The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

She remembered that her birthday was in a few days.

Lu Yun followed the path along the mountain. Strangely, although the two had just left, she didn't see them along the way.

Only when no footsteps could be heard anymore did the master and servant hiding in the dark stand up and walk out.

After returning to the courtyard, Lu Yun discovered that it was always Zhou Boli who came to see her in the past. She had no idea where his home was or whether he had any other place to stay in Kyoto.

I can only ask Liu Qing to help keep an eye on Zhou Boli's whereabouts.

Caihe has already packed her luggage. The master celebrates his birthday at the manor every year, and this year will be no exception.

Before leaving, Lu Yun thought about it and decided to take the box with her.

Dashou couldn't let Huihui go, so he decided to stay in the mountains.

This was the first time in so many years that Lu Yun was worried. She repeatedly asked Hong Fei to confirm that there was nothing unusual before leaving with Cai He.

Dashou stood quietly at the door until his sister disappeared from view.

At noon, Zhang specially asked someone to prepare a table of food to entertain Mr. Tan.

"Thank you, Madam Zhang." Qin Mao thanked her politely and sat down below.

Master Lu Er moved his body uncomfortably, as if there was something under his butt.

"Where does Mr. Tan live in Kyoto, and what does his family do?" Zhang smiled very kindly.

Having learned from his previous experience, the Fifth Prince carefully answered according to the identity he had already prepared, "I live in the north of Kyoto, and my family is in the grain business."

"No wonder I've never heard of it." Grain merchants in Kyoto are very low-key. Those who can do grain business under the feet of the emperor are not people without any background.

"I see that you are very young. Can you get married? Do you have other brothers and sisters at home?" Zhang continued to inquire.

Master Lu couldn't help coughing twice and said, "Alright, alright, if you have anything to say, wait until after dinner. The food is almost cold."

The fifth prince waved his hand and said, "It's okay. I'm not hungry. I can finish what I'm saying before eating." He then looked at Zhang with a serious expression and said, "I'm the youngest child in the family. Because I'm studying, I'm not married yet."

"Sir, you are very polite," Zhang said, becoming more and more satisfied as she looked at him. She hinted, "Given your talent and character, it would be better if you could pass the imperial examination and discuss marriage with me later."

"Madam Zhang, thank you for your praise. I am unworthy of it." The fifth prince declined modestly.

Master Lu couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead and invited the Fifth Prince to have dinner.

After the banquet was over, Yinhe brought the maids to serve fragrant tea.

"Mr. Tan, this is just coarse mountain tea, please don't mind it." Zhang gestured.

The fifth prince took a sip and immediately praised, "It's really good, bitter with a hint of sweetness."

Zhang winked at her husband, and Master Lu cleared his throat. "The Spring Examination is approaching. Do you have any thoughts of taking the exam?"

The Fifth Prince was startled when he heard this, then became extremely excited. "To be honest, I was naughty when I was young and passed the imperial examination. After many years, I received a lot of praise for my few false poems, which often made me feel uneasy. I should go through the examination again to verify it. Thank you for your advice, sir."

Master Lu swallowed his words.

Zhang was extremely satisfied. He was a humble, courteous young man with a good family background and literary talent, and he had a bright future. No one was more suitable than him.

After asking Yinhe to escort Mr. Tan back, Zhang personally brought a cup of tea to her husband and said, "Thank you so much for this."

Mr. Lu Er had a hard time expressing his frustration. The clear and sweet tea tasted worse than boiled water.

Lu Rong was completely unaware of this. The day after tomorrow was her sister's birthday, and she was discussing with Jin He what to choose as her sister's birthday gift: a box of pearls and gems, a hundred-liang silver note, or a purse she could make herself.

In previous years, she always gave silver as a gift, but this year she wanted to try something different.

Jin He supports giving pearls and gems as gifts, but Lu Rong feels that it is inappropriate. Her sister is now a nun, and she cannot wear pearls and gems outside.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to give a silver note, doubling the amount.

After taking a look at the sky outside, Lu Rong guessed that her sister would be back soon, so she took Jin He and hurried to the front yard to greet her.

Yin He walked in and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Miss. It will be a while before the princess returns. Madam has asked me to invite you over."

Zhang was sitting in the room, a book at her side. Seeing Sister Rong walk in, she smiled and waved, "Come quickly! Your Aunt Yuan sent someone to bring the shop's new styles, along with the accounts for the past few months. Come and help me take a look."

These were common practices, and Lu Rong knew her mother was planning to leave the shop to her as a dowry. Taking the sketchbook, Lu Rong carefully flipped through it, pointing out a few that she thought were good and a few that she thought were not so good.

Zhang nodded as she listened, "You're right." Yinhe made notes on the edge with charcoal.

"It's spring and I feel sleepy. Your father is reading in the study. Can you ask him if he wants some tea to refresh himself?" Zhang ordered.

Lu Rong didn't suspect anything and stood up to go forward. After taking a few steps, she was stopped again. She looked at her mother in confusion, "Mother, is there anything else you need your daughter to do?"

Zhang carefully examined her daughter's clothes and jewelry, and seeing that there was nothing wrong with them, she nodded and said, "Nothing, you can go."

Lu Rong walked to the study door, motioned Yin He to wait outside, and knocked twice. Her father's voice came from inside, "Who is it?"

"Father, it's my daughter." Lu Rong answered as she pushed the door open and walked into the room.

When she saw the situation in the room clearly, she was stunned. Besides her father, there was also a young man in the room. Seeing his eyes staring at her, Lu Rong lowered her eyes, her earlobes burning uncontrollably. She turned to face her father and said, "Mother sent me to ask, since springtime makes you sleepy easily, could you please give me a pot of strong tea to refresh you?"

Master Lu glanced at the dull-witted boy without leaving any trace, and almost immediately said, "No need, you can go out."

Returning to her mother, Lu Rong was furious and annoyed. "Mom, did you do this on purpose?"

Zhang pretended not to understand and looked puzzled. "What do you mean by intentional?"

Lu Rong was speechless, not knowing what to say.

Zhang smiled and stopped teasing her. Her voice was very gentle, "You are a grown-up girl now. Although Mr. Tan comes from a merchant family, he is very knowledgeable. When he passes the imperial examination and becomes a Jinshi, maybe our family will be able to find a son-in-law from the list."

Lu Rong's face turned completely red, and she stood up and walked out without saying a word.

It was already evening when they returned to the village. Passing by a tea stall at the foot of the mountain, Lu Yun went to ask about it herself and learned that the old man had only seen Zhou Boli a few nights ago.

It's really strange. When I'm not looking for him, he hangs around me every day, but when I really need to look for him, he disappears.

After handing the annoying box to Caihe, Lu Yun got off the carriage and saw her sister standing there blankly, looking very worried.

Lu Yun softly called her "Sister?"

Lu Rong was startled and her face turned visibly red. She raised her hands to cover her face and hid behind Jin He to avoid her sister's inquiring gaze.