You Yao lowered her eyelids slightly, her thoughts tumultuous, she lightly parted her red lips: "So take good care of yourself."
Dugu Ye held her a bit tighter, feeling her warmth, feeling unwilling to let her go, "Don't worry, I will take care of myself. After I finish handling things in the capital, I will come to find you."
In the darkness, the two people cuddled together, as if time had come to a standstill at this moment.
They didn't mention Xuanjì, nor did they talk about those unhappy things. They just held each other tightly, feeling the warmth of each other's bodies.
Dugu Ye silently left at dawn. Yu Yao watched his back as he departed and gazed at the empty bed, her heart brimming with melancholy and longing.
She didn't know what had happened in the capital, but it was definitely a storm.
She doesn't care what others think. She just hopes that Xuanjì and Dugu Ye are fine.
With the departure of Dugu Ye and Xuanji, Lianhua County seemed to have returned to its former tranquility.
Yu Yao spends her days amusing Anan and Youyou, and in her spare time, she designs some clothing and bag styles to be sent to the store, where the embroiderers can make them and sell them.
The business of Yaohuafang is as good as ever. Shen Yue, the new manager, is also very capable, running the shop in perfect order and not giving her much worry.
On this day, she spent time playing with Anan and Youyou in the house. The two children had already learned to crawl and were often curious about exploring everywhere.
It's easy to lose track of where they end up.
To facilitate the children's play, she laid a thick, soft cushion on the floor, topped with all sorts of small toys.
All sharp corners in the house were also padded up, just in case the children accidentally bump into them.
"Mama, mommy, catch."
Youyou crawled to Yu Yao's feet, using both hands and feet, waving her small hands in an attempt to grab the colorful ball in her hand.
Anan sat by the side and laughed continuously, dropping her small wooden horse aside and also crawling over to try to grab the colorful ball in her hand.
"Okay, Mom will throw the ball to you two. Let's see who can catch it first, how about that?"
Yu Yao laughed as she gently tossed the colorful ball into the air.
The two little guys were excitedly shouting "ahh" and crawling with their hands and feet to catch the colorful ball. The two siblings were grabbing and pulling each other, not one falling over the other, but it was so adorable.
She squatted by the side, watching the two children play, keeping an eye on them so they wouldn't bump into anything, her face full of smiles.
At this moment, the voice of Zhou Bo came from the door, "Madam, there is a letter from the capital."
Yu Yao looked away from the two children and directed her gaze to the door, asking in confusion, "Whose letter?"
Zhou Bo stood at the door, embarrassed to scratch his head and said awkwardly: "I don't know how to read, I only hear the person who delivered the letter says it's from the capital."
She nodded slightly, stood up, and lightly brushed a nonexistent dust off her dress, then walked to the door to take the letter from Zhou Bo.
Looking at the sender's name on the envelope, she knew it was from Li Yun to send.
She opened the envelope and read it carefully.
In the letter, Li Yun detailed the process of inspecting shops after arriving in the capital and the progress of preparations for the branch of Yaohuafang after selecting a location.
The new store was selected outside the city, at No.18, South Street.
The yard was also bought outside the city, not far from South Street. It was located at No.28, Wuyi Lane. It said that it would only take a walk to get there.
About this matter, Li Yun specially explained in the letter that the residents of the inner city are all court dignitaries and officials of rank three and above.
The houses and shops in the inner city are not something that money can buy. It requires a very strong background and connections.
Although the outer city is not as prosperous as the inner city, it is more bustling. Many officials of small ranks and wealthy families in the capital also live in the outer city.
Of course, the majority of people from the capital also reside in the outer city, but they are just in different areas of residence.
Compared to the inner city, the outer city is more suitable for opening a shop.
Yu Yao has never been to the capital of this world and doesn't know there are inner and outer cities.
But she can understand that.
She has no objections to Li Yun's choice.
The letter said that the new store was under renovation and its style was completely copied from the Yaohuafang in Lianhua County, and ten or more experienced embroidery masters were hired. Once the shop was decorated, a auspicious day could be chosen to open for business.
Finally, she asked when Yu Yao would come to the capital.
Seeing Zhou Bo's curious gaze on her, Yu Yao smiled, didn't try to hide anything, "The letter is from Li Yun. She told me that she has already selected a location for the branch in the capital, has taken it over, and is currently under renovation. She also bought a house there. I was asked when I would go to the capital."
"That's really good news. I was worried that Li Jiaoxiang would take the money and run away. It seems I have a small mind."
Zhou Bo awkwardly smiled and then asked, "When do you plan to leave for the capital, Madam?"
Since the lady allowed Li Jiaoxiang to buy a house in the capital, it is likely that she has plans to go to the capital.
"That's in a few days. I'll try to get to the capital before the new store opens."
Yu Yao smiled, put the letter away, glanced at the room inside, saw that the two children were happily playing, and nothing was amiss. Only then did she give instructions to Zhou Bo:
"Zhou Bo, go and hire a few carriage horses to take us to the capital. Pack up the things at home, don't bring anything else. Just bring some gold and silver, clothing, and food for the journey."
She paused for a moment and then said, "You and Zhou Auntie also go with us. Take Dog Egg with you. We may not be back for a while."
Zhou Bo hesitated slightly, frowning and saying, "Madam, if we all go, what will happen here? This fine mansion can't just be left abandoned, can it? And what are you planning to do about Yaohuafang?"
She combed her bangs, thought for a few seconds, and then said, "It's no problem. There's Zhao Auntie here. The house can be left to her to take care of. I will go and explain the situation to her and leave some silver money for her daily expenses."
She glanced at the children who were crawling around inside, and continued, "As for Yaohuafang, Shen Yue is a reliable person. I will also go and give her some instructions. After that, the shop's accounts and profits will be sent through a money house."
She had used sincere charm scrolls on both Zhao Auntie and Shen Yue, so she had no misgivings about them.
Zhou Bo may not know why the lady trusted Zhao Auntie and Shen Jiaoxiang so much, but thinking that the lady had always been good at choosing people and never made mistakes, he didn't say anything.
"The lady speaks, I will go and arrange it right away."
With that, Zhou Bo turned and left.
Yu Yao returned to the room and continued to play with the two children.
Zhou Auntie started to pack her bags hurriedly upon hearing the news of going to the capital.
That evening, she called Zhao Auntie over and carefully explained to her that she would be going to the capital soon and that she would be entrusting her with the care of the mansion.
Zhao Auntie listened attentively and said, "Madam, you can rest assured that I will take good care of the house."
She nodded slightly and gave Zhao Auntie some silver money for daily expenses.
As she was about to send Zhao Auntie away, she suddenly remembered something and said, "Aunt Zhao, if someone comes looking for me after I leave, just tell them that I've gone to the capital."
She was about to tell Zhao Auntie the address of the capital, but she worried that an elderly person might not be able to remember it, so she changed her mind and didn't say it.
Thinking it over, she got up and walked to the desk, took out a roll of paper, dipped the brush in ink, and wrote down the address of the house and shop in the capital.
Yu Yao put down the brush, gently blew off the ink, and handed the roll of paper to Zhao Auntie, "Aunt Zhao, this is the address of the house and shop in the capital. If someone comes looking for me, give them this."
She mainly worried that Xuan Jing and Dú Gǔ Ye might not be able to find her when they returned.
"Madam, you can rest assured, I'll remember it."
Since Zhao Auntie couldn't read, she didn't look at it either, but carefully put the roll of paper in her hand.
She gave some other instructions and then let Zhao Auntie leave.
The next day, she went to Yaohuafang to find Shen Yue and told her about her plan to go to the capital.
When Shen Yue heard that the lady was going to the capital, she knew that Li Jiaoxiang's side had already taken care of things and wasn't surprised.
"Madam, please rest assured that I will take good care of Yaohuafang. In the future, the shop's monthly accounts and profits will be sent to the capital through a money house."
Shen Yue looked at Yu Yao seriously and said.
"Your work makes me at ease."
She nodded slightly. With the sincere charm scrolls, there was nothing to worry about. She gave some other instructions and then left.
Zhao Auntie was efficient, and she quickly packed all the luggage.
Yu Yao went over to check and found that everything was okay.
Zhou Bo had already hired carriages, although not luxurious, they were spacious enough.
There were three carriages in total. She took the children in one carriage, Zhou Bo and Zhou Auntie with Dog Egg in another, and the third carriage was for the luggage.
The group climbed onto the carriage and the carriage quickly left the county of Lianhua, driving slowly towards the capital.
In Fengyi Palace, the candle flickered and shone on the queen's pale face.
Her eyes had lost their former sharpness, leaving only a sense of desolation and melancholy.
The attendants around her had already dispersed, leaving her alone in the palace, waiting for the man she both feared and had to face.
The door opened slightly, Emperor Xuan slowly walked in, his eyes as cold and piercing as ice, directly hitting the queen's heart.
The room was so quiet that only the sound of their breathing could be heard.
"The queen, I have never wronged you, given you honor, status, and even made your son the crown prince. Why did you kill Min's son?"
Emperor Xuan stopped in front of the queen, his expression devoid of any warmth. Every word seemed to be forced out between his teeth, cold with an underlying suppressed anger.
The queen raised her head, looking at him with a hollow gaze. A faint smile curved the corners of her mouth, as if she were mocking herself.
"The emperor, what are you saying? I can't understand. Didn't Princess Min die from childbirth? When did I harm her?"
Emperor Xuan laughed coldly, pulled out a sealed letter from his sleeve, and slammed it onto the queen's face. The sheets of paper scattered on the ground, like their twenty-plus years of marriage.
"Look, this is the testimony of Qin Nanny, and the secret notes of the doctor. Every word points to you as the main culprit."
The queen trembled, picking up the papers one by one, reading them carefully. Her face grew paler and paler.
Her fingers tightened into fists, her long nails digging deeply into her flesh, but she felt no pain.
"The emperor, just relying on these biased words, can you determine my crime to be too rash?"
"Biased words? Zhaowan Ying, do you know that in this palace, the human heart is fearsome. How could the emperor easily move you without solid evidence?"
Emperor Xuan stepped closer, his gaze cold as frost, piercing through the queen's soul.
