After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Just as he was considering sending a guard to steal the two letters, he hesitated when he met Lu Zhiyuan's gaze. Never mind, she's in the palace; even the leader of the Qinghe Gang can't just barge into the palace to take her away. And that King of Southern Chu—he probably doesn't want Southern Chu to go to war with Northern Liang; it's General Yun who's guarding the border for Northern Liang.

As they were talking, Princess Ping Le arrived.

The princess married at the age of seventeen, choosing a wealthy and gentle scholar as her husband. The two were very much in love.

As soon as the princess entered, she grabbed Lu Zhiyuan's hand and complained, "You have no idea how outrageous my husband is. As soon as he found out I was pregnant, he sent my cat away. I begged him for a long time before he reluctantly agreed to bring my cat back after I gave birth. I'm going to complain to the Empress Dowager later. I'd rather not go back and live in your Ronghua Palace."

"Mother is praying for Father and has no time to see you." The Crown Prince took her hand away: "A-Yuan has to treat Father's illness, manage her own shops, and assist her elder brother in handling state affairs. You should handle your own affairs with the Imperial Son-in-Law and not involve A-Yuan."

“Others forget their mothers after getting married, but my brother has A-Yuan and doesn’t want his sister anymore.” Princess Ping Le pretended to wipe away tears: “My mother ignores me, my brother doesn’t love me, and even the husband I chose myself bullies me. You are all bad people. Ping Le is going to leave the palace. Just like in A-Yuan’s storybook, I’ll run away with the baby.”

Lu Zhiyuan smiled, pursing her lips: "The princess isn't eating cake anymore? I made two kinds today. One is a fruit cake, and the other is a nut cake."

Upon hearing the word "cake," the princess's eyes lit up. She patted her slightly protruding belly and said, "Eat first, then run. I want the nut one."

The crown prince gripped her shoulders and said in a deep voice, "The birthday girl chooses first."

The princess pursed her lips and remained silent.

The birthday banquet lasted from morning until evening. After the officials and their families left, Ronghua Palace returned to its usual tranquility, with only the lingering aromas of wine, food, and cream on the cake reminding them of the daytime festivities.

Lu Zhiyuan sat on the steps in front of the main hall, watching the palace servants clean up the last traces, a sense of indescribable loneliness welling up inside her. It seemed that all the liveliness was fleeting, only loneliness was eternal.

Before she could even feel sentimental, Lu Yun and Liu Ying sat down on either side of her, while the Seventh Princess stood smiling at the door.

Lu Yun gave her a portrait, which depicted General Xie in civilian clothes and Xie Chaoyun in armor.

Lu Yun said apologetically, "It's Miss's birthday, and I didn't know what to give her. After thinking it over, I found the best painter in the capital, spent a lot of money, and had him sent to the border to paint portraits of Master and Madam, as well as their daily lives. The painter went there very reluctantly, but came back all smiles. He painted a whole box full of portraits alone. There are all sorts of scenes, just like the comic strip Miss mentioned. They're in the study, Miss can look at them at her leisure."

Lu Zhiyuan hugged him, deeply moved.

Lu Yun's cheeks flushed slightly, and he remained stiff and motionless. After Lu Zhiyuan released him, he stammered, "When the painter was on his way back, he passed through the county where Lord Lu lived. The lord asked the painter to bring a gift to Miss. Lord Lu is ill and probably doesn't have much time left."

Over the course of seven years, I gradually learned some things about Lu Huai.

The county he chose was notoriously poor and inhospitable, teeming with unruly people. He was kidnapped upon arrival and tortured for three days in the mountain stronghold, where he surprisingly became friends with the chieftain. The chieftain wasn't a bad person; the people in the stronghold were all driven to banditry by poverty and lack of food and drink. He revealed his identity and promised the chieftain that he would bring peace and prosperity to the people. The chieftain didn't believe him, but seeing his abject poverty, he assumed he had been forced into the position by the emperor and spared him further suffering.

When a severe drought struck, he led the people in digging wells. When floods struck, he took the lead, guiding the people in building dikes, and nearly drowned himself in the floodwaters. His pragmatic spirit earned him the unanimous praise of the people, and he transformed from the former Marquis of Pingnan, Lu Huai, who only knew how to spend money on his mistresses, into a truly responsible man and a worthy county magistrate.

His illness was both a result of overwork and a deliberate act. For seven years, he wrote to Xie Chaoyun more than once, but Xie Chaoyun never replied.

"We were father and daughter, so I should go and see him off on his final journey."

Lu Zhiyuan took a deep breath and turned to look at Liu Ying: "What gift is Sister Liu Ying going to give me?"

"Miss, are you trying to kill me? I'm fine with being a firefly, but you have to bring an older sister along. If His Highness the Crown Prince hears this, he'll make sure I'm in deep trouble." Liu Ying took out a brocade box, which contained a complete set of wooden ornaments.

"This was made by Sister Qingzhi and me. In our Northern Liang, there's a saying that women can ward off evil by wearing peach wood. Everything here is made of peach wood. Not ordinary peach wood, but wild peach wood that Sister Qingzhi led people to find in the mountains. I know this isn't valuable, and it can't compare to the gifts His Highness the Crown Prince and those distinguished guests, but I know Miss will definitely like it."

"Yes, yes, yes, no one understands me better than Qingzhi and Sister Liuying." Lu Zhiyuan hugged Liuying and took the contents of the brocade box out.

She took one of the two peach wood hairpins and inserted the other into Liuying's hair. There were four peach wood bracelets, some with smooth surfaces, some with carved patterns, and some with intricate designs.

In front of Liu Ying, Lu Zhiyuan put on the plain bracelet, picked out the one with the pattern and put it on Liu Ying's wrist. The remaining two bracelets were given to the Seventh Princess and the Ping Le Princess.

A peach wood amulet was hung on Lu Yun's person, and a small wooden sword was sent to the Qinghe Gang along with a reply letter. A peach wood safety knot was also sent to Nan Chu as a return gift for Xiao Yebai.

The Crown Prince arrived as the evening sun set, his words tinged with melancholy: "So, everyone else has something that I don't?"

"Your Highness wants one too?" Lu Zhiyuan looked up, sitting on the steps without moving.

Liu Ying gave Lu Yun a wink, and Lu Yun glanced at the Crown Prince, reluctantly standing up. Others feared the Crown Prince, but he did not. In his eyes, the Crown Prince, like Xiao Yebai, was someone with ulterior motives towards his young lady.

Others may not know the details of this Crown Princess situation, but he does. If the Crown Prince hadn't broken his promise, the young lady should have left the palace two years ago.

The Crown Prince lifted his brocade robe and sat down next to Lu Zhiyuan: "May I have a hug from A-Yuan?"

"Does the Crown Prince want a hug?" Lu Zhiyuan turned her head, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

As the sun set, its rays painted the sky crimson. The wind died down, and the surroundings grew increasingly quiet. Under that gaze, the prince's face grew hotter and his heart pounded faster. He slowly approached, but just as he was about to touch her lips, he suddenly snapped back to reality and coughed lightly.

"Ah Yuan is my Crown Princess, so it's not unreasonable for me to ask Ah Yuan for a hug."