The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

"Fortunately, Fourth Master was here."

Du Mingxian nodded emphatically, looking terrified. "It's all thanks to my uncle. Otherwise, I might not have been able to come back today. I heard from my uncle that he's an assassin from the Killing Pavilion."

Chun Tao was stunned. "You...you mean, the person who killed you was an assassin from the Killing Pavilion?"

"Yes, you've heard of it?"

“Hmm.” Chun Tao’s expression turned serious. “The reason why the Killing Pavilion is famous is because the Killing Pavilion will complete any order at any cost.”

"Aren't there...any exceptions?"

"Unless the person who hired the hitman dies."

Du Mingxian breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had space to hide, being constantly chased and killed was still annoying. As long as there was a solution, that would be good.

"But I thought about it for a long time and still couldn't figure out who wanted me dead."

Chuntao hesitated for a while before saying, "Could it be that Madam is behind this?"

"No, even if she hates me, she wouldn't do it this way. But it's possible that my uncle is already investigating, and he should be able to find out soon."

Chuntao hesitated, then finally remained silent.

Du Mingxian saw this and, seeing that she herself didn't say anything, she didn't say anything either. "You should rest a little longer. I have Ke'er and Lian'er with me."

"I'll go serve Miss."

"No need, look how pale you are. You need to take care of yourself. I don't want anything to happen to you." Du Mingxian refused directly. Anyway, she only came to get closer to the other person and didn't really have any other intentions.

Chuntao was very touched. "Miss, you are so kind."

"Alright, we're one. You get some rest. I'm going out now. I was quite shaken today, and I need to go back to my room to calm down."

"Yes."

Du Mingxian didn't let Chun Tao go. Chun Tao's thoughts were a bit chaotic, so she didn't go with Du Mingxian. Instead, she sat there alone, lost in thought.

Du Mingxian returned to her room and did not come out again until Lord Wen returned to the mansion in the evening, when she went to Lord Wen's study by herself.

"I've heard about what happened to you today. You've come here to discuss something with me?"

"Chun Tao, who is by my side, was sent by the person behind it all. As long as we find this person, we can find out the truth about your family's murder and the real killer."

Lord Wen certainly knew this, but it would be great if this person were really that easy to find. "I have already sent people to investigate, but we haven't found anything."

"My lord, Chun Tao went out today, but she came back acting strangely. She is very fond of those behind the scenes. If we can find out where she went today, we can find out who is behind her."

Lord Wen's eyes lit up. "That's easy. I'll send someone to investigate quietly."

“I have something else to ask. Chun Tao goes out from time to time. I would like to ask Father to send two skilled and quick-witted people to keep an eye on Chun Tao and see where she goes and who she meets.”

"Okay, I'll have your uncle arrange this."

"Thank you father."

"We're all family. As long as the family is doing well, that's more important than anything else."

Du Mingxian didn't say anything more, and left after sitting for a while.

After a good night's sleep, before she was even fully awake in the morning, she was invited over by someone from Lord Wen's side, who said that Lord Wen wanted to have breakfast with Du Mingxian.

When they went to see Lord Wen, Chun Tao insisted on coming along, and Du Mingxian had no choice but to let her.

When Lord Wen saw that Du Mingxian was accompanied by Chun Tao, he simply said, "Sit down and eat."

"Yes, Father." Du Mingxian hurriedly stepped forward and sat down.

Lord Wen said, "You just had an assassination attempt yesterday, so things won't be peaceful for a while. For now, you should stop sending food to the Ministry of War."

“But I’m afraid the food at the Ministry of War won’t suit Father’s taste, and he’ll have to do his official duties on an empty stomach.”

"It's nothing. You should stay home for now. We'll talk about other things after the assassination is investigated."

"Yes." Du Mingxian stopped refusing. Anyway, cooking wasn't something she was particularly enthusiastic about. She liked to eat, and she also liked to cook for herself.

But if you treat a hobby as a task to be completed, you will lose interest in it instantly.

If delivering meals is like clocking in for work every day, anyone would break down.

The two ate in silence. When Chun Tao helped clear the table of dishes, Lord Wen quietly gestured three to Du Mingxian.

Du Mingxian was shocked that it was the Third Prince, but it made sense. In her previous life, the brothers had tried to seize the throne, and the Third Prince had won and taken the position.

But does such a cruel third prince deserve that position?

"Alright, you can go back now. I have to go to the yamen."

The Great Shun Dynasty had grand court assemblies, small court assemblies, days off, and periods of suspension of court proceedings.

The grand court assembly was held every ten days. Except for days off and days when court was suspended, the small court assemblies were held every day. Days off were also held every ten days, and every day after the day off was a grand court assembly.

"Suspending court" means not having to attend court and taking a break. However, officials who are required to go to their respective government offices to handle matters every day still need to go to work on time, just at a later time than the court session.

The "pause in court" is a three-times-a-month opportunity to get up a little later than usual, occurring once a month on the fifth day of the month.

"Yes."

After agreeing, Du Mingxian slowly walked back, her mind wandering as she recalled her past life.

When she arrived in the capital, the Third Prince had already ascended the throne. On the surface, he appeared to be a wise ruler, and he was quite diligent in handling state affairs, unlike a tyrant.

But what she saw in the valley, and the task she was given now to obtain the border defense layout map, didn't seem like something the Third Prince would have done.

The struggle for the throne is brutal. The reason why the third prince was not ruthless in the end may be because he had already ascended to the throne and there was no need to be ruthless anymore, so he ruled the world with benevolence.

Not impossible.

Back in the courtyard, Du Mingxian was still lost in thought, and Chuntao couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about, Miss?"

"I'm wondering whether I should cook lunch for my father today."

Chuntao chuckled, "If the master won't let Miss leave the manor, Miss can have someone else deliver it. It won't delay the master's meal at all."

"That's true, I'll make it in a bit."

Chun Tao nodded emphatically, "The master is pleased with what Miss has done. Now that Miss can enter the master's study, he will surely trust Miss more and more in the future."

Du Mingxian looked at Chuntao with a happy expression, "You're right, you're right."

She prepared lunch and brought out extra food for Wen Yibin. But just as she finished cooking, someone from Wen Yibin's side came over and took both meals away.

Du Mingxian could clearly sense the dissatisfaction and disappointment in Chun Tao's eyes.

Fortunately, she had told Wen Yibin beforehand and asked him to send someone over in advance, which avoided trouble.

Two days later, Chun Tao went out again. When she returned, she said to Du Mingxian, "Miss, the higher-ups are starting to urge us. They've only given you two months."

“This…” Du Mingxian looked troubled. “Chuntao, you have seen how hard I have worked these past few days. It’s not that I don’t want to complete the task, it’s just that this task is too difficult.”