The merchant's rebirth led to the complete downfall of the Marquis's mansion.

As Yang Jinghong's cousin and the Third Prince's niece, it was perfectly reasonable for Liu Qingping to come.

But Qin Yao...

In particular, when she looked at Yang Jinghong, Yang Jinghong specifically pointed to himself.

Oh, it could also be something to do with the academy?

Yang Jinghong eventually came over, though he seemed somewhat uneasy.

Just as Yang Jinghong arrived, things reached a fever pitch on Liu Qingping's side as well.

"Don't worry about me!" Liu Qingping broke free from her brother's persuasion and ran to Qin Yao's side.

Just then, a young wife who had come to see someone off was standing nearby, telling her husband to be careful while he was away.

Yang Jinghong became even more nervous, and his voice trembled slightly.

"Miss Qin...Cousin...Is there...something wrong?"

Qin Yao glanced back at Yang Yu, who was walking towards them, and exchanged a look with Liu Qingping. Liu Qingping silently let go of Qin Yao's hand, turned around, and pulled Yang Yu to the side.

"Brother! I have something to tell you..."

Yang Yu was forced to move to the other side.

"Miss Qin?" Yang Jinghong asked, puzzled.

Qin Yao took a letter out of her bosom and handed it to him.

"Please, Your Highness, deliver a letter for me." To allay his suspicions, Qin Yao said casually:

“I heard from the princess that you are going south. I was thinking that if I could run into Lord Yu Zhi, I would trouble him to give the letter to him so that he could pass it on to his wife, Chen.”

"It's alright if I can't find it; the young master can give it to me when he returns."

"I haven't received a reply from Sister Chen yet, and I'm a little worried..."

After finishing her sentence in one breath, Qin Yao lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

“That’s easy, Miss Qin, don’t worry…” Yang Jinghong tucked the letter into his sleeve, then realized he hadn’t quite said it properly, and added:

"I will do my best. If I don't meet her, then I will only be letting Miss Qin down."

Qin Yao returned the courtesy bow, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

The Third Prince had been watching the commotion, and when Yang Jinghong returned, he still asked him a question out of concern.

"When did you become so familiar with Miss Qin?"

Yang Jinghong understood instantly and shook his head vigorously.

"No, no, I just asked you to deliver a message."

The Third Prince scrutinized Yang Jinghong with disbelief, making Yang feel extremely uneasy.

"No, Uncle Wang, really! I swear!"

The Third Prince glanced in Qin Yao's direction again and said, "Oh, that's Qingping?"

Yang Jinghong turned his back and ignored him.

Qin Yao and the others left quickly, and the Third Prince got up, mounted his horse, and prepared to depart.

Yang Jinghong also mounted his horse, and the letter in his hand suddenly felt incredibly heavy.

What kind of letters need him to deliver?

Liu Qingping did know about their departure, but heading south...

He didn't want to assume bad things about her, but he believed...

Yang Jinghong hesitated.

Should we open it and take a look before deciding whether to send it or not?

……

Unlike when she came, Qin Yao was very relaxed on the way back.

Liu Qingping also got into Qin Yao's carriage, leaving her brothers outside.

Upon reaching the city gate, Yang Yu stopped his horse beside Qin Yao's carriage and gently knocked a few times. Qin Yao lifted the curtain and looked at him.

“Miss Qin, if you need anything next time, you can let me know, and I can pass it on for you. Please don’t do such dangerous things again.”

After speaking, he glanced at Liu Qingping, who remained silent.

He was definitely not worried about Qin Yao, but about Liu Qingping.

Knowing she was in the wrong, Liu Qingping pursed her lips when he couldn't see her, but said nothing.

"Yes, Qin Yao wasn't reckless today."

Having achieved his goal, Yang Yu rode away.

"Old fogey, Sister Qin, don't pay him any mind!" Liu Qingping comforted her.

She had come out with Qin Yao, and now Qin Yao was being criticized because of her. Liu Qingping felt terrible about it.

I'm not in the mood to ask Qin Yao what she went to see Yang Jinghong for.

In the days that followed, Qin Yao focused solely on her business, except for having people keep an eye on Chen Yiru's movements.

I thought things would be peaceful until the good news came, but unexpectedly, an uninvited guest came to my door.

Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't get into the Qin family home, so she could only block Qin Yao's way out.

Qin Yao frowned. Qingzhi and Qiuliu got out of the carriage to deal with the situation, but Jiang Xiaoxiao went completely mad. The two maids couldn't hold her back, and she ended up right next to the carriage.

"Sister Qin... Sister Qin, I have something to tell you..."

Sister Qin?

Qin Yao found it intriguing. When had Jiang Xiaoxiao ever spoken to her in such a tone or called her "sister" before?

Even in her past life, she ran herself ragged trying to arrange Jiang Xiaoxiao's marriage, but she never received a single sincere expression of gratitude from her.

She had given him nothing in this life, yet Jiang Xiaoxiao had become quite polite.

Qin Yao didn't say anything, and Qiu Liu and Qing Zhi pulled her away again, preventing her from getting close to the carriage.

"Miss Jiang, our young lady is very busy and has no time to see you. You should leave!"

Qiu Liu said quite bluntly.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was not about to give up easily; she struggled and shouted as she went.

"Sister Qin, please help me! I will definitely repay you after I marry into a good family!"

Qin Yao pulled back the curtain and looked at her.

The Jiang Xiaoxiao of today is quite different from the glamorous young girl she used to be.

Not only was her complexion sallow, but her body had also become noticeably thinner, even her clothes...

Qin Yao frowned, unable to find the words to describe it.

They were practically comparable to beggars.

It's tattered and dirty.

It seems that life is going to be quite difficult for them.

However, Qin Yao was still more interested in what she said.

"What did you just say? Getting married?" Qin Yao asked curiously.

Upon hearing Qin Yao's question, Jiang Xiaoxiao immediately perked up and looked at Qin Yao excitedly.

"Sister Qin, Miss Wu is back. If you can help me make the connection, given my relationship with Miss Wu, my relationship with her brother will definitely work out!"

Miss Wu? Qin Yao suddenly realized that was Jiang Xiaoxiao's in-laws in her previous life.

He's a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. He didn't fancy her in his past life, so how could he possibly fancy her in this one?

If it weren't for her pushing Jiang Su to improve himself and achieve some success, plus her frequent dealings with the Wu family and her good relationship with Miss Wu and Madam Wu, she wouldn't have had any chance.

Wu's eldest son was more outstanding, but he was already engaged, and Jiang Xiaoxiao's initial target was him.

But how could anyone else be willing to break off their engagement for Jiang Xiaoxiao? So Qin Yao and Madam Wu were talking about the youngest son of the Wu family.

This became the reason for Jiang Xiaoxiao's dissatisfaction. She felt that her sister-in-law had not done her best. Even though she had married into the family and become the official wife, she was still very dissatisfied with her.

She always complained to Liu about how bad her life was and blamed Qin Yao for finding her a bad husband, which caused Qin Yao to be called over by Liu to learn some rules.

Thinking about all this, Qin Yao looked Jiang Xiaoxiao up and down.

Miss Wu's return is a good thing, but what does it have to do with Jiang Xiaoxiao?

Qin Yao waved her hand, and Qingzhi and the other person pulled her aside with all their might.

The carriage continued on its way, and when it reached the Qin family's residence, it unexpectedly saw the Wu family's carriage.

……