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

Unconsciously, they arrived at the gate of the herb garden. Yuan Ge lowered his voice, looked up at the person beside him, and called out, "Song Wenyuan."

"Hmm." He lowered his eyes to observe her expression, their fingers intertwined, a calm and gentle smile on his face, waiting for her to continue.

She lowered her brows slightly, her skin under the moonlight possessing an unapproachable coolness, almost bloodless white. When Song Wenyuan saw her gently twitch the corners of her mouth, he heard her say, "When I first met Murong Yuxuan, he said that Yu Wanyu's last wish before she died was to find Murong Shaorou. In his words, she was a woman with a tragic fate... Later, when my teacher told me about those old stories, my impression of her was nothing more than a gentle, easily bullied, and helpless woman confined to her house. It wasn't until I saw her with my own eyes this time... that I realized it was completely different."

She sighed softly, her lips drooping little by little. She said, "Until I left that courtyard, I hoped to find proof that she was truly powerless. But... reason tells me that there is no such thing as powerlessness. Those words were just her deceiving herself after standing by and watching... Perhaps she said it too many times, and even she herself had long since come to believe it."

As she spoke, her head drooped slightly and her shoulders slumped, making her look like a homeless kitten, raising concerns about whether such a fragile little thing could survive the long winter.

Song Wenyuan embraced Yuan Ge, who was unusually vulnerable, and sighed, "Silly girl... Whether she was helpless, stood by and did nothing, or had some unspeakable secret, the deceased is gone, and there's no point in dwelling on the truth now. As for how she treated you... many people like my little girl, many people are sincere towards you. Aunt Gui even asked around to find out when you're coming back, saying that she's been learning a lot of pastry making lately and is waiting for us to come back so she can show off her skills! So, why bother with a relationship whose authenticity is uncertain... Don't you agree?"

His voice was gentle and deep. She pressed her face against his chest, as if she could feel the vibrations in his chest as he spoke.

A tremor from a heart that is close enough brings a sense of peace.

"Mmm." She buried her face in his chest and responded in a muffled voice, sounding somewhat downcast.

The evening breeze was chilly, but the chest in front of me felt all the warmer, making me reluctant to leave. Behind me, I heard a low laugh and the sound of a cane tapping the ground, followed by a familiar teasing, "Old man, I'm blind, and you all just act like this without any restraint, huh?"

Yuan Ge turned around and saw the old man staring at them with his eyes open, a mischievous smile on his face. He teased, "Don't you even know what time it is? It's one thing to be all lovey-dovey during the day, but now it's the middle of the night, and you're still reluctant to part... These young people, I really can't bear to look at them..." He shook his head repeatedly, sighing "I can't bear to look at them" while laughing heartily.

Yuan Ge was shy, and even though she knew the other person couldn't see her, she still blushed. She pushed Song Wenyuan away, walked to the old man's side, and took his arm, shaking her head helplessly, "Didn't I arrange a personal servant to take care of you? Why did you come out alone? Be careful not to fall..."

“We can’t rely on him for everything… Let’s go, it’s late, we’ll come back tomorrow!” Feng Qingtan, sensing the approach, raised her cane towards the door and scolded with a smile. Then she lowered her eyes and “looked” at Yuan Ge. “Those young men are at the age where they need to sleep. They’ve already worked hard taking care of this old man during the day, so let them sleep for a while… Perfect, I was thinking that at least I can get familiar with my own garden. How’s that old man Yuan Junfeng doing lately?”

As Yuan Ge took his arm and escorted him back, she replied softly, "He's almost fully recovered. You know his personality; once he wakes up, he can't stay still. The servants in the courtyard have been quite exhausted these past few days. I'm worried that if he finds out, he'll make a fuss about coming over, and if the news of your poor eyesight gets to Murong and his group, it could cause unnecessary trouble. That's why I haven't told him yet. Otherwise, how could he possibly sit still?"

"Needless to say, it wasn't a big problem to begin with." Feng Qingtan used her cane to measure the surrounding environment little by little, and chuckled softly. "That old man must be very annoyed lately. I don't want him to come here. I don't want to be blind and deaf without any peace and quiet."

“That’s true.” Yuan Ge smiled as well. With the tapping sound of his cane on the ground, Yuan Ge looked at the gentle-looking old man beside him, but hesitated and ultimately did not voice the question that was on his mind.

Even though Feng Qingtan couldn't see her hesitant expression, the repeated glances directed at him felt incredibly heavy. He paused slightly, turned his head, and said, "Just say what you want to say. When did you learn to be so hesitant?"

Yuan Ge smiled and shook his head, "It's nothing, just some trivial matters, better not to talk about it... It's getting late, I'll take you home. In the future, even if you need to familiarize yourself with the surroundings, do it during the day when everyone is around. At your age, if you bump into something and suffer, you'll be the one who suffers..."

"Okay, okay..." Feng Qingtan replied helplessly. His cane touched the steps ahead, and he took a steady step before shaking his head repeatedly. "Stop nagging. This teenage girl is becoming more and more like a nagging old woman. No need to see me off, it's no big deal... I got to the courtyard gate without you, didn't I? Don't worry! Go to sleep!"

Yuan Ge let go of his hand but remained standing still. She watched as the old man groped his way into the room and quietly closed the door. She glanced at the servant who hadn't woken up in the corridor, hesitated for a moment, and finally gave up the idea of ​​replacing him. Ever since his eyesight deteriorated, the teacher had become much gentler, his temper had subsided considerably, and he was often noticeably more cautious—he felt he was causing trouble for others.

If these servants were replaced because of this, the teacher would probably have more to think about.

That's it.

Thinking this, Yuan Ge went back to her room with her hands behind her back. Actually, she wanted to ask her teacher what kind of person Yu Wanyu was, but after hesitating for a long time, she didn't ask. She wasn't sure what kind of existence Yu Wanyu was in her teacher's heart, but she thought... that gentle and kind young lady from a prestigious family was different in her teacher's eyes.

If old friends have become unrecognizable, it would be cruel to a teacher. It would be better to not see them, not think of them, or even not know them. I suppose the teacher has such concerns in mind that he has never asked about them these days.

Since that's the case, there's naturally no need to mention it again.