The voice sounded somewhat familiar, and combined with the words the person was shouting, Rongrong instinctively thought of a name.

Xue Dacheng.

Her heart sank, and she looked at Xue Xiaoshan. Xue Xiaoshan happened to be looking over as well, and their eyes met, confirming who the visitor was.

Xue Xiaoshan frowned, “Is it…”

Rongrong quickly shook her head.

After Xue Dacheng’s previous actions, Rongrong had long stopped considering him family.

Moreover, with his current foul language, she certainly couldn’t acknowledge him. If she did, the neighbors would think her family was tainted.

“Why are you acting crazy? You’re stumbling around and cursing at us, it’s really bad luck.” Rongrong said, pulling on Xue Xiaoshan’s sleeve to head towards Wutong Alley.

Xue Dacheng reacted swiftly.

Seeing Rongrong and Xue Xiaoshan trying to leave, he scrambled up from the ground and followed them towards Wutong Alley, shouting, “Don’t run! Don’t run!”

Rongrong and Xue Xiaoshan ran even faster.

“Rongrong, it seems like the elder brother is still chasing us.”

“Don’t be afraid, let’s go back to the house and call Fei Cui to deal with him!” Rongrong had made up her mind.

Fei Cui knew martial arts, and if Xue Dacheng was too troublesome, she would have Fei Cui beat him half to death!

Xue Xiaoshan was much taller than Rongrong.

As she tugged on his sleeve, she wasn’t able to run fast, so she simply held onto his hand.

Xue Xiaoshan’s eyes shifted slightly, and he grasped Rongrong’s hand in his own.

He hoped, somewhat unreasonably, that she could just hold his hand and keep running forward.

“Stop! Stop right there! Don’t think you can escape! I’m telling you…” Xue Dacheng’s shouting abruptly ceased.

Hearing the sound stop behind them, Rongrong couldn’t help but halt and look back.

Turning around, she saw Liuli standing not far away, giving her a bow. Xue Dacheng, as if struck by a heavy blow, was already lying on the ground.

“Miss, what should be done with this person?”

Rongrong was in a dilemma.

It was one thing to be resolute in her heart, but another to handle the situation in reality.

No matter what, she couldn’t let Liuli beat Xue Dacheng to death.

If she just discarded him, Xue Dacheng already knew where they lived in Wutong Alley.

Being someone without the means to make a living, he would surely cling on and never let go.

“Rongrong, how about we take him back?” Xue Xiaoshan suggested.

“Take him back? Does that mean you and grandmother will have to support him again?” Rongrong was somewhat anxious.

If Xue Dacheng could be dealt with by money, it would be fine, but with Xue Xiaoshan’s imminent return to his family’s name, she was worried about what Xue Dacheng might do once Xue Xiaoshan restored his status as heir.

Seeing Rongrong frowning and refusing, Xue Xiaoshan whispered, “Grandmother misses Ah Lin and Ah Mu. Don’t worry, I won’t keep elder brother here.”

Mentioning Ah Lin and Ah Mu softened Rongrong’s heart somewhat.

Although they were Xue Dacheng and Cui He’s children, their character was not bad, but if they were always raised by Xue Dacheng and his wife, they would inevitably go astray.

Feicui, who had overheard Rongrong’s voice, came out of the courtyard just in time to hear their conversation.

Feicui said, “Miss, why don’t I take him back to the East Palace, interrogate him, and find out the whereabouts of the two children before making any plans?”

“What do you think, Second Brother?” Rongrong turned to Xue Xiaoshan.

Xue Xiaoshan had always been tolerant of Xue Dacheng, considering him a blood relative of his grandmother.

Xue Dacheng had previously tried to trick him into selling Rongrong to a local rich man as a concubine, which made Xue Xiaoshan see him as a beast.

Since living in Wutong Lane, both Rongrong and Xue Xiaoshan had been at ease, and he hoped they could continue living peacefully like this.

But Xue Xiaoshan knew that Rongrong didn’t want to live like this forever, and neither did his grandmother.

His grandmother had mentioned A Lin and A Mu many times, both directly and indirectly.

Every time they ate something, grandmother would say, “This is what A Lin likes,” or “That is what A Mu likes.”

No matter what Xue Dacheng was like, if they could get A Lin and A Mu back, his grandmother would be very happy. It would be a way for him to show filial piety.

With Rongrong’s approval, Feicui and Liuli quickly put Xue Dacheng onto the carriage and drove it toward the Eastern Palace.

“Second Brother, don’t mention today’s events to grandmother for now.”

“I understand. Rongrong, would you be happy if A Lin and A Mu lived here with us?”

“A Lin and A Mu are good children, so of course I would be happy. But Xue Dacheng…”

Xue Xiaoshan understood Rongrong’s concerns from the way she mentioned Xue Dacheng by name. “Don’t worry, I will only take care of A Lin and A Mu. I won’t interfere with anything else.”

“Second Brother, you hold a distinguished position. I’m worried he might cling to you.”

Xue Xiaoshan smiled faintly, “The Xue family has been kind to me. It doesn’t matter if he clings or not.”

“It’s grandmother who was kind to you. The rest of the Xue family didn’t treat you well.” According to the original owner’s memories, although the Xue family didn’t treat Xue Xiaoshan harshly, they only provided him with the bare necessities.

He started working in the fields at the age of six or seven, and he had long since repaid any debts to the Xue family.

Rongrong said, “If you’re not filial to grandmother, I will definitely come after you. But with Xue Dacheng, make sure he doesn’t find out about the Weiyuan Marquis’s residence.”

Xue Xiaoshan understood that Rongrong was concerned about him and felt incredibly warmed by it.

As he was about to speak, he suddenly realized he was still holding Rongrong’s hand.

Rongrong also noticed this and quickly pulled her hand away.

Both felt a bit awkward.

Xue Xiaoshan released her hand and said softly, “Were you scared just now?”

“No. Second Brother, I still need to ask Liuli something, so I’ll head inside first.” Rongrong turned her face away and quickly walked toward the courtyard.

Xue Xiaoshan lowered his head and silently followed her inside, crossing the courtyard gate.

Liuli followed Rongrong into the inner courtyard.

Once they were inside, Liuli turned and closed the door.

“How did it go? Did you get Chunxing’s indenture?”

“I got it.” Liuli said as she placed a thin document on the table.

Rongrong looked at it with relief.

“Have you seen Zhenzhen?” Rongrong asked as soon as she returned to Wutong Alley.

It had been over ten days since Zhenzhen last visited her.

Liuli hesitated for a moment before nodding, “I saw her, but we didn’t have a chance to speak.”

“Why?”

“Today, when the heir returned to the Marquis’s residence, I was called over to speak with him. Miss Zhenzhen was always by his side, so we didn’t have a chance to talk.”

Xie Yuanchu is back?

Rongrong was delighted to hear this. “Did you mention Zhenzhen’s redemption to the heir?”

“I planned to bring it up after I finished with Chunxing’s matter, but Miss Zhenzhen gave me a look, so I didn’t mention it.”

Rongrong pouted slightly.

If Zhenzhen could have retrieved her redemption papers today, she could have been with her now.

But Rongrong understood Zhenzhen’s intention; she probably wanted to speak directly with Xie Yuanchu herself.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Helping you is my duty.”

Liuli was calm and thorough in her work, and Rongrong felt very reassured with her handling things.

“Please go and call Chunxing over.”

“Yes.”

---

At the Jingning Marquis’s residence.

Xie Yuanchu sat at his desk, motionless.

Zhenzhen had peeked through the door many times from the corridor, but Xie Yuanchu remained silent, and she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

She sighed slightly to herself.

Previously, Liuli was probably going to mention her redemption to Xie Yuanchu. Since Liuli was from the Eastern Palace, Xie Yuanchu might have restrained his temper out of respect for the Prince.

However, seeing how exhausted Xie Yuanchu looked upon his return, Zhenzhen felt somewhat sympathetic.

Moreover, she knew Xie Yuanchu was proud. If pressured by the Eastern Palace’s authority, it might have the opposite effect.

“Sister Zhenzhen, will you be on night duty tonight?” Luomei asked.

Luomei had a smile on her face, but Zhenzhen could see she was very nervous.

Since Xie Yuanchu had been away for so long, the night shifts were all messed up and had to be rearranged from today.

Seeing Luomei’s state, Zhenzhen sighed inwardly.

Since she was going to redeem herself and leave, it was better to help Luomei out.

“Go ahead and take care of it.”

Luomei was overjoyed, “Alright, Sister, you can go rest. I’ll handle things here.”

Zhenzhen took one last look at Xie Yuanchu, who was still lost in thought, and turned to leave the courtyard.

She almost bumped into someone as she exited.

“Why are you out here?” Xin Zhu asked.

“Miss Loumei is taking care of things with the heir. I’ll go rest in my room and come back tomorrow morning to replace her.”

Xin Zhu hesitated, opened his mouth, and finally sighed, “I really don’t know what you’re thinking.”

Recalling Xie Yuanchu’s tired appearance, Zhenzhen pursed her lips and asked, “Is something wrong with the heir? Why is he just sitting there lost in thought?”

Xin Zhu, who was normally not very talkative, and who, like Zhenzhen, usually stayed by Xie Yuanchu’s side, rarely spoke much.

“You know Miss Xie Yuanrui’s nature; she won’t admit her mistakes and has been causing trouble all the way, cursing the heir, the Marquis, the Marquis’s wife, and even Rongrong. Seeing her act like this has deeply hurt the heir.”

Indeed, Xie Yuanchu had always been very fond of Xie Yuanrui.

“Matters back home haven’t been settled yet. An urgent imperial decree summoned the heir back. He rushed back, only to find that the Emperor wants him to go to Nanzhao to quell the rebellion.”

“Southern Zhao? Didn’t the Crown Prince use to command troops in the north? Why has he suddenly been assigned to Southern Zhao?”