"Go and take the things with you."

Xu Yunci glanced at his sleeve and gave instructions to Chang Shun, leaving the two sisters puzzled.

Chang Shunyi then took a wooden box from a shelf to the side, but no one knew what was inside.

Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue had just left Songyuan when they saw Xu Huailou hurrying through the corridor. Upon seeing the two of them, he seemed to have seen saviors and quickened his pace even further.

Upon seeing Li Shiyue beside Xu Yunci, he suddenly swallowed the words he was about to say. He looked at Xu Yunci, his forehead covered in large beads of sweat.

Perhaps it was because of the same thing, Li Shiyue guessed in her heart, and couldn't help but lower her eyes.

Xu Yunci noticed Li Shiyue's emotional change out of the corner of his eye and looked at Xu Huailou with another plan in mind.

"Fourth Uncle, you've come at just the right time. Father isn't at home. Could you please come with us?"

Xu Huailou was about to say that he had urgent business, about the incident of the Earl of Yunyang causing a scene at the Ministry of Rites' residence, but when he looked at Xu Yunci's expression and then at Li Shiyue beside him, he suddenly understood something.

“I will go, of course I will go. Since my brother is not here, I will go with you.”

He had to go. No one could bully their own child, especially such a lovely niece. Xu Huailou would be the first to object to anyone who dared to bully her.

The current Minister of Rites is the youngest of the six ministers, and looks to be in his early thirties. Presumably, after court, he takes off his official robes and is now only wearing a light blue casual robe.

He had served as a third-rank censor and was known for his outspokenness. Just as the Earl of Yunyang was about to cause trouble, he had someone stop him. He saw Xu Yunci and Xu Huailou enter one after the other and was about to speak when he noticed a woman wearing a veil between them.

The Minister of Rites asked with a hint of inquiry, "Your Highness, who is this gentleman?"

Li Shiyue had already removed her veil and curtsied, saying, "Junior Li Yanyan greets Your Excellency, Minister."

The Minister of Rites respectfully returned the bow: "So you are the Princess of Yichang County."

Xu Yunci immediately spotted the Earl of Yunyang sitting in the hall. His gaze was indifferent as he subtly shielded Li Shiyue behind him, saying, "Minister, I am truly sorry for what happened today. I will definitely come to apologize in person another day."

The Minister of Rites had long heard of her being a county princess personally appointed by the emperor, who also bestowed upon her a courtesy name.

I initially thought she would be an arrogant and conceited person who would take advantage of others, but today I see that this young lady is really well-mannered. Regardless of whether the county princess or the minister of the six ministries has a higher rank, the fact that this young lady of the Li family greeted me as a junior upon our first meeting really made me feel very good about her.

Li Shiyue was holding a wooden box tightly in her arms. Upon hearing this, she followed Xu Yunci's words and curtsied again: "Please forgive me, sir. My father has been in Yunzhong County for many years and has forgotten the rules. If any of the items in the manor are damaged, I am willing to take full responsibility."

The Minister of Rites sighed and waved his hand, "That's not important. Look, we've been waiting for you for a long time."

He gestured for the group to look towards the main hall. Yunyangbo had two servants on his left and right. He sat in the middle, his brow furrowed with resentment, but he was afraid that the two fierce-looking servants might actually attack him, so he could only sit obediently.

The main hall was arranged neatly, and the area around Yunyang Bo's feet was spotless, which made Li Shiyue breathe a sigh of relief.

"I wonder if it's convenient for me to go over and have a few words with Father now?"

The Minister of Rites naturally wouldn't stop them, and gestured for them to enter the main hall: "Of course it's convenient. Since they are father and daughter, what deep-seated hatred could there be? A good talk will naturally resolve everything."

Li Shiyue nodded without saying a word, and followed Xu Huailou into the main hall of the Minister's Mansion with Xu Yunci.

The Earl of Yunyang, who had been sitting quietly, jumped up like a frog as soon as he saw Li Shiyue behind him, his eyes showing a hint of urgency and anger.

“You unfilial daughter! Your father has been in the Jingzhao Prefecture prison for so long, and you haven’t even come to see him, nor have you asked your cousin to help him get out.”

"You, you, you, I'll beat you to death, you unfilial daughter!"

As he spoke, he seemed to have forgotten about the two fierce-looking servants. In the blink of an eye, he jumped off the chair and walked to Li Shiyue in just a few steps.

One hand was raised high, heading straight for Li Shiyue's cheek. The palm strike, about to land, was delivered with full force, and a gust of wind flew past her ear and even in front of her eyes as it passed.

Li Shiyue was stunned and couldn't react for a moment.

Suddenly, Yunyangbo's large hands stopped in front of her face, directly facing her red eyes. It was Xu Yunci, who was beside her, who raised his hand and grasped Yunyangbo's arm.

His strength was so great that Yunyangbo could not break free.

Li Shiyue hugged the box tightly in her arms. Her cousin's words on the carriage, "This is a very useful thing. It can make Yunyang Bo never jump up again," seemed to hit her heart like a thousand pounds.

It was a deed bearing a private seal, severing all blood ties.

Xu Yunci overestimated Yunyangbo's courage. He dared to attack Li Shiyue, but when facing Xu Yunci, Yunyangbo's fear was a different kind of courage.

"I won't stoop to your level."

After saying that, Yunyang Bo tried to withdraw his hand, but Xu Yunci was much stronger than him, and his hand did not budge.

Xu Yunci remained silent. Yunyangbo's face flushed red, and he wanted to withdraw his hand even more. He glared at Xu Yunci with hatred, and after thinking for a moment, he also looked at Li Shiyue with resentment.

Xu Huailou took two steps back, directly blocking Li Shiyue's path. He raised his chin, his gaze seemingly contemptuous as he thoroughly scrutinized Yunyang Bo. Yet, by protecting Li Shiyue behind him, he clearly shared Xu Yunci's stance, determined to protect Li Shiyue to the very end.

Yunyangbo's face flushed even more, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, "She is my daughter!"

Xu Huailou looked at him with disdain: "Your daughter? You still have the nerve to say that? You've ignored your own daughter for over a decade. If it weren't for Old Madam Li protecting her, my poor niece would have suffered alongside my sister."

"And you're still talking about your daughter? When she was being bullied, you were embracing your beautiful wives and ignoring Yan Yan completely, treating her like she was invisible in the Yunyang Marquis's mansion."

"If it weren't for my mother still remembering her granddaughter and taking Yan Yan into the Xu family, she would probably have suffered some more grievances. I'm afraid you've forgotten that when Yan Yan first came to the Xu family, it was the same day she left your Li family. She was as thin as a kitten, and her clothes were all from several years ago."

"Everything she wears and uses was personally prepared by my sister-in-law, and my mother takes care of her every day. She's managed to fatten the child up a bit. Now you're coming to the child and saying you're her biological father? Where were you before? Were you dreaming?"