Yu Wan did not understand why Yan Jiuchao was unhappy until he left. It seemed to be related to her, but she really could not remember what she had done to offend him.
Yu Wan was in a good mood because she had seen the little fellows. She slept happily, but it was still very hot, so hot that her entire body was burning. She woke up from her dreams two or three times.
Before dawn, Yu Wan woke up. She went to the kitchen to make breakfast, but Yu Shaoqing was already busy at the stove. In the past, she was the busiest person in the family, but ever since her father returned, he was the busiest.
“Good morning, Dad,” she greeted with a smile.
“Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?” Yu Shaoqing asked, feeling refreshed. It seemed like last night was another night of honey. He naturally didn’t mention that he had been making love with his wife for the entire night. “By the way, did someone from the Drunken Immortal Pavilion send you back last night?”
Yu Wan’s heart skipped a beat. “Dad, you saw it?”
“No.” Yu Shaoqing smiled and put away the kitchen knife that had cut the bamboo shoots. “I heard the sound of horse hooves. They don’t sound like inferior horses.”
Of course, the horses Young Master Yan used were all superior BMWs.
The carriage was only sent to the village entrance. Even from so far away, her father could tell the difference. Yu Wan thought about it carefully and was extremely afraid. She decided to be more cautious in the future.
Uncle Wan had a suitable excuse when her father was taken care of by the Young Master Manor. That was that Yu Wan had once saved the three little masters from the bandits. It was only right for the Young Master Manor to be grateful and repay them. The Yu family also believed this excuse, except for the person who knew deeply—Yu Feng.
Yu Shaoqing had more or less heard about the relationship between Yan Congming and the Young Master Manor in the military camp. To not be biased towards his future father-in-law and turn around to take care of an outsider, it was enough to show that this Young Master had a good temperament and outstanding character. However, for some reason, Yu Shaoqing did not like him. He had a feeling that this Young Master he had never met would snatch something from him…
After breakfast, Yu Shaoqing brought Yu Song to the back of the mountain to look at wood. Since they were going to build a house, wood was indispensable. Pine and fir wood were extremely suitable. There was a large red pine forest on the mountain, enough for them to build a factory and dormitory.
Yu Wan went to the back of the mountain to dig bamboo shoots. Yu Feng also came.
On the way to the back of the mountain, Yu Wan asked about the stone and green bricks. Yu Feng said, “The green bricks in the village are still not very good. I’ll go to town to take a look later.”
Yu Wan thought of something and asked, “By the way, Big Brother, did the village headman tell you about Brother Erniu and the others?”
“Yes. I told them to come and build the house first. If there are other tasks in the future, I’ll give it to them.” Yu Feng thought for a while and said, “Since we have enough manpower, you don’t have to come personally to dig bamboo shoots in the future.”
Yu Wan said, “It’s not enough, Big Brother. It’s not enough to just dig bamboo shoots. We have to find someone to buy bamboo shoots outside.”
Yu Feng took a deep breath. “Do you need so many bamboo shoots?”
“Yes.” Yu Wan nodded. “The Drunken Immortal Pavilion’s business is very good. I’m afraid there aren’t enough sour bamboo shoots to sell.”
A few months ago, their family had been so poor they could not find the next meal. In the blink of an eye, they had already started such a big business. Yu Feng found it unbelievable when he thought about it, but he was more surprised. He said to Yu Wan, “Leave this to me. I’ll go find someone later.”
Perhaps it was because they had walked too much and were used to it, they did not feel that it was far. Before the siblings had said enough, they arrived at the bamboo forest. The two of them dug two baskets of bamboo shoots, picked a bag of red raspberries, and went down the mountain near lunch.
When they returned to the village, they realized that someone had come into the house. It was Old Cui, whom they had not seen for a long time.
Old Cui was carrying a puppy that had just been born. The puppy was not in good spirits and its stomach was very big.
“Ah Wan! You’re finally back. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. This is Grandma Wang’s dog from next door. It had a stomach ache for a few days. Hurry up and help take a look!” Old Cui came over with the little mutt.
Yu Wan did not forget how she met the Second Prince. It was this seemingly inconspicuous native who claimed to be that the Second Prince was his friend and brought him to her house.
She had long known that Young Master Xu’s identity was not simple, but she did not expect him to be so extraordinary. He was actually the second prince, the son of Worthy Consort Xu. No wonder he called himself Xu. It turned out that he used his mother’s surname. In that case, her guess that he was from the Xu family was half right.
Old Cui was probably not a native doctor since he was able to “be friends” with a prince of a country. It was unknown what kind of background he had.
Sometimes, it was not a good thing to know too much. Yu Wan suppressed the thought of interrogating Old Cui and treated the mutt. Diarrhea and bloating were a small problem, they just had to pay attention to feeding it. This dog’s joints were swollen and deformed, and walking unsteadily was the real problem.
Yu Wan gave him a prescription. “Twelve and a half grams of hawthorn, one and a half grams of fresh radishes, nineteen grams of fresh orange peel. Boil those with water and drink it twice a day. Eat for a few days. It can eat for ten days or half a month.”
Yu Wan received twenty copper coins from Old Cui.
After Old Cui left, Yu Wan suddenly recalled the incident of meeting the Second Prince yesterday. Yan Jiuchao should have realized that this was not the first time she had met the Second Prince, but he did not ask how she knew him.
Was he not curious, or did he not care?
… .
In the Young Master Manor, in Yan Jiuchao’s wide study, Shadow Six stood opposite him with a gloomy expression.
Ever since something unspeakable happened in the Young Master Manor, Shadow Six could no longer look at his master directly.
Shadow Six replied while looking out the window.
“Have you found out everything I asked you to?” Yan Jiuchao flipped through the “Great Zhou Geographical Record” that had been smeared with ink by the three little lads and asked casually.
“I found it,” Shadow Six said as he looked out the window.
Yan Jiuchao did not argue with him. “Tell me about it.”
Shadow Six said, “The Second Prince went to look for Miss Yu to treat his pet. They met once in the village, and then they met the second time because of the Tianxiang Restaurant. During those two times, the Second Prince saved Miss Yu.”
On one hand, it was Chef Yang who hired the killers to kill the siblings. The killers were personally sent to the magistrate prefecture by Jun Chang’an. This was not difficult to investigate. On the other hand, at the Tianxiang Restaurant’s competition, a peer locked Yu Wan in the icehouse. This matter had also caused an uproar, so it was not difficult to investigate.
“What I want to tell you is that the Second Prince personally carried Miss Yu upstairs that time!” Shadow Six, whose pride had been greatly damaged, finally seized the opportunity to give his young master a hard time.
Yan Jiuchao’s heart was indeed stifled. He regretted letting Yan Huaijing leave so easily last night.
“How did Yan Huaijing know that she knows medicine?” A certain young master was finally not blinded by jealousy and still remembered to deal with proper business.
Shadow Six said, “The Second Prince Manor originally had an advisor. It’s said that he’s a divine doctor with the surname Cui. He left the Second Prince Manor and now lives near Lotus Flower Village. He happens to know Miss Yu.”
Yan Jiuchao was not interested in Divine Doctor Cui’s background. After all, no matter how powerful a divine doctor was, they could not treat his illness. “In that case, that Cui person didn’t deliberately get close to Miss Yu?”
“I don’t think so,” Shadow Six guessed.
Yan Jiu raised his eyebrows indifferently. “Not even Yan Huaijing?”
Shadow Six paused. “Young Master, are you suspecting the Second Prince?”
Yan Jiuchao threw the book back onto the table indifferently. “Hmph, who knows what he’s up to! That girl is stupid and idiotic. She might fall into his trap one day! Does she really think everyone is as good as me?”
Shadow Six : “…” Don’t you think you’re the one who should be guarded against the most?
Yan Jiuchao narrowed his eyes and said, “I keep feeling that this guy is hiding something. Keep an eye on Yan Huaijing for me. Sooner or later, he’ll show his fox tail!”
At dawn, Yan Ruyu woke up.
Today was the day to enter the palace to meet Worthy Consort Xu. Although she didn’t know what Worthy Consort Xu was up to, as a subject, she had no reason not to go.
“Perhaps Her Highness wants to rope in the General Manor,” Aunt Lin guessed as she combed Yan Ruyu’s hair.
Yan Ruyu curled her lips and said, “Why would Worthy Consort Xu be so anxious? Among so many princes, His Majesty values her son the most.”
Aunt Lin held her long hair. “You can’t say that. After all, the Empress is still around. Although the Eldest Prince isn’t favored, he still holds the title of the eldest son. This isn’t something the Second Prince can compare to.”
“That’s true.” Yan Ruyu looked at herself in the bronze mirror. She picked out an elegant white jade hairpin from her makeup box and handed it to Aunt Lin. “I’m afraid she also wants to rope in the Young Master Manor.”
Aunt Lin said proudly, “That’s right. Young Master Manor is your future husband’s family. If she were to rope you in, won’t she be roping in Young Master Yan?”
Behind Young Master Yan was the entire Prince Yan Manor and Xiao Zhenting’s Xiao Manor. It was no exaggeration to say that whoever Yan Jiuchao stood on would win.
Yan Ruyu smiled faintly. “I’m not that stupid.”
Aunt Lin was puzzled.
Yan Ruyu raised her chin arrogantly. “Young Master doesn’t like those princes. Before he makes his stand clear, I won’t let anyone rope him in.”
After dressing up, Yan Ruyu brought Aunt Lin and Cai Qin into the palace.
The place to admire the flowers was in the imperial garden. When she arrived, Yan Ruyu realized that she had probably thought too much. How could Worthy Consort Xu have only invited her? She had clearly invited half of the noble ladies in the Capital.
The imperial garden was filled with orioles and swallows, colorful flowers, and women more beautiful than flowers.
Yan Ruyu did not have to guess to know what these noble ladies were up to. The Second Prince was not young anymore. The three years of mourning for the Empress Dowager was over. It was time to choose a new Princess Consort. She was different from them. She was already taken. She was purely here to admire the flowers!
“Miss Yan, do you still remember me?” A noble lady in pink walked towards Yan Ruyu.
Of course, Yan Ruyu remembered her. She was the daughter of the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the second daughter of the Wei family. Before the Yan Manor incident, the two of them had a past together, but they did not have a strong relationship.
Yan Ruyu smiled appropriately. “Miss Wei, long time no see. How are you?”
“You really remember me!” Miss Wei held Yan Ruyu’s hand excitedly. “What did I tell you? You should believe me now!”
Yan Ruyu was no longer the poor young lady who could only sit in the corner and look up at these noble ladies. Now that she had flown up the branch, she could only be fawned over by others.
The daughter of the Prime Minister had also come, but who could surpass her?
Yan Ruyu quickly became the center of attention of the noble ladies. Everyone surrounded her and tried their best to curry favor with her. This was not because of Worthy Consort Xu’s instructions, but because her current identity was too dazzling, making it impossible for others not to flatter her.
“Miss Yan, it’s my birthday in the second half of the year. Can you come to my house as a guest?”
“Miss Yan, my birthday is coming soon!”
“Why are you only talking about your birthday? Miss Yan, when is your birthday?”
In the face of her daughters’ questions, Yan Ruyu patiently answered all of them. She maintained a dignified and proper smile on her face the entire time, completely unaware that there were a few gazes staring fixedly at her from behind the gauze curtain not far away.
“Why did you invite this old woman back? She was chased out by the Empress. If people find out that I brought her back to the palace, they will definitely label me as disrespectful.” Behind Nanny Hui, Worthy Consort Xu held her son’s hand and complained softly.
Worthy Consort Xu was in charge of the six palaces. She was not afraid of the Empress, but she could not let herself “break” the rules and make His Majesty despise her.
Yan Huaijing said, “Mother, don’t worry. I’ll only let her confirm one thing before I send her away from the Capital.”
Nanny Hui looked at Yan Ruyu without blinking.
Worthy Consort Xu also took a look. “Why? Do you suspect that she didn’t give birth to those children?”
Yan Huaijing told his mother what he had seen at Ningxiang Brothel. “…When you’re drunk, you speak the truth. What Yan Xie said should be true.”
“If she can’t give birth, she must have carried those children from somewhere else… She’s really bold…” Worthy Consort Xu smiled meaningfully.
Nanny Hui turned around and bowed solemnly to the mother and son. “Your Highness, I’ve finished my analysis.”
Worty Consort Xu’s eyes turned serious. “How is it? Did she give birth?”