Chapter 101: A Visitor from the Ji Family

Under the guidance of the Xiang family, Xiang Xinyu had a gentle nature and a kind heart.

From the moment she entered the Xiang family, she understood that she was merely an adopted daughter and had never thought of replacing the position of the Xiang family’s biological daughter.

Now that the Xiang family had found their biological daughter, as an adopted daughter who had been raised by the Xiang family, she should repay them by caring more for the biological daughter.

Xiang Taifu spoke with a serious expression: “No, it’s been eleven years. It’s not easy to have news of Yao’er, and I must go personally to bring her back.

If only the three of you siblings go, Yao’er won’t feel our love and importance for her. What if she doesn’t want to come back?

We must go as a complete family, spend New Year’s with Yao’er over there, and then bring her back in a grand manner.”

Xiang Yanzhuo nodded: “Father is right. We must go as a complete family.

Father, let’s go to the palace to ask for leave from the Emperor now. Tomorrow morning, we’ll set off to find my sister.”

“Mm. The Prince said that when he met your sister, she wasn’t living well. The sooner we arrive, the sooner she can escape her suffering.”

Xiang Taifu instructed the others to quickly pack and arrange everything that needed to be done.

He and Xiang Yanzhuo then made their way to the palace.

The father and son of the Xiang family requested three months of leave, which the Emperor naturally did not agree to.

But Xiang Taifu, with great emotion, explained the situation and tearfully begged the Emperor, telling him how he had waited eleven years to find his biological daughter and that he had to personally go bring her back.

Xiang Yanzhuo also firmly stated, his eyes red, that she was his only biological sister, and he had to go get her.

The Emperor, annoyed by the father and son’s persistence, unwillingly granted the three-month leave.

What made the Emperor even more frustrated was that, before they had even left, Mo Jinnan showed up.

His purpose, of course, was also to request three months of leave.

When Mo Jinnan asked for three months off, the Emperor directly lost his temper.

“All of you are asking for three months off! Are you going to shut down my court too?”

Mo Jinnan responded indifferently: “Your Majesty, the daughter of the Xiang family is my fiancée. Only I know where she is. If I don’t go, Lord Xiang will never find my fiancée.”

The Emperor fumed, his face turning red with anger. After some time, he reluctantly agreed to Mo Jinnan’s request.

Mo Jinnan, along with the father and son of the Xiang family, turned to leave.

As they reached the door, a cold smile appeared on the corner of Mo Jinnan’s mouth.

The Emperor’s outburst had been an act. He was eager for Mo Jinnan to leave so he could send assassins to deal with him.

Although the Emperor and Mo Jinnan were brothers, they had different mothers. Mo Jinnan was the son of the late Emperor, born when the Emperor was much older, and there was a twenty-year age gap between the two brothers.

The current Crown Prince was only five months younger than Mo Jinnan.

The Crown Prince was less capable than Mo Jinnan, and the Emperor feared Mo Jinnan would take the throne, so he had been trying to suppress him at every turn.

He even used Mo Jinnan’s mother, the Empress Dowager Helian, to force him into military service on the borders.

When Mo Jinnan returned victorious, the Emperor secretly sent assassins to kill him, hoping to prevent Mo Jinnan from returning to the capital.

Mo Jinnan’s weak point was his mother, Dowager Helian.

The Emperor had sent a group of top experts to guard her strictly, keeping her confined in the palace.

Mo Jinnan had tried several times to rescue her, but each time failed, almost exposing himself.

With no other choice, he was forced to submit to the Emperor.

Mo Jinnan had his own power and held military command, so the Emperor did not dare to take action against Dowager Helian.

Once outside the palace, Mo Jinnan urged the father and son of the Xiang family to return home and pack, as they would depart for Yun City early the next morning.

After Mo Jinnan parted ways with the Xiang family, he returned to the Wang Residence to prepare.

This journey would certainly present the Emperor with an opportunity to act against him.

Traveling with the Xiang family, he had to make thorough preparations.

The next day.

The entire Xiang family mobilized, heading to Yun City with Mo Jinnan.

Among all of them, Xiang Xinyu carried the most things.

The Xiang family paid no mind, thinking that it was normal for a girl to bring many items since girls always cared about their appearance.

…

In Dawai Village.

Hu Zhaodi was still busy every day, with barely a moment to rest.

Through her experiments, she found that the Spiritual Spring Water, even when used to irrigate the crops outside, made them sprout and grow much faster than without it.

She worked in the fields during the day and continued her practice and other tasks in the space at night.

As time passed, another month flew by.

Now, the framework of Hu Zhaodi’s house had been completed—it was a large courtyard with four sections.

Around it, a large area had already been cleared, and after the New Year, she could plant fruits and vegetables, creating her own vegetable and fruit gardens.

To ensure the house was completed quickly, Hu Zhaodi had the eldest of the Ji family hire a few more masons to also build the pigsty, stable, chicken coop, and other structures.

During this past month, Ji Chunhua and Ji Chunlan had made several sets of finished clothes.

Since they worked during the day, their progress on the clothes had been slow.

Thus, the tailor shop still wasn’t open for business.

Throughout the month, Hu Zhaodi made sure to add Spiritual Spring Water to the water tank every day.

The changes in the Ji family were remarkable. The children had obviously grown taller, their skin became smoother and healthier, and none of them had gotten sick.

The elder couple and the old scholar in the Ji family appeared much younger than before. Upon closer inspection, their graying hair had darkened considerably.

Despite being busy every day, Hu Zhaodi had become more radiant, more beautiful, and more robust than before. She no longer looked like a frail child, but a young woman in her prime.

On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Hu Zhaodi went up the mountain with her basket as usual.

Today, she was in luck—less than half an hour into the mountain, she caught a spotted deer, a pregnant doe.

After sending the deer into the space, she wandered around the area for a while.

Since the doe was pregnant, there had to be a stag nearby.

Her efforts were rewarded when, after a short while, she found the stag.

Catching a stag wasn’t as easy as catching a pregnant doe. To avoid injuring the stag, chasing it was inevitable.

A human and a deer raced through the forest. If an ordinary person saw Hu Zhaodi’s lightning-fast speed, they would definitely be amazed!

Just as Hu Zhaodi’s internal energy was about to run out, the stag finally exhausted its strength and collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

Breathing heavily, Hu Zhaodi quickly stored the stag in the space, then hurriedly entered the space herself.

Once inside, she quickly gave the stag some Spiritual Spring Water to drink.

After watching the stag recover and get up, walking off with the pregnant doe into the small woods behind the market, she finally felt at ease and exited the space.

She spent the entire day on the mountain, filling her basket with herbs and carrying a roe deer in her hands, feeling satisfied as she headed down the mountain.

As she entered the village, someone greeted her: “Zhaodi, why are you only back now? Hurry home, there are people from the Ji family have arrived—many of them.”