The autumn of the eighteenth year of Yong’an quickly came to its end.

Noble Consort Xiao’s pregnancy reached three months, and the joyous news finally spread from the palace.

This joyous announcement immediately overshadowed all other gossip, becoming the matter of greatest concern throughout the court, though not convenient to discuss in public settings.

Thank Heaven—there would be a dragon son born.

While the ministers felt gratified that the Great Zhou’s imperial succession would have an heir, when they thought again of Deposed Crown Prince Qiang’s fate, they immediately felt a chill in their hearts and experienced a sudden realization.

No wonder His Majesty deposed the Crown Prince with such swift decisiveness—the Noble Consort’s pregnancy had given His Majesty confidence.

The Noble Consort being with child proved His Majesty could still father children, so an imperial son would come sooner or later. Under these circumstances, if he didn’t quickly depose a Crown Prince who had made mistakes, what was he waiting for?

If he missed this opportunity, after the imperial son was born it wouldn’t be so easy to depose the heir apparent without cause.

One could only say the deposed Crown Prince was unlucky, causing trouble at precisely this time.

By now, many ministers felt retrospective fear.

Fortunately, when the Crown Prince was deposed, they hadn’t jumped out to speak up for him—otherwise they would certainly have met with disaster.

Even if they didn’t meet disaster now, they would face reckoning after autumn’s harvest.

Alas, such tremendous joyous news as the Noble Consort’s pregnancy should have been announced earlier.

After the joyous news spread, Emperor Yong’an heard countless congratulations and discovered he wasn’t tired of hearing them no matter how many times.

When the assembled ministers attended court, they discovered that His Majesty, who usually maintained a stern expression, was now amiable and pleasant, and their days became easier.

For a time, the entire capital was shrouded in a festive atmosphere.

Under such circumstances, the wedding of the eldest young lady of the Marquis of Changchun’s estate seemed somewhat insignificant.

Except to those personally involved.

In the back courtyard of the wine shop, the sound of chopping wood continued without cease. The youth chopping wood moved with practiced ease, seemingly lost in thought.

“Xu Xi.”

Xu Xi suddenly came back to himself and looked toward the young lady who had spoken.

“Today is your elder sister’s wedding day. The bridal procession has already headed toward the Marquis of Changchun’s estate.”

Xu Xi gripped the axe handle tightly and said nothing.

Luo Sheng sighed inwardly. “You don’t need to chop wood today. Go take a look.”

“I’m not going.” Xu Xi swung the axe down forcefully, and the wooden stick immediately split in two.

The youth, who had grown much taller, said coldly, “I have nothing to do with the Marquis of Changchun’s estate anymore.”

“The one who expelled you from the family was your father, not your elder sister.” Luo Sheng dropped this statement and turned to go to the main hall.

The youth left in the courtyard’s expression kept changing as he swung the axe, chopping wood stroke after stroke.

After who knows how long, he threw the axe to the ground and ran outside at flying speed.

The people in the main hall only saw a whirlwind sweep past and disappear in the blink of an eye.

Hong Dou opened her mouth. “Why is Young Master Xu running so fast? Didn’t he just say he wasn’t going?”

Kou’er laughed merrily. “You just don’t understand—when your own elder sister is getting married, who wouldn’t want to go? Young Master Xu is just being contrary for a moment.”

Hong Dou frowned. “If that’s the case, when our young lady told him to go, why was he being coy? Did he want our young lady to coax him more?”

What’s wrong with this child? Is our young lady the type to coax people?

Kou’er was considering another aspect. “Going to watch his sister’s wedding dressed like that won’t do—people will laugh at him…”

Luo Sheng listened to the two little maidservants’ chattering and smiled as she sipped her tea.

After leaving the wine shop, Xu Xi ran at flying speed.

The weather was still hot. After running like this for a short while, he was drenched in sweat, yet the youth never slowed his pace.

He saw the long bridal procession, heard the festive sound of suona horns, and there were handfuls upon handfuls of wedding coins being tossed into the air.

That festive red blurred his vision until the groom on his tall, spirited horse came into view.

The young man wearing wedding attire wasn’t the refined and romantic type that young ladies in the capital currently favored, but rather had thick eyebrows and large eyes, a clear gaze, giving one a sense of reliability.

Xu Xi recognized this person.

This was Young Master Xu from the General’s estate—he’d met him a few times before.

Xu Xi grinned.

Brother Xu was a good person. In the future, Elder Sister would live well.

Xu Xi’s gaze fell on the bridal sedan chair.

His elder sister sat inside the sedan, from this day forward becoming a woman of the Xu family, beginning a new life.

Yet the one who carried Elder Sister onto the bridal sedan wasn’t him.

Xu Xi’s nose felt somewhat sour. He raised his hand and rubbed his nose tip.

At this moment, the groom inadvertently glanced in this direction. He seemed to discover Xu Xi in the crowd, and a trace of surprise showed on his face.

Xu Xi hadn’t expected to be discovered. After an instant of stunned stillness, he turned and ran.

The youth’s figure was swallowed by the crowd watching the excitement in the blink of an eye. The groom’s eyes flickered and he withdrew his gaze.

That evening, Xu Fang heard from her newly wedded husband the news that her younger brother had watched her wedding procession.

Although she still felt unfamiliar with the person before her, Xu Fang couldn’t help but cry.

The groom’s clumsy attempts at comfort naturally drew the two closer.

What followed—smoothly and sweetly passing through their wedding night—need not be described in detail. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the third-day return visit.

Early that morning, Xu Fang dressed and adorned herself, accompanied by her husband back to the Marquis of Changchun’s estate.

The Marquis of Changchun’s estate, lacking its lady of the house, had a feeling of forcibly maintaining a festive atmosphere. The Marquis of Changchun coldly observed his eldest daughter’s smiling eyes and his son-in-law’s attentiveness. Not only did he not feel gratified, but rather somewhat heavy-hearted.

He had always suspected his eldest daughter had witnessed Princess Huayang’s death, yet also felt that at that time his eldest daughter wasn’t even six years old—if she truly had seen it, it would be impossible for her to conceal it so well.

Over the years, his suspicions had wavered back and forth, becoming an unresolvable knot in his heart.

He was conflicted.

How many times had he wanted to act against his eldest daughter—if she died, that secret would forever remain a secret. Yet looking at his eldest daughter’s quiet and gentle demeanor, he feared he was being overly suspicious.

After all, she was his daughter. If she was innocent, why take her life?

Being conflicted like this, in one careless moment his daughter had actually grown up and become another family’s daughter-in-law.

By now, the Marquis of Changchun had to admit he had almost lost control over his married eldest daughter.

Fortunately, for now his eldest daughter showed no abnormalities, and his son-in-law was also honest, even quite ingratiating toward him as a father-in-law.

This was a rare time the Marquis of Changchun felt happy after being impeached, so naturally he drank too much.

The back alley of the Marquis of Changchun’s estate was narrow and deep. Bright sunlight seemed never to penetrate here—this place felt perpetually like damp and cold winter.

A dilapidated door was knocked upon.

The door creaked open, and a gatekeeper matron stuck her head out. “Who is it?”

The woman wearing a veiled hat lifted the face-covering veil.

“Eldest Young Lady?” The gatekeeper matron was startled, then reacted. “Oh my, today is the day Eldest Young Madam returns to her natal home. This old servant still hasn’t had the chance to offer you congratulations.”

Xu Fang stepped inside with one foot and said calmly, “Yes, today I’m returning to my natal home. I’ve come to see Yang Shi.”

The gatekeeper matron was about to say something when the maidservant accompanying Xu Fang pressed a piece of broken silver into her hand.

The gatekeeper matron immediately had no more nonsense to say. She closed the door and said, “The Marquis instructed that no one is permitted to visit. Young Madam, after you’ve looked, leave early. Otherwise this old servant will have no way to account for it.”

Xu Fang smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t put you in a difficult position.”