Rare guest!

A month has passed, and the Minister's residence is inexplicably quiet.

Inside the study, the young man at his desk showed no interest in working and looked very sad. He held a piece of paper in his hand—the one she wrote when she left, or perhaps a warning to him.

A month passed, and he realized how cold and quiet life was without her. As usual, the days were indeed quiet, but the nights were lively, except... only because of her.

The boy stared at the few lines on the note, growing increasingly agitated. A month had passed quietly, and she still hadn't returned. He crumpled the note into a ball and tossed it aside on the desk.

"Luo Pu!" he called out in annoyance.

Luo Pu pushed open the door and entered, noticing his master's troubled expression, wondering what had happened.

"What is it, Master?"

"Inquire around..." He paused, unsure of what he was doing. The note clearly said not to look for her. Yet, he desperately wanted to find her, to have her by his side, but...

Peng Xuan'an lowered his eyes and pondered for a while. Should he try to coax her? Find her whereabouts and then shamelessly coax her back? Perhaps... that wouldn't be a bad idea.

Luo Pu waited quietly for his master to speak.

"...You...um..." He hesitated, stroking his chin as he thought. Knowing Pang Linqiu's personality, he figured she would definitely keep it a secret, and trying to find out anything would be pointless.

After thinking for a while, he came up with a plan: to obtain information with money.

"Luo Pu, go and put up a notice on the railing, saying..." He moved his eyes and made up a story: "The mistress of the Minister's mansion has recently gone missing. Anyone who knows her whereabouts will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver if the information is true!" At this time, one must rely on the power of money.

Luo Pu, unaware of the reason, had no choice but to comply, posting a notice on the railing where people passed by. Passersby, seeing the new notice, would occasionally glance at it out of curiosity. Before long, a large crowd had gathered—some just watching, some curious, some hoping for a reward, and some ready to act…

On the other side, the midday sun shone brightly.

An inn in Jiecheng.

Pang Linqiu smiled and saw her partner off as he left. A strange pain throbbed in her temple; she rubbed it and took a sip of tea. Before the pain had fully subsided, Lan Mo knocked on the door and entered, her face showing concern. "Madam..."

"What is it?"

"The master posted a notice in the capital, saying that if anyone knows your whereabouts, he will reward you with fifty taels of silver."

"..." Pang Linqiu's fists clenched after hearing this. She had just finished dealing with official business and was already annoyed. Now this happened, and she was even more annoyed.

She leaned on the table with one hand, sighing and rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

The matter in Jiecheng is not yet fully resolved, and going back rashly would only make things worse.

She looked up at Lanmo. "Did he say why he wanted to see me?" She wanted to know more about his reason for looking for her.

He longed for his wife.

Pang Linqiu nearly coughed up blood, completely petrified. The reason was outrageous...

Pang Linqiu rubbed her head, thinking that if this matter reached the emperor's ears, she wouldn't know how to explain it. Running a business while also being the "virtuous wife and loving mother" in other people's eyes was quite tiring.

She waved to Lanmo, "Lanmo, have Uncle Mo tell Peng Xuan'an that I'm at an inn in Jiecheng." This could be considered an indirect way of receiving a reward.

“Here.” Lanmo turned and left.

She turned her head and saw stacks of official documents on the desk, and a headache began to rise in her head.

Thinking to myself, Jiecheng is a three-day drive from Beijing, so I have enough time.

After resting for a while, she turned back to her official business of trade. She hoped to use these three days to handle the commercial affairs in Jie City, so that she would be one step closer to marriage.

Upon receiving the news, Peng Xuan'an prepared to travel to Jie City. She was both looking forward to the meeting and afraid that after meeting her, she might hate her for being so selfish. Whether she was scolded or selfish, it was good that she was back.

He managed to travel the three-day journey in just two days by rushing.

When we arrived at Jiecheng, it was the hour of Wei (1-3 PM).

Luo Pu settled the horse nearby and then accompanied Peng Xuan'an to look for an inn, but they didn't know the name of the inn, nor were they familiar with the roads of Jie City. Did they have to search one by one? That would be too troublesome. They asked the man called Uncle Mo, but he said he didn't know either. He was a wandering outsider who had seen someone resembling a portrait at an inn a few days ago and felt that person was the one they were looking for.

The key piece of information is that there was an inn in Jie City, and then that was it. The remaining task is to search through thousands of inns in this vast city, and then find Pang Linqiu amidst the vast crowd.

Difficult! Extremely difficult!

The two walked through several inns and grew tired. They decided to rest for a while at one of them, where the door to welcome guests was open on the first floor. Peng Xuan'an, dressed simply and plainly, blended into the crowd to conceal his identity.

The wine and dishes were served, and the two began to eat.

Peng Xuan'an's chopsticks came to an abrupt halt in mid-air, his gaze fixed intently on a couple. That couple was no ordinary couple.

The two chatted and laughed as they prepared to go upstairs to rest.

Peng Xuan'an sensed something was amiss, frowned, and pondered seriously. He remembered. Pang Linqiu was also capable of dressing as a man. The two people just now immediately sensed something was wrong. He put down his chopsticks, got up, and went upstairs.

Luo Pu followed closely behind.

He followed the two men and saw them enter a room, after which the door slowly closed.

"Knock knock—" He knocked on the door without hesitation.

"Squeak—" The door opened, and a young girl opened it. She was stunned when she saw Peng Xuan'an knocking on the door. He seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.

"You are..." The woman was about to finish speaking.

Peng Xuan'an barged in, glanced around, and didn't see the man. He felt inexplicably anxious. He turned to look at the woman standing dumbfounded at the door, his brows furrowed, exuding a powerful aura.

"Where are they?!" he demanded.

The woman was startled by his appearance. She put her hand to her chest and her mouth moved, "I...no..."

Hearing the commotion outside, the person behind the screen quickly put on their coat and rushed out.

Woman A rushed out and blocked Woman B behind her, glaring angrily at Peng Xuan'an who had been yelling at her: "Who are you?!" She then turned to look at Woman B, who was quite frightened, and asked with concern, "Xi Rong, are you alright?"

Xi Rong shook her head, her pitiful eyes were very cute, "Aman, I'm fine."

Peng Xuan'an was stunned. Sure enough, it was two women pretending to be a couple.

Seeing that she was alright, Aman relaxed and became domineering, looking like she was not to be trifled with. She looked at Peng Xuan'an warily and asked again, "Who are you?"

Peng Xuan'an realized he had contacted the wrong person, "I..."

Aman, wary of the person in front of her, shielded Xirong behind her. Sensing a hint of hostility from the man, she slowly moved her hand toward the dagger at her waist.

Luo Pu shouted, "Master, be careful!"

Peng Xuan'an noticed her movement, snatched the dagger from her, and threw it aside. He gripped Aman's wrist tightly, squeezing hard, his eyes looking down on the person in front of him.

Aman remained silent, her sharp eyes filled with murderous intent. She was about to twist around and forcefully throw him over her shoulder.

"Oh, what a rare guest!" (A yin-yang-like expression.)

All three of them turned to look at the person who had spoken.

Seeing Pang Linqiu slowly walking towards them, she looked at Peng Xuan'an with a half-smile.

She crossed her arms and sized up Peng Xuan'an: "What? Does Lord Peng dislike my daughter running this inn, or is Lord Peng here to cause trouble?"

Upon seeing her arrive, Peng Xuan'an quickly let go of her hand, distancing himself and maintaining distance. He gave an awkward laugh, scratched his head, and looked somewhat lost.

Aman rubbed his right wrist and looked at Pang Linqiu. "Boss, do you two know each other?"

Pang Linqiu looked apologetic, then gave a reassuring smile, "I know you. Are any of you injured?"

Xi Rong grabbed Aman's wrist, carefully examining the red marks on it, and asked with concern, "Aman, does it hurt?"

Aman shook his head to indicate that he was fine, "It doesn't hurt."

Pang Linqiu also noticed it, glared at him with narrowed eyes, her smile gradually disappearing, her expression darkening slightly. "What's wrong with Lord Peng today? He even accidentally injured my guest."

She smiled at the two of them again, "I'm sorry, um..." She thought for a moment, "To express my apology, all your expenses at the inn will be waived."

“No need, boss.” Aman glared unhappily at Peng Xuan’an, but when she looked at Xi Rong, her eyes were full of tenderness. “Xi Rong and I will be leaving the city in two days.” She took Xi An’s hand in one hand.

She understood and nodded. "Alright, then I'll compensate you with some silver. If you need anything, just call the waiter."

“Okay.” Aman nodded.

Xi Rong nodded and closed the door.

Peng Xuan'an was led to a room by Pang Linqiu and sat on a kang (a heated brick bed). There was a small wooden table on the kang with unfinished documents on it. She picked up a teacup, sat cross-legged on the kang, and took a sip of tea.

Peng Xuan'an stood straight in front of her like a child who had made a mistake; there were only the two of them in the room. Neither of them spoke a word, and the absolute silence was unsettling.

Pang Linqiu ignored him, instead picking up the documents on the table and glancing at them without giving him a single glance.

"Madam..." He knew that he had acted impulsively just now.

"..." remained silent.

"I know I was wrong," he said weakly.

Pang Linqiu sighed softly and glanced at him. "What do you want from me?"

He tentatively asked, "Madam, it's been a month...you—" while constantly observing the changes in her expression, "you...are you still angry?"

"You'll calm down and come back to normal." This was an implicit agreement.

Peng Xuan'an tried to get closer, but overheard the couple arguing in bed and making up before they got out of bed...

"Get any closer and you're out of the inn!"

Peng Xuan'an obediently stood back down, making himself appear the most wronged one. "Madam, it's my fault. I shouldn't have violated the second rule!" He humbly admitted his mistake.

"That's all?" She put down her teacup, placed the documents aside, her gaze indifferent yet tinged with anger.

He nodded blankly.

"Will Lord Peng leave on his own, or do I need to tell him to leave?"

Peng Xuan'an was taken aback, puzzled by her words. "Is Madam still angry with me?" He placed his hand on his chest. "Then what does Madam want from me to forgive me?"

She sighed helplessly and repeated, "I told you, you'll calm down and come back." She said irritably, "Lord Peng, you don't need to cling to me like an unweaned toddler. Can't you live without me?"