The members of the Fire Cloud Division were speechless, but also deeply sympathetic. It was truly remarkable that the bandits had managed to do something like this.

After explaining everything, Lu Baichuan and his wife took a group of children and left, leaving the Huoyun Division to handle the aftermath.

Fang Da was quite skilled at driving the carriage; he could accelerate like a madman while the passengers remained seated comfortably, even dozing off as the carriage swayed.

Anyway, it wasn't dark when we arrived at Xishuiyuan.

The clansmen who came from the village stayed in other houses, while Boss Lu, Zhang Song, and Zhang Yong stayed with them at Xishuiyuan.

They originally planned to stay there, but they thought it would be more convenient to discuss things here, and they also needed to plan the specifics of going to the grasslands with He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan. So they decided to stay at Xishuiyuan for the time being. If they were to stay in the city for a long time, they would like to rent or buy another courtyard.

The area around Xishuiyuan is filled with wealthy and influential people, and they feel out of place there, so they are hesitant to live there.

However, Lu Baichuan and his wife didn't mind. They were all family, so it was fine for them to stay here. They could just pay rent and food expenses, just like in the village. They could rent or buy elsewhere if they wanted, and they would help look after the place.

When they returned to Xishuiyuan, it was just in time for dinner. Everyone gathered together for a meal and then started making arrangements for tomorrow.

He Jiuniang planned to go to the Ming Mansion to see Jiang Ruoya, and also to find Mingze to rent some people to protect Zhang Song, Zhang Yong, and Old Man Lu's group as they returned to Changzhou.

Lu Baichuan was going to the yamen to hand over the matter properly, to explain the situation of these bandits in detail, and then to say a proper goodbye to his brothers.

The Zhang brothers, Zhang Song and Zhang Yong, contacted a security escort agency to purchase some rare items from the grasslands, which they would then transport over to sell.

Boss Lu then went to find a caravan, and also bought some things to take back and sell cheaply to the people of Changzhou.

Old Lu was going to check on the progress of the clubhouse. If all went well, it should open in about ten days.

In short, everyone is very busy.

After a long day, we still have a lot to do tomorrow, so let's all eat, wash up, and go to bed.

He Jiuniang lay in Lu Baichuan's arms and said, "After you finish your business here, go to the capital to take up your post. Don't delay too long. I want to wait until the club here opens before I take my son there. You go and see if there are any good academies there. We can send our son there and feel much more at ease."

"Okay, take good care of yourself here. Just tell the clinic not to go there. You left so many prescriptions for Doctor Song before, they can handle it."

Lu Baichuan held his wife tightly in his arms, feeling a deep reluctance to part with her. Every separation was incredibly difficult to bear.

He's now used to sleeping with his sweet and soft wife in his arms every night, but now that he's in the capital, he's all alone, and the thought of it is unbearable.

"Okay, okay, I'll come find you with my son in half a month at most. It's not that serious!"

He Jiuniang patted his chest, her coaxing tactics reaching their peak. Lu Baichuan was speechless at her heartless behavior.

He felt that he must have done something wrong, which was why his wife wasn't clingy at all.

When I get to the country, I need to take some time to buy some storybooks to study, so that when we meet again, my wife will become a clingy little devil. That would be so impressive, and I could even show off in front of the Crown Prince.

He Jiuniang had no idea what Lu Baichuan was thinking. She had a good night's sleep and went to the Ming residence early in the morning. However, she hadn't seen Jiang Ruoya yet, but she did see Ming Ze.

Mingze was still the same as always, giving off a very approachable vibe. However, he wouldn't specifically seek her out unless there was nothing else to do. The fact that he was waiting for her here so early in the morning clearly meant he had something to say to her.

"Uncle Ming, it just so happens that I also need to talk to you about something!"

He Jiuniang greeted them with a smile, and casually placed some local specialties made by the Yu family that she had brought from the village on the table. These were things that Mingze and his wife loved to eat.

"Alright, alright, but what you're about to say is definitely not as serious as what I'm going to say. Listen to me first."

The last time Mingze was this anxious was when Jiang Ruoya's condition worsened. Now that Jiang Ruoya is fine, why is Mingze still so anxious? Could it be something else?

"Please speak."

He Jiuniang thought that since she was a doctor, Mingze was in such a hurry to tell her that he wanted her to treat someone's illness or something, but that was not the case. As soon as Mingze spoke, He Jiuniang was stunned.

"Your Aunt Jiang knows you're going to the capital, so she wants to go with you. But you know she has a bad past there. Although she's forgotten it now, I'm afraid she'll be affected by her homesickness. I've been trying to persuade her, but she won't listen. So I thought I'd ask you to help persuade her."

Mingze truly cares about her in every way. Before, when Jiang Ruoya still had her memories, he dared not mention the words "capital" because it would cause her unbearable pain every time. For Jiang Ruoya's sake, he even moved all the main businesses in the capital to this place, and he hasn't been there in recent years. Who knew that now that Jiang Ruoya has forgotten her previous memories, she would take the initiative to go to the capital.

If she could completely forget it, then she could just leave. But I'm afraid that if she goes there, she'll be reminded of those painful memories, and all her previous efforts will be wasted.

He Jiuniang began to have some doubts. Although she knew that Jiang Ruoya liked to stick to her, she didn't think that Jiang Ruoya would necessarily follow her to the capital just because she was going there, let alone overcome her resistance and go.

She didn't understand.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Mingze continued, "You know your Aunt Jiang likes you. We were even planning to buy a house near Xishuiyuan, and we had just gotten into that idea when you all went to the capital. She immediately wanted to go with you, and I..."

“Uncle Ming,” He Jiuniang suddenly interrupted Mingze, her voice unusually calm as she asked, “Is Aunt Jiang my mother?”

Mingze froze, the words he hadn't yet uttered stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them anymore.

Seeing his reaction, He Jiuniang understood everything.

Yes, she should have thought of that earlier. Otherwise, given her personality, why would she have taken the initiative to be friendly to Jiang Ruoya, whom she didn't know at all, on their first meeting?

That was clearly a signal of blood connection left in the original owner's body.

During the period when Jiang Ruoya was mentally unstable, she kept saying that she was her daughter. She just thought that Jiang Ruoya was missing her daughter and mistook her for someone else. But she never expected that it was all arranged in the dark.

She had never thought about this before because she was not the original owner of the body, so she didn't care who her biological parents were or why they abandoned the original owner back then. None of that mattered to her, so she didn't think about it.

The reason she suddenly asked this question was because she remembered the people from the Duke of Mu's mansion she met in the capital, who seemed to be related to her background. Combined with Jiang Ruoya's reaction and Mingze's worries, she finally understood everything.