“Auntie Rongrong, why are you crying?” Yuanbao wiped the tears from Rongrong’s cheeks with his little hand.

“I… it’s because Lan Yin sang so beautifully.”

Yuanbao pouted, “But Father and I didn’t cry, only you did.”

“It’s said that certain scenes can evoke feelings. Maybe the song touched Rongrong’s heart,” Lan Yin, holding a pipa, came over and offered her handkerchief to Rongrong.

Rongrong took out her own handkerchief, “Thank you for your kindness.”

“Sir, would you like to hear more songs?” the young woman in red asked the Crown Prince with a smile.

The Crown Prince took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table, “That will be all for today. Here’s the reward. Let’s head back.”

Lan Yin received the reward, bowed to the three of them, and went to the front of the boat, playing some more beautiful melodies on her pipa.

It was pleasant to hear.

When the boat finally docked, Lan Yin put down her pipa and, along with the young woman in red, escorted them off the boat.

“If you have time, feel free to come back to listen to the music,” Lan Yin said.

Rongrong didn’t know how to respond.

Lan Yin’s song cost ten taels of silver, which she could never afford even if she worked herself to exhaustion.

But Yuanbao cheerfully said, “No, don’t come back. You’ll make Rongrong cry again.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Once the three of them were on the shore, the young woman in red walked back to the boat with Lan Yin and scolded her, “You’re too much. That girl is clearly just a maid. Instead of attending to the young masters nearby, you invite her again. Even if she wanted to come back, she’d need the silver. Look at the silver ingot; it’s obvious the young master is from a well-off family.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Lan Yin smiled lightly and glanced at the silver ingot, “To host someone, they need to be impressed first.”

“How so? You received fifty taels as a reward and still think he wasn’t impressed?” The young woman in red was puzzled.

Lan Yin entered the cabin, warmed her hands by the stove, and said slowly, “The fifty taels were indeed a reward, but they were given because that girl was satisfied with my performance. The young master didn’t even glance at me.”

“No way?” The young woman in red was even more surprised, “He wore a mask; it must be your mistake.”

Lan Yin looked at her and shook her head gently, “Some things are beyond repair. Now I understand why business has been declining.”

…

Yuanbao was sleepy and was carried by the Crown Prince the entire way.

As they walked back, Rongrong, who had led the way earlier, now walked beside the Crown Prince.

Since it was the Lantern Festival, there was no curfew, and many people were out.

A drunk man leered at Rongrong, and the Crown Prince swiftly kicked him aside so he couldn’t move.

In the past, being near him was always tense.

Now, no longer involved with him, she felt a sense of security being close to him.

Not long after, Yuan Bao fell asleep on the Crown Prince’s shoulder.

Rong Rong walked beside him, unsure of what to say.

He silently guided her back to the alley of the Locust Flower Lane.

“Miss! Miss!” At the entrance of the courtyard, Chun Xing stood anxiously waiting for Rong Rong, and Mei Ningxiang was also there.

The Crown Prince stopped at the alley entrance and said, “Go back.”

Rong Rong gave a slight bow and turned to walk towards the courtyard.

“Miss, you’re back! I was worried you might run into trouble!” Chun Xing said, looking towards the alley entrance and lowering her voice. “Was that masked man the Crown Prince?”

Although Chun Xing worked for the Marquis’s household and usually did rough work, she had only seen Xie Yuanchu a few times from afar.

She couldn’t distinguish between Xie Yuanchu and the Crown Prince, though she noticed Xie Yuanchu had broader shoulders but was slightly shorter.

“Don’t be silly, it wasn’t the Crown Prince,” Rong Rong replied.

“That’s right, the Crown Prince doesn’t have any children yet!” Chun Xing mumbled.

Mei Ningxiang glanced at the alley entrance and said, “He hasn’t left. He’s waiting for you to enter the courtyard.”

Rong Rong looked back and saw him still standing at the alley entrance with Yuan Bao, his tall figure appearing even more imposing than the locust trees lining the alley.

“Let’s hurry inside,” Rong Rong said, blushing and heading into the courtyard.

Once inside, Mei Ningxiang helped Rong Rong to her room, and Rong Rong asked Chun Xing to boil water for Mei Ningxiang to make tea.

“I’m sorry for disturbing Mei Jie so late.”

“We are all women on our own; we should support each other. If I ever face trouble, you mustn’t ignore it!” Mei Ningxiang suddenly said.

Rong Rong was surprised.

She had always seen Mei Ning Xiang as a strong character and hadn’t considered that Mei Ning Xiang might face difficulties.

She wasn’t sure if she had the ability to help if Mei Ning Xiang needed it.

Mei Ningxiang had always looked out for her.

“Mei Jie is joking. I don’t have that kind of ability. If you ever need anything, just let me know.”

“Don’t be so serious, I was just joking,” Mei Ningxiang said with a smile, as if she was indeed just joking.

Rong Rong took her words to heart. It was indeed necessary to repay kindness.

Chun Xing came in with a kettle and poured tea for Mei Ningxiang and Rong Rong.

Mei Ningxiang looked at Chun Xing and said, “You’re quite clever. When you weren’t at the lantern festival, you immediately came to me to ask, insisting that Jing Ming go look for you.”

“Mei Boss, I really had no choice. I was too scared to go looking for the Miss by myself,” Chun Xing said.

“Alright, alright, I was just praising you for being a loyal servant.”

Rongrong asked, “And Jingming?”

“You’ve seen him several times; he’s the one who usually comes and goes with me. His name is Yu Jingming, my cousin. He’s trained in martial arts a bit. If you have any heavy or tough work, just call him.”

The man in Mei Ningxiang’s house was actually her cousin?

Rongrong felt something was off, “Sister Mei must be joking. There are plenty of people in the yard who can help. Why trouble Master Yu?”

Mei Ningxiang chuckled, “He’s no ‘master.’ If he heard you call him that, he’d laugh. Even calling him Brother Yu would be flattering for him.”

Mei Ningxiang then stood up and glanced at the five cured hams hanging from the rafters, drying.

Rongrong said, “How did the ham from last time taste?”

“Good, of course.”

“Once these hams are ready, I’ll send another one to your sister.”

Mei Ningxiang waved her hand, “With just a few people in my house, the one you gave me last time is enough for a year. What I want to say is, once these hams are done, don’t rush to sell them at the restaurant. I have a friend who liked the ham when she visited and asked about it. You should sell it to her first. She’s not short on money, so you can set the price as you like.”

“I’ll keep one for Sister Mei. The hams I bought this time are top quality, unlike the last batch which was of lower quality. The taste will definitely be better.”

“In that case,” Mei Ningxiang thought for a moment, “I can’t keep getting things for free. How about this: you sell them to me at a discount.”

“Alright.”

Mei Ningxiang picked up the tea that had been poured for her earlier and took a sip, “I’ve had my tea and we’ve discussed business. I’ll head back now.”

“Thank you for your trouble today, Sister Mei.” Rongrong saw Mei Ningxiang to the door and noticed Yu Jingming waiting for her in the yard.

Rongrong didn’t go downstairs to see them off but returned to her room after Mei Ningxiang left.

Mei Ningxiang went downstairs and patted Yu Jingming on the shoulder as they walked out of the small courtyard toward the Mei residence.

“You come here so often. Maybe you should consider knocking down the wall and connecting the two yards. It would make it easier for you to come and go.”

“You’re speaking in such a strange way! I almost thought you were my suitor and found me looking for a man outside,” Mei Ningxiang laughed heartily.

Yu Jingming shot a disapproving glance at Mei Ningxiang and said helplessly, “I told you to stay away from her, but you never listen.”

Mei Ningxiang raised her eyebrows slightly but didn’t respond.

She followed Yu Jingming into the main hall and only after they were inside did she ask quietly, “Did you find out anything new when you went to help look for her?”

Yu Jingming frowned, clearly reluctant to answer.

However, under Mei Ningxiang’s persistent questioning, he had no choice but to respond, “The person who used to watch over our courtyard was arranged by that masked man.”

“Oh? How do you know?” Mei Ningxiang’s interest was piqued.

“When I was searching the streets, I ran into someone who used to be stationed outside our courtyard.

They were following those two from a distance.

The masked man is quite skilled; if he were being followed, he would definitely notice.

So those people were probably just waiting for his orders.”

“How do you know he’s skilled?”

Yu Jingming, losing patience with Mei Ningxiang’s questions, said, “You have your instincts, and I have mine. Just now, a drunkard tried to harass Xue Rongrong, and the masked man broke all the drunkard’s ribs with one kick.”

“Earlier, at the courtyard entrance, Chun Xing asked if he was the Crown Prince, and she said no but seemed very nervous. Could it be because she was lying?”

“I advise you to stop thinking about this. Some curiosity can be dangerous.” Actually, Yu Jingming had noticed two people trailing behind Xue Rongrong on the street.

They were spaced far apart, and one of them was clearly trying to hide their presence.

If Yu Jingming hadn’t been exceptionally skilled, they would have likely noticed him.

The masked man was clearly of high status.

Yu Jingming didn’t know who was following him, but it was evident they were beyond his and Mei Ningxiang’s reach.

What Yu Jingming didn’t know was that the other person he had discovered had already entered the palace through the side gate, changed into the Imperial Guard uniform, and proceeded directly into the Kun Ning Palace.