Finally, after Qingxue's persuasive words, Madam Guo reluctantly left. But before leaving, she resolutely came over and kowtowed to Qian Shengyan through the screen, then cried and thanked her for her great kindness to the Guo family.

Qian Shengyan lay on the bed, pretending to be sick while feeling guilty. She waved her hand at Qingxue, who then bowed and politely asked Guo Shi to leave.

After seeing the others off, Qingxue returned to help Qian Shengyan get up, and at the same time, she couldn't help but complain, "This servant noticed that Consort Liu's illness is getting better quite quickly. She was even able to come to Wanfang Anhe this morning. Moreover, when this servant saw Consort Guo out just now, I saw that Consort Liu hadn't left yet."

"She hasn't left yet?" Qian Shengyan understood after a moment's thought. "She's waiting to see the Prince?"

"I guessed right. Consort Liu was standing at the back door of the main hall, saying that the tree looked very good and she wanted to admire it for a while longer." Qingxue silently curled her lips, "She's looking at us as if we're all fools."

Qian Shengyan didn't say anything. Everyone has their own ambitions, so why should she care?

A short while later, Qian Shengyan and Qingxue were discussing whether to return to Peach Blossom Village first or wait for the Prince to finish his work and then inform him before returning, when they suddenly heard an announcement that the Prince had arrived.

The two exchanged a glance, stood up and bowed. Yinzhen strode in, took Qian Shengyan's hand and said, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Have something with me."

Seeing his calm expression, Qian Shengyan didn't know if he had seen Liu Shi. Wanfang Anhe was different from Peach Blossom Village. In Peach Blossom Village, the people sweeping the courtyard could be seen clearly, but when Qian Shengyan came to Wanfang Anhe, she didn't bring many people with her, and she didn't dare to keep an eye on the prince's whereabouts.

When breakfast was served, Qingxue temporarily withdrew. When she returned a moment later, her expression was somewhat strange. She glanced at Su Peisheng and gave him a meaningful look. Su Peisheng nodded slightly and soon found an opportunity to leave the palace.

The two stood under the corridor and could see Wan Fang'an and the woman standing at the back door of the front hall at a glance.

To be honest, Liu's outfit today was very beautiful and appropriate. She wore a simple light blue cheongsam with a silver-white cloak over it, trimmed with a circle of white fur. Half of her fair face, without any rouge, was hidden in the long fur, making her look pitiful.

It perfectly suited her state of mind after recovering from a serious illness; standing there, both simple and charming, she was quite eye-catching.

"Didn't the Prince see Consort Liu when he came over? She's been standing there for almost half an hour..." Qingxue felt a little sorry for her; it was still quite cold on this morning in the first month of the lunar calendar.

Su Peisheng was somewhat speechless: "...His Highness also came from the front hall via the corridor. In this cold weather...His Highness would never walk through the courtyard..."

Qingxue: ...

Qingxue: "So what do we do now?"

"Why did Lady Liu come here?" Su Peisheng asked, puzzled. Qingxue thought for a moment and replied, "She originally came to pay her respects to the master, but then she said she saw that the tree was beautiful and wanted to admire it for a while longer, so she didn't want to leave."

Su Peisheng: ...

Su Peisheng really wanted to ask this Lady Liu if she knew that the front and back halls of Wanfang'an were connected by a corridor. If they just waited in the courtyard like this, the prince might not pass by here even once every few days if no one reminded him...

After the two finished their breakfast, Qian Shengyan, remembering that Fuerguochun was still in Peach Blossom Village, suggested that she wanted to go back. Yinzhen was a little reluctant to let her go.

“It’s good that you’re staying here. I can see you as soon as I finish my business, and I don’t have to brave the cold to go to Peach Blossom Village again.” Yinzhen said with a smile. “Anyway, there are plenty of houses in Wanfang Anhe. It’s good that you and Foerguochun can move here.”

Qian Shengyan: "...But this place is even further from the beautiful scenery of West Peak." She paused, then added, "And...if the Prince gets the mood and summons someone, wouldn't my concubine and child be in the way here?"

Yinzhen's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Qian Shengyan pretended to be deep in thought again: "Hmm... Anyway, we're not far apart, so Your Highness can go to other people's courtyards... Hmm, provide door-to-door service."

She mumbled the last four words, but they made her laugh. Although Yinzhen didn't quite hear them, he guessed that she wasn't saying anything nice. Seeing her laughing like that, he leaned forward and pretended to tickle her: "Hmm? What bad things are you saying about me now?"

"Oh dear, Your Highness, hahaha, no, hahaha..."

As they spent more time together, they became increasingly familiar with each other. Yinzhen simply tickled her waist twice, and Qian Shengyan laughed so hard she collapsed into his arms, her feet kicking on the ground. "Your Highness, Your Highness, I was wrong, I was wrong, hahaha, no, no, no, I won't make a fuss anymore, hahaha..."

The two men guarding the corridor smiled when they heard the laughter and commotion inside. Su Peisheng gave Qingxue a thumbs up: "Master Qian, this is it." He then glanced at Liu Shi and gestured, "The Prince can see the others even less."

"Steward Su is getting bolder and bolder these days, even daring to discuss the master's affairs." Qingxue said this, but her smile didn't fade. She understood that Su Peisheng was willing to talk to her about these things now because their relationship had become more and more familiar.

Su Peisheng exclaimed "Hey!" and pretended to slap his face, but his eyes were fixed on Qingxue's expression. After a moment, he also laughed.

When their master is in a good mood, their lives are good. And when the prince is with Master Qian, there's nothing that's not going to happen. These past two years, Su Peisheng's life couldn't be better.

The masters inside laughed for a while and chatted for a long time. After a while, Yinzhen called Su Peisheng in, and Qian Shengyan also called Qingxue. The two instructed them to move to Peach Blossom Village and move Fuerguochun to Wanfang Anhe as well.

The two accepted the order and went out together to arrange the task. Since there were still things for the little princess to pack, Qingxue went back by herself. Su Peisheng was not supposed to go, but for some reason, he called Zhang Qilin and Zhang Defu to come, and then went to Peach Blossom Village with them.

Since it was only a short stay, and they only brought some winter clothes to Wanfang Anhe, they packed up quickly. Everything was ready before lunch. The front hall was left for Yinzhen to receive guests and serve as his study. Qian Shengyan stayed directly in the rear hall. The east rear hall was assigned to Hongli and Fuerguochun, while the west rear hall, being near the lake, was not suitable for living and could only be used for sightseeing for the time being.

"When the weather gets warmer, we can board a boat from the platform behind the west side hall and go boating on the lake," Yinzhen said. Qian Shengyan really liked the lakeside scenery and begged Yinzhen to turn it into her small study.

"I can meet people here, do accounting, or do embroidery and painting," Qian Shengyan said, gazing at the still somewhat frozen lake outside the window, her eyes filled with longing.

Yinzhen: ...

Qian Shengyan: "...What kind of expression is that, Your Highness?"

Yinzhen suppressed a laugh: "Speaking of which, I have never seen you embroider or paint... It seems that when you have time, you just lie on the couch reading storybooks, right?"

Qian Shengyan: ...

Don't expose someone's weaknesses! Doesn't even a prince of your stature understand this?!