After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

After traveling for two days, Lin Yueniang and her party finally approached Xinghe Prefecture.

The three traveled lightly and simply, with none of the mother and daughters riding in a carriage, but each riding a chestnut horse.

She removed her usual heavy hairpins and jewelry and put on a neat and dashing riding outfit.

Lin Yueniang took the lead, guiding her two daughters as they rode at breakneck speed.

Three carriages followed far behind. Cui'er and Granny Zhou, along with most of their luggage, rode in one carriage, while the remaining maids rode in the other two.

The group consisted of thirteen people, all of them women.

Extremely dashing.

It was nearing noon, and the sun was shining brightly. Lin Yueniang raised her hand to wipe the thin layer of sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, and then pulled on the reins to slow the horse down.

From afar, we could see the city gate of Xinghe Prefecture. This visit felt very different from the last one; this time, she was out with her daughter by herself.

She had a strange feeling that she was like a wandering heroine, with the sky as her blanket and the earth as her bed, the world as her home, constantly on the move.

But that's not actually the case. She has a family, sons, daughters, and a whole host of worries.

Soldiers were guarding and inspecting the city gate. She glanced back at the three carriages that were gradually catching up behind her before slowly driving her horse forward.

Upon reaching the city gate, Lin Yueniang and her daughters dismounted and entered the city. Carriages were allowed inside, but riding horses was prohibited.

Before entering the city, the three of them could only hand over their horses to the maids to lead, and then get back into the carriage, returning to their roles as ladies of the inner quarters and young ladies in their private quarters...

The city guards quickly let the carriage, which bore the insignia of the Chiang family, pass through, and were very friendly.

The group headed into the city toward the Jiang residence. They were surprised to find that the two door knockers on the main gate were strung together with iron chains as thick as a child's wrist, and a large copper lock, as big as a clay pot, was hanging in the middle.

Lin: Something's happened at home!? The government has seized the property?! Who can I ask to get my son out???

"Mother, what's going on? Has something happened at home? The front door is locked, and it's so quiet inside, not a sound at all. Could it be..."

"Xiyue, don't talk nonsense. What could have happened to your brother? He must have gone out with Dad and Grandpa. There's no one to watch the house, so we have to lock it up."

Otherwise, who would you turn to if something went missing from your home? Yes, that must be it, that's right!

Jiang Xiwen tried to convince herself and others, but it just didn't seem quite right!

Who takes the gatekeeper with them when they leave home? Huh? When the whole family moves, they usually leave someone behind to look after the house!

The mother and daughter have only been away from their younger brother for two months. Who could have tricked him? Could it be that their father has gotten into trouble again?

So, the younger brother had to sell the house to pay off their father's debts? Hmm, the chances of that are extremely high!

After all, their father was unreliable and didn't seem very bright, so it wasn't surprising that they were tricked into losing their house and their family fortune.

Sigh, thankfully, the mother and her daughters don't need to rely on him for food, otherwise they would really be living hand to mouth.

Jiang Xiwen inwardly cursed her father, but seeing her mother frowning, she remained silent.

"Take the back door," Lin Yueniang instructed the coachman.

"Yes, ma'am."

The back door isn't far; you can get around it in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

"Mother, are you saying that my younger brother has changed his habits and now likes to use connections?"

Seven: Ah, I feel like I've been subjected to a double dose of yin and yang.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling that your brother is safe and sound at home, that nothing happened to him, and that he didn't leave the house."

I can't quite explain it, it's just a feeling, a very certain feeling.

"Oh, Mom, I know that! This is called the bond between mother and child! You and your brother have a telepathic connection; only close mothers and children can have this magical connection!"

Hearing her daughter say this, Lin Yueniang felt more at ease. Yes, she and her son had a telepathic connection.

I'm not experiencing heart palpitations or shortness of breath now, and my son is perfectly fine.

As for my father-in-law and husband? Sigh, the most important thing is that our son is safe. Why should we worry about the two adults?

Besides, Mingfei is fine, so what could possibly happen to those two?

It's my son who came to take the exam, not those two. They're just accompanying him. How could he be tired?

I can't possibly keep Mingfei company as he studies day and night, can I? My husband isn't cut out for it, and my father-in-law is getting old; his eyesight is probably so bad he can't even see the words clearly anymore.

Haha, Lin Yueniang inadvertently approached the truth, only to be directly negated by herself.

"Madam, we've arrived at the back door."

"Pretty fast," Lin Yueniang thought to herself as the car stopped again.

Is it locked?

"Reporting to Madam, there is a small iron lock, not very big."

The coachman looked at the reply and was also a little at a loss. Both the front and back doors were locked. Was this to keep the lady out?

Lin Yueniang seemed to see through the driver's thoughts. "It's alright. Mingfei didn't know we were arriving today. After all, the letter we sent out wasn't as fast as our journey. Mingfei hasn't received the letter yet."

"Mother, where are we going now? An inn?" Jiang Xiyue asked.

“Stay at an inn is fine, Mother. I’ve never stayed at an inn before! Last time, when my younger brother took the county exam, Grandfather insisted on sending us back to Changshou Village, and we didn’t even get to stay at an inn.”

Jiang Xiwen was a little excited; it was the first time she'd stayed somewhere other than her home! Of course, that didn't include sleeping in a horse-drawn carriage on the road.

"Alright then, Granny Zhou, take the people to find an inn to settle the luggage and carriages first, while Xiwen and Xiyue stay behind."

Let's look for the side gate along the courtyard wall. If that's locked too... well, the three of us can climb over the wall, right?

Upon hearing this, the two sisters' eyes lit up with excitement at the same time. Climbing over the wall, that's a good idea! Hopefully, the side gate is locked too!

They circled half the wall, and this was the first time they had ever looked for the side gate of the house from outside the courtyard.

After all, we've hardly ever used the side gate before; we only use it frequently when collecting night soil.

There used to be a lot of weeds in front of the door, but now the weeds have been trampled flat and a white path has been trampled into them.

It was clear that someone frequently entered and exited through this door. To the sisters' disappointment, the side door was not locked, but only slightly ajar.

Lin Yueniang breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't care about the front door, back door, side door, or corner door; she was just glad to be able to go in and see her son safe and sound.

Just as I was about to push the door open, it opened from the inside.

It was Wen Lao Er's wife. Wen Er's wife was taken aback. "Madam? Miss?"

"Madam, what are you doing here?" After asking, she realized that both the front and back doors were locked. They must have failed to enter through the front door, so they went to the back door, but couldn't get in through the back door either, so they found the side door.

"Oh dear, madam and young lady, please wait a moment. This side gate is a mess. I'm going to find my husband to get the key to the main gate!" she said, and started to run back.

Lin Yueniang stopped them, saying, "There's no need for that. The carriage and luggage are at the inn. There are only three of us here. We can just go in from here and wait for the others to arrive before we start."

"Yes, Madam!" Wen Ersao opened the side gate to its widest extent and kicked away a few pebbles in front of the gate before letting the three of them walk inside.