"I'll show you something good."

A crisp, melodious sound rang out, eliciting gasps from those around.

In a simple courtyard in the capital, a stunningly beautiful young girl secretly took out a picture book from her bosom and placed it on a stone table for her friends to see.

“Pear Blossom, how come you still have this! Didn’t the Empress Dowager say that this book was banned in the capital?”

Shh! Keep your voice down.

Fan Lihua is the granddaughter of the current Imperial Censor Fan. They are the same family where the father and son both served as Imperial Censors. The saying "There are many beautiful women in the capital and spring cherry blossoms in the border town" is no longer popular.

The most beautiful woman in the capital right now is Fan Lihua.

Pear Blossom is beautiful, with dignified manners, and exudes the air of a well-bred lady, making her the top choice for daughters-in-law among wives of various families.

But no one came to propose marriage.

Who dares to come?

Fan Tiezui's granddaughter, if you upset him, he'll file a lawsuit against you in no time.

But they couldn't ignore her; she was outstanding, and what parent wouldn't want their child to play with someone so exceptional? Besides, if they got along well, maybe Fan Tiezui would let them off the hook.

Therefore, this Miss Fan is one of the top young ladies in the capital. Whenever she speaks, all the young girls follow her lead.

Pear Blossom is loyal and a good person.

“I like this lady,” she said, pointing with her slender, jade-like fingers to Chunying in the Border Town Women's Pictorial.

"I like the Prince of Zhenbei, especially the way he holds the big sword. It makes my heart flutter."

"What need is there for the Prince of Zhenbei to say? A woman who can write 'A Letter to All Women' and who can also reclaim the grasslands must be an excellent person. I like her too, but this sister is no less remarkable."

"You even use an abacus?"

"This one seems to be the grain officer in the army under the Prince of Zhenbei, and this one, I heard his family is very wealthy, they used to be imperial merchants."

Before and after the illustrated guide was sent to the Empress Dowager, an imperial edict was issued that such a thing should never appear in the capital again.

Even this one book was secretly hidden by Pear Blossom.

She loved that book, loved this illustrated guide, and loved the vivid portrayal of each woman in the border town.

I wish I could see her.

Inside the young girl's boudoir, the candlelight flickered. On the wall was a portrait of Long'er holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, her horse trampling the grassland. The girl in the portrait, who was about the same age as Long'er, had bloodstains on her face and her hair was slightly disheveled, but the determination and ferocity in her eyes seemed to come alive.

Fan Lihua looked at the painting and murmured to herself.

"I wish I could see your heroic figure galloping across the grasslands."

You're a banned book, but you didn't ban any pictures, right? It's not unreasonable for me to hang a picture in my room, is it?

This painting was secretly drawn by Fan Lihua based on the illustrations in the book. It was an enlarged version, and her girlfriends loved it so much that they begged her to draw one for them too.

"Many people in the capital also want to see you."

I will definitely wait for her.

"The Empress Dowager's move is merely to consolidate her power. As for the Yuwen family's empire, well, it's probably worthless to her."

Qingsong was puzzled. If the Emperor simply disliked a book and banned it, that would be one thing. But you, as the Empress Dowager, the most powerful woman in the land, should know even more about the hardships women face today.

How can they issue a decree to ban a book?

Xiao Lanhua spoke quietly to the people around her. Over the years, the one who truly controlled the court was not the emperor.

It was the Empress Dowager.

Unlike those who ruled from behind the curtain.

Our Empress Dowager is like a blunt knife; she won't show the Emperor her sharpest side.

However, if they wanted to achieve something, they would try to do so indirectly, and the emperor would always listen.

If a woman were to develop the ambition described in the book, it's uncertain whether the current emperor would be able to sit securely on the throne, but the world would certainly be a completely different place.

The moonlight, though beautiful, cast a desolate shadow over the palace.

The Imperial Concubine strolled to the window, gazing at the poignant moonlight, a smile curving her red lips, and softly uttered a...

"The capital city is nothing special."

Huo Xiaolong now has enough power to take over the capital. Since she didn't choose that path, she will inevitably enter the capital as the Prince of Zhenbei. At that time, a storm will be brewing.

The beautiful woman reached out her hand, inviting Qing Song to help her change. Looking at the somewhat aggrieved head maid, Xiao Lanhua couldn't help but laugh.

"Just bear with it a little longer, our good days are coming soon."

"I'll take you to see all the beautiful mountains and rivers then."

"Alright, Master, it's settled."

"It's settled."

However, back in the border town, a group of people were still living their lives in a leisurely manner. Long'er's private soldiers were no longer considered private soldiers; they now had official positions and were happily going to work and coming home every day.

The Crown Prince of the Southwest, Lan Tingche, has been living in dire straits these past few days. Perhaps his brother-in-law should have come directly, but they have remained unmoved.

"Aren't you going to teach Lan Tingche a lesson? That kid's been like a cat on a hot tin roof these past few days, constantly pacing around anxiously," Liu Xu asked the person next to her.

"Oh right, I forgot about that."

"..."

"Should I beat him up? Or poison him? Tsk, the thought of that spendthrift son of a bitch dating someone else really makes me uneasy."

Master Miao didn't quite understand this feeling. How could the child who was always chattering and causing trouble in front of him suddenly grow up?

She led her troops to conquer the grasslands, and now she's even holding hands with men.

"What happened? The other day, when the men of the Huo family beat him up, was it because he held our good-for-nothing son's hand?"

"It seems so, haven't you heard your son mention it?"

These older sisters didn't have many other thoughts; they only hoped that Long'er would be alright. If she really liked Tingche, then they would let Tingche treat her better.

If it's not good for Long'er.

As Liu Xu thought of this, she stopped combing her hair, her eyes narrowed, lost in thought.

When Miao Cuifang saw her daughter-in-law stop combing her hair, she assumed she was tired and took the comb from her.

While combing her hair, she was also thinking about something.

How exactly do we deal with Lan Tingche? He calls her "Master's Aunt," so he's quite difficult to handle.

Liu Xu had already imagined several possible outcomes in her mind, in case Lan Tingche was just using Long'er's power to take revenge. In each of these scenarios, he would break Lan Tingche's legs and lock him in Long'er's room with a dog chain.

The woman smiled and gently stroked her hair.

"Go to sleep, think about it tomorrow."

"OK."

Summer is the perfect time for barbecue, especially at night. With a warm breeze blowing, enjoying some lamb outside is simply delightful.

"We're all sons-in-law, so you could say that, even though I don't have that title," Xiao Lanyi said to Lan Tingche while drinking.

"It took a lot of effort for anyone to win the heart of a beauty back then, and no one wanted to make things difficult for you."

The refined young master clasped his hands and bowed to the three men.

"Thank you, brothers-in-laws."

“But I’m still a little worried. What if you bully her?” Miao Cuifang said.

"Feelings are unlike anything else; they are the most heart-wrenching."

"That's what Uncle Huo said too," Lan Tingche said with a sigh.

If this matter hadn't been settled, and he were nobody, there wouldn't be so many concerns. But he is the son of the former crown prince, clinging to the powerful Prince of Zhenbei. Who wouldn't have some thoughts about this?

"How about you cast a love potion on me, brother-in-law?"

"They do all sorts of despicable things."