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

The thought of that child made her feel as if hundreds of ants were gnawing at her heart, a tingling, uncomfortable sensation that made her want to look up and take a good look at the woman in front of her, hoping to see a resemblance to the woman in her memory.

But she... dared not.

She clenched and unclenched the handkerchief in her hand, her neatly trimmed nails aching from the pressure, but she seemed numb to it, or perhaps she had gotten used to it, using this pain to stay awake and rational.

Having spent so long in the grave, if it weren't for this pain constantly reminding her that she was still alive, she probably would have gone mad by now.

Yu Wanyu slowly stood up, supporting herself on the armrest, and bowed her head slightly. "Young Madam, you must be very tired from the journey. I presume the guest room has been prepared. If there is nothing else, I will go back to rest."

Yuan Ge nodded and smiled. "The servants are outside the door and will take you there. Please make yourself at home, Madam."

"Young Madam, you've gone to so much trouble." Yu Wanyu turned around, pausing slightly before leaving, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Young Madam... I have a favor to ask, I wonder..."

"You say."

"I don't know..." The old woman's back hunched even more. She didn't turn around, only watching the sunlight outside the door fall on the hem of her clothes, making the mud splatters she had picked up while traveling through the mountains these past few days even more conspicuous and glaring. She stared at the stain, her tightly clenched back teeth finally loosening. She sighed as if giving up on something, before saying, "It's nothing... In the end, it was my own oversight." For a fleeting moment, she even wanted to see Shao Ai... her other daughter.

Shao Rou was the younger sister, lively and carefree, like a wild elf in the mountains; Shao Ai was the older sister, quiet and dignified, like a fairy from the heavens. It was a marriage alliance between Murong Zhen and the Yuan family. Although she didn't know the reason, she secretly felt that Shao Rou would be a good match... However, Shao Rou always had her own ideas and refused to marry a man she had never met. She even ran away in the middle of the night and has not been heard from since.

Although Murong Zhen was furious when Shao Rou left home, he still insisted on a marriage alliance with the Yuan family. For him, if one daughter was gone, there would naturally be another, and the matter naturally fell to Shao Ai. Shao Ai was quiet, gentle, and well-educated, which was really unsuitable for a military family. Moreover, the Yuan family was also angry because the Murong family had changed their choice of successor and wanted to change their own as well. In the end, the choice was made to Yuan Junfeng's son, Yuan Dalang, who had already left home... Shao Ai was obedient and, although unwilling, did not refuse. And her mother... did not stop her either.

She was powerless to stop it—that's how she comforted herself at the time. What could she do? She couldn't protect herself, she couldn't protect her young son, and she couldn't even protect her last two daughters. How could she face Shao Ai now...?

The old lady bent over even more, and slowly walked out while holding onto the door frame, almost staggering, looking as if she had aged many years in an instant.

Yuan Ge watched the other person leave until they disappeared from sight before getting up and walking to the door. In the bright sunlight of the corridor, a handkerchief lay quietly. The white handkerchief, without any pattern, was stained with tea, wrinkled, and had been abandoned in the corridor.

Yuan Ge stared at the handkerchief, his eyes cold and distant.

Yuan Ge naturally guessed the "unreasonable request" that Yu Wanyu hadn't voiced earlier, but... even if she had actually asked, she wouldn't have agreed. All these years, not a single word had been exchanged; it truly was a case of "a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup," and didn't she realize that spilled water can't be retrieved? Yuan Ge glanced again at the handkerchief discarded on the veranda, pressed a smile to his lips, and, with his hands behind his back, left while instructing Lin Mu, "Arrange for some skilled individuals to go and keep an eye on things. Don't be too meticulous; a little negligence is better... especially that third wife."

“That’s easy.” Lin Mu chuckled. “The young mistress means that she wants them to get fed up and cause trouble, then we can use that as an excuse to do something, and then—” At this point, he used his hand as a knife and gestured twice towards his neck, revealing a set of neat, white teeth that gleamed brightly, his smile sinister.

Yuan Ge slapped him on the head and laughed helplessly, "What are you saying? It's just that there are many things going on at Zhixuan Mountain recently and we're short-handed, so it's inevitable that we haven't been able to take good care of everyone. Also, as for the medicine garden, besides arranging another one for the book appraiser, the teacher is also their target. Now that the teacher can't see us, we shouldn't give them any opportunity to take advantage of us."

"Yes." When it came to business, Lin Mu's playful expression vanished, and he said seriously, "Just have someone guard the entrance to the herb garden, and don't let anyone from the Murong family get close. What do you think?"

“Alright. Please take good care of this matter.” Yuan Ge nodded his thanks before saying, “Go see your grandfather. He’s been quite a handful these past few days, and now that the Murong family has sent people, I’m afraid they’ll be tormenting the servants in the courtyard right now…” Thinking of how the old man had been jumping around these past few days trying to prove that he was fully recovered and ready to practice his martial arts, Yuan Ge felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead.

Although he was unreliable before, at least he wasn't this troublesome... This time when he returned to Zhixuan Mountain, the old man seemed to have become even more willful.

Upon arrival, it was discovered that this time, Grandfather wasn't bothering the servants; instead, he was tormenting Song Wenyuan—he was playing chess with Song Wenyuan, but Song Wenyuan's sportsmanship was terrible. To win, he resorted to all sorts of cheating and dishonesty, constantly trying to take back moves or hide pieces. Just as Yuan Ge entered, he saw the old man swiftly and decisively steal a black piece while Song Wenyuan was drinking tea. Yes, the black piece belonged to Song Wenyuan.

The method was rather clumsy; aside from the blind man, probably only Song Wenyuan, who was pretending to be blind at this moment, wouldn't be able to detect it.

Yuan Ge felt that, at this moment, the old man with gray hair was probably just a three-year-old child in Song Wenyuan's eyes. It was more like teasing a child than playing chess.

"Oh, our busy lady is here!" The old man waved to Yuan Ge, who was twitching at the door, and quickly stole two coins while Song Wenyuan turned around to look. Then, he grumbled at Yuan Ge, whose expression was twitching even more, "They say girls are outgoing, and it's true. Has the Murong family been feeding and caring for you? They haven't seen you for decades, but now they're rushing to entertain you after just one trip up the mountain... I, this old man, have been both her father and mother for half my life, and now I'm so sick I can't even get out of bed, and she hasn't even come to see me once."

After saying that, he clicked his tongue and shook his head repeatedly.

Yuan Ge took the teacup brought by the servant, and watched the servant leave again before chuckling and poking at his old tricks, "If I were here with you every day, wouldn't you really be stuck in bed all day and unable to go anywhere? It's only when I'm not around that you can get a whole house full of people to practice swordsmanship and boxing with you in the courtyard, right?"

"Nonsense!" The old man glared at her fiercely. "Why do we have to keep them here? If you ask me, give them a beating and send them down the mountain!"