Old Lady Chu was momentarily stunned before breaking into a broad smile, happily picking up a piece of the grilled fish for Chu Jiabao. “If you like it, eat more.”

She turned and also served some fish to Jiang Yanyi, smiling as she said, “You should eat too, Yiyi.”

Jiang Yanyi thanked her, feeling pleasantly surprised by Chu Jiabao’s praise of her cooking.

It was unexpected, but it was also nice to see that the young girl no longer harbored any animosity towards her and Chu Yangui.

This meal was exceptionally harmonious.

By the time dinner was over, it was already late, and Jiang Yanyi and her brother decided to stay overnight at the Chu family estate.

---

In pursuit of her ambitions in the cosmetics business, Chu Shubao decided to first gain the support of Old Lady Chu.

After dinner, she flattered her grandmother and brought up her desire to open a rouge shop.

Since there was already an example of Jiang Yanyi running her own shop, Old Lady Chu did not oppose her idea of selling cosmetics.

However, being a wise elder, Old Lady Chu was cautious.

She held Chu Shubao’s hand and advised, “Even though you are sisters, it’s important to keep the accounts clear. If the finances aren’t well-tracked from the start, it will only become more complicated later, leading to disputes.”

Chu Shubao gently shook her grandmother’s hand, playing the part of a dutiful granddaughter. “Grandmother, don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

Sighing, Old Lady Chu replied, “You can be a bit careless. If you’re going into business, you must be meticulous. Also, don’t trouble Yanyi.”

Chu Shubao patted her chest in assurance. “I promise I won’t!”

When Chu Shubao returned to discuss this with Liu Shi, who was “resting” in bed, Liu nearly got herself worked up into a frenzy.

“What kind of nonsense is that girl Jiang Yanyi engaging in? She’s willing to lower herself by entering such a public business, and now she’s encouraging you to do the same? I knew she didn’t have good intentions!” Liu Shi said sharply.

Chu Shubao rarely showed such a serious expression, countering, “Mother, what on earth are you talking about?”

Liu Shi, feeling the pressure of her daughter’s tone, stammered, “I… What’s wrong with what I said?”

Chu Shubao pressed on, “If you think you’re right, then go to Grandmother and tell her again!”

Liu Shi felt a wave of dizziness from anger. “You’ve always been contrary to me, and now you’re using your grandmother to pressure me?”

With a stern face, Chu Shubao replied, “Mother, this isn’t about being contrary; it’s about you not being able to tell right from wrong! How does doing business equate to lowering oneself? Didn’t you want me to marry a merchant before? Were you trying to set me up for failure?”

Liu Shi was so exasperated she nearly poked Chu Shubao in the face, frustrated that her daughter couldn’t see the situation clearly. “You… you’re going to kill me! Men engaging in business is one thing, but women doing it is entirely different! Do you want to ruin your reputation? If you had agreed to that marriage proposal, you would have been the lady of that household, living a life of luxury and wealth forever. Is that not what you wanted?”

“You’re being unreasonable! How can earning a living honestly ruin a reputation? What’s the difference between men and women doing business?” Chu Shubao’s frustration grew. “Grandmother agreed to my business, and I want to be a shopkeeper!”

Liu Shi was in tears, “How did I give birth to such a daughter?”

Chu Shubao looked at her mother, saying, “Mother, we’re relying entirely on Third Uncle to survive in Xizhou. All our expenses come from public funds. How long can the money brought from the capital last? Are we going to rely on Third Uncle for the rest of our lives?”

This statement made Liu Shi hesitate, “Well…”

Chu Shubao didn’t expect to resolve all of Liu Shi’s reasoning and saw her softening stance. “I know what I’m doing; you don’t need to worry. If you’re feeling restless, why not make some clothes for your brother’s children? Uncle wrote saying that my sister-in-law is pregnant, and she’ll be giving birth soon.”

When the conversation turned to children, Liu Shi couldn’t stop complaining. “Your sister-in-law is so jealous! After two years of marriage with no children, she uses her family background to bully your brother, and now he can’t even take a concubine without her making a scene! If he doesn’t take a concubine, I don’t know when I’ll ever get to hold a grandchild!”

Chu Shubao rolled her eyes. “Sister-in-law is well-mannered and worthy of my brother; she’s like a flower stuck in cow dung!”

Although Chu Chengbai’s wife was from a family with a previous title, she was considered a low match for someone like him, who had no official status.

This marriage could never have happened if Chu San Ye hadn’t been the general of Yunzhou at the time!

Unable to endure any more of Liu Shi’s comments, Chu Shubao quickly pulled her sister, who had already finished half a plate of pastries, from Liu Shi’s room. “It’s getting late; you should rest, Mother. We’ll go back to our room.”

Chu Huibao was dragged along by her sister, her eyes still fixated on the unfinished pastries.

Liu Shi and Chu Shubao often had arguments, and at first, Chu Huibao would cry in the middle, but eventually, she learned to ignore them, thinking how delightful it was to eat!

---

That night, the heavy snow in Xizhou city showed no signs of stopping, and military troops were searching everywhere.

Lu Lingyuan was frantically searching the city for Jiang Yanxi under the pretense of handling a case, his anxiety growing as he saw the iron-armored soldiers directly under the Wangfu’s command.

The murder weapon was Jiang Yanxi’s, and this case was bound to be linked to her.

If he could find her first, there would still be room for maneuver, but now with the direct troops intervening, the yamen was too afraid to confront them.

The young servant, Qingsong, rubbed his hands together inside his sleeves and said, “My lord, we’ve basically searched the entire city. Should we continue looking?”

Having been anxious all day, Lu Linyuan now had a splitting headache.

The cold wind made him feel even lighter-headed.

He said, “Keep searching.”

Jiang Yanxi traveled a long way to Xizhou for him; how could he not care about her?

At this time, there were few people on the streets, and Lu Linyuan had been questioned by the military several times.

With a throbbing headache, an idea suddenly flashed in Lu Linyuan’s mind.

The Iron Armor Army of the Fengshuo Mansion was conducting such a strict search throughout the city.

Could it be that something had happened with the Turkic prince?

After all, the last time there was a large-scale search like this, it was to capture the Turkic prince.

He had thought that the capture of the Turkic prince would change his fate, but at this moment, he felt a sense of inevitability, as if he might not escape his destiny.

The injuries on the body of the deceased man, the hairpin that Jiang Yanxi dropped in the snow…

If the Turkic prince had escaped, could he have coincidentally encountered Jiang Yanxi?

At this moment, in a dilapidated temple, the ramshackle door barely held against the howling cold wind.

The fire burning in front of the Buddhist altar flickered dangerously low, almost extinguished by the gusts.

Jiang Yanxi looked at the “woman” covered in countless injuries, tears streaming down her face. “Miss, please hold on…”

She had left Lu Linyuan’s house last night. Due to her unfamiliarity with the area and the darkness outside, she could only walk toward the places that had light.

Unexpectedly, she found herself in the red-light district, cornered by a drunkard who began to harass her.

Just when she was at her wits’ end, someone leaped over the wall.

Instinctively, she cried out for help, and the woman who came over kicked the scoundrel away.

However, due to her serious injuries and exhaustion, the scoundrel tried to retaliate.

The woman quickly grabbed the butterfly hairpin from Jiang Yanxi’s head and stabbed the scoundrel to death.

The woman who saved her was gravely injured and could not walk on her own.

Late at night, with nowhere to rest, Jiang Yanxi had to help her to this dilapidated temple, where beggars congregated.

As soon as they arrived at the temple, the woman fell unconscious.

Jiang Yanxi noticed deep wounds on her wrists and ankles.

If she had pulled any harder, the tendons in her hands and feet might have snapped.

She didn’t know what kind of strength had sustained the woman for so long.

Jiang Yanxi wanted to help clean her wounds, but as soon as she touched the woman, the half-conscious woman nearly broke her wrist, angrily telling her to go away.

Jiang Yanxi had no choice but to give up.

The scene of the scoundrel’s death lingered in Jiang Yanxi’s mind.

Although she hadn’t killed him, she was still frightened, huddled in the broken temple beside the woman who had saved her, not daring to go out.

When she got hungry, she exchanged her earrings for food with a few nearby beggars to barely satisfy her hunger.

Hearing the beggars talk about a death on the flower street and the military conducting large-scale searches in Xizhou, Jiang Yanxi was even more terrified.

When Ugusdan woke up, he heard someone nearby sobbing.

He frowned in annoyance, “Shut up…”

As soon as he spoke, he realized his voice was hoarse and painful.

His throat hurt, his head throbbed, and his limbs were sore—not from injuries, but from the chills he had caught.

Ugusdan was ready to curse.

When Jiang Yanxi heard him speak, she was overjoyed, tears streaming down her face. “Miss, you’re finally awake!”

She assumed Ugusdan’s voice was naturally hoarse, not noticing that his tone wasn’t that of a woman.

Ugusdan was severely ill, dizzy, and when he saw the tear-streaked face in front of him, he struggled to speak, “Give me some water.”

Jiang Yanxi panicked, “I… I don’t have any water…”

The dilapidated temple lacked pots or a place to put them.

She didn’t dare to go out, and when she was thirsty, she had been eating snowballs.

“Wait a moment!” she said.

Ugusdan only saw her running out, and after a moment, she returned, shoving a snowball into his mouth. “Swallowing the snow will quench your thirst.”

The snowball melted in his throat, sending a chill down into his lungs.

Ugusdan swore that if he weren’t severely injured and suffering from chills, he would have certainly broken the neck of this woman from the Central Plains!

She clearly wanted to kill him!

He had meticulously concealed himself since entering prison, observing the guards’ shift patterns and the number of guards on duty at night.

He had pretended to be dying to lower their guard.

He had previously collaborated with Xie Zhizhou and made the worst plans.

He had studied the architectural blueprints of the Xizhou prison and memorized the layout.

After finally escaping, he went to the flower street stronghold to meet with his subordinates, only to find that the stronghold had already been taken down.

To cover his tracks, he burned the blood-soaked clothes he had worn to escape from the prison and changed into women’s clothing.

Knowing the cunning nature of the Prince of Liaonan, he knew he would send people to various strongholds to block him.

Ugusdan understood that he could no longer stay in the flower street.

As he made his way out, he happened to see someone harassing a woman.

At that time, he was gravely injured, and after running such a distance, he had exhausted much of his strength.

If he had tried to escape on his own, he would have fainted from fatigue before finding a temporary hiding place.

So he had intervened to save the woman being harassed, hoping to hide in her home.

Who knew that the woman was directionally challenged?

While supporting him, they had wandered around the city for a long time.

His severely injured tendons nearly snapped, and he almost died on the road.

Jiang Yanxi noticed his dissatisfaction and knew he was still ill.

In her anxiety, tears fell from her eyes. “It’s all my fault for being so foolish…”

Ugusdan really wanted to yell at her, “At least you know that!”

But speaking was difficult for him right now, so he spared the energy for cursing.

He glanced around the drafty, dilapidated temple and, seeing Jiang Yanxi dressed somewhat decently, weakly asked, “Why don’t you go home?”

Whether she went home or not was none of his business.

He just wanted to hide in her home for a bit; he didn’t expect anything else, just hoped for a warm drink.

He couldn’t afford to worsen his chill!

Jiang Yanxi hugged her knees, burying her head low, her voice muffled as she said, “I don’t have a home.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she began to wipe her tears.

Ugusdan: …

For the greater good, he had to endure.

He thought she must have run away from home, so he patiently consoled her, “Did you have a fight with your family?”

Jiang Yanxi took him for a big sister she could confide in and sobbed, “I don’t have any family here.”

Ugusdan: “…Then where did you stay before?”

A hint of sorrow appeared on Jiang Yanxi’s face as she replied, “I traveled thousands of miles to Xizhou just for one person, but he doesn’t want me.”

Ugusdan lay on the ground, feeling green with disgust.

He wasn’t interested in stories of others eloping! All he wanted was a place to recuperate and a warm drink!