"Go back." Jiang Changyang stopped in front of the Moon Gate not far from the study, turned around and smiled slightly, then turned around and left with big strides. Peony silently watched him leave until he was out of sight before withdrawing her gaze.

  A gentle breeze blew through the treetops, producing a soft rustling sound. She looked up at the branches and saw golden, yellowish-brown, and half-green leaves spinning and falling to the ground. The brown earth was dotted with bright colors. She walked forward, bent down, picked up a fallen leaf, blew off the dust on it, and gently stroked the raised veins of the leaf with her fingertips. And so she began to fall in love. Peony looked up at the sky, which was as blue as a ceramic tile, and curved the corners of her mouth upwards.

  He Zhizhong and Jiang Changyang parted ways outside the courtyard, strolling into a small yard, where they saw Peony standing alone under a tree, lost in thought. Her face was serene and beautiful, and He couldn't help but chuckle: "Peony, are you at ease now?"

  Peony turned back to look at He Zhizhong with a radiant smile, stepped forward and grasped his arm: "Dad, what did you all say just now?" She wanted to know how Jiang Changyang had moved He Zhizhong.

  He Zhi Zhong feigned surprise: "Didn't he tell you?"

  The peony leaned her forehead gently against his shoulder and coquettishly said, "No, he just said you want to show him a treasure as precious as life."

  He Zhizhong stroked his beard and smiled, saying: "Dan Niang, he told me that he knows everything about you." He looked up at the flowing clouds on the horizon and said slowly: "Someone told him that you are ill and cannot bear children, and will not agree to take a concubine. But he wants to, if it really doesn't work out, adopt one in the future... Although I don't entirely believe he can keep his promise from start to finish, I am indeed more satisfied with him because of this."

  The peony was stunned for a moment. She guessed and thought, but didn't think it would be like this. Although she had always known about the rumor, she herself knew the true situation, so she hadn't really taken it seriously. She said softly: "Dad, I..."

  He Zhitong said, "Of course I know you're not." He sighed and gently stroked Peony's shoulder. "Dad was young once too. When he was young, things were done on a whim without considering the consequences. But as time passed, people's thoughts change slowly. There are many people who, when in love, see flaws as virtues, but once they fall out of love, those virtues become flaws. At this point, how one acts is crucial - starting well and ending well versus turning against each other are two different things. I could have told him the truth, but I didn't because it's not yet time to discuss this deeply with him - since he thinks this way, let him be, after all, it won't be soon that he'll ask your parents to meet for a marriage proposal. In this period of time, he still has plenty of room to think carefully. If after this time he still thinks there's no problem, then he's the right man for you. Telling him the truth later won't be too late." If it wasn't for his sincere desire to marry her, revealing the truth would just seem like a joke.

  Peony nodded silently for a moment and then nodded: "I understand. What Father values is not his promise, but his actions."

  "Yes. Good deeds are harder to come by than gold and silver, so cherish them well." He Zhitong looked at Peony's frail figure and thought that for now, she was only thinking about having children, so she didn't care, and it seemed easy for her. But if she really damaged her body and unfortunately couldn't have kids, who knows what changes would happen over time? As a father and as a man, he knew what could be trusted and what couldn't, and naturally hoped that his son-in-law would unconditionally treat his daughter well. But if one day, Jiang Changyang wanted his own flesh and blood, it was a normal thing, and no one could stop him. However, He Zhitong only looked at Jiang Changyang's character and knew that no matter what, he would take good care of Peony and wouldn't let something like what happened to Liu happen again.

  It was the day when He Zhizhong's father went out on a long journey. As soon as the morning drum sounded, the He family got up and sat together to bid farewell. He Zhizhong had already arranged everything in the house, but now he became worried again and repeatedly told Cen's wife, Er Lang and others about important matters, and also instructed Liu Lang on what to do.

  Liu Lang was annoyed and forced a smile, saying: "Dad, your memory is not good anymore, you've already told us these things several times." He wanted to say more, but received a stern glance from Yang Niang and swallowed his words.

  He Zhizhong was taken aback for a moment, then sighed: "I'm really old, after this return, I won't run far again, just let you young people go."

  Madam Cen had wanted to advise him not to go this time either, but thinking of his temperament, she swallowed her words. Seeing the sky brightening, she hurriedly urged: "Hurry up and pack up to leave, I'm afraid all the relatives and friends are waiting at Ba Bridge, it's not good to keep people waiting for a long time."

  Then people overturned, a large group of people surrounded the four fathers who went out of the door, left the city and walked for a long time, and finally arrived near the Ba Bridge. From afar, they saw horses in groups, screens stretching, and people coming and going. It was because today was a good day to go out, so there were many people seeing off.

  Just as the He family had just appeared at the entrance, a young servant from the Li family who had been waiting nearby hurriedly came forward and said that Li Yuan was leading several close relatives and friends of both families to set up a farewell banquet for He Zhizhong and others.

  "This was already agreed upon, He Zhizhong wasn't surprised at all, and said: 'Lead the way.'"

  When they arrived at the destination, everyone came forward to pay their respects and exchange pleasantries. After all the formalities were over, Li Yi finally stepped forward to pay his respects to He Zhizhong. After exchanging pleasantries, he quickly retreated with his eyes cast down, not daring to look up towards He Zhizhong's back. He knew Peony was there, but he had already caught a glimpse of her from afar and knew she was fine, so he didn't dare or want to meet her gaze again at this moment.

  Peony stood behind Mrs. Cen, looking at Li Wei. In just over 20 days, he had changed into a different person. Although he was still dressed in bright and clean clothes, fashionable and refreshing, and still smiling and greeting people, but most of the time he was silent, anyone could see that he was very unhappy. He seemed to feel Peony's gaze, and shifted uncomfortably, hiding himself in the deepest part of the crowd.

  The peony withdrew her gaze and stopped looking at him. Although she missed the Li Wei from before, when they had gone to participate in events together, feeling carefree and relaxed, she knew that Li Wei would never come back, and those days would never return again.

  The time spent on the farewell ceremony was not long, and soon everyone got up to see off He Zhizhong's father. However, Lu Wulang arrived with two young servants to bid farewell as well. He Zhizhong had no choice but to introduce Lu Wulang to everyone, except for Li Yuan's father, most of the people were familiar with him and had heard of Duan Dainiang's reputation, so they treated Lu Wulang with great courtesy. Lu Wulang was in his element, socializing among the crowd with humility and tact, winning their favor.

  Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from not far away, and seven or eight women in gorgeous clothes walked out from behind a screen. One woman's voice was particularly clear and pleasant: "We should have given you a willow branch as a gift, but the leaves on this willow tree are all yellow and almost all fallen off. Would we give you a bare branch?"

  The peony inadvertently glanced over, and couldn't help but be stunned. The woman's appearance was delicate and charming, her skin as white as snow, and her clothes were even more luxurious and alluring. The five-colored parrot on her chest occasionally appeared under the light yellow shirt, the sapphire blue gold-threaded long skirt trailed long, the golden hairpin on her head swayed gently with each step, matching her face that was both charming and innocent, making it difficult for people to forget at a glance.

  If it wasn't for her maid Ahui following closely behind her, Peony couldn't connect the face in front of her that was full of laughter and vitality with the impression she had of a face as clear as a lotus flower emerging from the water. This wasn't someone else, but rather Qin Niang, whom Lu Wulang had been searching everywhere for without any news.

  Qin Niang didn't even glance at Peony and the others, she accompanied those women, walking past the crowd with a relaxed and lively demeanor, leaving behind a faint fragrance and an alluring silhouette. It was Ah Hui who kept glancing at Peony, then leaned in close to Qin Niang's ear and whispered a few words, but Qin Niang still didn't turn her head.

  Peony saw Ahui's appearance and clearly recognized herself, she didn't believe that Qin Niang hadn't seen her, but since Qin Niang refused to acknowledge her, then so be it, she wouldn't bother going up to greet Qin Niang either.

  Peony turned her head to look at Lu Wulang, but Lu Wulang stared blankly as people passed in front of him, without any reaction, with a completely unfamiliar expression. She had no choice but to go forward and quietly remind Lu Wulang: "That's Qin Niang."

  "I've never seen her before, so I don't know her." Lu Wulang was shocked: "Why didn't she greet my mother?" He was about to go forward when Peony hastily said: "Don't go. She's probably not convenient, and I think her maid has already recognized me. If she were convenient, she would naturally come to recognize us. We can't just rush forward, it might cause trouble for her."

  Lu Wulang nodded: "Then I'll start with the people around her." He looked around and saw a few camel carts in front of him, with several carters chatting idly. He walked up to them, casually picked one out, greeted him, and tried to pry some information out of him. However, the carter's mouth was tight, and Lu Wulang couldn't get any useful news out of him. With no other choice, he waited patiently on the side. Before long, Qin Niang sent off her guests with several women, got onto a camel cart, and left in a hurry. Lu Wulang quietly followed behind, planning to find an opportunity to approach her.

  The He family saw off He Zhizhong, Dalang and the others with reluctance, and when they could no longer see their shadows, they turned back to the city. The large group of men, women, old and young from the He family walked very slowly, so Lady Qin thought that the others had things to attend to and couldn't be kept waiting for long, so she asked Erlang to tell them to go ahead first.

  Li Yuan glanced at Li Wei, who looked listless, and replied succinctly: "I have something else to attend to, so I won't keep you." With that, he bid farewell to the others and left first. From start to finish, Peony and Li Wei didn't exchange a single word.