Unexpectedly, this scene was witnessed by others. Madam Zhang looked at the gold hairpin in Zhang's hand, the pure gold so dazzling in the sunlight that it was hard to open her eyes.

She was seething with hatred. She thought about her husband and wondered why he couldn't wait two more years. She could have been fortunate enough to find a family like the Rongguo Duke's Mansion and perhaps even have the same respectability as her sister-in-law, Zhang Shi.

Li Shiyue had studied the Zhang family before. The Zhang family had been practicing medicine for generations. However, after General Zhang came to power, Zhang Shi learned medical skills from her second uncle and cousin from a young age.

This Mrs. Zhang is the wife of the son of the second uncle of the Zhang family. They got married last year and she is only nineteen years old this year.

Madam Zhang's father held a fifth-rank official position in the Ministry of Rites. However, she was arrogant and had very high standards. Ever since she married into the family, she had been very unhappy that the second son of the Zhang family did not serve as an official. She was especially displeased when she saw him constantly studying medicine and when she saw the eldest son, General Zhang, serve as an official. You could say she was envious.

Therefore, Li Shiyue was not very surprised when Madam Zhang said those things in the flower hall today.

Even though she was unhappy, she dared not do anything because of Madam Zhang. She was probably envious of the eldest son's family's success and wanted to take advantage of their position.

As Li Shiyue emerged from the General's Mansion, her smile froze. As soon as the carriage curtain was lowered, she couldn't help but rub her cheeks, finally managing to relax.

"I think there are some troublemakers in the Zhang family, but that Miss Zhang is quite nice. Fourth Aunt really has good taste."

The restless one naturally refers to Madam Zhang the Second. Although she didn't talk much with Madam Zhang, no one can pretend for long, especially when she looked at the gold hairpin in her hand, the tenderness in her eyes seemed genuine.

"It was Mother who thought the Zhang family was of good standing, and General Zhang had always been loyal to His Highness the Crown Prince, so she came up with the idea of ​​a marriage alliance between the two families."

That's right. Now the Rongguo Duke's Mansion is clearly tied to Chonghua Palace. Agreeing to a marriage alliance with the Xu family is also an indirect way of siding with Chonghua Palace. The same logic applies to Xue Yue and Qin Wanyin.

"You've been quite busy these days. There's also Aqing's marriage to the Yang family, and they'll be coming to present the betrothal gifts in a few days. Xue Yue and Qin Wanyin are also getting engaged, and you'll definitely have to go then."

Xu Yunci said it with a smile, poured a cup of tea and brought it to her lips. Watching her drink it, he couldn't help but smile.

"In a few days, people from the Duke of Chengen's mansion will also come to propose marriage. Our family will be very lively, and we won't be able to finish all the wedding feast."

Li Shiyue took a big gulp, and the stiffness and discomfort in her cheeks dissipated considerably.

"It's still early, shall we go for a walk in the streets? We haven't even left the mansion since the wedding, why not take advantage of today?"

Xu Yunci lifted one side of the curtain with one hand; the weather was indeed quite nice today.

The dazzling sunlight was accompanied by a few white clouds, which stretched out like ripples.

The carriage stopped on the bustling street. Xu Yunci stepped down first, turned around, reached out and helped Li Shiyue down, then hooked his wrist around hers and held her hand.

There were quite a few pedestrians coming and going, and the vendors on both sides were still enthusiastically hawking their wares, each with their own unique items.

After passing a few vendors, Li Shiyue found herself with a pair of clay figurines and a sugar painting in her hands.

The sugar paintings nowadays are not as big as those for the Lantern Festival; they are just small ones on a wooden stick, not even as big as the palm of your hand.

It's easy to bite into, and it's sweet with a pleasant maltose aroma.

Just as they were about to walk forward, Li Shiyue suddenly stopped, and Xu Yunci turned his head with a puzzled look in his eyes.

He was about to ask "What's wrong?" when he followed Li Shiyue's gaze and saw the Changping Earl, who hadn't been seen for a long time, getting off the carriage in the alley across the street. He looked around warily but didn't see this side and walked into the courtyard.

This was nothing unusual, but just as the Earl of Changping entered, another carriage stopped.

The person who came down wore a black conical hat, making it impossible to see their face clearly. Their robes looked very ordinary, as if they were made of fabric that could be found anywhere on the street.

There was nothing wrong with it, but the Earl of Changping looked flustered and cautious, and the man who arrived later was so mysterious. Xu Yunci's doubts deepened, and he whispered, "Chang'an, don't alert him."

"yes."

After agreeing, Chang An bought a woven bamboo hat from an old man selling things nearby. He pulled the brim down to cover most of his face before walking into the alley.

Li Shiyue just felt that the man looked familiar: "I don't think I've seen the one who went in first before."

“That’s the Earl of Changping,” Xu Yunci said softly, offering a reminder.

When Li Shiyue mentioned the Earl of Changping, the one she remembered most was Fu Yunning, who had already been executed by imperial decree.

However, Xu Yunci couldn't be sure who the person behind him was, but he hoped that Chang An could find out something.

"Let's go sit in the teahouse up ahead first."

The two found a quiet private room, and just as they sat down, Chang An followed them back. Unlike his usual composure, he burst into the room.

His face was slightly pale, and he clutched his chest while closing the door to the private room.

“I was exposed; there were guards in that alley. I sensed something was wrong and was injured when I tried to escape, so I didn’t get into that courtyard.”

Chang An spoke hurriedly, without a single scratch on his body, which relieved Xu Yunci.

After taking care of the things, tell Chang'an to wait in the carriage and not to expose himself to those people.

Chang An agreed and left, and the private room returned to silence, but Xu Yunci's expression was somewhat solemn.

The fact that Chang An could be injured, and that the entire alley was guarded, shows that the courtyard was not a place that could be easily approached; there must be something inside that was worth the effort of the people behind it.

Li Shiyue remained silent. She didn't know what she could say to help, and at least she shouldn't cause trouble now.

"Let's go back first."

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Shiyue got up, took Xu Yunci's hand, and was about to leave when suddenly the door to the private room was opened.

"Second Brother!"

Yang Ke opened her arms, but upon seeing Li Shiyue, she suddenly took a half step back and quickly withdrew her hands.

Seeing Yang Ke was somewhat surprising, but seeing Chang An behind him was even more surprising.

Yang Ke seemed oblivious, speaking very loudly, as if deliberately wanting everyone downstairs to hear: "Second brother, you're so unfair! It's a wonder Chang An went down to pick me up, but you didn't even wait for me when you came out of the General's Mansion."

“Sister-in-law, look at my second brother. After he got married, he completely forgot about me, his younger brother from another family.”

Yang Ke stepped forward, blinked with her back to the downstairs area, but couldn't help glancing at the men entering the teahouse.

When the men looked over, Xu Yunci looked away and deliberately raised his voice, though he didn't know if the people downstairs could hear him.

"You're too slow. Let Chang An greet you. I'm here to show Yan Yan around."