The setting sun outside the window cast a golden halo, warming people and spreading its rays over Li Shiyue, who was lying on a chair in the main room.

It has been almost half a month since the Second Gate overheard Fu Yunning confessing her feelings to Xu Yunci and was caught red-handed by Xu Yunci.

After that hasty farewell, Xu Yunci was busy with the corruption case in Huayuan County and was hurriedly called away. The aftermath has remained unresolved to this day. For several days, Xu Yunci did not return home to avoid the awkwardness of that day, and Li Shiyue was happy to be at ease.

She had just eaten a few pieces of osmanthus cake and was already feeling drowsy in the warm sunshine. Especially with the chair rocking back and forth, her eyes were half-closed, her hands were clasped together, and her head was slightly tilted to the side, revealing her slender white neck.

"Miss, miss?"

A soft breath reached her ears, and Li Shiyue opened her eyes, looking at Chunling with a hint of confusion.

Although she was officially titled the Princess of Yichang, she was still referred to as "Miss" or "Cousin Miss" in the Xu family. She really wasn't used to everyone calling her "Princess" or "Your Highness".

Chunling didn't speak, but Granny Chang put her hands behind her back and looked at her with a smile: "Miss is awake."

Li Shiyue sat up straight and quickly stood up: "Why did you come in person, Granny? Did Grandmother need to see me? Look at me, I was sleeping so soundly that I didn't even know you were coming."

"Spring drowsiness and autumn fatigue, Miss, if you sleep more, you can recuperate as the imperial physician said. Today, I am here on the orders of the old lady to invite you to the main hall."

main hall?

Li Shiyue's eyes showed doubt. Wasn't the main hall a place for receiving guests? She hadn't heard that the Xu family was having guests today.

"Then I'd like to change my clothes. Please wait a moment, Granny."

Only then did Granny Chang notice that Li Shiyue was wearing a plain, light-colored, patterned jacket, a short style that reached her waist, which was indeed inappropriate for receiving guests. Seeing her tacit approval, Li Shiyue went into the inner room and came out in a light blue satin robe with fine silver patterns, and her hair was also put back up in a bun.

The main hall is quite a distance from the back courtyard; after walking around a long corridor, you can vaguely hear voices coming from the main hall.

Granny Chang glanced at her discreetly and lowered her voice: "In the future, Miss, observe and listen more and speak less. No matter what others say, don't respond."

Before she could ponder the deeper meaning behind Granny Chang's words, Li Shiyue's lips, which had been moving, suddenly stopped, and her eyes were fixed on the figure in the main hall.

On the first night after she entered the mansion, her maternal uncle, the Duke of Rongguo, said that he looked too much like his mother, but Li Shiyue was beautiful, and did not look exactly like Xu Shi.

For example, her almond-shaped eyes are exactly the same as those of Li Wenting, the Marquis of Yunyang, standing right in front of her.

She stood not far from the main hall, refusing to move an inch.

Inside the main hall, Uncle Yunyang was talking to Master Xu about something, their eyes, so similar to his daughter's, filled with eagerness. Master Xu, sitting at the head of the table, held his teacup, his unhurried manner a stark contrast to Yunyang's conversation.

And Xu Yunci, sitting on the other side, sat with a bold posture, his legs spread apart, his robe flowing down to reveal a section of his gray trousers tucked into his boots.

Xu Yunci remained as aloof as ever. Looking into the distance, his profile revealed an undisguised sarcasm in his phoenix eyes, from his eyebrows down to his chin.

“I received a letter from the Duke of Rongguo’s mansion and rushed here day and night. After all, I am Yan Yan’s father. How can I let the Xu family decide on my own daughter’s upbringing and marriage?”

Uncle Yunyang spread his hands, his face etched with worry, the flesh beneath his eyes folded into several wrinkles. In his youth, he had been quite famous, but in his old age, he had indulged in pleasure all his life and had long lost his former glory.

Fourth Master Xu Huailou inwardly scorned him, but outwardly he still gave him face: "This matter should not be my responsibility, but my elder brother is not home, and Erlang is, after all, a junior, so it is not appropriate to let him take the lead. If you ask me, this is a matter agreed upon by the two matriarchs, so we cannot ask Madam Li whether this matter still stands."

Uncle Yunyang was speechless, clearly not expecting Xu Huailou to say such a thing. He looked to Xu Yunci for help, saying, "Nephew, please speak up for your uncle."

say what?

Are you saying that as her biological father, you let your own daughter be bullied by others, and that the Xu family has to intervene? Or are you saying that seeing your little cousin now granted a title by the emperor and the title of county princess, you see an opportunity to profit and want to take her away so that she can continue to cause trouble?

Xu Yunci's sarcasm was undisguised. As the Vice Magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture for several years, just his presence alone was enough to make the Earl of Yunyang feel uneasy, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him.

I spotted my little cousin standing not far away. She had clearly been watching for a long time. Although she was standing not far away, the expression on her little face was hard to see clearly.

Uncle-in-law? Thinking of this title, he didn't think the Earl of Yunyang was worthy of being called uncle-in-law.

"Since you traveled day and night to get here, the Xu family should have sent the message after the Lantern Festival. Now that so much time has passed, I wonder how you managed to get to the capital."

"If I had known that my cousin was in such a hurry to come to Beijing, it wouldn't have taken three months to get here by boat."

After speaking, Xu Yunci leaned back involuntarily, raised his hand, and tapped his forehead with his index finger. His gaze was sharp, like a knife piercing towards Yunyang Bo.

They had naturally received the letter from the Xu family long ago, but they never expected that their daughter, who had always been neglected, would one day become the county princess.

If Li Shiyue were taken back, would the Emperor, out of consideration for his daughter, allow the title of Earl of Yunyang to be passed down for three more generations? The Earl's family is considered a prominent and influential family in Yunzhong County and even Dayong.

Yunyang Bo's calculations were practically jumping to the Xu family's doorstep, and Li Wenting's eyes darted around. Actually, his build was similar to Xu Yunci's, but perhaps out of guilt or something, he hunched his shoulders, making him appear a head shorter than Xu Yunci.

Li Shiyue heard clearly, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shut herself off from the outside world and the exchange of hot tears.

Suddenly, she felt warmth on her hand. She looked up and met Granny Chang's warm smile, which carried a hint of encouragement: "Miss, there are some things that the old lady can't protect you for a lifetime, so it's your turn to step in."

After saying that, Granny Chang took out an envelope and a mahogany box.

"This is something left by Madam Li. Please do as you see fit, Miss. If anything happens, the Xu family will take care of it. This letter is a handwritten note left by Madam Li, which details Miss Li's marriage and upbringing. It bears the personal seal of the Earl of Yunyang."

"As for the wooden box, it contains the engagement tokens that Old Madam Li ordered to be sent together. Naturally, they belong to Miss Cousin and Mr. Xu. Originally, they were not meant to be given to you at this time, but Old Madam felt that giving them to you today would shut others up."