?"

Actually, there's no need to ask this question at all; you can tell at a glance that the carriage belongs to the palace.

"Mm." Yun Qing nodded. "But... don't worry too much. Everything is fine for now, it's alright."

The little tyrant may be a bit perverted, but at least he hasn't thought about exposing their affair to everyone. Yun Qing knows he's giving himself room to think, but no one knows how long his patience will last.

Diancui: "Waaaaah, my lady..."

"Alright, there's really no need to worry too much." Yun Qing was a little amused and exasperated. She talked to the two of them for a while before saying, "Let's leave it at that for now. I'll head back now. If anything comes up, I'll have Qing Jiang send a message."

She never imagined that one day, the secret guard she had left by Xie Rang's side would be tasked with relaying messages.

...

Time flies, and Xie Rang's birthday is just around the corner.

He didn't say it, but Yun Qing could tell that he was still looking forward to it.

"He's been missing four years, so let's make up for it by including the birthday gifts he's received over the years."

Yun Qing pondered in her heart.

Xie Rang, however, came to discuss something else with her at this time.

"It's almost time. Why doesn't the Grand Tutor make an appearance at my birthday banquet? It would put the ministers at ease."

Xie Rang spoke to her gently and politely, but a hint of expectation and longing was hidden in his eyes.

Yun Qing saw right through his thoughts: "In what capacity does Your Majesty want me to appear?"

Xie Rang rubbed his fingertips together, his voice low and hoarse: "It's just the Grand Tutor himself."

It doesn't matter what their identity is, as long as that person is Yun Qing, that's enough.

"Hmph." Yun Qing chuckled, her voice indifferent. "I thought His Majesty would say it out loud."

In every aspect, the boy seemed unconcerned about showing his true personality in front of her. At first, Yun Qing was a little slow to realize it, but later she gradually came to understand that it was desire.

She thought it would be difficult for her to accept these changes, but it turns out that she has been softened quickly and silently, and her relationship with Xie Rang is now a complete mess.

Unfortunately, she's not good at lying, especially to people she's close to. She always speaks frankly about everything.

Xie Rang chuckled softly: "That's because the Grand Tutor hasn't figured it out yet."

Xie Rang sometimes felt like he was a greedy wolf. He wanted more than he could get by plundering. He wanted not only people, but also hearts.

He was inherently cold-hearted, and only in front of Yun Qing could he show patience, allowing her to slowly think things through.

Yun Qing suppressed the urge to back away and calmly looked at him: "Then you'd better not say anything."

[That laugh was rather creepy.]