Fan Yilin hesitated and opened his mouth several times but didn’t continue speaking. The others changed the subject, wine and food arrived, and the accompanying courtesans came too. Everyone was young, with wine and beauties in their arms, any troubles could be cast aside, and the atmosphere quickly became merry.

Not until the lights dimmed did everyone leave the restaurant drunk, supported by their servants to their carriages and dispersing.

Fan Yilin walked swaying, leaning on a servant’s shoulder.

“Brother Fan,” Li Tong called out from behind, thinking of something and handing over a sachet. “Last time sister-in-law said she liked the fragrance my sister prepared. This is the recipe she wrote down, asking me to give it to you.”

Fan Yilin hurried to accept it with thanks.

“This is nothing. Sister-in-law’s appreciation is my sister’s good fortune—she’s very happy,” Li Tong smiled. After speaking, he lowered his head slightly. “I won’t be in the capital in the future. Please ask sister-in-law to take care of my sister…”

Fan Yilin looked at him, reached out to pat his shoulder, then hooked his arm around him and pulled him close.

“I’m being serious,” he said quietly with some wine on his breath. “I know a divine physician who might be able to save your grandfather’s life. Do you want to try?”

If the first time saying this was a joke, then the second time saying it was somewhat…

Was he serious?

Li Tong looked at Fan Yilin with some surprise.

This time when the second wife returned from there, she found Qi Yue at home and heard from the servants that she had returned at noon.

“Why didn’t you go out to enjoy yourself?” the second wife asked with some surprise.

Such a prosperous and lively capital—was one day of touring enough?

Qi Yue smiled. The capital was indeed beautiful and lively, but since ancient times, scenery was viewed with the heart, and at this moment she wasn’t in the mood for sightseeing.

“I have something to tell you, aunt,” she said, pulling the second wife to sit down.

“I also happen to have something to tell you,” the second wife said with a smile.

“Then you speak first,” Qi Yue hurried to say politely.

The second wife didn’t stand on ceremony.

“The day after tomorrow, come with me to the palace,” she said.

Qi Yue’s eyes widened.

“To the palace? Which palace?” she couldn’t help asking.

It couldn’t be…

“The imperial palace, of course,” Chen Shi laughed.

“What would I go there for? I’d better not go,” Qi Yue hurried to wave her hands.

With so many rules—kneeling at every turn, beatings at the drop of a hat—it was fine to look from outside, but actually going in? Better not.

“My health isn’t good. With you by my side, I’ll feel more at ease,” Chen Shi said, while taking her hand. “You don’t need to feel constrained. We won’t see anyone when we go.”

Won’t see anyone? Then what were they going for? Really just to tour the palace?

Qi Yue was suspicious.

“When I was little, I lived with Empress Dowager Xiaoci of the Grand Ancestor, so this time I’m returning to take a look,” Chen Shi smiled. “Just to see her palace. I’m not a court lady, so I won’t go see those noble people.”

What was Empress Dowager Xiaoci of the Grand Ancestor?

“She’s the current emperor’s paternal grandmother,” Chen Shi explained, somewhat surprised. Surely everyone knew this?

Qi Yue made an “oh” sound.

The emperor’s paternal grandmother—so she was still empress then?

“You lived with the empress?” Qi Yue’s eyes widened, looking at Chen Shi in disbelief.

My heavens, how favored must the Chen family have been? Even imperial princes and princesses wouldn’t have received such treatment.

“She just pitied this fatherless child,” Chen Shi said indifferently.

There were many fatherless children in the world.

Qi Yue shook her head.

“Alright, I’ve prepared all the clothes and everything. You don’t need to worry. Rest well, and the day after tomorrow a carriage will naturally come to pick us up,” Chen Shi said, patting her hand and standing up.

Having spoken thus far, it seemed there was no way to refuse.

Qi Yue could only nod.

“By the way, what did you want to tell me?” Chen Shi remembered to ask.

“Nothing for now,” Qi Yue said.

Chen Shi didn’t ask further, instructing her to rest early before leaving.

“What should we do?” A’Ru hurried over to ask.

Qi Yue lay down with her hands pillowing her head, looking at the ceiling.

“What can we do? Wait a bit more,” she said.

“Madam, you’re really going to enter the imperial palace,” A’Hao said quietly with delight.

“It’s nothing special…” Qi Yue muttered.

“Has madam been in before?” A’Hao asked indignantly, pouting.

You could say she’d been in, just a thousand years later.

Qi Yue smiled without answering.

The imperial palace was truly too dazzling. For everyone, it was a god-like existence to be revered. A’Ru and A’Hao couldn’t help discussing it. Though the second wife said the clothes were all prepared, the two women still followed female nature in carefully deliberating over dress and appearance, making the room lively but not noisy.

Qi Yue still lay with her hands pillowing her head, looking sideways out the window. The moon was bright and stars were sparse.

What was that fellow doing? Had he received the letter sent from home?

Bright torches like brilliant stars approached with the sound of hoofbeats.

“Prince, you’ve worked hard,” a crowd who had been waiting long at the gate said with smiles, coming forward.

Chang Yuncheng dismounted and smiled, cupping his hands in return.

“Our Zhangjiakou area can’t compare to yours. Prince, you’ve been put to hardship,” the leading man in military officer’s clothing laughed.

“That depends on what we’re comparing,” Chang Yuncheng said, patting his shoulder. “In military defense you’re slightly superior, but when it comes to drinking, you’re no good…”

Everyone was stunned, then became excited.

They hadn’t expected this young man from a privileged family with military training to be so good with words. One sentence stirred these rough men’s blood to boiling, delighting them until their whole bodies itched.

“Prince, saying that makes things serious,” the big man put on a stern face, stopped walking, and said solemnly.

“How would Commander like to handle this?” Chang Yuncheng also stopped. He had been walking slightly ahead, and now turned back to look down at everyone with an equally solemn expression.

The atmosphere seemed a bit cold…

“Naturally we must determine who’s superior,” the big man said loudly.

“There’s no accepting defeat, Commander,” Chang Yuncheng also said loudly.

“Sons, do you dare fight for face!” the big man shouted with a red face.

The others also reacted, immediately roaring in response.

Chang Yuncheng laughed heartily, reaching out to pat the big man’s arm.

“Come, let’s settle this,” he laughed.

The big man also laughed heartily, his laughter now much more intimate than before.

The two entered hand in hand.

With wine as intermediary, everyone else on both sides also smiled warmly, courteously letting each other enter.

The guards at the gate breathed a sigh of relief, exchanging glances.

“That scared me,” one said. “This prince really has an interesting way of speaking.”

The other chuckled.

“This prince as supervisor isn’t bad—much better than the last one. Looks like he won’t be as unlucky as the previous one who was locked outside the city gates by our commander,” he said.

Watching the last big man raise his wine cup and collapse face-first onto the table, Chang Yuncheng put down his wine bowl, ending this drinking session.

The sky was already growing slightly light.

A young soldier in the room brought water. Chang Yuncheng leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed, seeming to sleep but not sleep while soaking his feet.

Another attendant soldier entered, carrying a bundle.

“Sir, your family letters have been forwarded from the northern frontier,” he said quietly.

This temporary emergency deployment for joint supervision was hurried, and few people knew about it. Naturally it was impossible to notify family.

Chang Yuncheng grunted.

The young soldier placed the bundle on the table and untied it.

Chang Yuncheng, with eyes closed, randomly grabbed one and brought it over to open, opening his eyes.

First a piece of paper fluttered out. Chang Yuncheng hurried to catch it. Seeing it was actually a small portrait of a woman, he immediately let go.

The paper fell into the foot basin and was instantly soaked through.

Chang Yuncheng lifted his foot.

“Take it away,” he said.

The young soldier hurried to carry it out.

Chang Yuncheng took a deep breath and finally pulled out the letter with writing to glance at it.

Sure enough, it was from Madam Xie again asking him to get engaged.

Chang Yuncheng threw the letter back and looked at the others on the table.

“Are these all from home?” he asked.

The young soldier nodded.

If they were all from Yongqing Prefecture, then naturally they were from home.

“Take them away. Don’t bring them to me anymore in the future,” Chang Yuncheng said, having no mood to look at them. He walked unsteadily toward the bed with wet feet.

The young soldier hurried to support him but was pushed away by Chang Yuncheng.

“Get lost, get lost,” he said with some irritation.

The young soldiers all knew that the prince became unpredictable when he drank. Hearing this, they hurried to collect the letters from the table and withdrew.

Chang Yuncheng fell headfirst onto the bed. With wine going to his head, his stomach burned like fire and his whole body felt uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but clutch the quilt tightly.

The room was exceptionally quiet, with dim white light covering the interior and the faint sound of a man’s low murmuring.

Yueniang…

Qi Yueniang…

“Qi Yueniang? Who’s that?” At Duke Deqing’s mansion, the man who had hurried out to receive Fan Yilin frowned with a blank expression.

“Ay, Chen Wu, are you doing this on purpose?” Fan Yilin said urgently, glancing at Li Tong beside him and feeling quite embarrassed.

Duke Deqing’s young grandson, Fifth Young Master Chen, was not the same type of person as Fan Yilin.

“What am I doing on purpose?” he said irritably. “You wine bag and rice sack, what are you doing running here so early in the morning? I don’t have time to fool around with you.”

Fan Yilin angrily raised his teacup to throw at him.

“Chen Wu, not seeing you for a few days and look at your behavior,” he shouted. “Forgotten what you used to be like? Just a few days in the Ministry of Rites—aren’t you just running errands for people? And you’re putting on airs. Hey, you really are called ‘Five’ hahaha…”

Seeing the two were about to fight without saying anything constructive, Li Tong hurried to mediate.

“Didn’t your aunt come back? The one who came back with your aunt,” Fan Yilin said, flicking his sleeves.

Chen Wu was stunned.

“Oh, oh, that person,” he finally understood, looking at Fan Yilin with some curiosity. “That person is called Qi Yueniang?”

Fan Yilin, who was drinking tea, spat it all out.

“Chen Wu, whose house is this? She came to your house, not mine!” he said, glaring.

“She didn’t come to our house,” Chen Wu said irritably. “How would I know?”

Ah?

Fan Yilin and Li Tong exchanged glances.

After telling Fan Yilin where Chen Shi lived, Chen Wu saw off his guests and hurried to the back courtyard.

“Grandmother, grandmother,” he called. “I know who little aunt brought back.”

Madam Chen Fang was half-dozing when she perked up at his words.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“The young marchioness of Marquis Dingxi, the former young marchioness,” Chen Wu said.

The women keeping her company in the room also suddenly understood.

Because they lived far away and Chen Shi rarely had contact with family, they weren’t familiar with Marquis Dingxi’s affairs at all. They only knew that the old marchioness had married the prince to a beggar daughter-in-law, which made Madam Chen Fang cry bitterly over marrying Xueniang into such an unreliable family. As for afterwards, they naturally were too lazy and had no heart to inquire about Marquis Dingxi’s affairs—it was embarrassing enough.

“It’s her.”

“She’s a beggar?”

“She’s actually a physician?”

“Oh I know, isn’t she the one who prevented the plague a while ago…”

“That’s right, it’s her. Didn’t she buy Qianjin Hall? So this time she made great contributions…”

“…So her medical skills are really good?”

“…No way, it’s actually Qianjin Hall’s credit, right? She’s the manager, so she also benefited…”

They all spoke at once, making the room lively.

“I see, no wonder Xueniang didn’t bring her to meet us. A divorced woman… not presentable,” Madam Chen Fang said, leaning back.

Indeed, low status and unlucky.

The women all nodded.

“But little aunt let her live in Shoumu Studio,” Chen Wu couldn’t help reminding them. Why were these women’s focus points completely different from his?

The women in the room were stunned.

Right, why let such a person live in the place Chen Shi valued most?

So was this person lowly or noble?