After rebirth, she became the favorite of the powerful minister.

Young ladies from aristocratic families have rules for every move they make. Although they are not necessarily so rigid and boring that they would not go beyond the rules even a little bit, they should at least follow the rules. There are rules for sitting, standing, and even walking.

Kicking with every step may have a wild charm in the mountains, but it would be a bit impolite in the inner courtyard of a house.

This Wen Qian... Zhuang Mengdie watched him disappear from sight, then turned back, but couldn't help but complain in her heart: This Wen Qian is probably a shocking person in Shengjing, no wonder he can get along well with Nan Yin... But to say that such a person would go to great lengths to "seize power" in order to please the old man is somewhat unbelievable. Overall, he is not a good person, but he is not a treacherous and evil person with deep scheming.

It's really surprising.

……

Yuan Ge said, "I'll be back soon." She returned to the medicinal garden. Feng Qingtan was weeding in the yard. Seeing her, he looked suspicious. "You're back so soon? Why are you alone?"

Yuan Ge then remembered her grandfather and Song Wenyuan whom she had completely forgotten. Thinking of the old man who had been particularly unfriendly to Song Wenyuan recently, Yuan Ge smiled awkwardly, "Ah, he's still with the old man. I forgot about it... Zhuang Mengdie came to look for me just now. I guess she heard some gossip and was worried that I would send the second elder to Shengjing for trial, so she came to test his words."

"Speaking of this, I wanted to ask you something as well." Feng Qingtan waved his hand. "Come, while there aren't so many random people around, let me talk to you seriously... What are you going to do with him?"

Yuan Ge gathered her skirt and squatted beside him. She reached out and pulled at a few weeds nearby, but she didn't pull them out. She just pulled them absentmindedly and didn't say anything for a long time.

The old man couldn't stand it anymore, so he slapped Yuan Ge on the back of his hand and sneered, "Just say whatever you want to say! Why are you hesitating and hemming and hawing in front of me, an old man? It's only been a short time since you went out, and you've changed like a different person when you come back?" His words were casual, as if Yuan Ge had really just returned from a few months of training, rather than having experienced a life-and-death catastrophe and been reborn. But putting it here, it seemed like a whitewash that made things even more obvious.

Some things, even just mentioning them, make me feel unbearable pain in my chest and abdomen.

Yuan Ge pretended not to notice, gathered his clothes and sat on the ground. He hugged his knees and looked at Feng Qingtan. After a long while, he sighed and said softly, "If I were just Wen Qian, I would definitely send him to Shengjing without saying a word. How to punish him or sentence him is the court's business. What does it have to do with me? But teacher... I am not Wen Qian, or rather, I can't be just Wen Qian."

"I am Wen Qian, and I am also Yuan Ge. Zhixuan Mountain is my home, and all of you on the mountain are my family. There may be grudges and conflicts, but in the end... we are a family after all. Even if we are reunited in another life, every day we spent together is real. I can't bear it after all... Smuggling, if he goes to Shengjing, he will be forced to confess. He is too old to bear it. If he goes this time, I'm afraid he won't be able to come back in this life."

Feng Qingtan also sighed, and after a while he said, "Zhuang Lichuan has indeed changed a lot over the years... He wasn't like this before. So what you mean is it just like that?"

Is it just going to pass like this?

Indeed, the disappearance of the girl in Shengjing had nothing to do with Zhuang Lichuan, and it was Jinsu who knew how to open the secret room, but... without Zhuang Lichuan, how could Jinsu have established a relationship with Shengjing? The smuggled spices were expensive, so how could Jinsu have gotten them? Without those crucial raw materials, Jinsu would have had a hard time even if she had gotten the secret recipe from the secret room. In the final analysis, Zhuang Lichuan was not innocent.

Yuan Ge slowly rested his chin on his knees, shook his head, and said softly, "The matter of breaking into the secret room at night can be forgiven, and the matter of him trying to kill me can also be forgiven... But teacher, even if it can be forgiven in my case, what about the court? What about the law? What about those innocent girls who died? They were only in their teens, just as young as flowers... but they will remain in the age of flowers forever."

Feng Qingtan silently patted the back of his hand on her knee and nodded slightly as if to encourage her. "Just do as you think. No matter what, I, an old man, will definitely stand by Xiao Ge'er and support you. Don't worry!"

"Zhuang Batian came to me and asked me if Zhuang Lichuan could stay in his own yard and the matter would be over. I told her yes." Yuan Ge lay there listlessly, looking at his teacher who patted his chest and promised, and pulled the corner of his mouth, quite bored. "Jin Su is dead, and before his death he only confessed to murder. There is still no conclusive evidence that the second elder teamed up with Shengjing to smuggle spices for profit... But I think this matter must be explained, and there will always be a day. At that time, even if I want to help, I will be powerless."

"My promise is doomed to fail..." Yuan Ge laughed bitterly, "Teacher, I, I just wanted to avoid alerting the enemy."

"Silly girl, why don't you tell the truth in front of the teacher?" Feng Qingtan raised his hand and scraped Yuan Ge's nose. His fingers were covered with mud, and the mud rubbed against Yuan Ge's nose. The cold and bitter girl looked a little more cute. Feng Qingtan gently comforted her, "It's obviously not your problem, but you put yourself in a dilemma. You have been like this since you were a child. At such a young age, you want to protect everyone."

"But you forgot that these things are not your responsibility. Zhuang Lichuan is several times older than you, how could he not know what is right and wrong? He knows, but even if he knows, he still did it... You want to protect him, but he may not appreciate your kindness. You promised him to behave himself and let this matter go, but maybe the first thing he would do when he wakes up is to stir up trouble... Girl, you will never be able to protect everyone, and you can't protect someone who is determined to die."

Yuan Ge was silent for a while and then nodded slightly.

Feng Qingtan reached out his hand and scraped the tip of her nose again, wiping away the remaining mud marks, leaving only some dark marks. He looked at the marks, smiled indulgently, and said comfortingly, "Okay, okay, now that you're sitting here, don't be idle, help me weed! You don't have the slightest shame to stand by and watch an old guy like me work!"

"You are still strong and healthy. As your apprentice, I am so happy that I can't wait to be ashamed." Yuan Ge smiled, but the smile soon disappeared. She called, "Teacher."

"I'm going to trouble you for something. Please go to the Second Elder and wake him up in advance."