He then chatted with everyone.

Everyone dispersed only after Aunt Ai had finished cooking.

At this time, Yin Jiuniang also returned, and the three of them had lunch at the head of Aizhuang's house.

After the meal, Ye Zhen wanted to take a walk around the neighborhood, and Shi Yan also wanted to know about the environment in which his daughter grew up, so he followed behind.

Wherever she went, everyone who saw Ye Zhen would greet her.

An old woman waved to Ye Zhen from afar. When Ye Zhen approached, she carefully took out a handkerchief from her bosom, unfolded it layer by layer, and inside was a piece of malt candy.

She handed it to Ye Zhen, saying, "Eat."

The old woman's surname is Wu. Her son and daughter-in-law died early, leaving her with a grandson named Da Niu who lives with her.

When Da Niu was ten years old, he went into the mountains to collect herbs to supplement the family income. He accidentally stepped into a hunting trap and injured his leg. Grandma Wu had no money to treat him, so she went to Ye Zhen for help.

Ye Zhen lent money to treat Da Niu's leg, and after that, Da Niu followed Yin Yue and the others to learn martial arts.

Grandma Wu was very grateful to Ye Zhen for this, and whenever there was something good, Ye Zhen and Da Niu would each get half.

Ye Zhen picked up a piece of candy, popped it into her mouth, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Grandma Wu."

Seeing her eat, the old woman smiled and moved her face closer to Ye Zhen. Before Ye Zhen left, her eyesight had already deteriorated, and it was likely that it had worsened over the years. So she offered her face to Granny Wu.

"Look at me, don't I look even more handsome?"

"Jun, Zhen is the most beautiful girl in the surrounding area."

Such scenes often happened in the past. Grandma Wu was always the one who praised her. Ye Zhenyi smiled, but her eyes reddened as she smiled.

"Da Niu can't come back from the capital for the time being, so let me take you to the capital with me."

A few months ago, Yin Yue led a group of people to help him, including Da Niu, who now works at the Charity Hall.

In his past life, Da Niu followed Yin Yue to the capital to save him, but was tortured to death by Ye Wantang. Granny Wu only had this one grandson, and with the news of his death, Granny Wu will probably not have a good end either.

No, it will definitely not end well.

After Ye Zhengqing discovered the truth, he sold the people in the village to the most arduous mines. Granny Wu was so old, how could she possibly survive?

Fortunately, in this life, everyone is alive, and Granny Wu, just like before, happily hides good things for her.

very nice!

Grandma Wu, unaware of what Ye Zhen was thinking, pulled her aside and said, "They say that you've been betrothed to the Crown Prince and will become the Emperor and Empress's daughter-in-law in the future."

I don't know if they're easy to get along with. If you're wronged, you need to learn to stand up for yourself, okay? The more you suppress your feelings, the more they'll think you're easy to bully.

Ye Zhen smiled, "Okay, I understand."

This Ye Zhen was very different from the one she always was, and Shi Yan felt both happy and heartbroken seeing her like this.

I'm glad everyone treats Ye Zhen well, but it's definitely Ye Zhen's hard work that has brought about this kindness.

Feeling heartbroken that she had suffered so much in the past, I wanted to make it up to her.

Ye Zhen was very happy during his time at the manor, but he only stayed for two nights before setting off to return to the capital.

Li Chengye was escorted back to the capital by government soldiers. Unexpectedly, there were unforeseen events along the way, so the guards who had no time to spare accompanied the group.

Ai Zhuangtou's eldest son, Hongwen, was going to participate in the imperial examination this year. Ye Zhen had a carriage prepared to accommodate him and Granny Wu, so they could stay with the procession and have someone to look after them.

She and Yin Jiuniang followed Shi Yan just as they had come.

The emperor was delighted upon learning of the news from southern Jiangsu and bestowed upon Ye Zhen the eastern Jiangsu region as well.

The people of eastern Jiangsu had long heard about the tax exemption in northern and southern Jiangsu, and they cheered with joy.

Those in the capital who were on good terms with Ye Zhen were also happy to learn that she had made a great contribution.

But Huo Zhan was in a very bad mood.

No sooner had Yin Jiuniang returned to the Marquis's residence than he followed her there.

"Ninth Sister".

The refined-looking man stood with his hands behind his back, looking aggrieved. "Why did you go to Sunan with me?"

Yin Jiuniang ignored him.

If Ye Zhen had something to do, she naturally had to go with him; that was 30,000 troops, not just 30 people.

Huo Zhan understood Yin Jiuniang's worries about Ye Zhen. What bothered him was that Yin Jiuniang had to have contact with Shi Yan because she was teleporting with him.

He was jealous.

But he dared not send it, fearing that Yin Jiuniang would ignore him even more, and that Yin Jiuniang would also like Ye Jinghong's man because she loved her.

So he took out a washboard from behind him, put it on the ground, and knelt down with a thud.

"Ninth Sister"

Huo Zhan called out softly, his voice filled with tenderness, pleading, and regret.

"Give me another chance."

This method was taught to him by Shi Wuxia. Huo Zhan didn't know if it would work, but he knew more and more that he really couldn't live without Yin Jiuniang.

Yin Jiuniang was startled by his actions; it would be a lie to say she wasn't moved at all.

This man, who had always been aloof and now an emperor, knelt before her.

But she couldn't go back to Dongwu with him, so she pretended not to see him and took her clothes into the bathroom.

In death row.

Li Heng also learned about Li Chengye's situation, and his face turned pale.

It's over, it's all over.

He lay sprawled on the ground, depressed for a long time.

The next day, he stopped a passing prison warden and said, "Please deliver a message to the Prince of Yan: I will keep your affair in Mingliu Lane a secret."