Until Shen Han walked away, Ji Zhi was still frowning.

After a moment, she called over the guard by her side.

"Did you remember the appearance of the young man who spoke with me just now?"

"Whether I remembered it, it all depends on what the Princess Consort says."

The guard's response was geared towards survival.

Ji Zhi nodded slightly: "Tonight, go find him, and force him out of the Yexuan Imperial City.

If he refuses to leave... give him a small lesson.

Don't hurt him, let him suffer some flesh wounds to force him away..."

"Understood."

After the instructions, Ji Zhi took out a small pouch of money and handed it to the guard.

The guard smiled, knowing he had gained quite a bit from being by Ji Zhi's side.

Compared to other masters, this one was indeed more generous.

There was no other way, after all, Ji Zhi was a foreigner in a strange land.

Even though she married into the Prince Mansion and became the Princess Consort, she had no foundation in Yexuan Country.

Without a foundation, everything must rely on benefits and advantages.

Having arranged everything, Ji Zhi boarded her carriage again, heading towards the Prince Mansion.

The Prince Mansion was quite large, and the southern courtyard was where she and her son lived.

At this moment, Song Ruizhe sat in the courtyard, his brow furrowed, a look of distress on his face.

"Ruizhe, what are you doing sitting in the courtyard?

Didn't your father assign you some tasks? Are they already completed?"

Song Ruizhe was already irritated, and hearing Ji Zhi's voice only stoked his anger more.

"The tasks father assigned me?

They were meant for my elder brother!"

Song Ruizhe's voice was quite loud, almost shouting.

Ji Zhi lowered her head slightly, having grown accustomed to such outbursts from Song Ruizhe.

"Did Ruicheng bully you again..."

Ji Zhi could pretty much guess the reason, it was almost certainly this.

But hearing his mother's words, Song Ruizhe rolled his eyes again.

"It's not that my elder brother bullied me, it's that I'm not good enough, it's my blood that's lacking!

If my blood were as pure as my brothers', I wouldn't fall short compared to my elder brother..."

Ji Zhi nodded slightly, she was just the daughter of a vegetable farmer and had never delved into the cultivation path after marrying into the Shen Family.

The talk of pure blood seemed baseless to her, something she couldn't judge.

She could only frown and let Song Ruizhe complain.

But what could complaints solve? Ji Zhi also wanted his blood to be pure, but what could be done about it...

"Falling behind momentarily doesn't matter, Ruizhe, you will surely catch up with your elder brother.

Mother believes in you, and if there's any way mother can help, she'll do her utmost."

Hearing this, Song Ruizhe let out a light laugh.

"Help me? How can you help me?

Can you, like elder brother's mother, find precious Pills for me?

Or can you provide the complete 'Night Declaration Swordsmanship' for me to read?

You can't help me at all."

Song Ruizhe's words were filled with disdain, thinking if his mother were another Princess Consort, he'd surely fare better.

Though Ji Zhi was spoken to like this, she still managed to smile.

Depending on her son for status, now that her beauty was fading, her favor was gradually diminishing.

If not for Song Ruizhe, her later years might have been lived in poverty...

As night fell, Ji Zhi lay in bed, feeling a bit restless.

Outside, the courtyard was brightly lit by the moonlight, but Ji Zhi found the moonlight glaring.

In a bad mood, everything seemed bothersome.

All day, she had encountered nothing but bad news.

The appearance of Shen Han still left Ji Zhi somewhat uneasy.

She didn't know what the Third Prince's reaction would be upon finding out.

But without a doubt, it certainly wouldn't be good.

Song Ruizhe, the son she painstakingly raised, constantly resented her...

Why was today full of troubles...

Ji Zhi tossed and turned, struggling to fall asleep.

Worried about the guard she sent, she wondered whether he had successfully driven Shen Han out of Yexuan.

With so many issues, she hoped this one would go smoothly.

At that moment, in the courtyard where the Great Wei envoy resided.

Shen Han sat by the window, gazing at the bright moonlight outside the courtyard.

Scholars often look at the moon and feel homesick, something Shen Han never understood.

How can looking at the moon bring thoughts of home?

But after his own experiences, he finally understood.

Looking at the moon and thinking of home, one thinks of the people there.

Seeing this bright moon, he recalled the Mid-Autumn Festival at Shen Mansion.

Spending it under the moonlight, eating mooncakes with Madam Yun and Cailing, chatting and bonding.

The affection shared with them, that was true familial love.

Today, meeting his birth mother, his mind was full of schemes, afraid of benefiting from her favor.

Honestly, Shen Han could understand her.

Back then, at the Shen Mansion, bullied by Madam Shen, he left to escape.

It was normal; facing injustice, leaving was not wrong.

But even when meeting, even with a hint of shared bond, she shouldn't have spoken such cold words.

After pondering, Shen Han let it go.

Having not seen Ji Zhi for years, their lives held no intersection.

Her attitude towards him, it didn't matter.

As she herself said, their mother-son bond had long been severed.

As he thought, the courtyard outside suddenly became noisy.

Shen Han glanced out the window, suspecting someone was sneaking around to cause trouble.

Shen Han didn't pay much mind to it.

Yexuan soon yielding to Great Wei would surely involve many conflicting interests.

Where there's support, there's also opposition.

Attempts to cause trouble were to be expected.

Yet Yexuan people often had a mysterious confidence.

Sending people so weak to cause trouble.

Not to mention elite guards selected for this mission.

Even guards from some smaller Great Wei families could easily handle whoever was just here.

Soon, the noise outside ceased.

They probably just taught him a lesson and let him go.

In a foreign land, with bigger matters at hand, it was best to handle things simply.

Making a big deal could affect Yexuan's surrendering process.

The next day, Shen Han received word from the guards.

The sneaky person from last night was sent by Yexuan Country's Third Prince's Princess Consort.

Trying to drive him away...

Upon hearing this, Shen Han nodded, not saying much.

At dawn, Ji Zhi heard a knock at the door.

She rose and had a maid open it; it was her personal guard.

He now looked nothing like his former grand stature, but rather bruised and with tattered armor.

"Madam..."

The guard looked aggrieved.

"What happened to you, come in and sit."

Ji Zhi had some wits, knowing how to win people's hearts, quickly showing concern.

She instructed her maids to bring some medicine for bruises.

"Madam... Yesterday, that young man came with the Wei Country envoy...

I saw him enter their residence from afar and thought I'd wait outside to observe.

Even from a distance, I thought they surely couldn't notice.

But after nightfall, suddenly two people appeared.

They said I was sneaky, grabbed me without a word, and dragged me into the courtyard, beating me up...

They didn't ask me anything..."

Hearing this, Ji Zhi quickly gave him some more money.

She understood the implication: he had been caught but didn't reveal her involvement.

He was here to collect a reward.

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