On the eve of the Lunar New Year, Ning felt it was unlucky that she had fallen ill. However, the young master Xu Wei invited the physician employed by the manor to examine Ning and then took good care of her.

Xu Wei brought over the prepared medicine and watched Ning drink it. Then she brought over a bowl of warm water, and Ning rinsed her mouth before feeling a little better.

Seeing Xu Wei put the bowl on the table, Ning Shi said somewhat apologetically, "Young Master, you've worked hard during the New Year."

Xu Wei smiled gently, came over and sat on the round stool in front of the bed, and said, "Madam has worked hard. You have been busy since before the New Year and have been taking care of everything inside and outside the house."

Hearing the Crown Prince praise her like this, Ning felt quite comforted. She felt that it was enough that someone saw and remembered all her hard work and even thanked her for her efforts.

Ning sighed and said, "Young Master, it's the New Year, and because of my illness, you haven't been able to visit any relatives or friends."

The prince waved his hand and said, "Most of the relatives have left. As you know, I haven't made many friends outside these past two years. Father is right. Now is a time of great change. Our noble family has no connection with the harem, so it's best not to get involved in this mess. It's better not to end up with nothing. Let's just live our lives peacefully."

Ning Shi actually wanted her husband to rise to a higher level. Although her family was now a noble family, who would complain about having too much wealth and status?

However, the various events of the past few years have terrified Ning Shi. Her own daughter, who had been pampered and spoiled, was almost tricked into a pit of fire. Furthermore, the daughter of the third branch of the family was even plotted to become a concubine of the third prince. Ning Shi was truly frightened by these repeated incidents. The heir apparent was not ambitious, but he was a reliable person. If the Marquis's mansion were handed over to him, he could maintain the status quo.

Ning felt it was a rare moment of peace and quiet for her and the Crown Prince. She reminisced about the fun times when the children were still around, and then said with some worry, "I'm worried about Yao'er's marriage. Yao'er has come of age, but she hasn't been engaged yet."

The Crown Prince was also somewhat worried, saying, "Yao'er's situation is special, and we cannot easily arrange a marriage for her now. I want to talk to Father about this again and see what Father thinks."

Ning Shi's heart stirred, and she leaned close to the young master and whispered, "Young master, do you think Father will find a marriage for Yao'er?"

The prince frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "It's hard to say. Father went to Yanmen Pass with the army in his early years, and has been taking care of Grandmother and managing the family property at home ever since. As for what kind of marriage Father will find for Yao'er, let's ask Father what he thinks. Father has always been very loving towards his children and grandchildren, and he will always be able to find a suitable marriage for them."

The young master was really concerned about Xu Yao's marriage. That evening, he went to the study in the front courtyard and told the Marquis about it.

The Marquis originally thought that once Xu Yao returned from Liaodong, her parents would find a suitable family to marry her off to, but who knew that Xu Yao's marriage would remain unsettled.

After the Marquis sent the heir back, he stayed in his study until very late, pondering for a long time, and felt that Xu Yao's marriage should not be rushed.

Xiao Yuan is a trump card for the Marquis's family. Whether the family will rise to prominence or gain complete control in the future is still unknown. Even if they gain complete control, there is a law in this dynasty that does not apply to married women who have committed crimes. Therefore, they need to find a loyal and honest family for their daughter.

After leaving the Marquis's study, the young master went to Lady Ning's courtyard.

Before Ning Shi had even rested, she saw the young master return and quickly ordered someone to help him wash up. Only after the young master was lying in bed did Ning Shi ask him what he had said to the Marquis.

After the young master finished speaking, Lady Ning pondered for a while and said, "Since this matter has already been discussed with the Marquis, I will no longer arrange a marriage for Yao'er. I don't think Yao'er is very interested in this matter. I'm exhausted from dealing with her."

The prince turned slightly, somewhat puzzled, and said, "You mean Yao'er? She used to chase after that young master, but now she doesn't seem to care about marriage at all. Does she have someone else in her heart?"

When her father put it this way, Ning Shi laughed and said, "Look at you, what are you saying? Our Yao'er doesn't have someone in her heart. I think she's gone out and become wild."

The crown prince was even more puzzled and said, "What does having a wild heart have to do with marriage?"

Ning patiently explained, "Our Yao'er used to be confined to this inner courtyard all day. Even when she went out, she only visited a limited number of households. How could she know that there were more open places in this world? After going to Liaodong, she saw more of the world and her mind became more open. Naturally, she had more things to think about. With more things to think about, she naturally became less concerned about this marriage."

The prince gave a soft "hmm" and said, "That makes sense. In that case, it's better not to let girls go out. If they do, they'll become too independent and hard to manage when they come back."

Hearing the prince's words, Ning scoffed and said, "Why not let him out? If he doesn't go out, how will he know how vast the world is? If he doesn't know how vast the world is, he will be confined to the small inner quarters, his eyes will only see a small place, his heart will be narrow, and he will only be able to consider such a small thing. Just thinking about it makes people feel unhappy."

Upon hearing Ning's words, the prince thought of how she had traveled to many places with her elders when she was young. He softened his tone and said, "I'm just going along with what you said. Now that Father has agreed to help us consider Yao'er's marriage, he always does his best to keep his promises. Our Yao'er will definitely find a very good marriage in the future."

Ning breathed a soft sigh of relief and said, "I hope so."

Xu Yao was naturally unaware of how worried her parents were about her marriage. She was now thinking about how to prepare some exam materials for Xu Di.

I heard that the imperial examinations would take several days to complete. During these days, you had to prepare your own food and drink. The weather was unpredictable, sometimes warm and sometimes cold. If the weather was good, it was fine, but if you encountered a cold snap in spring, you would suffer in the imperial examinations.

Xu Yao had inquired and learned that in previous imperial examinations, those who were unable to continue due to illness would be carried out from inside. In that case, they had to be fully prepared, not only with food and drink, but also with all the necessary utensils.

Xu Yao planned to make a pair of knee pads for Xu Di, not only to protect his knees but also his legs, ideally all the way up to his ankles, so that when he wore cotton shoes, the cold wind below wouldn't get into his clothes.

Having made her plans, Xu Yao began preparing. She searched through all her belongings but couldn't find suitable fur. It was already past the Lantern Festival, and the shops on the street had reopened. Xu Yao, accompanied by two maids, went to a fur shop on the street to buy fur.