A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Old Li drove the carriage directly into the gate of Xiao He's residence.

Gu Xixi, He Jinglan, and An Qinghe stood side by side in the front yard.

A gust of wind blew by, and although it was a spring night with a sudden chill in the air, it had a sense of desolation like late autumn.

An Qinghe spoke up, "Shall we go in?"

Gu Xixi turned around and stormed off, "I think staying at an inn is pretty good."

Before she could finish speaking, He Jinglan grabbed her from behind and dragged her back.

He Jinglan tried to pull him away, persuaded him with kind words, and even made him swear an oath.

"Whether the Fan family can find you or not, I'm just not comfortable with you staying at the inn any longer."

"Aren't you the one who values ​​your life the most? Don't you never do anything you're not sure of? Better safe than sorry. Do you have a safer option in this capital city than my home?"

"Don't worry! I'll definitely keep you away from people you don't want to see! I'll also stop my brother from telling that person!"

Gu Xixi looked up. "Really?"

He Jinglan's eyes were straight, even somewhat hurt, "Look at what you're saying, when have I ever lied to you?!"

Gu Xixi said expressionlessly, "Just before we entered your house, you pointed to the Prince's Mansion and said it was far away, and the lights at the gate were almost out of sight."

"Is that what you call being far apart? It's clearly because the Prince's mansion is too big. Your He mansion isn't small either. Even if the two houses are adjacent, the courtyard wall looks quite far from the outside."

Gu Xixi had noticed this when she came over. Although she had walked a while past the Regent's Palace by carriage, she clearly did not see any other gate between the two main gates.

He Jinglan, exposed, grinned at Gu Xixi with an exaggerated smile, "Hehe, I was afraid you'd jump out of the car, and in my haste, I said something without thinking to calm you down. How could that be a lie? Little Xixi, after all~~"

Gu Xixi glanced sideways, "Trying to act cute won't work."

He Jinglan said seriously, "I am naturally cute, and I would never bother to pretend!"

She turned to An Qinghe, "Mr. An, don't you think so?"

Anqing and Gongyun nodded and asked the question that had been bothering them, "Why were you two pushing and shoving each other from the moment you came in? It didn't seem like you were having a fight. Why did Xixi come and then not want to stay?"

He Jinglan's eyes lit up, and she smiled.

She released her grip on Gu Xixi's hand and said meaningfully, "Yes, why is that?"

"I don't know what's wrong with Xixi. We don't keep any wolves or tigers in our backyard. I really can't figure out what she's afraid of."

An Qing looked at Gu Xixi questioningly.

“I…” Gu Xixi was at a loss for words.

Is she going to say, "The Regent Mu Nanzhao is the Chen Fang you know?"

That's not something that can't be said.

But the problem is how to explain this to Anqing afterwards.

This explains why it wasn't stated that Chen Fang was the regent.

Explain why she didn't even dare to stay at the He family's house just because the Regent's Palace was next door.

Given An Qinghe's personality, he would definitely say, "Why should we avoid him just because he's here? This is Miss Jinglan's home, not his Regent's Palace!"

Thinking about all this, Gu Xixi felt like her head was about to explode, but her expression remained perfectly calm.

A sense of utter despair welled up within her, and she strode forward with incredible speed.

"Who said I don't want to stay here anymore?"

"I was just worried that coming uninvited at night would disturb Lord He."

"Since Jinglan herself doesn't care, such a nice house is a waste not to stay."

He Jinglan suppressed a laugh and waved for An Qinghe to hurry up and follow.

"Hey, Xixi, don't turn right, turn left. Let's go straight back to my yard and we won't run into my brother."

Yuzhu Courtyard is an independent courtyard where He Jinglan lives.

It gets its name from the abundance of green bamboo planted there. Jade bamboo is also known as "jade chopsticks" and is a type of small seal script.

This perfectly suited He Jinglan's love for calligraphy.

As soon as the three of them entered the moon gate, they saw a slender young woman standing in front of the screen wall.

The girl wore a cherry-red top and a pomegranate-colored pleated skirt, with her hair styled in two buns. She had round eyes and delicate eyebrows, and looked clever and lively.

When a noblewoman goes out, she is always accompanied by at least three or four personal maids, and He Jinglan is no exception.

But today she wouldn't allow anyone to follow her, so the maids must have been getting impatient and came here.

Seeing her master return safely, the little maid hurriedly ran over to greet him, but for some reason, she seemed to be too excited, gesturing with both hands and pointing towards the screen wall.

He Jinglan asked in confusion, "Guangzhu, it's only been a day since we last met. You shouldn't be so happy that you can't even speak, right?"

As she led Gu Xixi inside, she said, "Are Green Wax, Purple Smoke, and Lotus Star inside? Tell them we have important guests and to get them ready quickly."

Guangzhu looked quite troubled, following He Jinglan helplessly, as if she wanted to stop her, but also as if she didn't dare to actually do so.

Gu Xixi noticed the unusual behavior of the light pearl and said to He Jinglan, "This girl seems to want to say something to you."

Back on her own turf, He Jinglan relaxed completely and laughed, "This girl! Do I have to tell you what to do?"

"This is Gu Xixi. I've told you about her many times. She's my best friend and confidante."

"Don't worry, Xixi, you won't see Mu Nanzhao in my courtyard!"

As they walked around the screen wall, under the moonlight, the bamboo shadows swayed in the open space in the center of the courtyard, and two people sat facing each other at a black jade table, playing chess.

He Jinglan’s enthusiastic words caught in her throat.

An Qinghe narrowed his eyes and exclaimed, "Chen Fang! Wait, I heard from Shi Tou that you changed your surname to Mu. What are you doing here?!"

Gu Xixi's face slowly turned pale.

Guangzhu murmured from the side, "Master, the lord and the prince came over after dinner. They said the table in our Jade Bamboo Courtyard is good, and it's even better to play chess with the smell of bamboo..."

He Jinglan wished she had never come back. "Why didn't you say so sooner!"

Guangzhu's voice became even softer, "I was waiting there, intending to tell Master to keep quiet, but..."

But He Jinglan spoke as soon as she entered the door, and even called Guangzhu's name.

The two people in the courtyard heard it too.

He Jinghui stood up, looked at the three guests, and said with a smile, "My sister invited you two guests to her home last night. I was unable to greet you at the second gate, which is truly a disservice."

Gu Xixi had recovered somewhat and bowed, saying, "Not at all, we came uninvited and have caused you much trouble. Please forgive us, Lord He."

She tried her best not to look at the person still sitting at the table as she spoke.

He Jinghui fixed his gaze on Gu Xixi, and after a moment of thought, he seemed to understand something, and a knowing smile appeared in his eyes.

"This must be Boss Gu."

“When my younger sister was in the Northwest, she received a lot of protection and care from Boss Gu. I am extremely grateful and should have thanked him in person long ago.”

As he spoke, he solemnly bowed to Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi then introduced An Qinghe.

He Jinghui's smile was like a spring breeze, making people feel at ease. "I know this brother too."

"The youngest and most promising member of the Yunling County Nursery Stock Association."

“When my younger sister stayed in Huachidu Village, she also caused you trouble.”

An Qinghe quickly waved his hand, "Not at all, we're just looking out for each other."

"Miss He is very skilled at accounting and writing contracts; I admire her!"

He Jinghui was taken aback, and his eyes suddenly became wary as he looked at An Qinghe.