The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Yun Jin hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "I do know some things, but... I have some things to take care of right now."

Xiao Jingyan looked at her and couldn't help but laugh. This girl was clearly waiting for him here. He coughed lightly and called out to the door, "Jin Hu."

Jin Hu entered in response.

"Go and help Miss Yun with the affairs in the courtyard," Xiao Jingyan said casually, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

Jin Hu clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your subordinate understands." He then turned and left.

Yun Jin quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness. I will remember it forever."

Xiao Jingyan waved his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Alright, now you have time to talk, right?"

Yun Jin smiled and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I definitely have time."

As she spoke, she immediately fawned over her, pulling a charcoal pencil from her small bag, moving closer to the table, pulling up a chair for herself, taking a piece of paper, and drawing as she spoke.

This time she explained it in even more detail than before—how to build the kang (heated brick bed), how to route the flue, where the stove was located, what materials to use for the kang surface; how to build the fire wall, how wide and high the wall opening was, and how the heat circulated. She explained everything in great detail.

Xiao Jingyan sat opposite her, looking down at the lines, and couldn't help but sigh.

This girl always manages to bring him unexpected surprises.

Fu Ping, who had somehow gotten close, stared at the sketches for a long time before suddenly slapping his thigh: "Brilliant! This method is brilliant! Your Highness, if this method succeeds, how many fewer people will die in the North!"

Xiao Jingyan looked at him: "Can you build it?"

Fu Ping nodded vigorously: "Yes! But we need to try it first. If Your Highness doesn't mind the trouble, you can build one in your residence first and test the effect."

Xiao Jingyan looked at Yun Jin: "What do you think?"

Yun Jin nodded: "We can try making one first. If it's successful, we can promote it further."

Xiao Jingyan immediately approved: "Then let's do it. We'll build a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) and a fire wall in the next room."

Fu Ping accepted the order and turned to go out to find the steward to prepare materials and gather manpower.

Only Yun Jin and Xiao Jingyan remained in the room.

Looking at the sheets of paper covered in lines on the table, Xiao Jingyan suddenly asked, "Where did you get this pen?"

Yun Jin was taken aback, not expecting him to ask that.

She pulled another charcoal pencil from her bag and handed it to him: "It's just a thin stick that's been burned into charcoal, and then one end is wrapped with a strip of cloth to prevent getting your hands dirty. It's inconvenient to carry a calligraphy brush around, so I made this myself."

Xiao Jingyan took the charcoal pencil, twirled it between his fingers, and nodded. "That's convenient." He glanced at Yun Jin. "Any more?"

Yun Jin took two more out of her pocket and handed them to him.

Xiao Jingyan took it, placed it on the table, and said calmly, "This thing is better than a calligraphy brush. It's more convenient for us when we're traveling."

Yun Jin responded with a sound of agreement and then said nothing more.

The room quieted down, and the two sat facing each other across a desk, the atmosphere somewhat subtle.

She didn't know what to say, and he wasn't in a hurry to speak either.

Outside the window, Fu Ping was already busy next door, moving bricks and mixing mud with a clanging sound.

The steward, accompanied by several servants, went in and out, carrying materials and tools.

Hearing those sounds, Yun Jin felt a little more at ease.

Xiao Jingyan suddenly spoke up: "Could you tell me about your time in Qingping County?"

Yun Jin raised her head and met his gaze.

There was no amusement or scrutiny in those eyes, only a seriousness that she couldn't understand.

After considering it carefully, she recounted the things she could from the original owner's memories, from going up the mountain to chop firewood at the age of five, to getting up before dawn every day to work, to not having enough to eat or wear, to being beaten and scolded by Yun Dahai and his wife.

She spoke calmly, as if she were telling someone else's story.

"That's all," she said, lowering her eyes. "I can't think of anything else."

Xiao Jingyan remained silent for a long time. So long that Yun Jin thought he would never speak again.

"Who taught you your medical skills?" he suddenly asked.

Yun Jin's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm on the surface and brought out the same line she had said countless times: "I accidentally saved an old doctor, and he said I had a knack for it, so he taught me these things."

Xiao Jingyan looked at her, his eyes clearly showing disbelief, but he didn't ask any further questions.

Just then, a soft female voice came from outside: "Brother Jin Hu, is the Prince in? I've made bird's nest porridge for him."

Jin Hu lowered his voice: "Miss Qing, the Prince has guests. You should go back first."

The woman's voice carried a hint of grievance: "Then I'll wait outside. This bird's nest porridge won't taste good if it gets cold."

Xiao Jingyan suddenly shouted, "Jin Hu, don't you know I'm busy? No unauthorized personnel are allowed to disturb me!"

The outside suddenly became quiet, and after a while, it seemed that Miss Qing had left.

Yun Jin glanced at Xiao Jingyan.

Xiao Jingyan remained calm and did not explain who the woman was.

Yun Jin didn't ask any more questions and lowered her head to think.

Fu Ping returned quickly, carrying a stack of papers covered with a list of materials and a budget.

He walked excitedly to Xiao Jingyan, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement: "Your Highness, all the materials are ready, and we have enough manpower. Could Miss Yun please offer some guidance?"

Yun Jin breathed a sigh of relief and followed Fu Ping to the next room.

For the next few hours, she spent almost all her time in that room.

Even lunch was eaten at the Prince's Mansion.

While directing his servants to get busy, Fu Ping asked Yun Jin: How wide is the flue, how big is the stove, how thick is the kang (heated brick bed) surface—recording every detail.

Yun Jin knew some things, but not others. He told Fu Ping to figure out the ones he didn't know himself.

Fu Ping, being a construction engineer, grasped the concept immediately and even improved some details himself.

As Yun Jin watched him bustling about, she suddenly felt a sense of awe, realizing that people in this era were not stupid at all.

They just haven't seen those things before; if someone points them out, they could do it better than anyone else.

The sky gradually darkened.

Jin Hu pushed open the door and came in, whispering, "Your Highness, the matter concerning Miss Yun's courtyard has been settled. The seals on the Left Police Station have been removed, and Zhou Demao has been detained. Consort Zheng has also sent word that her subordinates acted on their own initiative, and she was unaware of it."

Yun Jin felt relieved and bowed to Xiao Jingyan, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Xiao Jingyan waved his hand and said indifferently, "You helped me, so I'll do things for you. We're even."

Yun Jin knew he wasn't really calculating, but she didn't point it out.

The kang (heated brick bed) was ready, the fire was lit, the smoke billowed out, and the surface of the kang gradually warmed up.

She reached out and touched it to make sure everything was alright, then looked at the sky, got up, and said goodbye.

Xiao Jingyan did not try to stop her, but simply had Jin Hu see her out.

Chunxi was waiting at the gatehouse. Seeing her come out, she quickly went up to her and asked in a low voice, "Miss, is everything settled?"

Yun Jin nodded: "It's done."

Once inside the carriage, Chunxi couldn't help but ask again, "Miss, what did you say to His Highness Prince Yu? How did he agree to help? And... why did he keep you at his residence for a whole day?"

Yun Jin leaned against the carriage wall, closed her eyes, and said calmly, "I did something for the King."

Chunxi seemed to understand but not quite, and dared not ask any more questions.

Unbeknownst to Yun Jin, as she left the study, a pair of eyes were watching her from the shadows of the corridor.