“Yueniang,” Chen Shi said, seeing Qi Yue standing at the door. She immediately started crying. “You scared me to death…”

It really was Chen Shi. Qi Yue ran over in a few steps and took her hands.

“Aunt, how did you… how did you…” she said in surprise, unable to comfort the weeping Chen Shi as she looked her up and down in amazement.

Chen Shi was amused by her staring and laughed.

“What’s wrong with me? Have I gotten older?” she reached up to touch her own face. “People our age grow a layer older with each passing day we don’t see each other, becoming less presentable day by day…”

“No,” Qi Yue quickly interrupted, reaching out to feel Chen Shi’s pulse. She had learned quite a bit about pulse diagnosis by now.

Chen Shi smiled and let her take her pulse.

“How is it? Is aunt’s health still alright?” she asked with a smile.

Qi Yue seemed unable to believe it and switched hands to check again.

“Oh my, aunt, did you take some immortal medicine?” she exclaimed in surprise.

At these words, Cai Qing, the maid beside Chen Shi, nearly stumbled and fell.

Chen Shi’s expression remained unchanged.

“Didn’t aunt promise you to take good care of her health,” she smiled slightly while pulling Qi Yue’s hand to enter the house.

“It really couldn’t be better. I can’t even tell you were once ill,” Qi Yue said in amazement as she followed. “Which physician did you see?”

It must be a divine doctor – she definitely needed to get acquainted.

Chen Shi smiled without answering.

“Heart ailments need heart medicine. I had nothing to look forward to before, just waiting for death, but now it’s different,” she laughed, pulling Qi Yue’s hand to sit down.

That made sense too. Qi Yue nodded and sat beside her.

The two chatted about what had happened since they parted, with Qi Yue telling amusing stories from preventing and treating the epidemic.

Actually, there weren’t really any amusing stories from epidemic prevention. Chen Shi listened with tears in her eyes but still smiled and listened attentively.

“Good, now that everything’s finished, you can rest,” she said.

Qi Yue nodded.

“Yes, these disciples have all been taken out and trained. If anything happens again, they can handle things independently,” she said. “So I was just about to tell aunt that I’m planning to…”

“Yes, so you can accompany me to the capital,” Chen Shi interrupted.

The capital… Qi Yue was momentarily stunned, calculating the route in her mind. She could also go to the northern desert from the capital, though it would cause some delay.

She looked at Chen Shi’s radiant face. Perhaps it really was psychological. Since she was so eager for her to accompany her to the capital, the person in the capital must be someone she cherished most.

“Alright, I’ll go with aunt to the capital and broaden my horizons,” she smiled and nodded.

To avoid a city-wide send-off, Qi Yue left quietly. Chen Shi had already prepared everything, told Marquis Dingxi to take good care of the children at home, and set off without bringing anyone.

Qi Yue didn’t bring many people either – just A’Ru, A’Hao, and Hu San. Of course, there were also the four guards Chang Yuncheng had left behind. Since she was supporting these four extra mouths, she couldn’t let them be idle.

Only the disciples of Qianjin Hall knew the news, but to avoid word leaking out, only Liu Pucheng and Zhang Tong came to see them off.

“November is my master’s death anniversary. After all these years, I’ve never gone to pay respects. This year I will. When the time comes, let’s meet in the capital,” Liu Pucheng said.

Not knowing if she’d still be in the capital then, but not planning to tell others about her trip to the northern desert, Qi Yue smiled and nodded.

Four carriages, over twenty guards – the convoy bearing the banners of Marquis Dingxi’s household departed grandly.

At the same time, Zhou Maochun left the capital gates in high spirits.

Although he could have had the government deliver the emperor’s oral decree, Zhou Maochun felt that wouldn’t be sincere enough. So he decided to personally bring the emperor’s decree to invite her. Such a great surprise would surely coax this homebody young lady to the capital, and then she could tell him all about those unprecedented medical techniques…

It wasn’t until twenty days later, when Zhou Maochun stood in Qianjin Hall hearing Liu Pucheng say that Miss Qi had gone to the capital, that he realized how foolish he’d been to rush excitedly out of the city gates. At that very moment, Qi Yue was passing through the city gates entering the capital.

Qi Yue looked up at the city gates.

“Wow, what tall and imposing gates,” she said, craning her neck.

A’Ru and A’Hao also squeezed over to look at these gates that were much larger than Yongqing Prefecture’s, then at the bustling crowds on both sides of the carriages.

Hu San rode up from behind on horseback, holding various colorful snacks.

“Try this, try this,” he shouted loudly, handing them over.

A’Hao happily reached out to take them.

“Thank you, brother-in-law,” she called out.

A’Ru slapped her on the head.

Hu San blushed and chuckled, running off with great energy.

“Don’t waste money randomly,” A’Ru called after him.

“We don’t care about a few coins. Money is meant to be spent. Look how stingy you are,” Qi Yue said with a laugh, leaning against the carriage window.

A’Hao also ate her skewer and came over.

“That’s right, that’s right. Brother-in-law is very rich now…” she laughed.

A’Ru was exasperated and reached out to hit her.

Although they weren’t formally engaged yet, A’Ru and Hu San’s relationship was established. Qi Yue had also said she would arrange their wedding, but A’Ru insisted that she wouldn’t marry until Miss Qi married.

Qi Yue smiled watching the two girls squabble.

Two servant women got down from the carriage ahead.

“Miss, the madam asks whether to go shopping first or go home first?” they said with smiles.

“Of course, go home first,” Qi Yue quickly answered.

Chen Shi looked very healthy, but long-distance travel was still tiring.

The servant women acknowledged and returned shortly.

“The madam requests that miss ride in her carriage,” they said.

Qi Yue agreed. The carriage pulled over and stopped, and she got down with the servant women’s help.

Chen Shi lifted the curtain and personally helped her in.

“We’ll go through Imperial Palace Street,” Chen Shi said with a smile.

Imperial Palace Street must be along the palace walls, Qi Yue guessed.

Indeed, along the way Chen Shi lifted the window curtain and pointed things out to her.

“…These are the Five Ministry offices… Over there is the Five Military Commissioner’s Office…”

Hu San and the others in the carriages behind naturally followed along, but they noticed that the farther they went, the fewer people there were and the more serious the atmosphere became. They couldn’t help but be cautious and careful. Seeing the occasional gates with stone lions and solemn guards, even the carriage horses didn’t dare breathe loudly.

“Does the madam’s family live near here?” Hu San couldn’t help but ask a nearby guard in a low voice.

“No, I think it’s over in Mao’er Hutong,” the guard whispered back.

Just as they were talking, a group of officials emerged from a government office and got into their respective sedan chairs. Everyone’s carriages and horses quickly stopped to let them pass first, causing another delay.

“Then is this route shorter?” Hu San asked in an even lower voice.

The guard scratched his head.

“No, it’s a detour,” he also whispered.

Hu San was dumbfounded.

Then why go this way?

“Perhaps the madam wants miss to see the capital’s excitement?” the guard guessed.

Hu San looked at this street – forget shops, you couldn’t even see a single street vendor. Excitement…

“…Look,” Chen Shi pointed to an increasingly tall building nearby.

Qi Yue followed her gaze.

Yellow bricks and green tiles gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight.

“That’s the Chengtian Gate inside the imperial city,” Chen Shi said. “Past Chengtian Gate, you enter the palace city… then you reach Donghua Gate. If princes and princesses go out, they go through there. If there are court audiences or banquets, everyone also enters the palace from here, walking straight along that road, then turning left to reach the Empress’s Kunning Palace…”

Qi Yue felt like she was touring the Forbidden City listening to an electronic guide, only wishing she could walk through it herself.

Even buying tickets wouldn’t get you in nowadays.

“Coming to the capital, you’ll naturally have a chance to go in and see,” Chen Shi heard her muttering and said with a smile.

Qi Yue was stunned.

“Really?” she asked with some disbelief. Was the imperial palace so easy to enter?

“Really,” Chen Shi nodded with firm expression.

Chen Shi came from a prominent family, so naturally she would have opportunities to enter the palace.

“Great,” Qi Yue smiled. “I’ll follow aunt and really broaden my horizons.”

Chen Shi smiled and squeezed her hand, looking again at the gradually receding imperial city.

The carriage left this area and finally returned to prosperity. The bustling marketplace hit them in the face, and Hu San and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to normal.

Chen Shi lowered the curtain and offered no commentary on this bustling marketplace.

Qi Yue naturally wouldn’t ask either.

They could only hear the noisy bustle outside. After traveling a bit further, the carriage stopped.

“Madam, we’ve arrived,” the servant woman said from outside.

“Come, see my home,” Chen Shi said with a smile.

Qi Yue lifted the curtain first and saw a very large residence in front of them. The walls were imposing, but somewhat neglected, as if no one had lived there for a long time.

Qi Yue couldn’t help but be stunned. Did Chen Shi have no other family members at home?

Wasn’t it supposed to be a very large family clan?

Chen Shi had already gotten down and personally came to help her. Qi Yue quickly got down.

Seven or eight servants already stood at the gate, all elderly, looking excited.

“Young lady has returned,” they all bowed and called out.

Chen Shi smiled and looked at each of them.

“You’re all well and still keeping house for me. Thank you all,” she said.

The servants couldn’t help but raise their hands to wipe away tears.

“Young lady, you’re too kind to this old servant,” they all said.

Qi Yue smiled throughout, watching. A’Ru, A’Hao, Hu San and the others also came over. Chen Shi took Qi Yue’s hand and was about to enter when…

The sound of bustling horses and people came from outside the alley. Over ten family servants escorted two carriages over.

“Xueniang,” a man about Chen Shi’s age got down from the carriage first, shouting loudly before even fully dismounting.

Chen Shi smiled when she saw him.

“Third brother,” she bowed and called out.

The man strode over. The carriage behind only then stopped, and two slightly older women got down, dressed in silks and satins with glittering hairpins.

“You child, why didn’t you come home?” they took Chen Shi’s hands, speaking with both joy and reproach, then looked her over. “How did you get so thin?”

Actually, she had been much thinner than this before, Qi Yue thought to herself. If they had seen how Chen Shi looked a few months ago, these people would probably be preparing funeral arrangements.

Everyone exchanged pleasantries. Qi Yue automatically stepped aside. After just a few words, Chen Shi turned back to look for her.

“This is Yueniang,” she gestured.

Only then did the three people look over. Qi Yue quickly smiled and bowed.

“Let’s go inside to talk,” Chen Shi said directly without further words.

The three were somewhat surprised. They glanced at Qi Yue again but didn’t ask more questions.

“Xueniang, how can you live here? You should come home,” the woman said, holding Chen Shi’s hand.

Chen Shi smiled slightly and shook her head.

“Sister-in-law, this is my home,” she said.

The woman looked helplessly at the man beside her.

The man looked at Chen Shi, finally sighed, said nothing, and walked in first.

This was his tacit approval. The two women had no choice but to stop talking, and everyone entered.

Chen Shi didn’t forget to turn back and take Qi Yue’s hand.

Seeing this gesture, the two women looked surprised and exchanged glances.

They had originally thought she was some unimportant, unrelated person, but Chen Shi treated her with such regard… yet why was there no detailed introduction?

They formally focused their attention on Qi Yue, seeing that the young woman was simply dressed but quite attractive, with gracious bearing. Standing there with her natural youth, she was like a precious pearl that was impossible to ignore.

Such a person was definitely not an attendant or servant. Who was this? Could she be a child from some prominent family that Chen Shi was close to?