Jin Yan nodded and cupped his hands in greeting: "Sixth Young Master, I've long admired you."

Shen Su quickly cupped his hands in greeting, "Your Highness is too kind. We should treat each other with equal courtesy."

"Okay," Jin Yan readily agreed.

After a brief introduction, the two drank tea separately.

Gu Nanshu took the initiative to start a conversation with her husbands.

The handsome men responded absentmindedly.

Jin Yan took a sip of tea and did not join the conversation. He was secretly thinking about what had just happened. Chi Yan's silent demeanor when surrounded by the gentlemen's words was quite different from his dignified and noble appearance when negotiating with Cang Qiong last time.

How many unknown faces does the Lord of the Azure Sky have?

How did he and the others end up in this situation?

Shen Su thought to himself that Jin Yan was of noble status, had a superior appearance and outstanding temperament, and was about to become a concubine, which put a lot of pressure on people.

And then there's that young master Chi; although I don't know his identity, he doesn't seem easy to get along with.

The husbands all see him as an enemy, so this man must be quite extraordinary and must have some tricks up his sleeve to win the prince's heart.

Shen Su sighed softly. In the past, he despised the kind of tricks that involved vying for favor in the inner quarters, so he only wanted to find a woman he could truly love and entrust his life to.

Unexpectedly, not only did he encounter love rivals, but he also found himself facing so many formidable opponents. Shen Su was utterly exhausted!

This "family gathering" included the two people at the head of the table, but everyone else was actually in one place while their hearts were elsewhere. They chatted casually with each other, but each had their own thoughts on their own.

On the other side, Chi Yan took Amu back to Tingfeng Pavilion. The familiar decor and luxurious furnishings were exactly the same as he remembered, and everything was spotless and tidy.

It seems that no one else has stayed here during the time I was away. Thinking this, Chi Yan slightly curled the corners of his lips.

"Master, is that you?"

"Master! You're finally back."

Hearing the shout, Chi Yan looked out of the hall and saw Yuan Shan running towards him with a face full of excitement.

Yuanshan ran up to Chiyan, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and gasped for breath. "Master, I've finally waited for you. You're finally back..." Yuanshan rambled on, his voice growing hoarse as he spoke, tears streaming down his face with increasing excitement.

Chi Yan patted his shoulder, "Yuanshan, have you been here all this time?"

"Yes, ever since you left, I've stayed in Tingfeng Pavilion to guard you. I thought you would come back someday, Master. That's wonderful, you... *sobs*"

"The cleaning servant said you were back, and I couldn't believe it..."

Yuanshan cried bitterly, which moved Chi Yan. He hadn't expected Yuanshan to be so loyal. He had been gone for over a year, and Yuanshan was still here. "Alright, stop crying. I'm back now. Has anyone been bullying you these past few days?"

Mentioning this, Yuanshan cried even more bitterly. Ever since their master left, the servants of Tingfeng Pavilion had learned of their master's betrayal and had repeatedly requested to be transferred away from here.

During this period, Tingfeng Pavilion was universally disliked. The servants all wished they could stay far away from him. Some snobbish servants would ridicule or even beat him whenever they saw him. Later, he hid in the courtyard every day and only came out of the courtyard once a day to collect his monthly allowance.

The young men in the manor paid no attention to their Listening Wind Pavilion; the huge courtyard seemed to be covered in dust and separated from the Langya Manor.

Now he is the only one left to take care of the entire courtyard. Fortunately, Yongshou, the steward, sends people to help with cleaning every day, otherwise he would probably have been exhausted long ago.

Even if he were to die from exhaustion, he would still clean the halls, courtyards, and bedrooms where Chi Yan had lived every day, always remembering that his master was the cleanest person.

"Distant mountains?"

Chi Yan called his name, and Yuan Shan quickly wiped away his tears. "No one bullied me. I'm fine. It's good that you're back, Master. I finally have someone to rely on..." Yuan Shan immediately covered his mouth after saying that. He didn't want his master to worry, but he almost let it slip.

Chi Yan's eyes twitched slightly. He could tell from Yuan Shan's action that he must have suffered a lot of grievances over the past year.

Indeed, it's understandable that the servants in the mansion would want to avenge their master after they made a mistake and hurt the master. Besides, there are always people who fawn over the powerful and bully the weak, even if it means Yuanshan has suffered.

Chi Yan reached into his clothes and pulled out a stack of silver notes, handing them to Yuan Shan. "Here is ten thousand taels. Take it and buy some servants. Keep the rest for yourself. If you need to bribe anyone, come to me for more."

When Chi Yan returned to the courtyard, he noticed that the huge side courtyard was empty. Apart from the unchanged furnishings, it was not as lively as before.

"That's enough, that's enough." Yuanshan excitedly accepted the silver notes. His master was too generous, giving away tens of thousands of silver notes at a time.

"Master, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go and cook for you first. You rest first, I'll finish cooking soon." Yuanshan carefully put away the silver notes and bowed to him.

"Um."

Watching Yuan Shan's slender figure stagger out the door, Chi Yan couldn't describe the feeling in his heart. In the past, Leng Qingning had specially assigned him a chef, providing all kinds of delicacies. All the servants in the manor were eager to get into Tingfeng Pavilion to serve him. Now, however, he still had to have his personal male servant cook for him.

Chi Yan sighed deeply. Things have changed...

Guanyunxuan

In the lush thicket, Cangyuan brandished his sword wildly, causing the newly sprouting branches to suffer greatly for no reason.

Despite being drenched in sweat, the man wielding the sword was not only not lessened, but his anger only grew stronger.

He aimed at a lush green tree and chopped down with all his might, yelling, "Damn it!" (Chi Yan.)

"A-Yuan, please spare that tree!"

The Cangwu Sword stopped just in time at the edge of the tree trunk. Cang Yuan turned slightly and raised his head, his clear and cold phoenix eyes turning crimson. Beads of sweat slid down his temples, outlining his perfect jawline, giving him an indescribable, alluring, and restrained charm.

"My lady, what brings you here?"

Leng Qingning stepped forward, took out a light blue cotton handkerchief from her sleeve, and gently covered Cang Yuan's face, tenderly wiping away his sweat.

"I've come to explain what happened today to you. What, you don't want to know?"

Cang Yuan raised his hand and grasped the handkerchief along with that soft, white hand in his palm. "I thought my wife would come later. Has my wife had dinner yet?"

“If I had come any later, your yard would probably be barren. I don’t want it to be completely bare when I come back next time, after all, these trees were quite expensive to buy.” Leng Qingning glanced at the green tree that had almost died, clicked her tongue, and looked regretful.

Upon hearing this, Cang Yuan almost laughed, his cold expression softening as he changed his demeanor. "So, is my wife feeling sorry for the money?"

The two were already facing each other. Cang Yuan grabbed Leng Qingning's wrist and pulled her forward slightly, causing Leng Qingning to fall straight into his arms.

Cang Yuan embraced her tightly, gently resting his chin on Leng Qingning's head.