The old woman originally intended to send Lu Qiqi out of the mansion, but she didn't expect that Lu Qiqi would also have to go to Aunt Xiang's courtyard.

Upon hearing this news, the old woman's smile froze unnaturally.

Lu Qiqi understood what the nanny was afraid of and said frankly, "I delivered Xiang's baby, and she still has some aftereffects."

"Please rest assured, nanny. As a doctor, I know very well what I should and shouldn't say."

Upon hearing Lu Qiqi's words, the old woman's frozen face instantly melted, and she smiled warmly, saying, "What you say, Princess. The Madam invited you to the manor for a medical consultation because she trusts your character."

This old servant will take you there now.

Standing outside the west corridor, Lu Qiqi refused directly, saying, "There's no need for you to make this trip, Granny. I've walked this road several times and I'm quite familiar with it."

Furthermore, I have matters to attend to at home, and I would like to ask my brother, who is traveling with me, to go ahead first.

After thinking for a moment, the old woman realized she hadn't been impolite and said, "Then please make yourself at home, Your Highness."

Under the watchful eye of the nanny, Lu Qiqi carried her medicine box and walked straight into the west courtyard.

The garden in the west courtyard was not large, but it was still quite beautiful. Lu Qiqi walked through the garden and arrived at the side hall of the west courtyard.

Li Changlong drank one cup of tea and dared not drink any more, for fear that he would need to go to the toilet if he drank too much.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and then saw Lu Qiqi's voice.

He stood up. "Is the matter settled?"

What he really wanted to ask was whether Madam Wu had simply invited her to the mansion for a medical consultation.

Lu Qiqi smiled with relief, "It's all taken care of. Madam Wu had a minor ailment, nothing serious. The medicine and acupuncture have already taken care of it."

Li Changlong sat here alone, drinking tea, only occasionally seeing a few servants hurrying past. It was incredibly boring to stay here.

He couldn't wait to leave this mansion, lest he feel suffocated.

"Can we go now?"

Lu Qiqi shook her head, "Second brother, you go back first. I still need to go to Aunt Xiang's courtyard to give her a few more acupuncture treatments."

Li Changlong originally wanted to wait for her to leave together, but looking at her expression, he knew that there was no need for him to stay.

In that case, it would be better to go back earlier and cook her a meal to help her recover.

The two walked out of the side hall and stepped onto the stone slabs of the west courtyard garden.

Li Changlong said, "Then I'll go back and cook you a good meal to help you recover. I'll also pack up the pork jerky so you can take it back to the barracks."

Lu Qiqi was surprised that Li Changlong had finished making the pork jerky so quickly. She smiled and said, "Okay."

Just as they were about to leave the garden, they passed a rockery and saw Aunt Xiang sitting in the pavilion with her child, enjoying the cool air.

Li Changlong was an outsider and it was inconvenient for him to stay here, so Lu Qiqi originally wanted him to leave first.

Unlike before, when Aunt Xiang and Li Changlong looked at each other, their eyes held not only shock but also a hint of indescribable emotion.

Lu Qiqi was dumbfounded.

No way, no way.

Could it be that old flames are meeting again?

When I met you again after many years, I was surprised to find that you had married someone else.

Just as Lu Qiqi was lost in her own imagination, Li Changlong gently tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Qiqi, look closely, isn't that your aunt?"

Lu Qiqi wanted to say, "How would I know if she's your ex-lover?"

But she was taken aback by Li Changlong's comment about her being a "little aunt".

Aunt Xiang was actually the youngest daughter of the Lu family, Lu Xiangxiang.

The original owner didn't have many memories of Lu Xiangxiang. When Lu Xiangxiang married the merchant, she was very young and didn't remember much.

Furthermore, the original owner was so frightened by the tragic death of Chen that she developed a high fever and couldn't remember that the person who picked wild fruits for her when she was a child would overlap with Aunt Xiang, who lived deep in the mansion.

Lu Qiqi thought for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Second brother, I remember that my aunt married a merchant. How did she end up in the Wu family and become General Wu's concubine?"

Li Changlong was not clear about the reasons, but he could not possibly mistake the person in front of him.

With this in mind, Li Changlong decided to walk to the pavilion to ask for clarification.

He had just taken a step when Lu Qiqi pulled him back forcefully, almost causing him to stumble and fall.

Lu Qiqi met his questioning gaze and sighed almost imperceptibly, "She is now the general's concubine. Until things are cleared up, you are not her nephew, nor is she your aunt."

To outsiders, your presence under a pavilion means she's having a secret rendezvous with another man.

How could a concubine like her withstand such a stigma?

Didn't you see she was just standing under the pavilion, not coming over to acknowledge you?

After hearing Lu Qiqi's words, Li Changlong instantly came to his senses and said, "I'll wait for you outside the mansion."

Then he added, "Seven Seven, Second Brother won't mistake you."

Lu Qiqi patted his shoulder, "I know, and I will definitely find out the reason."

After Li Changlong left, Aunt Xiang handed the child to Xiangling and quickly walked to Lu Qiqi.

Her gaze followed Li Changlong's departing figure until he disappeared from sight, then she took a deep breath and asked, "Princess, could you tell me who the man who was standing beside you just now was?"

Hearing these words from Aunt Xiang, Lu Qiqi knew that Li Changlong's words were most likely true.

She glanced at Xiangling under the pavilion and said, "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go back to the courtyard and discuss it in detail."

After being reminded by Lu Qiqi, Aunt Xiang finally came to her senses and said, "Alright, I'll have Xiangling take the child back to the room right away."

Back in the house, after Aunt Xiang and Lu Qiqi sat down, Aunt Xiang's eyes welled up with tears. She sobbed, "Princess, please tell me, was that man just now named Li Changlong?"

When Aunt Xiang accurately pronounced the name, Lu Qiqi was certain that the person in front of her was their little aunt, Lu Xiangxiang.

Lu Qiqi said solemnly, "Yes, he is Li Changlong. He recognized you in the garden earlier."

"It was because I wasn't sure of your aunt-nephew relationship and was afraid the servants in the manor would misunderstand, so I let him go ahead."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Lu Xiangxiang's tears fell like pearls from a broken string, one after another.

Her handkerchief was quickly soaked with tears.

Seeing her crying so pitifully, Lu Qiqi said softly, "Auntie, it's me, Qiqi. Do you remember picking wild fruits for me to eat?"

Lu Xiangxiang cried until the tip of her nose was red. When she heard Lu Qiqi call her "little aunt," she looked up at her with teary eyes.

"Qiqi?"

Sobbing, she slowly raised her hand and stroked Lu Qiqi's cheek. "Nine years have passed, and you've grown into a beautiful young woman."

Xiangling stood to the side, holding the fifth sister and coaxing her to sleep. When she heard that Aunt Xiang had met her family in the city, she couldn't help but shed tears as well.

After a while, the crying finally stopped.

Lu Qiqi couldn't help but ask, "Auntie, how did you get into the General's Mansion?"

Upon hearing this question, Lu Xiangxiang's face visibly paled, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

·