"From now on, Father will come to see you often."

Whenever He Lin thinks of his lost daughter, he comes here to visit her.

His gentle voice made Mayi smile as well.

"Consort Li, accompany me for a walk." He Lin held the little princess in one arm and took Mayi's wrist with the other, and walked towards the Imperial Garden.

As for He Lin, he was simply too preoccupied with missing Shu'er.

His gaze fell on He Yuwei's tender little face.

His little princess resembled Consort Li, but was even more beautiful.

I wonder what his Yu'er looks like, and whether she resembles Shu'er.

"On the Dragon Boat Festival, come with me."

"Yes," Mayi replied with a smile.

For the first two years, she was often secretly saddened because His Majesty did not visit her.

But now, so many years have passed, and she has gotten used to His Majesty's sometimes warm and sometimes cold attitude towards her.

Now that His Majesty has personally invited her, she is still overjoyed.

"What is your relationship with the general's wife?" He Lin asked Mayi.

“We met in the Western Regions and have a very good relationship,” Mayi said truthfully.

"There's something I need your help with," He Lin said, wanting to find someone to assist him.

"What is it?" Mayi asked, puzzled.

"Trade between East and West." After much deliberation, He Lin decided that Consort Li was the best candidate.

After all, she was his imperial concubine; she was far more reliable than any outsider.

Moreover, Consort Li was born in the Western Regions.

Upon hearing this, Mayi's eyes lit up.

It is her honor to serve His Majesty.

...

General's Mansion

Qiu Yan had just seen off another wave of matchmakers who came to propose marriage with a smile, and could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

These matchmakers, besides arranging marriages for Qiu Xu, also included her younger sister, Qiu Ling'er.

Qiu Yan did not treat this matter perfunctorily; on the contrary, she took it very seriously.

It's time to put my younger siblings' marriages on the agenda.

Qiu Yan took notes of all the matchmakers who came to propose marriage, and was waiting to gather with her younger brother and sister-in-law to ask for their opinions.

Little did they know that Qiu Ling'er was currently in the Duan family's courtyard.

At Duan Xiang's request, she has been treating Duan Xiu's illness during this period.

"Young Master Duan, your injuries have almost fully healed. I will not be coming from tomorrow onwards."

"Miss Ling'er." Duan Xiu looked at Qiu Ling'er gently, then hesitated before speaking:

"I feel... I haven't fully recovered yet. It still hurts here, here," he said, pointing to his chest.

The elder brother's sister-in-law was sweet by nature and gentle and kind to patients, bringing a touch of warmth to Duan Xiu's long-standing sorrowful heart.

His mother died, his father left, his elder brother and sister-in-law disowned him, and his younger sister left the Duan family.

Therefore, he is now all alone.

He felt a little lonely and wanted Qiu Ling'er to spend more time with him.

This girl possessed a captivating charm that deeply attracted him.

"Young Master Duan, you are cured." After saying this, Qiu Ling'er decisively packed her medicine box and returned to Wangyou Hall.

At the same time,

Having been thoroughly humiliated, He Jinran watched his mother impatiently summon another wave of matchmakers, but he couldn't muster any interest whatsoever.

He was sullen and depressed because of his sister.

But they were not discouraged.

At this moment, he was sitting alone in the courtyard, asking Aunt Zhu for advice on how to get his younger sister to accept him.

Indeed, Zhu Juan was always there whenever he visited the general's mansion.

Although Zhu Juan had already married Xuanming, she never forgot that she had always been the young master's most trusted maid.

No matter how much Zhu Juan talked, she couldn't get to the heart of He Jinran's feelings.

Looking up at Qiu Xu passing by outside the courtyard, He Jinran sighed.

My uncle couldn't help with this either.

Qiu Xu knew that the girl in pink, whom Xiao Ran had identified as her future sister, seemed to dislike Xiao Ran, this inexplicable older brother, very much.

Now that he had some free time, Qiu Xu saw his second uncle, fourth uncle, and aunt sitting together in the courtyard of the guest room, talking.

He did not disturb them, but silently watched them, his mind preoccupied with the matter of the brothel.

"Fourth brother, what are your plans for the future? Will you stay in Shangjin or go back to Baiyang?" Qiu Dafu asked Qiu Dazhi at the stone table.

"I want to stay in the Hanlin Academy." Qiu Dazhi was single-mindedly focused on making a name for himself.

Over the years, his original intention has never changed.

He was confident that with his top score in the second class, staying in the Hanlin Academy as an editor was a relatively safe option.

Qiu Yumei listened and nodded silently.

That's great. My nephew and brother have both brought honor to the Qiu family.

She smiled and said to Qiu Dafu, "I really hope that my second brother and sister-in-law can stay in Shangjin too."

"Your second sister-in-law thinks so too." Qiu Dafu's resolve to settle in Shangjin had also wavered.

However, when the couple gets older, they will still return to Lingnan Village.

In the main courtyard of the General's Mansion, having exhausted all other options, He Jinran finally went to find Qiu Yan.

Originally, after the matchmaker left, he wanted his mother to get some rest.

"Mother, my sister's personality is not good at all. What should I do to get her to accept me?"

He Jinran really wanted to take his younger sister to find their maternal grandfather.

His sister really made him lose face today.

He'll probably never forget the scene of being thrown out of the brothel entrance. It was truly humiliating; it was beyond shameful.

However, he and He Jinran are shameless enough.

He went again!

Qiu Yan never expected that because of her words, Xiao Ran would actually find her sister.

"Are you so sure that girl is your sister? There are people in this world who look alike."

“My gut feeling is that it’s her!” He Jinran said with certainty.

When he first saw the girl in pink, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

"Xiao Ran, you should stay quiet for the next few days and not go there again." Just from hearing Xiao Ran's account of being abandoned today, Qiu Yan immediately thought of the girl's character, which was just like her mother's.

“But…” He Jinran hesitated.

"Think about it, if your sister really reunites with you, what will happen if your father finds out?" Qiu Yan reminded her.

“Father…don’t let him know.” He Jinran, of course, understood the meaning behind Qiu Yan’s words.

"Do you think it's possible? Don't forget, there are your father's spies everywhere around you."

Qiu Yan thought to herself, "Xiao Ran is usually quite clever, so why is she so slow-witted when it comes to her sister?"

To put it bluntly, he desperately wanted to reunite with his sister.

Suddenly, Qiu Yan frowned.

"Xiao Ran, I take back what I just said. Go now!"

"Perhaps your father is already on his way out of the palace," Qiu Yan reminded him.

He Jinran's expression suddenly changed.

He turned around and rushed out of the general's mansion, heading towards the brothel.

Qiu Yan sighed; all she could do was wish the Prince of Yi good luck.

Qiu Xu watched from afar and then chased after them.

"Xiao Ran, where are you going?"

At this moment, Qiu Xu deeply understood the hardships that Xuanming and Xuanying had endured.

It's quite difficult, and you can easily lose track of it if you're not careful.