Xu Jingfu escaped from prison at night and fled to a farm in the wilderness outside the city, where he was caught by his student Chu Zilan and her men. Chu Zilan was seriously injured in the fight with her teacher and now lies on a hospital bed, his life is uncertain.

Overnight, the wind direction in Shuojing changed completely.

Xu Jingfu's escape confirmed the charges of treason and framing a senior official of the imperial court in the Mingshui case. The case was tried very quickly in the Dali Temple, and the entire Xu family was arrested. The only surprise was the fourth son of Chu from Shi Jinbo's mansion. Some people scolded him behind his back for being immoral, saying that Xu Jingfu was so kind to him, but he helped others to deal with his teacher. Others said that he was clear-headed, after all, the emperor's favor was more important than the teacher's.

But now, he is lying on the sickbed, and no one knows when he will wake up. This is really sad. I heard that Xu Jingfu stabbed him in the chest with a knife, and I don’t know if he can survive.

In the Xiao Mansion, in the ancestral hall, Xiao Jing and Xiao Jue stood side by side.

Xiao Jue seldom came to burn incense with Xiao Jing. Most of the time, he came alone.

Bai Rongwei felt unwell two nights ago and asked a doctor to see her. Only then did she know that she was pregnant. When Bai Rongwei had just married into the Xiao family for half a year, Xiao Zhongwu had an accident, and soon Mrs. Xiao also passed away. At that time, Xu Jingfu was very tight, and the entire Xiao family was in danger. Bai Rongwei, who had just become pregnant, worked hard and had a miscarriage. She also fell ill at that time and has been recuperating for the past few years.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Xu Jingfu's case was solved, Bai Rongwei received good news. I don't know if it was destined.

Xiao Jing looked at the tablet in the ancestral hall, sighed, and said, "It's been almost seven years, and I can finally put my worries to rest."

No one has mentioned it deliberately over the years, but neither Xiao Jue nor Xiao Jing has forgotten the Battle of Mingshui.

"Thank you for your hard work these years," Xiao Jing looked at Xiao Jue with a smile that was a little apologetic, "The burden of the Xiao family has all been placed on you alone."

"Everything in Shuojing is taken care of by my eldest brother," Xiao Jue said calmly, "How can you say that I am the only one working hard."

"You're just being stubborn." Xiao Jing shook his head and chuckled. "Although I'm your elder brother, it seems like I've never done anything for you. You've never lived for yourself either." His eyes fell on the rising smoke. "Now, you can finally take a break."

Whether he was thrown into the mountains when he was young, or later entered Xianchang Hall, or finally took over the Southern Army, he lived for the Xiao family. Sometimes Xiao Jing felt that he didn't know what his brother wanted, probably because no one had ever asked him what he wanted. When he remembered to ask, Xiao Jue had grown up and was used to keeping everything in his heart.

As the eldest brother, no matter how hard he tried, he seemed unable to get into Xiao Jue's heart.

Fortunately...it would be nice if another person could walk in.

"After the Xu family case, it's time to think about your affairs." Xiao Jing said.

"My business?"

"Don't forget your marriage. This is a big deal for the Xiao family. Your sister-in-law is pregnant now. I asked her to put these things aside for now and let me do it."

Xiao Jue was a little surprised: "No need, I can do it myself."

"Xu Jingfu's remnants are still arrogant, I'm afraid you don't have time to arrange it yourself." Xiao Jing smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have experience in this matter, and I won't make any mistakes. When I got married to your sister-in-law, I also took care of it myself, and it looked good in the end."

At that time, Madam Xiao was unwilling to let Xiao Jing marry a concubine's daughter who was not of the same social class as him, but she could not persuade her own son to do so, so she gave up in anger. All matters concerning the marriage, from big things like the new house and the betrothal gifts to small things like wedding invitations and cakes, were handled by Xiao Jing himself.

This reminded Xiao Jue of the time when Xiao Jing stood in the wedding house nervously and carefully, selecting the fabric for the wedding dress himself. He couldn't help but smiled.

Seeing him smile, Xiao Jing also smiled and said with some emotion: "When I married your sister-in-law, I was still wondering when I could see you get married. I didn't know what the girl you would marry in the future would look like. Now think about it," he paused, "that Miss He is really good."

After a moment of silence, Xiao Jue said calmly: "I think she is very good too."

"Huaijin," Xiao Jing stood shoulder to shoulder with him, "you must cherish her."

…

In the Chu Mansion, Chu Zhao, who had been in a coma for seven days, finally woke up.

The first thing he did when he woke up was to ignore his wounds that had not yet healed, drag his sick body and struggle to enter the palace to meet the emperor. At first, everyone thought that he was going to kill his relatives for the sake of justice and cut off the Chu family's future. He went to the palace to throw the last stone into the well. Unexpectedly, his purpose of entering the palace was to say that he had an engagement with Xu Pingting. According to the time, Xu Pingting should have married into the Chu family. Since she was married, she was no longer a member of the Xu family. He pleaded with Emperor Wenxuan to spare Xu Pingting's life in consideration of Xu Jingfu's previous assistance.

Young people who are affectionate, righteous, and clear about right and wrong are very popular with superiors. Moreover, Chu Zhao himself was ill and his pale and stubborn appearance reminded Emperor Wenxuan of Xiao Huaijin many years ago. His heart softened and he agreed to Chu Zhao's request. However, Xu Jingfu's crime was extremely serious. Although Xu Pingting could be spared the death penalty, she could not escape the punishment of living. From then on, she became the daughter of a criminal and could not be the young lady of Shi Jinbo's mansion.

At most, she could be a concubine.

When Xu Pingting was brought to the Chu family, she cried non-stop. But within a few days, the Xu family collapsed, her parents died, and all the people she had been close to in the past avoided her. Now, the only person she could rely on was Chu Zhao.

"Brother Zilan!" As soon as Xu Pingting saw Chu Zhao, she grabbed his arm and cried, "Why did you come to save me now? What happened? Why did they do this to me?"

The high and mighty daughter of a wealthy family fell from the clouds into the mud overnight. Apart from being panicked, she refused to believe that everything she saw was real.

"Pingting," the man in front of her looked at her with a gentle gaze, "You will live here from now on."

"What does this mean? Can't I go back to my own home?" Xu Pingting said anxiously, "They are all wrongly accusing my father, Brother Zilan, you must have a way, you have a way, right?"

Chu Zilan just looked at her quietly.

Xu Pingting's hand gradually loosened from Chu Zhao's arm. She took two steps back, and the panic in her eyes slowly receded a little, as if she remembered an old story. She asked, "Brother Zilan, I heard people say on the way here... They said you killed your relatives for the sake of justice. When my father led people to escape, you stopped them... This can't be true. They are lying, right?"

Chu Zhao sighed: "It's true."

Xu Pingting's expression froze. After a long while, she cried out, "Did you kill my father? Why did you do this? My father was so good to you. He was your teacher!"

Tears streamed down the face of the pretty girl. She was always arrogant, laughing wantonly or getting angry domineeringly. She was rarely as fragile and frail as she was now. It was at this moment that she no longer looked like "Xu Xiang's daughter", but just like any ordinary girl.

Chu Zhao walked over to her, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the tears from her face. If he had done this in the past, Xu Pingting would have been extremely happy, but now when she looked at the man in front of her, he still had the same eyebrows and eyes as before, and his expression was gentle and patient, but for some reason, she felt a slight chill on her back.

"I promised the teacher that I would take good care of you," he slowly retracted the handkerchief, his tone still the same as before, yet it seemed completely different, "I will definitely do it. Pingting, don't be willful."

"Don't mention some things again in the future." He said softly: "Be good, everything will pass."

…

As night fell, He Yan and He Yunsheng sat in the house roasting sweet potatoes.

Bury two sweet potatoes in the fine ashes under the stove. After a while, remove the ashes and you will see that the sweet potatoes are cooked through. You can smell the fragrance before you peel them. Once you peel them and take a bite, you will find they are sweet and warm, so fragrant that you will want to swallow your tongue.

He Yan picked up a big sweet potato and threw it into He Yunsheng's arms. The sweet potato was too hot, so He Yunsheng shook it in his hands before he dared to eat it.

"He Yan, eat less." He ate while reminding the person opposite him, "I heard that Governor Xiao had someone make you a wedding dress based on your previous size. If you keep eating like this, what if you can't wear the dress when the time comes and you can't find a new one?"

He Yan threw a handful of potato peel at his head, but He Yunsheng ducked his head to avoid it. She said, "Your sister has a slender waist, so it's easy to hold. How can you not be able to wear a skirt? You're worrying about nothing!"

"Anyway, I've never seen a girl eat as much as you before getting married." He Yunsheng muttered. He saw that when the sisters of the neighboring families on their street got married, the other brides started to eat hungry several months in advance so that they would look light and lovely on the wedding day. Only his own girl was afraid of not eating a bite and had no sense of wanting to get married.

What should we do if this goes on, He Yunsheng thought worriedly, what if we go to Xiao's house and others think that the He family didn't feed He Yan enough?

"You are so young, why do you worry so much?" He Yan taught him earnestly, "Dad doesn't think as much as you do." He Yunsheng probably became the head of the family early, and sometimes He Yan felt that he was more like his father than He Sui. He looked old and not as cute as he was when he was younger.

"The Xu family's case has been settled, and Governor Xiao has nothing to do now." He Yunsheng said with his head down: "The next big thing to do is to marry you. He Yan, why are you so careless?" He Yunsheng became angrier and angrier as he thought about it, "Aren't you nervous at all?"

The sweet potato was too hot, so He Yan blew on it before taking a bite and replied vaguely, "I'm not nervous."

He Yunsheng was speechless. Well, he was the only one in the family who was nervous.

He Yan looked at him with a worried look and said with a smile, "Why do you want to do so much? Isn't it still some time before the wedding? Yunsheng, you are still young and don't know that things in this world change in an instant. No one can predict what the scene will be like tomorrow. Why add to your own troubles? For example, the Xu family, how glorious they were in the past, who could have expected such a day to come."

At this point, He Yunsheng came back to his senses and sighed, "That's true. At the celebration banquet that day, you and Miss Xu were granted marriage by the emperor. Now your wedding date is approaching, but Miss Xu's marriage will never be completed in this lifetime." He frowned, "At that time, everyone in Shuojing compared you with Miss Xu, saying that our family could not compare with the Xu family. It really pissed me off. I'm afraid no one will say that now."

After all, the Xu family has fallen, and the crime is extremely disgraceful.

He Yan paused while chewing the sweet potato.

To be honest, Chu Zhao's decision to "kill his relatives for the sake of justice" was beyond her expectation. No matter how she thought about it, it didn't make sense. After thinking about it, He Yan felt that this might be a trap set by Chu Zhao, but he closed it cleanly and there was no evidence. On the surface, he chose to be loyal to the emperor over the teacher's grace. However, if she thought about it carefully, he actually did not lose anything in this matter. On the contrary, he cut off his connection with Xu Jingfu cleanly and neatly, and temporarily won the emperor's trust. Except that he lay on the bed for a long time.

But injuries can be serious or minor, and it all depends on the doctor. After all, no one would bring a doctor to verify whether he is really that dangerous.

He Yan didn't want to think badly of people, so whenever she thought of this, she would quickly turn away, not wanting to think about it in detail. Forget it, what does Chu Zhao have to do with her? Why waste time on someone who is not very important.

He Yunsheng talked to her for a while before getting up and leaving.

After He Yunsheng left, He Yan swept the sweet potato peels off the floor, washed up, and then went to bed. Speaking of which, she had not seen Xiao Jue since the day when He Er's wife was buried. The case of Xu Xiang has finally come to an end, but it does not mean that everything is over. The people related to Xu Xiang and those involved in the battle of Mingshui cannot be solved in a day or two.

And as for the Crown Prince... He Yan felt very heavy-hearted. The Crown Prince was definitely not a good successor to the throne, but as a minister, she was a minister without real power and could not influence the emperor's decision.

She looked out the window of the bed and saw that a storm was about to come in the capital city of Shuojing.

Just as she was lost in thought, suddenly, a ray of cold light flew towards her rapidly. He Yan's expression froze, and she subconsciously reached out to grab it. The thing brushed past her palm, slightly scratching the skin. He Yan looked down and saw that she had grabbed a long dart.

He Yan was startled to see something tied to the dart. He took it off and looked at it. His expression changed immediately. What he took off was half a hairpin. The hairpin was shaped like a magnolia flower. He Yan was not unfamiliar with it. This was the hairpin she gave to He Xinying.

Ever since she last met He Xinying, He Yan was always worried that this girl would commit suicide out of despair, so she asked Chi Wu to send some gifts to the Wei family every now and then. The gifts were not many, nor were they very expensive, but they were all from He Yan's heart. Sometimes it was a little jewelry, sometimes it was a piece of cloth. She was not very good at choosing these things for girls, so she was very serious every time she chose. She had asked Chi Wu to send this magnolia hairpin not long ago. She heard that He Xinying liked it very much, so she wore it on her head at that time.

Why are you here?

There was a piece of paper wrapped around the hairpin. He Yan opened it and saw a place written on it. It looked like a restaurant or teahouse.

Someone captured He Xinying and wanted to take her away?

But this restaurant and teahouse is located in the downtown area, and there is no curfew recently. If they wanted to take action, why would they choose such an eye-catching place?

He Yan thought for a long time, and in the end, the worry about He Xinying prevailed. She picked out a men's suit from the box and put it on. Chi Wu was not here today. Since Xu Xiang's case came out, Chi Wu also started to get busy at night.

She took care of herself and sneaked out under the cover of night. She guessed and asked along the way and finally found the place written on the note.

It really is a tea room.

This teahouse was renovated to look like a small garden. From the outside, it looked more like a residential house. Not far away was the market, and soldiers from the city defense patrolled from time to time. He Yan thought for a moment and walked in.

Outside the small courtyard, there were two little boys in plain clothes standing. When they saw He Yan, they didn't ask anything but just said, "Young lady, please come in." It was as if they had been waiting for her here for a long time.

He Yan paused. She came here in men's clothing. Her men's clothing was not foolproof, but it was enough to fool most people. But the two children called her "girl" directly. It was definitely not because they had a unique vision that they could see through her true identity at a glance. I'm afraid that the person waiting for her inside already knew her behavior very well.

In He Yan's heart, she vaguely guessed who it was, but she wasn't sure yet, and she didn't quite understand why the other person did this.

The child led He Yan into the courtyard, around a garden, and into the teahouse. There was no one in the hall outside the teahouse. I don't know if it was originally deserted or if it was deliberately cleared. They walked all the way to the corridor. On both sides of the corridor were smaller teahouses. He Yan followed the child to the last one.

The little boy said, "Young lady, please come in." After saying this, the two of them left without paying any attention to He Yan.

He Yan pushed the door open and walked in.

In the tea room, light and shadow flickered, and the room was filled with the aroma of tea. Behind the long table sat a handsome man in a long robe with wide sleeves. He smiled gently and said softly, "Ah He."

"Master Chu Si," He Yan heard his own voice, "What do you mean?"

"I just feel like I haven't seen Ah He for a long time, and I want to talk to Ah He." He answered gently, not at all unhappy with He Yan's indifference.

He Yan raised her hand and showed him the hairpin in her hand: "Where is Miss He?"

"Wei Mansion."

He Yan was startled, then looked at Chu Zhao. After thinking for a while, she threw the hairpin in her hand onto the table and sat down opposite Chu Zhao. She looked at Chu Zhao and said calmly, "You lied to me?"

"If not for this," Chu Zhao said, "why would Ah He be willing to come see me?"

She didn't feel it before, but now when she heard him call her "Ah He" all the time, He Yan felt uncomfortable. After a pause, she asked, "Then, why is the Fourth Master Chu so anxious to see me?"

－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－

Dudu: I’m green again.