After Liu Chong won, the first thing he did was to subconsciously look for Peony's figure, but the opposite building had already been empty. He couldn't sit still and arranged Qiu Shi to ask around. Qiu Shi came back after asking around, but it wasn't good to tell him in detail in front of others, so she led him out and told him again in a place where no one was around.

  Rumor has it that Peony is ill again, and it's quite serious. Liu Chuan can't express his feelings, but he's secretly delighted to see her in such a state. It seems like she can't do without him after all... Maybe she'll come crawling back to ask for his help later... If she does, how will he arrange things with her? Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard an unusual commotion coming from the ball court, even drowning out the cheers of the crowd. The sound of chairs scraping and footsteps echoed loudly, and countless people rushed downstairs towards the ball court.

  Pan Shuang rushed over in a fluster and shouted loudly: "How are you still here? Qinghua has fallen off his horse!"

  Liu Chang barely suppressed his surging thoughts and followed Pan Rong hastily to the polo field. Seeing his distracted appearance, Pan Rong whispered in a resentful tone: "You'd better put on some pretenses, although the imperial decree for your marriage hasn't been issued yet, everyone knows what's going on between you two, you can't escape it, rather than...".

  Liu Chuan interrupted him: "Am I so stupid?" After finishing, he changed his face and rushed up with a look of anxiety, pushing away the crowd. He saw Qinghua lying on the ground motionless, her head tilted to one side, with bright red blood flowing from the corner of her mouth. Xing Kang and others were standing by with shocked expressions, anxiously guarding her, while the doctor who had been prepared in advance for emergencies was squatting on the ground carefully examining her.

  Liu Chuan's heart was racing, and he couldn't help but think that if Qinghua had died, then... Before he could finish his thought, the doctor stood up with a worried expression and bowed to King Fen, saying: "The two legs below seem to be fine, however..." But near the hip area, it's impossible to check, and he didn't dare touch his body either.

  King Fen angrily said: "What is 'seems'?! But what?!"

  That doctor was really embarrassed: "Men and women are different, it's not convenient for a small person like me..." How dare he touch the princess's chest in front of everyone? He had already touched her thighs, calves, and arms, but the chest and buttocks were off-limits.

  King Fen angrily shouted: "Quack doctor! Human life is at stake, do you still remember the difference between men and women? Hurry up and take action! If there's any delay, I'll hold you responsible!"

  It was the person in a high position who, when enraged, was quite intimidating. The doctor was frightened and, trembling with fear, carefully examined Qinghua from head to toe again. Finally, he said with a quivering voice: "It seems that the right femur is fractured and two ribs are broken."

  Anyone with a bit of experience knows that if the femur is broken, even if they survive, for this lifetime, it's best not to think about walking normally again. King Fen sighed and said: "First think of a way to get back home." After finishing speaking, he lightly swept his gaze over Xing Kang and others, Xing Kang and others were frightened and nervous, pretending to be worried and self-reproachful, trying their best not to let anyone see through it.

  At this time, the sixth son of Weiwang, a fellow villager of Qinghua, squeezed forward, his eyes fiercely scanning the faces of Xingkang and others, shouting loudly: "Who was it that did it?"

  All the girls took a step back in fright, only Xing Kang strongly stepped forward, raised his chin and said: "Sixth brother, Eighth sister's riding skills have always been excellent, and it's not her first time playing polo. No one expected such an accident to happen. But since it has happened, we can't shirk responsibility. I'm the leader of this team, if you really want to find a scapegoat to vent your anger, just come at me. After all, everyone knows that Eighth sister and I had a disagreement today, maybe it was me who intentionally harmed her. The other sisters have no grudges against her, don't spread rumors and hurt everyone's feelings and relationships."

  She stood out like this, regardless of anything else, and the few girls who were originally a little afraid to retreat suddenly felt a few points of gratitude and grandeur in their hearts, and they all came forward chirping: "Sixth brother, according to what you said, we also have a share."

  The arrogance and cruelty of the Qinghua family have long been heard, even if nothing happens today, it's hard to guarantee that something won't happen in the future. The law does not blame the masses, with so many daughters from good families involved, if this is really pursued, several royal palaces will be implicated, none of which are easy to deal with. At that time, Qinghua's situation may become even more difficult. Is this also called reaping what one sows? The King of Fen sighed and stopped the sixth son of the Wei King: "Nonsense! They're all sisters from the same family, who would intentionally harm her? Every year, there are unexpected accidents on the polo field, with few deaths and injuries. If you have the energy, hurry up and go ahead to invite a good doctor to prepare for treatment."

  Xing Kang Jun Zhu secretly let out a breath of relief, since the King of Fen said it was an accident, there wouldn't be any major issues, at most she would just be confined to her quarters and suffer some minor hardships.

  The sixth son of King Wei was also a clever person and soon realized that it was not worth offending several houses for the sake of a sister whose life or death was uncertain, so he might as well think about how to gain more advantages. He immediately ordered someone to prepare his horse and rushed back to ask King Wei for instructions.

  Suddenly, a shrill neighing sound was heard, and everyone turned around to see Liu Chong pulling out a sharp short sword from the neck of Qing Hua's horse. The horse struggled for a moment before falling heavily to the ground with a thud, blood gushing out, its eyes still open. The scene fell silent for a moment, no one saying that Liu Chong had done anything wrong. According to custom, any horse that caused its master to fall and get injured would meet this end. After killing the horse, Liu Chong walked into the house with Qing Hua and the others.

  Jiang Changyang stood aside with his hands behind his back, quietly watching from start to finish as the crowd bustled about, dragging the Qinghua Princess into the house. Only then did he walk over and offer a courtesy condolence to King Fen, before exchanging a greeting with Pan Rong and taking his leave.

  When there was no one around, Wu Sanfang said: "Young master, as the saying goes, 'a crowd's anger is hard to offend', and evil people will be ground down by other evil people. This county lord has finally met someone more ruthless than her today. She's suffered this loss, if she's lucky enough not to die, I'm afraid she won't dare harm others so recklessly again in the future? What a pity about that horse, it wasn't its fault after all. After all, they're from a noble family, if it were us, how could we bear to take the horse's life?"

  Jiang Changyang sneered, "Originally born with a ruthless and poisonous heart, and with such an arrogant temperament, could she possibly change suddenly because of this one thing? How is that possible? Some people, no matter what, will never change for their entire lives. A dog will always eat feces by nature." This vicious woman and that treacherous Liu fellow were indeed a match made in heaven, and He family's Peony being paired with that Liu was truly like a fresh flower stuck in cow dung.

  Wu San saw that he didn't seem to be in a good mood, so he changed the subject and smiled: "Young master, are you going back to the capital or heading to the Zhuangzi?"

  Jiang Changyang said, "Let's go back to the capital city and do a good deed. You took my name card, take some of that headache medicine they sent me last time and send it to the He family, and bring back the sedan chair and the people, so the He family won't have to send them back to the Zhuangzi again."

  Wu San touched his head, originally wanting to make a joke about how the young master was so attentive to that woman, but seeing Jiang Changyang's worried expression and thinking of some past events with their own elderly lady, he ultimately didn't dare speak rashly.

  But Peony, Li Man Niang and Du Fu Ren etc. entered the city, bid farewell to each other and returned home. Li Man Niang did a thorough job, personally sending Peony back. The gatekeeper was unaware of the situation, hastily rushing in to call a small maid to report to Cen Fu Ren, saying that Peony had fallen ill, Cen Fu Ren was so frightened that she almost couldn't catch her breath, but Xue Shi calmed down and scolded the little maid, steadying Cen Fu Ren.

  Peony also thought of everything, fearing that the people at home would not know the reason and be frightened. She asked Yuhe to hurry in and report the news. Only then did Mrs. Cen turn her worries into joy and warmly entertain Li Maniang and her servants. The two sedan chair bearers from the Jiang family were invited to stay for dinner and rewarded handsomely without being asked.

  When Li Man Niang explained the reason and was about to leave, the two sedan chair bearers from the Jiang family also wanted to bid farewell. Just then, another visitor arrived outside, who was Wu San, sent by Jiang Changyang with medicine, explaining the usage method: "Today, seeing the young lady seems to be suffering from a headache, our humble abode happens to have a folk remedy secret formula from an old doctor, which is most effective in treating headaches. When having a headache, the first dose requires taking three pills at once, afterwards one pill each time, three times a day, for three consecutive days. Even if it doesn't quite match the symptoms, it's still soothing and nourishing medicine, no need to worry. If it works after taking it, please have someone come and tell us, we'll send more over again."

  Madam Cen was deeply grateful and personally entertained Wu San, presenting him with a thick envelope of reward money. She asked Wu San to convey her gratitude and thanks to Jiang Changyang. Wu San politely declined Madam Cen's invitation to stay for dinner but accepted the return gift from the He family. With great joy, he bid farewell and left with the two sedan chair bearers.

  There is no such thing as a free lunch, and Zhen's family was filled with endless curiosity about Jiang Changyang, asking Peony questions left and right, and Zhen's words were all about guessing why this person would be so concerned about Peony.

  Peony saw that Zhen's wife was sharp-tongued and sharp-minded, and said lightly: "He is just a straightforward and righteous person, the kind who would rush to help when seeing injustice. Madame Bai also helped me out of kindness, without seeking anything in return." The two had only met a few times, always with others around them, and hadn't exchanged more than a few words; how could they have developed any deep feelings for each other?

  Zhen Shi saw that the children were not around, so she plucked up her courage and smiled: "That's not necessarily true. Dan Niang gave birth to such a good child, we like it when we see it, let alone men. He didn't do anything to show his courtesy, obviously...

  Peony listened to her and became more and more dissatisfied, and couldn't help but get angry.

  If it is said that Jiang Changyang has a lustful mind and evil intentions, then it would be too belittling to both her and herself.

  She was about to retort when Madam Cen said coldly, "Then you'd better explain what's on your mind. You spend every day idling at home, how did you come up with such despicable ideas? With such arrogance, how can you be a sister-in-law and a mother?"

  These words were really heavy, and Zhen's face suddenly turned pale, unable to speak. Peony secretly wondered, Madam Cen had always been very kind to her daughters-in-law in the past, why did she humiliate Zhen like this in public today? Had something happened during these half days when she was not at home, angering Madam Cen? Fortunately, there was still Lin Mama left at home, and she could go ask later.

  Jian Zhen ate a loss, and Xue Shi and others did not dare to entangle themselves in this matter again. They turned to ask Yu He if there was anything interesting about today. Yu He was also a clever person who intentionally adjusted the atmosphere, and with great enthusiasm, she told everyone about Jiang Changyang's flying horse hitting money, which led to a burst of exclamations and sighs from the crowd, regretting that they did not witness such excitement with their own eyes.

  No one seems to be paying attention to her embarrassing moment, so Zhen's face looks a bit better, but the look in her eyes towards Mrs. Cen is filled with hidden resentment - she still doesn't think Peony is good enough

  Peony warmly took Lin's mother's arm and slid down to sit beside her, smiling: "Mom was really scared?" Before Lin's mother could answer, Shuai Shuai had already flapped his wings and shouted loudly: "Bad guy! Bad guy!"

  "Who are you scolding? You're just a little rascal!" Peony pretended to be angry, raising her hand as if to hit it. Shuaishuai had already become cunning and didn't flinch at all, probing with its beak to gently peck at Peony's hand while sizing up her expression. Peony found this amusing and affectionately stroked its head, laughing and scolding: "You little thing that's asking to be beaten to death!" She then called out to Kuanger and Shuer to bring some pine seeds to feed Shuaishuai.

  When Kuang Er and Xu Er left, Peony quietly asked Lin Mama: "In the half day I was not at home, did you know what happened?"

  "Which aspect are you referring to?" asked Lin's mother with a frown.

  "Peony said in a low voice: 'Just now, the lady gave Third Sister such a big loss of face. None of the sisters dared to persuade her. Wasn't everything fine this morning?'"

  Lin's mother shook her head in confusion: "I didn't hear any noise, it was quiet all along. Let Xiaor go and ask around."

  "Alas," said Peony, "I'm afraid it's because of me that everyone is unhappy again."

  Mrs. Lin smiled and said, "You don't have to worry too much, even if it's just teeth and tongue, they also touch each other sometimes, let alone this kind of thing with a layer in between? You're not just talking about reason, there must be a reason inside. With so many people, each with their own thoughts, you can't please everyone, it's impossible to take care of everything, it's better to focus on fixing the land and the house first. It would be best if you could find someone trustworthy to entrust your life to and move out, then you'll be at peace." But Mrs. Lin didn't dare say this out loud.

  The peony thought it was good, but worried that the land was not easy to buy. She was getting anxious, seeing summer pass by and autumn approaching, yet still nothing had been accomplished.

  When Dalang returned home in the evening, he eagerly asked Peony: "Did He Guang take you to see that piece of land? What do you think of it? It's close to the main road, the water source is convenient, and the soil is fertile. If you like it, let's settle on it, how about it?"

  "Big brother, I'm afraid even if we buy that land, it won't be of much use."

  "What did you say?" Da Lang exclaimed in surprise.

  "Peony then told everything that happened today, saying: 'Such a vicious and hateful person who doesn't talk reason, I don't want to be neighbors with her. I'm afraid she will make trouble out of nothing. I ignore her, but she insists on finding fault with me, it's really annoying.'"

  Da Lang was even more surprised: "Of course, when buying land, you need to ask clearly who the neighbors are around, so as to know whether it will be convenient to deal with in the future. But I haven't heard that there is any villa related to Wei Wangfu or Qinghua County Master nearby. What I have carefully inquired about is that although most of them are official families' villas and fields on that side, but unfortunately, there isn't her family's. Are you mistaken?"

  "Could it be that the Zhuangzi is not her family's? I've been watching and it seems like it's her property, she's in charge of everything."

  Dalong thought for a moment and said, "Among the nobles, it's common to borrow each other's villas to play around. It's not impossible that she borrowed someone else's. The location is close to the city, if you want to repair the villa, it's most convenient to ask people to go see the flowers, otherwise you'll have to go even further away. So, don't rush for now, wait for me to investigate and get a clear understanding before making a decision."

  At night, Yuhe helped Mudan perfume the quilt, and just as she was about to serve Mudan to sleep, Sunshi arrived. She pulled Mudan aside and said with a smile, "Danniang, don't think I'm being nosy, but I just wanted to remind you that Sanjie's family seems to want to get closer to our family."

  The peony suddenly had a number in her heart, and it turned out that Mrs. Cen's anger came from here. At this time, she didn't say much to Sun Shi, but smiled faintly and pretended not to understand: "Yingniang, Rongniang, He Ru and others are all settled with their families, now the oldest in age is only Huimeng in San Jie's house, could it be..."

  Sun silently observed Peony's expression, seeing that she didn't show any signs of anger on her face, and it was clear that she was trying to shirk responsibility. So, he patted Peony's hand warmly and said: "It's not the children... no matter what, I and your sixth brother just hope you can find a good place to settle down. Youth will fade, wealth is external, but for women, the key is to find someone who truly cares about them. You say, isn't that right? Having suffered once, we can't suffer again."

  Peony nodded and directly shifted the topic to Sun's family, laughing: "Sixth Aunt is right, is Sixth Uncle treating Sixth Aunt like this??"

  Madam Sun's face turned slightly red as she thought about how she couldn't bear children, and this good situation might not last long. A hint of melancholy arose, and she lost interest in meddling further, so she bid farewell and left.

  As soon as Madam Sun departed, Yuhe came over, her voice low with indignation: "So that's the reason! Third Madame has a good plan indeed! I heard from one of her maids that her brother-in-law is useless, a toad who wants to eat swan meat. He only wants to find a beautiful and wealthy woman; this kind of man must not be married! It serves the madame right for being humiliated."

  Looking up at Peony's calm expression, she worried that Peony might think she had overstepped her bounds, so she spoke softly: "Peony..."

  "Madam San has such thoughts, it's quite normal. She's already been scolded, and the mistress won't agree to it anyway. Since there's no substance to the matter, we don't need to pay attention to it anymore." It's common for people to think of taking advantage of others when they see an opportunity. Among so many sisters-in-law, who doesn't have some other thoughts? Especially someone like Zhen Shi, who is one step removed.

  Yu He saw that she was not angry, so he smiled and said: "You're quite open-minded, but unfortunately for the young master of the Li family." The young master of the Li family is a muddle-headed person. If you think about it, you should take concrete actions. What's the point of just hanging around like this?

  "Peony smiled slightly: 'I don't lack food or clothes, my parents and elder brother are all taking care of me, indulging me, how can I not be happy? As for the matter with Young Master Li, let's just forget about it from now on.' To be honest, the thing with Li had made her feel regretful and melancholic before, but at this moment, she didn't necessarily need to find someone to accompany her. She was walking outside the scenic area, seeing that the scenery was very beautiful, if she were to enter the scenic area, she might think that the scenery wasn't actually that great after all."

  On the second day, after breakfast, Dalang hurriedly rushed to inquire about the land, while Peony packed the fragrance of the whip and sent it to Xueniang in a porcelain box. At noon, Yuhe brought back two pearl flowers and two silk ribbons made by Xueniang herself, along with the latest news from Qinghua County: "Madam Duan was concerned about yesterday's events and later sent someone to investigate. Fortunately, we left in time and didn't get involved, and indeed, Qinghua County Master fell off his horse and is still unconscious."

  "This is the most welcome news," Xue said with a smile. "Is he badly hurt?" It would be better if he were dead, so that Peony wouldn't have to worry about him again and the whole family could finally rest in peace.

  Yu He Dao: "Specifically where the injury is, I don't know, but it seems to be quite unusual. A hundred days of injury to the tendons and bones, even if it's healed, it will take several months to recover from the injury."

  "Amitabha Buddha, the ancestors have eyes, and this evil person has finally received their retribution in this life. She had ridden her horse to commit murder several times, but ultimately ended up being trampled by the horse."

  "What about those who played with her? Have they been punished? In my opinion, they did a good deed and shouldn't be punished."

  Yu He said with difficulty: "This slave has never heard of it."

  Mrs. Dou merely said, "Thanks to Dan Niang's cleverness, I welcome you to visit my home in the future."

  The peony thought to herself that she could now go out freely. In the temples and Taoist temples of various sizes in the capital, there were countless peonies, even if it was not the season for appreciating flowers, going to see them beforehand and feeling the soil was also good.