Until the sky darkened, Li Zhiyue reluctantly got up to leave.

Chatting with the Cheng siblings about their mother, about everything from the world they once knew, the feeling was very refreshing.

By the time she returned to the Marquis’s residence, it was completely dark outside.

Li Zhiyue hummed a popular song as she went to the main courtyard to greet her parents.

As soon as she entered, she heard Li Suifeng’s hearty laughter.

“That kid Zheng Wei, let him be arrogant, let him be greedy—now look what happened!”

“He actually dared to take the money meant for the construction of the imperial tomb! Guess how much he took? A hundred and twenty thousand taels! With the help of Imperial Concubine Shu, he transported it overnight in an ox cart, hiding it in the mountain gorge. If I hadn’t kept people on watch, it would have been hard to find!”

“I reported it to the Emperor right away, and the Emperor had the Jinyiwei find it all. Zheng Wei boasted and attacked the Jinyiwei, and their leader had him chopped right there!”

“Imperial Concubine Shu knelt in the Imperial Study for a whole day, asking the Emperor to avenge her brother. Guess what happened next?”

Bai Ruzhu looked embarrassed. “The whole capital knows now. Imperial Concubine Shu was sent to the Cold Palace, Zheng’s family was confiscated, and the Building Tower won’t be built anymore.”

Li Zhiyue spoke up, “Then doesn’t that mean the job your father had is gone?”

“Well, it’s gone. What’s the big deal?” Li Suifeng said smugly. “The Emperor saw my achievement and gave me a new position. Your father is now the Junior Secretary of the Yuanma Temple, a fourth-grade official!”

Li Muyun curled his lips. “Yuanma Temple? Isn’t that where they breed horses?”

“You little brat, what do you know?” Li Suifeng slapped him on the back of the head. “I’m a Junior Secretary, do I need to personally take care of the horses? I just go inspect every day. Now that I’m in the Yuanma Temple, I’ll be able to get good horses for the old man!”

Li Zhiyue was speechless.

He’s a fourth-grade official and his ambition ends there?

She walked forward. “Father’s in the Yuanma Temple. It’s the perfect place to find out where the court buys all these horses.”

Bai Ruzhu turned her head. “Zhiyue, what are you talking about?”

“Just in case—I’m saying just in case—if the capital falls into chaos, should we escape?” Li Zhiyue spoke up. “Right now, we have four horses for carriage and seven or eight for riding. If something big happens, these horses won’t be enough. We need to figure out where to buy more so we can just buy them when needed. Don’t you think so?”

“How could the capital fall into chaos?” Li Suifeng didn’t care at all. “If the Imperial City is in chaos, then this world will be in turmoil.”

Li Zhiyue smiled faintly.

When the male lead, the Fourth Prince, and the Crown Prince start fighting for power, the Imperial City will fall into chaos, and it will be within a year or two.

They must prepare quickly.

“By the way,” Bai Ruzhu spoke up, “Your maternal grandfather’s family will be arriving in the capital tomorrow. Our family will go out to welcome them.”

Li Muyun’s face instantly fell, and he sighed. “Mother, I’m telling you, I really don’t think Tangtang and I are suited for each other…”

“Let’s give it a try first,” Bai Ruzhu laughed. “Seven or eight years can change a lot of things. What if you like Tangtang? Yun’er, don’t say things too early.”

Li Muyun shrugged.

“Once your elder brother’s marriage is settled, it will be your turn,” Bai Ruzhu pulled Li Zhiyue’s hand. “Last time, Lord Cheng invited us to his house. Why don’t we find an opportunity?”

Li Muyun frowned. “Mother, are you trying to marry Zhiyue to Cheng Changyan? He’s too poor. No, no, he’s not worthy of our Li family.”

“You brat, what do you know!” Bai Ruzhu glared at him. “Don’t look down on people for being young and poor. Remember these five words: ‘Don’t look down on the young and poor.’ Lord Cheng is only two years older than you and has already become a third-grade official.

Look at your father. He’s in his thirties and still stuck at a fourth-grade position, and he’s just in charge of horses. People might laugh at us for that. No matter how poor Lord Cheng is, he’s better than our Li family!”

Li Suifeng scratched his head. “You can scold this kid all you want, but why do I feel like you’re subtly mocking me?”

Li Zhiyue smiled.

The next afternoon, the Li family took a carriage to the outskirts of the city to welcome her maternal grandfather back to the capital.

After waiting for about a quarter of an hour at the pavilion outside the city, they saw a convoy slowly approaching. The Bai family wasn’t very prosperous.

Her grandfather had two daughters and one son.

Bai Ruzhu was the eldest daughter, the second daughter married off to Jizhou, and the only son had average talent.

After years of hard study, he became a provincial scholar but never advanced further.

The court gave him a position, but he remained a backup official and had done nothing for years.

Her uncle had one wife and one concubine, with four children.

With the master, servants, and some possessions, there were only four carriages.

For an official family, that was rather modest. It was evident that her grandfather, having served as an official for so many years, lived with very little wealth.

“Father, Mother!”

Bai Ruzhu rushed forward first, throwing herself into her grandmother’s arms and crying.

Her grandmother followed suit and cried as well.

Li Suifeng greeted his father-in-law, Bai Youtang.

Li Zhiyue and Li Muyun greeted each person in turn: “Grandfather, Grandmother, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, Cousin…”

“Yun Ge and Yue’er have grown so much!” Her uncle, Bai Yonghua, smiled and said. “When we left, you were just this tall.”

“Zhiyue has become more and more delicate. Look at this skin, this figure!” Aunt Fang walked up. “The way Zhiyue is dressed, I’ve never seen anything like it. What she wears on her head, her clothes, it’s so impressive. She could easily pass for a princess or a county lord.”

“Watch your words!” Bai Youtang spoke coldly. “The capital is not like Lingchuan. If you don’t know what to say, it’s better not to say anything.”

Aunt Fang immediately shut her mouth.

Li Zhiyue looked at her aunt and smiled.

In the book, this aunt had quite a few scenes.

After her grandfather passed away and her grandmother fell ill, Aunt Fang took charge of the Bai family.

She came to the Marquis’s residence every day to take advantage of them, taking whatever she could.

After the Marquis’s family fell, when the original Li Zhiyue fell ill, her elder brother ran away from the exile team to ask the Bai family for money to buy medicine.

Her aunt refused to help and mocked him.

When her elder brother was in despair, it was her uncle’s concubine, Aunt Wei, who gave money for the medicine.

However, the original Li Zhiyue’s illness was too severe, and the medicine didn’t help.

She died not long after…

“Why are you smiling at me, Zhiyue?”

Under her gaze, Aunt Fang felt a bit uneasy.

Li Zhiyue smiled and shook her head. “It’s getting late. Let’s head back to the city. My mother has already arranged the Bai family’s courtyard and hired a few servants. Aunt, you can go check if anything is missing.”

Grandmother Bai spoke up. “There must be nothing missing. Let’s go back to the city.”

Bai Youtang’s first task upon returning to the capital was to report to the palace.

He would be accompanied by Li Suifeng, and they discussed the changes in the court along the way.

Looking at Bai Youtang’s back, Li Zhiyue sighed.

She could tell that her grandfather’s health was deteriorating.

Now almost sixty years old, he should have retired, but he still wanted to climb higher.

Everyone desires to climb higher, but if it costs your life, it’s not worth it.