Chapter 54 Did Xiao Mingzhang move to the apartment across from theirs? ...

Yunzhu, along with Ayan and Mu Zhaozhi, stayed overnight at the scholar's wife's house. They heard news about Xiao Mingzhang again early the next morning.

Because the old nanny she had hired for Xiao Mingzhang had arrived, she told Ayan to take the old nanny home. But when Ayan and the old nanny arrived home, they found that Xiao Mingzhang had already left.

He packed up his belongings and moved out of their house.

Ayan was delighted and immediately went back to tell Yunzhu the good news.

When Yunzhu heard the news, she was actually a little surprised. Although she knew that as long as she and her child insisted on not going home, Xiao Mingzhang would leave sooner or later, she did not expect him to leave so quickly.

Just as she was pondering this, Ayan asked, "So, are we still renting out our room?"

Yunzhu had originally planned that if Xiao Mingzhang refused to leave, she, her child, and Ayan would temporarily rent a new courtyard near the school, which would be convenient for her to teach her students every day and for Mu Zhaozhi to go to and from school every day. But now that Xiao Mingzhang had left so decisively, Yunzhu no longer needed to look at houses.

She was very satisfied with her current residence. She had lived there for three years, and everything there was arranged by her own hands. The bed sheets and curtains were fabrics she and Ayan had personally selected from the silk shop, and she had then personally supervised the embroiderers in their making. The desk was specially made by a carpenter in town. Every brick, tile, plant, and tree in the courtyard had been personally moved, nurtured, and arranged to her current satisfaction. With such a courtyard, Yunzhu really didn't want to move unless absolutely necessary.

Now that Xiao Mingzhang had left, Yunzhu and Mu Zhaozhi returned to their home after school that day.

She checked the house thoroughly to make sure that Xiao Mingzhang had indeed left completely, without leaving anything behind.

Just as she had checked every place and, like Ayan, was certain that there were no more traces of Xiao Mingzhang in her room, Yunzhu sat down at her desk, opened a book, and found a letter in the book with handwriting that did not belong to her.

Yunzhu was once very familiar with the words on the letter.

Yunzhu had always dreamed of learning that vibrant and confident aura.

She paused for a moment, then opened the letter.

The letter didn't contain anything very important; it only listed the names of a few books, which happened to correspond to the miscellaneous books Yunzhu had been reading recently.

These are all books that Xiao Mingzhang suggested she buy back for deeper understanding.

Yunzhu held the letter, her first reaction was to tear it to shreds, but after thinking about it, she decided to close it back into the book.

After checking the house, Ayan began preparing ingredients for tonight's dinner.

A few days ago, Mu Zhaozhi mentioned that she wanted to eat mare's milk cake, and Ayan remembered it. So, she decided to make it for her tonight.

Yunzhu then assisted her in the kitchen.

The family of three seemed to have returned to their previous life.

But Yunzhu and Ayan were halfway through their work when they heard a growing commotion of voices coming from outside the front yard.

Ayan was extremely sensitive and immediately climbed up the wall to look, fearing that Xiao Mingzhang would continue to disturb them.

When she climbed over the wall, she found a group of people outside the courtyard carrying things off a carriage.

Ayan noticed that it was the house diagonally opposite theirs. The owner of that house had moved to Liangzhou a few years ago, and the house had been vacant ever since.

When they were choosing a house, they hesitated about whether to buy this one. In the end, they gave up because the house was too big and the price was more than double that of their current home. Although they had money, they couldn't afford to spend it recklessly.

It seems that someone is moving into the house now?

Ayan found it strange and peered over the wall for a while, but did not see her master. So she came down and reported the matter to Yunzhu.

"Someone lives here?" Yunzhu also found this strange.

As far as she knew, the house had been empty for more than a year or two. It had been empty ever since the owners left. Hanze was a small place, and hardly any outsiders came to live there each year. It was already rare for her and Ayan to live there. She was really curious about what kind of people would buy such a big house at such an expensive price.

But it's good that it's sold; once it's sold, the neighborhood will be even more lively.

Yunzhu pondered for a moment, then exchanged a glance with Ayan. Gradually, they both sensed something was amiss in each other's eyes.

Yunzhu asked bluntly, "Don't you also feel that something is amiss?"

Ayan nodded.

Xiao Mingzhang had just left today, and this mansion had already been bought by someone. It was truly a coincidence. Moreover, she had just seen on the wall that what those people were moving into the house was not any old stuff, but all brand-new furniture... brand-new teacups, brand-new cabinets, brand-new bed sheets, and brand-new pillowcases...

That at least proves that the person who bought this house was not from the town, otherwise there would have been some old items.

This is a "newcomer" in the town.

Yunzhu was about to analyze the situation further when a knock came at the door.

Ayan went to open the door, but to her surprise, standing outside was none other than the person she and Yunzhu had both thought of earlier—Xiao Mingzhang!

Ayan immediately tried to close the door.

Xiao Mingzhang reacted quickly, sticking out his long leg and wedging it in the crack of the door, thus avoiding being turned away as soon as he arrived.

His complexion looked terrible; his face was pale with a hint of sallowness, and a bamboo-green cloak was wrapped tightly around him, with a corner fluttering in the breeze.

Ayan had never seen Xiao Mingzhang like this before. Apart from last night, today's Xiao Mingzhang must be the weakest she had ever seen.

It seemed that if the wind outside were any stronger, it could blow him over immediately.

"Thank you..." Xiao Mingzhang said to Ayan, and then a faint smile appeared on his pale face as he faced Yunzhu, who was standing in the courtyard.

He said to Yunzhu, "Yunzhu, thank you for taking care of me yesterday. I will not bother you anymore. I think Hanze is a nice place. The sky is high and the clouds are wide, and the grass is green. It is a good place to rest. Today, I asked someone to find me a house. It just so happens to be near your house. From now on, we will be neighbors."

Did Xiao Mingzhang really buy this house?!

Ayan was dumbfounded and wanted to question Xiao Mingzhang about whether he had gone mad, but Yunzhu spoke first.

She asked in a clear voice, "Why did you buy this house?"

"What else can I do?" No matter how sickly he looked, Xiao Mingzhang always smiled faintly when facing Yunzhu. "As I just said, this place is suitable for recuperation and relaxation."

Is he the kind of person who can relax? Yunzhu silently curled the corners of her lips in a mocking smile. How could someone who is used to navigating the center of power possibly enjoy such a carefree life in a small town?

She knew that Xiao Mingzhang was lying through his teeth, and she also knew that his purpose in doing so was still for her and her daughter.

He still wanted to take her and their daughter home.

He thought that by getting this close, she would change her mind and waver.

Xiao Mingzhang underestimated her.

Yunzhu looked at Xiao Mingzhang without a trace of lingering affection and said to him, "In that case, I wish you a happy housewarming."

Xiao Mingzhang smiled faintly: "I know that inviting you to dinner today is a bit too hasty. Let's wait a few days, until I'm feeling better, and then I'll host a banquet at home to thank you for taking care of me last night."

Their sudden estrangement and politeness made them seem less like a long-suffering ex-couple and more like strangers who had just met.

Ayan felt a little confused and didn't understand what Xiao Mingzhang was doing.

He stood between their doorways, exchanged a few more polite words with Yunzhu, and then left their house.

As soon as he left, Ayan immediately bolted the door shut.

She rushed to Yunzhu and asked, "Princess, what does he mean by this? From now on, he's going to live here? How is that possible? Isn't he still going to Liangzhou and returning to Yunzhou? Doesn't he still dream of becoming the crown prince?"

Yunzhu nodded, thinking about Xiao Mingzhang's actions just now, while comforting Ayan, saying, "It's okay, he was just saying it. If we believe him, then we've lost."

"Just as you said, he has so many things to do. How can he stay here forever? As long as we ignore him and pretend he doesn't exist, he will have to leave sooner or later."

Yes, Yunzhu also found Xiao Mingzhang's relocation absurd, but after calming down and thinking about it carefully, she didn't think it was a big deal.

Because she was certain that Xiao Mingzhang would not stay in Hanze Town for long. He was the commander-in-chief sent by the imperial court to intimidate the Western Regions and the heir of the Huan Prince's Mansion in Yunzhou. As long as he still wanted to seize the throne, he would not have the opportunity to stay here any longer.

His own ambitions wouldn't allow it, nor would Prince Huan, Xiao Shao.

Yunzhu thought that if she could stall for long enough, she didn't believe Xiao Mingzhang could stay here any longer.

Xiao Mingzhang has many methods, but no matter how many, she doesn't believe that Xiao Mingzhang can now come and go completely at will.

Ayan gradually came to her senses and asked in bewilderment, "Yes, Princess, do you think Xiao Mingzhang is really about to take control of the court? He came to Liangzhou as commander-in-chief, but he comes here every day and has even settled down. Doesn't anyone want to impeach him?"

This is exactly what Yunzhu is pondering.

What exactly is Xiao Mingzhang's position in the court now?

Unfortunately, having lived in Hanze for so long, she now knows very little about what is happening in the court.

All she could say was, "Let's wait and see when he finally can't stand it anymore."

—

In fact, after Xiao Mingzhang first came to Hanze Town, Prince Huan, Xiao Shao, already knew that Yunzhu was still alive.

Shocked and furious, he wrote to Xiao Mingzhang, wanting to tell him that this was a crucial moment in the struggle for the throne, and he absolutely could not allow anything to go wrong.

But Xiao Mingzhang did not reply to him.

This made Xiao Shao very anxious. He wanted to come to Liangzhou in person to see the situation, but he was unable to come because he was currently in Jinling. So he could only send letters to Xiao Mingzhang again and again.

That day, Xiao Mingzhang had just returned to his newly purchased house when he received a letter from Xiao Shao presented to him by his subordinates.

He opened the letter in front of his subordinates, expecting it to be just more empty platitudes about prioritizing the bigger picture. However, to his surprise, this time Xiao Shao's letter contained only a few words—

"Your Majesty is in grave danger! Return immediately!"