As expected, early in the morning, Lu Ziyuan went on an inspection with the county magistrate, followed closely by a message from the county magistrate's wife.

The visitor was one of the lady's maids, who said she was afraid the lady would be bored and invited her to the mansion to chat and relieve her boredom.

Zhong Muyu said calmly, "You may leave now. I need to freshen up and get ready."

After the maid left, Zhong Muyu deliberately asked Chengfeng beside her, "See, there's no way to avoid it."

Chengfeng didn't understand the reason: "Anyway, I have nothing better to do, so I might as well go and take a look."

"Ha! I'd rather stay in my room and play video games than go see them."

Chengfeng didn't understand what "playing games" meant, but he could tell that Zhong Muyu was unhappy: "Why don't you just say you're not feeling well and don't want to go?"

"No, I want to go. I want to see what's fun there."

Zhong Muyu suddenly found this quite interesting.

So she chose an elegant light purple dress, styled her hair in a simple and dignified updo, and accessorized with simple yet elegant accessories before heading off.

This look, at first glance, gives off the feeling of a very gentle and dignified matriarch, which doesn't match Zhong Muyu's usual style of dressing, but that's exactly the feeling she wanted.

The oxcart slowly arrived at the Fang family mansion. Guided by the maids and servants, Zhong Muyu went to the backyard and met the county magistrate's wife, Fang Ruotong, and several half-sisters.

Wow, this wealthy family has quite a few children.

The illegitimate daughters dressed very modestly and stood timidly at the back, making Fang Ruotong, who was wearing an orange dress, look even more radiant and charming.

"Your Highness, you've arrived. Please take a seat."

The magistrate's wife greeted her with a smile.

Zhong Muyu glanced around at them and said, "So many people! It looks really lively."

"They are all girls from my family. I thought they were about the same age as the Princess, so I asked them to come out with me. They also kept the Princess company and helped her relax."

As they were talking, Zhong Muyu saw Fang Ruotong making tea. Her tea-making technique was very graceful, and she soon handed a cup of tea to her.

"Mother, Your Highness, please have some tea."

The magistrate's wife smiled and said, "This child has gone to great lengths. She learned excellent tea ceremony skills from a master, but she doesn't show them off easily. Now, even I am benefiting from Your Highness's kindness!"

"I never expected that Miss Fang is not only proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also quite accomplished in the tea ceremony. Madam has indeed taught her well. I see that Miss Fang is about my age. May I ask if she is betrothed?"

Upon hearing this, the magistrate's wife and Fang Ruotong were overjoyed. They hadn't expected Zhong Muyu to ask so directly, which saved them from having to ask in a roundabout way.

"Not yet. My husband and I cherish this daughter and are very careful in choosing a husband for her, so we haven't found a suitable one yet."

“Oh, a talented woman like Miss Fang certainly needs a good family to match her. If you trust me, Madam, I can go back to the city and inquire to see if there are any good young men to introduce to Miss Fang.”

Upon hearing this, the magistrate's wife's smile froze. She didn't care about any young talents in the city; who in the entire Lingqing could compare to Lu Ziyuan's status?

So she could only force a smile and say, "Then I'll have to trouble Your Highness."

"No trouble at all. I won't let Miss Fang suffer. I will definitely find her a good family so that she can marry into one as a proper wife in a grand manner."

Fang Ruotong was getting anxious and kept giving her mother meaningful glances, but the magistrate's wife ignored her.

She was extremely anxious; she had her eye on Lu Ziyuan, and she didn't want to marry anyone else!

However, the magistrate's wife knew she couldn't rush things. What if she asked Zhong Muyu to arrange a concubine for her? Her daughter absolutely could not be a concubine without a title or status!

Zhong Muyu exchanged a few polite words with them, then made an excuse to leave. As soon as she left, Fang Ruotong dismissed the girls who had come to watch the commotion and hurriedly went to find her mother.

"Mother, why didn't you just mention it to the Princess? What if she really decided to marry me off to someone else?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? You're a young lady from a wealthy family; you should at least have some self-respect. Why are you throwing yourself at someone like this, not caring about anything else? Do you want to become a concubine?"

"So be it, I'll be a concubine. Being a concubine in the Prince of Ling's mansion is fine. There will always be a chance to rise through the ranks in the future."

"You make it sound so easy. There are so many people in the Prince's mansion's backyard. How long do you think you'll be able to endure it?"

Fang Ruotong was very dissatisfied: "Then what should we do?"

"We still need to start with the prince. I'll talk to your father about this."

The magistrate's wife gestured for her to wait patiently, but Fang Ruotong wouldn't listen. She had messed things up last time and missed a good opportunity; she couldn't afford to miss it again this time.

...

After leaving the magistrate's residence, Zhong Muyu did not return to the inn, but instead asked Chengfeng to take her around.

They hired a donkey cart, and Zhong Muyu bought some pastries, leisurely enjoying the scenery around them.

The two wandered around half of the county town and leisurely made their way to the reservoir. At this moment, Chengfeng said, "Your Highness, the area ahead is where a disaster has occurred. It's best not to go there."

"It's alright, go check if the disaster victims have been settled."

"Lord Fang and the Prince have already made arrangements, and their living conditions are currently acceptable. The Prince is just here to check on the reinforcement of the dike."

Zhong Muyu looked towards the embankment, where there was indeed a row of figures.

"Chengfeng, let's hurry over there!"

When the two arrived at the dam, Zhong Muyu immediately ran off the carriage.

"Yu'er? What brings you here?"

"I was admiring the scenery of Ling'an County when I arrived here without even realizing it. How are you? Is everything alright?"

"No problem at all."

"That's good……"

Zhong Muyu looked at the dam. There was still a lot of water in the reservoir. The rushing water poured down like a waterfall and meandered through the city along the river.

Zhong Muyu was lost in thought, wishing she could make a simple hydroelectric power generation device, when she saw Lu Ziyuan wave his hand in front of her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, it's nothing. If you're busy, I'll just look around some more."

"It's almost over, we're about to head back."

At this moment, Lord Fang said, "Yes, then I will take my leave now. Please, Your Highness and Princess, come tonight."

After Lord Fang and his men left, Zhong Muyu asked, "Where are we going tonight?"

"The restaurant is hosted by Master Fang."

"Still treating people to meals? With that money, why not use it to help disaster victims instead of spending it on treating people to meals every day?"

Chengfeng said, "Lord Fang values ​​etiquette, so naturally we should fulfill our duties as hosts."

Zhong Muyu understood this principle, but she really didn't want to attend their banquet.

Lu Ziyuan helped her onto the donkey cart, and then sat down himself: "Don't think about those unhappy things. After tonight, we'll have a great time tomorrow."

"You said it yourself, I don't want to see that magistrate's family again tomorrow."

Lu Ziyuan wrapped his arms around her with a mixture of affection and helplessness: "Okay, whatever you say."