Of the two people she met on the mountain that afternoon, Xu Zhi still vaguely remembered one of them, but it was from a previous life.

The man in his twenties was named Chu Zhiwei. He had been to the Duke's mansion before. At that time, Xu Zhi was trapped in the backyard of the Duke's mansion, living in a desolate little courtyard. When Xu Zhi saw that no one was around, she would sit alone under a rockery in the back garden.

That was when Xu Zhi was most relaxed. Even in that desolate little courtyard, the Duchess would have the servants around her insult Xu Zhi because her son died after Xu Zhi married into the family. The Duchess believed that this was all because of Xu Zhi.

The spot where Xu Zhi was sitting was very secluded. Xu Zhi was also petite and wore unbright clothes. She was sitting on the ground with her knees drawn up to her chest, and you couldn't see her at all unless you looked closely.

That day, Xu Zhi, as usual, quietly slipped to the foot of the artificial hill. Just as she finished sitting down, she heard someone walking over. Xu Zhi didn't pay attention. The back garden was quite large, and the women or servants of the mansion often came here, either to admire the flowers and plants or to pass by.

Who knew that the people who came over would stop right under the artificial hill where Xu Zhi was hiding? If the two of them looked down carefully, they would probably be able to see Xu Zhi. Xu Zhi, in order not to be discovered, even breathed softly.

An elderly woman said, "Young Master Chu, once I have hidden the things properly, I will send you a message. Please rest assured, Master."

Another young voice said, "In that case, please be careful, Granny. Zhiwei thanks you on behalf of the master."

At that time, Xu Zhi was a very simple person. She never cared about the affairs of the court, let alone who would become emperor. Every day, she thought about her parents who had died young, and worried about her brother who was still in the Marquis's mansion and had a limp. She also had to do a lot of needlework in the courtyard.

Xu Zhi sat on the ground, and after the old nanny left, she looked up from the shade of a clump of withered peony branches and leaves and saw a young, gentle face. This young man was looking up at the pond not far away. The Duke's mansion's pond was very large and filled with lotus flowers. There were boats on the pond, and the young ladies of the mansion would take advantage of the fact that the weather was not too cold to ride on the pond. Occasionally, a few screams of surprise from the young ladies could be heard from afar, which made this somewhat secluded garden seem a bit lively.

After a long while, Xu Zhi heard a soft sigh, followed by a somewhat sarcastic remark: "When a great building is about to collapse, no egg remains unbroken when the nest is overturned."

At the time, Xu Zhi did not understand the meaning of this sentence. It was not until one night, when the Duke's mansion was surrounded, followed by the confiscation of the property, and then the exile to Lingnan, that Xu Zhi understood the meaning of this sentence. Then Xu Zhi slowly began to think about who this person, whom the old nanny called Mr. Chu, really was.

Even after Xu Zhi was murdered, the image of this Mr. Chu remained firmly etched in her mind. When she woke up again in the Marquis's mansion, she had experienced many things and gradually forgot about him. But today, she suddenly heard that familiar voice again and saw that face that was about to disappear from her memory. Only then did Xu Zhi realize that even with her parents, brothers, and great-grandmother, still alive and well, and her father already a powerful regional official favored by the emperor, she was still surrounded by dangers.

Wasn't the Duke's mansion powerful back then? It had favored concubines in the palace and high-ranking nephews and nieces outside. The Duke's mansion was a behemoth, yet it collapsed just like that.

Xu Zhi's heart leaped into her throat. She desperately wanted to know who this Mr. Chu was, and why he was able to meet with an old nanny from the Duke's mansion in the back garden and say those things just ten days before the mansion was raided.

With something on her mind, Xu Zhi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The kang (heated brick bed) was heated, and Xu Zhi felt extremely hot all over. She threw off the thick cotton quilt covering her and felt a little more relaxed. After a while, she felt hot again, so she simply threw off all the quilts covering her. However, she felt a bit cold, so she had to put the thin quilt back on.

Xu Di had told Xu Zhi about some things that happened at home. At the very least, Xu Zhi knew Xiao Yuan's true identity. Now that Xiao Yuan was in the family, in this life-or-death battle for the throne, the Xu family, and even some of its allies, would have to make all sorts of efforts to get Xiao Yuan into that position. If they were not careful, their property would be confiscated and they would be exiled, which would be the least of their worries.

Xu Zhi didn't know when she fell asleep. When Hong Gu woke her up, she saw that the sunlight outside was already bright.

Hong Gu said with a smile, "Yesterday the sky was so gloomy, it rained and the wind blew all night, but this morning the sun is shining so brightly."

Shiliu was already slurping down a bowl of porridge, which was made by soaking fried noodles in boiling water.

When Xu Zhi gets busy, she doesn't have time to eat. Her family is worried that she will harm her health, so they think of making a lot of things for her to eat and drink immediately. This fried noodles is one of them.

Finely ground wheat flour, mixed with some finely ground cornmeal, is stir-fried with lard and rapeseed oil. While stir-frying, some powdered sugar is added. Once cooked, the flour is put into a small cloth bag. When you want to eat it, you scoop some out into a bowl, pour in boiling water, and stir vigorously with a spoon. When the paste becomes thick, you can drink it. It's good for the stomach and warms the body.

Despite her cold demeanor, Shiliu actually loves sweets. She likes any sweet snacks or treats that Xu Zhi carries with her. Xu Zhi feels sorry for the hardships Shiliu has endured since childhood, so she asks people to prepare more of whatever Shiliu likes to eat.

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