Repeatedly broken branches

Yu Yanjing owns a house in Jiuguang Kingdom, not far from Zhou Tingxi's house, in the East Market area, so they don't need to stay at an inn this time.

The house also had maids, nannies, and a steward. The maids were Ran'er, Hanhan, and Wen'er, and the nanny was surnamed Su. The steward's surname was Liu. They were all servants who were bought when Yu Yanjing purchased the house and had signed a life contract.

The mansion was very large, divided into several courtyards, as well as a garden, a kitchen, a sword training ground, and several empty buildings that no one lived in. Since most people lived in the front courtyard, Yunxiu Courtyard, and Zhiyue Courtyard, Yu Yanjing planned to send all the servants to live in the back courtyard if Xiao Mu came to stay. After all, people would live in the empty houses anyway, so he only needed to keep a few people to serve them.

Granny Su was very good at taking care of people, and Hanhan was quite lively. Yu Yanjing was worried that Xiao Mu would be bored, so he let the two of them stay in Xiao Mu's room.

He only had one attendant by his side, Awei, who was arranged by Shen Ruoxuan because Awei was very familiar with Yu Yanjing's personality and was easier to command.

It was already dark when they arrived at Jiuguang, so Yu Yanjing let Xiao Mu rest in the east room of Zhiyueting, while he rested in the south room.

After washing up, Xiao Mu changed into her moon-shadow gauze nightgown and prepared to go to bed.

Hanhan tiptoed at the door and asked, "Miss, are you asleep? May I come in?"

Xiao Mu opened the door and saw that the servant behind Han Han had brought in a stove. The charcoal inside was still glowing and crackling as it burned.

Winter is almost here, and the nights are quite chilly. Xiao Mu asked curiously, "It's not winter yet, where did this stove come from?"

Hanhan smiled and said, "This was sent by the young master. He was worried that the young lady might get cold at night, so he specially asked Hanhan to bring it over." After saying that, she instructed the servants behind her to carry the stove in and place it in the center of the room.

Xiao Mu smiled and said, "Actually, it's not that cold. It's still autumn!"

Hanhan nodded and said, "Yes, but it's still quite chilly at night. Young Master is just concerned about you, worried that you might catch a cold. He rarely shows such care for people; you're the first one he's ever done for you. It's really kind of him to be so thoughtful. You should get some rest... Tomorrow, Young Master has been invited to the first birthday banquet of Minister Deng's daughter."

Xiao Mu frowned. "Deng... Yizhi?" His daughter Siwan is already one year old?

She couldn't help but sigh at how fast time flies. All those things from the past happened just a year ago. In that year, she had experienced so much, going from a pampered princess to an unknown shop owner. Even though she didn't end up begging on the streets, she had fallen from the clouds to the bottom.

Hanhan nodded, "Yes, she is Minister Deng's daughter."

How did Yu Yanjing come to have a relationship with Deng Yizhi? One is the emperor, and the other is the Minister of Rites from a neighboring country. It's truly unbelievable.

After Hanhan left, Xiaomu sat in the chair and thought for a long time, feeling wide awake.

All of this makes one wonder: Yu Yanjing is the emperor, how could he be involved with Deng Yizhi? Deng Yizhi also has close ties with Zhou Tingxi, Yin Fu'an and others. Even Xiao Mu, who had a good relationship with Deng Yizhi in her previous life, has never been mentioned by him.

Early in the morning, Hanhan brought over the clothes that Xiaomu would wear today. It was a light green ordinary maid's dress. Hanhan said that Xiaomu needed to cover her face, because her past identity made it inconvenient for her to attend Deng Yizhi's daughter's first birthday party.

Yu Yanjing is quite thoughtful; he knows what kind of situation he was in before.

Actually, she really wanted to see Siwan's child. The last time she saw her was when Siwan was three months old, and now she's a year old. It's a pity that her mother isn't around. Maybe it's better that way. After all, what would she do if she had a mother like that?

Xiao Mu changed into a maid's outfit and followed Han Han on the other side of the carriage, wearing a veil. In fact, Yu Yan Jing could have easily helped her disguise herself, but she had never done it before, and if she did it carelessly, she might ruin her appearance.

Yu Yanjing sat in the carriage. The wind blew up the curtain. Xiao Mu secretly glanced at him. He was showing his face as Ling. So, his friendship with Deng Yizhi was based on Ling's identity.

Upon arriving at the Deng residence, Ling showed the invitation to the person who was helping to greet guests at the door, and the person bowed respectfully to Ling.

"Young Master Ling, please come in."

Ling glanced at Hanhan and Xiaomu standing behind her and gestured for them to follow.

The Deng residence in my memory was just like this, full of scholarly atmosphere. There was a small pond at the entrance, in which goldfish were raised. When I was a child, I always liked to secretly skip the tutor's class and bring the goat milk pastries made by Granny Lü to feed the goldfish. As a result, many of them died. Deng Yizhi was angry about this and ignored her for several days.

Childhood was so wonderful, carefree. Back then, when my father was around, I could always sneak off to find him and tell him how difficult my lessons were that day. I could eat with him, and he would hold me in his arms and lull me to sleep.

"Ling, you're here so early?" Deng Yizhi carried Siwan to Ling. Siwan was very cute, with eyes as clear and bright as gemstones. She looked a lot like her mother and her father. It was clear that the Deng family loved her very much. She was so young, yet her neck was adorned with many pendants, and even her clothes were made of the finest brocade. It would take dozens of embroiderers working overnight for several days to make such a piece.

Ling smiled and reached out to tease Xiao Siwan, making her giggle and babble in a childish voice, "Brother...brother!"

Deng Yizhi's face darkened, and he corrected, "It's Uncle!"

Siwan didn't understand anything and kept saying in her childish voice, "Brother...brother!"

Ling took out a gold peace lock and hung it around Siwan's neck, saying softly, "This is your brother's first birthday present to you. Do you like it?"

Xiao Mu had never seen Yu Yanjing tease a child so gently. Si Wan also liked her very much and opened her chubby little hands to ask Ling to hug her. Sure enough, good-looking people are popular everywhere. Xiao Mu could only watch silently from the side.

Ling carried Siwan into the main hall and found a place to sit down, leaving Xiaomu and Hanhan to stand behind them. It was infuriating.

It's a pity that Xin Ning, Yu Xue, and her sister can't leave the palace. It's been a long time since we've seen them. I wonder how they are doing? If something big has happened, the wind will surely find out. No news is good news.

"Madam Zhou has arrived."

Xiao Mu's gaze drifted outwards as Ouyang Meixi entered the main hall. The young woman was as beautiful as a celestial being, giving the impression that she must live in a heavenly palace. Her beauty was natural, and her smile surpassed even that of Bao Si.

Is this Zhou Tingxi's new wife?

This is how a well-bred young lady should behave.

"This is a congratulatory gift presented by my wife and the general."

Jiao'er brought out a pair of jade ruyi, completely transparent without a single impurity. They were clearly made of the finest jade. I've heard that the Sichuan and Chongqing regions are famous for their jade, which feels cool to the touch, as if it had been taken out of an ice cellar.

Meixi raised the corners of her mouth slightly and said softly, "This is a jade that Tingxi found in the Bashu region. It can be used when Xiaosiwan grows up."

Deng Yizhi teased, "Tingxi likes Xiao Siwan so much, why don't you hurry up and have a child for Tingxi too?"

Meixi's ears turned bright red, and she lowered her head. How she longed to give Zhou Tingxi a son or daughter, but alas, they had never met.

Even this birthday gift was sent by someone sent by Zhou Tingxi, without leaving her any message or even a greeting.

Even if he didn't know about the marriage before, he must know now, right? He hasn't made any statement, hasn't shown any reaction. Where does that put her? Where does that put the Ouyang family?

She was, after all, a woman whom the Zhou family had formally betrothed to, and she was incredibly glamorous in the eyes of outsiders. But she had heard what people said behind her back: that she was a second wife and would not be favored by the general, that the general could never love her, and that the general only had Xia Yunzhi in his heart.

But she wouldn't be angry, because she was just a pawn for the Ouyang family to curry favor with the Zhou family. She had no feelings for Zhou Tingxi, since they had never even met. Why should she be angry about that?

She tried many times to enter the tightly locked red building, but was stopped each time. The more she was stopped, the more she wanted to go in and see what was inside.

"Xiao Mu, are you hungry?"

Yu Yanjing turned to look at Xiao Mu behind him and said in a gentle voice.

Xiao Mu shook her head, pouting, and said, "My back is a little sore. Unlike you, you can sit down, but I can only stand here. My back is about to break. When can we go back?"

"Not now, not everyone has arrived yet."

"Want to sit on my lap and rest for a while?" Yu Yanjing smiled. "There's no one else around right now."

Xiao Mu glanced at Hanhan beside her, then smacked Yu Yanjing on the head. The pain made Yu Yanjing's brows furrow and his face contort. He gritted his teeth and said, "You dare hit the emperor?"

"Just fight, what do you want?"

Hanhan, standing beside her, kept her head down silently, seemingly detached from the situation. All she wanted was to leave this place as soon as possible; she felt like an outsider.

Yu Yanjing patted his thigh and hummed softly, "Are you going to sit or not? If you don't sit, you won't have another chance when people come. I've told you that before."

Xiao Mu hesitated. Although her back was very sore, there were other people around, how could she be so embarrassed?

Seeing her like this, Yu Yanjing grabbed her wrist and pulled her over, sitting her on his lap. He rested his chin on her shoulder, lifted her veil with one hand, and his face brushed against Xiao Mu's neck. She couldn't help but shrink back, her face flushed, and she whispered, "Someone's here."

Yu Yanjing glanced at Hanhan, who was looking down, and said to Xiao Mu without changing his expression, "She can't see anything. You just said your back hurts, is it here?"

His hand gripped Xiao Mu's slender waist, squeezing it with just the right amount of pressure, and the pain was actually somewhat relieved.

Xiao Mu raised an eyebrow slightly. "Alright, alright, it's not sour anymore."

She tried to get up with both feet on the ground, but Yu Yanjing pinched her waist and pressed her down, preventing her from getting off the ground.

He smiled faintly, "What are you afraid of? Deng Yizhi is entertaining guests outside. Ordinary guests don't come to the main hall unless the host is there."

"That's not a good idea either. It's better to be safe than sorry!"

Yu Yanjing let go of her hand and sighed helplessly, "Fine, fine, you can stand if you want. Anyway, it's not my back that's sore."

Xiao Mu ran to Yu Yanjing as if she had been freed, leaned on his shoulder, and whispered in his ear, "If it weren't for the fear of being seen, I would be willing to sit here all day. I'm shy, and if outsiders see me, I'll be too ashamed to face anyone. Please understand me, okay?"

A gentle breath washed over him, and Yu Yanjing's heart pounded. A warm current surged through his body, and a light suddenly lit up in his eyes. He was stunned by this unexpected surprise.

But he still insisted on teasing her. Yu Yanjing didn't say anything, turned her head away, and pretended to look outside.

Xiao Mu quickly ran to the other side and whispered in his ear, "Why are you angry, Yu Yanjing~ Han Xingbai~ Ling~"

A blush rose on Yu Yanjing's face. He interrupted coldly, "Alright, you're my maid now. Be careful and don't get too close to me!" With that, he ruthlessly pushed Xiao Mu's head away.

My heart is pounding, and my head is spinning. This little girl has completely charmed me with just a few sweet words.

As the guests arrived one after another, the banquet began. Since they had their own servants, Xiao Mu and Han Han could only wait outside. Standing outside waiting were the guests' personal attendants, as well as a few arrogant and domineering individuals.

"Have you heard? The Emperor is planning to depose the Empress."

"Depose the empress?" Xiao Mu pricked up her ears to eavesdrop.

"How could that be? The Chen family's power is at its zenith, how dare the Emperor?"

"You don't know, do you? The Emperor now dotes on Consort Qing, who is also the eldest princess of the Snow Region Kingdom. Isn't she as good as the Chen family? Besides, the Empress has never had any children, and the Emperor has long since grown tired of her."

"Oh, how pitiful, Your Majesty the Empress."

"What's so pitiful about that? Consort Song and Consort Liang haven't served the Emperor in so long. The Emperor hasn't visited them for more than half a year. And Consort Xian, I estimate... hasn't seen the Emperor for three or four months."

Xiao Mu's heart tightened; she hadn't expected their days in the palace to be so unbearable.

But unlike me, they can't just get a divorce whenever they want.

She continued listening to the young maids' gossip.

"Also, General Zhou already knows about his mother's remarriage, but he hasn't returned yet. This shows that he doesn't care about these things at all, and his heart is still only for Xia Shi."

Xiao Mu glanced at her. Why were they talking about her? She was far away in Chaoyang. Why would anyone gossip about her?

Jiao'er was immediately displeased upon hearing this. Standing in front of the talkative maid, she pointed at her nose and scolded, "Who told you that? Did General Zhou tell you himself?"

The maidservant retorted, "That's right, otherwise why wouldn't the general come back?"

"How do you know he won't come back? The general is ordered to guard the desert; he can't just come back whenever he wants. Don't you understand that imperial orders cannot be disobeyed?"

The young maidservant grinned and said, "Marriage is a big deal. Back then, his proposal to Xia was quite a spectacle; everyone knew about it!"

The young maid was so arrogant because she was a servant of the Grand Tutor's wife. The Grand Tutor was Yin Fu'an's uncle, and Yin Fu'an took good care of him. Therefore, even the servants around his wife were so arrogant and domineering.

Jiao'er couldn't bear to see her young mistress being slandered like this. Her lips trembled, and a sarcastic smile appeared on her lips as she said, "What kind of good woman is that Xia Shi? She was having an ambiguous affair with the Fifth Prince of Lin Yue, and the same when she was with the General. No wonder the General didn't want her anymore. How can she be compared to our Madam? She's nothing but a discarded woman."

Xiao Mu couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop putting one down to praise the other. What does 'abandoned woman' even mean?"

She stepped forward, raising the corners of her mouth, and said, "Oh? Abandoned woman? Who abandoned whom? Go ask General Zhou yourself what he thinks! Also, who's flirting with the Fifth Prince? Are you jealous because you don't have any men around you? You see someone with a man and you say they're flirting."

Jiao'er glanced at her disdainfully, "And who are you? You're probably ugly, wearing a veil. People like you shouldn't come out and scare people, lest you scare them away."

Xiao Mu raised her hand and slapped Jiao'er across the face. In an instant, before Jiao'er could even react, she felt a burning sensation on her cheek, and several finger marks appeared on her fair face.

"You... why did you hit me?" Jiao'er's momentum immediately weakened. She had always been spoiled by Meixi and had never been hit by anyone before.

"You have a foul mouth. The Xia family hasn't done anything to you, so why are you slandering them? Or do you think your wife is really that good, so good that no one can compare to her?"

Xiao Mu did not want to verbally insult Mei Xi. She did not know what kind of person Mei Xi was, but her maid was truly a bully who relied on her master's power.

"Why is it so noisy? What happened?"

Deng Yizhi opened the banquet hall door, behind him stood Meixi, Yu Yanjing, and the Grand Tutor's wife.

Meixi immediately noticed the finger marks on Jiao'er's face and quickly went to her side, asking, "Jiao'er, what happened to you? Who hit you?"

“She!” Jiao’er pointed at Xiao Mu with a wronged expression. “She not only hit me, but also said that you… are not as good as Xia Shi.”

Xiao Mu frowned; this was truly a case of turning right and wrong upside down.

"Young lady, what has Jiao'er done to offend you that you would treat her so cruelly?"

Harsh? That's too lenient. She even wanted to pull out all her teeth and sew her mouth shut so she could never talk about others again.

Xiao Mu remained silent and cast a pleading look at Yu Yanjing.

Yu Yanjing stood in front of Xiao Mu, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said gently to Meixi, "My person unintentionally hit Madam's maid. There must be a reason. Why don't you ask Madam's maid what she said?"

Without hesitation, Xiao Mu blurted out, "She said that Xia Shi was having an affair with the Fifth Prince of Lin Yue, and that she was General Zhou's abandoned wife!"

Yu Yanjing gave Jiao'er a cold glance, his gaze seemingly capable of piercing her bones, causing her to tremble with fear.

"But what do you mean by the Xia family?"

Yu Yanjing's eyes were sharp. "Then it seems it wasn't my people's fault, but rather the madam's maid who didn't keep her mouth shut. Madam still needs to discipline her more."

Meixi lowered her head slightly and said, "Yes." It was the first time she had felt so ashamed.

She fled in panic with her beloved child.

Deng Yizhi raised an eyebrow. "Ling, why are you so angry? You scared away all my customers. How are you going to compensate me?"

Yu Yanjing gave a forced smile. "I'll punish myself with three drinks. Is that alright?"