Xu Di said, "Now that you're back, let's go home. Your mother has prepared a meal to welcome you back. You didn't even send a message before coming here. Luckily, the bandits along the way were cleared out, otherwise it would have been so dangerous. How can a young lady be so willful?"

Xu Zhi listened to her brother's rambling with a smile, and looked at Zheng Boyuan with some helplessness. Zheng Boyuan naturally knew that the two siblings had always had a good relationship, and it was understandable for the older brother to say such things about his younger sister.

When they arrived home, it was already dark. The kitchen had prepared the meal, and when Chen Zhaoci saw the three of them return, she quickly told them to go wash up and get ready to eat.

Granny Lu followed behind Xu Zhi, helping her to take off her cloak and change into a casual jacket. She said, "Miss, you've come all this way alone. How can anyone feel at ease?"

Xu Zhi hugged Granny Lu's arm and said, "Granny, I have guards with me. Let me tell you, the guards around me are the most powerful guards by His Majesty's side. Not to mention those two officials, even for a young lady like Shiliu, more than a dozen people can't get close to her. So what do I have to be afraid of?"

Granny Lu nodded and said, "That's true. I wonder if it's a good thing or a bad thing that your brother went to ask these guards for you."

At the dinner table, the family busied themselves serving food to Xu Zhi. Xu Zhi felt a little embarrassed, and Xu Di asked her, "Has the matter in Tongzhou not been resolved yet?"

Xu Zhi nodded and said, "Yes, but I bought the house. The courtyard I used to rent is just sitting there. People often go there to inquire about things. I sent people to guard it. They said someone sent me a letter asking me to go to the Li residence when I go back to Tongzhou. I ignored it. I discussed it with Sister Mingwan and Lord Chen. We'll renovate the courtyard after the New Year and open for business as soon as possible."

Xu Di frowned and said, "Logically speaking, no one should be causing you any more trouble. Didn't you carefully investigate the background of the Li family?"

Xu Zhi put down her chopsticks and said, "I checked. How could I not check? The Li family are locals from Tongzhou. They said they've been managers at the Tongzhou docks for many years. I sent people to trace them online, but the trail went cold when we got to the capital. It's buried deep, so it's hard to say who they are."

Xu Di frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Have you investigated whether there is any connection with the Sixth Prince?"

Xu Zhi nodded and said, "We've investigated, but we didn't find any clues. Lord Chen said to leave it for now and wait until after the New Year, when our shop reopens, to see who's playing tricks."

Xu Di was still a little worried, but then he thought that his sister would eventually have to stand on her own, and he, as her older brother, couldn't always plan for her, so he didn't say anything more.

Xu Zhi picked up the bowl, took two bites, and said, "The capital has been quite lively lately. His Majesty is going to select imperial consorts for the Fifth and Sixth Princes."

This is big gossip! Sure enough, all the women present looked at Xu Zhi with great interest, and Li Yuexi urged her to tell them quickly.

Xu Zhi said, "These two princes have reached the age for marriage. These days, they have attended more flower and poetry gatherings in the capital. Compared to the fifth prince, everyone still prefers the sixth prince. After all, the sixth prince is more handsome."

These two princes rarely appeared in public and spent most of their time in the palace. Therefore, the appearance of the sixth prince attracted the attention of many unmarried young ladies in the capital.

Chen Zhaoci thought for a moment and said, "I have never seen this sixth prince before, and I don't know what he looks like."

Xu Zhi recalled that she had met the two princes twice and said, "The fifth prince is also extremely handsome, but when he stands next to the sixth prince, people usually look at the sixth prince more. Originally, everyone thought the third prince was good-looking, but compared with the sixth prince, the third prince seemed a bit bland."

Seeing Xu Zhi excitedly describing the handsome princes, Zheng Boyuan felt uneasy. Xu Di, being a man, naturally understood Zheng Boyuan's thoughts, but instead of kindly reminding Xu Zhi, he watched as Zheng Boyuan's jealousy gradually intensified. It must be said that Xu Di's perverse sense of humor was truly unbearable.

Seeing that everyone enjoyed listening, Xu Zhi continued, "Last time, the Prime Minister's Mansion sent out invitations to many people to attend the poetry gathering. Our Zheng family also received one. I was quite surprised, thinking that Brother Boyuan was a military officer and I didn't have any rank. Later, I found out that it was because after sending one to the Marquis of Pingxi's Mansion, they sent one to our family as a replacement. I thought that Yuanyuan was also preparing to choose a husband, so I took Yuanyuan with me."

Chen Zhaoci nodded and said, "That's really how it should be. Since your family doesn't have a proper elder, you and Boyuan should help Yuanyuan choose a good husband."

Xu Zhi nodded and said, "Yes, when we got there we found out that the two princes were there too. I didn't want Yuanyuan to marry a prince, so I was thinking of leaving with my people as soon as possible. But the Prime Minister's wife insisted on keeping us to talk some more. Luckily, the second wife of the Feng family was there and helped us out of the predicament."

Upon hearing this, Xu Di frowned and said, "Isn't the prime minister supposed to avoid any contact with princes? How come he invited two princes to his home?"

Xu Zhi said, "Later I heard that it was the Emperor who asked the Prime Minister to do this. I asked Eunuch Chen about it, and he told me that the Emperor's intention was for the two princes to marry girls from ordinary families, as long as their families were respectable and the girls had good personalities. I was afraid that Yuanyuan would be targeted by others, so I made her pretend to be sick and stay at home. I also came here to avoid the invitations from those ladies."

Hearing Xu Zhi's words, Zheng Boyuan's face darkened. Chen Zhaoci put down his chopsticks and said, "If you leave like this, what will happen to Yuanyuan?"

Xu Zhi said, "There are guards at home, as well as Sister Mingwan. When I left, I went to see my great-aunt and asked her to help take care of things. I also sent letters to my sisters. Fortunately, these gatherings before the New Year will only last until around the 20th of the twelfth lunar month. After the New Year, I will take Yuanyuan out and she will go wherever I go."

Chen Zhaoci frowned and said, "If you take Yuanyuan everywhere, what will happen to her marriage?"

Xu Zhi sighed and said, "There's no other way now. Let's wait until the marriage between the two princes is settled before returning to the capital. Otherwise, it's unsettling to have people thinking about us all the time."

Knowing Xu Zhi's predicament, neither Xu Di nor Chen Zhaoci spoke. Zheng Boyuan opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he didn't.

The meal started off quite happily, but the atmosphere noticeably soured after Xu Zhi brought up the marriage arrangements for the two princes.

After finishing their meal, Zheng Boyuan was about to head to the military camp outside the city, and Xu Zhi put on a thick coat to see him off.