What to do if you receive the wrong package?

Upon hearing Hua Yin's question, Jian Yuheng's expression changed slightly, but he still answered word by word, "If I said the rumors were all false, would you believe me?"

Hua Yin pondered quietly for a moment, then said softly, "Perhaps the rumors aren't entirely false, but they're not entirely true either. But I believe the truth often lies hidden behind rumors. Tell me more, and I'll decide whether to believe it or not."

Jian Yuheng was also helpless, but Hua Yin's words made no sense, so he had no choice but to explain his engagement situation one by one.

He had indeed been engaged four times before this.

The first marriage was arranged by the Empress. The woman was frail and sickly, and the engagement was intended to bring her good fortune. However, she passed away the day after the engagement.

The second marriage was also arranged by the Empress, with the betrothal to the illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Anping. Before he could even say anything, his friend, the Prince of Chu, intervened. It turned out this illegitimate daughter was no respectable person either; she had several lives on her hands. The Prince of Chu had his men pretend to be ghosts for several days after the engagement, and unexpectedly, the illegitimate daughter was scared to death.

His third betrothal was to the daughter of a low-ranking official. However, the girl already had someone she loved, and Jian Yuheng, unwilling to be the one to break them up, gave her a fake death pill, allowing her to fake her death and successfully be with her beloved.

The fourth marriage was even more outrageous. The Empress actually wanted him to marry his childhood friend, Princess Chun'an. Unfortunately, Chun'an already had someone she loved, and without even discussing it with him, she took a fake death pill and went straight to the border to find her General Chen.

After hearing the explanation from the person in question, Zhou Yueran finally remembered what Duan Chenke had said in the carriage.

"Your Highness, you knew all along that the Crown Prince's curse of killing wives was a lie, why didn't you tell me sooner!"

"I said, seeing is believing."

"Meow? Can't you just say it more bluntly?!"

Fortunately, Jian Yuheng was known as a woman who would bring misfortune to his wife, so the Empress could not easily issue an imperial decree to arrange a marriage for him. After all, no family would want to marry their daughter, whom they had raised with great care, to an unlucky person.

"Then why was I forced into marriage?" Hua Yin asked, pointing to herself with a mournful face.

"Isn't it just that they want the Crown Prince to bring you to your death? Maybe the Empress would rather kill you herself and then blame it on the Crown Prince for bringing misfortune to his wives—what a convenient excuse."

The more Zhou Yuran talked, the more she felt she could probably guess the Empress's next move.

Duan Chenke and Jian Yuheng also thought of this and exchanged a glance.

Unexpectedly, the Empress is now unable to restrain herself and wants to take action.

"Don't worry, Miss Hua, the Marquis's mansion will definitely protect your safety while you are here."

Hearing Jian Yuheng repeatedly call her a "flower girl," Zhou Yuran almost burst out laughing.

Hua Yin glared at Zhou Yuran and asked proactively:

"What about those old women in the courtyard? They're the most troublesome ones."

"They are the Empress's spies, and I'm afraid they won't be able to finish their guard duties until we are officially married."

Hua Yin was in turmoil after hearing Jian Yuheng's answer. She knew that the old women in the courtyard had never stopped watching her; their eyes were everywhere, constantly observing her every move. This made her feel immense pressure, as if she were in a prison.

"So now I only have one choice, and that is to marry you?"

"That's how it is for now." Jian Yuheng knew that this was a bit of a stretch, but it was Hua Yin's only option at the moment.

Hua Yin sighed silently, a sense of helplessness and anxiety welling up inside her. She understood that these old women were the Empress's spies, and their mission was to ensure that she posed no threat to the Empress.

"Hua Bao, is it possible that you'd be happy to get married?" Zhou Yuran asked suddenly, stroking her chin.

"What do you mean?" Hua Yin knew that Zhou Yuran would never harm her. Since she had spoken up, she must have some ideas.

"Her Majesty the Empress arranged for you to marry the Crown Prince, who is said to bring misfortune to his wives, because she didn't want you to have a good life. So you did the opposite. Not only did you and the Crown Prince live a loving and prosperous life, but you also successfully dispelled the rumor that the Crown Prince brings misfortune to his wives. Do you think Her Majesty the Empress is angry when she hears this?"

"I'm furious! Hahaha, I'm afraid she'll explode with anger." Hearing Zhou Yuran's thoughts, Hua Yin seemed to understand.

"That's right. The young master should often express his gratitude to the Empress, or praise her wise decrees to others. Make the Empress feel suffocated, like hitting a ball of cotton."

“Yes, yes, I think your idea is good. We can test it out with those old women first. They always say I disobeyed the imperial order and ran away, so I won’t run away anymore. Let’s see what they can still find fault with.”

Duan Chenke and Jian Yuheng could never have imagined that, in just a few words, a plan had already begun to take shape during Zhou Yuran and Hua Yin's discussion, and was only waiting to be discussed and finalized with Jian Yuheng.

Jian Yuheng was somewhat shocked by the two girls' "reverse operation," but seeing their eager and ready expressions, he could only exchange a silent glance with Duan Chenke before agreeing.

Zhou Yuran was surprised that Jian Yuheng agreed so quickly, and immediately stopped Jian Yuheng with a smile to discuss the second matter.

"I wonder if there's anything else for you two ladies?" Jian Yuheng asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's nothing serious, it's just that Hua Bao has been stuck in your manor for a while now. To cheer her up, could a few of us sisters sneak in through the back door to see her? I promise we'll be very careful and won't be discovered." Zhou Yuran even brought up Duan Chenke when she said the last sentence.

"His Highness the King of Chu can testify that we will be extremely careful."

Jian Yuheng glanced at Duan Chenke with some doubt, but seeing that Duan Chenke was nodding helplessly, she had no choice but to "passively" agree.

"Yay!" Zhou Yuran and Hua Yin exclaimed excitedly as they saw Jian Yuheng agree, their smiles barely concealed.

With Hua Yin's matter temporarily resolved, Zhou Yuran happily left the Dingyuan Marquis's residence with Duan Chenke. She was just thinking about sending Xiao Yijiang and the others to find her as soon as she returned to the Prince's residence, so she could tell them the good news in person.

Duan Chenke turned to look at Zhou Yueran, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I remember that the Fang family and the Hua family have different official positions and don't usually have any interaction. How did you get to know that Miss Hua?"

"We met at the girls' college," Zhou Yuran said without thinking, making up a lie.

"But I vaguely remember that you two are in different quarters, so you don't usually have a chance to meet."

"Just because we don't have many opportunities to meet doesn't mean we won't meet. We hit it off immediately and quickly became good friends."

"And what about Miss Su? You two were practically at odds in the girls' quarters before?" Duan Chenke pressed.

"Can't we become friends through a fight?" Zhou Yuran frowned slightly, seemingly annoyed by Duan Chenke's persistent questioning.

"And what about Miss Bai? Miss Bai comes from the Bai family in Wuzhou, which is very far from Zhongjing."

"Your Highness, you can speak frankly. There's no need to beat around the bush and ask me a bunch of strange questions."

Duan Chenke seemed not to have anticipated that these questions would make Zhou Yuran uncomfortable. He smiled slightly and said apologetically, "Miss Fang is overthinking it. I was just a little curious about the relationship between you ladies."

Zhou Yuran stared straight at Duan Chenke, knowing that continuing to hide it would only arouse more suspicion.

"Your Highness, I can only tell you that our relationship is very close, even closer than some biological sisters. But..."

At this point, Zhou Yuran lowered her eyes and said softly, "Your Highness, you and the young master have a very good relationship, but this relationship may not be known to outsiders. Similarly, we all have our own identities and responsibilities, so the relationship between us may not be known to others either."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Duan Chenke's eyes.

"Alright, since you don't want to say more, I won't ask any further." Duan Chenke suppressed his curiosity, as if he had simply ended an ordinary conversation.

Zhou Yuran breathed a sigh of relief. Their eyes met, as if a tacit understanding was being conveyed without words. She knew that Duan Chenke was a smart person, but she also knew that he was someone who maximized his own interests.

Currently, she is still useful to Duan Chenke, so he doesn't need to interfere. But if one day she loses all her value, the outcome will likely be different.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yuran shook her head with a self-deprecating smile. There was not much difference between her fate being in the hands of the Prince of Chu and the Empress. The only difference was that the Prince of Chu was a bit more handsome and easier to talk to, and he didn't think about taking her life all the time.

The carriage, carrying the two silently the entire way, clattered back to the Prince's mansion.

After entering the Prince's mansion, Zhou Yuran seemed to have become a different person. She bid farewell to the Prince of Chu and ran back to her own courtyard without looking back.

After receiving Zhou Yuran's order, Shadow Guard Xiao Yi did not leave the mansion immediately, but went to Duan Chenke's side as soon as possible.

After all, when the three shadow guards were taken away last time, although they were not subjected to torture, the King of Chu personally stipulated that everything that Miss Fang told them must be reported to him.

Those who violate this rule or fail to report it will be executed.

"Your Highness, Miss Fang asked me to bring Miss Gu and the others here, saying she has some wonderful news to share with them."

Duan Chenke nodded and gestured for the shadow guard to do as he was told.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Gu Yan and the other two hurriedly appeared in the corner courtyard. Su Huaiqi, who was in the lead, fanned himself with his hand and asked with some confusion, "Yueya, what great news is it? The Prince of Chu has asked you to leave the manor?"

Gu Yan, who was so shaken by the carriage ride that he was about to vomit, leaned against Shen Mujin and expressed his dissatisfaction with his eyes.

If it's not incredibly good news, you just wait!

Zhou Yuran's smile stretched from her lips to the back of her head as she said, enunciating each word clearly, "I just saw Hua Bao!"

"what?!"

"The King of Chu took you back to the girls' quarters?!"

"!?"

"Let me tell you slowly. Today I went to the engagement banquet with the King of Chu, only to find out that the woman I was engaged to was Hua Bao!"

"what?!"

"Hua Bao is engaged?!"

"!?"

Zhou Yuran quickly recounted what had happened at the Marquis of Anding's residence, which finally made the three people in front of her truly understand.

"So, Hua Bao's current situation is a combination of Qi Qi and you? Both are engaged, and both are confined to the manor." Shen Mujin summarized very succinctly.

Zhou Yueran was both amused and exasperated. "You're not wrong to say that."

Gu Yan patted Su Huaiqi and Zhou Yuran on the shoulder, "Hey, I was just saying, you three might as well have stayed in the girls' college until you were eighteen before coming out, maybe there wouldn't have been so many troubles."

"All I can say is that things are unpredictable."

"Since that young master has agreed to let us go see Hua Bao, why don't we go tomorrow?" The other three were very excited about the meeting and couldn't wait to go.

"His Highness said that the Marquis's residence just finished its engagement banquet and will probably be closed to guests for the next couple of days. He suggested that we go three days later," Zhou Yuran quickly reminded him, remembering Duan Chenke's suggestion.

“Then let’s set it for three days from now. I’ll go find the blacksmith to make a copper pot so that Hua Bao can happily eat hot pot at the Marquis’s residence.”

Very good, Gu Yan has already started thinking about gifts.

"Then I'll give Hua Bao a gentle little pony. In case anything really happens, Hua Bao can ride it away." Su Huaiqi immediately thought of her gift.

Zhou Yuran rolled her eyes. "You promised Mumu and me a well-behaved little pony a few days ago, but we still haven't seen it! Humph, you're just making empty promises."

“Exactly! I don’t have my pure black pony either!” Gu Yan chimed in.

"Alright, alright, don't rush me! I'll go back and urge Yu Zechuan. If he doesn't give it to me, how can I give it to you?"

Shen Mujin: "Tsk tsk tsk, I'm telling you, Qiqi, why don't you just give in to the young master? Then, not only will the little pony be yours, but the entire Wutong Manor might be yours."

"That's right, that's right, hurry up and learn from Mumu. Look how well she manages to command the secret guards of Weiyang Palace after following Xuanyi." Gu Yan, who had forgotten the pain of the past, chimed in again.

Sure enough, there are consequences for being too cocky.

"Go away, don't talk nonsense. Have you forgotten about the Shadow Guard? Yu Zechuan gave me the pony because he lost a bet, otherwise I wouldn't have taken a single needle or thread from him."

"Yes, yes, then please urge the young master. In time, the foal will have grown into a tall horse."

Listening to Zhou Yuran's speech, the group burst into laughter. Although various unexpected events had occurred during this period, some even threatening their lives, they had finally found each other, and Hua Bao was about to successfully rejoin the team.

So even though the road ahead is long, they can still hold hands and walk together.