Before heading to Guanzhou, Li Yueshu asked Hong Dai to investigate who was advising Qin Yexiu.
"It's Wei Zimiao, isn't it?" Li Yueshu sighed. "I ran into him when I first entered the city."
Hong Dai was somewhat surprised and didn't know how to comment on their fate.
"Did he tell you why he's helping the Crown Prince?"
Li Yueshu shook her head, puzzled. Logically, she had eliminated all potential problems. Even if the plot insisted on restoring itself, it shouldn't abandon all reason!
Hong Dai pursed her lips, her expression hard to describe. "The reason for this matter, in the end, is because of you."
Li Yueshu was stunned. "Because of me?"
Hong Dai's eyebrows twitched. "Do you remember the Li mansion that caused you trouble because of Shen Can?"
Li Yueshu nodded, but couldn't understand how that related to Wei Zimiao.
Hong Dai kindly explained, "The letter that saved you back then was actually written by the Regent under the name of Grand Tutor Xu, but Grand Tutor Xu also sent a letter."
Li Yueshu was surprised. She hadn't known Qin Moyuan had secretly intervened to save her then. She thought he had only wanted to silence her at that time!
Hong Dai continued, "The prefect at that time was still someone from Old Master Li's faction. This matter was passed on, leading the Li mansion to believe you were allied with the Crown Prince. And the person behind the Li mansion was Noble Consort Lan. Later, you had frequent contact with Hong Ningcheng, so the Li mansion thought Hong Ningcheng had defected to the Crown Prince."
"As a result, as soon as they sent this news back to Chongzhou, the entire Li mansion was purged."
Li Yueshu: ...
This matter was truly absurd and coincidental! Li Yueshu didn't believe the plot wasn't involved, there just wasn't concrete evidence.
Hong Dai also spoke about many other events that had happened recently, concerning people Li Yueshu had been worried about.
"Speaking of which, there's something about your sister that puzzles me," Hong Dai said with a frown. "After Qin Yexiu left for Guanzhou, Li Xiangru went to the temple to pray for him and saved someone on her way back."
Li Yueshu recalled the plot of the original book. There was indeed a story about Li Xiangru going to a temple to pray after Qin Yexiu left for Guanzhou, but there was no mention of saving anyone.
"Who did she save?"
Unexpectedly, Hong Dai shook her head. "That person's identity is probably not simple. I can't find out for now."
Li Yueshu was somewhat surprised, but she understood that if it was someone Li Xiangru saved, they wouldn't be ordinary. The original book mentioned Li Xiangru encountering many capable individuals, but Hong Dai couldn't find any clues about that person. Li Yueshu couldn't guess who it might be.
...
When they left Chunyang Street, the procession welcoming Qin Yexiu and Crown Prince Qingyan had already returned to the imperial palace. By the time Li Yueshu and Qin Moyuan arrived at the manor, Chai Yang Xinghe was waiting at the entrance with everyone else.
Upon learning that the two had left them and returned ahead of time, Chai Yang Xinghe also found an excuse to leave the procession and came back directly. Therefore, everyone knew Li Yueshu and Qin Moyuan were returning and were waiting here with anticipation.
"Mom!"
Just as Shen Tingyi opened her mouth, Shen Zhiyu beside her spoke first, running over with a joyful face. He pounced into Li Yueshu's arms and said pitifully, looking up, "Mom, Ayu missed you so much."
Shen Tingyi, trailing behind, grumbled inwardly and quickly ran over to occupy the other side of Li Yueshu, also saying pitifully, "Mom, I missed you too."
Li Yueshu's heart softened, and she quickly hugged the two little ones. "Mom missed you too."
Then, she looked up at Shen Tingwen, who was standing obediently to the side, and extended her hand. "Awen, come here and let Mom hug you."
Shen Tingwen wanted to step forward, but he held back. He shook his head and said obediently, "Mom, you must be tired from your journey. Go home and rest. You can hug me after you've rested."
His well-behaved and sensible demeanor made Li Yueshu's heart soften. She walked over and ruffled Shen Tingwen's hair, even unable to resist kissing his forehead. "Thank you for your concern, Awen. Mom isn't tired at all."
Seeing this, Shen Tingyi and Shen Zhiyu's eyes widened, looking at their second brother in disbelief. He's so shameless! How could I not have thought of this "advance by retreating" strategy!
Shen Tingwen cast a triumphant glance at his younger siblings, then looked up at Li Yueshu with the same sensible and obedient expression. Li Yueshu wasn't blind; she knew the personalities of these three children and naturally saw through their little schemes. But she didn't interfere, just ruffled their hair in turn and led them into the manor.
Qin Moyuan followed Li Yueshu the entire time, like a transparent person, completely ignored by the three children. He felt so heartbroken! He used to be the most popular with these children! Qin Moyuan's resentful gaze persisted until they entered Rumo Residence, and it still hadn't disappeared.
Even after dinner, when the children had gone back to rest, he lingered in Rumo Residence. His handsome eyes were full of grievance. "A'shu sees the children and doesn't even pay attention to me anymore."
Li Yueshu scoffed. "You're not going to be jealous of the children, are you?"
Qin Moyuan didn't feel ashamed at all and said earnestly, "I'm jealous of anyone who tries to steal A'shu away from me."
Li Yueshu raised an eyebrow, not commenting on his childish behavior, and changed the subject. "Hong Dai told me today about Wei Zimiao becoming Qin Yexiu's advisor."
Qin Moyuan had already guessed they would discuss this, so he wasn't surprised. "I also received the news when I returned to the manor. Qin Yexiu's change in attitude towards me was his idea."
This was news to Li Yueshu, who looked at him in surprise. "Why?" She had specifically inquired. Qin Yexiu's opinion of his uncle, Qin Moyuan, was unusually strong. How did Wei Zimiao manage to persuade him to suddenly change his attitude?
Qin Moyuan shook his head. "Perhaps only the two of them know the specific reason." He had people investigate. Apart from Qin Yexiu's sudden change in attitude, the two of them hadn't taken any action against him. Even the assassins Qin Yexiu had previously arranged to ambush him on his way to Guanzhou had all been recalled.
Li Yueshu found this matter too abnormal, but thinking back to what Wei Zimiao had said to her when she met him during the day, she felt he wouldn't truly be her enemy. At least for now, Wei Zimiao wouldn't set any traps for her and Qin Moyuan.
Li Yueshu set this matter aside for the moment and then asked about another matter. "A'yuan, Hong Dai said she found out Li Xiangru saved someone not long ago. Can you help me find out who that person is?"
Qin Moyuan rested his chin on her shoulder. "I was about to tell A'shu about this matter." His expression became a bit more serious. "The person Li Xiangru saved is the Poison King of Pang Mountain."