In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

At this moment, Thirteen Sister lifted the curtain and came in from the backyard. Seeing Xie Yige, she smiled and bowed, "Young Master has introduced me to a good helper. Zhiyun's embroidery skills are excellent. I only saw the two flowers she embroidered, and I knew I had to have her."

Xie Yige smiled and said, "That's good. You two get up. We're all family here, no need for such formalities."

As she spoke, she pulled Thirteen Sister to the inner room and handed her the bundle in her hand, a faint blush rising on her face.

"Could you... give this to the person next door for me?"

Thirteen Sister looked down at the heavy bundle in her hands, then at Xie Yige's shy expression, and immediately understood.

She smiled knowingly, and without asking any further questions, solemnly replied, "Don't worry, young master, Thirteen Sister will definitely take care of it for you."

Xie Yige nodded and was about to turn and leave when she suddenly remembered something and stopped.

"Thirteen Sister, you've advanced two months' worth of Sister Zhiyun's allowance. Her husband is taking the exam tomorrow, and he's probably short of money to buy exam supplies."

Thirteen Sister was slightly taken aback, then smiled: "Young Master is so kind-hearted, Sister Zhiyun is so lucky."

She personally saw Xie Yige onto the carriage, watched it drive away, and then turned back into the shop.

Following Xie Yige's instructions, she not only gave Wang Zhiyun an advance on her monthly allowance but also granted her an extra day off, telling her to hurry up and prepare for her husband's imperial examination the next day.

"This is what the young master instructed. Go ahead."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhiyun, who had been holding back her tears for most of the day, finally let them fall with a "plop".

She lowered her head, covered her mouth with the back of her hand, and sobbed silently. No one could understand the bitterness and humiliation of bowing down for a pittance, but someone quietly protected her meager and insignificant self-respect.

She cried for a long time before wiping away her tears, solemnly bowing to Thirteen Sister, and turning to leave.

Meanwhile, Cui Zhilin took the bundle given to him by Xie Yige and rode his horse toward Chaoyi Villa.

As soon as he reached the door, he encountered a figure walking out—wearing a black brocade robe, with a cold and stern face, never smiling; it was none other than the current prime minister, Cui Zhinuan.

Although he wasn't wearing the court robes of a prime minister, his imposing aura still sent chills down Cui Zhilin's spine. He quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, elder brother."

When Cui Zhinuan saw him, her tone softened considerably: "You've come to see Yutang?"

"Yes."

"Go in." Cui Zhinuan didn't ask any more questions, and led the head steward Cui Zu and a group of guards into the carriage, and drove away.

Inside the carriage, Cui Zhinu sat upright, her brows slightly furrowed.

Observing the expression on the man's face, Cui Zu asked in a low voice, "My lord, are you worried about the young master?"

"He seems fine on the surface, but I still feel something is off." Cui Zhinuan's voice carried a rare hint of worry.

Cui Yutang was the only bloodline left by his deceased wife. Although he didn't say it, he cherished him dearly. However, he had a naturally cold demeanor and didn't know how to get close to his child.

"He fell seriously ill after returning from Donglin last time, and I still feel lingering fear about it."

"My lord, there's no need to worry," Cui Zu reassured him. "The young master is resolute and will be fine."

"I'm just afraid he's too stubborn and will bear everything on his own." Cui Zhinuan sighed. "Never mind, let him be."

Inside the study at Chaoyi Villa, Cui Yutang was hunched over his desk preparing for tomorrow's important exam. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Cui Zhilin enter, his expression relaxing slightly.

"Why is Uncle here?"

Cui Zhilin glanced at him, then frowned. "Why do you look thinner than you did a few days ago? Are you tired from studying?"

Cui Yutang shook his head, not replying: "What brings you here, Uncle?"

Cui Zhilin didn't beat around the bush and handed over the bundle in his hand: "This is something your young lady asked me to give you."

Cui Yutang's eyes lit up, and he almost rushed forward to carefully take the bundle from Cui Zhilin's hands, instantly radiating a rare vitality.

But then he seemed to realize something, and his eyes darkened again.

Watching from the side, Cui Zhilin was secretly troubled and couldn't help but ask, "Yutang, have you... fallen in love with that woman?"

Cui Yutang paused for a moment, and after a long while, he nodded slightly.

"Her identity might be difficult to resolve with the elders. Have you thought this through?" Cui Zhilin frowned even more deeply.

"It's all up to human effort." Cui Yutang's voice was low, but firm.

"Besides, she might not even want me." He gave a bitter laugh, looking down at the bundle in his hands, his gaze complicated.

Cui Zhilin was silent for a moment, then reached out and patted his shoulder: "Never mind, if you have any trouble later, just tell me. Although your uncle has little influence in the family, he still has a life to live."

Cui Yutang smiled slightly, a touch of emotion in his eyes: "Thank you, Uncle. I'll handle it. Don't worry about it."

"I wish you all the best in the spring imperial examinations." Cui Zhilin patted his shoulder again. "Uncle, I'm leaving now."

After Cui Zhilin left, the study returned to silence.

Cui Yutang placed the bundle on the table, but hesitated to open it.

Is she going to return what he gave her? Or something else?

What if that happens? Should we just give up?

He can't do it.

He painfully withdrew his hand from the bundle, turned around, and walked out of the study.

He stood in the courtyard for a long time. Pear blossoms fell one after another, landing on his shoulders and in his hair, but he was completely unaware. He looked up at the setting sun, which was gradually sinking in the west, and countless possibilities surged in his mind—each possibility frightening him.

He didn't return to his study until the moon was high in the sky.

The candlelight flickered, casting his lonely shadow on the wall. He took a deep breath, finally reached out, and untied the bundle.

Inside was a neatly folded sky-blue brocade cloak, exuding the scent of sunshine, clearly having been starched and dried. His heart skipped a beat; he unfolded the cloak and draped it over his shoulders. It was warm and fit him perfectly.

He looked down and discovered that there was a removable fox fur lining inside. The gold thread embroidery on the edges was very wide, with a very unique pattern. He stared at it closely and was completely stunned.

Those were the cloud-shaped symbols of his name—the character "聿" connected end to end, simplified into a continuous pattern, embroidered stitch by stitch with gold thread, gleaming with a warm luster under the candlelight.

This is... something she made especially for him!

He was completely stunned, his eyes instantly filling with tears that shattered under the lamplight.

He saw another box next to him. After opening it, he found a letter and a herbal sachet inside. He held it in his hands and smelled it. Then he picked up the jade pen next to him, which was warm to the touch, and gently stroked it.

Finally, Cui Yutang opened the letter, his fingertips trembling slightly.