Pure white clouds drifted across the azure sky, and a familiar figure suddenly appeared under the green corridor.

Li Shiyue sat on a wooden chair, looking at a book of strange tales that Chang Shun had found for her. Although it was well-written, she couldn't get into it.

As soon as Xu Yunci appeared, she noticed him and instinctively stood up. Xu Yunci walked into the corridor and saw her standing there, which calmed her agitation somewhat.

"Have you been waiting long? Let's go back."

Li Shiyue handed the book in her hand to Chunling, who put it back and followed Xu Yunci. The two of them left the Jingzhao Prefecture together.

Only then could one see that the distant horizon was already tinged with gold, and the coolness of evening was gradually approaching. The carriage slowly traveled along the street, where there were far fewer vendors than during the day, and the place was not as bustling as it had been during the day.

"What will happen to Miss Fan?"

Xu Yunci looked at her; she didn't seem concerned, but rather curious about the outcome.

“Fu Chen refused to acknowledge it. The scholar’s ​​intention was for the scholar’s ​​mansion and the marquis’ mansion to arrange a marriage for Miss Fan, and to provide a dowry similar to that for a daughter’s wedding. Madam Fan refused, accepted the compensation, and took the girl away.”

Ultimately, it fell into Madam Fan's hands. In fact, Uncle Fu wanted to find an honest and reliable person who could forgive past grievances and be sincere to Madam Fan, but Madam Fan naturally refused to accept such an outcome.

After receiving the compensation, he took Fan San Niang back home and immediately found a matchmaker to come to the door. The news that spread was that he wanted to marry her off to someone far away and not keep her in the capital.

"Fu Chen wants to see Liu Niang and also wants to explain things to me."

Li Shiyue's face showed some disgust, as if she had seen something disgusting: "How could he have the nerve to say that? Does he think people are stupid?"

"Ignore them; they'd never dare to show their faces."

Li Shiyue looked at Xu Yunci with a hesitant expression: "Actually, Guo Shaoqing was also very good today. I remember that Guo Shaoqing was one of the portraits in the matchmaking for my cousin."

Xu Yunci looked up, causing Li Shiyue to tremble. Beneath the calm surface of his phoenix eyes churned an unknown emotion, as if it were about to overflow and engulf Li Shiyue.

More than a month has passed since the incident. The rumors that the daughter of the Vice Minister's family had been impregnated were gradually replaced by the news that the illegitimate daughter of the Vice Minister's family had been married off, and then the matter was gradually forgotten.

The Vice Minister of Justice's household had two daughters, one legitimate and one illegitimate. The illegitimate daughter, the third daughter, was married far away from the capital, reportedly to a widower who was over fifty years old. The legitimate daughter, the second daughter, was carried in a red sedan chair to the Prince of Yan's mansion to become a concubine.

It is said that the Prince of Yan took the initiative to request to be made a concubine, but the Emperor did not agree and only gave her the position of a maidservant.

As the sweltering heat of late summer gradually sets in, I woke up to find the sky overcast with dark clouds. After a few muffled claps of thunder, a torrential downpour began, the raindrops seemingly bouncing off the blue stone and white jade bricks.

Zhaode Temple is situated atop a mountain on the outskirts of Beijing, and it is especially chilly after a torrential downpour in the early morning. The meditation rooms for the Xu family are the quietest of all. Li Shiyue, Xu Lingzi, and Old Madam Xu live in the back, while the meditation rooms in the front courtyard are reserved for the servants, Xu Yunyao, and Xu Yunxu.

"I woke up this morning and my legs just can't take it anymore."

Madam Xu had her hair tied up in a bun, wearing only a headband and a honey-colored undergarment. Her face was somewhat pale as she leaned against the headboard.

Li Shiyue took off her embroidered shoes and sat on the inside, flanking Xu Lingzi on the outside, massaging Xu's legs. During her time at the Xu family, she had grown accustomed to staying by Xu's side and had even learned massage techniques from the Imperial Physician. This kind of massage, which applied pressure to acupoints, would help Xu's legs heal.

"On rainy days, the dampness makes me feel uncomfortable even when I get up. When the weather clears up, Grandma will take us to see the peach blossoms on the back hill. I heard from my fifth cousin that there are thousands of peach trees in that grove."

Li Shiyue was dressed simply today, her hair styled with only a white jade hairpin. The delicate white magnolia blossoms made her complexion appear even more delicate and fair.

"We'll be staying here for several days, chanting scriptures every day, and we won't see any sunlight. The imperial physician said that my grandmother needs to see more sunlight to recuperate."

“I heard from the young monk that there is a sunflower field on the back mountain, but I have never seen it before. My cousin said that when the sunflowers are ripe, they will produce seeds, and I have never eaten such fresh ones.”

She spoke with great enthusiasm, which made Old Madam Xu not want to spoil her mood. She looked at Xu Lingzi and pretended to regret, saying, "I'm just afraid that she'll find this old woman too slow and won't want to go out with me."

The two sisters smiled at each other, and Xu Lingzi hugged the old lady's arm: "Then your granddaughter will carry you on her back so that you can feel how steadily she has practiced the horse stance every day for the past few years."

Madam Xu chuckled, "You should also teach your cousin to be healthy. She's always sick, and she doesn't like to eat. When she's sick, she doesn't like to drink her medicine. Your mother spoils her rotten. She won't drink her medicine unless there's freshly baked cloud cake."

Li Shiyue's hands kept moving, and the corners of her mouth turned up: "That's because my aunt loved me like her own child, I remember that."

"You're right, your aunt loves you just as much as Sixth Aunt." Old Madam Xu moved her legs, and the swelling and pain had indeed lessened considerably.

"Stop pretending to be innocent and tell me what's going on with Guo Shaoqing."

Xu Lingzi released her hand and lowered her head; it was rare to see her so shy.

"That's right, Guo Shaoqing is a very good person, and my granddaughter thinks that such a person is worth getting to know better."

Madam Xu glanced at her indifferently: "Ever since that incident at the Ministry of Justice's residence, you still want to hide it from me? That boy from the Fu family has probably been spoiled these past few years. He's not someone to be trusted. It's best to have less contact with him in the future."

"You seem to think this Guo Shaoqing is more reliable. However, he seems to be nice to everyone. What's the difference between a person like that and the sun in the sky? He can shine on everyone."

Xu Lingzi shook her head, disagreeing with Old Madam Xu's words: "It's different. He is kind to everyone because since he has become an official, he has to stand up for the people. He cannot distinguish between men and women when it comes to the people's affairs just because he is a man. If it were because of this, he could have turned a blind eye to Fan San Niang's matter last time, and he would not have needed to offend the Scholar's Mansion and the Marquis of Guangping's Mansion to have someone save Fan San Niang's life."

"Is that so? You know quite a lot." Old Madam Xu's gaze swept across her face, glancing at Li Shiyue, as if seeking confirmation of whether what Xu Lingzi said was true or false.

Li Shiyue received a look from her younger cousin and knelt down to move closer, saying, "What you said makes sense."

"That day, Guo Shaoqing did not shy away from the truth and stepped forward to expose the words of the Marquis of Guangping's heir. In fact, whether or not the child acknowledged it, everyone knew what was going on."

"But by doing this, Guo Shaoqing has also protected the reputation of the Xu family and my cousin. Otherwise, if word got out, people would say that my cousin and her husband were having an affair, and then my cousin would be the one crying."