On the way back to the manor, Gao Yuan was very silent. Qi Lin was used to his great uncle being quiet, so he did not feel that there was anything wrong. However, when he passed by the shop selling pastries, he called out to his great uncle twice, but his great uncle did not hear him. Only then did he feel a little resentful.

“Great Uncle, I’m going back to my room,” Qi Lin said to Great Uncle after entering the main courtyard. Before Great Uncle could respond, he curled his lips. “Alright, you didn’t hear me again.”

Qi Lin left feeling stifled.

Gao Yuan pondered and went to the study room.

“Master.” The butler walked in with two iron jars and said to Gao Yuan, “Shall I brew the lotus seed hearts you asked me to buy during the day for you now?”

Gao Yuan did not like tea leaves, but he liked the water made from lotus seeds.

“Brew a cup,” Gao Yuan said.

“Aye.” The butler put down the jar and brewed a cup of lotus seed heart tea that was difficult to swallow. He had drunk this thing once and it was so bitter that he almost vomited. Ever since then, he had never touched it again. Speaking of which, it was strange. Master didn’t have such a fetish in the early years. After he fell seriously ill before the New Year, he seemed to have changed into a different person. Even his habits were different.

The butler placed the brewed Lotus Heart Tea on the table. “Master, do you want to read or write? I’ll prepare some calligraphy for you.”

“No need.” Gao Yuan waved his hand.

The butler said, “Then I’ll take my leave first. Master, call me if you have any instructions.”

Gao Yuan nodded.

The butler quietly left the study.

Gao Yuan was still immersed in the shock brought by that woman. If he remembered correctly, Yu Shaoqing only had a widow and a young son in his family. His daughter had passed away earlier than him. It was said that she could not stand the humiliation of breaking off the engagement and committed suicide by jumping into the lake. Then where did this daughter come from?

And her appearance always made him feel familiar. It wasn’t because they had met at the courier station once, because at that time, he did not look at the village girl at all.

Then where had he seen this face before?

Gao Yuan pinched the space between his eyebrows that was in pain. He picked up the hot Lotus Heart Tea and took a sip. A rich bitter taste spread in his throat. At first, he was not used to drinking it, but one would be able to withstand the taste of the Lotus Heart after living for half a month with only the bitter gall.

Outside the house, the butler’s voice came. “Really?”

“Got it. You can leave.”

“Wait, when will they arrive?”

“It’s fine.”

After a while, the butler knocked on the study door. “Master, there’s news from the courier station.”

The Directorate’s chancellor actually bought the news at the courier station. If word got to the Emperor, he would probably suspect Gao Yuan’s intentions.

Gao Yuan took another sip of the Lotus Heart Tea. It was so bitter that his taste buds lost their function. He put down his teacup and said, “Come in.”

The butler pushed open the door and entered. He whispered, “It’s an urgent report from Wan City. Prince Cheng and the princess of Xiongnu are getting married. The envoy from Nanzhao is coming to attend the wedding.”

The Nanzhao Nation was adjacent to Wan City. All the news about Nanzhao was sent by the Wan City authorities.

The Nanzhao Nation was a neighboring country of the Great Zhou. They did not have any enmity with each other, but they did not have much contact with each other. They were even more unrelated to the Xiongnu. This time, they actually took the initiative to participate in the wedding of Prince Cheng and the princess of Xiongnu. It was really surprising.

He did not remember this matter. Of course, there was no marriage between the Xiongnu and the Great Zhou that time. However, since they had made peace, the visit of the envoy from Nanzhao seemed to make sense.

Although the Great Zhou’s military strength was temporarily no match for Nanzhao Nation, once they formed a marriage alliance with the Xiongnu, it was not something the Nanzhao Nation could easily deal with. Nanzhao’s visit might be on purpose to befriend them, or it might be to probe their depths.

Gao Yuan did not have the ambition to play with the imperial court. He was only buying information in case of emergencies. It seemed that there was nothing important at the moment. However, with the envoys from two countries coming at the same time, they would probably be busy.

The news of the envoy’s visit had yet to reach Yu Wan’s ears, she probably did not care much even if it did. After all, the envoy was not here for her. What did it have to do with her?

Yu Wan was sitting in the carriage back to the manor with Yan Jiuchao sitting beside her. She knew that Shadow Thirteen was sent by Yan Jiuchao. She should thank him, but she did not say anything.

In the end, Yu Song’s matter still affected her. She also began to doubt if she could take over her status as the mistress of the Young Master Manor. She had still thought too simply of her new identity. She thought that she had lived for two lifetimes and was knowledgeable. She could adapt to her new identity once and also adapt to it a second time. Reality proved that the royal daughter-in-law was really much more difficult than the village girl.

“Sigh.”

Yu Wan sighed countless times.

Yan Jiuchao looked at her strangely.

Yu Wan knew that he was looking at her, but she did not look at him. She cracked her knuckles and whispered, “Yan Jiuchao, what if… I mean what if I can’t be a suitable Young Madam?”

“Then do you think I’m a qualified young master?” Yan Jiuchao asked.

Yu Wan thought about it seriously and said sincerely, “No.”

Ignorant, incompetent, notorious, mischievous… Which young master of the royal family was like him? Even the idle Eldest Prince knew how to invite a few teachers to put on an act in the manor, okay?

Thinking about it this way, she was on par with him. Yu Wan felt much better.

Yan Jiuchao said, “You don’t have to care what others think. So what if you’re qualified? So what if you aren’t? If you are, then you are. There are many qualified people in the world, but there’s only one person who can sit in this position.”

That’s me, Yu Wan! Yu Wan patted her chest, and her low spirits instantly rose. She grabbed his sleeve and said, “Then can I not go tomorrow when Nanny Wan tests me?”

Yan Jiuchao chuckled. “In your dreams.”

Yu Wan’s face darkened.