Sir Song, do you want to pledge yourself to me?

"The southern area is where officials who can't break into the circle of nobles gather. Aside from the prestigious Duke Jun's Mansion, most of the capital's famous merchants live in the west of the city. As for the north of the city, it's where ordinary people like us live."

Ji Nuan gestured to Shunzi to continue while eating.

Shunzi gladly obeyed and told some recent rumors.

It's said that the Crown Princess recently became pregnant with her second child. The Empress Dowager, sympathetic to her struggles with childbirth, sent ten beauties to the Eastern Palace to accompany her. However, no sooner had the Crown Princess received these beauties than the Crown Prince rewarded ten beauties each to Duke Cheng'en and the Crown Prince. Duke Cheng'en, already over sixty, was no longer in a position to enjoy such beauties. This angered the Crown Prince so much that he fell ill. The Crown Prince seized on this, telling everyone he wanted to give his uncle a comfortable retirement, a gesture he hadn't appreciated. At best, this was an insult to the filial piety of a younger generation; at worst, it implied that he, having held a high position for so long, had lost all respect for the Imperial Family. The Crown Prince's words reached the Empress Dowager, who was furious.

For example, the Crown Prince of the Junbo Earl's mansion suffers from a strange illness that has kept him secluded for over a decade. Despite visits to renowned doctors and the imperial physician, no cure has been found. Recently, even Imperial Physician Qiu has stopped visiting the Junbo Earl's mansion, yet news has spread that the Crown Prince is about to marry. Outsiders speculate that the Crown Prince may be terminally ill, forcing the court to resort to a last-ditch effort, attempting to reverse his condition by offering him a wedding to bring good luck.

For example, two weeks ago, the daughters of the Shen family held a poetry gathering at Wenhui Tower. During the gathering, several of the daughters mentioned the Crown Prince of Song. The youngest daughter of the Grand Secretary's family casually remarked, "Although the Crown Prince of Song may not have married a daughter of an aristocratic family, the woman he recognized must be extraordinary." Unexpectedly, Xiao Shuyue, the eldest daughter of Prince Yu's family, indiscriminately slapped the young lady in the face, leaving her mouth bloody and even knocking out a tooth. This incident infuriated Minister Shen and the Grand Secretary, who jointly submitted a memorial demanding justice. Ultimately, Xiao Shuyue personally apologized to the two families and was confined to her house for a month.

In addition to these rumors, Shunzi also told many other news, and kept talking until Ji Nuan finished eating and put down her chopsticks.

"If you are interested, you can go to the Wenhui Building across the street tomorrow. It is said that Mr. Jiang loves playing chess and has specially invited all the young men and women who can play chess in the city to participate in the chess meeting." Shunzi said.

"Okay, I'll definitely go check it out tomorrow if I have the chance. Thank you for your hard work, brother!" Ji Nuan said with a smile, and took out two taels of silver from her sleeve as a reward to Shunzi.

Shunzi received two rewards from Ji Nuan in one day, and the rewards were equivalent to several months' wages. He accepted the silver with great joy and thanked her repeatedly: "Thank you, Auntie!"

"After you've cleared the table, go do your thing. I want to go out for a walk and see for myself the bustling night market in Beijing."

Shunzi suggested enthusiastically, "Girl, if you want to go to the night market, you might as well go to Zhuque Street in front. The night market there is the most lively, with all kinds of snacks and acrobatics. It will definitely open your eyes."

Ji Nuan thanked Shunzi for his advice and walked out of Sifang Pavilion.

During the day, Zhuque Street is bustling with shops and bustling with activity; at night, it's ablaze with lights, reminiscent of daylight. Along both sides of the street, a variety of snack stalls and jewelry stands have sprung up, attracting a constant stream of passersby to stop and enjoy the food.

On the street-facing terrace of a teahouse, Xiao Shuyue took the teacup pushed over by Xiao Jitang and said softly, "Second brother, you finally sent someone to the palace to rescue me, otherwise my father would have had to keep me locked up for another half a month. I've been so bored these days!"

Xiao Jitang shook his head gently, and said with a tone of helplessness and doting, "You, sometimes you have to control your temper and don't get into fights right away. It's easy to put yourself in a passive position and let others take advantage of you."

"I know!" Xiao Shuyue pouted in dissatisfaction: "Humph, that little bitch actually dared to support Brother Jin Bai to marry someone else. A slap in the face would be too light for me!"

Xiao Jitang knew her temper, so he stopped trying to persuade her and brought up another puzzling matter: "Two days ago, news came from Hanyue Pavilion that their top assassin had failed in his attempt on Ji Nuan."

Xiao Shuyue's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief. "Could this news be wrong? Hanyue Pavilion is so famous, how could they not kill a peasant girl? Why do I feel like I'm laughing at you?"

"The information was indeed correct." Xiao Jitang said with a depressed look on his face, "Not only did Hanyue Pavilion fail the mission, but they also turned around and blamed us for providing false information and demanded compensation of 20,000 taels of silver."

"This is simply outrageous!" Xiao Shuyue angrily slammed down her teacup. "They took the order and failed to complete it, how dare they ask us for compensation? Isn't Hanyue Pavilion just a name for nothing?"

Xiao Jitang pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "It's not like she's just a name for nothing, but Ji Nuan, is she really just an ordinary peasant girl? According to the Hanyue Pavilion's envoy, she's protected by top martial arts masters and even has wild beasts at home. Are ordinary peasant girls these days so powerful?"

Xiao Shuyue curled her lips in disdain. "This is just an excuse for their mission failure! How could a peasant girl possibly afford to hire a martial arts master to protect her?" At this point, she suddenly thought of something and asked with a hint of bitterness in her tone, "Second brother, do you think it's possible that Brother Jin Bai hired someone to protect her?"

Xiao Jitang nodded slightly. "That possibility does exist. However, Song Jinbai has so many secret guards around him. Why doesn't he use his own men, but instead looks for someone from the martial arts world to protect his fiancée?"

As soon as the words fell, Xiao Shuyue suddenly lost control of her emotions and shouted, "What fiancée? Is she worthy? Second brother, please help me think of other ways. We must prevent them from getting married!"

Xiao Jitang sighed helplessly: "Shu Yue, calm down! Don't get so emotional every time you mention Song Jinbai's marriage. To be honest, I've always been curious, why do you have to be with him?"

Why? This has to start with Xiao Shuyue’s childhood.

As a child, Xiao Shuyue, like other children, was filled with admiration for her father, Prince Yu. She always believed that Prince Yu didn't like her because she wasn't well-behaved or outstanding enough. So, she always tried hard to show herself to Prince Yu, hoping to gain his approval and love. However, no matter how hard she tried, Prince Yu always ignored her and even looked at her with disgust.

- ??(?????) Thank you Xuanying Baoer for your outpouring of love! Kisses! The author has been discharged from the hospital and is ready to start writing again.