“So, what exactly happened between you and Miss Hu? It seems she likes you, but you don't like her?”

“I… I'm not sure either…” Walking under the eaves within the Prime Minister's residence, snow fell from the treetops in the courtyard. Wang Shan Yue looked serious.

“Actually… during that time at Duling Ridge, there was indeed some interaction. At the time, Hu Family Manor only had her to support the whole situation. Hu Cheng's legs are now crippled, and the old patriarch's health is also deteriorating. She asked me about many things, and naturally, I couldn't refuse. Moreover, we were friends, and since I had connections in officialdom, I would naturally help where I could. Who knew things would turn out like this? In fact, when I was about to leave, San Niang did come to me and asked me… if I would be willing to marry her. I was really in a difficult position. I understand the principle that one shouldn't covet a friend's wife. After the battle at Zhu Family Manor, I regarded Zhu Biao as a brother in life and death. If he wants to hit me, I have nothing to say. Besides…”

He pursed his lips, his expression firm: "Moreover, with my family situation as it is, how can I consider marriage? You know about these things, Liheng."

Ning Yi looked at him for a while, then smiled and shook his head, patting him on the shoulder: "Heh, to be honest, if Zhu Biao cared, he wouldn't just give you a beating. He said before that he actually doesn't like girls like San Niang."

"But in any case, we who study the books of sages shouldn't do such things…"

"It seems that among a group of people who follow Prime Minister Qin's teachings, you, Brother Wang, are the most radical in your actions but the most righteous in your heart…" Ning Yi smiled. "Okay, then let me ask you a question… can you beat Hu San Niang?"

"Uh…"

"To be utilitarian about it, if your martial arts were as high as Hu San Niang's, would you still need to bite people when fighting?" Ning Yi said seriously, "If you really married Hu San Niang, her martial arts are so powerful, she might even be able to teach the women in your family martial arts, and you wouldn't need to protect her at all."

Wang Shan Yue's eyes flickered.

Ning Yi continued: "To take a step back, we are now doing business with Duling Ridge. Besides us, there are only two other families in Duling Ridge. Given the current situation of the Hu family, Hu San Niang will definitely be in charge of the household in the future. After Zhu Biao and Hu San Niang get married, they will become one family. But if you marry Hu San Niang, most of Hu Family Manor will belong to you in the future. They have people, and the Wang family has a reputation. Relatively speaking, the Wang family is mostly women now and not very wealthy. They probably don't have as much money as Hu Family Manor. If you can marry Hu San Niang, it would be a mutually beneficial situation with only advantages and no disadvantages. Except that you are prettier than her."

As he spoke, he continued walking: "Actually, you may not like to hear these utilitarian words. One shouldn't covet a friend's wife, but the problem now is that Zhu Biao doesn't like Hu San Niang, Hu San Niang likes you, and you don't dislike her too much. Men in this world can have many choices, but if San Niang marries Zhu Biao, her life will be set. Do you think she will be happy? You are pushing away a woman's true heart for the sake of your own morality… Of course, unless you actually hate her, and thinking about it, she's not as pretty as you, just a rough little girl from the countryside, not like someone from a scholarly family at all. It's estimated it would be difficult to satisfy your Wang family…"

Wang Shan Yue lowered his head to think, frowning: "Actually… no, I actually… don't think Miss Hu is crude at all, and her martial arts… But even if you say so, I still feel like something is not right…"

"Of course, something is not right." Ning Yi pointed at him. "Zhu Biao, he doesn't even have a girlfriend yet. Do you know what kind of girls Zhu Biao likes? It's like the sisters in your family, knowledgeable and reasonable, but not too arrogant, girls who can be good wives and mothers after marriage… Maybe it won't necessarily work out, but he'll be here after the New Year. You, as his brother, might as well introduce him. Let's not talk about becoming a live-in son-in-law first. Zhu Family Manor has people and money, and your family has a reputation. Although Zhu Biao comes from humble origins, he has a pretty good character. It's not really a matter of marrying up or down. You can think about these things…"

Wang Shan Yue and Ning Yi had some interactions. In the past, he had been persuaded by him a lot. Now, after Ning Yi finished speaking, he looked at him a few times, hiding his tempted expression. The two walked through a courtyard gate and entered the back garden of the Prime Minister's residence. A young man came over, met Ning Yi, and then cupped his fist: "Ah, Young Master Ning… and this young lady is?"

Ning Yi couldn't help but laugh and said: "This is… Miss Wang, surnamed Wang, hehe, named Shan Yue."

The young man from the Qin family originally looked at Wang Shan Yue's appearance and asked casually. After Ning Yi answered like this, he noticed the other party's clothes, and his expression immediately became complicated. Wang Shan Yue lowered his head slightly and cupped his fist helplessly. In the Shandong area, he was brutal in killing enemies, but in reality, he had a gentle temperament. He didn't really mind it when people said he was pretty or looked like a woman.

At this time, the heavy snow gradually stopped, and the snow in the garden was quite thick. A group of children ran around, having a snowball fight, which seemed very lively. Occasionally, you could also see female members of the Qin residence. Ning Yi chatted with Wang Shan Yue for a while. Sometimes he would hear a group of children whispering over there: "There's a sister dressed as a man over there, I saw through it."

Ning Yi asked Wang Shan Yue about Su Wen Yu's situation, knowing that the sights he had witnessed while managing that camp before had caused Su Wen Yu a great deal of pressure. But fortunately, in the last month, young people bought from various places had already entered, allowing those originally from Liangshan to teach martial arts or skills one-on-one. This method of inheritance alleviated the mental state of everyone in the camp, and Su Wen Yu was also relieved.

After chatting about this and that, Ning Yi bid farewell to the Prime Minister's residence. When he was leaving, Qin Shao He even brought two hams that were said to be tributes to the imperial court. When Wang Shan Yue saw him off, Ning Yi turned his head and said: "Think about it carefully, about you and Miss Hu."

Wang Shan Yue stood on the steps and smiled: "You're not good at picking up girls."

Ning Yi punched him on the shoulder, then waved and left very unhappily.

The Prime Minister's residence was quite close to the imperial city. Even though there had been heavy snowfall for the past two days, servants from various households were always out clearing the streets, so there was not much snow on either side of the brightly lit streets. Ning Yi carried the ham and walked along the long street, turning into a nearby road. As his eyes lingered on the nearby trees, courtyard walls, and pedestrians, he shook his head and smiled.

He might really not be very good at picking up girls.

Walking to the door of a small courtyard nearby, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. As someone inside came to open the door, another burst of footsteps sounded, and a woman's voice came out: "Who is it?"

"Community warmth delivery."

"Hmph."

The woman inside snorted softly, probably feeling that there were no words to respond with, and opened the courtyard door. Behind the courtyard door was Yuan Jin'er wearing a goose-yellow cotton coat. She pursed her lips slightly and squinted at Ning Yi. When Ning Yi came in, the servant closed the courtyard door. She spread her arms, pretending to pounce over. Ning Yi also opened his arms slightly, but Jin'er smiled and dodged, going to hug the ham in his hand. As Ning Yi slapped her on the butt, she jumped up again, baring her teeth and claws, wanting to fight Ning Yi one-on-one. Then she hopped and skipped and followed Ning Yi in, pointing to a very small snowman in the yard: "I built that."

This courtyard was exquisite, with two beautifully decorated small buildings inside. The gardens, flowers, rockeries, and trees also looked quite beautiful. Originally, it was a property of the Right Prime Minister's residence. When Ning Yi went in, some servants were tending to it. One of the small buildings was close to the street, and Jin'er probably saw Ning Yi coming from upstairs. Soft and peaceful piano music came from upstairs, then stopped.

Walking into the entrance of the small building, Ning Yi took off his shoes. As he turned around after going in, light footsteps came from above. A white figure threw herself into his arms, and Ning Yi reached out and hugged her. The figure wrapped her arms around Ning Yi's neck, her legs leaving the ground, and stayed like that, quietly embracing Ning Yi. After a moment, Ning Yi sighed softly: "You are becoming more and more like someone being kept outside…"

The figure couldn't help but smile.

Ning Yi carried her upstairs: "Your health is not good, you shouldn't run around like this." Jin'er took the ham: "Sister is much better today."

When he entered the room on the second floor, a warm atmosphere enveloped the place. There were many rooms, but because a lot of colored glaze was used in them, they seemed quite bright during the day and not stuffy. There were many items commonly found in women's boudoirs, as well as various musical instruments and many books. A velvet carpet was laid on the floor. Ning Yi put Yunzhu, who was wearing a white dress, on the bed on one side of the room. Yunzhu wanted to get up and make tea, but Ning Yi waved to stop her.

"Wait, wait, wait." Ning Yi took her wrist, placed his fingers on it, frowned and listened for a while, looking at Yunzhu. "Is this considered… a strong and powerful pulse, a good body?"

Yun Zhu also placed her fingers on her own wrist for a while and blinked: "It should be, right?"

Ning Yi curled his lip.

Jin'er came up after putting away the ham, stood at the door watching Yunzhu get out of bed, made a pot of tea on the small table by the bed, then went back to the bed and sat down in the quilt. Ning Yi sat on the edge of the bed, holding a book and began to read to her, their hands clasped together. Soon after, she also curled her lip and went in, climbed onto the bed, lay down next to her sister for a while, tossed and turned for a while, then got out of bed, took a picture book, sat on the furry carpet next to Ning Yi, leaning against his leg and reading by herself. But Ning Yi's reading always disturbed her, making her couldn't help but put down the picture book and look up at Ning Yi's appearance.

For many years, this was not the most handsome man she had ever seen, but recently, she thought, she had begun to get used to him and had begun to think that he was the best and most powerful man, although sometimes, she did see his weak side…

Yun Zhu's health problems gradually began to show signs during the time when Ning Yi left Bianliang. After Ning Yi came back, it suddenly broke out, at one point causing her to be unable to eat, vomit, and feel weak, even faint. The Prime Minister's residence could invite imperial physicians to treat her, and the final result was that it was mainly a mental illness. Ning Yi and Jin'er didn't know where her knot was, and even Yun Zhu herself couldn't say it, especially after she and Ning Yi confirmed their relationship. But not long after, Ning Yi gradually saw the problem.

At first, Yun Zhu set up a small stall to make a living, and opening Bamboo Remembered was to help him. However, after the Liangshan incident, they followed him to the capital. First, they were not used to the climate and soil, arriving at a new place. Second, regarding the expansion and development of Bamboo Remembered, the plan set by Ning Yi, Yun Zhu could no longer keep up with. She was intelligent in her heart. Internally, she could no longer manage Bamboo Remembered. Externally, she had left the familiar environment and familiar people—although she didn't have much social interaction when she was in Jiangning, Jiangning was, after all, her home for so many years.

After all the problems were resolved, the problem appeared on the perfection of the relationship. Yun Zhu didn't understand why she was sick at first, but feeling that everything was perfect, she had instead burdened Ning Yi. This kind of mood even aggravated her condition. Jin'er didn't understand at first. She only understood that night by the bed in this room when she saw Ning Yi sitting there, holding Yun Zhu's hand and saying: "I still raised you as a canary…"

Just as Wang Shan Yue faced emotional problems, after returning to Bianliang, the biggest trouble that really appeared in front of Ning Yi was also an emotional problem, which was something that no one had expected.

In his previous life, he had not gained much in terms of relationships. In this life, he cherished people's emotions instead. He was already a person of outstanding ability, and he was not willing to give up things that made him feel good, always feeling that there would be a way when the time came. He had mentioned this kind of trouble to Kang Xian before and had also said boldly that he was not planning to let go anyway. But at this time, these accumulated things were finally pressing towards this side…