Peng Rui bowed and took his leave. His footsteps were light so as not to disturb the Crown Prince. He was a rough man who preferred the loud shouts of the soldiers. Although he also enjoyed the delicate, spring-like sound of the zither, he was not captivated by it.

Upon exiting the palace gate, one could see Sun Yun playing the zither with great enthusiasm in the pavilion beside him, with Ban Shu and Physician Peng standing to one side, both of them displaying varying degrees of fascination on their faces.

Li Zhuo stayed by the bedside the whole time. Like Peng Rui, no, he was much less so than Peng Rui. He had no idea why the old doctor Peng was still acting so obsessed at his age. It was really embarrassing.

However, when he looked at the Crown Prince, he found that the Crown Prince had miraculously fallen asleep. He quickly tiptoed to the bedside, covered the Crown Prince with a quilt, closed the window tightly, and closed the door as well. Then he leaped up and lay horizontally on the roof beam, where he could see and hear everything around him.

After Sun Yun finished playing the zither, she saw that the window was closed tightly and knew that the Crown Prince must have gone to bed. She instructed Banxia to take the zither, bowed to Peng Rui from a distance, and then went to find Zhao Shu.

Zhao Shu and Huo Danlan were locked in the right-hand hall, where they were enjoying the delicious food prepared by Xing'er. "This is a bit spicy. Put less chili next time. This dish isn't flavorful enough. Use high heat before serving." She commented as she ate. Ajiu used to be like this, even when eating at a roadside stall, she couldn't help but comment.

Huo Danlan was not so lucky. She needed to eat medicinal food, which had many dietary restrictions. Fortunately, the Huo family lived not far from the palace and sent the medicinal food to her early on.

Watching Zhao Shu eat and comment at the same time, she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely while also expressing her disdain. She laughed and said, "Ah Jun's heart is as broad as the sky."

"No way, I'm narrow-minded and petty. If anyone dares to offend me, I'll hold a grudge for a thousand years until I die." Zhao Shu glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then put down her chopsticks and started gnawing on the pig's trotter. And let me tell you, Xing'er's pig's trotter cooking skills were quite good; she ate one and wanted a second.

Fortunately, Xing'er also made two. When Huo Danlan saw that she was going to use her hands, she quickly said, "A girl shouldn't be so vulgar."

"There are no outsiders here. This pig's trotter is so big, what can we use if not our hands? We can't even pick it up with chopsticks." Zhao Shucai didn't care. When she was in a bad mood, she wanted to eat more and more.

Huo Danlan sighed helplessly, but didn't continue. "Tell Xing'er next time that when making pig's trotters, don't leave any bones."

"Auntie is so funny. What's the point of pig's trotters if they don't have bones?" As she spoke, Zhao Shu had already finished the pig's trotter in her hand, her speed was extremely fast.

"Ah Jun ate pig's trotters without inviting me! Auntie, you must help me teach Ah Jun a lesson. It's too much! What happened to sharing happiness and hardship? He's so disloyal!" Sun Yun said as she walked in, half-blocking the doorway and preventing her from entering.

She walked in, took off her cloak, rubbed her hands, and sat down next to Zhao Shu, looking disdainfully at the pig's trotters and bones in front of Zhao Shu. "If the pig knew you were wasting its trotters like this, I wonder if it would cry." After saying that, she picked up the chopsticks next to her and took a piece of meat. "My mother used to make me eat meat once every three days, saying that women would get fat if they ate meat. I just didn't believe it. If you can't even eat meat, what's the point of being human? You might as well be a cow or a horse and eat only vegetables."

Huo Danlan: ...If these two are combined, they'll surely bring down the sky.

As Sun Yun ate, she turned to Zhao Shu and asked, "Ganluo, my fourth sister is getting married. What do you think is a good gift for her?"

Huo Danlan frowned and asked, "Female Gan Luo?"

Before Zhao Shu could speak, Sun Yun explained, "Gan Luo was a high-ranking official in the Qin state. He was only twelve years old when he was sent as an envoy to the Zhao state. He devised a plan that allowed the Qin state to acquire more than a dozen cities. The First Emperor appointed him as a high-ranking official. Aunt, you don't know that?"

Huo Danlan chuckled. Women could only read a few books, and she herself had read history books. How could she not know Gan Luo? But comparing A-Jun to Gan Luo? She thought about it and realized that A-Jun was indeed very intelligent, and comparing her to Gan Luo was not unreasonable. But why would this girl think of Gan Luo? She was really puzzled and thought it was too arrogant.

Judging from Huo Danlan's appearance, Sun Yun knew she must have read about Gan Luo, so he didn't say anything more and continued to ask, "Give me some advice quickly."

"Your fourth sister married the fourth prince?" Zhao Shu asked. She still found it puzzling. Zhao Bi was born out of wedlock, and his mother was just a concubine. How could he marry the eldest daughter of the Sun family? And the eldest daughter of the main branch at that. What made him so special? It was truly incomprehensible.

Sun Yun's eyes darted away for a moment, then she smiled to cover it up. "Yes, tell me quickly, my fourth sister will be your sister-in-law in the future, so you'd better think of a good one for me."

Zhao Shu became increasingly puzzled. Why did Sun Yun's eyes dart away just now? She quickly recalled that when the adult princes went to Huguo Temple to pray for the Crown Prince, and then Zhao Bi was suddenly assassinated, it was Sun Yun who came to beg her for help.

At the time, she wanted all the princes to owe her favors, but she still hasn't been able to achieve that. Thinking about it makes her angry, and her face darkens. "I've never heard of your fourth sister being engaged to the fourth prince before. Why is the marriage so rushed? This is not the style of a scholarly family like yours when it comes to marrying off their daughters."

Sun Yun put down her chopsticks and said, "I'll think of it myself." Then she ran out.

Zhao Shu: ... She exchanged a glance with Huo Danlan, both sensing something was amiss. Zhao Shu wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "Auntie, I'll go take a look." Without waiting for Huo Danlan's consent, she stood up and walked out.

The eunuch guarding the gate hurriedly stopped her, but Zhao Shu said, "Let me out, and I will never tell the Empress Dowager."

The eunuch shook his head and continued to block it, saying that even if the Empress Dowager didn't say anything, she would already know.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Zhao Shu pulled a hairpin from her hair and held it to the eunuch's neck: "If you don't let me out, I'll kill you."

The eunuch remained unmoved. Zhao Shu pressed the hairpin against her neck and said, "If you don't let me out, I'll kill myself."

Huo Danlan chuckled behind him.

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