"You'll have to make arrangements for Zhou Wan and Tie Xiong, so they definitely won't be able to eat well. Come back to the Duke's mansion with me later. They just got a Hunan cuisine chef, and I'm sure you'll love it." As she spoke, she didn't forget to tidy up Xu Yuehuai's hair.
Xu Yuehuai immediately took the Duchess's arm and said with a smile, "Madam, please don't worry."
She had barely finished speaking when Zhang Ting burst in from outside, crying and shouting with snot and tears streaming down her face, "Your Highness, help me! Save me!"
Qi Guze frowned when he saw her, while Xu Yuehuai, who was standing next to him, was even more wary of her.
"What's wrong? Weren't you doing well in the Underworld Moon Kingdom?" Qi Guze asked curiously why Zhang Ting was here and asking him to save her life.
Although he was very dissatisfied with Zhang Ting's behavior, he also knew that she had saved his life, so he had to give her the respect she deserved.
“Maimaiti resented me for letting you go and ordered my arrest. I kept running, but they kept chasing me, so I came to the Central Plains. I don’t know anyone there, so I had to come to you for help.” Zhang Ting said, her voice choked with tears, making everyone feel sorry for her.
Qi Guze frowned. Ever since their last encounter in the Underworld Kingdom, he had harbored suspicions about Zhang Ting, and now this situation made things even more uncertain.
How could a woman travel from the Kingdom of Mingyue to Chang'an so easily?
He looked up at Xu Yuehuai, exchanged a glance with her, and then agreed to Zhang Ting's request: "Zhang Ting, I understand your predicament, but I am a man after all, and it is not appropriate for me to keep you here. You should go to Tianxiang Restaurant with Manager Xu first."
Qi Guze left after saying that.
"Zhang Ting, this is Third Sister. Just follow her." Xu Yuehuai said and then followed her out.
Zhang Ting glanced at San Niang: "Wang..." She wanted to call Qi Guze back to say something more, but in a moment of distraction, she had already walked far away.
Those with discerning eyes had long considered the two of them to be a couple. Now that a beautiful young woman had suddenly appeared, it was bound to attract gossip. Not to mention, now that the two of them had left together, it had given those writing scripts outside a burst of inspiration.
In less than half an hour, the news had spread throughout the entire city of Chang'an.
Zhang Ting knew that calling out now would be useless, so she simply stood up. Seeing that Third Sister was watching her, she forced a smile and asked ingratiatingly, "Third Sister, which way do we go?"
Third Sister glanced at her indifferently: "Come with me."
After Xu Yuehuai followed Qi Guze to a secluded spot in the backyard, Qi Guze reminded Xu Yuehuai to be wary of Zhang Ting.
His face was gloomy, clearly unable to understand the current situation: "Ah Yue, Zhang Ting's identity is special. Not only is her maternal grandfather a citizen of the Mingyue Kingdom, but she is also a childhood friend of Maimaiti. I have been watching closely, and I am certain that her coming here today is related to Maimaiti. I'm sorry to have wronged you by leaving her at Tianxiang Tower."
"You don't need to tell me all this. You're involved in a lot of official business here. Since you don't trust her, you naturally have to be wary of her." Xu Yuehuai understood this in her heart and didn't take it to heart.
Looking at the resolute expression on her face, Qi Guze couldn't help but relax a lot: "A-Yue, it's good that you're here."
This one sentence made Xu Yuehua blush.
Xu Yuehuai naturally understood this as well. After exchanging a few more words with the two of them, she left the backyard.
At this moment, the Duchess of Zhenguo followed with a worried expression and brought the person back to the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion. In the carriage, she did not say a word, but only told Xu Yuehuai to stay alone for a while, and that the Zhenguo Duke would return after he had eaten and drunk his fill.
"That bastard Qi Guze is not only harassing our A-Yue, but also flirting with other women. I'll teach him a lesson." As he spoke, he picked up his whip, ready to go to her door.
Xu Yuehuai looked completely bewildered and quickly stopped the man, asking, "Lord Duke, what are you doing?"
“Ah Yue, don’t hold it in. If you want to cry, just cry. Everyone thinks your marriage to the Prince is a done deal. This girl just suddenly appeared. She’s clearly interested in the Regent. Even if the Prince doesn’t like her now, you still have to be careful.” The Duchess quickly comforted her. “If Qi Guze really betrays you, come and tell us. No matter what, the Duke and I will stand up for you.”
Xu Yuehuai finally understood after hearing this.
She quickly chuckled, "Lord Duke, Lady Duke, you've misunderstood... Miss Zhang Ting's background isn't what you think..."
"What happened?" Upon seeing this, the Duchess knew that Qi Guze had already told Xu Yuehuai about the matter, so she quickly asked.
Xu Yuehua hesitated for a moment, then quickly said, "This matter is of great importance, and I cannot tell you right now. However, Duke, Madam, things are definitely not as you think. Between me and the Prince..."
She fell silent for a moment, unsure of what to say next.
The Duchess immediately grasped her hand: "A-Yue, you are the best person in the world. There's no need to belittle yourself. Besides, you are my and the Duke's daughter, more than a match for the Regent."
Xu Yuehuai felt a warmth in her heart, exchanged a few more pleasantries with the two, and then returned to Tianxiang Tower.
After bringing Zhang Ting back to Tianxiang Tower, San Niang asked someone to wait a while, intending to make arrangements after Xu Yuehuai returned.
Zhang Ting sat in Tianxiang Tower, looking around seemingly aimlessly, but actually memorizing important information.
"Third Sister, let A-Qi stay in the room on the south side." Xu Yuehuai returned and saw them sitting in the room, knowing that Third Sister was waiting for her to make arrangements.
“Okay.” Third Sister agreed, then stood up and said to Zhang Ting, “Let’s go, I’ll take you there, and then we’ll tidy up.”
"Hey, who is this young lady?" Just then, Aunt Meng came out to use the outhouse and bumped into Third Sister and Zhang Ting.
"Oh, this is a distant relative who came to stay with us. He lives right across from your room," Third Sister replied perfunctorily.
When Zhang Ting saw that she was a distant relative, she didn't say much, but just glanced at her.
"Oh, oh." Third Sister said, glancing at Zhang Ting as well. The two immediately recognized each other's identities.
Firecrackers were going off everywhere, signaling the arrival of the New Year. The atmosphere was festive, with families visiting relatives and friends to exchange New Year's greetings.
"Anan, we'll take you to pay your respects for the New Year." After saying that, the man and woman picked up some things and prepared to take Anan out.
"Okay." Anan happily agreed. This was the first New Year's Eve he would spend with his parents after they reunited.
The streets outside were filled with a cheerful atmosphere, and Anan held their hands as they walked together.
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