The peasant girl has a private space, and her husband is handsome.

Inside the Su family's old house, the eldest son's wife was crying particularly bitterly.

A woman was crying and rolling around in bed, lamenting her tragic fate. She was old and faded, yet her husband had abandoned her, leaving her with nowhere to go.

Her sisters-in-law would definitely not let her move back.

The eldest daughter-in-law suddenly felt very regretful, regretting that she had bullied the third wife's family along with the old lady.

If only she had fawned over the third wife's daughter-in-law like the second son's wife had.

I heard that the second son's wife is now working at Gu's Restaurant in the county town. She's doing very well. Every woman in the surrounding villages knows her, and everyone is incredibly envious when they talk about her.

Almost every day, matchmakers come to ask if the second son's wife has returned. They're probably all eager to find a spouse for the second son's two children.

The eldest daughter-in-law felt particularly guilty when she recalled the foolish things she had done with the old lady against the third son's husband. She knew that Qian'er would never forgive her; it was all the old lady's fault.

Not only was the eldest daughter-in-law crying, but Old Mrs. Su was also crying, lamenting her miserable fate and the stolen silver bracelet.

By noon, Old Mrs. Su was too tired from crying and was hungry, so she went to the main house to find her eldest son's wife.

"Eldest daughter, what time is it? Why aren't you cooking? You lazy, good-for-nothing woman."

The eldest son's wife jumped up, put her hands on her hips, and said, "I'm not cooking anymore. I'm never cooking again. If you want to eat, you cook for yourself."

The eldest daughter-in-law harbored deep resentment towards the old lady. If it weren't for the old lady leading her astray, she wouldn't have become so addicted to bullying the third wife.

If she hadn't been instigated by the old lady to bully the third wife, she would most likely be working at Gu's now, just like the second wife, becoming the most glamorous woman in the surrounding villages, with all the women in the area fawning over her.

Daya could have gone to work in the county town like Erya, instead of being married to a butcher and constantly getting beaten up.

In short, it's all the old lady's fault.

Thinking of this, the eldest daughter-in-law hated the old lady even more. She pushed the old lady hard, sending her straight from the house into the yard.

Grandma Su was pushed to the ground and looked at her eldest daughter-in-law in disbelief.

This eldest daughter-in-law used to be the most obedient; she would never do the opposite of what she was told, and she would never chase a chicken if told to beat a dog. Has she lost her mind today? How dare she lay a hand on her mother-in-law?

The old woman yelled at the top of her lungs, "Eldest son, come out and teach your wife a lesson! How dare she hit your own mother!"

They called for a long time, but the boss didn't come out.

The eldest son's wife said coldly, "Your eldest son is gone. He even packed his clothes and left. He said he's going to the capital and he definitely won't be coming back."

The old lady's mind went blank for a moment, and she suddenly realized that her eldest son had probably stolen her silver bracelet and run away.

She scrambled to her feet and rushed into the main house, opened the wardrobe, and discovered that the eldest son's two favorite blue robes were gone.

That bastard! That bastard must have stolen her silver bracelet and gone out to have fun.

When the eldest son comes back, his legs must be broken.

Wait, the eldest son went to the capital? Could it be that he went to the Luo residence to look for someone?

It's over; the truth about the baby swap can't be kept secret any longer.

Thinking of this, the old lady rolled her eyes and lay down on the ground unconscious.

The eldest daughter-in-law spat at the old lady's face, saying, "Pah, serves you right, you heartless wretch."

\

Su Qianqian's return gift to the Duke of Anguo's mansion in the capital has arrived in the capital.

The steward reported from the study doorway: "Your Excellency, the people delivering New Year's gifts to Miss Su have entered through the south gate and are on their way to the manor."

Duke Anguo threw down his writing brush and walked out of the mansion gate.

He was always surprised by the return gifts Miss Su gave him, and he was very curious about what else Miss Su would send besides flower tea this time.

"Butler, quickly fetch the horse; I'll ride to greet him."

The steward replied with a smile, "Your Excellency, there's no need to greet him. He should be arriving at our residence soon."

The Duchess also received the news, dressed herself neatly, and came to the gate, gazing into the distance.

She saw the Duke rubbing his hands and pacing back and forth outside the gate, and said with a smile, "You are the Duke, it would be a laughing stock if people saw you so impatient. Anyway, the things Miss Su gave me won't grow wings and fly away."

The couple and their young daughter stood in the cold wind for a long time before the convoy finally arrived.

The guards at the gate quickly removed the wooden threshold to let the carriage into the mansion.

After the gate was closed, Duke Anguo couldn't wait any longer and started opening the box right there in the courtyard, eager to see the good stuff inside.

Lady Anguo smiled and said to Princess Zhaohua, "Look how excited your father is. He wasn't this excited when your eldest sister got married."

Princess Zhaohua couldn't wait any longer, so she squatted down and rummaged through the box with Duke Anguo.

The father and daughter were like unearthing a treasure chest; every time they opened something, there was a surprise.

To his greatest surprise, he found a book in one of the small boxes.

The book page had four large characters written on it: "Da Xia Yin Lü" (Great Xia Music).

The Great Xia Dynasty, more than 500 years ago! The book is so well preserved, not damp or damaged by insects, only the pages are slightly yellowed.

The Duke of Anguo's hand holding the book trembled uncontrollably.

Princess Zhaohua asked with concern, "Father, are your hands alright? Why are they shaking?"

"It's alright, it's alright, Dad is just nervous."

Duke Anguo carefully turned the inner pages and saw that it read "Yuanqi Year of the Great Xia Dynasty". After turning a few more pages, he became even more certain and convinced.

Good heavens! It really is a unique musical text from the Great Xia Dynasty.

It's astonishing that Miss Su, who lives far away in Qinghe County, possesses such a fine item.

Duke Anguo only flipped through it once, then dared not flip through it again, for fear of damaging the book.

This is a priceless treasure; it's something you can't buy even if you have the money.

I'm so glad that Miss Su's return gift wasn't intercepted on the way. There were only about thirty people sent to deliver the New Year's gifts, which was far too few. It's really frightening to think about it now.

"Zhaohua, the book that Miss Su sent is priceless. We must find a few more good things to send to Qinghe County later."

Heavy snow will soon block the roads before the Lunar New Year, so I won't be able to deliver gifts to Qinghe County until after the New Year.

Duke Anguo said to his steward, "When we go to Qinghe County to deliver gifts after the New Year, remember to send three times the number of men, and they must all be skilled fighters. Also, hire a few experienced escorts from the escort agency to accompany our carriage. We cannot allow any mishaps."

The main concern was that the return gift from Miss Su might be snatched away on the way.

"Yes, Your Highness, this old servant has remembered everything."

Duke Anguo thought that both the Empress and Emperor Qi Jing loved music, so he decided to send this ancient book on music to the Empress.

Unfortunately, I had to give it away before I could even enjoy it.

Duke Anguo said with a pained expression, "Zhaohua, find a fine brocade box to put this book in, and then go to the palace yourself to give this ancient book to your sister."

"Yes, Father."

In the palace, Consort Xian, who was at odds with the Empress, was finally released from confinement.

She was overjoyed, burning incense and taking a bath, feeling very confident that she could definitely win back Emperor Qi Jing's favor from the Empress.

Emperor Qi Jing now has a few packets of flower tea from Grand Scholar Liang in Qinghe County, so he can drink it without having to go to Fengming Palace in the imperial palace. Therefore, he no longer goes to the Empress's Fengming Palace every day as before.

The eunuch Xiao Fuzi had received a gift from Consort Xian and had been looking for an opportunity to mention her to His Majesty.

Seeing that His Majesty was in a good mood, he cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I heard that Consort Xian's confinement has been lifted."

Upon hearing Xiao Fuzi's mention, Emperor Qi Jing recalled the radiant smile of Consort Xian from the past and couldn't wait to see her.

He currently has four packets of flower tea, all of which were sent by Grand Secretary Liang from Qinghe County.

Emperor Qi Jing glanced at the flower tea several times, and finally, with great heartache, picked up a packet and stuffed it into Xiao Fuzi's hand, intending to give it to Consort Xian.

"Little Fuzi, come with me to the Peony Palace to visit Consort Xian."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Emperor Qi Jing was stopped by palace maids from Fengming Palace halfway there.

"Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress has just acquired an ancient book on music from the Great Xia Dynasty and wishes to share it with you."

Emperor Jing of Qi could not believe what he was hearing and said to the palace maid, "Quickly repeat what you just said again."

After the palace maid repeated it three times, Emperor Qi Jing was certain that he was not hallucinating and that what the palace maid was saying was indeed an ancient music book from more than 500 years ago!

Emperor Qi Jing was overjoyed, wishing he could grow wings and fly to Fengming Palace so he could see the ancient book on music immediately.

Although he was diligent in his duties and loved the people, he was also a person with hobbies, the greatest of which was music and musical instruments.

"Great! That's wonderful! Little Fuzi, quickly, prepare the carriage for Fengming Palace."

Without hesitation, Emperor Qi Jing immediately turned around and headed towards Fengming Palace.

Eunuch Fu was dumbfounded. This corridor was very close to Consort Xian's Peony Palace; it was just a few steps away. But His Majesty had turned around and left.

If Consort Xian knew that she hadn't lost to the Empress, but to a book, she'd probably want to bang her head against a wall.

Grandpa Fu quickly turned around and followed, his mind filled with mixed feelings.

The Empress has actually obtained a rare copy of the Great Xia Dynasty's musical system from over 500 years ago!

The Empress stayed in the palace every day to rest during her pregnancy and never left the palace gates, so the good stuff must have been found by the Duke of Anguo's mansion.

Duke Anguo is truly remarkable. Not only can he obtain the flower tea that His Majesty enjoys, but he can also acquire rare musical manuscripts that His Majesty cherishes! No wonder his daughter enjoys such enduring favor.

Eunuch Fu sighed deeply. He had received a fine gift from Consort Xian and promised to help lure His Majesty to the Peony Palace. Now that the matter could not be accomplished, the gift had to be returned.