Before nightfall, Li Yi, Dalang and Liu Lang, along with over a dozen servants, left the city. They didn't head straight to Fangyuan, but instead stopped at a farmhouse on the outskirts of town until the second watch of the night before quietly setting off for Fangyuan.

  Wu Lang sat under the lamp, chatting with me about old times. As we talked, he mentioned Li Yi and smiled: "Xing Zhi has always liked to follow his father around since he was a kid, saying that when he grew up, he wanted to be a big man, sail a big ship, and go to faraway places... who would have thought that he really went on to do business..."

  "Peony said quietly: 'He is not one of us, and one day he will no longer be doing business.'"

  Wu Lang sighed, poured a cup of tea for Peony, and took the opportunity to bring up something he had been wanting to discuss with her: "Your aunt has a maternal cousin who is about my age. He lost his first wife two years ago and has children. His family is well-off and he's a kind person. I've met him before, and compared to your mother's brother, they can't be mentioned in the same breath. But your aunt didn't dare mention it to your mother or you, so let me ask you first: after all this is over, would you be willing to meet him?"

  Peony was taken aback. Was she only suitable for a widower? Since he already had sons and daughters, it didn't matter whether she could bear children or not.

  Wulang saw her hanging her head and not speaking, knew she was unhappy, and hurriedly said: "You think too much, we just mention it according to our own ideas, just want to do good for you, absolutely no intention of forcing you, making you unhappy. If you don't want to, then forget it." Although the real situation is known to family members, it's not possible to shout it out and let others know. In other people's eyes, Peony is just a weak and sickly person.

  "Peony smiled wryly and said, 'I know that all of you brothers and sisters-in-law are worried about me and feel sorry for me. How could I intentionally make myself unhappy? I'm just a little afraid of getting married.'"

  She was just making excuses, but in Wu Lang's heart, it was a different feeling. He hurriedly comforted her: "People like the Liu family are really rare. Your aunt's family is very down-to-earth. Hearing is false, seeing is true, otherwise you can see for yourself?"

  Suddenly, Yuhe's soft voice came from outside the curtain: "Someone has arrived at home." Immediately after, the curtain opened and Dalang walked in first. Peony smiled and said: "Big brother, how can you still leave the city at this time?" Before she finished speaking, Liyi and Liu Lang walked in side by side.

  Peony didn't expect Li Wei to follow her too, this was the first time they met after he confessed to her, and again she was caught off guard, feeling a bit awkward for a moment.

  "Long ago we left the door, and waited until nightfall before daring to come here. We were afraid of being discovered by those few dogs, so we didn't dare to deliver ourselves to their doorstep."

  Li Wei glanced at Peony as soon as he entered, and then forced himself not to stare at her, smiling and saying: "Tonight we'll use the tactic of guarding the tree stump to catch the rabbit, and catching the turtle in a jar." He smiled naturally, but he knew how much effort it took for his voice not to tremble.

  Peony hastily got up and went to pour tea, without daring to look back, saying: "Have you eaten yet? I'll get Yuhua to make some supper."

  Dalong glanced at Li Wei and thought that it was indeed uncomfortable for the two of them to sit like this, so he said: "Go."

  Peony took the opportunity to walk out, and Li Wei subtly withdrew her gaze from her body, smiling at Wu Lang: "Fifth brother, let the night patrol people withdraw."

  "Wolong smiled and said: 'What kind of ghost idea are you thinking of again?'"

  Li Da Dao said, "With such a tight defense, they don't dare to come, and we can't make the first move either. My father has already made arrangements over there, just waiting for us here. These good-for-nothing guys who are helping the tiger will be gone tonight!"

  Wu Lang said: "Since it's already been arranged by you, I'll just follow your arrangement."

  Peony and Yuhe, Feng Dainiang went to the kitchen together to fetch steamed buns. When they arrived, only Li Wei and Liu Lang were in the room, while Da Lang and Wu Lang had gone outside to make arrangements. Liu Lang winked, grabbed a bun and said: "I'll go take a look at my brothers." Without saying another word, he walked away on his own.

  Peony was silent for a moment, then smiled and handed the meat soup to Li Wei, saying in a relaxed tone: "Brother-in-law, eat up. Eat more, you'll have energy to help out after you're full. I said we didn't need your help, but it ended up being you who ran this errand."

  Li Wei saw her laughing as if nothing was wrong, thinking of the few words she heard from Wu Lang earlier, feeling suffocated and anxious in her heart, wanting to ask her a few questions, glanced at Feng Damao's tiger-like gaze and Yuhe's face full of displeasure, finally sighed silently, forced a smile and said: "I'm really afraid that from now on you won't want me to help you anymore."

  Peony heard his ambiguous words, and her smile was somewhat forced. Fendai's mother coughed and said with a smile: "Danniang, it's getting late, you should rest, there are old slaves serving here, they will make sure everyone eats their fill, so don't worry."

  The peony had no choice but to bid farewell to Li Wei, saying: "Then I'll take a rest first. If there's anything you need, just ask Madame Feng."

  Li Wei hastily put down the bowl of soup in his hand, looked at her deeply and said in a low voice: "You go rest assured, everything will be fine with us." Although he said so, he secretly ridiculed himself. This time he helped her again, what about next time? She might not need him anymore. Just as he was lost in thought, Mrs. Feng handed him a large steaming hot bun and said warmly: "Brother-in-law, eat more!"

  Li Wei had no choice but to bury his head and struggle with steamed millet and meat soup.

  Yuhe went out, Yuhe silently lit the lantern and led Peony back to the room. Peony silently wrapped her arm around hers, leaned her head gently on hers and softly called out: "Yuhe."

  Yu He let out a soft "ah" and waited quietly for her to speak, but Peony fell silent again. It wasn't until Peony lay down that she pulled the curtains closed for her, and only then did Peony look at her with shining eyes, saying in a low voice: "If I tell them I don't want to get married, will they be angry with me?"

  Yu He was shocked and said: "How can you think like this? You are in the prime of your life, just like a flower. Are you going to end up alone? This is against the will of heaven!"

  "Still so arrogant! You really know how to talk." Peony burst out laughing and waved her hand to stop Yuhe's next string of persuasions: "I'm just saying, I don't want to be a stepmother to anyone."

  Yu He said in a bad mood: "If you don't want to, then just don't. Who at home would dare force you? Don't talk nonsense and scare people to death."

  "Rest assured, even if I were to remain unmarried for the rest of my life, I wouldn't hold you back and make you accompany me for the rest of your life."

  Yu He's face turned red, and she glared at her: "What are you talking about?!" She puffed out the candle in retaliation and ignored Peony's calls, going to lie down in the outer room.

  No matter how others looked at her, she absolutely refused to compromise and marry someone inexplicable. Peony turned over a few times, unable to withstand the fatigue, and quietly fell asleep. At the fourth watch, a commotion came from outside, saying that the thief had been caught. Peony wanted to get up and take a look, but was blocked by Madame Feng: "If you really want to know, wait for me to go and ask, what are you doing running outside in the middle of the night?"

  The peony had no choice but to let her go and ask around. About an incense stick later, Fēng Dàniáng returned and said lightly: "It's just a few small thieves, they have flint and steel as well as oil on them. It seems they wanted to sneak in and burn our wood, but Dàláng and the others handled it properly, caught them off guard, and now they're being interrogated! They say they'll be sent to the Ning Wang Fu at dawn."

  It was easy to hold on until dawn, Peony pressed down the exhausted Mrs. Feng to rest, and she went with Yuhe to arrange breakfast in the kitchen. When going to call Dalang and others to eat, there was no sound outside the house, opening the curtain to take a look, but seeing several people lying down on the couch, bed, they were all asleep.

  Peony was about to leave when she suddenly saw Li Wei, who was leaning on the rope bed, open her eyes and stare at her. Peony's heart skipped a beat as she quickly pulled her head back. Just as she turned around, the curtain lifted, and Li Wei followed her out in quick steps, saying softly, "Dan Niang! Have you made up your mind to hide from me every time you see me?"

  Yu He saw this and stared at his own shoe tip, slowly moving to the side to stand, pretending he had seen nothing and heard nothing.

  Peony fell silent for a moment, then turned her head to look at Li Wei with a faint smile: "Brother-in-law is joking, why would I want to hide as soon as I see you?"

  Li Wei looked at her alternating hands clasped in front of her chest, and he couldn't help but want to grab them and make her listen to him. But he didn't dare, fearing that if he did, he would never be able to get close to her again. He clenched his fists in his sleeves, then relaxed them, repeating the motion until he calmed down the turmoil in his heart. He smiled and said, "It's not like that. Even if... you know what I mean, other people are just that, but I'm me." Seeing Peony didn't have any special expression, he spoke somewhat incoherently, "If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have said those things to you. Let's just go back to how things were before, and you don't have to deliberately avoid me, okay?"

  Peony thought, once the words were spoken, how could they be taken back? Once something had happened, how could it be treated as if it hadn't? She was thinking this way, but others didn't see it that way. Look, wasn't her husband already lifting the curtain and poking his head out to glare at them with a scowl on his face? Peony quickly called out: "Big brother."

  Li You took a jump, quickly adjusted his expression, and calmly turned back to look at Dalang with a slight smile: "Big brother, I was just telling Dan Niang that those people have already confessed, after we settle this matter this time, no one will dare to make trouble in this area again."

  Dalong didn't expose him, and smiled: "This time it's really a hard journey." He turned his head to look at Peony and said: "Peony! Go see if breakfast is ready? We have to hurry back!"

  "Come on, I'm here to call you guys for dinner. After eating, let's take a nap before leaving?"

  Li Wei said: "No way, it's best to go back as soon as possible and make arrangements."

  Dalan turned around and shouted, Wu Lang and Liu Lang rubbed their eyes and came out. Several people chatted and laughed as they ate breakfast. Still, Wu Lang guarded the construction site, while Peony followed Dalan and others back to the city. Li You ordered someone to tie those few people behind a horse, in front of many villagers and workers, and dragged them away. A group of people swayed back to the city.

  As they walked, some villagers stopped and stared at the group, whispering to each other. Some bold ones even asked directly what was going on. Li Yi loudly declared that these people were using the Ning Wang Fu's name to do evil deeds, and he had been ordered by Ning Wang to capture them. Now, he would take them back to be dealt with by Ning Wang himself. From now on, who would dare use the Ning Wang Fu's name to do bad things again?

  Peony saw the respectful and fearful expressions of the villagers, and she couldn't help but think that although Ning Wang wanted to make a name for himself, he certainly wouldn't allow these small fries to ruin his plans. But Li Yi's loud shouting had made it known to everyone, wasn't that also a way of supporting her? From now on, this village probably won't have anyone coming to bother her easily again. She's got it made!

  A group of people returned to the city, and Dalang and Li Yi personally escorted the man to the Ning Wang Fu. Peony and Liu Lang returned home to wait for news. At noon, Dalang happily came back and said: "The Ning Wang was furious and severely punished those few people. He also ordered someone to go and bind the manager of the Zhuang to ask for his crime. Not only did Deng Guan Shi get into trouble, but even the general manager of the Zhuang was also implicated in the crime. Dan Niang, from now on, no one should dare to cause trouble at your Zhuang again."

  "Isn't that Deng officer the nephew of the Grand Steward of the Wang Manor? Will they offend someone because of this?"

  Dalan was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said: "It shouldn't be, right? He's been caught red-handed, even if he wants to refute it, he can't. Besides, his uncle is powerful, he has his own strength. The Grand Manager can't compare with him. Prince Ning also said that if the people under him were all like these sly and arrogant slaves, no matter how good his reputation was, it would be ruined."

  Xue Shi smiled and said: "You've seen Ning Wang yourself?"

  "Of course," said Da Lang with a smile. "I didn't expect it either, but my uncle called me in, so I went in. He asked me about the specific situation and then comforted me for a while. To be honest, this prince is not scary at all, he has a good temper and speaks nicely, much more gentle than those people in the palace."

  Peony is now curious, what's wrong with Deng Guan Shi that he can't get along with her?

  By dusk, Li Yi finally reported the specific situation he had obtained to summarize and report on the situation. However, someone had instigated Deng Guanshi, saying that they were willing to pay a high price for Fangyuan, as long as he could get it, they would definitely want it. The person who went to fetch Deng Guanshi took out 10 taels of gold from his room, which was said to be the deposit.

  The peony smiled wryly, no need to ask her, she knew who that person was, the one with whom she had a deep and bitter feud, who had repeatedly tried to make things difficult for her, who else could it be?

  As expected, Li Wei glanced at her and said: "It seems that someone fell off their horse and although they haven't fully recovered, they must have been crippled. They've been in a bad mood every day, so someone went to tell them that my aunt's ball-throwing and horsemanship skills are excellent. If she had joined in on that occasion, this wouldn't have happened. But for some reason, the blame has fallen on Dan Niang's head. However, the Ning Wang has already sent someone to the Wei Wang Fu, so it seems she will be more restrained from now on."

  "Who said this to her?" Peony frowned and asked. She really can't catch a break even when she's lying down.