The days went by even faster after that; once July was over, it was August.
The Emperor ordered Yan Qingqing to go to the palace to express his gratitude. The journey to the capital was a thousand miles away, and according to normal travel conditions, it would take about a month to travel from Chengyang County to the capital.
Even at top speed, it would take more than half a month. Besides, the weather would be cold by then, and no one would be in the mood to travel.
According to Yan Qingqing's plan, the best time to set off is in September, the golden autumn season, when the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and there is also a chance to enjoy the scenery.
Even at the latest, it cannot be later than October.
So there are some things she needs to prepare for now.
She will definitely take one of Li Xiangping and Li Xiang'an with her when she goes to the capital to broaden their horizons.
However, Yan Qingqing hasn't decided yet who to take with her.
Li Xiangyang is young and has never been separated from her, so she definitely needs to take him along.
She needs to discuss this matter with Yuan Huiniang again.
However, this is not the most important thing right now. The most important thing is to resolve Li Xiang'an's marriage.
Yuan Huiniang somehow found information on some girls from well-off families and compiled it into a booklet.
I brought the item to her room a couple of days ago and told her to take a look first. If she sees someone suitable, I'll arrange for them to meet.
According to Du Ruzhi, who was close to Yuan Huiniang, all these things were obtained through Yuan Huiniang's connections, just so that Li Xiang'an could get married as soon as possible.
If we're talking about when Du Ruzhi came to Yuan Huiniang's side, it was none other than Du Ruxiu, who had always been by Yuan Huiniang's side.
Her two children are now serving as the Li family's secret guards. Although they follow the rules and don't see Du Ruxiu often, Du Ruxiu knows that her two children have learned a great deal of skills in the Li family. She is extremely grateful.
Actually, she had wanted to change her name for a long time, partly to sever ties with the past and say goodbye to it.
Secondly, her name clashes with Li Jinxiu's. Although they are homophones, it is still considered unlucky.
At first, Du Ruxiu didn't think about changing her name. After all, she was the daughter of a scholar, had her own pride, and had been called by this name since birth.
Furthermore, the Li family was not of such illustrious lineage.
But things are different now. The master may not care, but she, as a servant, cannot be unaware of the consequences.
Later, she took the initiative to approach Yuan Huiniang and asked to change her name.
Yuan Huiniang thought about it and agreed, giving her the name Ruzhi. This could be considered as the master officially bestowing a name upon her.
In fact, Du Ruzhi could clearly feel that Yuan Huiniang trusted her more after she took the initiative to change her name.
In the not-too-distant future, Du Ruzhi will be glad that she had the foresight to change her name early, but that's another story.
Meanwhile, Yan Qingqing also needs to hurry up. She needs to have a good talk with Li Xiang'an and Mu Xi. If they are interested in each other, they should settle things as soon as possible.
If neither party is interested, they shouldn't waste time, otherwise, when Yuan Huiniang finds out, she will definitely blame her mother-in-law for not reporting it.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing couldn't wait a moment longer.
Ruyi quickly summoned Li Xiang'an.
Li Xiang'an was busy with things in the workshop when he heard his mother calling for him. He thought something serious had happened, so he rushed back.
After dismissing all the servants, Yan Qingqing spoke directly: "Second son, I'll just say what I have to say."
You're not getting any younger, it's time to settle down and start a family.
Your sister-in-law has been extremely worried about this.
Here's a roster for you to choose from. See if there's anything you like.
If I have a mother, I'll come and propose marriage right away.
Li Xiang'an's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. Didn't his mother know about his relationship with Mu Xi? He had thought his mother would bring up Mu Xi herself, giving him room to negotiate.
Could it be that his mother doesn't like Mu Xi?
Thinking of this, Li Xiang'an felt a pang of sadness, but he still wanted to fight for himself.
So he said, "Mother, I have someone I like."
Yan Qingqing feigned surprise and said, "What? You have someone you like? That can't be right."
You're always so busy you barely have time to breathe. You don't often interact with women, so where would you find a woman you like?
Don't try to fool your mother just to avoid marriage.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing didn't believe him, Li Xiang'an quickly explained, "Mother, I'm telling the truth. I really do have someone I like."
Yan Qingqing still asked with disbelief, "Then tell me, which family's daughter is she? Mother can prepare the betrothal gifts and go to propose marriage."
Li Xiang'an gritted his teeth and replied, "It is Mu Xi. I hope Mother can grant my request."
He had already made up his mind that he would try to win her over, regardless of whether his mother was willing or not.
Although Mu Xi is currently a servant in their household, she has real skills.
As soon as Li Xiang'an finished speaking, a sound of a stool falling over came from the inner room.
Li Xiang'an was somewhat surprised; was there still someone in her mother's room?
Yan Qingqing said with a smile, "You heard everything? Is there anything else you're worried about? You can say it all."
After a while, Mu Xi slowly walked out from the inner room, dressed in a black outfit with her hair in a high ponytail, just like she usually does. But at this moment, her face was completely red.
The lady summoned her half an hour ago, saying she wanted to discuss something with her.
She thought the lady was going to give her some kind of task, but when she arrived, the lady didn't assign her any task. Instead, she told her to hide in the room and not to make a sound.
Yan Qingqing could tell from Mu Xi's shy expression that she also liked Li Xiang'an.
So he smiled and asked Mu Xi, "What do you think about this? Don't worry, with me here, if you don't like him, I'll find him a girl to be engaged to tomorrow."
You absolutely will not let him cause you any trouble.
Upon hearing this, Li Xiang'an barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He now understood his mother's trick; she had clearly done it on purpose.
However, Li Xiang'an was also curious about Mu Xi's reaction, so he stared straight at Mu Xi.
Mu Xi blushed even more, wishing she could disappear into a hole in the ground. Finally, she stammered twice before replying, "It's all up to you, Madam."
Yan Qingqing laughed upon hearing this, "Haha, in that case, I'll find an auspicious day to arrange your marriage in advance."
As for the wedding date, there's no rush.
Li Xiang'an and Mu Xi both nodded upon hearing this.
Once the heat on his face subsided, Mu Xi asked, "Madam, I have a few questions, but I'm not sure if I should ask them?"
Yan Qingqing said with a smile, "We're all family now, so what's there to ask or not ask?"
Please feel free to ask any questions or make any requests.
Mu Xi didn't mince words and asked directly, "When did Madam find out that I am a woman?"
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "I don't remember the exact time, but I guess I had some suspicions when we first met."
Although your later actions and demeanor resembled those of a man, upon closer examination, one can still discern traces of femininity.
Yan Qingqing has lived two lives and has always paid close attention to the people and things around her, especially those who serve her closely.
Therefore, she knew from the beginning that Mu Xi was a girl.
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