He Shi and Shao Yingxiu were also dragged away by the county magistrate's captors, of course, Shao Yingyuan was among them.

  Xue Shizi saw that He Le'an's voice was hoarse and feared that her throat was damaged, so she asked her to go into the package room for a doctor to check. The door of the package room was just slightly ajar, and he turned his face to catch Dongfang Chui Mu following He Le'an's line of sight, laughing: "My two sisters at home are both masters of provoking jealousy, today they let you see their joke."

  Dongfang Kemu shrugged casually and meaninglessly, just as a dusty white figure hurried up the steps, walking slowly - his lazy eyes scanned Dongfang Kemu and fell on Xue Shizhi standing in front of the private room, then before he could ask any questions, Xue Shizhi pointed with his chin to behind him and said, "The doctor is examining him."

  The three of them looked at each other in dismay, the air around them seeming to be sucked out, and the atmosphere suddenly became a bit strange. Fortunately, before things got any stranger, the slightly ajar door was pushed open by the doctor, who bowed respectfully to Xue Shizong and said: "Miss He's vocal cords are damaged, applying medicine and resting for a few days will suffice. I've already informed her of the necessary precautions. If Your Excellency has no other matters, I'll take my leave."

  Xue Shizi handed another ingot of silver to the doctor. He raised his eyes and saw Xū Xiāo frowning at him... walking towards the back room, and as they brushed shoulders, he said: "If you dare to let them off lightly, I will not forgive you."

  "......" Xue Shizi really felt that he had been wronged, but the person who had spoken had already walked into the private room on his own, so he could only say to Dongfang Chui who was still standing in the corridor, "Today I've troubled you to be a witness, another day they will definitely thank you personally."

  I thought it was just a casual greeting, but unexpectedly Dongfang Chumu nodded seriously and replied: "Good." After finishing speaking, he walked away with a swagger.

  Xue Shizi was taken aback, blinking his eyes, watching him go downstairs, speechless and dumbfounded, opening his mouth. He hadn't been in the jianghu for long, had he? When did the rules of the jianghu become so 'real'? At this time, according to convention, shouldn't he say "no need to be polite"?

  He walked into the private room filled with the pungent smell of medicinal wine and saw He Le'an and Xue Huiyu sitting on chairs by the window, one with a white cloth wrapped around her neck and the other with bandages on her ankle. It was as if they were good sisters who had to suffer together. He sighed and said, "It seems that neither of you will be okay for a while." He gently stroked her neck with his hand.

  Perhaps it was the thick white gauze, but He Le'an didn't feel his hand touching her neck. However, when his warm palm lightly brushed against her chin and cheek, she still blushed and softly said: "I, I'm fine..."

  If Xue Hui hadn't been by his side, Xu Xie would have kissed her already. He turned over her face, looked at her slightly red eyes, and couldn't help but gently rub her scorching hot cheeks with his thumb, which still had two faint finger marks. "I'll make them pay you back double."

  He Le'an suddenly remembered that He Shi had also slapped herself, but perhaps due to her haste, the force wasn't great, and her face didn't swell up, although there might be a mark. She smiled wryly and was about to speak when Xue Hui interjected indignantly: "Just now we were also planning to fight back, but unfortunately they were too sudden and fierce, and by the time we reacted, we were already at a disadvantage! How detestable!"

  As the legitimate daughter of the Jin Ning Marquis's manor, with an older brother to pamper her in front and a cousin to protect her behind, with older male cousins on both sides to love and care for her, Xue Huiyu had grown up this big without ever suffering such humiliation. "I'll dig three feet into the ground if I have to, just to uncover all the crimes they've committed in their lifetime! I want these mad dogs to spend every year, every month, regretting their actions behind iron bars!"

  "Involve the Zhuo Yi Bo Fu and the Wei Wu Jiang Jun Fu, although it's not easy to say, but it's not difficult to trouble them for a lifetime." Xue Shi Zi, who had just finished speaking in the wind, came in and said, "Now the whole Fengzhou City is making a big fuss about the He family killing their concubine, one corpse with two lives. If that concubine has relatives coming to ask for justice, the county magistrate will follow up on it, and it will be justified."

  The Jun Ning Marquis's estate and the Jia Ning Marquis's estate are secretly exerting pressure, and the county magistrate doesn't want to offend the Zhuo Yi Bo estate and... nor can he afford to offend the gradually declining Wei Wu General's estate. After all, compared to each other, neither of them can afford to offend the Jun Ning Marquis's estate and the Jia Ning Marquis's estate, plus there is also a first rich man.

  **

  Xie sent He Luan back to the Houfu's other mansion.

  The matter of Feng Chui Building spread quickly and became known throughout the streets and alleys.

  When He Le Ying rushed into He Le An's room, she saw Xi Xie carefully applying ointment to the fingerprints on He Le An's face. She took another look at the thick white gauze wrapped around her own neck and shouted angrily: "That slut He Shi! Does she really think our Hou Mansion is easy to bully?"

  "I'm fine, Ninth Sister doesn't have to worry too much." He Lian said softly and slowly.

  He Leiyin rolled her eyes, "You see your throat, Sixth Sister thinks that being hoarse is a big deal? No way, I'll definitely ask Grandmother to intervene, so they know that no girl in our Hou Mansion can be easily bullied. Those He and Shao Yingxiu have been repeatedly finding fault with you for no reason, if this continues, it will never end!"

  She had barely finished speaking when he took off like a shot and ran out of there.

  He Le'an didn't rush to stop her either, and only heard Xie Xiao lightly laugh and say: "This little girl is actually quite good."

  "Hmm." He Le Yan was a bit impulsive and hot-headed, but she was lively and kind-hearted, never intentionally bearing any ill will towards anyone. Perhaps it could be said that she wasn't raised in a complex and deep courtyard, without many twists and turns of intrigue. If you treated her with sincerity, she would also treat you with kindness.

  Before long, He LeYing supported He LaoTaiTai over here. He LaoTaiTai took one look at her beloved granddaughter being injured so badly and was furious, her heart racing violently. All the grievances accumulated, all the shame gone, "He, he, he may not want to acknowledge you, but he shouldn't let his own daughter-in-law and granddaughter bully you like this!"

  At this time, the maid announced that Shao's uncle had arrived. After he was coldly and indifferently 'invited' in, it was discovered that everyone in the house was present. The words of apology prepared along the way could not be spoken instantly.

  Moreover, He Lao's dark and gloomy face made him almost unable to lift his head, but even though he no longer had feelings for He Shi, they still had a relationship, not to mention the two daughters in prison. After simply asking about their well-being, he stiffened his scalp and said: "He Yuer is not a bad person by nature, you..."

  "I never thought they were inherently bad, the whole Fengzhou City knows that Shao Yingxiu dared to ruin my sixth sister's appearance in broad daylight, and today she still dares to strangle her to death. If it weren't for the timely intervention of Dongfang Gongzi from the Zhiyitang Manor, what you would have brought back to the Hou Manor today wouldn't be medicinal plaster, but mourning incense!" He Leiyin interrupted indignantly.

  Shao's uncle is not as good as He's family. Originally, his face was thin-skinned, and upon hearing the words, his face turned red. He Le'an then said, "Uncle, I still call you Uncle today because of your past kindness to me. The one who wronged me so deeply is He's family, and I won't let her off easily. As for Shao Yingxiu, if you want to plead for mercy, it would be better to go to the Jin Ning Hou Mansion, as she was the one who hurt Miss Xue Si. Shao Yingyuan didn't lift a hand, so after the county magistrate's interrogation, he will likely release her."

  Shao's uncle wanted to speak again, but Old Lady He sternly said: "Your Bo Mansion refused to accept us, it doesn't mean our Hou Mansion won't consider her as a blood relative. We have always loved and raised her since childhood, when did she ever suffer such humiliation? What have Ge and Shao Yingxiu done to her? You, as her father, are also very clear about this. I won't say anything unpleasant, but you don't need to plead for them anymore. This matter has been fully handed over to the authorities, whatever punishment they receive is what they deserve!"

  Things having reached this point, Shao Daixi could no longer bear to stay any longer.

  The atmosphere, which had become heavy due to Shao's uncle coming over, slowly warmed up after he left. Mrs. He knew that He Le'an's vocal cords were damaged and she couldn't talk much, so she pulled Xi Ye aside to chat about some family matters, and also warmly invited this future grandson-in-law who was satisfactory in all aspects to stay for dinner before leaving.

  In the evening, He Le Xuan, who was studying in the city suburbs, also heard the news and asked for leave to come back and visit. However, the scratches on his face were slightly eye-catching, and He Le Yuan asked him repeatedly. He could only say helplessly, "It's because of Ge Er from the Wei Wu Jiang Jun Fu, this matter has spread throughout the school, and some classmates mentioned that Ge's family was not good, and they quarreled, I happened to intervene."

  "His family is indeed a bunch of arrogant ones." He LeYing sneered, "Does he really think the entire Fengzhou City is his family's territory?"

  At the dinner table, He San Shu subtly said, "In their family, only General Wei Wu and He Yi are reasonable." The two sons and one daughter of the General's Mansion, the eldest son is like his father, the second son is like his mother, and there is a daughter who has been raised in the capital since childhood. Rarely come back.

  He Le Xuan seemed to remember something and nodded in agreement, "Indeed."

  He Le Yuan saw something and had a story to tell, Old Lady He was also full of curiosity, and hastily asked: "What's that?!"

  "There was once when Hua Er and a classmate got into an argument at school, his mother rushed over to scold the classmate, but it was actually Hua Er's fault, and even the teacher testified to that. However, his mother insisted that her son couldn't be wrong, and after causing a big commotion for a long time, others couldn't take it anymore and ended up apologizing to them instead." He Le Xuan shook his head and said.

  After that, before Xiexie had left, the maid came in with a box of palm-sized nanmu plaster and reported: "Miss, this was sent by the young master of the Provincial Governor's mansion."

  The maid put down the nanmu box, and Xi Ye's eyes gleamed with a mixture of danger and playfulness as he gazed at the person who was shocked, saying: "Someone gave you a box, are you dissatisfied that it's not enough?"

  “……” He Lianan sensitively discovered that the air was bubbling with sour bubbles, and hastily shook his head, saying, “No, no, it’s not like that, I’m not familiar with him at all, really, we only met once on the street!” Perhaps because he spoke too quickly, his throat became uncomfortable, followed by a series of intermittent, hoarse, and painful coughs.

  He gently patted her back, "What's wrong, I didn't say anything."

  Hehe, you still say you haven't said anything? He Le'an coughed laboriously and raised his hand to wipe away the tears that were welling up in his eyes. With a strained voice, he said: "You...you're going too far! You're intentionally bullying people!"

  "An'er just doesn't understand, you're such an attractive little treasure." Xū Xié pulled her into his arms, stroking her back while whispering warmly in her ear.

  He Le'an's cheeks flushed red as she spoke softly and slowly: "I, I'm not as good as you say."

  "You are a hundred times, a thousand times better than what I said." Xū Xié said resolutely.

  He Le An Xin Hu Tian Si Si de, "But I and the young master of the patrol commander's mansion have only met once."

  There are many love at first sights in this world, but He Jian's true appearance is really unknown to her how good-looking she is. Xi Ye silently sighed in his heart, "I must believe you." But other wolves and tigers, must be guarded against.

  **

  The case of He Shi and Shao Yingxiu being taken away by the county magistrate has attracted much attention and pressure, with some seeking leniency and others demanding severe punishment. The small county magistrate is so troubled that his hair is about to fall out. Just then, someone beats a drum to protest injustice, wailing and howling for justice, and slaps He Shi and Shao Yingxiu loudly on the ear. This time, the matter of several lives cannot be covered up by the General's Mansion alone.

  Shaoyingyuan was released in a few days, but He Shi and Shaoyingxiu were handed over to Yu Xunfu for disposal due to the unbearable pressure from the county magistrate, as all the conclusive evidence was extremely unfavorable to He Shi and Shaoyingxiu. Yu Xunfu could only make a judgment based on the law and submit it to the governor-general, who confirmed that there was no problem and then submitted it to the imperial court. As a result, He Shi was beheaded in autumn, and Shaoyingxiu was exiled to a remote border region.

  When the news reached the residence of Zhuo Yibo, Shao Yingyuan fainted directly. Shao Dabo was afraid that she would make some irreparable trouble again, so he sent someone out of the city overnight. He Xiangxiang clamored to see her own brother General Weiwu, and Yu Xunfu agreed.

  In the dark and damp prison cell, He Shi wore a prisoner's uniform with disheveled hair and a dirty face, crying and wailing: "Brother, that He Le An is really a demon, I don't ask you to avenge me anymore, just please take good care of my Yu'er and Ning'er, the one surnamed Shao is heartless, who knows how he will mistreat them in the future!"

  "I know that Yu'er has always liked Ze Ge, so fulfill my last wish. Let Ze Ge marry Yu'er, and I've saved some money over the years, you help Yu'er and Ning'er split it evenly. Whatever happens, don't let that Shao woman from the Zhuo Yi Bo Fu take advantage of them, or I'll die with a grievance!"

  The majestic general looked at his own sister, Ru Si, and felt both heartache and suffocation. He hated that she was not living up to her potential and said: "I had already advised you, don't get entangled with the young lady from the Jianing Marquis's household again, but you didn't listen. Look at yourself now, it's still your own suffering!"

  He sneered, "She's just like her mother. Born to be a seductress, not a lady born and raised in the Bo household. Even if I drove her out, what's it to me? That Shao family, still pining after all these years... how unjust! And she has the same face as her mother, look at those men clamoring to take her side!"

  The majestic general saw that she was about to die and still couldn't let go of her old grudges, so he knew that no matter how much he said, it would be useless. He said: "Although she is not the biological daughter of Old Zuo Yibo and his wife, she is the daughter of their old friends and is no different from a biological child. If your husband had feelings for her back then, I believe that with the love and care of Old Zuo Yibo and his wife, they would have been together, what business did you have in it?"

  "It's all because of you that your relationship with your wife has been ruined, don't blame anyone else."

  He didn't want to hear any more of He Shi's absurd and hateful nonsense, so he hastily interrupted, "I promise you, I will take good care of Yuan'er and Ning'er in the future. During our exile, I will also send people to take care of them along the way. You can rest assured..."

  **

  He Le'an welcomed He San Shu's wedding banquet while recovering from her injury, she was supposed to help entertain the guests, but due to her slow recovery of vocal cords, Old Lady He brought He Le Yuan and He Le Xuan to take over, from the front hall, the lively noise from the backyard kept coming, Xi Ye slipped away from the crowd's attention to come see her.

  Seeing her reading a book, he sat down beside her to sip tea, propped up his chin to gaze at her as she read. To him, this was indeed a beautiful scene. But He Lian was made uncomfortable by his stare and lifted her head to say, "Why are you staring at me?"

  "Looks good." Xie Ye said with a smile, his face not flushing or his heart racing.

  "This old man talks about romantic words, and he doesn't know what shyness is. He Lei's heart beats faster and says, 'I, I, what do I have that's good-looking?'"

  "Just can't help but feel that such a good person will be my wife in the future, thinking about it makes me extremely happy." As Xie's slow and gentle voice fell, a short, abrupt hissing sound came from outside the door, followed by a thick, playful tone that was not polite at all:

  "Is all the white sugar in the Marquis's mansion stored in this room? How come everything that comes out is a terrifying flavor that makes people's teeth ache!"

  He Le'an turned around to see He Le'yan, dressed in festive attire, arriving with Xue Shi-zi. Just then, He Le'yan covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Xue Shi-zi was indeed correct, the young master of the Hou estate will not be late for the banquet. If he can't be found in the front hall, it's certain that he'll quietly slip into the back garden to visit Sixth Sister first, and then they'll go together when it's time for the banquet."

  She was so embarrassed by their ambiguous little eyes that she subconsciously covered her face with a book, and then heard Xie Yan say casually: "An is my fiancée, it's natural to be sad, the front hall is lively, and I'm not missing."

  Xue Shizi deliberately pretended to be heartbroken and sighed loudly, "Men in the world are always unfeeling, once they have a fiancée, they abandon their brothers."

  "Hmm, especially someone like you, who was the first to abandon." Xū Xié said with a cold smile.

  He Le was amused by them. "Since Master Xú is indeed here, then Marquis Xue can also take it easy. I'll go out and attend to my business first."

  Xue Shizi discreetly glanced around He Le'an's simple and unadorned room, walked to the large bookcase, scanned through the Buddhist scriptures and classics, and said with a smile: "He Liu, you're just a 15 or 16-year-old girl, what kind of stimulation did you receive that made you even study Buddhist scriptures?" Just like his sister said, there were all sorts of strange and miscellaneous books.

  "It's just passing time." He Lian said softly, slowly revealing half of her face from the book.

  They chatted casually for a while, and when the banquet began, they went out to the front hall together. The Jia Ning Hou Fu, Zhuo Yi Bo Fu, and Wei Wu Jiang Jun Fu had completely fallen out, and even on the surface, they didn't bother to pretend to be cordial. Everyone in the room saw the white gauze wrapped around He Le An's neck and couldn't help but sigh.

  After all, it was a great joyous occasion, and no one deliberately made trouble by bringing up the matter of He Shi and Shao Yingxiu, so the banquet dispersed very happily. He San's colleagues shouted and argued that they wanted to go and make trouble in the bridal chamber, but this was clearly not something that the younger generation could join in on.

  Just as He Lian'ai had seen off the servant from his own courtyard and was about to cross the small flower garden and enter the house, he heard someone behind him call out in a very impolite manner: "Hey!"

  He Le An, who was about to step under the eaves, turned back hesitantly and saw a proud figure in dark green walking quickly towards her. She blinked suspiciously, "......Xiao Qi???"

  In the thick, ink-like night color that couldn't be wiped away even with a brush, Xiao Qi stopped three steps in front of her, raised his hand and threw out something saying "No need! Thanks!" After speaking, he turned around and quickly walked away.

  He Le'an hastily caught the object, dazedly watching the tall and slender figure swiftly departing. Unable to stop him, he inexplicably looked down at the small, round, celadon jade carving of a fish in his hand, suspiciously trying to open it, and a faint, refreshing medicinal scent wafted out from the pale pink paste inside.

  He Le'an's eyes widened in shock, "This is... a gift for her... medicine?"

  The next day, He Le'an woke up early to go to her grandmother's house to see Sheng San's wife. When she saw the green jade box on the dresser, she still couldn't believe it. Xiao Qi, who had always been sarcastic or mocking towards her, actually gave her medicine. It was like a dream. She didn't dare to do such a thing! But incredibly, this was reality. Was the sun going to rise in the west from now on?!

  The new daughter-in-law's second day is to offer tea to the elders, and the younger generation in the house also needs to pay their respects and call out the new title. Xiao Si Niang looks elegant and refined, perhaps due to her years of protecting her younger brother and sister, she has learned a lot about how to navigate social situations, looking very virtuous and knowledgeable, with impeccable manners. The gifts she gave to the three younger generation members were extremely valuable, as if she intentionally wanted to build good relationships.

  "What the old lady said was not harsh, but gentle: "Although the Fenshui City branch is not as prosperous as the capital city, there are still rules to follow. You should know what you need to know and take care of what you need to take care of. In the future, just serve your husband wholeheartedly. As for Xuan'er and Yuan'er's marriage, I can still make decisions on this matter. You and Sanlang just focus on having children."

  "Yes, Mother." Xiao Si Niang replied diligently.

  **

  On the fifth day, He Le'an's vocal cords had just removed the white gauze, and as agreed, he went to the Jin Ning Hou Mansion to visit Xue Huiyu, who was injured with a broken bone. Unexpectedly, news of Zhong Sun Si's accidental miscarriage and double death arrived. She accompanied Xue Huiyu, who was hard to believe, rushing to the Zhi Yi Bo Mansion. Only to see the sorrowful Empress Yi embracing the cold and wet corpse, crying uncontrollably.

  In the lavishly decorated yet somewhat pale chamber, He Le'an suddenly let out a loud sneeze. She uncomfortably rubbed her nose and apologized to Princess Yi Qin, who was already beyond consolation. Before she could even finish speaking, she let out two more sneezes in succession. Embarrassed, she retreated from the bedside, leaving Xue Huiyu to comfort the weeping Princess Yi Qin, who was now gasping for breath.

  He Le'an's line of sight inadvertently swept across, and she saw a shallow purple plant placed on the windowsill, with four-petaled flowers only the size of a thumb nail, set against the lush greenery of the garden, with clusters of tender new buds bursting forth. It was both unique and pleasing to the eye, yet she always felt that this plant seemed familiar, as if she had seen it in some book...