However, Li Shiyue was not a saint; at least Meng was alive, which was a good outcome for her.

Meng Shi not only tormented her in the Earl's Mansion, but many of the concubines in the inner quarters also had to live according to her mood. If things didn't go their way, they were worse off than the servants around Meng Shi.

Li Shiyue raised her eyes: "Cousin, do you still remember Steward Wang who came to the capital with me?"

Steward Wang? It seems there is such a person. If Steward Wang hadn't gone to report the news, he wouldn't have been so wary of Li Shiyue's stay in Shangjing County that night, and wouldn't have gone to pick her up first, only to stumble upon Meng Zhuo's attempt to commit an indecent act.

“Manager Wang is an honest and kind man. Because he is the manager that Mother trusts, he was targeted by the Meng family in the Earl’s mansion. So when I came to the capital, I brought Manager Wang with me. He was the one who managed the shop that was Mother’s dowry.”

"Now that you've come to the capital with me, could you please ask Steward Wang to continue managing things?"

Xu Yunci understood: "That's not difficult. Most of those shops are in Yunzhong County and they're not of much use. I'll have someone sell them at market price and get the cash. You can keep them when they come to the capital with your dowry, for your enjoyment."

"As for the dowry, the Duke's mansion will prepare a set for you according to the standards for a legitimate daughter when you marry into the family."

"As for Steward Wang, he can stay with me for now. Once Mother has prepared the shop for you, there's no rush to let Steward Wang manage it."

Having spent the last two days together, Xu Yunci had realized that his younger cousin had self-respect and refused to live under someone else's roof in the manor. This morning, when he came out of Shousong Hall, he heard Sixth Sister mention that the gifts sent to each courtyard were quite valuable, suggesting that she had opened her own dowry chests and was unwilling to use a single penny of the manor's money.

Li Shiyue was both amused and exasperated. Was she being raised like a spoiled brat from outside the palace? She was being allowed to admire and play with the gifts bestowed upon her by the imperial court, and even her dowry of two hundred loads. Wasn't the emperor afraid of spoiling her rotten?

Stepping out of the Shousong Hall courtyard, long stone steps lead to the green lawn. The bushes on both sides rustle softly in the cold wind.

"Second brother?"

A young man, a stranger, walked towards them from afar. He was gentle and refined, and even in winter, carrying a folding fan, he looked like a carefree gentleman to anyone who saw him.

Li Shiyue never expected that her meeting with Xu Yunyang would be so sudden, and she wasn't even prepared for it.

The gentle, refined face before her suddenly twisted into a ferocious expression, and Li Shiyue involuntarily took two steps back. She lost her balance, and her embroidered shoes became tangled between the stone steps.

"girl!"

Chunling rushed forward to support her, and Li Shiyue finally stood up, her face pale and looking pitiful.

Xu Yunci assumed she was just nervous around strangers and gently introduced her, "This is Sanlang. He was on duty last night and didn't come back."

How could she not recognize it!

Xu Yunyang, the man who deceived her so badly in her past life and caused her so much suffering!

"This must be my cousin Yue. I was on duty last night and couldn't return home. Please forgive me."

Xu Yunyang had a gentle smile, and his appearance was a direct inheritance of the best features of the Xu family's young master. He wore a round-necked robe with a light blue brocade and silver-white patterns, and the wide cuffs were embroidered with a pair of light green willow leaves.

Holding a dark green landscape folding fan, her slender eyes held a hint of a gentle, spring-like smile, a completely different feeling from her younger sister, Xu Lingwan.

No wonder she was deceived in her past life and only realized what kind of person Xu Yunyang was after the fact.

Li Shiyue lowered her eyes, making it impossible for others to discern her emotions. In an instant, she suppressed the anger in her chest and put on a distant, polite smile: "Third cousin, please be well. You flatter me."

Xu Yunyang was so engrossed in watching that he couldn't recall a single word of Liu's complaint from earlier.

"Shi Niang went too far yesterday, please forgive her and don't take it to heart. It's my fault as her older brother, I didn't teach Shi Niang well and made her upset."

"Third cousin, you're too kind. If you say I didn't discipline them well, wouldn't that also be saying something bad about you?"

Li Shiyue's eyes were like a gentle spring, her clear and bright gaze captivating all who looked upon her. Xu Yunyang saw this, and felt as if something was gently caressing his heart, making him itch with longing.

The conversation was handed over to Xu Yunci at a leisurely pace, while Li Shiyue stood there obediently.

Xu Yunci chuckled softly. Xu Yunyang, standing beside him, was slightly surprised. He rarely saw his elder brother smile; he always seemed stern and strict with his brothers.

"You should go back first."

As Li Shiyue's figure receded into the distance, Xu Yunyang shook his folding fan, withdrew his gaze, suppressed his regret, and thought to himself, "There's plenty of time in the future."

"Grandmother is already resting. I'll come to pay my respects later."

“Brother is right.”

As the two figures gradually walked away, Li Shiyue stood at the gate of Shousong Hall, staring in the direction they had left, her hands clenched tightly into fists under her cloak.

Chunling sensed something was wrong and called out softly, "Miss?"

Li Shiyue took a deep breath: "Let's go back first."

The ancient pine tree in the courtyard stood tall and straight, towering much higher than the eaves of the house. Li Shiyue stood under the eaves, raised her hand and placed her palm above it, and snowflakes from the pine needles fell onto her palm.

In the blink of an eye, the snowflakes melted away. If it weren't for the coolness in my palm, I probably wouldn't even know that snowflakes had fallen into my hand.

"Are you unhappy, young lady?"

Chunling had been with her since childhood. After recovering from her injuries, she insisted on staying by her side, saying she didn't trust anyone else to take care of her. Just now, when the girl slipped, she noticed that the girl was in low spirits, but she didn't know why.

Li Shiyue lowered her hand, and sure enough, it was warmer inside the cloak: "You know all this time."

She raised her hand and pinched Chunling's cheek, saying with concern, "You said you hurt your forehead, why aren't you taking good care of it? What if it leaves a lasting injury?"

Chunling chuckled: "Wherever you are, I will be. No one can separate me from you. It's just a minor injury. Sister Liandong helped me apply medicine, it's nothing serious."

“Lian Dong is someone close to your maternal grandmother. You should learn from her. After all, some of the rules are different from those in the Earl’s Mansion.”

Chunling nodded: "What you say is absolutely right, Miss. Chunling promises not to embarrass you."

Li Shiyue raised her hand, rubbing the spot where she had just pinched herself; the real touch felt almost unreal. In her past life, Chunling had also fallen into Xu Yunyang's hands because of her, being tied up upright and taken into the study, only to be carried out wrapped in a straw mat.

"Silly girl."

Chunling chuckled and lowered her voice, "Aren't you happy that the young lady received a calligraphy bestowed by the Emperor?"

"I'm happy, this is the greatest blessing, of course I'm happy."

Chunling shook her head: "What you're saying is so fake. If you were happy, your eyes would be curved. You're obviously not saying that."

Li Shiyue chuckled, "You certainly know a lot."

The curtain was lifted, and Granny Chang came out from inside: "Does Miss want to build a snowman? The old lady isn't sleeping soundly; she's sitting in the room right now."

Li Shiyue looked up and noticed that the window in the east room had been slightly opened at some point, and she could vaguely see Old Madam Xu waving to her.

"Build a snowman?"

Granny Chang laughed and said, "Yes, the capital is not as warm as Yunzhong County, and the snow in winter does not melt quickly. A snowman can last for a long time."

Seeing Li Shiyue's bright eyes, Granny Chang felt a sense of goodwill: "However, the old lady said that the young lady's cold is not fully recovered yet. It won't be too late for her to play with the sixth young lady in a few days."